Too Many Temples (World of Love 13) Read online

  Too Many Temples

  By Erik Swill

  Looking to spice up his stagnant sex life in Brisbane, self-professed player Adrian takes a weeklong vacation in Bali, anticipating sun, surf, and plenty of no-strings-attached hookups. He doesn’t expect his attraction to the tour guide, Ketut, to become an obsession. As he travels around the beautiful Island of the Gods, Adrian is startled that he might be falling in love after swearing off relationships for good.

  When Ketut opens a window of opportunity for a real relationship in Queensland after the vacation ends, Adrian retreats into his life of commitment-free fun. Unable to forget Ketut, though, Adrian strikes out to the remote Queensland town of Rockhampton to find the man of his desires—hoping he hasn’t lost the chance for true love.

  World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.

  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  X

  XI

  XII

  XIII

  XIV

  XV

  About the Author

  By Erik Swill

  Visit Dreamspinner Press

  Copyright

  I

  ADRIAN JUMPED off the back of the doorless minivan with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He sorted through a wad of rupiah in his pocket and handed several colorful notes to the driver. With a wave and a crooked smile, the driver had already started to merge back into traffic as Adrian voiced an offer to keep the change. Apparently, he was going to anyway.

  Adrian had already spent nearly a week drinking, sexing, and surfing badly in the bustling tourist district in southern Bali. He’d had no idea just how accommodating the Balinese were to the waves of Australian tourists who flocked to the island throughout the year. Sports bars playing nothing but Aussie-rules football, rugby, and cricket were more numerous than local restaurants. And many of the Balinese even spoke English with a recognizable Australian twang to their accents.

  Adrian loved the mix of cultures in the island’s southern tip but was looking for something that did not resemble the beach bars in the Gold Coast back home. His mates would never let him hear the end of it if he went to Bali for his first overseas trip as an adult and did nothing but watch Australian sports, drink Australian beer, and hook up with other Australian tourists. Excluding a solo Canadian backpacker, that was all he had done up to that point.

  With only two days left of his vacation, he was cutting it close. But he remembered Mason, a mate of his, speaking highly about the more posh, artsy villages in the center of the island, away from the beaches and the party scene. He decided that would be as good a place as any to get a different taste of what Bali had to offer. And even if it wasn’t, at least he could blame Mason for having bad taste.

  The pleasantly relaxed pace in the village of Ubud immediately impressed him upon arrival. It was modern and catered to the needs of foreign tourists. As a relatively uncultured, novice traveler, Adrian was not open-minded enough to try wiping his ass with his left hand as was standard practice in most places his friends had traveled while following the backpacker trail around Southeast Asia. He booked his stay at a hotel that had toilet paper and a sit-down flush toilet. That was nonnegotiable.

  Still, his “hotel” ended up being a bungalow on the edge of a rice field. It wasn’t as nice as some of the other bungalows in the area, but who could complain with what he had? The bed, with its bamboo frame, sat on a loft above the living room and overlooked the rice fields while facing the sunset. He plopped down on the bed and just stared out the triangular window while watching a few ducks maneuvering around the wet and dry patches of the fields. Shortly thereafter, he dozed off.

  Adrian unintentionally slept all night, waking up only to the sound of someone knocking on his door. It had been one of those nights where sleep came quickly and the body didn’t stir until morning. Normally, he woke several times throughout the night, trying to remember whose bed he was in and who he was sleeping next to. Or if the person he was in the same bed with was even sleeping at all. He had met a couple of creeps over the past three years since graduating who liked to watch him while he slept.

  “Room service. Breakfast.”

  The knocking on the door continued. Feeling well rested, Adrian climbed out of the sizable bed and down the ladder from the loft to get the door. He opened it to find a guy about his age dressed impeccably in a crisp white shirt, colorful sarong wrapped around his waist, and an ornamental headband that was typical attire for the Balinese. It was only then Adrian took note of his own appearance—skin pinkish-colored from getting too much sun, disheveled hair the color of the sand that coated his flip-flops, unshowered, and still wearing yesterday’s sweaty clothes, which were now wrinkled from sleeping in them. Unable to do anything about it at that moment, he just smiled at the man with the huge grin who had greeted him at the door.

  “Wow! I didn’t realize breakfast was brought to the bungalow. I thought I’d need to find some food on my own.”

  “No, sir. Breakfast is included with the cost of your room. Excuse me.” He walked past Adrian with the box of food and set it on the table. In typical Balinese fashion, the guy unpacked the breakfast and lined it up neatly on the dining table. A variety of fresh fruit had been cut into the shape of flowers, and a few fresh flowers adorned the plate.

  “My name is Ketut,” he said while finishing up the breakfast presentation.

  “What is that?” Adrian asked, pointing to the bread on the plate that looked like it had just come out of a sandwich maker.

  “Oh, that is a jaffle. With tomato and cheese on the inside. Still warm. Please enjoy,” Ketut replied as he started to pack up the lids and plastic wrap that had covered the food. “I will come back later to collect the plates. You can place them outside by the front door so I won’t disturb you again.”

  Adrian heard only a little bit of what Ketut was saying. He could not stop staring at the contrast between Ketut’s white clothing and his brown skin tone. His eyes were stunning too. His body was thin, but his clothes showed off enough definition underneath. Pronounced collarbones, narrow waist, thick forearms—it was Adrian’s ideal.

  Adrian was perplexed; he was rarely blown away by a man’s physical beauty. Ketut had this aura about him that demanded Adrian’s attention. Adrian hesitated, never really a good judge of the sexuality of men who worked in customer service. The “is he gay or is he just doing his job” question always hounded him whenever he felt the urge to make a move.

  Adrian tested his luck. “What if I want for you to disturb me later?”

  Ketut continued to gather his loose belongings but glanced at Adrian out of the corner of his eye before replying. “Jaffles taste good cold too if you have time now.”

  That was enough to elicit huge, knowing smiles on both their faces. Adrian grabbed Ketut’s hand and pulled him closer. Their lips locked briefly. Adrian stopped kissing after hearing Ketut moan. It was loud and unexpected; he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  “Okay?” Adrian asked for assurance.

  Ketut did not answer verbally. Instead he resumed the passionate kiss Adrian had started a moment ago. This one went uninterrupted as Adrian let his hands roam Ketut’s fully clothed body. He rubbed up and down his forearms, up to where the sleeves had been rolled. It was too tight to go any farther up. The sarong that wrapped several times around Ketut’s waist also prevented any roaming hands from going beyond the surface of his clothes.

  Adrian figured if he couldn’t get Ketut�
��s clothes off easily, he could at least remove his own. He unbuttoned the front of his shirt and slipped it off his back. He broke away from the kiss to bury his face in Ketut’s neck. This elicited another moan and gave Adrian the leverage to unbutton his own pants and slide them down part of the way. Adrian took Ketut’s hands, which had been firmly cemented on Adrian’s hips, and moved them to the waistband of his briefs.

  Taking the hint, Ketut slipped his fingers under the band and pulled them down slowly. When they had cleared Adrian’s almost fully erect dick, he pushed down on Ketut’s shoulders, hoping another subtle hint would help move things along. Ketut obliged again, taking in the head of Adrian’s still-growing dick. It was Adrian’s turn to moan as Ketut began taking more and more of it in his mouth.

  Adrian was so lost in the moment he didn’t initially realize Ketut had stopped sucking and was standing again. He couldn’t read Ketut’s face.

  “I think you forgot to shower this morning.”

  Adrian wasn’t sure if that was meant as a statement or an accusation. Either way, it was a buzzkill. But Ketut was quick to find a solution.

  “Follow me. I’ll show you how to make the most of your shower in this bungalow.”

  Ketut grabbed his hand and led him into the bathroom. There was no ceiling, just a large, skinny tree planted in the middle of the bathroom floor to act as a roof. The shower floor was covered with small but smooth river rocks. It was there Adrian saw a now-naked Ketut turning on the rain feature of the shower, producing enough spray for both of them.

  Ketut beckoned Adrian to join him, and Adrian was more than happy to accommodate. He slipped off his underwear and pants, which had only made it down as far as his knees while in the living room. The water was cooler than Adrian would have preferred, but he wasn’t worried; they’d create enough body heat between them to keep warm.

  Ketut took the coconut shower gel the bungalow provided for guests and poured a generous amount into his palms. He focused his attention on lathering up Adrian’s hairy torso, leaving Adrian the chance to explore Ketut’s exposed body. It was as he had imagined it—tight and toned, without an ounce of fat. Massaging Ketut’s back and letting his hands run forward across his abs confirmed this. Nothing but a compact, firm build. This thought and the massaging-cum-washing of his body brought Adrian’s eight inches back to full mast.

  Ketut took notice and went back to bobbing on the rod as soon as he had washed the soap off it. Since the bathroom didn’t have a ceiling, there really was no point in the shower itself having walls or a curtain. The bathroom got wet no matter what. But this also gave them plenty of room to maneuver, something Adrian had found most unpleasant the only other time he had tried to have sex in the shower, back in Australia. Banged knees and elbows and a very wet floor made it a do-not-repeat location. But this experience was very different.

  Ketut explored Adrian’s body with his hands as he kneeled in front of him. He massaged Adrian’s thighs intermittently between reaching around and playing with Adrian’s hole and his dangling balls. Adrian took some of the coconut shower gel and used it to rub Ketut’s shoulders and upper back. That was all he could reach from the way they were standing.

  Adrian noticed Ketut was no longer rubbing his body while sucking his dick. He had started to finger himself… in preparation for what Adrian saw as coming next. It wasn’t until Ketut started fingering Adrian with his other hand, though, that Adrian decided he was going to take control of the flow of events.

  Grabbing the coconut shower gel again, Adrian drizzled some into his hand and began rubbing the base of his shaft. Ketut backed off his dick, allowing Adrian to coat the entire length in the slippery and fragrant gel. Ketut understood what Adrian was thinking and stood up facing the opposite direction. Adrian stepped up to Ketut’s back and embraced him.

  He started hammering from behind as soon as he entered, forcing Ketut to pivot to grab on to the wall for support. After a few minutes of this onslaught, Ketut was pressed hard against the wall, while Adrian continued his assault. The shower continued to rain down on both of them.

  There was no thought for the open-roof bathroom. Adrian enjoyed the rush of sensations as noisily as would be expected for a hot hookup, regardless of their noises being carried to anybody standing near the outside of the bungalow. Ketut, in particular, was quite vocal, mixing his peculiar moans with calls for Adrian not to slow down. And it was Ketut who came first, all over the bathroom wall he was practically pinned against. With the pressure Adrian kept on his body, there was little chance for any alternative.

  Ketut’s back was cemented onto Adrian’s front, with only their hips swaying apart before slamming back together again. Adrian held hard to Ketut’s waist, not wanting to allow a single second for him to pull away. Adrian was determined to see this through to the end uninterrupted. With Ketut having blown his load already, all that was left was for Adrian to let his loose.

  He picked up the pace, and Ketut seemed surprised. The water temperature of the shower was starting to cool even more, meaning they had been going at it for long enough to run out of the lukewarm water they had started with. Adrian was only subconsciously aware of the change in water temperature. He was entirely focused on banging the ass in front of him.

  With one last thrust and a grunt from the bottom of his stomach, Adrian pulled out quickly and let loose a torrent of his own down Ketut’s back. Adrian extended his hands over Ketut’s body to hold himself up on the wall. Ketut looked up and pecked him on the cheek.

  The two did not hang out for very long in the shower after that. Without the water heater, it was nothing more than cold mountain water raining over their heads. They quickly rinsed off and toweled dry. Ketut started to dress immediately while Adrian decided it was too much trouble climbing back upstairs into the bedroom loft to dig through his duffel bag for clean clothes. He sat down for breakfast in his towel.

  Ketut refused his offer to join him for breakfast. “I still have one more bungalow to drop off the breakfast dishes after this one. I hope they won’t be angry with me for being a little late.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it. They’re probably still sleeping. Like I was. You’ll be all right.” Adrian wasn’t really sure what else to say. He wasn’t going to take the blame for Ketut being late, and he doubted Ketut would have done anything differently if he had the chance to do it all over again. But Adrian wasn’t quite ready to let him walk out the door. He had talked to plenty of other tourists and just about every shopkeeper he passed along the road earlier in his travels. He certainly hadn’t been lonely, but there was something compelling him to reach out to Ketut—to dig a little deeper beneath the surface. Adrian tried to stall him with small talk. “So you work as a delivery driver all day long? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the same set of bungalows?”

  Ketut straightened his headband. “No, I am a private tour guide. I am just delivering breakfast to your bungalow and a few others by the same owner to help out my friend today. He had to take his wife to the hospital early this morning. She is having a baby today. But he will be back to deliver your breakfast tomorrow morning.”

  “Oh, well… congratulations to them. And too bad for me. I really enjoyed my breakfast this morning.”

  “But you haven’t eaten anything yet,” Ketut exclaimed quizzically.

  Adrian raised his eyebrow, waiting for Ketut to understand what he meant. It took a few seconds, but he caught on.

  “So after your breakfast deliveries, you are leading a tour group around the island?”

  “Yes, I will be available to do so. You should come see me if you don’t have anything else to do today. It will be fun.”

  “I just may, Ketut. Today is my last full day here. The day started out with a blast, though. So your tour is going to have to be pretty impressive to beat this morning’s activities.”

  Ketut smiled shyly. “The tour will be very good. But I can’t promise that there won’t be some repetition throughout the day. If you do
n’t mind….”

  II

  ADRIAN HAD earned a reputation back home. One he had never been able to play down, and one that seemed to precede him when he entered any of the handful of gay or gay-friendly bars or clubs in his hometown of Brisbane. Then again, he didn’t really care much about what others thought of him.

  He wasn’t notorious by any means; nobody was afraid of him. He had plenty of friends or, at least, scene friends—people he could have a laugh with if he bumped into them at the bars. But these were not people he would ever catch a movie with or tag along with to the next rugby or footie match. And they certainly weren’t people he would ever hook up with. His former classmate, Mason, had been about the only person he ever really opened up to. But Mason stopped playing the scene when he settled down monogamously with his partner, Joe.

  Adrian had entered the gay scene at age twenty-one after a relatively late start due to low confidence and an excessively Catholic mother who constantly laid guilt trips on him as thickly as possible. She had been in the middle-aged dating pool for several years and presumed her experiences and sins would be repeated by her newly of age son. Eventually, though, his mother remarried and moved to Melbourne with her new husband, leaving the small house in suburban Brisbane that he grew up in to Adrian to take care of on his own.

  He’d made up for the lost time with a vengeance. And with a bachelor pad at his disposal and no longer being berated by the you’ll-go-to-hell mantra for everything he did, Adrian lived life to the fullest. He lost his virginity to a jerk who was more frustrated with Adrian’s inexperience than he was respectful of it being his first time with a man. This had followed weeks of dating and courting and building up to consummating their relationship. Of course, Adrian called him back several times after doing the deed—after all, they were boyfriends in his mind at the time—but the guy wasn’t interested.

  “I’ve got plans with my mates tonight. Don’t want to bail at the last minute. Some other time, okay?”