Disclaimer: Okay folks, you know the drill. This is a fictional story with fictional characters and completely fictional business entities. Any resemblance to anything in the real world is purely coincidental. This story does revolve around a gay relationship and portions of this story may be inappropriate for minors. Check your local laws for whether this has been censored in your jurisdiction.
This is not a stroke story, and the relationship will likely build slowly: you are forewarned.
This is my first attempt at a story, so any and all feedback is appreciated. Feel free to email me at: juris_stories@yahoo.com
Thanks and I hope you enjoy!
The Emerald Merger, Chapter 3
"Nathan's First Day"
Nathan's felt nauseated as he slowly circled his way up to the top of the parking garage. He always hated the first day on a new job. First days were full of uncertainty, awkward moments, and that complete fear that you have made a terrible mistake in even accepting the job. It had been 10 months since Nathan was actually hired by OMA, but now, in July, it was his first day of official work. He was terrified.
Only Nathan's closest friends knew that Nathan was pretty much like two different types of guys rolled into one. On the one hand, he was shy and uncomfortable around new people, constantly worried that he was going embarrass himself. On the other hand, Nathan had the external, attorney-persona which allowed him to be outgoing, friendly, and appear comfortable in any situation. For today, Nathan was praying that the attorney side of him showed up.
After checking in with security, Nathan made his way into the cavernous marble entryway to the company's headquarters that, as Nathan would find out, employees referred to as "Central City." The room, larger than many buildings, had green and beige marble walls and floors which were highlighted by a glass ceiling three stories above. In addition to dozens of leather couches and chairs scattered around the area, the perimeter was surrounded by a bookstore, coffee shop, dry cleaner, barber shop, and spa.
"One hell of a waiting room," Nathan thought as he made his way over to the coffee shop.
It was only 8:20 a.m. and orientation was not supposed to start until 8:45 a.m. Nathan grabbed a tall dark roast and headed over to one of the sofas to wait for orientation to begin. This, of course, gave Nathan time to do one of his favorite activities: people watching.
The people criss-crossing through the area were varied. Janitors, secretaries, maintenance workers, and executives were all hurrying in different directions. There were a sizable number of military personnel milling about, no doubt due to OMA's numerous defense contracts, and Nathan took extra delight in checking out the fit guys in their uniforms.
After finishing his coffee, Nathan was taking one last look around before he headed off to orientation when he noticed a group of individuals in suits coming down a large marble staircase. He probably wouldn't have given the group any thought except for the hard-to-miss redhead lagging towards the back of the pack.
Today, Sean Flanagan look older and more mature. He was dressed in an expensive blue suit with a pale blue shirt that highlighted his eyes. Most of the men around him were taking notes and they were led around by a pleasant looking, middle aged woman. Sean was hanging back slightly from the group, though often nodding and sharing looks with the older British gentleman that had been with him in the suit shop.
Nathan couldn't help but stare. He was experiencing the same feeling that had washed over him only two days prior. It was a combination of attraction, warmth, and curiosity.
"Why the hell do I find him so fascinating?" Nathan wondered to himself as the group passed. Nathan was getting annoyed at himself, and therefore, as in irrational extension, annoyed at Sean.
"This is where I work now, why the hell is he here?" Nathan said to himself. "I so do not need this type of distraction right now."
Nathan abruptly stood up, feeling it necessary to make his way to the company's auditorium for the orientation. He knew he needed to get away. He was beginning to get more and more angry at himself and the situation.
"Maybe it is just first day nerves," Nathan tried to tell himself. "Besides, Kris will be at the orientation." This thought made Nathan smile.
Nathan had pretty much been in another world since Saturday night. Kris was amazingly attractive and, most importantly, he seemed like a really nice guy. Nathan and Kris had spoken on the phone 2 or 3 times on Sunday and Nathan was really enjoying getting to know his new friend^Å or was it boyfriend? Nathan wasn't sure yet, but he was eager to find out.
"Please note that anytime your vehicle is in the parking garage, you should be displaying the OMA parking permit on your rear view mirror," the speaker droned on.
Nathan was ready to shoot the Vice-President of Human Resources. He had been talking for almost two hours and didn't seem likely to shut up anytime soon. Nathan had hoped that he would at least get to sit next to Kris during the orientation, but unfortunately, Kris was a little late to the session and was sitting in the back. Kris had managed a quick wave at Nathan when he walked in, which had brought a big smile to Nathan's face.
"And that is why it is important to review the benefits package. Each of you will be scheduled to meet with a HR representative sometime in the next few weeks to go over your benefit options in detail^Å" the speaker continued.
Nathan had almost nodded off when he noticed the speaker motion someone into the auditorium through its large double doors. In walked the tour guide from earlier leading the same group which included Sean. Sean was quietly talking on his cell phone as she was describing the auditorium as one of many meeting sites throughout the building. The British guy from the suit shop was now at the front of the group and seemed to be asking the guide several questions. It seemed to Nathan that this guy was running the show. Nathan wondered if he was an investor or something.
The speaker, however, had paid them little attention apparently unfazed by the interruption, and had now turned his attention to the importance of properly filling out tax forms.
As the tour group passed close to his seat, Nathan couldn't help but once again stare at Sean. Unfortunately, this time, Sean caught him.
As their eyes met, Nathan immediately blushed and turned his eyes back to the speaker. However, as often happens in these situations, now Nathan felt like he had to look back over there to see if Sean was reacting to him looking over there in the first place! After waiting what he felt was an appropriate amount of time, Nathan casually glanced back over to the group. While still speaking on his cell phone, Sean turned back and looked directly at Nathan. This time, Nathan didn't turn away. He wanted to, but couldn't. For whatever reason, Nathan felt like he needed to get to know this guy.
What brought Nathan out of his daze was the thing Nathan least expected.
"Did Sean just wink at me?" Nathan thought.
Before he had a chance to process what happened, Sean slipped out of the auditorium with the rest of the tour.
"Ladies and gentleman, before I turn you loose to report to your supervisors, please be aware that tours of our facilities by investors, stockholders, customers, and government officials, just like the one that just went through here a minute ago, are commonplace. We therefore ask that you keep your desks and workspaces in an orderly fashion. Legal and Accounting, this mean you." the speaker finished matter-of-factly.
Nathan stood up and stretched. It had been a long 3 hours. He wanted to catch up with Kris before they headed off to their respective departments, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to get more information on the tour group.
He managed his way through the horde of new employees and caught up with the HR Vice-President as he was packing up his materials.
"Sir, I just wanted to introduce myself. Nathan O'Dell." Nathan said as he stuck out his hand.
"Good to meet you Mr. O'Dell." The VP said shaking Nathan's hand.
"I appreciate all of the information you provided us today. I am sure it will make the transition period much easier." Nathan said.
"Well, I appreciate those of you who appreciate me," responded the VP. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Actually, Sir, I was just wondering who the tour group was. Were they stockholders?"
"Of course not, this company is 100% American owned," the VP said in a rather condescending manner, "those were representatives of a UK company which is considering becoming a customer of our aviation division. That was a Board member of EIE and his various assistants."
"EIE?" Nathan asked obviously confused.
"Emerald International Enterprises," the VP said with an astonished look on his face. "My, you are green, aren't you? What do they teach you in college?"
"Sorry, Sir, I am with Legal, so I am not too familiar with the business end of things." Nathan said trying to restore his credibility.
"And that is Legal's problem, everyone up there is too busy playing golf and pretending to be busy to actually know what the hell is going on in this company," the VP said with a rather sour look on his face.
"Yes, Sir." Nathan said as he walked away.
"Great," Nathan thought, "I have already pissed off a Vice-President. How the hell am I supposed to know the name of every company we do business with?"
"O'Dell! Where the hell have you been?" screamed George Crock.
"Sorry Sir, I got caught up with Vice President Connelly," Nathan said apologetically.
"Shit, really? That is too bad. Connelly is a fucking prick," said George has he put Nathan in a friendly head lock.
"Welcome to Legal, your new home." George said smiling. "Now listen, just because I am your boss, doesn't mean that you have to fear me, okay?"
"Uh, sure, Sir." Nathan responded.
"Now, in a minute we will go get some lunch and discuss some serious shit. In the meantime, you wanna see your office?" George said as his eyes lit up.
"Yes, I would love to," responded Nathan.
Luckily, the tension from earlier seemed to be subsiding. Though intense, George had a way of making you feel comfortable with him.
"Well, this is it. What do you think?"
Nathan looked around. It was a small office with no windows. The desk and bookcase already made the room look like it was about to burst at its seams.
"Oh, George, thanks. This will be great." Nathan said not wanting to show his disappointment.
"Well, it ain't much, but you are the junior guy around here." George said. "After lunch we have set up some interviews for your secretary. When you hire her, the maximum salary is $26,000 and standard company benefits. If she accepts for less money than that^Å even better. If she is particularly attractive, the guys around here might even buy you a beer."
"You want me to hire a secretary on my own?" Nathan asked.
"Of course, I don't fucking have time to do it. I tee off at 3:00!" George said with a wink. "I am starved, let's go get some food."
Nathan sat utterly amazed that one individual could curse so many times while eating a burrito. It seemed that every other word out of George's mouth was of the four-letter variety. Still, George was a pretty enjoyable guy.
"So, you really ready to be put to work?" George asked.
"Yes Sir. The bar is over with and I can now concentrate full time on my work for OMA." Nathan replied.
"Can I ask you one fucking question?" George asked spraying a bit of chips and salsa on the table.
"Uh^Å sure," Nathan said cautiously.
"Why the hell do you want to work here?" George asked with a great deal of intensity.
Nathan felt like he was back in the interview process. The question made him immediately nervous.
"Well, OMA is a fantastic company with a great reputation. I can learn a lot here and be part of a dynamic legal team." Nathan said in a steady tone.
"Oh my fucking God!" George practically screamed. "That was priceless. Like a damn commercial." George roared.
Nathan wasn't exactly sure how to react and simply stared wide-eyed at George.
After regaining control of himself, George tried again. "Look, let me rephrase. You graduated at the top of your class. You interned with the International Court of Justice in the Hague, for Christ's sake. You could have had any job you wanted."
"But this is the job I wanted, and I this is the job I was offered." Nathan tried to explain.
"Bullshit." George said. "I know that you turned down a judicial clerkship with the U.S. Supreme Court. You were considered the top recruit in International Human Rights law in the nation, maybe even the western world. Non-profits from around the globe were scrambling to get you. Now, you want to come and work for OMA to practice international business and immigration. Do you know how fucking boring processing work VISAs can be?"
The intensity at which George was staring at Nathan made his want to run out of the restaurant. He was definitely not prepared for this line of questioning. Most importantly, he wasn't particularly proud of his answer.
"Look, I am not trying to grill you here, but I am trying to understand what the deal is." George said in a much more reserved, fatherly tone.
"Sir..."
"Call me George, damn it," George interrupted.
"Okay, George. The truth is^Å and I wish it was a more respectable answer, but I did it for the money." Nathan said obviously embarrassed.
"Well, it is completely understandable that you want to buy yourself a few nice things," George said.
"No, that isn't it. I wanted to work at the non-profits and even though it wasn't really what I wanted to do, the Supreme Court would have been an amazing opportunity. The problem is, with all of those jobs, the pay was a concern. I had a full ride to law school, but I still had to take out student loans to live on. Those loans were on top of the loans I took out for undergrad." Nathan said.
"Most importantly," Nathan continued, "my family is pretty much broke. My dad, who is a steelworker, broke both of his legs a few years back and they never healed right. He can't work. My mom, who is a nurse, tries to take extra shifts to make up the difference. They are both getting up in age and have very little left in savings due to my dad's medical bills. Frankly, I need to be able to support them, so I figured with this job I could send home about $3,000 a month to help make up for dad having no income. I probably should have gotten a job closer to them, but, for reasons I don't really want to get into, I don't really get along with them all that well. In short, OMA was the first to recruit me and the first to give me a salary that could support me and my family."
Nathan visibly sighed as he finished his diatribe. He didn't know enough about George to know if he could trust him, but once he had started, it had all just flowed out. Nathan felt sick. All of the guilt and anxiety over taking this job came back to him. He had made sacrifices for his family, and yet they had rarely sacrificed for him. When would he stop trying to win them over?
"Well, I guess that explains it." George said trying to mask the pity in his voice. "Didn't mean to pry."
"It's okay," Nathan said. "At least now you know I am committed to the company for the long haul."
Nathan's afternoon wasn't much of an improvement over his morning. He sat through 2 conference calls, spent an hour on hold with the Department of Homeland Security, and had his computer freeze up on him several times.
After 4 interviews, Nathan had chosen a secretary. Much to the chagrin of the other male attorneys, Nathan did not go for beauty in making his selection. Delores was a 50 year old black lady with a severe attitude about everything. Nathan didn't really know why he chose her over the much more pleasant alternatives, but it was just that kind of day.
Nathan was packing up his briefcase and looking forward to forgetting about the day when he heard his cell phone ring.
"Hello."
"Oh my god! Did you just love your first day or what?" squealed Allie into the phone.
Just her voice made Nathan relax a bit. "Actually, it was hell." Nathan responded.
"Don't say that, I am sure it was fine. But you can tell me all about it later. How long before you get home?"
"I am leaving here in about 10 minutes. I should be home by 6," Nathan said.
"Great, I will bring Chinese. I am starving. You know I haven't seen you in, like, forever. Do you think Rick and Sarah will be there? Maybe we should just order a few pizzas. Or we could always just meet somewhere." Allie quickly blabbed into the phone.
"Sweetie, just pick me up some Walnut Chicken and fried rice. I will see you at my place at 6." Nathan said as he hung up the phone. He knew from experience it was easier to end phone conversations with Allie as soon as humanly possible.
Allie was exactly what Nathan needed. They ate, laughed, talked about trivial matters and sat around most of the evening watching old episodes of Absolutely Fabulous on DVD. All in all, things were going well. Nathan had filled Allie in on all of the details of Kris and the past few days, and had even had mentioned his weird run-ins with Sean. Allie had mostly giggled when Nathan was describing his attraction to Kris and Nathan knew that Allie was, herself, pretty attracted to Kris. On the other hand, Allie had been particularly interested when Nathan mentioned Sean.
"Maybe it is a sign," she said seriously as they sat side by side on the floor watching the TV. "You have now ran into him in two, completely unrelated places. Maybe he is the one that is supposed to bear your children," she concluded.
"Actually, with his whole having a penis and all, I doubt his womb is very fertile." Nathan said smirking.
"You know what I mean. Oh my God you have thought about his penis, haven't you? Maybe you are soul-mates. Or, better yet, maybe he is stalking you. Or maybe he isn't even Irish, but actually one of those white Africans that send spam out to people's emails telling them that they want to wire 35 million dollars to their bank account."
"Have you ever been checked for ADD?" Nathan asked with a huge smile on his face.
"Nah, I just don't have the switch in my brain that tells me when to stop speaking," Allie responded with a proud look on her face. "It is what makes me^Å me."
"Well, I guess I am glad you are you." Nathan said as he laid down with his head in her lap.
For a good 15 minutes, they were content to just sit each lost in their own thoughts. Though Allie was definitely a talker, she and Nathan could often get to that place where they were both just happy to be around each other.
"I got something to tell you," Allie said as she mindlessly stroked Nathan's hair.
"What?"
"I got a job." Allie said.
"That is fantastic," Nathan practically shouted as he sat up. "Where? With who?"
"Promise you won't laugh?" Allie said looking a bit shy.
"You know I won't laugh. Now tell me."
"Greenpeace."
"Really, you got a job doing legal for Greenpeace? That is awesome!" Nathan said obviously excited.
Allie was immediately relieved there were no tree hugger jokes.
"Yeah, my folks are going to shit a solid gold brick," Allie said laughing. "They use more fossil fuels in one month than most countries use in a year."
Nathan didn't doubt it. Allie's folks owned an open seas cargo business.
"There is one downside though." Allie said slowing as she looked directly at Nathan.
"There are always downsides, Allie. What is it?"
"The work is at their Eastern headquarters in Washington D.C."
"Oh," Nathan whispered as the reality of the situation sunk in.
"But it doesn't mean we won't get to see each other. Honest. I will fly back here once every six weeks or so and we can hang out and eat ice cream and talk about sex," she said trying to cheer me up.
"No, it will be great. And yeah, you're right, we will get to see each other quite a bit." Nathan muttered though really not believing it.
"That's right. Things will be just like always. I promise." Allie said as she reached over and gave Nathan a hug.
"Of course they will," Nathan said.
Another silence overtook them, only this one wasn't nearly as pleasant.
"Well, it is getting late and I need to get up in the morning. I better get to bed soon," Nathan said hoping that Allie would get the hint.
In fact, it was only about 9:15 p.m., but Allie knew not to push the issue. Nathan had had a very long day and she knew that she had just dropped a bomb on him. She gave him one more hug and made her way out of his apartment.
Nathan was left alone in a very hot, non-air conditioned apartment. Rick was staying over at Sarah's because of the heat, and wasn't due back until, as he put it, "the goddamned heat breaks."
Tired and emotionally drained, Nathan decided to turn in. As he went over to lock the front door, his cell phone began to ring. He looked down to see who was calling.
"Shit," Nathan said out loud.
It was Kris. Nathan suddenly realized that he hadn't talked to Kris all day. He never caught up with him after the orientation. He was supposed to go to lunch with him, but he ended up having a heart to heart with George. He even forgot to call him after work.
"Shit, shit, shit," Nathan muttered under his breath as the phone continued to ring. He knew he needed to bite the bullet.
"Hello," Nathan said innocently into the phone.
"Where the fuck have you been? Why the hell haven't you called me?" Kris was practically shouting into the phone.
"Whoa, hold on." Nathan said immediately on the defensive. "Can't I get a `hey, how's it going?'"
"No, I am pissed. Look, if you only want this whole thing to be on your terms, then you can go fuck yourself." Kris screamed into the phone right before hanging up.
"What the hell was that?" Nathan thought as he stared at his phone.
He was exhausted and the day had just continually gotten worse. After stripping down and brushing his teeth, Nathan crawled into bed. Closing his eyes, he prayed that tomorrow would be a better day.
++++++
There is Chapter 3. I had a little extra time to work on it this weekend. I have a pretty busy week this week, but I will try to get the next chapter out sometime in the next 7 to 10 days.
Thanks for all of the feedback so far. I really appreciate the words of wisdom, encouragement, and even the constructive criticism.
Email me at juris_stories@yahoo.com