The sound of the captain’s voice announcing they’d be landing at Denver International airport in approximately twenty-five minutes stirred Berkeley from his shallow sleep. He stretched his arms and legs trying to bring his body back to life after a fourteen-hour flight from London. Berkeley shook his head to bring himself back to his senses and looked at his watch. When he saw it was just gone six in the afternoon, he was relieved they’d be arriving on schedule. He looked to his left, where one of his best friends, Paul, who he affectionately called Blanche, was sat next to him and still sound asleep. Berkeley chuckled when he saw a small stream of dribble running from the corner of Paul’s mouth and imagined Paul was already fantasising about all the horny cowboys they were going to meet at the thirty-fifth annual Rocky Mountain Gay Rodeo—the primary focus of their visit to Colorado.

When Paul had suggested the idea, Berkeley had his reservations about travelling so far just to be surrounded by a bunch of horny cowboys prancing around in their leather chaps, showing off their arses or bulges. But Paul had been so excited about the prospect, Berkeley found it hard to refuse, especially given Paul had endured a few difficult months dealing with the loss of his younger brother in a tragic car accident and the traumatic court case that followed.

Berkeley looked out of the small window, and his spirits lifted when he saw the plethora of colour that greeted his eyes. The sun was setting, and it cast dark shadows on parts of the reddish coloured mountains, making them look brown. Yet it illuminated other parts, especially the peaks, giving them a vibrant orange tinge that warmed Berkeley’s heart. As the plane descended, the lakes, rivers, forests and meadows became more visible, and the summer inspired mixture of reds, browns, blues, greens, and violet looked like a work of art carefully and lovingly crafted by Monet. It gave Berkeley some hope they might be able to enjoy the local scenery and culture, rather than spending every day surrounded by horny hunks who were filled to the brim with testosterone.

Berkeley heard Paul yawn out loud and turned to him. “Evening, sleeping beauty.”

“Oh, very funny. Have I been asleep for long?”

“I don’t know, I’ve not long woke up myself, but you fell asleep before me, so it must have been at least two hours.”

“Well, I suppose that’s better than nothing. How much longer before we land?”

“In about twenty minutes.”

“That’s great. I can’t wait to get off this frigging plane and get to our hotel so we can freshen up, have something to eat, and hit the nightlife!”

“You’re kidding, right? You want to go out after spending fourteen hours travelling?”

“Well, babe, we’re only here for ten days, so we gotta make the most of it while we can, and it would be so selfish of us to deprive all the butch, burly, hung cowboys of our presence and bodies.”

Berkeley raised his eyebrows and frowned. “You’re just a dirty little harlot who has a one-track mind. Let’s see how we feel once we’ve had a shower and something to eat.”

“And a few drinks!”

Berkeley laughed out loud and raised his hand in the air so Paul could give him a high-five. “Now you’re talking. I think that’s just what we need to get us in the mood.”

Once they’d collected their luggage, Berkeley and Paul left the airport and walked toward the front of the taxi rank. The driver kindly put their suitcases in the trunk, and they both took their seats in the back of the car.

As they drove past the ever-changing landscape, Berkeley admired the enormity and vastness of the mountain ranges in the distance. He was filled with a sense of peace and tranquillity by the band of orange that stretched across the horizon, giving the whole place a magical and almost mystical feel.

Berkeley and Paul sat in silence as they took in as much as they could of the strange but captivating scenery. The only time they spoke was when one of them spotted something they wanted to point out to the other.

Within thirty minutes, they arrived at the Denver Marriot West hotel which looked out of place stuck in the middle of an arid desert. The distant skyline of Denver city, with its tall office and apartment blocks, momentarily caught Berkeley’s attention. As they got out of the taxi and waited for their suitcases, Berkeley tapped Paul on the arm and pointed at the cluster of buildings and bright lights that twinkled against the already dark sky.

Paul looked at Berkeley with a menacing grin. “That’s where we’re headed tonight. The bright lights and gay bars are calling me!”

Berkeley shook his head in disbelief. “Oh my word, I think we’re both going to need a holiday when we get home, I don’t know about now.”

“Oh, come on, love, get into the spirit of things. We’re bad-arse Denver chicks now, and we gotta show those Denver boys what us London girls are made of.”

“Hum, well I’d like to say sugar and spice and all things nice, but in your case, I know that’s definitely not true.”

Paul screeched with laughter and grabbed hold of Berkeley’s forearm. “No, love, but my man-pussy is really sweet and juicy.”

“Oh, please, shut up. That is way too much information, thank you.”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, babe.”

“Right, grab your suitcase and let’s check-in. After a quick shower, we need to get something to eat. I’m starving.”

“That sounds like a plan, babe. Shall we meet in the bar once we’re ready? We can have a quick drink and ask the bar attendant where we can get something nice to eat.”

“Cool, shall we say in about half an hour?”