by John Charles
Just as she finished talking, several people pushed into the room. Reporters with cameras and phones out to record the conversation stood waiting for the explosion to happen. "Dentren!" shouted the mayor. "What the fuck are you trying to do?" When he realized he was shouting, he attempted to straighten his already crisp suit. "I'd like to speak with Forrest, please" he said in a more normal tone of voice.
Before he could move around Eyanna, Forrest appeared. "Good morning mayor. Wow, press this early on a Monday, did something happen over the weekend?"
"You know damn well what happened, Forrest." The mayor's voice was lower but the anger flowed through his words. "You can't do it."
"Oh but I can, and I did." Forrest turned to face his very quiet staff. "As you all know, the mayor has thrown out the city council's decision for the design award contest. In his infinite wisdom he has asked for a new vote, a vote by the people." His staff nodded and waited for his next words. "But as you know, Phila-Designs won that contest." Again, everyone nodded, including the reporters who were huddled around Forrest with their phones and other recording devices. One cameraman had eased his way into the bullpen and was filming Forrest.
"How would we feel if the decision was in our favor and the mayor decided to throw out the vote?"
People commented that they wouldn't like what happened. The cameraman turned to face his staff as they spoke. One long-term employee said, "I would be upset and frankly I think I'd sue the mayor for breach of contract if I owned the firm." The mayor openly cringed at her words, but said nothing.
"Well I'm not like that, so in fairness to Phila-Designs, I have withdrawn our entry from contention." A rush of reporters' questions flooded both Forrest and the mayor. Holding his hand up for quiet, Forrest continued. "Phila-Designs won the award and they deserve the bragging rights. The mayor can call for a new vote, but we won't be in the contest."
He looked around the room, hoping he wouldn't see any discontent. What he saw gave his heart a welcomed feeling of warmth. His staff, including the interns who had only worked with him for a few weeks, was nodding. Many were openly agreeing with his decision. Others were just smiling.
Forrest turned to face the mayor. "Sir, with all due respect, you should have left it alone. The people of Monroe didn't agree with you and they had that right, but you didn't have the right to go back on the city council's decision. Phila-Designs won the contest and I think you should honor that."
The mayor didn't agree. "The people have spoken and they want your entry to win. You have no right to withdraw it. It's you who are wrong."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, sir. Now if you don't mind, we have work to do."
Eyanna took that as her cue. She ushered the mayor to the door. Several reporters stayed behind. The cameraman and two reporters followed Forrest to his office. "What happens now?" asked one well-dressed reporter, her phone out to record his answer.
"That's up to the mayor. Dentren Designs is no longer contending for the award. And frankly, as much as it hurt us to lose, Phila-Designs won. It's out of my hands." Eyanna ushered the remaining reporters and cameraman from the office.
It was barely noon, when Forrest sat at his desk. He was exhausted. "I never realized how much stress could drain the life from you," he said as Eyanna brought him a fresh coffee. "Are you okay with this?"
"Very. I hope people of Monroe agree and I hope the mayor decides to cancel the re-vote."
She left Forrest with his coffee and his thoughts.
Chapter 18
Small town politics can be brutal. Forrest's impromptu press conference brought out the vultures. Headlines in the local newspapers called for the mayor's resignation. Others wanted Forrest to reconsider his withdrawal from the contest. More than one wanted him to run for mayor. Yet others agreed with his decision.
Three weeks had passed since the Monday meet and greet. The mayor did not resign, but did reaffirm Phila-Designs' win of the contest. He further complimented Forrest for his tenacity and his decision to withdraw his entry from contention. Dentren Designs was now firmly planted on the map.
The one constant was the workflow. New clients were approaching Dentren Designs, previous clients had new projects, and the projects they already had grew in scope. The staff was outgrowing the offices. "If you can't move, what other options do you have?" questioned Lance as they relaxed after another round of hot sex. Lance and Forrest had spent every possible minute together since their talk. They sexted frequently, met for lunch or dinner when they could, and practically lived at each other's apartments every weekend.
"I approached my landlord and asked about taking over the offices adjacent to ours. The company that occupies them now is planning to move." He ran his fingers along Lance's muscular back bringing chills to the naked man. When Lance moaned, he cupped his ass and pulled him tight. "I don't think I can get it up again, so stop moaning like you're in heat." Forrest slapped Lance's ass.
Lance lifted his head and looked into Forrest's eyes. "If you can't get it up again, then stop teasing my ass." They continued their sexy banter for a few minutes and then took a shower together. Forrest did get it up again and Lance's ass was no longer being teased, it was fully satisfied.
Forrest began leaving work at 4 on Fridays, met Lance for dinner, and then went to one of their apartments. When Lance had to work an estate sale, Forrest spent the time doing what he loved - studying ancient architecture. Saturday nights were spent dancing and enjoying friends. Lance learned to enjoy Rachell's dry humor, met her boyfriend, and developed a wonderful friendship with both of them. Dale met someone and started seriously dating him.
What surprised Lance the most was his understanding of Forrest's public image. Forrest had a natural personality that people enjoyed. He smiled from inside, he spoke with affection and care, he didn’t' try to win their hearts, it was a given. And it was a given that he won Lance's heart, too.
Most Sundays were spent in bed. They clearly couldn't get enough of each other. By Sunday night, they were usually exhausted. Though Forrest didn't ask Lance to move in, more and more of his possessions found their way to Forrest's condo. They had managed to intertwine their lives without trying.
"Do you love him?" The question came from nowhere. Rachell saw the look of fear in her best friend's face. "Sorry, it's just that you have changed so much and I have to think it's because of Lance."
Forrest put his sandwich down, looked at his best friend for several long minutes. "I can't say its love yet, but I can say I couldn't live without him now. We have become something I never imagined having in my life. Does that answer your question?" It did.
The renovations necessary to expand into the adjacent office space were daunting. Forrest offered the contractor a bonus if he could work overtime and on weekends to minimize the impact on his staff, but even with those concessions, the noise, mess, and aggravation nearly brought his staff to tears.
The expansion was to be completed in sixty days with two phases. First, Forrest wanted the new space finished before the wall separating the two offices would be removed. Then the old space would be reconfigured to accommodate several additional designers and architects. As with most projects, the rule of threes prevailed. As builts, from the previous tenant, were not correct. The town required additional inspections, and the contractor had a family emergency midway through the project. The expansion project took almost twice as long to complete.
When it was finished, Dentren Designs held a gala grand opening of their new facilities. The mayor accompanied by his lovely wife complimented Forrest for his contributions to the community. Lance, Dale and his new partner were a bit taken back by the sheer extravagance of the evening. Dignitaries, press, men in tuxedos and women in gowns toasted Forrest, the new space, and each other. The mayor announced his bid for re-election to a raucous crowd. By the time the evening was over, Lance, Forrest, and their friends were beyond exhaustion. "Let's go home." Forrest pulled Lance into a tight embrace as people watched. "Let the caterer cle
an up this mess." Everyone agreed.
"When are you delivering it?" Dale was helping Lance move a large piece of furniture to the loading dock. "Does he know its coming?"
"No, I wanted to surprise him," he said with nervous hesitation. "I hope he likes it."
"How could he not?"
The movers he used were extra careful, knowing the work he put into his restorations. The men often commented that the quality of his restorations was better than any of the others they worked with. His clients said the same thing and often gave him additional projects after seeing the piece he restored for them. Today he was nervous. He wanted this piece to be extra special.
Forrest had to concede that he couldn't manage the entire company by himself any longer. He divided Dentren Designs into several smaller groups, each with a manager and the appropriate support staff. The managers were responsible for keeping their projects on schedule and within budget. Forrest learned to manage the managers, though he did continue to work on his own special projects, those that had personal importance, and those that came from his first few clients. He felt a level of pride when they asked for him specifically.
His week, finished, he closed his office door, bid Eyanna a good weekend, and left the offices of Dentren Designs with a huge smile on his face. He and Lance were going to Sully's for dinner. They wanted a quiet night without friends, without the noise from The Hole, and without anyone pulling either of them into a business or political discussion. Sully's was perfect for a romantic evening.
When he opened the door to his condo, he knew something was off, something felt different, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Not sure what to expect, he walked further into his apartment and then stopped dead in his tracks.
There standing on the far wall was the hutch he purchased from the Albertson estate sale. It had been months and he had actually forgotten that Lance still had it in his shop. He put his briefcase and laptop down, walked to the hutch and ran his fingers across the face of one door. It was smooth as glass. Though it had been built over a hundred years ago, it looked brand new.
The patina of the wood gave it the look of a finely aged and finely crafted piece of furniture. The solid brass drawer and door pulls sparkled. The glass in the doors had sagged from their own weight, yet was shining, reflecting the light from the window.
When he first saw it at the estate sale, he hoped Lance could make it look good again. Albertson didn't take care of his possessions and this hutch was in bad shape. It was scratched, dirty, and looked like it had never seen a polishing cloth. Now it looked as if it had been taken care of by a loving servant, or loving owner who appreciated the craftsmanship it took to create it.
"Do you like it?" Forrest flinched. The voice startled him. "I had it delivered while you were at work to surprise you. I hope it's what you wanted." Lance was babbling, his nerves exposed.
Forrest turned to see his man standing against the table, bottom lip quivering. "You have to be kidding. How could I not like it?" He pulled Lance into a tight hug. "Oh my god, you are so talented. I never expected it to look this good." They continued to hug for several minutes when Forrest broke free and moved back to the hutch. He opened each door, each drawer and stared in awe at the quality of the restoration. The hutch had been transformed from a piece of scrap to a thing of beauty.
He turned again and pulled Lance to his side. "You know, I could never do something like this. You complain that you are not as talented as I am, yet you do this. Don't you ever put yourself down again. You hear me?"
Lance allowed himself to relax slightly as Forrest pulled him tighter. "I wanted to make this special for you."
"What you do is special. How you act is special, and you are special." He leaned in for a kiss, picked Lance up and carried him to their bedroom. "Now I'm going to show you just how special you are to me." They never made it to Sully's'.
Other John Charles Books you may enjoy
Comforted By Love (Fated Soulmates 1) (Free at Johncharlesbooks.com)
http://johncharlesbooks.com/comforted-love-john-charles
Architect of Love (Fated Soulmates 2)
Love On Life Support (Fated Soulmates 3)
Two Weeks To Love (Fated Soulmates 4) (Coming March 2017)
Scorned and Abandoned (Aaron Jaycynth Mystery 1)
One Breath Brings Death (Aaron Jaycynth Mystery 2)
Blackmail: Boardroom To Bedroom
In Death He Lives
A personal message from the author:
I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading Architect Of Love.
Like most authors, I depend on feedback from my readers. In fact, I love hearing from you about my stories. Now that you finished reading this book, please post a review on the site where you downloaded this e-book.
Your Review and Comments give others, who may want to read this book, insight that only other readers can give.
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Thanks for your time,
John Charles
