by Demi-X
I believe that the answer to life
The interior of the club was very dark and he squinted his eyes against the
change in the lighting. Because it was the middle of the day, there was, of
course, no clientele in the place.
The bar was totally empty with the exceptions of an extremely handsome,
tall, green-eyed doorman who had let him in, and the two burly body guards
standing behind Antonio Martino; the owner of the club.
Blair Sandburg had come to the bar, alone and in secret, after having been
summoned by Mr. Martino personally. He worked for James Ellison, entrepreneur,
gangster; Antonio Martino's strongest competitor and main business rival.
Martino in his early sixties, had been kicking around the underbelly of
Cascade for decades.
He had come to meet with Martino without James' knowledge, or his
permission. Blair stared at the green-eyed man as he passed, but the
doorman's face remained passive and did not even acknowledge the visitor other
than to say dully, "Mr. Martino is in the back."
The 'quiet man' pulled the door closed and slammed the heavy duty lock home.
The doorman stood dutifully beside the barred metal entrance, just another
soldier waiting for another order to be issued.
Blair nodded his head in acknowledgment to him and started for the back of
the club.
Because the place was deserted, it was easy to hear everything that was
being said, even from the other side of the room. The quiet voices of the
conspirators carried across the large open space.
The party at the table may as well have been speaking into a megaphone; the
man at the door could clearly hear their conversation and plan making.
However, his body language gave no indication of any kind, that he even heard
them speaking.
"Blair, good of you to come." Mr. Martino said. "Sit, relax, you look so
nervous." The older man nodded his head and within seconds, a tall cup of
freshly brewed coffee was set down in front of the jittery man.
"I'm scared, Mr. Martino." Blair confessed to the mobster. "If Jim...
er... Mr. Ellison finds out I'm here, he'll kill me."
He picked up his mug and took a drink, his hands shook the mug slightly. A
fine line of sweat was breaking out along his spine, and Blair knew that it was
more than just nerves making him shake and perspire.
He had been too afraid to show up at the meeting 'jazzed', but now he was
really starting to regret not fixing himself up before the meet. Suddenly it
dawned on Blair that his addiction to heroin was serious than even he had
thought.
"Don't worry son," Martino patted the tense man's shoulder. "No one
will know that you came here today." He nodded his head again and the other
body guard reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a plain white envelope.
Inside it, there was $10,000, in crisp, newly minted $100 bills. The body
guard set the envelope down on the table in front of Blair. "There's ten large
in there."
Mr. Martino stated pleasantly, "It's more than enough to pay off your
bookie and your drug dealer. All you have to do is bring Ellison to my other
club, tomorrow night at 11:00, and we'll look after the rest." Martino leaned
back and sipped from his own mug, "Come back on Monday after noon and Dave" He
gestured to one of the gigantic book end guards, "...will put you to work for
us. No one has to find out that it was you who betrayed the Ellison family."
Martino took another sip from his mug, staring at the young man over the rim.
Blair fingered the corner of the envelope for a few seconds then he picked
it up and without opening it, he stuffed it deep inside his jean jacket pocket.
"I'll have him there, on time." He said dully.
Blair had no idea how Martino had found out about his drug and gambling
habits, especially when everyone close to him was so clueless. Blair knew that
Martino had eyes and ears everywhere, but then, so did the Ellison family too.
Jim was aware that he did drugs, but as far as his boss was concerned it was
only recreational. He had no idea that his employee shot heroin between his
toes, in order to hide the track marks. On top of the drugs, Blair also had
several other bad habits that he had been keeping secret, not even his older
brother Walter, who was the night manager at the restaurant Jim owned, knew
the extent of his dark vices.
He had made a few bad bets with a small time bookie; also without his
employers knowledge, Jim would have fired him immediately if he had known that
he was a junkie gamble who didn't like to pay his bills.
The young man was backed so far into the corner that he had no choice but to
betray his boss, and sometime lover, Jim Ellison, to Martino. But it was a dog
eat dog world, and in the end Blair had to look out for number one—himself.
Betraying Jim would hurt, but better that his boss wound up dead, then
himself. He stood up and walked back the same way he had come in. The door
man unlocked the door and held it open for the 'double-crosser', still no
emotion showing on his face.
After Sandburg had left, the man at the door stood steadfast at his post,
feigning disinterest but listening intently to the conversation between Martino
and 'Huey and Louey', the square jawed bodyguards. Martino and the guards
discussed the plans for 'taking Ellison out'.
"You can go home Victor." 'Huey' told the door man, once the meeting
and plan making session was over with. He handed him a couple of hundred
dollar bills, "See you back here just before opening."
Victor, the door man, took the money and stuffed the bills into the
front pocket of his jeans. "Ok" he said simply before leaving.
Once outside, Victor looked around, decided that no one was following him
- he wasn't a big enough player for that any ways—and then set off down the
street toward the restaurant he knew was owned by Jim Ellison.
It was fairly safe to assume that Blair, the body guard, would be visiting
his drug dealer first, and then dropping in and paying a visit to his bookie.
Victor wasn't too worried about being seen by Sandburg at Ellison's
establishment. Junkies were always so predictable.
Inside, he asked to speak to James Ellison himself, intending to tell the
man the entire plot being hatched against him. After being frisked over twice
by a tall, well-muscled twenty something man, a large body guard finally
admitted him to Ellison's office.
Jim Ellison—one of the most powerful men in Cascade—restauranteur and
racketeer.
The Ellison Family Story
The Ellison family had been established in the city of Cascade for decades.
Starting with the elder Ellison, Montgomery "Monty" Vincent. He had come out
west in 1959 at the age of 19. Along with him came his teenage bride, Margaret,
affectionately known as Molly. They had fallen deeply in love and wanted to
marry, but were forbidden to by their parents. However, when it was discovered
that Molly was pregnant with Monty's child, the parents of the teenagers had no
choice but to acquiesce to their head strong children's wishes by permitting
them to wed.
So, while Molly was still large with pregnancy, the young couple came to the
west to start their own lives, away from their still disapproving families.
Monty had another reasons to relocate to Cascade; one of which was that he
wanted to get out from under the control of the old-world Irish crime family's
of the eastern seaboard. He needed a fresh start for both him and his
beautiful bride.
With $10,000 to work with, quite large sum of money for the time, Monty had
managed to buy his first broken down charter boat and fix it up. With nothing
more than a sincere promise of payment to an inexperienced crew, Monty brought
a shipment of good Canadian liquor from an expatriate Frenchman who live just
across the border. He and his tiny crew sailed it back to Cascade through a
nasty gale, making the voyage and boot all the more valuable.
Monty then sold the liquor at twice the price he had paid for it to a night
club owner. However, the booze was still cheaper for the proprietor than
buying it from the local distillers the club owner made a good profit selling
it for drinks.
Monty after making the profitable sale, paid his people and himself, then
promptly turned around and wisely reinvested his small profit and bought
another batch of excellent whisky to sell; thus, a magnate was born.
Soon after the first Monty's first voyage to Canada, Molly gave birth to
their first, then their second child.
Unbeknownst to both Monty and Molly, she had been carrying twins. Molly
gave birth to two perfectly healthy, identical boys in the early morning of
January 6, 1960. Both boys had brown eyes and deep brown hair, and were the
spitting images of their proud father. The happy couple named the first boy
born Justin Alexander and the second boy Jasen Austin.
Shortly after the boy's official christening, to Molly's complete and utter
surprise, she discovered that she was already with child again.
'So much for nursing keeping away the babies', she had thought at the time.
Monty however, was ecstatic, he reaffirmed his love for his beautiful wife by
buying her a proper diamond ring in which to wear on her finger.
Approximately 13 months after giving birth to the twins, in the
mid-afternoon of January 15, 1961, Molly again gave birth to another perfect
little boy. This time it was she alone who chose the name for her son;
Montgomery Vincent Ellison II, 'Marc' for short. He too was the mirror image
of his father and two older brothers. His eyes were dark and his hair deep
chestnut brown, his skin pale.
Molly, having come to the conclusion that three boys were enough for anyone,
decided that she was done having children. But as fate would have it, 13
months to the very near day after Marc was born, Molly's last child had come
into the world.
Throughout her pregnancy Molly had clung to the hope that the child she was
carrying would be a little girl. A beautiful, fair haired, blue-eyed daughter,
that looked just like herself.
So when it was announced that she had given birth to yet another boy, Molly
quietly wept in disappointment. Unenthusiastic, she could barely work up any
excitement when she was handed the baby to hold for the very first time. With
Monty by her bedside, Molly reluctantly took the newborn into her arms and
folded back the corner of the blanket. She looked down and again, her eyes
filled with tears.
But this time they were tears of joy, for her little boy was beautiful. He
looked identical to the rest of her children, except that he was very nearly
bald, with large blue eyes, just like her own. Molly looked up at her
husband and declared, "He's bald Monty, that means I'll finally have my
fair-haired child."
Monty ran his fingers lightly up Molly's cheek, "I know how much you wanted a
daughter my darling. We can try again if you like." He looked down and smiled
at his infant son, for the bald head surely did mean light hair.
On a cold and rainy January day in 1962, Monty and Molly's last child was
christened and named.
Like he had done with all of his sons, Monty took his baby son from his
wife and went for a walk down the hospital's long halls with him. For a man
living in the nineteen sixties, Monty was quite progressive. Usually a father
did not attend the birth of his children, or hold them immediately afterwards.
But Monty had done both; he had been there to see every one of his sons leave
Molly's womb, and he was there to hold them afterwards.
As was his tradition—the first time that he had held each son—Monty
would take them away for a little bit and talk to them. Letting the child
know all of his hopes and dreams that he held for his new child, while holding
James, as his father and mother would always call him, he did the same.
Telling Jim all the things that a father needed to tell his son, ending the
heart felt talk with a private peck on the cheek.
Monty Ellison, loving husband and father. Cruel and clever business man.
Both parts of his life were separate. He could pistol whip a man in the
morning and come home in the evening to have dinner and roll around the floor
with his boys.
Molly, having discovered the birth control pill, catholic roots or not,
took the tiny white tablet daily. Four sons were enough, she had decided that
when the day came, she would content herself with daughters in-laws instead.
And not a day went by that she didn't think how blessed she was to have a boy
like James. So sweet and serene, satisfied to be on his own. He slept right
through the night from early on, and had been, by far, Molly's easiest child.
Of course having three older brothers to dote on him and to keep him company
helped a great deal.
As the Ellison prospects increased, they slowly began to creep up the
ladder of social standing. Monty and Molly both gave to the right causes and
attended all the choice charitable functions. Even though Molly had three
house maids that helped to cook and clean their by now, large mansion, Molly
always, always took on raising her boys on her own without a nanny to help her.
Getting up in the middle of the night and toilet training was, in her opinion,
her job. She did not want another woman to raise her children, she was mother,
therefore she would be the most important woman in her son's lives, until
such time as they married, then of course, their wife would take over the job.
Of course, she was not above having one on the maids babysit for a few hours
here and there, she fully realized and understood the merits of getting away
too.
Monty never really discussed in depth, the exact nature of his business to
Molly but she was smart to know that a portion of it was done in dark rooms
over bourbons and cigars; deals sealed with a handshake. She preferred not
knowing about her husbands illegal activities anyway. She chose instead, to
focus on his legal ones and felt absolutely no guilt when out spending the
family's money.
Both generous and faithful to his bride, Monty had no wish to cavort with a
mistress, like many of his business partners, no matter how much the other men
had tried to convince him of otherwise. Monty, a true family man, wanted to
set a good example for his boys. He both loved and respected his wife, and if
she even suspected an illicit affair, he knew that she would take away his
son's and most of his fortune too, in that order. He had no wish to lose
either of those things. So by true business acumen, and shear love of the good
life he was living, Monty Ellison did show his boys that it was indeed possible
to have your cake and eat it too.
All four sons grew up with a healthy respect for the family first, then the
business. None of the Ellison boys really fought too much with each other
while growing up. It was always an 'us against them' mentality. Their
parents very rarely disagreed, so the sons never really conflicted with each
other either.
When each of them had finished their educations, they were introduced to the
business, both the legitimate and un legitimate ones. Monty had told his sons
many times that they could be anything they wanted to be when they grew up.
That he would pay to send them to any university of their own choosing. But
each of his sons had chosen to go to the University of Cascade to attend;
wanting to be near the family. All had majored in business and communications
and all, upon graduation, joined Monty in business.
The twins, 37, were each married with three small children a piece. Justin
had chosen a beautiful petite redhead to be his wife, or rather, she had
allowed him to choose her. The two of them had met in at the university,
Justin was attracted to her sensible nature as much as her beauty. When they
were ready to have children, Dana had born Justin two daughters and a son. She
worked hard at being the proper wife for her important in-laws. She was even
tempered and because her own mother had passed away when she was still quite
young, she had forged a close, special relationship with her mother-in-law.
Justin's choice in marrying Dana was a good, level-headed decision on his part.
In the same token, Jasen had also chosen a woman with much the same demeanor
as his sister in-law, Dana.
Samantha, though younger than Dana, hit it off immediately with her sister
and mother in-law respectively. Like Dana, she too had given birth to three
children; two boys and a girl. Samantha, loved her children and husband
unconditionally. Samantha had entered the marriage knowing that to be in the
Ellison Family you had to give up some control over your own life, but she
didn't mind. She had come from humble beginnings and living the Ellison
lifestyle suited her just fine. Her older brother, Fox, was a detective in the
major crimes' division of the Cascade police dept. He was very close to his
younger sister, which in return, meant that he was close to the Ellison family.
Though he sometimes helped out the family with information and some computer
searches, he never, ever, compromised his job or his name for them. Fox Mulder
was a good, clean cop and no matter who he was related to, he intended to stay
that way.
Fortunately, the Ellisons' never asked more of Mulder than he was willing
to do. 'Sam', as everyone called her was, like Dana, a stable addition to
the family.
Marc however, had not chosen quite as wisely as his two older brothers.
He had rushed into a marriage with an extremely beautiful, but much younger
woman of Asian heritage. Her exotic beauty was what drew Marc to her in the
first place.
LiAnne had been very upset that she had not been able to become pregnant
immediately after the wedding like her sisters' in-laws. So she immediately
sought out the advice of a specialist and discovered to her extreme
disappointment that due to a badly done abortion when she was still a teenager,
her insides had been damaged beyond repair.
LiAnne would never be able to bear children, ever. Marc however, at his
wife's painful revelation, secretly didn't mind at all, he preferred LiAnne's
svelte figure. He saw in LiAnne, the kind of trophy wife that he had always
wanted, which was exactly what he got. She enjoyed a generous allowance from
Marc's business dealings and in return, Marc got a beautiful, uninhibited wife.
Though he loved her deeply; the whole Ellison clan, daughters' in-laws
included, thought of her as shallow and vain. Of course they were right. But
both Molly and Monty having spoken their piece once, never brought up their
reservations about the girl again. Marc had chosen against the family's better
wishes, it would be his mistake and his alone.
Now, in the present day, the Ellisons made a good portion of their 'legal'
profit from the shipping business. Of course, always the entrepreneur, the
senior Ellison saw that a small fortune could be made from putting two people
together for a deal. He helped in making the deals by finding a buyer for
whatever it was the peddler was selling. The Ellisons handled the exchange of
money only, and left it up to the purchaser to pick up the product, only after
the goods had been secured in a safe location. The buyers would then be
informed as to when and where they could pick up their 'items'. Being the
middle man, in all of their illegal business dealings ensured that the entire
Ellison clan came out of every shady deal on top and looking 'clean'.
Everybody, wanted to be associated with, and seen with the family.
They were sure to conduct all of their illegal doings far away from the glare
of witnesses.
Everybody knew that the family was it's own modern day mafia, including the
mayor of the city. But the cadrè of lawyers employed by Monty Ellison ensured
their good name and reputation remained intact.
Jim's Story
James Robert Wilson Ellison; 35 years old, a bachelor and the
youngest son in the very powerful, well established Ellison criminal family.
He had never married, nor would he ever, marry... a woman that was. As a
teenager Jim had discovered that his yearnings did not lean in the same
direction as his handsome, older brothers.
While attending Cascade University, he had experienced a short but
intense relationship with another boy who lived on campus. Jim, assuming his
sexual orientation would leave him outcast from the family, kept his
preferences to himself. But by the time he was in his mid-twenties, his
father, astute as ever, had already begun to guess that Jim was 'different'
than his other boys. Many a beautiful woman had tried catching Jim's eye, but
he never showed a real interest in going out with them. However, every once in
a while a handsome man would show up around the estate one day, then disappear
as quickly as he had appeared.
Monty had finally become fully enlightened when he spotted Jim give some
good looking fellow named Troy, a quick peck on the lips. That particular
incident happened very early one morning, when apparently, Jim thought no one
was up yet.
Later that day Monty went to his son with what he had seen, and Jim
confessed, with halted speech, and through more than a just few tears that he
was in fact gay. Immediately after revealing the truth about himself to his
father, Jim began jamming his clothes into a well-weathered knapsack.
Monty, confused as to why Jim was packing his things, asked his son what the
hell he was doing.
Jim replied gruffly, "Leaving. That's what you want me to do now,
right?"
The first thing Monty did was slap Jim twice across the face for even
thinking that the family would turn him out, then he knocked the knapsack out
of his hand and, embracing his youngest tightly in his arms he confessed to him
that he wouldn't have chosen for his son to be gay. But it was the hand that
they were dealt, so they would just play the cards they had.
Monty immediately apologized for slapping Jim and kissed his strapping son
on the forehead as if to seal the apology. Monty released Jim and told him
that he loved him no matter what. That it didn't matter who Jim fell in love
with, just as long as he picked better than his older brother Marc did.
Monty laughed as he held Jim at arms length, and looking into his son's
irresistible big blue eyes, he told his son that everything would be okay. And
Jim believed his father, for he had never lied to him before.
Later that evening Monty had called a meeting with his sons and as Jim sat
stoically in a large drawing room chair, Monty told the boys and Molly Jim's
long kept secret of whom he really was. If the boys were overly shocked none
of them really showed it. All three had guessed years ago besides, they were
family and Jim was the youngest; they loved him regardless. Molly was
disappointed of course, but in the end, she knew that it really wasn't Jim's
fault. She had three daughters' in-laws. Two of whom she loved dearly, and
the third she was fond of, as well as having the grandchildren to dote on.
Later on that evening, when Molly reflected in her private sitting room, she
realized that she had been luckier than most. A loving husband and adoring
children what more could you ask for? Molly dried her tears for all of the
what 'ifs' and what 'might have beens' and told herself that she should be
glad for four healthy children instead.
A few weeks after that particular family meeting, Jim joined his father and
brothers in the business. He immediately got started in on the idea that they
should open up a restaurant, the idea was originally conceived and constructed
by him in order to enable his brothers to launder the 'dirty' money made from
some of it's bigger, more profitable illegal enterprises. In the end, it was
Jim who ended up owning and running the very trendy, upscale restaurant.
The restaurant, was the perfect cover, and its success owed to the fact
that the Ellison family as a whole, had managed to build a firm and somewhat
legitimate reputation within the community as a whole. Monty had given Jim the
money in which to pursue the project with, but everything else was up to Jim.
This was Monty's way of seeing if Jim would sink or swim. And true to the
Ellison form, Jim soared with success.
However his personal life did not prosper as much as his restaurant did. He
occasionally sought company in the arms of another man, but somehow, Jim still
felt empty inside. He ached to have what his brothers all had... a companion.
Someone he could love and who would love him back, his whole life through. A
partner who would last a lifetime.
Sex without a real relationship satisfied Jim in the short term, but in the
end, he always ended up yearning for something more intense, something deeper
than he had ever experienced before. Rather than have meaningless sex, Jim
more often than not abstained, seeking release only when he could no longer
stand it.
Eventually Jim moved out of the family mansion, and took up residence on the
top floor of a high-rise apartment building that his mother owned.
Being gay did not change Jim's inherent personality. Rather than Jim being
a gay man who happened to be a mobster, he was a mobster who, just happened to
be gay and he could be just as brutal and ruthless as his father and older
brothers. Jim was not above pistol whipping a man before dinner either.
That was, after all the nature of their business and their enemies knew
better than to piss an Ellison boy off, any one of them. After an unsuccessful
attempt on his father's life in 1990, Jim, and the rest of the clan, had found
it necessary to surround themselves with body guards. Times were changing,
luckily the Ellison family was resilient, and they too, changed with the
times.
The Meeting
Victor opened the door to the quiet restaurant and was instantly he was
approached by a very tall man in his twenties.
"Can I help you?" The younger man asked.
"I'd like to see Mr. Ellison." Requested Victor.
The young man smiled coldly, "Mr. Ellison is very busy. Come back another
time."
Victor frowned, "Look it's important that I talk to him. I've got some
information for him that I think he'll want to hear... "
The young man sighed and pulled a cell phone out from the inside of his
suit. Pushing a button, the man spoke softly into the phone, then hung it up.
A minute later a large, older man came through to the front of the restaurant.
"What is it Mac?" he asked pleasantly.
Mac turned to the big man, "Well Lyle, this gentleman... "
Victor interrupted, "My name's Victor Mansfield."
Mac continued like he had not been interrupted, "Victor would like to
speak to Mr. Ellison. He says he has important information to tell him."
"In person." Added Victor.
Lyle Dobrinski looked Victor up and down and nodded his head to Mac.
"Bring him to the back."
Then he turned around and started walking away. Mac Ramsey, Jim Ellison's
chief of security, waited for Victor to follow Dobrinski, then he in turn,
followed behind Victor.
The three men came to an outer office/waiting room just off of the kitchen.
And as soon as Mac had closed the door behind him, Victor said, "I've got a
piece holstered under my left pitt."
Mac nodded his head. "Okay Vic, thanks for saying that. Now take your
coat off and raise your arms over your head please."
Victor did as he was told, while Dobrinski took his old leather jacket and
started going over it thoroughly. With arms raised, Victor stood still; he
knew the routine.
Mac started to pat him down. He checked every place possible, even going
so far as to ask Victor to remove his Dayton boots to check the bottoms of
Victor's feet. Which he complied too.
Victor had made Dobrinski laugh out loud when Mac was going over his
private parts in search of a concealed weapon and Victor quipped, "Are you done
squeezing the charmin yet?" And when the invasive search continued he said,
"Get your hands off my balls, were not married you know." Mac's face turned as
red as a tomato and he tore his hand away from Victor's genitals. Victor gave
Dobrinski a grin as he accepted back his leather jacket.
"Oh, you're a charmer all right. Don't you think so Mac?" Dobrinski said
to Victor.
Mac looked sourly at his 'partner', "Yeah, he's a riot."
Still laughing softly Dobrinski said, "Wait here." Then he knocked softly
on another door and entered the office.
It was late in the afternoon, when there was a light knock at Jim's
restaurant office door. A fateful tap that would forever, change his life.
"Come in." He said simply, not looking up from the mixed-up accounting
books he was trying to sort out.
Dobrinski, Jim's right-hand man, opened the door and stepped inside
shutting it quietly behind himself. "Victor Mansfield here to see you Jim."
Jim let the page fall back to the book and looked up. "Who?" He asked.
"Victor Mansfield. He says he works for Martino and that he has some
information for you. He said it was urgent." Then as an afterthought he
added, "He's clean, Mac went over him with a fine-toothed comb."
Jim smiled at his older friend knowing full well that his personal safety
was always first in Dobrinski and Mac's minds. Jim shrugged his shoulders.
"Urgent huh?" The body guard only nodded. "Better send him in then." He
stashed away the accounting books, they were giving him a headache any ways.
Dobrinski went back outside to get the 'visitor'. Jim was prepared for a
visit from a hygiene-challenged pug-nosed, steroid using goliath that Martino
seemed to favor. No doubt that the thug would be carrying some sort of a
threat too.
Dobrinski entered the office first and then stepped back, instantly
becoming at one with the surroundings. He was followed in by the most
attractive man Jim had ever laid eyes on. His heart rate immediately jumped up
an extra few beats a minute. He, had, for the very first time, fallen
instantly in lust, with a man he had never even met.
Victor stepped into the small but tastefully decorated office a few feet
then he froze. The door closed softly behind him, but he didn't even notice
it. He stood still, not moving even an inch from his spot on the floor and
stared into the deep blue eyes of the man seated behind the desk. After a few
seconds, realizing that he had been gawking at one of the most powerful men in
Cascade, Victor tore his eyes away and looked down at his boots. His mouth had
suddenly gone dry as he waited for Mr. Ellison to acknowledge him first before
speaking.
Jim, impeccably groomed and dressed in an Armani suit, sat in his chair
and stared back, captivated by the handsomely rugged strangers beautiful green
eyes. And for a split second, an electrical spark, full of sexual tension and
energy passed between the two men as they looked into each others eyes. Jim
collected himself and said in a deep pleasant voice a beat later, "You have
some information for me?"
Victor brought his gaze up from his feet at the question and, firmly back in
control of him self, he walked over to the large antique desk that dominated
the room and stood in front of it. Looking into the ocean blue eyes of
the most devastatingly attractive man he had ever seen and with his heart
thrumming wildly in his chest, Victor started talking. "My name is Victor
Mansfield and I'm a bouncer at the Insomniac..."
Victor cleared his throat and told Jim the whole sordid story involving
Blair, Martino and the subsequent planning of the 'hit' and how it was supposed
to go down after Blair had led him to the designated nightclub. He also took
the time to fill Jim in about Sandburg's drug habit, the gambling debts and the
$10,000 pay out he had already received for luring his boss to the club and
ultimately his death.
Half an hour later, Victor stood up from his comfortable leather chair. He
wiped his sweaty palms down the side of his jeans. His heart was still
pounding, and he wasn't even sure of exactly when, during the conversation that
his palms had started to sweat. All of which was very unusual for Victor;
generally he was as calm as a placid pond, not many men intimidated him.
Victor knew that his body wasn't reacting the way it was because he was afraid
of Jim Ellison, on the contrary, it was because he was acutely attracted to
him.
Victor hadn't felt this conscious of another person in a very long time.
He couldn't help but be drawn to Jim's masculine, good looks; like a moth to a
lantern.
Both men had gripped the other in a firm hand shake, and held it a couple
of seconds longer than the average innocent handshake. The extra squeeze in
Jim's clench, did not go unnoticed by Victor, or vise-versa. Victor took a
chance and boldly looked directly at Jim for a beat, then they broke apart
mutually.
Having already received his instructions, Victor turned without saying
good bye and started for the door, just as he reached for the knob Jim called
out, "I have one more question for you Victor."
Victor turned around and said, "What's that?"
Jim walked around from behind the desk and stood next to Victor. "Why did
you come here today? You could have let me walk into that trap." He stood
gazing at Victor, waiting for an answer, not really wanting the man to leave
just yet.
Victor shrugged his shoulders and said matter of fact, "I came here to
warn you because Martino murdered my father when I was just a kid. I made a
blood vow..."
Victor raised his right hand to show Jim a very large, very old scar, that
ran across his entire palm, "...On my father's grave that I would seek revenge
on the man who killed him. I've been planning on killing him myself as soon as
I could close enough. He's a double-crossing rat bastard who'd shoot his
mother if he thought it would help his business. I won't let him to take
another life just because he couldn't get his own way. At least, not if I can
help it. I saw an opportunity, so I took it. I thought by warning you, then
I would get my chance to avenge my father's death, in the club tonight. Amidst
all the chaos."
Victor licked his lips. He had no idea why he was admitting to Jim Ellison
that he was going to murder Martino. For some inexplicable reason, he sensed
that he could trust Jim. It felt like they had almost known each other for
years, instead of just meeting 40 short minutes ago.
"Do you have a piece?" Jim asked Victor practically.
"Yeah, but I checked it at the door with one of your... ah... men."
Replied Victor.
"Is it clean?" Asked Jim, meaning whether or not had it been used in a
crime before.
Victor shook his head, "I'm not sure, I bought it off the street. So it's
probably dirty."
Jim looked to his man who was standing back in the dusky shadows, "Lyle,
would you see to it that Victor has a piece that's clean when he leaves. Have
Mac find him something new, whatever Victor prefers, and have him get rid of
Victor's old gun. Now if you'll excuse me," Jim said to Victor pleasantly, "I
have some details to attend to. But I'll see you tonight, as planned." He
smiled at the green-eyed man, but made no motion to move from where he was
standing.
As it was, Dobrinski moved first by going to the door and holding it open
for Victor.
Victor hesitated just long enough to be sure that he had heard correctly,
the double meaning in Jim's 'I'll see you tonight'. Jim licked his lips
slowly, and then Victor knew for sure that he had not been wrong about the
silent innuendo. "Tonight it is then." He said huskily. Then he turned
around and left.
Dobrinski waited for Victor to pass through the threshold first, then he
turned around and said, "I'll take care of things Jim."
Dobrinski closed the door behind himself, signaled to another large man who
was standing just outside of the office, that he was to keep an eye on Mr.
Ellison. Lyle went and found Mac and informed him of Jim's instructions
regarding the gun. Once his firepower needs were taken care of, Victor was
escorted out of the back way of the restaurant.
The Insomniac—After Hours Nightclub
Victor stood at his post, watching the main doors at Martino's club. For
the second time, he reached inside his unzipped leather jacket and touched the
butt of the 9 mm stuck into the back of his snug jeans. Smiling to himself,
Victor looked down and made sure all the buttons to his jeans were done up.
Tonight he had dressed himself in body hugging, button fly jeans and a forest
green T-shirt that clung to his upper torso, accentuating his large biceps
muscles, flat stomach and well-developed pecs.
Victor normally did not take as much care in his clothes. But for tonight,
he had picked his clothes from his spartan wardrobe very carefully. He was
dressing for Jim Ellison, and Jim alone. There was something going on
between them, and after the evenings business had been conducted, Victor had a
feeling that it would be followed by some pleasure for both of them, involving
each other.
Virtually every woman that had passed through the entrance to the Insomniac
gave Victor a second and some a third glance. Even a few guys gave him an
extra look. Victor didn't mind however, was in an exceptionally good mood,
seeing Jim tonight had a lot to do with it. As well as the fact that tonight
would be the night that Antonio Martino payed for his crime. Victor was glad
when Jim had agreed to let him be the one to exact Martino's punishment. Jim
would deal with Sandburg and the hit, then come to the Insomniac with a crew
and create a diversion so that Victor would be sure to end up alone with
Martino, his men taken down during the resulting melee.
The time passed quickly and the club was exceptionally crowded. Though
he hadn't been informed of before hand, Victor had a feeling that half of the
people in the place were somehow connected to the Ellison family. Victor's
suspicions were confirmed when a half hour before Jim was supposed to arrive,
Mac Ramsey, Ellison's main security man showed up with a gorgeous blond woman
on his arm who, had as many muscles showing on her arms as Victor did.
"Victor,... " Mac said softly, stopping in front of the bouncer. "...This is my fiancé Jackie. Jackie this is Vic."
Victor smiled at the woman, "Nice to meet you" he said.
"Like... Likewise." Jackie said in a very 'valley girl' voice. The blonde
woman eyed Victor appreciatively then giggling, she turned to Mac and said,
"Let's go in, I'm dying for a martini..."
"Any word on how's it going on the other end." Victor asked, not
clarifying what 'it' was. He wouldn't admit it, especially to Mac, but he was
very nervous for Jim's safety. But in the end, he supposed that Jim could look
after himself. Victor knew that Dobrinski would make sure that he came out of
that club unscathed.
"I just got word from Lyle. He said that everything is going according to
plan." Mac informed.
Victor looked around the jam-packed club for a second before he turned to
Mac and asked, "Is there anymore of our people outside? I have to bring them
in now if there is. It's pretty crowded in here, I'm going to have to stop
admitting."
Mac smiled when Victor referred to 'our people'. He knew that Victor
didn't even realize what he had said. Some of Mac's doubts about the man were
put to rest with that one little statement. If he was a plant by Martino,
which Mac was still suspicious he was, then he wouldn't have said 'our people'
like that. Mac assumed that Victor already considered himself part of the
Ellison crew now. And after tonight, Mac figured, he would be. That was, if
he lived up to his end of the plan. Mac shook his head no. "They're already
here and in position. I'm the last." Looking around he said. "I better go,
before anyone gets suspicious. See you later Vic." Mac walked away with
Jackie close at his side.
Victor watched them wander over to the bar. He opened the door and
stepped outside. "No more people tonight, were full." And over the
disgruntled shouts, he shut the door on the sizable crowd of people, all of
whom wanted inside.
Victor watched from across the room as Martino pushed the code numbers to
the door that led to a set of back room offices. He glanced at his watch.
Right on time.
Martino always went to his office around midnight to count the majority
of the evenings receipts and Victor knew that he would be in there alone too.
With only one body guard, usually 'Huey' standing outside the boss's locked
door. 'Louey' would be behind the bar, keeping an eye on things going on in
the frenetic club.
Fifteen minutes after Martino and 'Huey' had gone to the office, there
was a rap at Victor's door. Victor quickly opened the door and was relieved to
see both Jim and Lyle. Victor looked at Jim and smiled, then he opened the
door wider and let the men pass. Jim followed Lyle through as the
exceptionally large man some what shielded his boss.
Jim eyed Victor's physique appreciatively then he leaned in close and
whispered directly into his ear, "I can't wait to see what's under that
T-shirt." He blew a short, hot breath into the sensitive auditory organ and
then backed up.
Victor's flesh immediately raised goose bumps. There was no mistaking now
that there was definitely something 'going on' between them.
Dobrinski started walking away and Jim followed close behind him. Mac
spotted Dobrinski first, and immediately he went to the men's room. He waited
until the bathroom was completely empty before he set up a tiny, but potent
smoke bomb. Mac lit the fuse, and on his way out of the john, he grabbed a
roll of toilet paper and propped open the door with it.
About 30 seconds later, smoke started billowing out of the slightly ajar
door. Jackie, taking up her cue from Mac, shrieked as loud as she could,
"OH... MY... GOD... FIRE!" Amazingly, people actually heard her over the
loud, throbbing beat of the canned music. Louey shouted shit, and as he went
for the phone to dial 911, Mac clocked him over the head with his gun. 'Louey'
fell unconscious to the ground, hitting the dirty floor like a block of
granite.
The sprinklers started to go off and the rest of the crowd who had not
heard Jackie yell, looked up. All of a sudden there was a rush to get out of
all the exit doors. Victor had the main entrance already open, and the other
two emergency exits had been opened up by Jim's men. The 'good fellas' who
worked for Martino had already been identified and subdued by the family's own
crew. Victor worked his way through the crush of people until he reached the
locked door. Lyle, Jim and Mac were already there waiting there for him. Mac
turned to Victor "We'll take care of things on our end, you go do your job.
And watch Jim's back." He warned.
Victor nodded as he punched in the entry code. The light turned green
and Victor drew his gun. He pushed open the door and entered low shooting
'Huey' as the guard was going for his gun, killing the man instantly. The
heavy door slammed tight behind he and Jim, who had his gun pulled too.
Despite the mayhem going on outside of the club, in the hallway, it was
relatively quiet, the steel and concrete blocked out most of the noise. There
were no sprinklers in this section of the building; Martino had no idea that he
had been left unprotected, he didn't even hear the gunshot as both Jim and
Victor had silencers screwed onto their guns.
There was another keypad at Martino's office door. This code, Victor didn't
know, so instead he opted for the easiest way in and simply shot out the
keypad. Victor looked back over at Jim and shrugged his shoulders as if to say
'hey, whatever works huh?'
He grasped the knob and turned it slowly, relieved when rotated all the
way. Shoving the door in with his large shoulder, Victor burst into Martino's
office and caught the man completely by surprise.
Martino looked up, "Victor" he said. "What the fuck is this?...Ellison?
How the hell did you... ?"
"Surprised to see me Martino?" Jim asked casually.
Standing motionless, Victor stood and stared at Martino, his gun aimed
directly for the centre of the older man's forehead.
"We don't have much time Victor." Jim said anxiously as he looked at his
watch.
Ignoring Jim, Victor said to Martino. "I'm here to kill you MR. MARTINO.
For murdering my father 20 years ago on the dock."
"No, nooo." Martino said, petrified now.
"Don't deny it. I know you shot him because I was there. I saw you...
you bastard." Victor said vehemently.
"Victor please." Begged Martino. "Don't do this... I... "
Victor interrupted Martino and shouted at him, "You ruined my life!"
Then he pulled the trigger on his gun, and a bullet passed through Martino's
brain as easily as a warm knife through butter. Martino fell forward, his head
hit the desk and made a loud smacking noise.
Victor just stood there, the gun still raised, with his eyes riveted
to the splatter pattern of grey matter and blood on the stark white wall behind
the dead man.
Jim reached out and gently pushed Victor's gun arm down. "It's over
Victor. He's dead. We should go now." When Victor still didn't move Jim
tried again, "Victor" he said softly, "We have to get out of here before the
cops come."
Victor turned to Jim. Shaking his head, he came out of his daze.
"Yeah,... " He said softly "In a minute." He gave Jim a shaky smile then he
grabbed a chair that sat against the wall and carried over to a large book case
on the far wall. Victor stood on the chair and he pulled the sleeve of his
jacket down and covered up his hand. He reached up high and grabbed hold of a
large leather bound book. He carefully opened up the book and pulled out a
small video camera that had been secreted in the spine. The camera, Victor
knew, was motion controlled so every time someone was in the office and moving
around, the camera recorded. He dropped the camera to the rug and Jim stomped
on it, smashing it into pieces. Victor replaced the book, then, with the
sleeve of his jacket still over his hand, he went to the shelf below. Moving
aside a large wooden framed picture, Victor went straight to a small VCR that
had been hidden behind the photo. He used one leather-covered finger to open
up the machine and he pulled the small tape out. Sticking it into his pocket,
he intended on destroying the video evidence of him murdering Martino later.
Victor knew that when he was questioned about Martino—and as an employee
of the club, he would be questioned there would be no doubt about it—he
didn't want the cops to be able to tie him into the murder. Fingerprints in
the office could be explained; fingerprints on the security equipment could
not.
Back out in the club, Jim and Victor ran into an anxious Mac and
Dobrinski, waiting for them.
"We were just about to come in for you. What the hell took so long?" Mac
asked Jim, annoyed over the length of their delay in leaving the office.
Dobrinski piped up. "No time for that now Mac. We gotta get out of here.
Now!" He turned and started for the exit at the back of the club.
Victor followed and as soon as he was a few feet away from them, Mac
grabbed Jim and pulled him back by his arm and asked, "He watch your back in
there?"
Jim smiled and slapped Mac's cheek lightly, "Stop worrying about Victor,
Mac. He did the job in the office. And didn't leave it to me to take care
of. Satisfied?"
Mac nodded his head and released Jim.
"Good, then let's get out of here." Both men ran for the exit.
Unknown Location
1 AM
Jim stepped out of the back of his Mercedes and slammed the door behind
himself. Victor who had been sitting in the front seat of the dark-blue luxury
vehicle climbed out too. Dobrinski who had been driving, turned off the motor
but left the head lights on in the high beam position and had them aimed at a
large mound of gravel. The Mercedes sat at an angle and was parked just to the
left of another vehicle. This car, a Cadillac driven by one of Mac's men, had
arrived just before them. It too was turned off with only it's lights shining
on the same gravel pile. The three men had stood in front of their car waiting
for the occupants of the other to emerge.
Mac climbed out of the back seat, he held the door open and out stepped
Blair Sandburg, whose exit was followed by a man whom Victor didn't recognize,
just another soldier to the family, he surmised.
Jim turned to Victor and said, "Give me the tape and stay here by the
car." Victor had been about to protest Jim's orders, but then he took a second
look into Jim's eyes and he rethought his hasty decision.
Victor nodded in acquiesce and reached into his pocket and handed over the
recording of him murdering Martino. He had no choice now but to trust Jim
completely; he leaned back against the warm hood of the car and waited. Victor
was positioned between the headlights, and as he sat there, he realized that
because of the glare of the halogen lights, his form would not be recognizable
to Blair. Dobrinski walked out to the gravel mound with Jim and waited as Mac
dragged the 'turncoat' along by his arm to meet them.
The disgust Mac felt for Sandburg was evident in Mac's scowling expression,
making it obvious to Victor, that Mac did not like 'rats'. Once Mac and Blair
had reached Jim, he forced Blair to his knees.
Sandburg's eyes were wild with fear, and clearly he had been crying. Blair
looked up at Jim and waited for what he knew would be the inevitable outcome of
his own scheming.
"You set me up!" Jim's shouted. His fury barely under control.
"No. Jim I promise I didn't." Blair tried. Hoping that Jim would feel
some residual sympathy for him and buy his final lie.
"Yes... you did. You're a liar and you betrayed me." Jim raised his arm
and aimed his gun, the silencer still attached.
Blair shrank back. "Jim please." He begged. "I had no choice."
"We all have choices to make Blair. And here's mine." Jim squeezed the
trigger only once; the bullet passing straight through the traitors heart and
killing him instantly.
Victor stood up straight. He was not as affected by the murder of Sandburg
as he thought he would be. He knew what it was like to want revenge. To need
it. Jim had paid Blair back for his treachery the only way any connected man
would. Shooting him came as no real surprise to Victor. The only thing that
did surprise Victor was that Jim had done his own dirty work, unafraid of
getting his hands dirty. Victor couldn't help but admire the man, he watched
silently as Jim handed his gun to Mac and the video tape.
Jim said a few parting words to Mac and the two soldiers, then he shook
hands with all of them and walked away, back toward Victor and the car.
Victor figured that now, he and Jim were at least standing on level ground
together. Jim maybe worth millions and Victor was only worth a couple of
bucks, but both men had committed murder in the name of vengeance, and that
small detail had made them equals.
Dobrinski held the back door of the Mercedes open, "Do you want to come
home with me?" Jim asked before getting into the back seat.
Responding with a simple, "Yes." Victor went for the front passenger
seat door, he glanced quickly back over his shoulder and saw that Mac had
already started to destroy the video by opening up one end of the tape and
ripping out the insides. The tape flapped in the wind like some gymnasts
ribbon. He grabbed the door handle.
But Dobrinski, still holding the door, stopped him and said, "In the back
if you please, Mr. Mansfield." Victor smiled at the large guard as he climbed
into the car next to Jim. He shut the door then went around to and climbed in
the driver's side.
"Home, please Lyle, and no more calls tonight." Jim requested. He
pushed a button beside him in the arm rest and a black glass partition rose up
cutting them off from the driver.
Victor leaned back into the rich black leather seat. His exterior portrayed
calm, but on the inside his guts were churning. He had never been around such
luxury before. Having only sat in the front seat of the custom Mercedes, Victor
didn't realize that there were all these bells and whistles in the back seat.
He also couldn't deny that fact that at that moment, he was very turned on.
Jim's proximity to him had made the butterfly's in his stomach start fluttering
again.
Jim smiled at Victor. He was watching him look around the car. Contrary
to what Victor thought, he was not doing a very good job of hiding his
enthusiasm at being in the back of a such lavish and expensive car.
Jim however felt refreshed by Victor attitude. His honesty and eagerness
was a welcome change from the back stabbing world Jim lived in every day. He
was afraid to admit it to himself, but, Jim already felt himself falling for
Victor, and falling hard. Victor's ability to be brutal when he had too -
killing Martino, yet able to think under pressure—going for the surveillance
tape and camera, told Jim that Victor had both balls of steels and brains. Two
very attractive traits in a potential lover. The way that Victor had taken
orders from him without protest or question, also spoke volumes to him. Though
Jim was not a particulary bossy man, he needed the people to listen, obey and
respect his commands and in that order.
Victor had done all three without hesitating. The fact that Victor was also
gay and totally gorgeous, certainly added another element to his appeal. And
best of all, it was very clear to Jim, that Victor returned the attraction.
Yes, Victor Mansfield was turning out to be the perfect man.
Jim picked out a cd and started it playing. Done with his musings about
Victor, he asked, "Drink?"
"Sure, that would be great." Replied Victor who had been looking out the
car window. He took his coat off and placed it beside him between the door and
his body. He pulled down his T-shirt and tucked it in, smoothing out the
folds.
Jim in the meantime had pulled down a handle of a wooden panel and a small
mini-bar appeared out of the back of the seat. "What will it be Victor?" Jim
asked, putting ice into two crystal glasses.
"Vodka please."
Jim poured several fingers of an expensive brand of vodka into each
tumbler. "Ahhh." He said as he passed Victor his glass. "A man after my
heart." Jim smiled seductively, his face lit up by the dim lights in the
ceiling above both of the men.
"That... I am." Victor said suggestively. He put his full lips to rim of
the crystal and looking up provocatively at Jim, took a deep drink of the
alcohol. "Can I ask you a question Jim?" Victor said as he put his tumbler
down in the cup holder in front of him. The music of a Canadian bank, '54-40',
was playing softly in the back ground.
"Sure. What?"
"What will happen to the tape of me killing Martino?"
"Don't worry Victor, Mac won't leave any trace of it. I promise." Jim
smiled, then he leaned forward and kissed Victor gently on the mouth. Victor's
lips were full and round, and felt better than even Jim had imagined them to
be. He pulled back and asked, "Was it okay I did that?"
Victor answered the question by reaching out boldly and drawing Jim into
another round of kissing. After a few minutes he allowed Jim to take
control, and let the man gently ease him back against the soft leather seat.
Their kisses were ardent and enthusiastic and never once, during the maneuver
did they break their seal.
Jim was half laying on top of Victor, his hands had somehow found their way
up the tight T-shirt that Victor was wearing. He had been dying all night for
the chance to run his hands over Victors chest; to be able feel the warm skin
beneath that had been concealed by the small, innocent piece of cotton. Jim
thought it strange that a simple piece of clothing could drive him so wild. He
thought that maybe it was the same thing as when his brother Justin once
confessed that he loved to see Dana in white lingerie.
With his hands resting easily on top of Vic's hard pecs, Jim, slightly out
of breath asked, "So you're definitely into coming up to my place for a drink
right?"
In the back ground, the band was singing softly: 'If you want love you
should come over, I'd like some time to be by your side. You look like you
could lean on a shoulder, leave the walls behind'.
Victor looked deeply into Jim's eyes. "Yes. For sure I'm coming up now."
He smiled and laughed softly but he was so nervous, more so than had been ever
before. He had been with a few men over the years, and even one woman. But
none of those people had ever made Victor feel like he did right now.
Jim was an attractive package of connected family, wealth and influence.
Victor couldn't help but be turned on by him. He was strong, masculine and
'dangerous.' Everything about the man turned Victor on, starting with his
looks and going from there.
Jim Ellison, was power. Pure and simple.
Jim got up off of Victor. "Then, how about we save some stuff for the
penthouse." He said. They adjusted their hard-ons in their pants at the same
time, each of them taking notice of the other and together, and laughing in
unison when the 'caught' each other doing it.
Taking the tumbler from Victor, Jim freshened their drinks, saying
conversationally, "I never thought I was the type to be attracted to a blue
collar guy." He handed the glass back to Victor.
Victor raised his eyebrows in wonder, "Oh?" he said then he took a drink.
"But I must say,... " Jim flicked his gaze over the still sizable bulge
in Victor's jeans, "...Those tight jeans and your equally snug T-shirt,
seem to do it for me!" He laughed and took a sip of his own drink.
Victor smiled brightly, "Well..." he retorted, "I'm not usually the
type to chase a 'suit' but,..."
For the rest of the ride back to downtown Cascade, Victor and Jim talked and
got to know one another better, sharing laughter and vodka all the way home...
The elevator rang and it's shiny stainless steel doors opened to let out
the occupants. Dobrinski stepped out first; as it was part of his job, to make
sure that they would not be met in the hallway by any unwanted intruders.
But the only person in the hallway was a slight, 'nerdish' type man—who
after having been thoroughly checked out by Mac—had been hired as a personal
security guard, to stand outside of Jim's apartment. His shift was from
midnight to eight a.m.
The guard had been sitting at a small desk at the end of the hall, about
4 feet from Jim's front door. He had been working on a computer, but when the
men exited the private elevator he stood up; he already knew of the men's
arrival and was waiting for them to reach the top floor.
The desk, though small, was the control centre for a state of the art
security system. There were several camera's hidden around the building and
all of them gave live feedback to the three monitors that were hidden from view
from the public.
Dobrinski had buzzed up to the security desk, indicating that he was at
Jim's private entrance. The guard however, had seen them through a camera
first and had already sent the elevator down to them.
As the trio waited for the elevator, the guard at the desk studied the
three people on the small monitor. On it was Jim, Dobrinski and a man he had
never seen before. He kept his eyes narrowed and focused in on the unknown
man standing next to his boss. A pang of jealously hit the guard hard when he
saw how close Mr. Ellison was to the newcomer. He did not like the way that
his boss was talking quietly to and directly into the man's pierced ear. The
good-looking man was just smiling and nodding his head, then turn to look into
his boss's beautiful blue eyes.
And Dobrinski just stood there, back to the two men, his eyes watching
behind Jim's back, for anything and everything! He clenched his fists in anger
when he saw that Jim couldn't keep his hands off of the man. And as the
elevator opened up and the men got in, the guard's pangs of jealously were
joined by a big dose envy for the unknown man, who was obviously with Jim.
The guard didn't know what had happened to that little creep Blair
Sandburg, but apparently he had been replaced by an older, more mature man who
was a lot closer to Mr. Elisions' own age. The guard's blood had boiled at the
sight of the two handsome men chatting away on the ride up to the top floor of
the high-rise. "No matter," the guard thought as he stared at the incredibly
handsome stranger, "He's just another quickie. Another notch for Mr. Elisions'
bedpost. One day Mr. Ellison will wake up and see me for who I am. I know
it... He has too" By time the elevator doors had opened, the guard's
emotions were safely under control, and instead of the grimace he wore for the
stranger's image on the monitor, he now wore a smile for his boss.
"Evening' Langley. How were things?" Dobrinski said pleasantly as he
fished out the key to Jim's apartment from his suit pocket.
"Quiet. Very quiet." Langley responded, his eyes on Jim now. "Mr.
Ellison." He said.
Jim pulled his attention away from Victor, all business now. "Ringo." He
said cordially.
Ringo Langley, preferred to be called by his last name only. And everyone
did call him that, except for Jim. Jim was the only person that Langley didn't
mind hearing his first name coming from. He liked to think that when Jim
called him Ringo, it was his own personal, pet name for him. Langley's crush
on his boss grew with waking day. However, no one even suspected, he hid it so
well.
Not one of Langley's associates knew how he really felt about his employer
or the 'boy toys' he occasionally brought home. "Here's your messages Mr.
Ellison." Langley handed a few pieces of paper to his employer. Jim took them
from Langley's and his fingers brushed across Langley's hand. Somewhere in
Langley's stomach a large butterfly fluttered about.
Jim however, took no notice the accidental touch. It was not the same
thing for him. Jim turned to Dobrinski and said, "Go home to Kimberly. Vic's
here. We'll be all right."
"Okay. See you tomorrow morning then. Bright and early." Dobrinski
stretched and yawned.
Jim looked at Victor quickly then back to his friend, "Well not too early,
lets push the meeting back a few hours."
Dobrinski only laughed and shook his head. "Okay. Goodnight boss." He
said as he stepped into the elevator.
Jim introduced Langley to Victor. The men shook hands but Victor got the
very distinct feeling from Langley's tight grip that he was, in fact not
welcome and that it really wasn't nice to be meeting him. Victor ignored the
man's iciness and smiled any ways saying hi as pleasantly as he could to the
smallish bespeckled man.
Jim, of course, noticed nothing. He simply said a quick 'night' to Langley
after the introductions then he was in the door and had shut it without even
looking back at the worshipful man.
The minute the two men disappeared into the apartment, the smile disappeared
from Langley's face and was replaced by a scowl. He unhappily, flopped himself
back down into the leather chair and brought the elevator back up to the floor
as soon as Dobrinski stepped off of it...
Once inside, Jim took Victor's leather jacket and hung it up in the closet.
Victor kicked his boots off without even having to be asked to, then he
stepped further inside of the apartment and looking up at the high ceilings,
he turned around in a circle slowly, in wonderment.
Jim had told him all about the high-rise when they were in the Mercedes.
How his mother owned it and when he had decided to live in the city, his
mother, as a gift, had the entire 20th floor gutted, and rebuilt from four
small apartments into one large spacious living area. Mac had seen to all of
the security in the place. He had worked closely with Ellison family
contractors and architects. He had a state of the art video camera installed
at Jim's own private entrance into the building as well as in and outside of
the elevator and in the hall way leading to Jim's door.
However, what Jim did not tell Victor, was that Mac had also cleverly
incorporated another hidden exit just in case a hasty escape was called for.
There was a hidden door in the very back of Jim's large walk-in closet. The
closet was paneled in a type of Swedish blond wood, the door was not easy to
see, in fact it was so well camouflaged that unless you knew where and what you
were looking for you would have a hard time finding it. The knob to the secret
passage was recessed and hidden behind a panel that needed to be slid aside in
order to get to it. Once open, the door was spring loaded and would close
automatically behind you. On a ledge there was a flashlight, spare guns and
ammo, put there by the ever vigilant Mac, for any one of those 'just in case.'
scenario's that he thought might pop up.
Once a month, Jim was sure to check and clean the weapon, as per his
security chiefs instructions. The small, dark passage, ran parallel to the
length of the large hall and at the end of it there was a flight of stairs that
led to the next floor. Once there all Jim had to do was unlock and push open
the small 3 x 3 door and exit, via the 19th floor's fire hose and ax that was
sitting behind glass. No one who lived in the posh building had a clue that
there was a secret tunnel hidden behind the fire safety equipment on the 19th
floor.
Jim smiled at Victor's back, as he continued to look around. After the
apartment had been built, Jim's sister in-law Dana, had taken over and
decorated the whole place, top to bottom in things that were unique to Jim's,
very uncomplicated, masculine taste. Jim liked basic, modern furniture, he had
no wish to see doilies and dried flower arrangements on any of his coffee
tables.
Victor looked over his shoulder at Jim and said a simple, "Wow."
"Yeah." Jim replied, "It's a bit too much space for a single guy. But every
once in a while one of my brothers spends the night instead of driving back out
to 'burbs. Sometimes the kids come and stay with Dana or Samantha if there's
something good going on in town."
"No." Victor protested. "This place is great." He stuck his head in and
peeked at the main guests' bathroom. "I think your bathroom is bigger than the
room I'm living in now." Victor turned around and laughed and shook his head.
"Oh, to be you growing up... what a great life you must have had as a kid."
Jim went over to the bar and poured a pair of vodka's on the rocks. He
handed the Lalique crystal tumbler to Victor and said with mock sadness, "I
have to admit it,... I was the product of a happy home." He grinned and then
said, "We had everything we ever wanted, but our parents made sure to teach us
to appreciate it. I may have my own money now, but it was father and mother
who made it possible for us to live the good life. They made us what we are
today, and the amazing thing is that they started out with nothing." Jim
knocked the rim of his tumbler with Victor's and took a drink.
Victor responded with a "here, here." Before he took a sip from his glass.
He was still trying to hide the fact that he was a little in awe of Jim and his
lavish lifestyle. Jim, himself, seemed so easy-going to Victor. The trait was
reflected in the man's taste in the beautiful but simple things that surrounded
him.
"Come on, I'll show you the view. It's great." Jim took a hold of
Victors hand and led him out onto the patio. Outside on Jim's large tongue
and groove brick patio there was a private swimming pool and hot tub along with
a beautiful cedar sauna. A white, glass top table sat under an awning, with
four padded chairs surrounding it. Near the pool and hot tub there was a small
cabana that looked similar to the sauna. Amongst the furniture, the rest of
the area was tastefully peppered with trees and flowers all in wooden boxes.
Victor stood at the edge of the railing and looked out over the city. He
wished that his father were still alive, he would have loved to had seen Jim's
apartment. Victor wasn't envious of Jim or his money in the least bit; he knew
that having money didn't always make you happy. His dad was fairly poor, but
they still laughed and enjoyed the free things life had to offer like walking
the beach and roasting hotdogs on an open fire pit for lunch on the beach. He
only wished that his father were here so that he could see all of the beautiful
flowers blooming on Jim's deck. His father always spoke of how he should have
been a florist instead of a longshoreman. Victor wished that he had been one
too, that way he would have still been alive then.
"What's the matter Vic?" Asked Jim when his companion had suddenly grown
quiet.
Victor turned his head and looked at Jim, his face just a little bit sad.
"Nothing." He lied, pushing away the melancholic thoughts of his father. He
covered his mood by shrugging his shoulders and taking another sip of the cold
vodka. "The view makes me feel positively small. That's all"
"Me too. Come on, let's get into the hot tub." Jim leaned forward and
kissed Victor. They opened their mouths at the same time, and Jim could taste
the vodka on Victor's breath.
Jim pulled back first and looked into Victor's large eyes. When they had
first met earlier that afternoon, it was Victor's large eyes and dark lashes
that first grabbed Jim's attention initially. Even now, though it was dark
out and the green hazel colour was not really visible to him, Jim still
searched Victor's eyes. Eventually he said, "Let me see if I can give you
another kind of view to think about."
He walked over to the side of the tub, and pulled back the hard cover. He
smiled again and then started to disrobe, letting his expensive suit drop to
the decking. "You going to join me?" Jim asked, undoing the buttons of his
dress shirt. Once naked, he slid into the hot water.
Victor put his drink down on a small table. On his way to the hot tub,
he crossed his arms in front and pulled off his deep green shirt, dropping it
on top of Jim's clothes. Then he tossed his jeans and socks on top of the
pile.
Jim stared at Victor, mesmerized by his beautiful, hard body. He
mentally compared his last lover Blair's body to Victor's. While Blair was by
no means fat, his frame was small and he still had some youthful baby fat
ringing around his abdomen. Whereas Victor's body, being a full ten years
older, had matured. His upper torso and arms were so well developed that
each and every muscle's outline was clearly visible. From his 'traps'—the
muscles running from his neck to the top of his shoulder—to his calves, if
Victor had body fat, Jim would be hard pressed to find it. Jim thought that
Victor was the most beautifully made man that he had ever laid eyes on.
"What? Ahhhhh." Asked Victor as he slipped into the water and sat across
from Jim.
"I was just thinking how gorgeous you are. God, your put together
perfectly." Jim reached out and felt around for his tumbler of vodka.
"Thanks. You're not exactly hard to look at either you know." Jim
blushed at the compliment and Victor was pleased he had finally been able to
unbalance Jim, like he had been doing to him all evening.
Victor decided to use the 'body' comment as an opening to tell Jim about
his time in prison. He wanted to be honest with him, especially since if
tonight led to other nights, Jim had the right to know the truth about him and
where he had been. "I work out every single day, no matter what." He
commented.
Jim put his glass back down and said, "Jeez, I wish I had your
dedication."
"Well it's not so much dedication as habitual." Victor swallowed hard, "You
see a while ago, I did a 12-month stretch at the 'Cascade County Pen.' and to
alleviate the stress, I worked out every day for several hours. It was my way
of keeping out of trouble. Here's what happened..."
VICTOR'S STORY
Victor Nathaniel Mansfield, age 34, had lived without a family ever since
he was 12 years old. He had been alone and lonely for the majority of his
thirty-four years. His mother had passed away when he was only eight years
old, and the memories he had of her were now, nothing more than vague images
that he no longer trusted to be accurate. Victor's only photograph of his
mother was a pewter framed, 5 x 7 black and white photo, taken of her when she
was still a teenager. She had died while in a sanitarium, the details of the
circumstances surrounding her death was something Victor would never learn. He
had no idea what she died of, though he once heard his father talking to a
friend, and he had mentioned drugs. So Victor thought that maybe she had
overdosed on drugs. But he couldn't even be sure of that fact.
After all of the years that had passed, not knowing the truth pained him
greatly, even to this day.
His older sister Veronica, was 12 when she had gone off live with an aunt
he had never heard of before his mother had died. After Veronica had left, it
was just Victor and his father.
Once, when Victor was nine or ten, he asked his father why they never got to
see Veronica. His dad looked down at his son, his green eyes full of sadness
and answered, "She has her cousins for brothers and sisters now." Victor
didn't understand at the time, but he did a few years later. His aunt hadn't
wanted him after his had mother died, only Veronica. All of her children were
older, as was she, and she felt that raising an 8-year-old boy would be too
much trouble. Little boys messed the house up, and wore holes in their shoes
and clothes. Victor's aunt wanted a girl to dote on, not a boy she would be
constantly picking up after.
Even after his father was killed, his Aunt, rather than taking him in, had let
him be sent to an orphanage to finish his informative years' in.
Victor, no longer counted on his aunt, his sister, or anyone else in his
immediate family anymore. He had long since permanently exiled them from his
solitary life.
In fact, he could count on one hand how many times he had seen his sister
since she had first left the Mansfield house hold. And every time that he had
seen her, Victor came away feeling like the poor, underprivileged cousin from
the hills, that you only put up visiting because they were family and you
had to be nice to them. In the end, Victor supposed that he really was the
poor cousin no one really wanted to associate with, even his own natural
sister. The last time he had seen Veronica, she had come to visit him jail.
Frustrated by her attitude, he told her not to come back. He couldn't take
all the unpleasant feelings that came with Veronica and her visits. And she
never did.
Victor's father, Martin Mansfield had been only 43 years old when he was
murdered; unprovoked and in cold blood by Antonio Martino. The elder Mansfield
was killed because he refused to go along with Martino's scheme of using dock
workers union dues and future pension dollars to fund the gangster's latest
business dealings. Martin Mansfield, was an honest man to a fault. The
simile's like 'straight shooter' had been used in more than one conversation
to describe him. He believed in the hard-working men who had voted him as
their union representative, and they believed that he would do his best in
protecting their interests. When Mansfield told Martino and his goons just
that, Martino did not get angry, instead he simply pulled a gun and shot Martin
once in the head, right then and there.
The gangster stood over the man's corpse and said coldly, "Now they'll have
to find someone else to protect their interests."
Martino, however, had no idea that the clandestine meeting and subsequent
murder had an audience of one. Victor had come to his father's work that
afternoon intending on surprising his father with the sandwiches he had made
for lunch. Arriving at the docks early, Victor climbed up high on a pallet of
crates and waited for the lunch horn to sound. As he sat and waited, he heard
loud, angry voices. Knowing he wasn't supposed to be fooling around the cargo,
Victor hid where he was, high atop of the men and looking down at them. From
his vantage point, he could hear everything word and see everything that was
exchanged between the men. He was proud that his dad was standing up to the
well-dressed man. Victor had no idea who the man was but he certainly didn't
like him; he could clearly tell by his father's body language, that he didn't
like him either. Then shot rang out and the man calmly walked away.
Victor waited until he thought it was safe then he took off, scared out of
his wits. He ran all the way back to their tiny apartment. Locking all the
doors, Victor sat, in shock, and wondered if what he saw was even real. An
hour later, there was a knock at the door, and when Victor opened it, there was
a uniformed cop, and a detective waiting to tell him the bad news; news that he
already knew. It was only then did the tears, and grief come; once he knew
that his eyes really hadn't deceived him, and his father really was dead.
Victor never did tell the police anything useful regarding the
investigation, he was too afraid of the well-dressed gangster. Besides, he
told himself, "who would believe me any ways." After the funeral, which was
attended only by Martin's fellow dock workers and Victor himself, he had asked
to see his fathers grave one more time before going to the orphanage. He
waited until he was alone at the burial site—the social workers preferring to
sit in the car and out of the rain—before making his vow.
Pulling a small, but sharp pen knife out of his front pocket, Victor sliced
all the way across the palm of his right hand. Barely noticing the pain, he
squeezed his hand tightly and let the blood flow freely through his clenched
fist to the top of the freshly turned soil. Victor silently whispered to his
father, vowing revenge against the man who had killed him as easily and with
about as much emotion as swatting a fly.
Victor stood still, a solitary youth boy whose inadequate clothing was
drenched right through from the pouring rain, heedless of the blood he was
losing. The tears streamed down his face and Victor, abandoned by all, cried
for his father and for himself. He had thought that he would never feel so
alone as he did at that moment. Too bad that he would find out how wrong he
was...
Victor would be well in his thirties before losing the aching desolation
that was with him always.
One of the social workers, wondering what was taking the poor pathetic kid
so long, finally looked out the fogged up a window for their charge. Both of
them gave horrified gasps when they saw Victor, standing there, uncaring of the
rain and bleeding from the hand onto his father's grave. They got out of the
sedan and ran to the boy. One worker grabbed the knife while the other one
admonished the preteen for hurting himself in such a manner.
Victor looked at them dully, numb with grief and with his eyes still coated
with tears he said quietly, "It doesn't matter to me. Why should it matter to
you?"
The social workers only scowled at his foolishness and then dragged him by
his arm all the way back to the too warm car. As they pulled him alone,
Victor had his head turned toward his father's grave the whole way; unwilling
to look away until he was finally forced into the backseat of the sedan and
driven away. The social worker who had pulled him along by his arm, opened up
a manilla file folder and made a note to have a child psychologist visit Victor
at the orphanage.
Cast off by all, including the social workers who were supposed to
watching out for him, Victor began yet another stage of his life. The
orphanage that he had been sent to live in was a brutal, uncaring and loveless
environment. He did the best that he could in terms of protecting himself.
But every once in a while he would lose a fight and have his stuff taken away
by an older, meaner boy. Fortunately, he had managed to avoid the sexual
activity that took place after hours, when the lights went out for the night.
Many younger charges were visited by the older and tougher boys, who stole
through the dark to their beds, like marauding hyenas.
But Victor was not as small and weak as some others his age, so he, in that
respect was left alone.
That was, until one fateful evening a few months before his 15th birthday.
He had been summoned to a dorm supervisor's private room. The supervisor had
generously offered Victor some cream soda to drink, a treat, that was not often
doled out in the orphanage. Unsuspecting, but wondering why he was called into
the man's room, Victor drank down the pre drugged offering greedily.
All the supervisor had to do was wait for the strong drugs to take effect.
He talked to Victor, casually, from the other side of the coffee table about
growing up. Complementing him on what a 'fine, handsome young man' he was
becoming. The predatory supervisor droned on, extolling the virtues of being
15. He told Victor how lovely it was to be in the particular phase of growth
that he was in right now; how that he was hanging in limbo, between no longer
being a boy and not quite a man.
It was at that point in the conversation that Victor first felt his eyes
cross. He tried to focus them, but there were two of everything and he was
dizzy. He told the man that he was not feeling that well that he wanted to go
back to his dorm and go to bed.
The supervisor responded by saying softly, "Here, Victor. You can lay
down in my bed."
Then he stood up and guided Victor to his own, down quilted bed. Victor did
not want to lie down in the supervisor bed, but his mouth and muscles would not
work properly. He had no control over his body, he could not say no, and he
certainly could not leave by his own volition.
After the supervisor had laid him down, he proceeded to slowly undress
Victor and have his way with him for the next two hours. The exact details of
what had happened to him were a little fuzzy. However, one thing he did know
for sure was that the supervisor had drugged him, and when he was totally
tractable he had sexually assaulted him. Victor woke the next morning in his
own bed with a headache and an upset stomach. He could remember a lot of what
happened to him, but not everything. And when he pushed back his blankets and
saw the blood stain in his sheets, Victor's fears were confirmed. He had been
raped, only it wasn't by one of the boys in the dorm.
Gingerly he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. The hot,
searing pain in his backside was excruciating. Thankful that he was alone in
the dormitory, Victor stood up on shaky legs and slowly walked to the showers.
He cleaned himself up as best as he could, scrubbing at his skin even after the
hot water had run out on him because he thought that he could still smell the
supervisor on him. Eventually though the cold water drove him out of the
showers, and he returned to his bunk, where he packed what little possessions
he did have into a small khaki duffle bag. Not caring who saw him, Victor
walked down the dim hall and out the front doors of the orphanage. He went to
a part of the chain-link fence that had a hole in it and passed through it, to
his freedom. Victor looked at the scar on his hand and then kissed it. Vowing
to himself never to return. Which, he never did.
Lying about his age, Victor told a kindly Asian man that he was 17,
instead of his real age of 14 and got a job in the kitchen of the man's
restaurant. At first he started by taking out the garbage and keeping the
kitchen floors swept up clean. Then as the months wore on he moved on to being
a dish washer and then, if he was needed, Victor would help the cooks out, by
chopping up vegetables and cutting up the meat.
Once he was old enough, he attended school at night and eventually, put
himself through a college that specialized in business administration. All
those years, he was content to work for Mr. Wong and his family. He saved his
money and bided his time, and every once in a long while, the feelings of
desolation would leave him, but never for long. He kicked around Cascade
throughout his twenties and into his thirties. He kept trying to find a way to
get close to Martino, but nothing ever came up.
Then one night in 1995, a co-worker whom he didn't know very well, asked
Vic for a ride home. Victor said yes and while on the way, the co-worker had
asked Victor to stop at a convenience store, claiming he needed smokes. Victor
pulled over and waited in the car, and a few minutes later the man came running
out of the small store. Jumping in he yelled at Victor to 'GO!GO!GO!'
Victor pulled away from the curb. "What's going on he shouted?" Afraid of
what the man might have done. The co-worker never answered him and they didn't
even get five blocks away before the cops pulled them over and arrested both of
them. Victor had no idea his passenger had just robbed and shot the store
clerk. Lucky for both of them, the man lived. Despite the larcenous co-worker
sticking up for Victor—he had told the courts that he had nothing to do with
the robbery—the judge still handed down a sentence of 18 months to Victor.
Which meant that he could be out in 12 months with good behavior.
Victor minded his own business while on the inside and did his time
without too much trouble. He spent his spare time in the gym working with
weights in order to build up his physique. And as soon as he was released from
the cages, Victor went straight to Antonio Martino and asked for a job. He
knew his record and sizable build would work in his favor. Gangsters always
needed a few good grunts around. He was hired on the spot to work as a
bouncer/doorman in Martino's night club the Insomnia. The club was the hottest
place in town. Martino never even put his name together with his fathers. The
murder had taken place so long ago, and Martino had killed plenty of men in
between.
Victor was glad he had told Martino his real name, his honesty would, one
day, get him closer to the well-protected man. He had been there just over six
months before Blair Sandburg and opportunity walked in the door.
One day, while he was working, Martino came over to Victor and said with a
sneer, "I've got that faggot Ellison's boy, Blair Sandburg coming in for a
coffee in a little while. He's a little guy with long brown hair. Let him in,
but after that, the place is off limits to everyone."
Victor had inwardly winced at the epithet, but outwardly he nodded in
understanding. Martino often conducted business in the nightclub during the
day.
Mr. Martino sat at his usual table and complained to 'Huey and Louie' about
how that 'fag bastard Ellison stole that land deal' right out from under him
and how it would be his pleasure to get rid of the youngest Ellison.
After he had been dismissed, Victor immediately headed straight for the
Ellison establishment. He wasn't quite sure how his information would be
taken. But at least it was a starting point in his need for revenge.
Victor couldn't believe that he had told Jim the whole story of his life.
Done with recounting his sad tale, he looked at Jim fully expecting to be told
to get the hell out.
But instead, Jim was only looking at him wide-eyed, sad that Victor had such
a crappy life; amazed that he turned out as good as he did.
"The last time someone looked at me like that, he was trying to talk me
into having sex with him in the showers." Victor laughed softly.
Jim smiled at the thought of Victor naked and soapy standing under a warm
spray of water. "Did 'he' get any?" He asked.
"Nah... Luckily by the time any of the big cons took notice of me, I had
already gotten my early release. Besides, I can look after my self... " He
got out of the warm water and suddenly freezing, ran quickly over to his drink
and grabbed it up off of the table. Sliding back into the tub's warmth, he
said. "However, I've made sure never to go back to the can. Once was enough
for me."
"I bet." Shifting topics Jim commented, "Martino got what he had
coming. He made his fortune off of the blood and sweat of others. He was a
parasite, no one will miss his sorry ass."
Victor's eyes—reflected by the underwater lights in the hot tub -
looked even greener than they had during the day, "I know. I just wish revenge
felt sweeter."
Jim crossed the foaming water and sat next to Victor, shoulder to shoulder.
"It's not easy to kill a man no matter how much you want to do it. It's what
separates you from the psycho's and makes you one of the good guys. You did
what you had to do, and took no pleasure from it."
Unable resist any longer, Jim leaned over and captured Victor's mouth.
He gently prodded it open and then delicately touched the tip of his tongue to
Victor's. After kissing that way for several seconds, Jim pulled back and
reached for Victor's drink. He took a sip than passed it to Victor who drained
it. "That stuff about the orphanage. Are you okay with that?" He asked.
"It was a long time ago now. I don't even know why I told you about it,
no one else knows. Sometimes I think about it and wonder if I could have some
how gotten my self out of the situation before it happened. But, in hind sight
I don't think so. He liked teenage boys, and he had a plan to get them, a plan
that was fool proof. He was drugging the beverages of his victims long before
rohypnol came onto the scene." Victor sighed heavily, "Anyway, he can't hurt
anyone anymore." Victor looked out into the distance and studied stars that
made up the big dipper.
"He's dead now." He said softly. "His scheme back fired one night, and a
kid he didn't quite drug enough, stabbed him with a letter opener and ended up
killing him. I guess he got what was coming to him too." Victor turned his
gaze back to Jim, "I don't lie, and I don't like lies' Jim."
This time it was Victor who made the first move by tilting his head to the
side and nibbling the soft flesh in the crook of Jim's neck. He kissed his way
from one side to the other, planting small kisses over his neck. Every couple
of kisses, Victor would bite down softly, arousing Jim and causing Jim to moan
softly.
Jim brought his hands up and wound his fingers through the hair at the back
of Victor's head. "Victor." He said softly.
Victor stopped kissing the side of Jim's neck but he did not move away
from him. "Yes." He whispered, his warm breath raising goose bumps on Jim
sensitive flesh.
"Let's go inside."
"Okay." Came another whispered reply.
After showering and shampooing away the chemicals of the hot tub
together, the two men stood at the edge of Jim's four poster antique bed
looking into each other's eyes. Jim reached out and slowly undid the belt of
the plush white robe that he had lent Victor to wear. The terry towel tie fell
away and the robe parted open slowly, revealing a 6'1'' by 3 inch wide
vertical stripe down the length of Victor.
Victor stood still as Jim's large, blue eyes swept him up and down.
Jim reached out with both hands and ran them up Victor's smooth, hairless
chest. He fanned his fingers wide and slowly pushed down the robe, over the
back of Victor's shoulders. When he was completely exposed, Jim leaned in and
sucked Victor's entire left nipple into his mouth.
Victor moaned softly as Jim gently bit down.
Jim released Victor's nub, and kissed his way across the velvety muscled
expanse to the other nipple; where he gave it the same tender loving treatment
as he had the other.
No longer able to withstand the sensuous but torturous nipple treatment,
Victor grabbed Jim's head and pulled his face to his own and kissed him
roughly, the stubble of the days' growth rasped against each others cheeks and
chins.
Jim grinned and ran his hand over Victor's chest again. "How come guys who
work with weights always shave their chests?"
Victor looked down and watched Jim's hands as they caressed him. "Not
shave." He said matter of fact. "Wax. And it's so you can see your muscle
definition better." Victor shrugged. "Don't you like it?" He asked shyly,
though judging by Jim's fascination with his pecs, Victor would have guessed
that he did in fact, like it.
"Oh yeahhh. God you're sooooo sexy..." Jim sucked some more flesh in
near Victor's nipple and left a small purple mark next to the small hard
pebble. "You turn me on Victor." Jim stepped back and shucked off his own
dark blue robe. He looked down and Victor's eyes followed his. "See." Jim
said, "How hard it makes me just to kiss you?"
Victor brought his eyes up to meet Jim's. Both men's pupils were wide with
dilation, not much color showed now in either pair of eyes.
"Lets lay down then and get comfortable." Victor replied huskily, his
erection from Jim's careful ministrations very conspicuous too.
Victor was laying on his back and Jim was on his knees making love to
him. He arched his back and dug his fingers into the soft cotton sheets,
clenching up fist full of the material. "Oh Jesus Christ Jim. Yesssss. That's
it, right there." He moaned huskily.
Jim used one hand to pump Victor's cock with and ran his other sweaty
palm across Victor chest. Tweaking and pinching the nipples tightly between
the pads of his fingers. He thrust into Victor's delicate opening a few more
times forcing the head of his to cock rake over Victor's highly erogenous
prostate, succeeding in sending the writhing man over the edge of the
precipice.
Victor cried out, as his cock let go and he released his seed, sending out
several waves of the thick, creamy liquid. The hot cum fanned out over his
chest and some of it landed on the back of Jim's hand. As he orgasmed, his ass
muscles clenched tightly around the base of Jim's cock.
Which was all that Jim was need to send him over the edge as well. His
balls tightened up and with a primordial cry of pleasure, he let himself go and
came inside of Victor's tight ass. Releasing Victor's rapidly softening
cock, Jim collapsed on top of his sweaty lover. Heedless of the layer of
rapidly cooling semen that separated his chest from Victors.
After a few heavy breaths, Jim kissed with Victor for a few seconds before
he eased his soft organ out from the constricted confines of Victor's insides.
Jim reached over and grabbed a soft, plush towel from the night stand and
handed it to Victor.
"How gallant of you." Victor said jokingly as he took the towel and wiped
himself.
"God Victor. That was best sex I ever had." Jim said contentedly as he
took the proffered towel back and wiped his own genitals down with it.
Victor rolled over and kissed Jim lightly on the lips. Smiling he said,
"Yeah. It was great for me too." He flopped back down and stared at the
ceiling. "It's been a long time since I've made love to a man." He nestled
his hands under the back of his head, "I Usually date my right hand." Victor
rolled over so that he was facing Jim, and said with a playful grin, "And when
I feel kinky... I date my left hand."
Jim laughed loudly as he reached for the large down quilt at the foot of
the bed. He pulled it up and covered them up with it, then he reached over and
shut off the light. Snuggling in behind Victor who was now laying on his side,
they were fit together like two puzzle pieces. Jim whispered in Victor's ear,
"Good night." He kissed the back of Victor's neck. Both men fell asleep
instantly.
Langley had heard the muffled cry and he instantly snapped his head toward
Jim's locked door. Pissed off that they were having sex, he scowled and
thought to himself again how the new guy would never last. He was just another
one of Jim's pick ups. One day Jim would open his beautiful blue eyes and see
just how right he was for him.
Behind him a phone rang softly, Langley picked it up immediately. It was
Byers, the guard who was supposed to relieve him in the morning. He was
calling from the hospital to let Langley know that he was going to be a couple
hours late for his shift as his son was having an emergency appendectomy done,
and that he would try to be there by ten or eleven.
Langley smiled at the desk top. He didn't mind, he wanted to be there in
the morning to see Jim's latest conquest leave.
Jim heard Victor call his name out softly. He shut the safe hidden in his
large walk in closet and left the room. "Here I am." He said cheerfully.
Victor blinked his eyes a few times, the sun light streaming though the sky
light warmed the large bedroom considerably. "Whatch'ya doing in the closet?"
Victor sat up and leaned against the head board wondering why Jim was standing
there looking like the cat who just ate the family canary.
Jim pulled his hand out of the pocket of his robe, and pinched between
thumb and forefinger, was a small wad of money. "I got some money for you."
He said smiling.
The look on Victors face morphed from curious and happy to shocked, "You
what?" He asked, thinking he must not have heard Jim right.
"Five thousand dollars. I want to give you five grand for last night. I
mean if Blair was going to receive ten thousand for me to lose my life, then
the least I can do is pay you for saving it."
"Sorta like,... 'services rendered' you mean." Vic said, growing crosser
by the second.
"Yeah. I guess so." Jim replied, he held the money out to Victor.
Victor swatted Jim's hand away. He threw back the covers and said
angrily, "No thanks. Last night was for free." He walked past Jim, searching
for his clothes.
Suddenly it dawned on Jim that Victor thought that he was offering him
money for the sex. "No... wait Victor, that's not what I meant... I just wanted
to help you... I don't think you're a 'pro' or anything... " Victor's glare
cut Jim off in mid sentence. Which he realized was probably best since he
seemed to be digging himself a deeper hole.
"I'm a man Jim, not some college boy whom you hired for the night. And
I'm not for sale." Victor said crossly as he pulled on his socks.
The biting remark stung Jim.
Victor grabbed his jeans and hastily did them up. He found his T-shirt and
marched out of the master bedroom toward the front door.
All the while Jim was trying to explain his offering of the money. But
nothing he said was coming out right. All Jim knew was that he didn't want
Victor to leave, not like this at least. "Victor." He tried as the man in
question pushed his feet into his boots.
Victor stopped and looked up at Jim expectantly.
"Please don't go." He said finally.
Victor shook his head and stood up. He said evenly to Jim, "Yesterday
Jim, when I met you. I felt something. It was just as quick as that." He
snapped his fingers. "And I thought that you had felt the same thing."
Victor linked his forefingers together and said, "I thought that we had
connected."
Then letting his hands fall to his sides he said softly, "I put my self on
the line for you Jim. I told you things about me that no one... No one else
knows. Jesus Christ... " he implored, his eyes wide with hurt. "...I
murdered two men, in cold blood, right in front of you last night."
Jim tried to speak but Victor wouldn't let him get a word in. He held up a
hand to stop him. "Listen, it's okay. I get it. Were from two different
worlds and all that shit." He shrugged, trying to act like he really didn't
care, but the truth was that he did care, too deeply and way sooner than he
should have allowed himself too. He blamed himself for jumping in bed with a
guy he had only just met. "Do you know how long it's been since I let someone
fuck me?" He asked profanely, his emotions breaking through and betraying him.
Jim simply shook his head, he didn't know what to say.
"Over five years ago. That's how long." Victor chewed on his bottom lip,
trying to control all the old, negative feelings that were bubbling up.
Feelings he hadn't felt since the orphanage supervisor had raped him.
"I'm a big boy." He said finally. "If you only wanted last night to be a
one time deal, then all you had to do was tell me. I can handle not being
wanted. I can cope." He put on his jacket and grasped the door knob, but
before he walked out he turned back to Jim and said quietly, "I haven't felt
this fucked over since the orphanage." Then he yanked the door open and
slammed it behind himself.
Turning to the smirking Langley he said, "I need the elevator. Now!"
Langley had heard most of the argument that had taken place. Or the part
of it that had taken happened near the front door that was. He was extremely
pleased that the good-looking man was leaving, as he had predicted he would.
"It's already on its way up. Mr. Mansfield." He said smugly.
Victor glared at Langley but said nothing to the guard. Instead he turned
his back to him and walked to the steel doors and waited. They opened up
almost immediately, and out stepped Dobrinski. "Morning Victor" he said
cheerfully.
Victor mumbled "good morning" back as he slid past the large man. He
jammed the button several times, there was no time for niceties, he just wanted
to get the hell out of there and fast. The doors finally closed and as the
elevator slowly descended, Langley watched him through the security cameras
the whole way.
"I thought you told me that Victor was different." Dobrinski said as he
handed Jim a cup of coffee.
"He is. Or was." Jim answered glumly as he took a sip out of his mug.
"Then why are you treating him like a common whore?" Dobrinski asked
sensibly.
"I didn't..." Jim protested.
Dobrinski laughed and put his mug down. "Okay, Jim. Let's take a look at
it from Victor's point of view. He comes home with you, and after having sex,
he is invited to spend the night. The next morning the man whom he has slept
with, offers him five grand 'for last night'."
"Well... when you put it like that..." Jim mumbled.
The large man shook his head and asked. "What's he supposed to think?"
Jim didn't answer. He took another sip of his coffee and wondered how he
could have been such a fool and let what possibly was the best thing to ever
happen to him get away from him. Dobrinski spoke again, pulling Jim out of his
commiserating. "What?" He asked, not quite catching what had been said to
him.
"I said, Is he worth going after?"
"Yes" Jim replied immediately.
"Then I suggest you get dressed while I phone Mulder. See if he can track
down where Victor lives."
Jim put down his mug and went down the hall to his bedroom.
Victor's Apartment
There was a rap at the door. Victor opened his eyes and listened. The
walls were so thin that sometimes it sounded like someone was at your door,
even though the person was really at the neighbors.
Victor's neighbor just happened to be a slimy drug dealer, and the rap was
so soft, he though it that it was just another customer looking for, 'Cajun
Cal'. He shut his eyes just as the knock came again. It was for him after all
and not Cal. Sighing, he got up slowly and went to his door, he stood just to
the left of it, just in case. Which it didn't really matter anyway, because
the door was so thin, it mays as well be made of balsa wood. An old lady would
have had no problem kicking it in. Nevertheless, he still followed basic
security sense. "Who's there?" He asked gruffly.
Silence, then "Jim."
Victor couldn't help but smile, he was pleased that Jim had taken the time
to find him. Opening the door he said, "You better get in here before one of
my neighbors tries to mug you." Then he pulled Jim inside by the hand. "This
is not a safe neighborhood. Where's your protection? Where's Dobrinski?"
Jim removed his jean jacket and laid it over the back of a kitchen chair.
"I came alone."
Victor picked up his jacket and hung it up on a hook. Suddenly nervous
and a little ashamed to have Jim standing in the shit hole of an apartment that
he called home. "You want a beer?" He asked.
"Sure." Jim replied as he looked around the small, but very clean
apartment. "You weren't kidding when you said my bathroom was bigger than your
place." Jim accepted the beer and tilted it toward Victor before taking a
drink.
"I told you. I don't' lie." Victor took a sip of his beer. "If Mac finds
out you came here alone, he'll have Dobrinski's balls and kick your ass."
Jim put the bottle down on the small kitchen table and said to Victor,
"There are some things that Mac can't do for me and some things he can't fix.
This is one of them." Jim took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for this morning
Vic. Really sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm usually not such an ass
hole. But Lyle made sure to point out just what a dip shit I was for offering
you money." He picked up his beer and took another deep swallow. Afraid that
Victor wouldn't accept his apology.
"I'm sorry I was such a horses' ass too." Victor apologized, doubly
relieved that Jim had come to find him.
Jim put his bottle down and went over to Victor. He wrapped his arms
around the slightly shorter man and hugged him tightly. "I know this may sound
crazy Vic, but I want to 'go steady'? Is that the right words?" He pulled
back to look into Victor's face, but did not let him go.
Victor wrapped his arms around Jim's waist. "You mean you'd like to start
a relationship?"
Jim laughed softly and then kissed Victor on the mouth. "Yes. That's what
I'm trying to say."
"Exclusive? No one else. Just you and me." Victor asked, clarifying
things. He knew that Jim's last boyfriend was at least ten years younger than
him, and some self doubt started to creep into his thoughts.
"Yes, of course just you and me." He nuzzled Victor's neck. "I want a
man, for a change, not a college student." Jim echoed Victor's similar
sentiments of the mornings argument. He bit the side of Victor's neck and
sucked the soft flesh into his mouth and could taste the green apple glycerine
soap on his skin.
Jim felt like he could spend the rest of his life forming hickeys on
Victor's neck. "What do you say Victor? Are you up to the challenge of
dating a known mobster?"
Victor leaned his head to the side to give Jim and his roving tongue
better access. Sliding his hands down the back of Jim's jeans, Victor cupped
his warm ass cheeks and whispered, "Alleged mobster. And yes, I'm up to the
challenge."
Jim kissed his way to the other side of Victor's neck then he reluctantly
he pulled away. "I need to say something then, before we go any further."
"Okay. Say it." Victor pulled his hands out of the back of Jim's pants and
picked up his beer.
"Well last night, you said you don't lie and you don't like being lied to.
So I promise you, I'll always to tell you the truth."
Victor nodded.
"Well, then if I 'm going to be truthful then I should say that, in the
bedroom, in our apartments, you and I we are complete and total equals. But at
the office, in front of my men, ...well..." Jim started to stammer, he
took a sip of beer and tried again, "...I need to be seen as the boss... "
He couldn't believe he was actually blushing. He didn't bother having this
conversation when he started bedding down Blair. Blair had worked for him
before, he knew the score. Besides, Blair was an underling and Jim had no
problem fucking him then telling him what to do afterwards. But with Victor,
Jim could tell already that things were different. He was mature and had been
around the block a few times. Victor might know what the score was, but that
didn't mean he had to like it.
"I understand where your coming from Jim." Victor explained. "You have a
lot of people working for you and you need to be in control. Especially in
front of your people. I can respect that. But I want you to swear to me
that you won't treat me like some 'bum boy' who hasn't got a brain in his head.
I'm not window dressing for your elbow. Okay?"
Victor smiled and looked directly into Jim's eyes. He didn't think he would
ever get enough of them. The blue color reminded him of a picture he had seen
once as kid. The picture was in a national geographic magazine, it was of the
great barrier reef. The still blue waters pulled him into a fantasy world
where he was the skin diver, swimming freely among the brightly coloured
tropical fishes. At the time, Victor thought that the photo was the most
beautiful thing he had ever seen. He was living in the orphanage, and being
free was very much on his mind those days.
Jim smiled. "That's why I like you Vic. Brains and beauty." He kissed
him again.
"Yeah, well brains and beauty not withstanding, now that Martino's gone,
I'm out of a job." He went to his small fridge and as he grabbed another beer,
it hit him, Jim Ellison, one of the most powerful men in Cascade, the entire
state for that matter, had chased him down and asked him to 'go' with him
exclusively. Victor had done the 'poor' thing over and over again. He thought
that it might be nice to be with a man with some taste and class for a change.
"You want another he asked?"
"Please." Jim replied. "I can give you a job." He said from the
sofa.
Victor raised his eyebrows, "What kind of job?" He sat beside Jim on the
threadbare couch.
Jim took the beer and twisted off the top, "Well your sleeping with me for
free, " He made an 'oomphing' sound when Victor elbowed him, "But how about I
pay you to figure out what's wrong in my restaurant."
Intrigued, Victor asked, "What's wrong at the restaurant?"
"Well, the books say one thing but the inventory and profit say another.
Something's lumpy, but I don't know what, exactly it is." He took a drink and
then said, "I think it would be a good idea to bring you in to check things
out. See where my inventory and profit are really disappearing too."
"Like a private investigator?" Victor smiled as he put his beer down on
the small coffee table.
"Yeah," Jim agreed, "exactly like that."
"Okay." Victor said. "I can do that. Victor Mansfield, P.I." He said,
he gave Jim a provocative smile, then reached out and grabbed him; kissing him
roughly. Victor pushed Jim back so that he was leaning against the arm of the
couch and undid the jeans he was wearing. He exposed the man's already erect
cock to the cool air of the small apartment. He ran his tongue over Jim's
navel, sticking it inside the deep depression.
Jim started to murmur softly about how good Victor's lips felt.
Encouraged, Victor ran his tongue from the bottom of Jim's heavy balls to
the weeping slit of his swollen head.
"Ohhhh, you better investigate that deeper." Jim muttered again. He
brought his hands down and gently pushed Victor's head toward the object in
dire need of investigating.
"I better take you shopping for some... clothing." Jim said casually,
fingering the hem of Victor's thin T-shirt.
Victor looked down, "I guess I need to buy a suit," He looked up at Jim,
"or two. How much do you think I'll need? I've got about a thousand dollars
saved."
Jim laughed, "How about you keep your savings and you just let me treat you
to a..." he didn't want to say 'a new and improved wardrobe.' Because he
liked Vic's personal style of jeans and simple shirts, but if he was going to
work for the Ellison family, then he was going to have to invest in some proper
clothes in which to work in. "...wardrobe that's more appropriate for business"
He finished very politically correct.
"You're right. I guess short sleeved T-shirts and frayed jeans are all
right if your working a door, but you don't have to treat me. I've got money,
I can pay." Victor didn't want to admit it, but he knew the kind of clothes
that Mac and Jim wore cost more than a measly thousand bucks. Their socks
alone must have cost fifty bucks a pair.
Jim, still basking in the afterglow of the late afternoons blow job
pulled Victor close and kissed him, "I know you have money Victor, but the
'right kind' of clothes cost a lot more than what you have. What's the point
of having money if your not going to spend it? Right? Please Vic..." Jim
asked, "...just let me do this for you. It doesn't' mean a thing. I
promise." Jim knew that Victor had no wish to be seen as a kept man. Unlike
Blair, who relished in his role as the 'well looked after' lover.
Victor however was different, he had pride in his independence. Jim had no
wish to strip Victor of his dignity. A thought struck Jim, so he added in
quickly, "Besides, once you start getting a salary, I can have my accountant
Nathan deduct the price of the clothes. That way you can pay me back a little
bit at a time."
He couldn't get enough of being so close to his new lover. Victor felt so
right in his arms, he fit Jim's large physic so perfectly. "How does that
sound? Hmmmm?" Jim worked his tongue under the collar of Victor's navy blue
cotton shirt and sucked in the flesh at the top of his well developed 'trap'
muscle.
Victor squirmed, his cock already hardening again at Jim's careful
ministrations. "Okay, it's a deal. Let's go shopping." He said breathily.
Instead of answering, Jim opened the fly on Victor's jeans and buried his
face in his lovers exposed groin. Reciprocating the great blow job Victor had
given him just a short fifteen minutes ago.
Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Victor grasped the edge to
support himself. All thoughts of clothes and shopping evaporating instantly.
Ellison's restaurant
Later that evening, Jim and Victor were sitting and enjoying a light dinner at
Jim's restaurant, that was simply named, "Ellisons." Both of the men were
laughing about the trip to an exclusive men's shop earlier in the day.
Victor, overwhelmed by all of the attention the tailor was paying him,
finally swatted away the small, elderly French man's hand away from his
genitals and growled, "It's none of your business which way my dick chooses to
'dress'".
Whereupon the man, frustrated with the client's noncooperation looked up at
Jim from his knees and said exasperated, "M'sieur James... please..."
Jim laughed at his lover and took him aside, still smiling he said to him,
"Vic, he has to know these things if your two thousand dollar trousers are
going to fit you properly."
Victor looked over his shoulder and scowled at the tailor and his
effeminate helper, who in Victor's opinion was far too eager to but his hands
all over his balls "I'm an ordinary, everyday kind of guy Jim. Can't we just
grab something off the rack and go?"
Jim rubbed his thumb over Victor's lips and stifling a laugh he said, "I
know you're a meat and potatoes man," he leaned in close and whispered,
"that's why I love you." As he spoke, Jim reached out and gently felt up the
front of Victor, cupping his hand gently over his balls.
Victor eyes opened wide and he looked at Jim questioningly, he had assumed
that Jim was not one for public displays.
Jim grinned mischievously and then he let go and stepped back a pace.
Though he spoke to the tailor, he was looking directly into Victor's wide eyes.
"He dresses left, M'sieur Louis. You have the rest of his measurements
already. Mr. Mansfield will take the dark grey, navy blue and black suits we
looked at earlier. I want all white shirts and any ties Marcel, sees' fit to
match up with the suits. He'll also take that and that," Jim pointed to two
new, non traditional suits, designed by a young, currently hot, male designer
from London. "With the green and teal blue dress shirts for the black suit and
orange and that light green to match the other. Throw in some socks to
match."
"Right away Mr. Ellison," Marcel, the assistant said.
Jim looked over a frowning Victor's shoulder and said to Marcel, "Mr.
Mansfield wears a size eleven shoe, be sure to find something that matches the
wardrobe. Three pairs, and make sure they're comfy." Jim commented to Victor
practically, "Well you can't very well wear your Nikes to the office, can you?"
Victor looked down at his dirty runners.
"Would it be a problem to get everything delivered by Sunday night?" Jim
asked pleasantly, as he handed his platinum credit card to Marcel who started
to protest the short notice.
But Louis stopped him. Jim had just spent over ten thousand dollars in his
store, anything Mr. Ellison wanted he got. " No m'sieur, no problem at all."
He replied in a thick French accent.
Once back in the car, Victor turned to Jim and said what he had wanted to
say in the shop, but held his tongue until they were alone. "I am capable of
picking out my own clothes and actually putting them on you know. I learned to
do it as a small child" His voice was sarcastic.
Jim deflected Victors anger easily by saying, "Listen. I was only trying
to save you another round of Marcel trying feel the 'peaches in your basket'.
I could tell you just wanted to get the hell out of there. If you want though,
we can go back. It's not too late to pick out something else." Jim poured
Victor a vodka and handed it to him.
"All right, all right, you got me. Actually, when it comes to suits, I'm
not sure what I like. It's better you ordered them for me." He sipped his
drink.
"Besides," Jim poured his own drink, "I had to get out of there too.
Marcel was making me jealous with all of his fawning." Jim mimicked Marcel's
high, falsetto voice perfectly and said, "Ooooh, Mr. Mansfield, what big
muscles you have. And such lovely green eyes, we must find a tie to match
them. Mr. Mansfield your ass is perfect and tight." Smiling he took a drink
of his alcohol.
Victor laughed, "He didn't say that last crack about my ass. You did,
while you were trying to molest me in the fitting room." All of his
frustration had dissipated.
Jim laughed with his lover...
Victor took a sip of his wine and looked up, past Jim. Still grinning at
Jim's ability to imitate Louis` assistant so well. His eyes widened in
surprise as he saw a man, who looked very similar to Jim, but with darker hair
and a little bit more of it coming toward their table. He put his glass down
and said, "Jim" Just as the man reached the table.
The look alike man leaned over and kissed Jim's cheek and Jim kissed the
other side of the man's cheek at the same time.
Jim looked up smiling and said, "Hey Jase what's up?"
Jasen Ellison smiled at his brother and flicked his gaze toward Victor and
raised his eyebrows in silent questioning. "What's up with you little brother?
I haven't talked to you in a while."
Jim understanding the signal, said to his brother, "Um, we have to get
together on Monday for a meeting, the rest of the boys should be there too. I
have a few things I need to tell you about what I've been up too this weekend."
He sipped his wine and then said, "I want you to meet Victor Mansfield.
Victor, this is my older brother Jasen." Jim said, making the
introductions.
Victor smiled and reached out his hand and Jasen shook it, "Nice to meet
you Mr. Ellison." He greeted respectfully.
Impressed with Victor's firm grip and the fact the man addressed him as
Mr. Ellison, Jasen said to Victor, "Please, call me Jasen, Victor." He smiled
back.
Victor let go. As he watched the two Ellison men talking, he thought that
for as much as they looked alike, there were also some very marked differences.
Jasen had dark brown hair, whereas Jim's was a dark blonde and his eyes were
large and deep brown, Jim's of course, were a light tropical blue. Jasen,
when he smiled had deep laugh lines ingrained at the corner of his eyes, and
Jim, though 35, had very few lines that had formed. He did not show his age,
in fact, he looked much younger than he was. Victor picked up Jasen's
conversation mid sentence.
"...The kids are spending the weekend and mom and dads, so Sam and I are
out for a little dinner, then off to Marc's new blues club to catch a little
music, do a little dancing." He said cheerfully.
"Where's Sam now?" Jim asked.
"Oh, talking to your chef Thea, about something or other." He looked over
his shoulder and saw his wife approaching. "Here she comes now." As Samantha
Mulder Ellison approached the table, both of the seated men stood. The
beautiful brunette leaned in and kissed her brother in-law on the cheek, but
before she pulled back she whispered softly into his ear, "I certainly hope
he's your date and not a business deal." She grinned cheekily at the rapidly
blushing Jim, which of course revealed her, that the handsome man across the
table was indeed a date.
"You're a terrible tease." Jim said to his sister in-law, though neither
Victor nor Jasen had any idea what Jim was referring too. "Samantha Ellison."
Jim gestured toward Victor, "Victor Mansfield."
Victor reached out and shook Samantha's hand. "Pleasure to meet you Mrs.
Ellison." He said.
"The pleasures all mine, Mr. Mansfield." She gave a sideways glance at
Jim.
Jasen cleared his throat, "Come on Sam, the table's waiting." He put his
large arm around his wife's waist and after the goodbyes were said, they walked
away.
"You know." Jasen admonished his wife as he pulled a chair out for her to
sit in, "You shouldn't tease Jim. Lord knows he never gets out enough as it
is." He looked over his shoulder at his brother, and watched for a few seconds
as Jim looked directly at Victor and spoke only to him. Jasen thought that
Jim was so focused in on his companion, that the two of them were virtually
alone, in a crowded restaurant.
Samantha watched the men for a few seconds too. She could tell just by
Jim's body language that this was not just some ordinary guy he was dining
with. She looked at Jasen and said, "Well, Victor's certainly a good-looking
character. Isn't he?"
Jasen poured his wife a glass of wine. "I suppose so." He agreed
noncommittal. Although he could see that almost every woman in the place
seemed to need to walk by Jim and Victor's table on their way to and from the
ladies room. Even though the restaurant's tables were set up in a circular
dining pattern.
All of the women were sure to smile at Jim on their way to the washroom, and
then smile at Victor on the way back. Jasen commented on this half way through
dinner to Samantha, who only laughed softly.
Holding her husband hand she teased, "I can't wait to tell Dana and LiAnne
about Victor." Sipping her wine, her eyes sparkled with mischief, "Finally a
new man to ogle at the family's dinner table."
"Stop." Jasen said playfully. "All your fawning for him is making me
jealous." Which of course, it wasn't, he lifted his wife's hand and kissed the
back of it. Putting it down gently he said a little more seriously, "At least
Victor isn't some bum living off of Jim like he was a sugar daddy or
something."
Jasen had made it very clear to Jim on a previous occasion just how he
felt about Blair Sandburg. He did not like the young man at all. He felt that
Blair was nothing but an opportunist and a gold digger, living off of Jim's
generosity. He had told Jim all of this, which was why Blair was only an
occasional lover of Jim's. His family opinion meant a lot to Jim, they were
everything to him. So, whenever he was with Blair, he tried to keep a low
profile; which of course Jasen knew whenever they were together anyway.
"Obviously Blair's out of the picture if Jim's out on the town with
Victor." Samantha, said, wisely keeping her ill feelings toward the younger
man to herself. "Well, I think Jims' made the right decision by dating others.
I wonder how he and Victor met?" She mused out loud, trying to change the
topic.
"I don't know, but Jim wants a meeting on Monday, so I guess I can ask
him for you... " He took another sip of his wine.
"Oh, now you stop." Samantha said softly, "I know your dying for 'dish'
too. You're the worst out of your brothers for gossip."
"Maybe so." Jasen said. He looked up just as Jim and Victor approached
their table.
Samantha noticed all of the women whose tables the two men had passed had
turned their heads at the handsome men.
Jim squeezed the back of his brother's neck and then leaned over and
kissed Samantha on the cheek. "Were on our way. See you Monday morning. My
office, right?"
"Okay, ten o'clock good?"
Jim nodded head. "Ten's fine." He stepped back and Victor moved closer.
He reached out and shook Jasen's hand again, "Nice to have met you Jasen."
Then he turned to Samantha and nodded toward the seated lady, "Mrs. Ellison."
He said simply.
Samantha smiled, "Good night Jim, Victor."
As the men walked away Samantha said to her husband, "Ohhh, what a
gentleman Victor is."
Jasen shook his head and poured more wine for the both of them, "I thought
I said to stop that..."
It had been a week since Victor had met Jim's older brother Jasen and his
wife Samantha. He hadn't however, even seen the rest of Jim's large family. He
knew all of the Ellison men had office space together, taking up the entire
tenth floor of a posh downtown high-rise. All of the men worked under the
blanket name of "Ellison holdings."
Jim was there, at his office right now, while Victor was back at Jim's
restaurant working in the small office that could only be reached by passing
through the kitchen. Passing through the first door on the left you came to a
waiting area, and then the office was behind yet another door.
Right now Victor had that door closed, and was very busily pouring over the
inventory books along with the receipts for items received and paid bills.
They did not jibe with what Nathan—the accountant—had in his books.
The phone next to the computer rang shrilly, pulling Victor away from the
numbers. "Mansfield." He said distractedly into the phone. His eyes still
walking over the pages.
"Hey Vic, it's me. How goes the battle?"
Victor smiled and sat up. "Hi Jim. It's never ending, but I think I'm
starting to make sense of some things here. I don't think your going to like
the conclusions that I'm drawing to either." He pinched the bridge of his nose
then rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.
"What's the deal?" Jim asked.
"I'd rather not get into it over the phone, besides I want to talk to a few
people before I start making accusations. I'll fill you in tonight." Victor
was suspicious that Nathan Muckle the accountant and Jim's night manager,
Walter Skinner—who happened to be Blair Sandburg's half brother—were
scamming Jim. Victor also thought that even the head chef, Thea Director, a
truly scary woman in her own right, might even be in on things.
"Fair enough. But do you have a minute to do me a favor?"
"Sure what?" Victor wouldn't mind taking a break from the paperwork.
"Move the gum ball machine in the corner of the room and lift the rug.
There's a floor safe hidden there and I need you to bring some papers over to
the high rise and give them to Jasen. Would you mind? I'd come and get them
myself, but I've got to meet with the architect for the new plans to the new
nightclub and I can't get away."
"No, I don't mind. I could use a break anyway." Victor rubbed at the sore
muscles in the back of his neck and silently wished that Jim were here to
massage away the tension for him.
"Oh, great. Thanks babe. I owe you one. I need you to pull out the
entire red file folder. And take it directly to Jasen's office. I won't be
able to see you until tonight anyway, which reminds me, do you want to stay
over tonight? We'll work out and then have a swim after dinner." Jim
couldn't figure out why Victor stubbornly refused to give up his little
apartment, he insisted on sleeping there, alone, at least twice a week. Jim
suspected that it was an 'independence' issue with Victor; that he was merely
flexing own authority in making decisions for himself. Jim admired Victor for
not giving up total control over to him; as others had done in the past.
"Sure. Sounds good." Victor replied.
"Great. Have Mac drive you over. Here's the combo... "
Mac knocked and entered the office first, "Victor's here with that file
you needed Jasen." He said, holding the door open for Victor.
Jasen smiled, "Mac." He nodded toward Mac who went and stood next to a
seated man against the far wall of Jasen's large office. "Victor, nice to see
you again." He said to his brother's current lover.
Victor greeted Jasen then put his brief case that contained the red file
folder on top of the large desk.
The man who had been seated stood up and went toward Victor with his hand
extended. "Oh, so you're Victor Mansfield... "
Victor turned to look at the slightly taller man and judging by his suit,
he obviously did not work for the family. He did not recognize his face, so
when his eyes caught a glint of steel, in an instant he had grabbed the
outstretched hand, reefed up the man's arm behind his back to almost the
breaking point and had his head pinned sideways to the top of the desk while
shouting 'gun', all in one quick, fluid motion.
Mac couldn't believe how swiftly Victor had moved. He saw now that he had
been worrying over Jim's safety whenever he and Victor were alone together for
nothing. Obviously Victor could take care on Jim and himself.
Victor looked at Jasen, "He's got a piece Mr. Ellison." He said.
Jasen started to laugh. And the pinned man said sarcastically, "Oh yeah
Jasen, yuck it up. Go ahead."
But it was Mac who went up to Victor and laid his hand on the man's taught
arm, "You can let him up Vic. He's friendly."
Suddenly embarrassed beyond belief, he let the man go. Victor looked
inquiring at Mac.
Jasen said to Victor. "Vic, meet Fox Mulder. He's a detective in the
major crimes' unit at the police dept. and my wife's brother."
Victor's cheeks blushed hotly. He was mortified. All he kept thinking
of was how much of an embarrassment he must be to Jim right now.
Victor apologized to Mulder. "I'm sorry man." He said. "I saw your gun
and reacted. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Mac broke in, "No need to apologize Vic. You were just doing you job,
isn't that right Jasen." He had a new found respect for the man he had
previously thought of only as Jim's 'latest squeeze.'
Jasen agreed, still chuckling.
Mulder rubbing his sore arm gave Mac a sour look, then turned to Victor
and said, "That's all right. No hard feelings." He looked at Jasen, "Jesus
Christ Jasen the least you can do is pull out that expensive scotch you've got
hidden in your desk and pour me one. I could use it to kill the pain right
about now." He looked back to Victor and commented, "That's a pretty
impressive display of hand to hand combat there Vic."
Victor mumbled his thanks and quickly occupied himself with retrieving the
file for Jasen, which he handed over just as Mulder was being handed his
scotch.
"Come on Vic. We better go." Mac said.
Victor closed his brief case and turned to Mulder, "Ahh, sorry about
that, really." Then he turned to Jasen and said, "Nice to see you again... "
He was about to say Mr. Ellison, but instead he said simply, "...Jasen."
In the hall once they had left, Mac turned to Victor and said to him, "You
did good in there you know."
While waiting for the elevator, Victor replied, "How? By embarrassing
Jasen and myself in front of his brother in-law? God Mac, if this gets back to
Jim he's... "
Mac interrupted him, "...He will be pleased. And it will get back to
him." The doors opened and the men stepped inside, "You did the right thing
Vic. You saw a gun and put the man down. You didn't know he was a cop." Mac
smiled encouragingly at the man and said, "You changed my opinion about you in
two seconds. I'm not often wrong, but I'm glad I was about you."
Mac clapped Victor on the back. "Come on, I'll buy you beer." Suddenly
feeling like Victor was his equal now.
Mac was a true believer that actions speak louder than words. Victor's
instinctual conduct to protect Jasen Ellison made him an okay guy in Mac's
book. And Victor, had no idea how special he was to have even received an
invitation for a beer. Many men worked under Mac, all of them soldiers,
therefore he did not mix with them. But Victor's behavior in Jasen's office
had just moved him up the ranks. Just because he was with Jim, did not
automatically make him an okay guy, in Mac's rigid opinion.
"That sounds good. I could use a beer right about now. Besides I want
to talk to you about some of Jim's people at the restaurant. Get your opinion
on some things." Victor said.
"Great. A beer and some conversation it is." And thus, a new friendship
had struck up. As they exited the building Mac said to Victor, "You'll have to
show me that take down move. It looked good."
"Yeah?" Victor replied. Glad that Mac wasn't going to hold the
embarrassing incident over him.
Three days after the 'Mulder incident' as Jim had fondly called it, Victor
called Nathan Muckle, Thea Director and Walter Skinner into his small office
at the restaurant. Already in the room with him were Mac, and Lyle Dobrinski,
Jim's right-hand man. All three restaurant employees stood in front of the
desk waiting for whatever it was Victor wanted to tell them.
Victor, who could be ruthless when wanted too, did not offer the trio a
seat, instead he started right in on what he had to say. "It took me a few
days of searching, but I found it." He looked directly at the three but they
said nothing, they only stared blankly back at Victor. "I know all about your
little scam. How you say that your buying a greater quantity of goods than what
you really receive. Nathan pays the bogus bill and the three of you skim the
excess off of the top. Well the buck stops here." Victor frowned at the
group, who in return were scowling right back at him. "You're all fired. You
will leave the premises immediately, and if you ever show your faces to any
member of the Ellison family or crew... well" Victor warned, "I don't think I
need to say what will happen do I?"
Walter Skinner made a grab for Victor, "Why you fucking little cock
sucker... " He growled out. But before he could finish his sentence, Victor
had already pulled his gun and stopped Skinner midway, as he had tried to crawl
over the top his desk to get at him.
Victor's luger was touching the centre of Skinner's slightly sweaty
forehead, "Go ahead Skinner." He said menacingly, "I dare you to finish that
sentence... " He voice was low and barely calm.
Nathan looked around, and saw that both Dobrinski and Mac had their guns
trained on Walter. Thea Director however, hadn't moved a muscle.
She looked over her shoulder and spit out angrily at Mac. "He can't' just
fire us like that. He has no authority."
Victor made Skinner get off of his desk by pushing the end of his gun into
the man's head harder, forcing him to back away.
Mac replied. "MR. Mansfield has all the authority he needs. And the proof
that the three of you were ripping of Mr. Ellison." Nathan broke into a sweat
and mumbled 'shit' a few times.
Thea yelled at him to "shut up!"
"Now, " Victor warned, "the three of you had better get the fuck out of my
sight right now, before I change my mind and shoot you anyway."
One month later
Jim straightened Victor's tie before entering his family home, or as the town
people called it the 'Ellison Mansion.' "Jesus Christ Jim, I'm nervous."
Victor complained.
"Don't worry Vic. They're going to love you. You already know Jasen and
Samantha. Now all you've only got to meet Justin, Dana, Marc and LiAnne and my
mom and dad. No big deal."
"Yeah, no big deal." Victor muttered.
Jim planted a quick kiss on Victor's forehead, "Besides, Mac and Mulder
will be here, you know him." Jim couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh yeah Ellison, really funny! Poor guy, he probably still thinks I'm
psycho or something."
"Would you relax. Mulder has a good nature. He's already forgiven you.
Why don't you do the same for yourself?" Jim done with straightening up
Victor, grabbed his hand and said, "Come on, were already a half hour late."
Then he opened the door and pulled the hesitant man in behind himself.
Victor was more than a little surprised when Jim held his hand the whole
time that he had led him around the room making the introductions. But he knew
that here, in Jim's family home, the two of them could be comfortable. No
body, including the children seemed concerned about the men's affection for
each other.
Justin,—Jasen's twin—and his wife Dana, greeted Victor warmly. Of
course, Samantha had already told Dana all about the 'gorgeous' new guy that
Jim had out for dinner. And Jasen had passed on the amusing incident of the
month before involving Mulder and Victor.
However, he did not tell the story in order to embarrass Victor but as to
best explain his character.
Jim's other brother Marc, received Victor with a reserved, almost chilly
handshake. Where his wife LiAnne, undressed him with her eyes and flirted
outrageously.
But Victor simply deflected her bold almost invasive comments with
self-deprecating remarks about himself. Her behavior toward Victor did nothing
to improve Marc's low opinion of him.
Both of Jim's parents were very friendly toward him, but still somewhat
formal too. Mulder walked up to Victor, and clapping the man on the back said,
"Come on tough guy, I'll buy you a drink." Then he led him over to the bar,
where Victor was relieved to find out that Mulder did not in fact, hold a
grudge against him. He took the offered vodka and drank down half of it in one
gulp.
Mulder stared at him for second then smiled and swept his arm toward the
rest of the people dispersed around the room, "Don't worry Vic. They're a
little intimidating at first. But they will lighten up once they get to know
you."
Victor finished his drink and looked around "God I hope you're right.
This is the scariest crowd I've ever been in." He said as his eyes rested on
Marc, who was busy scowling at him from across the room.
Laughing, Mulder took his glass and refilled it for him. Mac and Jackie
walked in shortly after and then everyone sat down to dinner.
Finally, after what seemed like and eternity, the dinner was over with.
Victor had gotten stuck sitting between Jackie and LiAnne. While both women
were pleasant enough, Victor grew tired of having to push LiAnne's roving hand
off of his thigh and he started to develop a headache from Jackie's very valley
girl dialect. Strange, considering she was born and raised in Cascade.
Every so often he would look up from his plate, where he would see Jim
grinning at him, obviously aware of his discomfort and then he would glance
toward Marc, who was glaring at him for reasons known only to him.
In the sitting room, the women poured themselves some after dinner
liqueurs and then they all left to go to discuss the upcoming charity
fund-raiser in Molly's private sitting room.
The men's discussion turned to current business matters which meant that
Victor was somewhat left out of the conversation. He turned to Mulder and said
quietly, "Where's the washroom?" Mulder gave him directions and as he left he
closed the study door behind himself.
Once done, he left the bathroom and was surprised to see LiAnne standing in
the dim hall way. Victor thought it was strange for her to be waiting for this
particular bathroom, considering there must have been one closer to where the
women were discussing their own business.
"Mrs. Ellison." He said cordially as he tried to squeeze past her.
"Please, Victor. Call me LiAnne." She said, putting out and arm and
impeding him from going by her.
Victor smiled at her and when he tried to walk by again, she launched her
self at him and ended up pinning him against the wall. Before he could even
react, she had attached her mouth to his and began kissing him, suctioning the
insides of his mouth like she was a vacuum cleaner.
Victor grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from himself
and said, "You're a married woman. Mrs. Ellison." He deliberately did not use
her first name.
"I don't mind. God, you are soooo gorgeous." She gushed as she attempted
to kiss him again.
"Well I mind." He said more firmly as he gave LiAnne a light push away
from his body.
"Come on Victor, who's going to know? Everyone is too busy discussing
business anyway." She reached out and brazenly cupped Victor's groin.
Victor swatted away her offending touch but before he could tell her to back
off, Mulder said, "I'll know LiAnne. I believe Victor told you no. Now be a
good girl and run along." The two of them swung their heads around to look at
him at the same time.
Before LiAnne walked away, she said to Victor, "I was just teasing you
know." Then she turned and glared at Mulder. "Ass hole." Was all she said to
him, before turning her back on the men and storming away.
"Geez, thanks Mulder. Good thing you came along, or I might have lost my
virtue." Victor joked.
Mulder smiled, "Well I know LiAnne. She tried the same thing on me and
Mac. I thought it was taking you a little longer than it should to pee. Come
on, I'll freshen your drink."
As they approached the study, Victor could hear shouting and arguing. In
fact, he could clearly hear Marc saying, "Listen Jim, Victor's not as clean as
you think he is... " The sitting room door suddenly slammed shut.
Victor turned away from the loud voices and said, "Sounds like I'm pretty
unwelcome around here."
Mulder mixed himself a martini. "Not unwelcome. It's just that nobody
really knows you yet. The family is very protective of Jim."
Victor accepted the drink being offered to him. As he took a sip, it
dawned on him that this was the second time Mulder had given him a vodka. Yet
he never asked what he had wanted. "How did you know I drank vodka?" He
asked.
Mulder shrugged his shoulders and explained, "Marc hired me to check you
out when he heard about you and Jim. Like I told you, they're very protective
of Jim. Especially Marc"
There was some more shouting and both Victor and Mulder clearly heard Marc
say, "He's trash Jim! You know it and I know it. He's nothing but a gold
digger like that little shit Sandburg. I don't like him!"
The biting remark made Victor wince. But he tried to shake it off by
shrugging his shoulders and saying to Mulder dryly, "So that's where he heard
about me being 'trash'." He wasn't' angry with Mulder, after all the man was
just doing his job. He was doubly glad now that he had already told Jim all of
that and then some. Jim knew every ugly detail that there was to know about
his life.
Mulder grinned over the rim of his martini glass, unapologetic. "I didn't
quite say it like that. I believe I used the words 'economically challenged."
Victor had to laugh at that. If he was one thing, it was poor, and had been
his whole life.
The men couldn't hear when Jasen tried to defend Victor's character to
Marc, but they did hear when Marc said loudly, but not quite shouting now,
"Don't you think it's a little fishy that out of nowhere, a guy, who was born
and raised in the underbelly of Cascade comes along to save you from a hit by
Martino. Pretty convenient if you ask me. I'm telling you, he's after your
money Jim. That's what he wants."
Jim, more angry than he had ever been at his usually adoring older brother
said insultingly, "Oh. So you think Victor's trash and a gold digger. Not
unlike LiAnne eh!"
Victor looked at Mulder and said softly, "Oh shit. What did I do to piss
Marc off? I don't' get it."
Mulder shook his head, "You didn't do anything wrong Vic. Marc's just
jealous, that's all. He's not used to sharing Jim with anyone else, including
a boyfriend. Jim always used to go to him for things, now, he goes to you."
Marc roared in anger at the slur and yelled, "You little bastard! Take
that back!"
There was a loud crash then and both Victor and Mulder listened as all of the
men in the room began yelling at each other. They heard scuffling and more
shouting, until finally the senior Ellison said in a loud voice, "God dammit
will you two cut it out. I won't have my sons fighting over a stranger."
Finally, Jim said angrily to his brother, "I'm sorry for insulting LiAnne
Marc. That was wrong of me. But if you can't accept Victor, then you can't
accept me. It's that easy."
It was at that point that Mac was finally able to get out the room. He
beat a hasty exit and shut the door firmly behind himself. His eyes rested on
Victor, and he could tell by the expression on his face that his friend had
heard everything. "Ahh Victor listen... It's not your fault... " He tried
explaining things to the wide-eyed man standing next to Mulder at the bar.
But Victor, appalled to be the cause of strife between Jim and his family,
shook his head sadly and pulling out his cell phone he dialed a cab. He did
not turn around when Mac tried to call him back, instead he went to the front
door and pulling it open he stepped out into the cool air, leaving the warmth
of the mansion behind him.
Mulder and Mac looked at each other, but neither one of them followed the
dejected man outside. Instead Mac poked his head just inside the sitting room
- that had since grown quiet—and said "Jim. I need to speak with you."
Jim took a deep breath and stood up from a large wing chair, glad to be away
from his brothers. He stepped out into the hall, and met with Mac, who was
more than just an employee, he was also Jim's close friend and confidante'.
"Jim, Victor's called a cab. He's leaving." He said plainly.
"Oh shit." Came the reply, then Jim rushed down the hall to the front
door. He pulled the large door open, and was relieved to find Victor still
standing outside waiting for his taxi. "Oh, thank god your still here." He
said to Victor's back.
Victor turned around, his eyes full of sadness. "Listen Jim." He said "I
heard everything. The whole argument."
"Victor. I'm sorry you had to hear all that bull shit." Jim tried to pull
Victor into a hug, but Victor gently pushed Jim's arms away.
"No. I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't mean to be the cause of a family
fight."
"Listen, " Jim said, "Don't let them bother you."
"But it does bother me Jim." Victor interrupted. "It isn't fair to you.
They're your family. I'm nothing."
"Don't say that Vic. You're everything to me." Jim did not like the
direction the conversation was taking.
Victor spoke on, not acknowledging Jim's words. "It's true though. Guys
like me Jim, were a dime a dozen... disposable. But your family?" He ran his
fingers through his hair, "They're like... for ever. Listen to me Jim!"
Victor said hotly when Jim tried to interrupt him. He had tears in his eyes
now, but he kept on talking, saying what had to be said. "I know you won't
leave me. That's why I have to break it off with you... "
"No!" Jim interjected, "I love you. You're who I want. Please... "
A single fat tear broke away and rolled down Victor's cheek. He knuckled it
away, embarrassed that he was crying in front of his lover. "But at what cost
Jim? Exile from your family? To have to stay away from the very people who
love you the most? Can you do that?" Another tear spilled over the rim of
Victor's eye, but this time he ignored as it slowly ran down his cheek, "Do you
know the kind of stamina it takes to cut your family off? Well I do. Trust me
Jim, you don't have the juice for it."
He looked away for a second, then brought his eyes back to meet Jim's. "How
long do you think you can go without seeing your brothers? You're all so
close. I can't be the reason you cut them out of your life... " More tears
rolled down his cheeks but Victor paid them no attention. He said huskily, "I
won't be."
Victor wiped at his nostrils with the back of his hand. "God help me Jim,
I don't want to do this. I don't want to leave you. But I have too." The cab
rolled up the drive way and both men looked at it. Victor waved at the driver,
showing that he would just be another minute more. Turning back to Jim he
held either side of his head and kissed him softly on the mouth. He pulled
back and still holding onto Jim he said, "I love you too. That's why I'm
going. I won't make you choose between me and your family." Victor rested his
forehead against Jim's for a second. Then he released him and whispered
softly, "Good bye." He turned around and walked to the waiting cab.
Victor got into the vehicle and as the cab pulled away, not once did his eyes
leave Jim's form.
The door opened behind Jim and Jasen stepped outside, joining his younger
brother on the porch. Standing right beside him, he asked, "Everything okay?"
With tears in his eyes' Jim answered as evenly as he could, "No. No, it's
not."
"What happened? Where's Victor?" He asked as he put a hand out and turned
Jim so he could see his face.
Jim looked into his brother's eyes and said softly, "He left me."
Shocked Jasen asked, "What? He did what?"
"Victor left me because he wouldn't make me choose between him and the
family." Jim turned away from his brother and looking out into the distance,
his voice broke as he said, "That's how much he loves me."
Jasen reached out and pulled Jim close to him. He held his little brother
tightly, trying to hug away the hurt. "I'm sorry Jimmy." He said. "I know
how much you liked him."
Jim squeezed his brother, then pulled back away from Jasen's grasp. He
hastily wiped away his tears. "I loved him Jase." He said quietly.
"I know you did little bro."
"Jase?" Jim said.
"Yes."
"I just let the best thing that ever happened to me walk away." Jim shook
his head sadly and pulling out his keys, walked to his car.
Past and Present Collide
And you stand there, say your not happy
As if no one cares
But I do
I want you to make it through
Yes I do
Come with me and we'll make it through
Has something to do with the will to survive
But survival for what, is a brand new question
All good causes stand in front to see
That no action leads to apathy
Gotta pick one good reason for those who suffer.
'IN YOUR IMAGE' 54-40
August 17 1997
lair Sandburg entered the trendy night club and wiped the palms of his
hands down the sides of his blue jeans. He was way more unsettled than he
thought he would be, because, on top of the nerves, his body was just beginning
to experience the first, mild pangs of a craving. His thin frame was beginning
to grow hungry for a fix of heroin.
