by T L Dasha
“Trevor,” my father’s voice filled the receiver, “you will meet me for dinner tonight. We have a lot to discuss.”
“Do we though?” This was the last person who I wanted to hear from at the moment.
“I’m not playing games right now. 5:00. I’ll meet you at Sebastian’s Steakhouse. You will be there. On time.” Clearly his anger hadn’t subsided from earlier. Whatever. I didn’t have the energy to argue right now.
“I’ll be there.” I ended the call. I already knew exactly where this was going to go. But who knows-- maybe the stubborn old man would surprise me for once in his miserable life.
#
“Is this seat taken?” I sat across from my father in a red vinyl chair. Sebastian’s Steakhouse was typically pretentious. Lights were dim, candles flickered over the black table cloths on every station, the carpets were crimson, and everything else was colored with finished mahogany. Black, red, and brown-- like death. Fitting.
“You’re early. I expected you to defy me before this even started.” He seemed in good spirits despite his words. “I haven’t even ordered the wine yet.”
“Good, because I’ll definitely take whiskey.” I signaled to the waiter, who scurried off to grab my drink. I leaned back in my chair, creating any inch of distance between us that I could. “So what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I think you know what this is about.” The gravity of his voice was strong and dark.
“You know you’re going to need a better line than that if you want me to implicate myself in my own wrong doings.” I grinned. He chuckled in response. I know how to disarm my father.
“I used a similar line on your mother once.”
“Low blow!” I tossed my hands up as I shook my head. “Are you here to try to traumatize me further, or do you actually have something to say?” The waiter arrived with my drink. I downed it like a shot and sent him away for another one.
“What did you mean that you’re gay?” Dad got right to the point.
“It means exactly what it sounds like. I prefer men. Do you need a more detailed play by play on how that works?”
He closed his eyes for a moment longer than a standard blink.
“Were you planning on telling me?”
“I did tell you.” I shrugged. “I told you exactly at the point that you needed to know. Not a moment sooner. You probably used that line on my mother once, too.”
His expression softened. Easy.
“I set up Aaron tonight. He’ll be out with the Dresden girl. But I made no arrangements for you. Do you know why that is?”
Here we go. I didn’t respond.
“Because I’m going to hand the entire company over to him. He’s earned it. He works hard, he does as is expected of him, and he--“
“Is your perfect puppet. I gathered that, yes. You don’t need to explain.” I rolled my eyes. “So what does that mean exactly? I’m cut off? Are you going to take my birthday away from me?”
He shook his head, more irritated now. The only thing that kept him calm was the waiter arriving with a bottle of wine. He put on a good front as the server explained its vintage and allowed him a sample. I can only imagine how awkward it must be to have to approach a table that’s in the middle of a serious discussion. I tapped my glass to request another drink before the waiter departed.
“Is this a joke to you?” He took a sip as he turned his attention back to me.
“No, but I’m not going to be that easily manipulated either. You’ve taught me at least that much.”
His expression grew darker, but I wasn’t done talking.
“What am I supposed to do to make amends here? See if the church can ‘fix’ me? Live my whole life as a lie. I guess that is kind of the Craig way.” My eyes narrowed, and I emptied another glass of whiskey. “Here’s the thing, Dad.” I enunciated carefully. “You’re lucky you even have me here to be your heir. It would take a single conversation with Aaron, and you’ll have lost both of us.”
My father almost choked on his wine. I know he understood exactly what I was implying.
“He wouldn’t believe you.”
Comedy. The denial in his voice was almost pathetic.
“My word against yours? Do you really want to take that bet?”
He sat up straight and fixed his tie, averting his eyes in the process. I continued.
“If this legacy is so important to you, you’re going to have to accept that we might run things a little differently.”
“What do you mean?” He was rattled. Not completely, but enough that I knew I had the upper hand.
“For one, I’m not going to spend the rest of my life with… anyone, actually. Not if I don’t want to. You’ve already showed me all the pitfalls of marriage, and I would be a fool to not learn from my elders. I don’t see how that could be any more destructive than the usual tabloid headlines.” I could hear my irritation rising with every word, but I knew I couldn’t back down now. “Do you really think the scandal with mom and Aunt Lilly was helpful to our ‘family image?’ Because it wasn’t.”
“Do you think the rumors will be any less scandalous just because you’re avoiding marriage? Don’t be naïve.” He cocked his head back so he could look down at me.
That’s a weak argument. I ignored the comment.
“I’m not going to bring a child into this world just for the sake of politics either. Maybe I’ll adopt one day, if I’m feeling like I missed my calling as a father, but I doubt it. I’m not fathering material.”
“I wasn’t either, before I had you.” He looked at me with that ‘you‘ll change your mind one day!’ look that I’ve seen more times than I can count.
“I might debate that you still aren’t.” I smirked, inadvertently lightening the mood again.
“Fair enough.” Dad took another sip of his wine, and exhaled softly. “But there’s a reason I still had you. And Aaron. Children are an essential part of a healthy image, and they’re essential to continue a family line. That is NOT negotiable.”
I let out a long, dejected sigh. He was hearing me, but he clearly wasn’t listening to me. Fuck it. I’m done with this.
“How about we make a deal?” I fought the urge to give away any more of my emotion through my voice. “I’ll spend the rest of this week being the model son. I’ll make some contacts, I’ll charm some investors, and I won’t say a word to Aaron about your illicit affairs.” I brought the conversation back to a place where I was in a position of power.
“And in exchange?” His expression was clearly skeptical, just waiting for me to tell him what the catch was.
“That is the exchange. I’ll leave my half of the company to Aaron without argument, leverage the contacts I make toward my other investments, and pave my own way from here on out. No mess, no shame on our family name, and everyone goes home happy.” I accepted another glass of whiskey from the waiter, and swirled it around in the glass a couple times, while keeping my eyes trained on my father’s. He looked furious. It was strangely satisfying. “What do you think about that?”
He shook his head, not accepting any of it. And here I thought I was being reasonable. He started to raise his voice.
“You would walk away from a multi-billion dollar empire for--“
“My pride?” I interrupted, robbing him of whatever insult he had meant to finish that sentence with. I stood up, downed my glass, and straightened my tie. “I’d walk away from this bullshit for even less than that.”
“Do what you want.” A scowl was all that was left of his expression, as I set my glass back down on the table. I didn’t think I would ever hear those four words come out of the mouth of the great Alan Craig.
“Have a good night, father. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I gave him a pat on the shoulder as I walked by, then left the restaurant without looking back. Was I upset about how the night played out? I laughed to myself.
No, not really. It was overdue. I wasn’t worried about my future. What did I have to lose? This? I
motioned with my hands, symbolically encompassing the stress, the meetings, all of it, just as Jake had done for me earlier. My lips curved upward just picturing him. I bet he would have done the same.
#
I slept better than I had in a good while that night. So much so, that I was up bright and early, feeling rested and shockingly excited about facing the day. I even made my own coffee in the hotel coffee maker. The things you can accomplish on your own when you put your mind to it, I snickered.
I hopped in the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. Now seemed like as good a time as any to start picking on Aaron. Or maybe Jake. I still have a whole mystery to solve there that was far more interesting than the asinine musings of my father. I was mid-sip on my coffee, when the elevator chimed on the ground floor. The doors slid open, and the first image to come into my view was my sweet little desk clerk… Fainting?!
In a motion so swift I surprised even myself, I darted underneath him and caught him with a single arm. But as he started to slip out of my grasp, I jerked my other hand to help stabilize him, only to discover that it was still holding my coffee. Or rather, it was holding a cup that used to have coffee in it, as the warm liquid found its way all over Jake’s shirt.
Awkward. Goddammit.
I tossed the cup to the ground and hoisted him into my arms. His face was pale and he was completely unconscious. That’s probably not good. I looked up at a bellhop who was watching, stunned, as the scene unfolded.
“You. I need a nurse and a phone number for his stand in.” He had a frantic nod, as he ran behind the counter and handed me a list of numbers.
“I’ll get the nurse right away, sir!”
“Great, you can send her to the twenty-ninth floor. I’ll be in my room.” I started to turn, then paused, addressing the bellhop again. I used my head to motion toward the coffee spill in the middle of the marble floor. “And clean this up, will you.”
“Of course, sir!” The bellhop had the mannerisms of a nervous soldier. I kind of enjoyed telling him to do things. I dialed a woman named Sidney on the way back to the elevator, and she seemed excited to pick up an extra shift. That should about cover all the bases.
It was a quiet ride up to my room. His face was resting so peacefully against my chest, breathing in and out in slow and steady motion. I was missing his usual sharp tongue, but this wasn’t so bad, either. The doors slid open, and I laid him on my bed, tucking an extra pillow under his head. My coat had been covered in my own spilled coffee from carrying him, so I started stripping down. It soaked through my shirt, my tie, my undershirt. Ugh.
“Oh my.” The nurse walked in when I was down to skin, wearing nothing but black slacks and a black leather belt. I flexed nonchalantly to give her a bit of a show. It was only fair. “M-Mr. Craig, I was told you needed an examination, and I came right away.”
“You’re in the right place.” I gave her my winning smile. Her face hit a new shade of red when I motioned to my bed. This never gets old. Even if I was about to break her heart a little. I stepped aside, bringing Jake into full view. “Do you think you could make sure he’s okay, for me?”
“I’ll get right on it, sir.” Her expression sank, but her professionalism stayed intact. She approached the bed with a case of tools, and started to undress Jake. She made it about three buttons down his shirt before I realized what was happening.
“Ah, I’ll step out.” Blood rushed to my cheeks as I side stepped into another room. Don’t make it weird, Trevor.
After a few moments, she came to me, and scrawled some notes on a piece of paper.
“He’ll be fine. He just needs to eat and get some rest.” She said, void of emotion. “Is there anything else, sir?”
“No, that’ll be all.”
The nurse headed out and I returned to the room. Jake’s stained clothing was folded neatly on the dresser next to mine…
Fuck. He’s still naked, isn’t he.
I glanced over at the bed. His bare shoulders stuck out from under the blanket. The nurse definitely did this to me on purpose. Aaron can’t blame me for having his naked lover in my bed this time.
I fumbled through my luggage for a spare dress shirt and underwear, setting aside the bag of chords, duct tape, and other toys. Maybe we could still use those later…
Focus.
I pulled the covers from him without looking, trying to remain a gentleman. Or something that resembled a gentleman anyway. I located a wrist, and slipped it into a sleeve.
Then the hotel phone started ringing. It must have been loud enough to wake the dead. I dropped his half clothed arm, and tried to muffle the receiver. I could guess what this was about, and I’d rather not deal with Dad right this moment. It would be easier to just let him think I wasn’t in.
I returned to the bed to see him sprawled out, my shirt scarcely covering his bare body. I don’t know why this made my heart beat so much faster. I’ve seen plenty of naked men in my thirty one years of life. More than my share, really. But seeing Jake lying there so vulnerable was… different.
I shook it off, and looked away as I lifted him up, and finished pulling the dress shirt onto his body. It would be by a small miracle if those buttons all made it in the right slot. As I slid the last button into place, another phone started ringing.
“Jesus fucking Christ, people. He’s trying to sleep.” I snapped, probably even louder than the ringer. Not helping. I grabbed the phone from his coat pocket, and glanced at the screen.
The name Aaron Craig lit up, with a picture of him looking strangely pleasant. Not a style that suited Aaron at all. He almost looks like he has human emotions here.
Thank you, but no thank you. I declined the call and turned off his phone. That was the last person who I wanted to be thinking about right now. I’m sure he was worried about him, and I’m sure he just wanted to make sure he was okay, but chances are likely, he was the cause of his stress more than he was a cure. He can wait. I’ll fill him in later.
I returned to the bed and pulled the cover back over him. My smile half-cocked to the side. I swear I had planned to attend more of those meetings. But I guess that’s not where my priorities were. It’s not really where they ever were. It made sense that he would give everything to Aaron. Hell, I would too if my son valued spending time with some guy he just met over multi-million dollar clients. That’s just business.
Though, somehow I felt a lot tougher last night than I do right now. I called for room service, pulled on a dark red dress shirt, sent down our coffee covered clothing for cleaning, then dragged over a chair from the hotel room desk to settle in by his bedside.
It’s not like he needed me there. I could easily go about my day. But I didn’t want to leave. Was I just running from my problems? Was he my excuse? I leaned back and rested a hand behind my neck, watching his restful expression lying on the pillow and the gentle rise and fall of his breathing…
No, this was about something else. I needed to know the story here.
#
“Trevor? Where have you been?! Where is Conner?!”
I held the phone away from my ear, trying to mitigate the volume of Aaron’s voice as he yelled into the receiver. Jake had woken up and was on his way, so it seemed like as good a time as any to tell my brother what’s up. Clearly he wasn’t very grateful for my great kindness.
“Chill, Aaron. Everything’s fine. He passed out from stress. I caught him, took him to my room, and nursed him back to health like he’s a baby bird.”
“Is that some kind of euphemism?” Aaron sounded so angry as he told that joke. I mean, there’s no way he asked me that seriously.
“Would it make you uncomfortable if it was? What are you imagining there, baby brother?”
He faltered for just a moment, as if taken aback. How can he expect me to stop messing with him when he makes it this easy?
“Is this a joke to you?”
Fuck, I swear. He and dad are the same fucking person.
“Calm d
own, take a deep breath. Let me reiterate-- Everything is fine. Jake is fine. I literally just gave him a bed and some food and sent him home. Nothing is fucked here. Well… actually, speaking of things being fucked… I think we need to talk about the Jasmine’s account.”
And silence on the other end. One second, two seconds, three seconds…
“We can talk after the last meeting of the day.”
There it is.
“I’ll see you then.” I smiled as I hung up the phone. This should be interesting.
#
I attended the last meeting of the day, figuring I should do at least marginal damage control in light of everything. After some talk about ‘expanding to the North,’ father pulled me aside, before I had a chance to make my way over to Aaron.
“Trevor! I thought you might have flown home to pack your things after our talk yesterday.” His voice was animated. Weirdly happy.
“I said I’ll stick around ‘til the end of the week, and I’m not one to go back on my word. I can at least be on my best behavior until after the banquet.” I watched Maria Dresden approach Aaron from the corner of my eye. It looked cordial. I guess I can give them a minute. “I actually feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. This might be the best tough love you ever gave me.” I chuckled, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
“Glad to hear it.” He nodded. “If you’d like to reopen the discussion more civilly, I was speaking to Frank Miller today--“
“No, I think I’m good on that.” I interrupted with a smile. “Look, dad, no hard feelings-- we can keep in touch-- but I think we both know I don’t do well dancing to the beat of someone else’s drum. Hell, you remember when you signed us up for ballroom lessons!”
“That I certainly do.” Dad let a grin slip, probably recalling the time I snuck into a pair of pajamas at my first recital.
“Anyway, if your mind hasn’t changed, mine hasn’t either. And we’ll keep it at that.”
“You’ll regret this when you see how tough it is to make it out there on your own.” The softness in his demeanor had fallen away. He closed his eyes and shook his head.
