Both men had attended Georgetown Law, and after they were accepted for 'Georgetown Law Journal', they got to know each other better and became best friends. After graduation, they went to work at the same Washington law firm, and they shared an apartment on Capitol Hill. They met the women they'd marry on the same night, and their lives had been hopelessly intertwined ever since.
As it turned out, Jon Wells and Audrey Langley, the fruits of those happy marriages, were biracial. Audrey had coffee-colored skin and straight, golden-brown hair with light, amber-colored eyes while Jon had dark brown, curly hair, and light green eyes, his skin the color of coffee with cream. To say they were a mix of their parents was an understatement.
They'd confessed to each other in high school they were homosexuals, and they'd vowed to keep each other's secret until they were ready to come out to the families, which both were yet to do. They were both thirty-three, and neither had given up the façade of being perfectly straight, though not yet ready to settle down into a permanent relationship.
Jon nor Audrey could imagine disappointing their parents, so they continued to play the game, regardless of the personal cost them, individually and intellectually. They loved their families and swore they'd never do anything to harm them in any way, including coming out of their very deep closets.
"You do realize, Jonathon, when I walk out this door, I'm gone for good. Don't come to Fordham’s looking for me. This is it," Blake threatened, catching Jon's attention. The ginger worked at a high-end, men's clothiers where they’d met a few months prior, and while Jon knew he'd miss the quality of the tailoring, it wouldn’t be so enticing he'd risk running into Blake.
Jon looked into Blake’s eyes and smiled gently. "I'm sorry it ended like this, but I can't…eventually, I'll marry Audrey because if I don't produce grandchildren, I'll break my mother's heart and probably her mother's as well. I just can't live a different life, Blake. I'm sorry if I led you to believe we had the possibility of something that will never be," he lied again.
The redhead hissed at him, but Jon gave him a sad smile as he held out his hand for the key, knowing he'd get the locks changed on Monday. You could never trust a trick. After a sad kiss on the cheek, he slammed the door after Blake stormed out, thankful to have his condo to himself again.
"Rule number one, no more overnights," he reminded himself out loud as he walked into the kitchen area of the open-concept condo and poured himself another drink. After the day he'd had, he wanted one more drink and then he’d hit the sack. He would miss Blake's ass because the guy had amazing skills when a hard cock was inside him, but other than that? He wouldn't miss anything else. It was about time he went on the prowl for greener pastures.
"Good morning, Karen. Anything I should know?" Jon asked his assistant as he breezed into his office the next morning. He'd gone to the gym in his building before the sun had risen, running five miles on the treadmill before he took a steam and cold shower to get ready for work.
He'd parked in his designated spot in the garage and stopped at the little café in the lobby for a double espresso before he walked passed the front desk, receiving a big smile from his friend, Sam Williams, who was the head of building security. Sam was ex-Navy, and he'd helped Jon on cases in the past. The two had an easy friendship, neither expecting too much from the other but prepared to come to the rescue if necessary.
"Ronni Turnberry called. She'd like you to return her call this afternoon because she's in court this morning," his assistant, Karen Stubbs, explained. She was about forty, and she was a very kind woman. She'd never married and she was endlessly devoted to her job, which was a little sad in Jon’s opinion, but he could say the same about himself.
"Remind me who she is," he asked as he glanced through the mail she’d handed him. As usual, there was a lot of shit…solicitations to attend cocktail parties from brokers who wanted to get their hands on his money or charities who wanted him to volunteer his services or a pricey donation. He tossed all of them into the trash unopened before he picked up his phone message slips from the pick on the ledge above Karen’s desk.
Karen laughed. "You have the retention span of a three-year-old Chihuahua, I swear. Ronni is Tim Moran's lawyer. She's at Clauson & Associates in Philly," the woman reminded.
After a moment’s concentration, it all settled in his mind and he recalled who Tim Moran was…the boyfriend of one of his clients, Matthew Collins. The large man had been a professional bull rider and seemed to have a knack for getting himself into situations which ended up costing him money. Jon liked the man, though he found Matthew to be quite naïve for his age. Jon believed it was time to do something about his gullibility before the man did detrimental harm to his bank account.
"Ah! Maybe we're finally going to iron out a damn domestic partnership agreement I've been trying to get Matt to put in place so he doesn't give away the whole damn thing to another gold digger, this time of the male persuasion.
"I know Tim Moran has some money because I still believe he paid off Roberta Collins to get her to sign over her parental rights, though they both denied it, Matt has a lot of assets which should be off-limits when the two of them break-up. I've been trying to get him to think about an escape clause for months. Anything else?" he asked as he strolled into his office across from her desk.
Karen followed him and closed the door, surprising him. When he saw the smirk on her face, he knew it was going to be embarrassing. "I didn’t write a slip for this one because I thought it better to deliver the message in person. Blake George called to say your new Hugo Boss suit is ready to be picked up from tailoring. You want me to have Billy Fremont swing by Fordham’s on his way to pick up dry cleaning?" she asked.
John knew he’d never get away with not confessing the recent chain of events to her. She wanted information he was a little nervous to give, but she was the gatekeeper for him, and if he didn’t want to deal with Blake himself, he needed to give her what she was seeking. "What else did Blake say?" he asked, certain the little twink had spilled the beans.
She flipped through her pad and cleared her throat. "Tell him 'I'm really sorry I behaved like a raging queen last night. I shouldn't have reacted to him having dinner with his friend, but I'd planned a special evening for the two of us. When he bailed, I got pissed.' He went on a little more about things I don't need to know, but did you call your super to change the locks?" Karen asked. He shook his head, having decided to put it off until Monday, but maybe she had a point.
Karen made a note on the pad in her hand and looked up at him. "I'll call a guy I trust and have him out there this afternoon. I’ll call your building manager and have them let him in and stay with him to collect the new keys for you. You need to leave a trick as a trick, Jon. You have a lot to lose if the truth comes out before you have the chance to talk to your parents, just like Audrey. The two of you are in line to take over for your fathers when they decide to retire, and if you’re not going to get married and continue to be indiscreet, the two of you need to talk to your families. Her girlfriend is pitching a fit as well, according to Sara," Karen explained.
He knew she had to suspect he was at least bisexual, but he didn't realize she and Sara Alito had figured out about Audrey and Lyla. He felt the need to defend his best friend, and himself in the process. "Look, Karen, Audrey and I are both very free-spirited when it comes to our love lives. It's not like we're at the point where we're ready to take the walk, okay? I hope you and Sara don't gossip with the others about us," he scolded, feeling his defenses on high alert.
She held up her hand to stop him before he said another word. "Hold it, boss. You owe me no explanations, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't treat me like I'm a run-of-the-mill dimwit. Your sexuality is no more my business than mine is yours, so let's just stop that train. Sara and I don't talk to anyone at the firm besides each other because I work for Sherman and you, and Sara works for Audrey and Ham. You can surely see where we'd keep each other apprised of scheduling issues
or bad moods?"
Jon nodded, hearing the wisdom in her words. He knew he could trust her because she’d never given him any reason for concern with regard to his privacy. "Forgive me, please. I should know better. Can you get me the Collins' file so I can refresh my memory before I talk to Miss Turnberry?" Karen nodded before heading out of his office, closing the door a little too hard as she returned to her desk.
Clearly, he’d pissed her off, so he decided to send her some flowers to make up for his callous reaction. She really was a gem when he compared her to the other assistants at the firm with whom he was barely familiar, and he didn't want her to leave him. He knew if she told Sherman she didn't want to work for Jon any longer, it would be a done deal and the younger Wells would be on his own. He refused to work with any of the others he’d encountered from time to time when Karen was busy for Sherman, to whom she was a prize as well. Jon knew his standing on that totem pole…way at the bottom.
After eating at his desk, Jon tossed the salad container into the bag and carried it to the kitchen to throw away and grab a bottle of water. He was about to return to his desk to finish a new draft of the domestic partnership agreement he'd worked up for Matt Collins when he heard humming behind him. Jon turned to see his father in the kitchen with a trash bag of his own.
"Hey Pop. How's your day?" Jon asked as he washed his hands at the sink while his father made himself a cup of coffee.
"Your mother's going to the farm this weekend and she wants me to come along. I hate going to the country," Hamilton Wells stated flatly.
Jon laughed. "You're full of shit. You love going out there, you just don't like to ride horses. It's her thing, Pop. You've enabled her far too many years, so it's too late to change it now," he teased his father, seeing the big grin light up Ham’s face.
His parents owned a horse farm in Dillwyn, Virginia, about an hour away from Richmond. The house, of course, was massive as most of the houses in hunt country were known to be. They’d owned it for several years, and Jon had spent enjoyable times there when he was younger. There were six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a great room, a large, glass-enclosed atrium/trophy room, and a game room, complete with a pool table and theater seating in front of a ninety-six-inch television.
There were a pool and pool house with an outdoor kitchen and a large veranda with a fireplace. Behind the house were large riding fields for his mother to practice her various equestrian pursuits, which were her passions, and Jon knew his father would rather sever an arm than give up the property, regardless of how much he bitched about going to the country.
Allison Granger Wells worked for the city of Richmond as a marketing executive. She was the face of the city as far as extolling its prospects for media events, potential movie sites, and convention opportunities to promote it as a great historic, southern destination. She was very successful at her job, and Jon was proud of her but not nearly as much as his father. He knew for a fact his mother was Ham’s whole world, and the man wasn’t afraid to show it every time he was without arms-length of Allison. His father didn’t believe it made him vulnerable to laud his mother’s accomplishments to everyone at the firm. It only made Jon admire him more and long to live up to his parents dreams for his future.
Ham and Allison lived in a large house in Henrico, just outside of Richmond, and his time growing up in that home was filled with wonderful memories. He'd had an idyllic childhood, even with having mixed-race parentage in a city that didn’t exactly embrace them when they’d first gotten married and moved to southern Virginia. The Wells’ had many parties at their home with the more progressive socially elite of Richmond and Washington, DC. His parents had established an annual tennis tournament held on Memorial weekend, the proceeds of which went to children's charities in Richmond and the surrounding area.
His father and Sherman Langley were the tennis players in the group. Marnie loved to garden and cook, and Allison was the horsewoman. They all, however, joined forces to host many charitable events at the ranch or at their homes in Richmond. Jon and Audrey tried a little bit of all of their parents’ hobbies and truly grew up as free spirits. It wasn't a bad way to ease into adulthood.
The memories of those events were precious to him and served as a good example for him and Audrey regarding those less fortunate and how fulfilling it was to give to worthy causes. The two of them took on more pro-bono cases than any of the other associates at the firm, and he knew their fathers were proud of them for their selfless acts, though he doubted their co-workers appreciated the pressure.
Ham chuckled at him, obviously seeing he’d gotten lost in the memories of times spent at the farm. "I guess you’re right about changing things at this stage of the game. So, you want to come out for the weekend? I could use some company. Mom's getting ready for breeding season, and I hate the new barn manager, Clyde Chambers. He's a pompous jackass and I believe he has designs on your mother as a benefactor for some sort of Ponzi scheme he’s dreaming up. I honestly don’t think it’s in my best interests to let her go out there without me there to guard the coffers," his father explained, dryly.
Jon laughed. "Mom said he's the next best up-and-comer on the circuit. Have you started doubting her character assessment skills these days?" he asked. Jon had been at the awards dinner where his mother met Clyde Chambers, who was escorting one of Allison's cronies that night.
Jon had witnessed his mother chattering excitedly with the younger man before the awards ceremony kicked off. She was set to win her last high-point trophy that night before she retired from the hunter-jumper show circuit. He knew his father was relieved because he always worried she might suffer an injury, but he’d supported her without fail. Jon hoped for that kind of devotion someday.
"Pop, I can't commit to the weekend, but I had the guy checked out for you and he seems to be legit. Unless you can talk Mom into quitting her job and managing things herself, you're just going to have to suck it up. Mom needs a barn manager, and she likes the guy. I don’t think he’s a threat, from what I read in the report I gave you," the younger Wells assured the elder. As his father seemed to contemplate the information, the phone rang in Ham's pocket, and the two of them parted ways.
Jon went back to his office, seeing Matt Collins' file on his desk. He flipped through it to reacquaint himself with the information he’d gathered when he was apprised of Tim's entrance into Matt's life. It reminded Jon why he'd made the draft agreement so stringent in the first place, certain it would be rejected off-hand.
With the latest iteration, they'd have room to negotiate if it ever came to be Matt and Tim were going to register as domestic partners. He'd definitely steer them away from anything as remotely stupid as marriage. It was a no-brainer for him, and he was sure he could convince Matt he was right and head off that mistake at the pass.
Jon was quite interested in what the high-powered, female attorney from Philadelphia wanted to discuss. Matt Collins was still pissed at him regarding a joint custody clause he'd suggested to ease the way for a quick divorce from Roberta Stanford. Jon definitely needed to redeem himself to his client so he didn’t lose the business.
He knew for a fact Matthew Collins could be irrational when it came to his son, Ryan, but Jon supposed if he was a parent, he’d be the same. He hoped when it came to dealing with issues regarding the relationship with Tim Moran, calmer heads could prevail.
Chapter Three
After his earlier heart-to-heart with Tim, Mickey decided he needed to have a conversation with Josh and Miss Katie regarding his indiscretion with Henry Sachs. They'd been good to him in the time he'd worked at the ranch, and he hated the idea he might disappoint them. They were the first people who even took an interest in him as a person, not just another ranch hand. His own family had been a fucking disaster, so he wasn’t exactly accustomed to people who actually cared, but the Simmons’ family had shown him there were good people in the world.
Mickey’s father, Joey, was a musician who moved Mickey and his moth
er to Nashville from Gainesville, Florida, in hopes of getting some studio work. All Joey got was a heroin addiction and a possession charge, sending him to prison due to the number of drugs he was caught with when they stopped him. They charged him with intent to distribute, which was something Mickey never told anyone, though he was sure it was his father’s intention. Of course, he had no idea what happened to the man after he went to prison, nor did he care to ever try to find out.
Mickey's mother, Lola May, on the other hand, had worked several jobs before Joey went to jail. He was playing small gigs in dive bars in Nashville, and she was trying to support his career so she worked a lot to try to take the pressure off Joey so he could ‘allow his creativity to flow so he can write songs, sweet boy.’ That was what Lola always told Mickey when he asked after his father.
Mickey knew Joey wasn’t writing songs while she was working two jobs to support the family, but he kept his mouth shut because if she believed his father’s bullshit, who was he to tell her the man was passed out drunk when he got home from school.
Lola worked hard to care for the family, and to make up for his father’s lack of appreciation, Mickey tried to be a good boy and give her nothing to worry about in hopes of making her life a little bit easier. He even tried to make food for her so she could have something to eat when she got home from the dry cleaners job she worked at night after she got off from the housekeeping job she had at Nashville General during the day.
Unfortunately, Lola May’s heart broke when Joey was arrested, and she became disillusioned with life after the man was incarcerated. She chose to turn to prostitution because it paid better than her two shitty jobs. Mickey’s heart wasn’t the same after he figured it out.
Loving the Lawyer (The Cowboys of Katydid Farm Book 2) Page 3
