Breach of Contract
CHAPTER 1: Reunion
"Fuck off, asshole!" Ian said loud enough for everyone at the bar to hear.
"Hey, I know things didn't workout for us, but can't we at least try to be friends?"
"So that's how you remember it, `things didn't work out for us!' Ian was now yelling. "The way I remember it was, two weeks after YOU asked me to marry you, YOU called it off, and announced you were crawling back into the closet! That YOU intended go to Colorado, marry Ellen, and join her homophobic daddy's law firm!"
It was Harvard Law School's alumni weekend, and the Charles Hotel's bar was full of alumni. The last thing Ian wanted to do was break down and cry, so he grabbed his Tom Collins and walked away.
Matt tried to follow, but a classmate stopped him, saying, "Harris, if I were you, I wouldn't go after Coburn. You will only make it worse."
"But he's been ignoring me all day. We were registered for the same seminar this afternoon and when he saw me he left."
"Look Matt, you hurt him, and Coburn isn't one to let go of shit. Why don't you let me buy you a drink, and you can come hang with me and my boys."
Peter Stevenson and `his boys' were the party animals of the class of 2005. They could be because their families were part of the Boston elite. They were part of the social class that "earned" a living by inheriting. For them Harvard law degrees were just part of building their political and social resumes.
Normally, Ian and Matt wouldn't have been part of Stevenson's circle of friends. Ian was from an upper middle class family in a Chicago suburb, and Matt's father was a small town lawyer and politician in Oklahoma. What got Ian and Matt admission into the club as first year law students was that they were both athletes. Each of them had been a star basketball player in high school, then later went on to play college ball. Stevenson liked to think of himself as an athlete, and he hated to lose. So, when he put together an intramural basketball team, he went looking for ringers, and found Ian and Matt. That's also how Ian and Matt found each other.
Ian and Matt really didn't fit in with the rest of the guys on the team, so when they went out to celebrate a win, Ian and Matt ended up talking to each other. The night after they won the league championship, Stevenson kept buying round after round at Grendel's Den the team's post-win hangout. At the end of the evening Stevenson and his boys left, leaving Ian and Matt to find their own way home.
Ian's apartment was closest, so that's where they went. The two ended up crashing in bed together. Nothing happened that night, but over the next few months they hung out more and more. They studied together, went out together, slept together, and eventually, they were together.
As it turned out, neither Stevenson nor Matt had changed since graduating law school. Stevenson was still buying round after round, and Matt was downing them round after round. Several times Stevenson sent one of the boys over to talk Ian into joining them, but each time he refused. Finally, Ian just decided he'd had enough and went up to his room. He had booked a deluxe king room and was looking forward to getting into bed. However, first he decided a shower would help him sleep better, or at least forget about Matt. When he'd booked his room, Ian noticed that some of the rooms had walk in rain showers and specifically requested one of those rooms. Now, he thought that may have been one of the smartest choices he'd made about the entire alumni weekend.
Ian had just finished a long shower--unlimited hot water was one of the things Ian liked about hotels--when someone started banging on the door. He was still wet so he threw on a robe and looked through the peephole. It was Stevenson. "What the hell does he want?" Ian muttered to himself and opened the door. The minute the door was open, Stevenson pushed in and then two of his boys dragged Matt into the room and dropped him on the bed.
"What the fuck!" Ian yelled. "You can't dump him here!"
"He's too drunk to drive" Stevenson said, "and none of us are going to drive him to whatever Econo Lodge or Motel 6 he's staying in. So, buddy he's yours."
"Fuck no! You got him drunk, so you take him."
"Not on your life. I'm not taking him home with me. Besides you're responsible for him being shit-face drunk."
"What..."
"Yes you," Stevenson said. "All night he kept talking about you, and how much he'd lost the best thing in his life. Frankly, the boys kept buying him drinks so he had something to do with his mouth other than go on and on about you. So good luck, and I'll see you tomorrow."
When Stevenson was gone, Ian looked at Matt and all he could say was, "shit." Ian had no idea where Matt was staying, and even if he knew, Ian was in no condition himself to drive. For a moment, Ian thought about just dragging Matt into the hall and calling the desk to say there was a homeless person passed out on seventh floor, but then thought doing that to a classmate wouldn't win him any friends that weekend.
So, Ian stripped Matt down to his boxers, hung up his suit, then rolled Matt off the bed. He hit the floor like a bag of potatoes, much harder than Ian actually intended. After checking that he was okay, Ian put a pillow under his head and threw a blanket over him. When Ian crawled into bed himself, he couldn't get to sleep, so he decided to get out his iPad and do a little stalking, it had been years since Ian had actually checked on what Matt was up to.
When he finally fell asleep, Ian fell soundly asleep, so he didn't notice that sometime during the night Matt had crawled into bed with him. When he woke up and found Matt spooning him, he went crazy.
"What the hell are you doing in my bed!?" Ian yelled and gave Matt a hard elbow in the ribs.
"Ow! Where am..." was all Matt got out before he had to stumble his way to the bathroom. After five minutes of worshiping at the shrine of the Porcelain Goddess, Matt walked back into the room.
"Did you just destroy my bathroom?"
"No, I am very skilled at puking without creating a mess."
"So you've had a lot of practice?"
"Too much as of late. So how did I get here with you?"
"Uninvitedly," Ian said bitterly, "Stevenson and his posse dumped you here last night since none of them wanted to take you home to their families."
"Thanks for taking me in...Do you know why my shoulder and arm hurt."
"That's probably from when you fell...well, I pushed you, out of bed."
"Oh.... Do you mind if I take a shower before I go?"
"Go ahead. You need one."
While Matt was showering, Ian did some more stalking. From what he could find, Matt was still an associate at Logan, Norris, and Love. He was doing routine trust and estate work. Ian also found out that Matt had two sons and a daughter, and that Ellen had filed for divorce in January.
When Matt finished his shower, he stepped out of the bathroom still drying his hair and his cock was swinging all over. Ian bit his lip, and thought, "fucking asshole, is still hot."
Matt saw his suit hanging in the closet at grabbed it, then said, "Damn, I must have spilled a drink on myself last night. I'd better get to my hotel and get a change of clothes. I guess I'll miss that session on `The Present and Future of LGBTQ+ Rights'."
"If you are serious about making that seminar, you don't have time. You can wear one of my suits, just don't puke on it. Ian had a flair for fashion, and soon had a suit, shirt, and tie for Matt that looked like a personal shopper had picked it for him. "Let me get you some underwear. I would prefer you don't go commando in one of my suits." When Ian opened the dresser drawer, he started to reach for some black boxers, then changed his mind and threw Matt a pink pair of bikini briefs.
"What? Is this what you wear?"
"Not to work, but I've booked a cottage in P-town for after the reunion."
Matt just smiled and slipped them on. Ian immediately knew giving those briefs to Matt was a mistake. It would take a bottle of Tequila to get that picture out of his mind. Ian quickly brought himself back, and tossed Matt a new toothbrush, and said, "I usually travel with a spare." Ian then stripped off his boxers and headed to the bathroom for his shower.
After his shower, Ian decided it was time for a little payback, so he left the towel in the bathroom and walked out naked to see what Matt's reaction would be. For a minute, Ian thought he would have to pick Matt's eyes off the floor and put them back in his head. Matt was never good at looking without obviously looking.
"That is fucking mean," Matt said.
"Well just don't make a mess in my suit."
"You have certainly kept your body fit," Matt said.
"Yep, 6'2", 42" chest, 30" waist. Based on how that suit is fitting you, I'd say you are right there as well."
"I try."
The truth was that both Ian and Matt had model looks, although Ian was GQ, and Matt was more Patagonia. While they had similar body frames, there were substantial differences. When naked, aside from Matt being cut and Ian being uncut, Ian had a full chest of hair, whereas Matt had a thin patch between his pecs. Matt's hair was light brown, while Ian's hair was almost black. One last thing they did have in common was blue eyes.
As Ian got dressed, Matt said, "These are some very nice suits. Are they custom tailored?"
"Yeah, my partner and I are doing well, so I like to treat myself."
The mention that Ian had a partner made Matt's heart drop.
Just as they were about to leave, Ian turned to Matt and said, "Let me fix your tie." As Ian adjusted the tie, Matt saw their reflection in a mirror. Ian was wearing a steel grey suit and the two made a strikingly handsome couple. The reflection reminded Matt of a picture he saw of two gay men right before their wedding ceremony, and it was all Matt could do to resist kissing Ian.
For most of the day, Ian and Matt attended different seminars. Unlike many college reunions that are simply an opportunity to see old classmates, and for the endowment office to ask for contributions, the Harvard law reunions included a variety of sessions Friday afternoon and Saturday morning for continuing education.
At the reunion luncheon, Ian had planned to meet up with several of his moot court teammates, and Matt was again hanging with Stevenson and his boys. After the luncheon, Ian and Matt did meet briefly to arrange for Ian to take Matt to his hotel.
The weather was gorgeous, so after lunch Ian decided he would take some time to just walk around campus and reminisce. He rejoined the activities for the class photo and then it was time to take Matt to his hotel. It turned out Matt was staying at a Red Roof Inn in Woburn which was ten miles away.
"How do you plan to get back to Harvard for cocktails and dinner?" Ian asked.
"Uber."
"Fuck Matt, you might as well just get all your shit and come back and stay with me. I know what's going to happen. You'll get drunk and end up with me anyway. Then in the morning I'm going to have to haul you back out here, and then haul your ass to Logan so you can catch your plane."
"I appreciate the offer but won't your partner mind."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ian asked.
"This morning you said that you and your partner were doing well."
Ian burst into laughter, then said, "Not that kind of partner. Heather is my business partner; we own a real estate development company."
"So, you're not an attorney at Preston, Robb, and Moore?"
"Just go get your stuff, and I'll explain on the way back to Cambridge."
While Matt was getting his things and checking out, Ian sat in the car and wondered if he was making a mistake. "Surely I'm not actually going to forgive the asshole," Ian said to himself. "He doesn't deserve it, and...and..." Ian couldn't even say it to himself. Ten years later, the wounds were still too tender.
On the way back to the Charles Hotel, Ian explained that his primary area of law was real estate and development, and through that he met a new developer, Heather Riggs, who was having problems with the Chicago Department of Buildings. They kept holding up her permits. After Ian fixed the problem with a few phone calls and a threat or two, they went out for drinks to celebrate. During the course of conversation, she mentioned that she was having trouble finding an investor for a new project.
"So, I asked her about the project," Ian said. "It sounded like a good project, and after a bit more talking, I took the money I was saving up for a partnership offer and invested in the project. The project turned out to be better than successful, it was one of the hottest developments in Chicago. We collaborated on a couple of more projects, then we decided to form Riggs and Coburn Development, L.L.C. She deals with the hands on work of the project, and I take care of legal and financing. I am still at Preston, Robb, and Moore three-quarter time. We worked out a deal that lets me work from home and only go into the office a couple of times a week."
"If you're doing so well in real estate, why did you stay on with the firm?" Matt asked.
"Initially it was a safety net...just in case things didn't work out. However, staying on part time gives me access to the resources of the firm. It is amazing what kind of gravitas it gives me to have Preston, Robb, and Moore on my card. Also, the firm's social events are a great way to meet potential investors or clients."
"They don't mind?"
"Even less than full time, I am still one of their leading attorneys when it comes to billable hours. One of the reasons I have so many billable hours is I'm the guy that gets called at 3 a.m. to bail out a client or draft an emergency injunction. I work in real estate, but every department thinks I'm their after-hours bitch. It's such a joke in the office, that on my last birthday they didn't sing Happy Birthday," they played George Strait's The Fireman.' Vance Moore is the only partner who's not that happy with the arrangement. He was, well still is, my mentor in the firm, and he wants to put me up for partner, but that's not the direction I want to go. So, to make Vance happy, I am officially listed as Special Counsel in the firm directory." (For those not familiar with the title `Counsel.' some firms use it to designate a lawyer who occupies a permanent senior position in the firm with no expectation of becoming a partner.)
"Damn, nine out of ten lawyers would give their first born for a chance to make partner, and you just turned it down."
Ian just shrugged.
Back at the Charles, Ian and Matt got ready for the evening. Matt took off the pink bikini briefs and tossed them back to Ian.
"What's the matter? Pink not your color?"
"I can live with the color, it's the strangle hold they had on my nuts that was the problem. How can you wear that?"
"I don't know, maybe it's that I've never worn them for more than three hours."
"Matt smiled and said, "Why Ian, you little slut you."
"Asshole, I didn't mean it like that, and you know it."
The 2005 reunion was being held on campus, and within walking distance. Just before they were ready to leave, Matt's phone rang. He looked at it and said, "Go on ahead. This is Ellen, and I need to talk to her. I'll be a while."
Ian was chatting with a group from the Gay Alumni Association when Matt walked in and headed for the bar. Something was bothering him, but after a drink he seemed to get himself under control. Ian decided to keep an eye on him. Why he felt some responsibility for Matt, Ian didn't know. Ian also noticed that Matt seemed to be exchanging business cards with a lot of their classmates.
During the meal, Ian and Matt weren't at the same table, so Ian wasn't aware of how intoxicated Matt was becoming. Ian was just finishing his dessert and talking to a fellow Chicagoan, when Stevenson tapped him on the shoulder and said, "You need to get Harris out of here. He's drunk and people are beginning to notice."
"Fuck! Where is the asshole."
"We've managed to get him outside. Follow me."
When Ian got outside, he saw the same two guys who'd dumped Matt on his bed the night before holding him up.
"Do you need help?" Stevenson asked Ian.
"No, I've done this a few times before."
Ian put an arm around Matt and said, "Put your arm over my shoulders. We need to get you back to the room."
Matt mumbled something in "Drunkese" that Ian didn't understand and they started back to the Charles. When they finally got back to the room, Ian helped Matt get undressed and into bed. Ian then turned on the T.V. and found an old movie. This wasn't the reunion Ian had expected, and now he had a bigger problem: what to do with Matt in the morning?"
Ian finally crawled into bed a bit before midnight. Almost immediately Matt rolled over and cuddled in next to him. Ian tried pushing him away several times, but he always rolled back. Finally, Ian decided it was too much effort to keep pushing Matt back to his side of the bed. Also, and Ian hated admitting it to himself, it felt good to sleep next to another person.
The next morning, Ian got up, made a breakfast reservation at the hotel's restaurant, and hopped into the shower. When he got out of the shower, Ian noticed that Matt's butt was sticking out from under the covers. So, with an evil grin, Ian twisted his towel up and popped Matt. There was only a thin layer of cotton between the biting tip of the towel and an unsuspecting ass, and when the towel cracked, Matt yelled so loud Ian feared they'd get a visit from the hotel staff, maybe even the cops.
"Fucking bastard! I'm going to kick your ass!" Matt said as he jumped up. However, he fell back to the bed just as fast holding his head. Matt had a king-sized hangover so big it was like The Rolling Stones were playing a concert in his head.
"Come on," Ian said, and grabbed Matt's wrists to pull him up. "I have reservations for breakfast in 30 minutes."
"What time is it?"
"7:30"
"7-fucking-30!? What's the rush?"
"I am headed for P-town and I want to get a good start. Plus, I need to get you to the airport so you can get back to Denver."
"I'm not going to Denver."
"What do you mean, you're not going to Denver," Ian asked as he let Matt fall back on the bed.
"Ellen is divorcing me. That phone call I got before the class banquet was from my father-in-law. He was calling me to tell me my travel plans were changed and I was going to Amarillo, Texas. Apparently, I'm being transferred to the Amarillo office. I have a week to get there and report, or they will consider it a resignation without proper notice... Damn, this headache is killing me. A bullet would be so much faster."
"Shit!" Ian said. He didn't think Matt would kill himself, but he hadn't seen him in ten years. The comment about a bullet being quicker was probably just a passing comment, but Ian had no way of knowing for sure. There was no way Ian was going to let the jerk do anything stupid, and then be haunted by his memory the next 60 years.
Ian again grabbed Matt's arms and this time got him all the way to his feet. Ian got Matt into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and shoved him in.
"Fucking asshole, that's the cold water."
"I'm sorry, did you want a warm shower. Too bad, get busy scrubbing. We've got 20 minutes to get down to breakfast."
With Ian issuing constant threats of what would happen if they lost their reservation, Matt managed to get ready, and they made it on time. Ian ordered two eggs scrambled, bacon, hash browns, whole wheat toast, and black coffee. When Matt told the waiter he wasn't hungry, Ian looked at the waiter and said, "Bring him what I'm having."
When the waiter brought two cups of coffee, Ian told Matt to take a drink. It wasn't until Matt was on his second cup of coffee that Ian asked Matt what he was going to do.
"I don't know, but I do know I'm not going to Amarillo."
"Is that why you were exchanging cards with everyone at the banquet last night?"
"Yeah, I've seen the handwriting on the wall ever since Ellen filed for divorce. I have always been treated like a stray mutt in that law firm, but recently it's gotten worse. Ellen's father made it abundantly clear I had a snowballs chance in hell of ever making senior associate, let alone partner. The house is actually owned by the family trust, so I have no claim on it. Her father made me sign a prenup and basically, I get, $125,000 from Ellen in the divorce. I am also supposed to get $150,000 severance from the firm if they let me go, but if I don't take the transfer, they will see it as a resignation and I won't get that. I do have joint custody of the kids, and I'm sure that's why I am being transferred to Amarillo. Aside from being in the middle of the Texas panhandle, it will make it impossible for me to exercise my parental rights. So, I'm just fucked."
"So, can you go back to Oklahoma and partner with your father?"
"I wish, but three years ago I told him to sell the practice, that I was settled in Denver. So he sold it and he and mom bought a cabin on Grand Lake. I could stay with them for a while, but that's just like having loser tattooed on my forehead. I'd rather die."
"Matt, that's your second reference to dying in the last half-hour, and I've seen you more drunk than sober this weekend. Are you going to be alright?"
"Sure buddy, you know me... sometimes I just say things. I'll be fine. I just have to figure out where I'm going to land for a few days, get out some feelers to firms looking for associates, kiss a few asses, and I''ll be back on my feet."
Alarms were going off in Ian's head, and there was no way he was leaving Matt alone in Boston. Ian still didn't believe Matt would attempt suicide, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to drink himself to death. So, Ian took a deep breath and said, "Why don't you come to Provincetown with me. We can chill for a bit, then you can go back to Chicago with me and put out some feelers there. It will be a chance for you to get a fresh start."
"That's generous, but why?" Matt said defensively. "You made it perfectly clear you still hate me when we first met at the reunion. Then you let me stay with you this weekend, and now this. What am I missing? I don't need your pity or your handouts. I can take care of myself."
"First of all, I still hate you, but that doesn't mean I can't care what happens to you. It's called being a human being. Second, I don't do pity. I will keep a tab, and you will pay for your room, board, and anything else I invest in you, plus interest. I'm starting with the cost of dry cleaning my suit you wore."
Matt nodded, and all Ian could think was, "What have I gotten myself into."
I hope you enjoy "Breach of Contract."
If you have enjoyed reading "Breach of Contract," I hope you contribute to keeping Nifty.Org a place where I and other authors can share our stories. https://donate.nifty.org/
Also, if you would like to find other stories I've written, or am writing, check out https://www.nifty.org/nifty/authors.html#williammarshal