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Note to Reader: Well it only took 4 months but I'm back. I've had this chapter for some time but it just didn't feel "right". I hope you enjoy it...and yes, I will have much more to share.
Michael Chapter 5
Andrew Johnson was nervous as he drove home. His palms slipped on the steering wheel of his bright blue VW Bug. He tried to drown out the butterflies in his stomach with some hard rock music but it didn't help. Maybe for the first time in his life he had done something that he knew was right but could have the shit beat out of him.
Andrew followed the rush hour traffic at its demandingly slow pace. He was hot, sweaty, and tired. He reached for the tie around his neck and loosened it with the top couple of buttons. Finally, there was a break in the snail-paced traffic and he was free to drive faster and get home that much sooner.
Finally he pulled into his space at his apartment and got out. He grabbed the remnants of his lunch, closed and locked the bug and went inside his apartment. Even though he stepped inside the doors of the secured building, it was still hot. The air was stagnant and stale. He stopped and got his mail. "Damn," he muttered to himself, "mostly bills." He sighed.
He went up to his one bedroom apartment and opened the door. Instantly the cool rush of air-conditioned air blasted the front of his body as he made his way inside and locked the door. His apartment was sparsely furnished. It contained a brown colored couch, television, and a small table with two chairs for eating. He went to his room and quickly shed his clothes. The rush of air against his bladder reminded him he needed to piss. Before he went to the bathroom, he hit the button on his computer to get it warmed up while he took care of business.
Upon his return, the computer was alive. He quickly looked over the performance of his portfolio of stocks and bonds. Thankfully he had the insight to pull his money out of some more of the volatile telecommunication and energy stocks before their fall. He figured that he'd return the money to those stocks once they got their books audited and the crooks were taken to jail.
He clicked on his e-mail program waiting for it to come up. He got up and found a t-shirt and jogging shorts to wear. Andrew rarely wore much more than that around the house. He saw his reflection in the full-sized mirror on the back of his door. He wasn't out of shape but his fiery short red hair, blue eyes, and very pale skin needed some attention. His mom was always after him to fatten up but being the nervous person he was, his weight and stature had more to do with being scared of his shadow and not from lack of exercise.
He put on his shirt and jogging shorts as he returned to his computer. Since no one had access to his computer the e-mail program had his password saved so he didn't have to type each time. He saw another e-mail from his mother. He didn't open it. There was some junk mail to delete but nothing that really caught his eye.
He left the computer on as he went back to kitchen. He opened up the freezer and pulled out a meal for one. He opened it, set the microwave, and then let the concoction cook its allotted time. It wasn't gourmet but it was cheaper than eating out or trying to cook for himself and throwing away perfectly good food.
With supper finished, Andrew returned to his room. He decided to play online a little. He surfed, chatted with some friends, and checked his e-mail once more. It was only 7 p.m. He was bored.
Andrew went to his couch, spread out, and turned on the television. He closed his eyes for just a bit until a knock at his door woke him up. He thought he was dreaming. He saw the television still on but before he could see if the knock came from the television, the rapping was repeated.
"Coming!" Andrew shouted. "I'm coming!"
Andrew groaned as he attempted to lift himself off the couch. He looked over at the clock on the stove as he passed by; it read 9 p.m. Damn, he said to himself, how could I have slept so long? I must have been tired.
"Who is it?" Andrew asked as he looked out the peephole. He saw a rugged looking man. He didn't know the guy.
"My name is Randy Hanson. I'm a friend of Robert Jennings. I've got something I need to talk to you about." The voice was masculine and firm.
Andrew wasn't sure of what he should do. He opened the door but keeping the security bolt in place. When he saw the hulk of a man before him, he gasped. "How do I know you really know Robert?"
"Listen bud," Randy smiled, "I know Robert and I know his boss, Michael. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need a few minutes of your time. I'm a private investigator."
Andrew's stomach tightened. He knew what this was about. He knew he just gave himself away with his startled look. "Well I guess you can come in." Andrew closed the door and unlocked the bolt. He got out of Randy's way.
"So did you write this?" Randy showed him the note that was on Robert's car earlier.
Andrew couldn't lie. His palms were already sweating. He felt like throwing up. He felt the blood rush to his face in embarrassment. He spoke quietly, "yeah, I wrote it."
Andrew walked away and sat on the coach. Randy followed behind him. Andrew put his head in his hands and started to cry. He knew what he was doing earlier. He liked Robert. He just didn't want to be caught. Not even 24 hours have passed and he knew if Michael ever heard about this, he'd be fired.
Randy looked on the pitiful character before him. Yeah, Randy might have a rough exterior but inside he was just torn up for this kid. He knew before the kid unlocked the door that this Andrew was going to be an easy mark.
"Hey kid, it's okay. Robert hired me. He kinda knew it was you anyway. So why did you write it?" Randy grabbed one of the chairs from the table and sat backwards on it.
Andrew continued to sob. "Because, because, because I like Robert. I didn't want that fuckhead to get one over on Robert. I didn't want to be a part of their game anymore."
Randy looked at the figure before him. He wondered back to when "fuckbait", Michael, and he were in Michael's kitchen. Something Michael said about this kid but didn't go into details.
"Hey man, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just hired to get some answers and maybe have a little fun in the meantime. But I gotta ask ya, who is the "fuckhead" and who are "they"?
Andrew wiped away his tears with his shirt. He saw a box of tissues close by and blew his nose. He started to explain what happened in the board room the other day and how after the confrontation with Michael, Tad Reynolds swore to get Robert. Tad said he'd dig up some dirt on Robert and get his ass fired.
Andrew continued, "I warned him to leave it alone but it's like this guy has a serious chip on his shoulder."
"But why didn't you just tell Robert and Michael about this?" Randy was cautious not to let on that the two were a couple.
Andrew laughed. "Are you kidding, me? I could never do that. I'm so fuckin' scared of my shadow I don't even like to see it following behind me. I've never been good at confrontations. I figured I'd just put the note on Robert's windshield and then step out of it."
Randy liked Andrew. There was something about him Randy wanted to know in greater detail but couldn't put his finger on it.
"Well Andrew, you're not out of it by a long shot. Tell you what, I'm not going to say anything to Robert about this conversation." Randy looked around then decided to probe a little further. "But there is one thing you haven't answered for me. Who is 'they'?"
"Supposedly Tad has some other people in the company that aren't happy with Robert's sexual orientation. I don't know why though. The guy is the most professional person I've ever seen. Always dressed up, nice to everyone, gets his work done, and well, he's just a good guy." Andrew straightened up.
"Hey Andy, you don't mind me calling you that do you?" Randy looked into Andy's eyes.
"Naw, I wish more people would." Andrew returned his stare.
"Are you gay?" Randy didn't drop his eyes. He wanted the answer.
Andrew broke the stare. "Um, well, no, but well, I'm not sure."
"In my experience Andy, you either are or you're not. Why aren't you sure?" Randy pushed further. He kept his distance but he felt his cock hardening in his jeans.
Andrew blushed. He kind of smiled and laughed just a bit. He didn't look at Randy, but answered, "Because I'm a virgin."
Not much surprised Randy but he was surprised at the mention of another guy being a virgin. "Are you fuckin' with me?" Randy smiled.
Andrew looked up into Randy's eyes. He locked his stare and said, "I've never been with a girl or a guy."
Silence. Neither male moved. It wasn't hot in the apartment but for the first time, Randy was breaking a sweat. He had two options. Either take advantage of this fresh meat, or leave.
Randy stood up. "Well Andrew, I'm not going to take anymore of your time. I want you to know I'm going to keep this conversation between us but you should know that Robert is on to you. He's gonna ask you about the note. But as for the rest of this conversation, it's just between you and me." Randy winked.
Andrew stood up and didn't notice that his shorts actually tented slightly. Randy did, but then again Randy noticed everything. Andrew went to the door and extended a hand. Randy shook the firm fine hand before him.
"Tell you what, I'd like to buy you a beer sometime." Randy said before exiting. "After all this is done I'd like to do some stuff with ya. Nothing serious, just maybe pizza and a movie?
"I'd like that." Andrew was surprised at the invitation. "And thanks for not telling Robert it was me."
Randy smiled. "Like I said, Andy, he's got you figured out. You just need to be honest with him, okay?"
"Okay. See ya around!" Andrew sighed as he closed the door. He watched the tall masculine figure walk towards the stairs as the final crack of light from the hallway was closed out. He locked the door and stood with the door supporting his body.
"What a day!" Andrew shut off the television and went to bed. It was only 10 p.m.
The next day seemed to start off without a hitch. Michael and Robert shared some intimate moments in bed before getting showered, shaved, and off to work. It was strictly a toast and coffee morning for breakfast since they spent a little too much time in bed.
"You know something Robert, I'm going to have to figure something else out for my workout schedule at this rate. This is the second day and I haven't hit the gym." Michael smiled as he gathered his wallet and PDA.
"I think you got plenty of exercise last night. I don't think you need to worry about getting anymore love handles. Besides, I like the ones you've got." Robert laughed.
"Oh gee, thanks." Michael finished off his coffee and shut off the pot. Robert had his stuff in order already and came over to Michael.
Their bodies met. They didn't really kiss but the heat of each other's body was felt through the clothes. Robert kissed Michael taking care not to mess anything up. He did tease Michael with a small grind of his cock into Michael's crotch.
"You are terrible, do you know that?" Michael broke away and straightened himself out.
"I just wanted you to remember me, that's all." Robert smirked as he gathered his belongings. "Hey, I love you."
Michael looked over at Robert. He sighed. "Ditto."
Robert rolled his eyes. They both headed for the door. Robert put all his stuff in his car and Michael entered the garage and got his vehicle revved up for the long drive into work.
It was 7:45 a.m. when the two arrived at work. They arrived in different elevators but at the same time. Michael leaned over to Robert. "Have a good day, call if you have any problems." Robert smiled and went his way.
Robert got settled into his office when there was a knock.
"Come in" Robert yelled as he dropped his pen.
The figure entered the office. As Robert looked up after locating his pen, he was greeted by the figure of Tad Reynolds.
"Good morning Robert." Tad said coldly. "So did you have a good evening last night?"
Robert was instantly on the defensive. He took a deep breath but managed to keep his cool.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. What might I do for you?" Robert said with the slightest glint of callous demeanor.
"Oh nothing, I was just wondering, that's all. I was passing by and thought I'd check in on you. Well have a good day." Tad turned and left the office.
Robert thought to himself, "What a prick, and on such a lovely day too." He snickered and turned on his computer. While he waited he saw Andrew Johnson passing by.
"Hey Andrew, could you come in here for a moment?" Robert yelled through the open door.
Andrew was almost past but entered. "Yeah Robert, what can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to make sure you get those figures from the Dillingham project today. We should have them by day's end. I think we might want to plan to stay late tonight to figure out what's left to do." Robert looked at Andrew's nervous figure before him.
Andrew sighed. "Yeah, sure. I think we should. There's a lot of work to be done before Friday. Do you want to order Chinese or do we want pizza?"
"I'll let you decide. Just let Amanda know so she can order it. Michael can pay for this dinner." Robert smiled at the suggestion.
"Do you think he'll be joining us tonight?" Andrew was curious.
"You know, I'm not sure. I wouldn't be surprised if he did but I'll ask him later." Robert's computer now was awake and ready for the daily load of e-mail reading.
"That would be good, I'm sure we could use his help. I'll see you later." Andrew left.
Robert wanted to ask him about the note but decided to let it lie. Maybe tonight, when Andrew's defenses were down, he could slip it in a casual conversation. He needed to know.
The rest of the day seemed to hurry by without incident. The information Robert and Andrew needed for the project arrived at 3 p.m. To get a jump on organizing the information, they dropped their other tasks and got to work on the figures and information before them. They both quickly realized that the information wasn't really all that disorganized. They actually had all their information, facts, figures, and projections finished by 8 p.m.
They looked around Robert's office and saw a mess of Chinese boxes and soda cans.
"Here, let me help you clean this up." Andrew offered generously.
"Oh sure, and while you're at it, why not come on over and clean up my apartment too?" Robert laughed.
"You couldn't afford me. I'm good and expensive." Andrew countered. It only took him about 10 minutes to tidy up.
"So do you think we're ready for Friday?" Robert asked.
"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Yeah, I think we are. There are a few things we need to clarify tomorrow but nothing too serious. I think Michael will be satisfied with our work." Andrew was proud of what they accomplished.
"So what made you put the note on my car last night Andrew?" Robert was utilizing the few minutes he had left.
"What note, what do you mean?" Andrew was looking at some projections when Robert asked but he felt his palms getting sweaty.
"C'mon Andrew, you know what I'm talking about, did you put it on my windshield?" Robert moved from behind his desk. He had loosened his tie sometime after 5 p.m. but now took it off completely. He sat over by Andrew.
Andrew sighed. "Yeah, I did. Now I'm probably gonna get fired."
"No you're not." The voice wasn't Robert's. It was Michael's voice. Michael came in and sat. "You've actually surprised me Johnson, I mean Andrew."
Andrew felt double-teamed. He knew this was really happening but still couldn't believe it. "How so?" Andrew looked up from his blank stare at the projection sheet.
"Here I was thinking that you didn't have the balls God gave you and you do something like this? I'm impressed." Michael grabbed a chair and sat across from Andrew.
Nervously, Andrew put down the projections and sighed. He knew he should spill the beans.
"To be perfectly honest, Tad is behind this but I think it runs a lot deeper. There are others that aren't happy with Robert's, um, orientation." Andrew felt renewed in sharing his revelation.
Michael stared at Andrew and said in a sarcastic tone, "Oh really? Hmmm, what do you take me for, an idiot?"
"Hey Michael, take it easy on the kid, he's only telling you what he knows." Robert didn't want to spook Andrew anymore than he had.
"Oh, sorry Andrew, I've had my suspicions. It just seems that certain events that have taken place," Michael smiled ever so slightly at the thought of the great monkey sex he's had the last few days with Robert and continued, "that have helped me realize that we don't live in such an accepting climate."
Suddenly a new voice was heard from the doorway. "Yeah, and you should be careful about talking like this with an open door at work."
The three men quickly turned around to see Randy. They sighed a quick breath of relief as Randy moved in towards Robert.
"This was too fuckin' easy, if you ask me." Randy sat on the edge of Robert's desk. "Your culprit was Tad but he was just a front. Does anyone know the name 'Anton' Wylie?"
Michael shot Randy a serious look. "The 'dear' disgruntled brother of our Mr. Thomas Wylie?"
"Yep, it seems 'fuckbait', I mean, Robert was just an excuse to get Thomas thrown out on his ass." Randy stood up and produced a manila file folder.
As Michael read the small but damaging file, Michael nodded his head silently. The other three men looked on quietly as he sat back as Michael's face grew dark and red.
"The son of a bitch! I can't believe he'd want to ruin Thomas' work here. Oh he needs to be paid for this. I mean, I knew there has been tension because his father overlooked Anton when Peter Wylie retired and handed the management over to Thomas, but there was some circumstances that came into play. The fucker, I just can't believe this!" Michael looked up at Randy.
"Well that guy I chased down last night was easily coerced into giving me all the information. He was a lousy PI. He's a little too green for my taste." Randy shot an evil grin over at Robert.
Robert knew that Randy's techniques. He was sure some sex was involved but he didn't think this was the time to ask.
Michael got up and went over to the phone. He quickly dialed a number. There was a dead silence in the room.
"Good evening Mr. Wylie, this is Michael McManus. I need to speak with you immediately." Michael waited for his response.
"Well sir, there's a development that I think you need to be made aware of that it pertains to you personally." Michael waited. "Well sir, I don't think the office is the best place to talk, can I come out to your place say in 30 minutes."
"Yes sir, I realize it is late but I think it's something that you should know tonight and I'm not really at liberty to share here at this moment." Michael paused again. "Yes sir, I will head out immediately and thank you." Michael hung up.
"Well boys, that's about it, we need to go on a little drive." Michael headed for the door but turned around before leaving.
"Robert and Andrew, would you please get presentable. I realize it's late but ties are in order. Randy, come as you are, I think your appearance will speak volumes." Michael smirked as he turned.
"Geez what can I say? This is my best shirt!" Randy laughed.