Secret Prayer Ch. 01

**Another story written with @wanderer0075. We hope you enjoy!!**

"There is an hour of peace and rest,

Unmarred by earthly care;

'Tis when before the Lord I go

And kneel in secret prayer."

Elder Gage Belford sat down on the small twin bed that he was sleeping on currently in the room he shared with Elder Tate Caldwell. On the other side of the room was Tate's bed. They were sharing a very small apartment together, which only had one room, a single bathroom, a small living room and a kitchen. Tate put his Book of Mormon down on the desk on his side of the room. Both of them were an entire year into their mission, and had recently been assigned to work with each other.

This was the third young man that Gage had worked with, as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints liked to change who their missionaries worked with. It made it so neither of them could get too comfortable and complacent with each other. They were supposed to guide each other on this holy journey they were taking, but more than that, they were supposed to tell on each other if one of them goes astray. If they got too comfortable with each other though, they might not tell the Mission President if one of them broke the rules.

"Maybe we should go to the campus tomorrow," Tate said as he sat down on his own bed. "We might have an easier time talking to people our own age about the Church. We could tell them about some of the events for single adults."

There were a few campuses they could go to in Chicago, Illinois, but the closest one was the University of Illinois. Gage wasn't sure that they would have much luck there either. It was becoming Gage's opinion that it was impossible to actually talk people into joining the church. He had heard rumors, through people who had left the church, that the point of missionary work wasn't to convert people, but to keep the members feeling like they couldn't trust people outside of the church.

Gage had been wondering if they weren't right. He had been struggling for a few years with the church, mostly because he was fairly sure he was gay. He could never say the words out loud though. His family would disown him if he was, and he had no doubt about that. His older brother had come out as bisexual and his mother had spent weeks sobbing over it. Right now, Craig was being introduced to women who were part of the church in order to turn him away from that "life of depravity" as his parents called it.

Craig looked miserable the last time Gage saw him though. Gage thought it was possible that Craig came out because he had met a man he loved. He didn't have a way to help his brother though. He couldn't even help himself. He was on this mission right then when he wasn't sure he wanted to be. How could he stand up for his brother when he couldn't even do it for himself?

"Are you listening, Elder Belford?" Tate asked, breaking Gage out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," Gage replied, shaking himself out of his reverie. His golden hair was starting to get long, reaching a little past the top of his ears. He always kept it very short, as his dad was ex-military and preferred his sons adopt what he expected them to look like. Gage was just a little over six feet, and thin but muscled from constantly hunting, dirt biking, and learning fighting techniques from his father. He had a scar across his left eyebrow from a fall while dirt biking, which his mom was beside herself about at the time, and he had bright green eyes that women always said were filled with mystery and wonder.

"The campus sounds like a good idea." Gage finally said with a nod of his head. "We can go earlier in the day, before it starts getting warm."

They ate a simple meal and listened to old recordings of the general conferences before going to bed by nine PM. Both men looked bored to tears by the end of their listening time, but they weren't allowed to take in any sort of media that wasn't put out by the church while on their mission unless it was with families they might convert.

Tomorrow was a new day.

~~~

Jarek loved bridal parties. He had made a rule for himself early on in his career to always flirt with the bride, but never take her home. For one thing, there was the potential for too much backlash from such a stupid decision and for another, marriage was something he didn't want to jinx himself away from by misbehaving toward it, not that he was out of his commitment-phobic phase yet. Besides, focusing on the bride always made one or another of his clients get a little more handsy than the others and that one usually ended up asking for a private session after closing time.

Jarek "Horseman" Phillips was summoned to the stage by special request of the bridal party, according to the DJ, so he oiled himself up, adjusted himself in his skimpy g-string, and mounted the stairs to the stage, pulling his cowboy hat low to shield his eyes from the intense lights. He went through his cowboy routine, leaving the hat on until the end. The DJ could tell from Jarek's outfit that this would be his last set, so she had played an extra long mix. By the time he had finished, tossing his hat to the one particular guest who had been eye-fucking him the most all night, his body glistened with sweat and the stage was littered with cash.

Jarek made his way down the stairs while the stage was cleared by the wait staff. All of the tips were totaled throughout the night and the club took their percentage before depositing the rest electronically. He retrieved his hat and gave the gal holding it the private dance she had been asking for all night. She tipped him well and was particularly poorly-behaved during the dance, as he had expected. She slipped him her number before pulling his g-string back up for him. He strutted out of the private dance booth and handed the tip to the waiter standing at the entrance to the hallway before ducking backstage to get cleaned up and changed.

He texted her his address and she miraculously beat him to his house on campus of the University of Illinois, Chicago. He didn't have classes in the morning, so he could focus on showing her a good time before sending her home. She kissed him full on the mouth when he strode up to the door, her hands already roaming all over his chiseled body. Fortunately he was well practiced in unlocking his door while his face was busy and they were inside scant seconds before she managed to get his dick out of his pants. There was not much opportunity to rest that night and he was fortunate that his neighbors didn't mind the occasional noisy night as she turned out to be a screamer.

He made her breakfast in the morning and thanked her for a fun night, offering to call her an Uber when she finished her eggs. Just then, the doorbell rang. Jarek threw a robe on over his basketball shorts and answered the door.

Two men stood on the doorstep, dressed in white dress shirts, black dress pants, black ties, and name tags that gave their names as "Elder Belford" and "Elder Caldwell." Elder Caldwell was shorter, around five foot eight, thin without any major muscles, with dark brown hair that was cut short and rectangular glasses on his face. He was clean shaven and had a friendly smile on his face. Everything about him looked unassuming and safe.

Elder Belford, on the other hand, was tall with the hint of a muscled physique under his attire. He was also clean shaven, and his bright green eyes looked sharp and were taking in everything around him. He had a youthful look to him, but something in his eyes said he had seen far more than he should have. He was also one of the most beautiful men Jarek had ever seen.

"Good morning, gentlemen, how can I help you?" Jarek asked as the woman, whose name he had never asked for, squeezed out between him and the door, squeezing his ass on the way out. She made her way cautiously around the two solicitors and turned back on the way to her Uber to motion with her hand to encourage Jarek to call her.

The two missionaries were silent for a moment as they took in what they had just seen, but Elder Caldwell seemed to recover first, speaking as if he had rehearsed or said this many times before. "Hello, my name is Elder Caldwell, and this is my companion, Elder Belford. We were just going around the neighborhood to see if you might have a moment to talk about religion and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." At that, Tate held up his Book of Mormon, smiling at Jarek in a way that could either be seen as sarcastic or excited, and Jarek wasn't entirely sure which one it was.

"Has this approach ever worked for you guys?" Jarek asked curiously, leaning against the door frame, his robe parting to reveal his well-defined muscles, still slightly slick from the shower he had taken before feeding his guest. He was clearly asking both of them, but his eyes never left Gage's.

Gage couldn't help but look at the patch of exposed skin, like a starving man did food. Gage had seen men in various states of undress before; he was an athlete after all, and had played hockey all through his childhood, but there was something different about this man standing before them. He just exuded sex, and he did it in an effortless way even without the woman grabbing his ass on the way out. Those beads of water dripping down his tanned skin were so inviting, and he wasn't sure how long he stared for. He felt Tate elbow him in the side and came back to reality, pulling his eyes away and looking at an extremely interesting bit of wood on the door frame.

Tate had narrowed his eyes at Gage but then looked back at Jarek with a smile. "Well, we do have quite a few people who are open to talking, though I can't say we've baptized anyone into the church yet. We watched a baptism last week another group did though, so it must work with some people."

"People are polite enough," Gage added, his voice a smooth baritone.

"Oooh, is that the part where the priest puts you in the bathtub and touches you inappropriately?" Jarek said with an easy laugh, his hazel eyes twinkling with his mirth.

"We have bishops, actually," Tate corrected, and paused as he considered the rest of the question. "Nothing like that, hopefully. Just nice and chaste baptisms. My father is a bishop and he's never done anything like that."

Gage, though, looked askance at Jarek like he might know more about that particular situation than he would like to. He didn't say anything, though. Tate seemed unsure as he spoke and he didn't want to outright contradict his new companion when they didn't know each other that well. Besides, Gage hated talking about the bishop who was so inappropriate with him.

"I was raised Catholic, myself," Jarek said, shifting his gaze to Tate. "We called them all kinds of things, Bishop among them, but by and large a priest was a priest and they all got touchy. But, I can see this subject is uncomfortable for you. Do you know any differences between what the Catholics believe and what you guys are selling?"

"I'm pretty sure not all of them get touchy," Tate replied.

Gage decided to intercept here, latching onto the last question Jarek had asked. "There are a lot of similarities, but a lot of differences too. I know the Catholics drink wine during your sacrament, and little wafers. We use bread and water, as members of the LDS church are not allowed to drink any alcohol. We're not allowed caffeine or any other mind altering substances either. I believe both churches ask for tithing as well, correct? We don't have confessionals, but you can give your testimony every first Sunday of the month. It's supposed to bring you closer to God and your church. Plus you can always talk to the bishop about your sins and ask for guidance."

Jarek shifted those breathtaking hazel eyes over to Gage again, almost causing an involuntary reaction. "No mind altering substances? How... provincial. What about the naturally occurring ones, like dopamine and such?"

"Well, those are ones made in our body, so it's not against the rules," Gage replied. "We can even take antidepressants, though some people frown on it."

"Fun rules," Jarek said. "Listen, fellas, I'll be honest with you, it's not the best time for me: I have class in a bit and I work after that. What do you say you stop over for some

more... engaging conversation some other time?"

"Of course, we wouldn't want to disturb your day," Gage said with a nod of his head. From the way Tate was looking, he didn't think Tate would bother coming back to this particular house.

Jarek nodded at that and stepped back inside, closing the door gently and leaning against it. He hadn't expected to see such a hungry look in the eyes of one of the door-knockers. He especially didn't expect to find himself beginning to react to it. He let out a refreshing breath and pushed away from the door, getting dressed for his day. He hadn't been lying about anything except his interest in the Mormon church.

Gage, meanwhile, followed his companion off the doorstep and back onto the sidewalk so they could move on to the next door. "Should we go back later?"

"I doubt Mr. Funny Guy has much interest," Tate said with a shake of his head. "You took a real shine to him, by the way. Don't think I didn't see that look."

Gage's face reddened at that and he looked away. "It's nothing. He just had...really shiny skin, is all."

They walked along the sidewalk for a moment before they stopped at a field that stretched across part of campus. Tate looked thoughtful as he looked out over campus. "My dad has been the bishop of our church for the last four years now. You can imagine what kind of pressure that can be for kids. Dad thought sending me on my mission would bring me home more compliant, if you catch my drift?" Here, Tate kicked at a rock on the ground. "I'd kill for a cigarette!"

Gage looked over at him in surprise. "A cigarette?"

"I like booze, cigarettes, and women," Tate replied with a shrug. "And you like men. So we both have things we'd rather the Mission President not know about, huh?"

Gage narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you aren't just saying that to make me spill my guts to you so you can run off to him?"

Tate laughed at that. "I guess right now you don't, but I'm not going to tell anyone. I just want to get through this unscathed. I'll make you deal. We can go back and see Sir Goodbody over there, so long as I can bum a cigarette or nicotine gum off someone. Deal?"

Gage gave a nod of his head, deciding he'd see how this played out. They were still standing there when they saw Jarek leave his house for class. He appeared to be in a hurry to them, but he was mostly just walking fast out of habit. Chicago was not a place where one tarried if they wanted to survive past midday, especially on foot. He turned away from them and unhurriedly strode as quickly toward his class as his legs would carry him, absently putting earbuds into his ears for the trip.

He was studying Neuromuscular Dysfunction two this year and the more advanced information had a tendency to make his head swim if he didn't get into the right mindset for class on his way there. Fortunately, something upbeat was always keyed up in his music player. After class, he made his way to his day job for a few hours where he covered the lunch rush in the kitchen of a local mom and pop restaurant.

Jarek made his way to his evening class, Musculoskeletal Dysfunction, and barely survived with the help of a copious amount of caffeine. Fortunately he didn't work at the club tonight, so he was able to collapse onto his couch after class and start to idly work on one of his papers that was coming due. He gave some thought to freshening up and going out, but he found he didn't really want to hook up with anyone right then; an experience he didn't have very often. He zoned out and acknowledged that the one Mormon boy was still on his mind. He knew a bit about religious cults and between that and his gaydar, he was sure that kid was in for a rough go at life if he stayed in the church.

~~~

On the other side, Tate and Gage walked around the entire day, knocking on doors and talking to people. Tate was good at going into the good Mormon boy routine with every family that they met, but he let his guard down a little between each meeting. They had people that slammed the door shut immediately on them, the ones that told them to stay away from their homes or they would shoot them, ones who pulled guns on them immediately, and ones who only wanted to make jokes at their expense.

Still, there were plenty of people who were kind to them. Many of the people who actually took the time to speak to them would offer them something to drink or some snacks to munch on, and sometimes if they got along well they would be invited to go to things with them, like sports events or plays. That didn't happen often though.

By the end of the day, both men were exhausted.

Gage couldn't get his mind off of the man from the morning though. He had never told them his name, but he was memorable all the same. It had been clear that the woman leaving wasn't someone who lived there, which led Gage to believe the man had been intimate with her the night before. He let out a sigh as he started the shower to wash off the sweat and grime from walking the city. Of course, every man he met that caught his eye was into women.

Gage scrubbed down quickly and then came out in pajamas, eating dinner while Tate took a shower. Once again, they were in bed by nine PM. They each were to spend a little time reading the Book of Mormon and saying their prayers before bed. It took a while for sleep to come, as Gage's mind just wouldn't stop spinning.

The missionaries didn't come back to the same neighborhood for a little over a week, though. Tate had them start on the other side this time, thinking Mr. Goodbody, as he was fond of calling Jarek now, might have more time for them if it was a different time of day. It was closer to dinner time when Tate pushed Gage up the steps first, so he was the one right next to the door and had him knock.

Gage heard some conversation cut off at his knock and a short while later, Jarek opened the door, once again shirtless and in basketball shorts, but this time without the robe. "Hey! It's you two! I didn't think I'd see you again," he said, leaning against the door jamb. Someone inside the house came up behind him and stepped around Jarek to see who was there. He was a tall, black man in his early twenties and dressed similarly, but carrying a shirt.

"Jamal, these two fellows stopped by last week some time to spread the word about their church group," Jarek said to his companion with a playful slap on his ass as he went by. "It was Jamal, wasn't it?"

Gage's mind was spinning a little, seeing the man going by while getting his shirt on. He had told himself over the week that the man was probably straight and he had no chance anyway, so there wasn't much point in torturing himself with his imagination and what ifs. It made him think of Craig, and how he came out as bisexual, though that coming out didn't go well at all. This man seemed to be living a life Craig could have only dreamed about, and one that Gage could only dream about too, except minus the women.

"This is a very friendly house, it seems," Tate commented.

"It has its moments," Jarek said. "I'm sorry, I don't remember names very well."

"So we noticed," Tate replied, barely containing the smirk.

"He's Elder Caldwell, I'm Elder Belford," Gage told him. "I don't believe we ever caught your name though."

"Elder?" Jarek said, seemingly impressed. "Is that a title?"

"For the duration of our mission, yes," Tate acknowledged. "If we were women, we'd be called Sister, but women don't usually go on missions without their husbands."

"Once we go home we go back to being called 'Brother' or our first names," Gage added.