Firehouse Lovers

By Peter Schutes

Travis Baumholt has a small problem:
He wants to be a fireman, but he's gay. When he gets assigned to a fire station in the Castro District of San Francisco, a mecca for gay men and women everywhere, he is surprised to discover that he's not alone. Though he may be smaller than the other men, he has a beautiful asset the men all crave. His roommate, Mike, has the opposite problem. As much as he wishes to get close to other men, a massive problem always gets in the way.

Travis knows three things:
He's gay but in the closet.
He's just a rookie at the fire station.
He's in love with his roommate despite his gruff exterior.

Can Travis find love among so many eligible bachelors at the fire station?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peter Schutes
• Release date: Dec 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215302842

Peter Schutes

Peter Schutes Publishing promotes "unheard voices" from all walks of life. In addition to the hypermasculine pulp-style erotica of Peter and his associates, the press seeks out authors with stories that need to be told. Erotic fiction pushes boundaries, as does transgressive fiction about LGBTQ+ issues and neurodivergence, the hallmarks of Peter Schutes Publishing.Peter Schutes is the nom de plume of a prolific and acclaimed novelist. As Peter Schutes, he is the author of Slaves of Rome, Dark as a Dungeon, The Gospel of Priapus, and Panama Heat. He writes in the style of vintage pulp authors from the 1960s and 1970s. He lives in Los Angeles.

Book preview

1

THE NEW RECRUIT

Travis Baumholt tried twice before he passed the written firefighter exam. He had to live at home with his parents while he waited between tests and for the six-month waiting period before he finally would be assigned to a station.

Living at home was becoming a nightmare. Travis had to listen to his father complain about the freaks and queers moving into the Castro District in San Francisco. His parents moved to the Castro when it was a mostly Italian borough. Travis’s mother was of Italian descent, and since she did all the cooking, it was wise to live closer to the markets where she could get fresh pasta, San Marzano tomatoes, and Arborio rice for risotto. His conservative parents watched their neighborhood change into a paradise for homosexuals. They didn’t know that Travis had developed a longing to be with other men. Every time his father said, faggot, or queer, Travis died inside a little. 

Despite being of Italian and German heritage, Travis had pulled the short straw in the genetic lottery. God gifted him a handsome face, a trim waist, and heart-shaped buttocks, but he was ruthless when he gave him a tiny penis. It was a source of deep shame. He didn’t know how two men were queer together, but he was sure his little dick would be a problem. He had only seen one homoerotic drawing in his life, an image by the artist Tom of Finland: two men with huge cocks. One man penetrated the anus of the other, who held his colossal shaft with a look of joy. Travis felt woefully inadequate ever since seeing that lone image of homosexual coupling.

Day after day, Travis waited for his assignment. He was too frightened to walk inside the taverns along Castro where the fairies met. If he had, he might have learned that size wasn’t the only currency in the gay world. But his fear kept him from that knowledge. One day in June, one of the few warm days in the otherwise foggy, cold city, a letter arrived. To his astonishment, his assignment was only a few blocks from his parent’s house at Fire Station 24 on Hoffman Street. It was a tiny station, just a few men and one engine. The firehouse was perched at the lower end of Diamond Heights, with an incredible panoramic view of the city and the bay. It was so close that he could quickly get there from his parent’s house. His shift was 24 hours, which meant he got to sleep at the station overnight before returning home. It was his first time living apart from his parents for any length of time, and he couldn’t wait to pack a bag and stay there.

So the next day, he did just that. His mother offered to pay for a taxicab, but he preferred the gentle, sometimes steep walk uphill to the firehouse. He found a locked door when he arrived at the station at noon. He knocked.

A seasoned older man opened the door. His hair was salt and pepper to match his close-cropped beard. His blue eyes twinkled when he saw Travis.

You must be the new guy. I’m Petey McBride. The older man extended a large, veiny hand.

Travis. Travis Baumholt, sir.

Petey smiled. Let me show you your bunk. You got big shoes to fill. Shep moved up the hill last week. He was a youngster like you. You’re rooming with his buddy Mike.

They walked through the empty garage. Where was the fire truck?

Petey read Travis’s mind. They’re out on a call. Not a fire, from what I heard. Just a cat in a tree or whatever.

Up the stairs, they arrived at a small room at the front of the station with a great view. The room was small, dominated by a  bunk bed. 

Mike prefers the top bunk, even though he’s a big guy. I don’t know why. So you lucked out. You get the bottom bunk. Much easier when you gotta take a piss in the middle of the night.

Travis surveyed the small room. He was going to be in close quarters with this Mike fellow. He worried his little secret would come out at some point. It would be hard to hide, even though it was so tiny. He’d kept it a secret until senior year when the whole class went on a trip to Clear Lake. There, the boys and girls slept in separate cabins on opposite sides of the lake. So late at night, the boys decided to go skinny dipping. Travis tried to stay behind, but they dragged him to the shore and stripped him. The other boys pointed and laughed.

It’s a fuckin’ button!

I pity the girl that marries you! 

He could still hear the jeers in his head. It left him feeling hopeless. What guy would ever want to be with him?

Hey, you still with us? Petey clapped Travis on the back. You look like you went to Jupiter for a minute there.

Travis laughed. Yeah, there’s a lot of change all at once. Sorry about that.

Petey got serious. Don’t ever do that in a fire. You’ll end up a pile of ashes for us to clean up.

Travis swallowed hard. Right, sir. Sorry.

Petey smiled. Enough with the sir. We’re all firemen here. I ain’t your boss, and you ain’t mine. How about we call each other ‘brother’ from now on? Sound good, brother?

Travis nodded. Yes, brother.

Petey said, The fire chief has us on a synchronous schedule. That means that each 24-hour shift is the same five guys. So you might see some other guys at the change of shift, but this shift, we’re a team. If you don’t get along and fit in with us, you might get moved to another shift. But you seem like a sweet kid. If you can win over your roommate, you’ll be with us for sure.

I’ll do my best.

Good! I’ll leave you to unpack.

Travis found an empty cubby and filled it with his change of clothes. He put his toiletries on the window ledge, hung up his towel on a hook, and he was unpacked. He studied the top of his roommate’s cubby. There was a motorcycle helmet, Aqua Velva, shaving cream, a razor (Travis didn’t need those yet), and a tub of Vaseline. Travis had no idea what that was for. Maybe Mike had eczema.

Travis wandered