I do not know, nor do I claim to any of the celebrities that may wander through these pages, and I do not know, or therefore mean to imply any knowledge of their personal lives or their sexual preferences. This story is a work of fiction, and the character of Caleb is my own creation, therefore, any use of him outside of this story must be done so by first gaining my permission. If you are under 18 years of age, or it is illegal for you to be reading this where you live, or you are bothered by the prospect of a homo-erotic relationship between one or more men, then you had better go find something else to read on another website.
Well, hard to believe September is almost over already.....Another month or so, and Maggie and Peter will be welcoming their first child, making our favorite Jake an uncle! I just want to take a quick moment to say thank you to Avy and Christopher. I really enjoy our little "writers support group" on AIM. It's really nice to be able to talk with 2 of my favorite writers and swap ideas....If you haven't checked it out yet, I suggest http://groups.msn.com/TheGyllenhaalChronicles It's run by Avy, and there's a lot of good stuff there. If you haven't yet, go check it out, you'll enjoy it. And now, without further ado, part two of Flying Blind......
The silence following Caleb's statement was broken by the front doorbell ringing.
"I'll get it," Bridget said, giving Michael a look which clearly said, 'don't you dare start without me!' They could hear the front door opening, and Bridget's exclaimed, "Miss Diandra!", and then the front door closed and they were re-joined several seconds later by Bridget and Diandra, Caleb and Michael's sister. Diandra was thirty-two years old. She stood five-foot-seven with short, curly, black hair, and blue eyes.
"So, have I missed the fireworks yet?" she asked.
"Nope, you're just in time," Caleb replied.
"You mean you knew about this?" Michael asked accusingly, rounding on his younger sister.
"Of course! Caleb had to talk to someone who wouldn't give him a hard time about this. In case it's escaped your attention, he's not a kid anymore....He's got a job, which pays quite well, I might add, he just got a promotion, he went through four years in college living in the dorms, for Pete's sake! What more do you want from him? I mean, hell, he's even got a tongue piercing for Christ's sake!"
"What!?!" Michael exploded.
"Thanks sis," Caleb said sardonically. "I was hoping to get out of the house without him ever finding out...."
"Caleb....." Michael began.
"No. Michael, listen to me, please. It's time.....I'm doing this as much for you as for me....Just because I'm blind, doesn't mean I can't 'see'. I know how much you feel like you need to take care of me, but really, you don't. In case you haven't noticed, I've been taking care of myself for quite some time now.....I need to do this."
"Aw, Caleb....."
"I made another appointment tomorrow afternoon to see the loft. I'd really like it if you would all come and check it out......"
"Alright," Michael said grudgingly.
"Great!" Caleb said. He felt Michael pulling him off away from the women.
"So, you r eally got your tongue pierced?"
"Yeah, back in college."
"So how come I never noticed it?"
"I keep a clear spacer in it. I'll put it back in tomorrow, after we get back home."
"So you're really ready to do this?" Michael asked.
"Yeah.....You know, you had an easier time accepting things when I came out of the closet than this....."
"That was not something I could control.....This is, or so I thought.....You really are ready for this, aren't you?"
"Yup."
"Okay, so tell me about this new place of yours," Michael prompted.
"Well, it's huge! We're talking twenty-foot ceilings......" Caleb said, beginning to describe his future home, as Bridget, Karen, and Diandra came over to listen in.
The following afternoon, Bridget came back to Michael's house after she went to church, and then Sunday lunch with a group of lady friends. They left in two cars, and before long they were parked in front of the building. Several minutes later Alexandra Batltrain was pulling up. After introductions were made, Alexandra was leading the way through the sliding double doors in front of the building, and explaining, "This is the public entrance. Other than a key, the only way to get past the security doors back here is to be buzzed in by a resident. You'll notice the phone. The row of buttons next to the handset is numbered to go to the corresponding loft spaces. Also there are no names listed next to the residence numbers, so as to protect the privacy of the residents. Mail delivery is right to the door. There's a group of regular deliverymen. They park down in the parking garage, and then make the deliveries. There's also a security camera up in the corner which is on at all times and monitored by Building Security 24 hours a day. The camera also has a link-up to each loft, so when someone calls a particular loft, that resident can see who is there and buzz them in"
From their vantage point in the outer lobby area, they could see a uniformed security guard sitting behind the desk studying them carefully. Using her key, Alexandra opened the security door, and ushered everyone inside. She introduced Frank the security guard before they got on the large elevator.
Caleb pulled on the top part, and the bottom came up to meet it, and then he pushed the button for the fifteenth floor, and the lift began its smooth ride up. When the elevator came to a halt, Caleb opened the gates, and let the others exit before allowing Sheila to lead him out into his future home.
"Well, what do you guys think?"
Michael slowly walked around the space, taking note of every tiny detail. The long walls at the front and back had drywall hung from floor to ceiling, and the short end walls were exposed brick, probably to allow for the placement of future windows. There were six columns, spaced accordingly and placed in pairs of two, which he was pretty sure were steel "I" beams encased in brick and drywall.
"What's behind the drywall, if I might ask?"
"Instead of the standard 2x4 studwork that you find in most homes, they went with 6x6 posts. Everything has been updated. HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. They also put in extra thick insulation. What you see is what you get. The owners get to pick out their own paints, appliances, cabinets, countertops and such," Alexandra replied.
"Caleb, you have to let me help you do this up right!" Diandra begged.
"I don't know....." Caleb began.
"Oh give me a break! It's what I do for a living, and besides, t his place has so many possibilities....." she said, letting her words trail off.
"Like there was ever any chance of me having anyone else do it!" Caleb said with a grin. "I suppose you still have that folder that mom started years ago, with stuff that she saved out of catalogs and magazines, in case she and dad ever built their 'dream house?' "
"Of course, and it's been added to, and updated over the past ten years."
"Good. You can help me go thru it later. Alexandra would tomorrow be soon enough for me to come in and finalize everything? I need to go to the bank first, but I should be able to make it into your office by.....11:30 at the latest."
"That would be just fine."
"Good, then let's all get on out of here," Caleb said as he lead the way back to the elevator.
"Okay, tell me what it's really like," Caleb asked Diandra once they got back home.
"It's huge! Okay, you get off the elevator, and, I can't be sure without going in and measuring, but I would hazard to guess that it's probably about a hundred feet deep by about two hundred fifteen or so feet wide....I'm still trying to take it all in.....That's one huge-ass space you got yourself there, little brother!"
"I did good?"
"You did better than good! You did great!" Michael said, coming and sitting down with the two of them. "I'm halfway tempted to put this place on the market and see if I can't manage to get one of those lofts for myself somewhere!"
"I think my building is full, and I don't want to share," Caleb replied.
"Gee, thanks a lot!"
"No offense, but I need my own place, and you and Karen need some time to yourselves."
"This is very true," Michael said.
After that, conversation drifted towards more general topics, and Caleb, Michael, Karen and Diandra spent a quiet, enjoyable evening together.
The following morning, Caleb, accompanied by Michael, went down to his bank and had a cashiers check made out for three quarters of the asking price of the loft, and then they went down to Alexandra Baltrain's office where they worked their way through a thick stack of paperwork regarding Caleb's purchase of the loft . When they left the office, Caleb had the keys to his new home with him.
"So now what?" Michael asked, while they waited for the elevator.
"How about a late lunch, my treat?" Caleb replied.
"Okay, where?" Michael wanted to know.
"You pick, I'll pay."
"Okay, how about the Bistro at the Bonaventure?" Michael suggested.
"Sounds good, lead the way," Caleb said, when the elevato r arrived. Michael entered first, and Sheila lead Caleb onboard.
The doors closed and Caleb inhaled, and then exhaled on a sigh. It was that cologne again! He turned and took off his sunglasses.
"It's you!" he exclaimed.
"Guilty. We meet again," said the familiar voice.
"Caleb. Caleb Stephens," Caleb said extending his hand.
"Josh Duhamel," he said, taking Caleb's hand in one of his. It was warm, and his grip was firm as they shook hands. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked. Caleb could hear the smile in his voice.
"Your cologne. The eyes may not be working right anymore, but the nose works better than ever," he replied, tapping the side of his nose with his index finger.
They were interrupted by a discreet cough.
"I'm sorry, this is my older brother Michael, who also just so happens to be my lawyer," Caleb said by way of introduction.
"I know who Michael is, I was just wondering what the connection was between the two of you," Josh said.
"Oh?" Caleb asked.
"Josh is a client," Michael said.
"Aahh," Caleb replied.
"I liked the two articles you did for 'L.A. Lifestyle.' Any plans to do anymore?" Josh asked.
"Funny you should mention that," Caleb said with a mischievous grin, as the elevator stopped at the lobby, and the doors slid open. "Ask your publicist about your next interview for us," he said as the three of them exited the lift and immediately reached for their sunglasses.
"Oh? Now you've piqued my curiosity," Josh said. "I really need to get over to the set..... Would you like to get together sometime for dinner or something? I'd definitely like to talk to you some more....."
"I'd like that," Caleb replied.
"Great!" Josh said, his smile warm and genuine. "Michael can give you my number....I hope to hear from you soon," he said as he reached out and took Caleb's hand in his and shook it once more. "Call me!"
"I will....."
"I'll talk to ya later then," Josh said, and then he was heading out through the sliding double doors.
"I take you've met before?" Michael asked.
"I'll explain over lunch. Let's go, I'm starving," Caleb said.
Michael followed the hostess, and Sheila expertly guided Caleb through the maze of tables without a single mishap. When they were seated and their beverage orders taken, Michael picked up where he had left off.
"So you met Josh once before?" he prompted.
"In a manner of speaking. It was just this past Saturday. We rode up in the elevator together. He let me know where Alexandra's office was when I got off the elevator. He was wearing the same cologne then, too."
"Well, you certainly made quite the impression, little brother."
"You think?" Caleb asked as he read a menu in Braille.
"I know!" Michael said closing his menu as the waiter came t o take their orders. Michael ordered a turkey club sandwich on whole wheat with a side order of slaw slaw, and Caleb ordered a hamburger and fries. Both opted to stick with their lemonades as a beverage, and declined soup or salad.
Removing his sunglasses to the open collar of his shirt, Caleb lightly rested his hands on the cloth covered table and gently moved his hands outward, getting a feel for the area immediately in front of him. He found the silverware and mentally noted what was placed where. After he had "taken inventory" of the table, he started turning his head slightly to the left and right, and cocking it this way and that, listening.
"What?" Michael asked.
"I've been trying to figure out where I was going to do my interviews. Someplace that would put everyone involved at ease.....I think I've found the place. I like it here. I'll have to wait until we're done eating, and see how the overall service is."
"Mmmm"
"So, have you and Karen set a date yet?"
"No! We haven't really had a chance to talk about it since you dropped your little bombshell the other night."
"Well, what are you waiting for? You should see if you can get reservations for dinner upstairs tonight and then talk about it!" Caleb said as their orders came.
"I set the plate down so that the burger is at the top, and the fries are at the bottom, closest to you. If you'd like, I can bring a small dish for some ketchup?"
"That would be great......"
"Paul."
"Thanks Paul, that would be very much appreciated."
"I'll be right back with that sir."
While he waited, Caleb felt around the plate to figure out exactly where everything was at, and then he slid the napkin gingerly out from underneath the silverware, and placed it neatly across his lap.
"That's twice in three days time that I've encountered Josh in that building....."
"His agent is on the 21st floor," Michael said.
"That's what I figured it probably was."
"Here you go sir," Paul the waiter said coming back.
Caleb held out his hand, and felt the small-sized bowl placed in the palm of his hand. "Thank you Paul, very much."
"If you need anything else, just let me know," Paul said as he headed off to another table.
There was very little conversation as Caleb and Michael concentrated on eating their lunches. When they were done, both declined dessert, and Caleb took out his Visa Card and handed it to Paul, along with the check. When Paul came back with his card and receipt, Caleb asked to speak with the restaurant manager.
Several minutes later, Michael discreetly cleared his throat.
"Mr. Stephens? I understand you wished to speak with me?" said a man to his left. "Your service was satisfactory, I hope?"
"Yes, very much so. In fact that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I've just recently been given a promotion where I work, for 'L.A. Lifestyle' magazine, and I'm going to be conducting a number of interviews, with the first one being this Thursday. I've been trying to figure out where would be a good place to do them, and after having lunch here this afternoon, I've decided to end my search. I've decided to conduct all of my interviews here. What I would need would be a table large enough to accommodate.....six.....at the most, preferably near th e water, and also somewhat private, as the interviews are all going to be well known celebrities. Oh, and because of his excellent service, I'd also like for Paul to be my regular server, if that would be possible."
"I don't see why not."
"Great! I'm going to make a couple of phone calls this afternoon to get things rolling on my end of things," Caleb said.
"And if you will give me a call tomorrow afternoon, say.....after 4:00.....I should have things set up at this end," the Manager stated.
"Great! I will talk to you tomorrow afternoon then," Caleb said as he extended his hand. "Thank you, very much."
"No Mr. Stephens, thank you very much!"
And with that the Manager excused both himself and Paul, and walked away, and Caleb put his credit card back in his wallet, and then leaned down slightly to feel for Sheila's leash, and then he and Michael both stood up and began to make their way out of the restaurant.
As they were crossing through the Galleria, Michael stopped and said, "wait here a minute, I'll be right back," and then he was gone. He was back a couple of minutes later.
"Well?" Caleb asked.
"I was able to get a table upstairs for tonight," Michael replied.
Caleb waited several seconds until they were walking once again before responding, "Good!" with a huge grin on his face.
"Well, that was a pleasant surprise," Caleb said, hanging up the phone.
"What?" Michael asked.
"That was Harry. He just got done talking to Studio Publicity. My first interview is going to be a doosey!"
"Adrien Brody, right? For 'Hollywoodland'?"
"Plus Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, and Bob Hoskins."
"Wow!" Michael said, momentarily nonplussed.
"Yeah, tell me about it! Now I'll have to do some more research and come up with some more questions....."
"Oh well, you'll do fine."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because you've pretty much done everything that you've ever set out to do."
"Hmmm.....Oh well, I'm going to go see what I can find out about the other three, before Thursday....."
"I wouldn't be surprised if you get a press kit tomorrow for all four of them," Michael said.
"I wouldn't be either," Caleb replied. "Well, I think I'll go sit out back and read for a bit until Diandra gets here."
"Okay." With that, Caleb picked up a Braille edition of that mornings newspaper and headed out the back door, to the covered back patio.
Caleb spent the next several days going over what he wanted to talk about when he met with Diane, Adrien, Bob, a nd Ben, and his evenings discussing what he wanted for the loft with Diandra.
He had also called the Lakeview Bistro to make sure everything was all set for that Thursday's lunch meeting, and called Harry to let him know that the "last minute" change of plans wouldn't be a problem.
Thursday morning dawned clear and bright, and Caleb got up and went about his usual morning routine. After eating breakfast, he went back to his room and opened his closet to pick out what he would wear. He chose a pair of tight fitting Levi's, a white long sleeved s hirt, and a black jacket, which he laid out on the bed, and got socks and underwear from the dresser . Taking the jeans, socks, and underwear, he headed down the hall towards the bathroom, Sheila following obediently at his heels.
After getting out of the shower and drying off, Caleb applied some deodorant and then pulled on his socks, underwear, and jeans, and went and stood in front of the sink. Running his hands over his cheeks and chin, he was glad to be blessed with smooth skin, as it really did tend to make shaving that much easier. Opening the drawer to his right, he pulled out his brush and a disposable razor and set them both on the counter.
Twenty minutes later, Caleb was done shaving and brushing his teeth, and he went back down the hall to his room to finish getting dressed. Putting on the shirt, he buttoned it up, t ucked it in, and rolled up the sleeves, and then made his way over to the dresser, where he felt across the top for the small hinged box that he kept there. Finding it, he opened it and felt around inside until he found what he was looking for, and took it out.
Opening his mouth, Caleb stuck out his tongue and removed the spacer, and inserted the stainless steel rod, then made sure the balls were on good and tight. Going back to the bad, he sat down and pulled on a pair of black cowboy boots, picked up the jacket, got his wallet and cell phone off the nightstand, and left the room, Sheila at his side.
Going into the living room, Caleb flipped his phone open, and hit the "Phone Book" button. A woman's voice started to run through the list of numbers, leaving a five second pause between numbers for Caleb to decide what he was going to do. When the number for the cab company was announced, Caleb hit speed dial and waited. When the phone was answered on the other end, Caleb requested a cab, asking for Brian specifically. While he waited for his cab to arrive, Caleb checked his book-bag to make sure he had his mini-cassette recorder and a decent supply of blank tapes. A short time later, the doorbell rang, and Bridget came bustling out of the kitchen to answer the door.
"We had a call for a cab?" Caleb recognized Brian's voice right off the bat.
"Hi Brian."
"Well hi Caleb, how's it going?"
"Pretty good. I'm starting my new job today."
"Hey, that's great!"
"Yeah. I'm kind of nervous and excited at the same time."
"You'll do fine. So, where are we headed?" Brian asked once they were in the cab and both had their seat belts on.
"The Bonaventure Hotel. I'm going to be doing all of my interviews there."
"Well, that's pretty cool! So who's your first interview going to be?"
"Uh-uh! You'll have to buy 'L.A. Lifestyle' magazine next Friday and read it for yourself!" Caleb said with a smile.
"Okay, will do!" After that, conversation drifted into other topics until they reached the hotel. Once there, Caleb paid his fair, and then Brian got out and came around to open the door for him, and then let Sheila out of the back seat.
"Now, you be sure to give me a call when you're ready to head back, ok?" Brian said.
"Sure thing," Caleb replied. After Brian got back in his cab and drove off, Caleb turned toward the sounds of the doors opening, and stood, lost in thought.
"Hey, Caleb, you doin ok?" asked a voice to his right. It was Jack Farmer, one of the magazine's better staff photographers.
"Yeah, just wondering if I haven't bitten off more than I can chew....."
"Nah, you'll do just fine. Just be yourself and the rest will go just like clockwork."
"I'm glad I thought to ask for you to shoot the pics for my interviews."
"Hey, me too! The magazine's picking up the tab for lunch, so, what the hell, right?" Jack asked.
"Exactly! Let's go knock out an interview that will knock their pants off!" Caleb replied as he squared his shoulders and headed for the entrance, Jack and Sheila leading the way.
When they reached the Lakeside Bistro, Caleb gave his name to the hostess and then Sheila was leading him behind the hostess through the maze of tables to where they would be seated. "I'll be expecting four more shortly," he said to the hostess before she left.
Pulling out a chair, Caleb took off his jacket and hung it over the back and sat down, taking out the tape recorder and a couple of extra tapes. Each tape was ninety minutes long, with forty-five minutes per side. Caleb took his phone out of his jacket pocket and flipped it open, scrolling through the menu until he came to the alarm option, and set it for forty-five minutes. The tape recorder was specially designed so that it would beep several times when it was ready to record, and again before the recordable part of the tape was due to run out. More ready, he would never be, Caleb thought to himself. The only thing left to do now was wait, which as it turned out, he didn't have to do for long.
"Heads up, it's show time," Jack murmured, and Caleb heard him scooting his chair back to stand up, and did the same.
The jeans that Caleb had chosen that morning had been chosen on purpose. He knew full well just how tight they were, highlighting his firm muscular ass, and cupping his cock and balls like a lovers caress.
"Hi, Caleb Stephens," he said, extending his hand over the table. He felt a slightly rough, warm, masculine hand take his in a firm grip and they shook hands.
"Hi, Adrien Brody. I guess I'm the first one to show up?"
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Well, that's it for part two. 2 celebrities showing up! I want to thank Avy and Chris for their constant and ongoing support! You guys rock! Feedback!! It's a writer's lifeblood! Please write your favorite authors! My email is dnsphelps@mcsi.net and my IM's are as follows, yahoo and msn are the same name, twains_fan_03, and AIM is GuyOregon8. I hope you liked it, and I hope to hear from more of you!
Stephen