DOMES AND TEAPOTS
Jack Scribe
This is a work of fiction. Any reference to actual persons, living
or dead, is only to enhance the fictional nature of the story and does not
suggest a particular sexual orientation. Any fictional characters’ resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
__________________________
Chapter
17, September Strategies and Rewards
“The
first thing is to deal with the mother and boy, ah…Sylvia Brown and Billy,”
Jerry Sebastian said after looking over the reports and case data Monday morning.
He and Dex were sitting in the AOI conference room reviewing the paper trail.
“The ideal situation would be to get them out of the Chicago area and relocate
them to another state.”
“I
asked Jon Brooks to contact Mrs. Brown. He spoke very briefly to her last
Friday night and found out that she works as a housekeeper at the large downtown
Hilton. Apparently she wasn’t too happy about discussing the situation with
a stranger but was concerned for her son. Jon’s reading is that Mrs. Brown
would really like justice…if that’s possible...with some guarantee of safety.
Stone’s people were pretty intimidating that evening at the hospital.” Dex
leaned forward and continued, “Some of her relatives are in Atlanta and we
think that she might jump at the chance to move there with Billy.”
“Having
a support group in Atlanta is a good alternative…if she agrees.”
“Jon
is going to speak with her this afternoon after her shift at the hotel. I’ll
pass on the information about Atlanta,” Dex said as he wrote a few notes to
himself.
“Let’s
see how the meeting goes. We could relocate them to Atlanta by the end of
the week and a decent apartment in an integrated neighborhood. It’s an ideal
time for Billy to start school and we can transfer his records without the
actual forwarding address so there’ll be no trace to the new school district.
Be sure she knows that the moving expenses and first couple of months’ rent
will be taken care of. And, we will find her a comparable job.”
“Handling
the expenses and providing a job will probably be the dealmaker. What else
can I do at this point?”
“Sit
tight for a day or so. The first thing is to get the boy and his mother out
of Chicago.”
“I’ll
be on that first thing in the morning.”
“Good.
Then comes the next step. Because of Toby’s position, I don’t want to involve
him. It might just look too political. I’m going to have a meeting with a
Democrat congressman who’s also a member of Alpha. The board feels that the
best strategy is to force Stone to resign rather than to drag this through
court.”
“And
have this congressman speak with Stone?”
“Exactly.
Very forcibly.”
“I
don’t think that Stone is going to roll over easily. What’ll happen if he
rejects resigning?” Dex wanted the predator to get nailed but understood the
pragmatic approach that Alpha and AOI were taking. He also thought about the
downside of exposing Russ Bennett in a trial.
“Then,
he’ll be advised that the evidence will be taken to the Justice Department,
to the Congressional Ethics Committee and to the Mayor in Chicago. Plus, it’ll
be suggested that the files may find their way to some conservative blogs.”
“Then
Fox News picks up on the rumors and runs with it?” Dex added.
“And
the Chicago papers…the Trib and Sun-Times would eat this up. However, let’s
hope that it doesn’t come to that. There’s something else surfacing with a
GOP congressman that’s not good for gay rights and the image of gay men everywhere.
We’ve been advised that it’s being handled with people in the Speaker of the
House’s office…but we’re not so sure it’s being taken seriously. The last
thing we need is a pedophile scandal to erupt involving congressmen and boys
who are minors.”
“And
these people are running our country? Scary.”
“Add
into the mix the Abraham mess with which you were involved and it’s not a
pretty picture. Keep me posted on Jon’s meeting with the mother and I’ll do
the same thing once I’ve got my end of the operation handled. Dex, you’re
a valuable member of our team.” Jerry stood and reached out his hand as Dex
did the same. “I understand that you’ve been completely cleared for new assignments.
Let’s get this one under our belt before we move forward.”
“Yes,
Sir. Um…would it be all right if I gave my partner, Kyle, a sketchy rundown
on the ‘whys’ of my travels?”
“I
don’t have a problem with that if you don’t mention names and be very vague.
Obviously you don’t want to involve his boss, Phil. I know you trust Kyle
and he may be a candidate for Alpha someday. We all engage in some pillow
talk.” Jerry winked and nodded a friendly dismissal.
“I’ll
make sure that it’s a whisper.” Dex turned and left the comfortable corner
office suite. ‘Does Jerry have someone he talks with at night?’ Dex wondered
as he returned to his desk. ‘His executive assistant is always nearby. Hmmm…and,
he’s cute, too.’
*****
Kyle
cut across P Street, dodging a Diamond cab and a black Mercedes with diplomatic
plates, to spend the evening with Dex. It was shortly before 6:00 p.m. and
he was sure that Dex would be home. He had already exchanged his adult uniform
for jeans and tee. In one hand he carried a change of clothes for tomorrow.
In the other, Kyle clinched a bottle of red wine for dinner. Tonight was London
broil night.
“Hi,
babe, I’m home,” Kyle announced loudly when he opened the apartment door.
‘Well,’ he thought, ‘not exactly home…but the next best thing.’ He was hoping
that they could seriously start looking for a ‘real’ home in the fall.
“I’m
in the kitchen checking on the meat and marinade.” Dex walked out to the entry
and gave Kyle a light peck on the lips as he grabbed the bottle of wine. “Hang
up your stuff and I’ll open a beer for ya.”
“Mmmm,
that’s something that sounds good. “Be back in a sec.” Kyle walked back to
the bedroom and stowed his work clothes for tomorrow. Being Dex’s ‘nurse’
during the recent healing period only made them closer. He felt sure they
were in a partnership for keeps. “What’s in the FedEx envelope?” Dex asked
when he returned to the living room. He noticed that it had an international
U.K. sticker on it.
“Something
from Geoff Timmons. I received it at the office this afternoon.” Dex handed
Kyle a bottle of Heineken’s and joined him on the couch. “It’s really a mystery.
Check it out.”
Kyle
reached into the opened cardboard FedEx envelope and pulled out a letter with
a key taped to it. He carefully scanned the brief, typed note while sipping
his beer:
Dear Dex,
I’m delighted that you’ve recovered from our unplanned adventure this
summer. Look forward to hopefully seeing you and your delightful friend, Kyle,
in London next spring under less strenuous circumstances. Perhaps Brad Lewinthal
can break away from his studies and join us.
Please take this key on Wednesday evening, 13th September,
and both proceed to 1525 Q Street. Mr Scott from the Timmons Bank will meet
you at 6:30 p.m. He will explain the urgency of this request and personal
favour when you arrive.
Fondest regards,
Geoff
“The
first part is just a nice thought about us. And it appears that young Brad
is still part of Geoff’s life. The end is a little curious.”
“Curious?
That’s an understatement.”
“Hmmm…very
cryptic, I think. But I’m game for a little suspense in our lives…as long
as it doesn’t end up like the last time we were involved with Timmons,” Kyle
said with a laugh. “I’m free if you are.”
“Let’s
plan on leaving here around 6:00 p.m. and walk over. Whatever it is can be
handled in short order and we can get some dinner afterwards.” Dex took a
long sip from his beer bottle and continued, “Speaking of ‘cryptic,’ I wanted
to clear the air and let you know why I had to fly out to Chicago so abruptly
on Friday. I talked to my boss and he gave me a heads up to tell you what
I was doing.”
“Hon,
whatever you want to tell me is fine. You can trust me not to blab what we
talk about. I must admit that I was curious.”
“I
have no doubt that whatever we talk about is between you and me…only. This
is stuff I don’t even share with my folks. Let me give you the scoop on what
I was doing and then we can do dinner.”
For
the next 15 minutes, Dex ran down in very general terms the problems that
they were facing with an un-named congressman. He mentioned Chicago’s AOI
labs were better equipped to handle the DNA samples and didn’t go into any
detail about the methods used to obtain the congressman’s DNA.
At
the end of their conversation, Kyle felt Dex had let him into his life with
a deeper bonding. He was also aware that there were – and always would be
– several gray areas that had emotional and professional ‘do not enter’ barriers
attached.
They
finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen before retiring to the bedroom
to watch the Washington Nationals play the Arizona Diamondbacks, televised
from Phoenix. The late season game was lackluster and Dex started fidgeting
by the end of the fourth inning.
“So
much for our macho, stay-at-home, baseball watching,” Kyle said with a laugh.
They had both stripped down to their boxer briefs and lay in a relaxed, horizontal
position while lazily focusing on the television screen.
“Maybe
we’d best wait for the World Series.” Dex turned to Kyle and placed the palm
of his hand on Kyle’s firm, warm stomach. He started slowly moving his fingers
around Kyle’s navel in a light, circular motion.
“Um,
any ideas what to do in the meantime?” Kyle smiled and took Dex’s hand to
his mouth. He licked each digit before he sucked on the index finger. His
other hand deliberately sought out Dex’s warm, expanding crotch. Kyle synchronized
his sucking while he maneuvered his hand under the elastic band of Dex’s underwear.
With a small adjustment, he grabbed onto Dex’s hardening member and
started a steady stroking action.
“Babe, I think that your talent is going to waste
on my fingers.” Dex pulled his hand back and quickly removed his boxer briefs. He next
took Kyle’s briefs and eased them off. Kyle rose up to allow his CKs to depart
speedily from his hips and down his legs.
“Not
so fast,” Kyle said. He quickly rolled over on top of Dex: his knees and elbows
supporting him. With precision, he
kissed Dex’s face from his forehead to his eyes to his cheeks and, finally,
to his very willing lips. Without much effort, he opened Dex’s mouth and inserted
his reptile-like tongue: striking, probing and burrowing into a welcoming
orifice. At the same time, he ground his hard, dripping cock into Dex’s wet
crotch. The natural lubrication eased the friction to produce very pleasant
frottage stimulation. As each penis touched the other’s frenulum ‘G’ spot
under their glans, the kissing became more urgent – Kyle’s body movements
more deliberate. He pulled away from Dex’s lips as his body continued grinding
back and forth along Dex’s manhood. For several minutes he looked into his
lover’s face as he deliberately intensified the contact of two young, virile
men’s throbbing hardons.
“You
fucking dog…I love it. Oh, yeah…jeez, you really know how to…Christ…ahhh…”
Dex started moaning as he matched with counter-movements. His hands grabbed
Kyle’s buttocks to steady his partner.
“Urghh,”
was all Kyle could growl while he urgently increased the frottage. He knew
from the tension and strain of their bodies that both were within seconds
of powerful ejaculations. He kept grunting and pounding away until his glutes
flexed and his cock started stabbing for a grand finale.
“Do
it…ah, shit,” Dex yelled. His hands gripped Kyle’s hard glutes as they rounded
third and sprinted to home base.
“I
love you…ohhh,” Kyle said while he intensified the final thrusts. Within seconds,
both exploded with sudden spurts of white male lava. One…two…three – each
man shot out several eruptions of hot semen. Slowly, Kyle powered down his
body and gently collapsed on top of Dex. He found Dex’s mouth and tenderly
applied feather kisses. The two men stared into each other’s eyes and silently
communicated a binding love that had only strengthened this evening.
“Babe,
that was heaven. I love you, too…and forever.” Dex kneaded Kyle’s back as
he accepted a continued shower of kisses.
*****
“So
you’ve got the ball rolling?” Dex asked Jon Brooks early Wednesday morning
on the speakerphone. The meeting with Sylvia Brown had gone well two nights
earlier: she was more than willing to relocate to Atlanta with her son.
~~~
“Sylvia and Billy Brown are leaving tomorrow morning. I’ve got our men packing
their household effects as we speak.”
“Is
the boy reluctant about moving away from his friends and attending a new school?”
~~~
“Actually, he is relieved. This attack by Stone really did a number on his
head. He looks at this as an escape from what happened to him and a new start.
After we get Billy enrolled in school, however, he’s going to need serious
counseling.”
“That’s
been arranged, along with pre-enrollment in The Galloway School in Atlanta.
Billy is very bright and has good grades...it’s the emotional scars that will
take time to heal.”
~~~
“Wow…Galloway…I’m impressed. That’s really raising the bar for Billy. I wonder
how he’s going to react to attending a private school?”
“Hopefully,
well. Martin Luther King III is a graduate and the school, while very liberal,
is respected in the community. We have an associate who will meet the Browns
when they arrive. I’ll email all the details as soon as we’re finished. You’re
handling the transcripts from Billy’s middle school?”
~~~
“Yes. As you requested, the mother went to the school to notify them they
were moving. The school has a forwarding address in Dallas, Texas, and the
name of an accredited private school that they think he’ll be attending there.
Sylvia got a copy of his transcript and the Dallas school will be officially
requesting that the transcript files be forwarded. Our guys in Dallas will
handle re-directing the files to Atlanta once they’ve been received.”
“Rather
devious but necessary to protect Billy from any danger. We’ve also set up
a new Social Security number for Mrs. Brown so that they can’t be traced that
way. And your handling the paperwork for the household effects move?”
~~~
“Done. Our team is picking up everything in our truck and will drive to a
warehouse in Indiana. All-State Moving will pick up everything from there
and transport it to Atlanta. Billy and Sylvia both know that they are not
to mention to anyone where they are actually going. As far as neighbors and
friends are concerned, they are off to big ‘D’.”
“I
think all the bases are covered and please pass on to your team a ‘well done’.
I’ll let Jerry Sebastian know that we can proceed with the next step. I’m
sending the email with all the details about Atlanta as soon as we’re finished
and would appreciate you taking it from there.”
~~~
“Not to worry. This whole thing is going to be pretty expensive but certainly
worth it.”
“Yes,
very worth it. But Jerry’s got some ideas about funding this move and Billy’s
education. I’ll speak with you tomorrow after the Browns have departed. Bye.”
~~~
“Until then. Bye, bye.”
Dex
walked over to Jerry Sebastian’s office and knocked on the open door. “I’ve
got an update concerning the family in Chicago.”
“Come
in and sit. I’m just finishing some correspondence.” Jerry hit ‘save’ and
closed the Word window while Dex walked over to the desk and sat down.
“Just
spoke with Jon and the move is underway. The mother and son leave for Atlanta
tomorrow and all the mechanics to cover their tracks appear to be in place.”
“Good.
Maintain close liaison with Atlanta. If everything goes as planned, they’ll
be in a temporary apartment by Friday and the boy can start school on Monday.
I’ve got an appointment next week to start phase two.”
“The
Alpha congressman?” Dex thought he knew who the man was but didn’t push when
a name was not offered.
“Yes.
And if all goes as expected, he’ll have a serious ‘come to Jesus’ meeting
with Stone shortly thereafter. By this time next week, we’ll know what the
next step will be. If he doesn’t heed to the evidence and our suggestions,
things will get messy. The road permanently leaving Congress is getting pretty
crowded. Between the Abraham mess, Stone and some baffling emails involving
another congressman and former congressional pages, this’ll be a busy fall
– both in terms of the season and jobs being lost.”
“I’ll
return to my desk and continue monitoring the progress. Unless I hear from
you, shall I plan on meeting with you on Friday morning?” Dex asked as he
rose from the chair.
“Coffee
at 8:30 a.m. unless some emergency comes up. Oh, by the way, I know you’re
meeting with a Mr. Scott from the Timmons Bank this evening. What he has to
discuss has been reviewed by me and approved.”
“Yes,
Sir.” Dex nodded with a puzzled smile and left the office.
*****
The
pending arrival of the equinox officially ending summer was in the air as
Kyle and Dex walked along P Street to Dupont Circle. The first leaves were
turning color and a few had fallen to the ground. They traversed the circle,
crossed Connecticut Avenue and continued east. Both had changed into a variation
of khakis, shirts and sneakers for this mysterious meeting.
“Whatever
is going on between Geoff and me…um…us, is not a secret as far as AOI and
Jerry Sebastian is concerned. I did call the bank and found out that this
guy, Scott, ah, Drew Scott, is a vice president with the bank,” Dex said as
he subconsciously fingered the key in his pants pocket.
“Well,
buddy, we are a couple of minutes from finding out what this is all about,”
Kyle added.
They
turned onto 16th Street and walked one block north to Q Street.
They crossed over to the ‘odd’ number side and continued past the vintage
town homes and brownstones. Over the past several years, the Dupont and Logan
Circle neighborhoods had been ‘yuppyfied’ and ‘guppyfied’ in a renewal effort
that had produced very attractive results. Half way down the street, they
saw a tall, middle-aged man in a dark suit. He was standing next to a silver
Jaguar sedan talking into a cell phone in one hand, while holding a briefcase
in the other. The executive looked at the two approaching men, nodded and
spoke briefly before flipping closed his cell phone.
“Dexter
Tate and Kyle Blakesfield?” he asked when they were all together.
“I’m
Dex and this is Kyle. You must be Mr. Scott?”
“Drew
Scott…I prefer Drew if we can dispense with the formalities.” He smiled, put
the cell in his pocket and shook the younger men’s hands. “It’s a pleasure
to meet the man who, um, helped out Mr. Timmons.”
“You
obviously are privy to the, ah, incident, Drew. I’m just happy that it worked
out as it did.” Dex smiled and put his hand around Kyle’s waist. “I assume
that you also know that this is my life partner?”
“Yes…and
just starting out? I look at you and think about my relationship with my life
partner, Judy, where we were 20 years ago and where we are, three sons later.
The initial impression I have is that the two of you will be together for
a long time.”
“That
is what we’re working on,” Kyle replied with a grin.
“Enough
about relationships and so forth. You received the note and key from Geoff
Timmons on Monday. I’m sure you’re curious about the situation and what is
being requested?”
“Especially
since Mr. Sebastian is aware of this. That kind of threw me today.”
“Ha.
I expect it did. If you have the key with you, why don’t we enter this brownstone
and I’ll explain.” Drew pointed to the door three brick steps down from the
street level and nodded for Dex and Kyle to precede him.
“This
key has been burning a hole in my pocket.” Dex stepped down to the old bricked
entrance area in front of the brownstone and to the side of a large, exterior
stone stairway. He couldn’t see in the windows because of the closed, dark
wood interior shutters. Dex wrinkled his brow as he slowly inserted the key
into the polished brass lock. The lock disengaged. He turned the doorknob,
heard the latch open and slowly swung the heavy wooden door inward.
“The
light switch is on your right,” Drew said from behind.
Kyle
took the initiative and flipped on the lights. “Whoa…this is pretty cool.”
“Cool
is an understatement.” Dex led the way into a foyer of black slate floors
and a neutral, taupe wall covering. Basic, well-appointed furnishings dotted
the layout. Forward was a carpeted stairway to the second floor. On the right
was a spacious living room that had a quiet, masculine feel. Leather and upholstered
over-stuffed furniture sat on spotless Berber carpeting. They walked further
into the spaces, passed through a dining area and ended up in a large kitchen.
The granite and limestone coexisted with the cherry wood cabinetry and stainless
steel appliances.
“What
are your impressions?” Drew asked.
“Excuse
me, err…I’ve just got to say, ‘holy fuck.’ This is incredible. I hope that
doesn’t offend you?”
“I’ve
heard worse,” Drew chuckled. “But I think ‘holy fuck’ is an apt exclamation.”
“Okay,
I’m a little confused. What are we doing in this gorgeous brownstone?” Kyle
asked.
“And
whose place is this?” Dex looked around and mentally inventoried the surroundings.
“Valid
questions. That’s what we need to resolve…and attend to the personal favor
and request of Geoff Timmons. We – the Timmons Bank – own this two-story,
three-bedroom unit and four, small one-bedroom apartments above. Mr. Timmons
and his father, Sir Geoffrey, would be most grateful if the two of you would
consider managing this brownstone for the bank. In return for these services,
the Timmons’ family has authorized me to offer this apartment for your use
as long as you would like.”
Dex’s
mouth dropped open and he immediately sat down on one of the chairs in the
kitchen. “You mean that we get this apartment for…how long?”
“The
agreement is in your name, Dex, and says ‘in perpetuity.’ You two are, what,
in your late-20’s? I think that you could look at this as your home for a
long, long time.” Drew smiled and joined Dex at the table. “Kyle, sit down
so we can review what Geoff and his dad have in mind.”
“There’s
an old saying, um, how does it go…if a deal is too good to be real, it probably
isn’t. I mean this place has to be at least, um, 1500 square feet?”
“Actually,
it’s closer to 2,200, plus the back patio. The two upstairs bedrooms, den
and lavatories are quite spacious. To answer your earlier question, Geoff
Timmons got Jerry Sebastian involved so that there would be no misunderstanding
that this was any sort of unacceptable gift. I’ve been assured that there
is precedent for this in AOI. The
bank will continue to own the building and be responsible for maintenance,
taxes, etcetera. Just consider the rent you would pay as waived for services
rendered.”
“I
am humbled. What I did was in the line of duty…nothing more,” Dex said as
he reached over to hold Kyle’s hand. “And the value of the rent boggles the
mind. I mean, look…something like this would fetch, um, around $4,000 a month?”
“Actually,
it’s a little more…but that’s not the point,” Drew countered.
“You
said that there is precedent for this with AOI?” Dex’s reaction had gone from
numbness to initial reasoning.
“On
two occasions, I’m told. In each instance, the AOI man rescued the client
from certain death. Please understand that when someone has the resources,
the value of life is limitless. Mr. Sebastian also said that the arrangements
were kept confidential. So if we go forward, only Mr. Sebastian’s office,
certain Timmons officials and you will know the actual details of this, ah,
situation.”
“It’s
just a little overwhelming. Ah, a half-hour ago we were in Dex’s nice bachelor
pad. Now, I’m in a friggin’ fantastic apartment right in the middle of our
favorite neighborhood that might be our new home.” Kyle returned the hand
squeeze and continued, “It’s just that, um, well, ah…it’s so sudden. I feel
like the frog getting kissed by the princess…make that prince,” he added with
a shy smile.
“You
mentioned ‘agreement.’ I assume that you brought all the legal documents with
you?” Dex looked at Drew with a combination of intrigue and curiosity.
“I’m
indeed the messenger.” Drew opened his briefcase and pulled out several sheathed
legal documents. “We can review these, if you wish. It’s basic legalese for
what we’ve discussed.”
“I’ll
take your word for it. As Kyle said, this is very sudden…I need to review
the papers and discuss this with my partner...alone. Could he and I have some
privacy to do a walk-through and figure out your generous proposal?”
“Yes,
absolutely. And we can amend anything that doesn’t appear satisfactory. However,
I think you’ll find everything in order.” Drew pushed the contracts towards
Dex and added, “The caveat that you are not to mention this arrangement to
anyone is in the agreement. As far as anyone is concerned, this is an apartment
you are renting with a ‘consideration’ for your duties as the building manager.”
“I
would certainly agree to that. Please understand that we need time to determine
the impact on our lives. Whatever the case, we’ll keep this quiet.”
“My
lips are sealed. Out of curiosity, would we have to be Mr. Fix-it if a tenant
had a problem?” Kyle asked. “Handy, I’m not.”
“That’s
what the Yellow Pages are for.” Drew smiled and added, “Actually, there’s
a complete list of vendors and professional trades you would use. They bill
the bank directly for services after you approve the invoice.”
“Okay,
here’s what I propose. I assume that you have no problem with us spending
some time, by ourselves, in the apartment to inspect it and talk over the
ramifications of the Timmons’ generosity?” Dex felt a certain degree of comfort
coming from his internal debate.
“None,
whatsoever. Trust is a given.” Drew took two of the three agreement copies
and put them back in his briefcase. “I’ll hold on to the other copies while
you sort this out.”
“Then,
here is what I propose. Kyle and I will carefully review the agreement and
what this all means. I’ll get back to you by Friday morning with an answer
either way. Is that all right?”
“I
have no objections. You’re taking a mature, careful approach to this very
unusual arrangement. Let me give you the code for the alarm system so that
it can be engaged when you leave later on. Now, I’m off to my family and you’ll
have a chance to take an extended tour of the place. Although it’s getting
dark, you can check out the patio by switching on the lights by the back door.
Be sure and see the master bath…the shower is spectacular.” Drew stood and
concluded, “Let’s touch base on Friday...or call me if you have any other
questions. This is a heartfelt token of thanks on behalf of a most grateful
Timmons family and comes with no strings attached. Mr. Sebastian was assured
of that.”
“Drew,
thanks for understanding my initial reluctance.” Dex stood, stepped forward
and instinctively hugged the older banker. “Whatever our decision, it will
not have a bearing on our friendship with Geoff.”
Kyle
followed with a double-clasped handshake. “This is a very important moment
in our lives. There’s a lot to sort out.”
“I
understand,” Drew added. “We’ll talk Friday, if not before.”
The
two younger men watched their benefactor’s ‘messenger’ walk away and out to
the front door. Silently, Dex and Kyle held hands and slowly walked back to
the hallway.
“Buddy,
let’s really check this place out.” Dex turned on the stairway lighting and
motioned for Kyle to take the lead up to the second floor. “I’m still stunned
by this offer.”
“You
have to feel comfortable with the situation before we discuss anything,” Kyle
said as he approached the upstairs landing in the center of the floor.
“So
if I can rationalize this, you might be in favor of moving in?” Dex put his
arm around Kyle’s shoulder and gently kissed him on the cheek.
“My
apartment is just a collection of hand-me-downs that my roommate and I got
from our families. Except for a few things that I consider a link to my past,
I could get outta there in a fast, New York minute.” Kyle grinned and continued,
“And my roomie would love the full-time privacy with his girlfriend.”
“My
place…well, almost ‘ours’, is functional…nothing more. It’s like we’re driving
down the street in a used Toyota, we blink twice, and all of a sudden the
vehicle becomes a Lexus.”
“Babe,
I don’t think that a Lexus is bad.” Kyle shrugged and added, “Even if it is
an ‘LS’. This apartment has the basics – albeit pretty nice – but it would
be fun to add personal touches to really make it ‘our’ place.”
“Got
your point. Um, let’s continue the tour.” Dex visually scanned the second
floor layout. From what he could tell, each end of the floor had a bedroom.
‘The room in front of us is probably the den,’ he decided. Instinctively,
he turned to the rear bedroom. “I think this must be the master cuz it’s away
from the street and has a view down to the backyard.” He again grabbed Kyle’s
hand and walked to the doorway. Inside was a king bed with an upholstered
headboard, double chest of drawers, and a 42” plasma flat-screen mounted on
the wall amongst the rest of a normal bedroom setup. “This is something I
could get into.”
“Correct,
Sir. This is fan-fuckin’-tastic.” They entered the spacious room and stood
by the foot of the large bed. “Come on, I wanna check out this famous bathroom.”
“As
long as we don’t take a shower…tonight,” Dex said with a chuckle as they walked
past a large walk-in closet. He reached inside the darkened adjoining doorway
and turned on the lights. Marble, porcelain and brushed stainless glistened
in a layout that would have been at home in Architectural Digest. However,
the shower with the six showerheads arranged at varying angles was a signature
masterpiece of design.
“Let’s
look over the rest of the place and go back down to the kitchen. We need to
do some soul-searching.”
__________________________
TO BE CONTINUED