Empire Ch 1
The story below is a work of fiction. It may contain erotic or sexually explicit behavior between males. If you find this work offensive or are too young, please exit now.
The author reserves copyright privileges as of August 2004. This work may not be posted on any other website nor reproduced, except for personal use, without the written permission of the author.
Welcome: I hope you enjoy this continuation of the Ron & Bryan / Ron & Matt series.
If you’d like to comment or just say ‘Hi” my e-mail address is JETjt@aol.com
EMPIRE
Chapter One
Ron and Matt’s home in Las Vegas, three months later.
Ron leaned back in the comfortable chair located in the ‘eagle’s nest’ loft at the top of the palatial home he shared with the love of his life, his handsome and caring partner Matt. The sun had just turned the night into inky blackness as he looked over the city awash in the ocean of streetlights and at the pinnacles of colorful buildings flooded with lighting as a magnet for visitors to the gaming capital of the world.
Knowing that his partner Matt was at a Board meeting at the Thornton Center and would probably not be returning until late, Ron’s mind turned to the events of the past summer. It had been a summer unlike he had ever known. An inner peace brought on by the love shared with his partner and family far exceeded any financial success that they also shared. The troubles of the past year had become history and the summer was one without trauma, but not without excitement.
Ron remembered with satisfaction that the episode with Senator Young had been wrapped up. Orville Haysaker who had tried to murder Ronnie had been sentenced to life in prison and the Senator had not only lost his political office, but also was forced to accept a plea bargain for 10 years in prison with no chance of parole until the sentence was served. The ex-senator’s son Benny, whose rejection was the beginning of the man’s downfall, was happy at the Thornton Center. The young son was showing real aptitude in his leadership ability, having been elected president of the Student Advisory Board at the home for gay boys, even though he was a couple years younger than some of the oldest residents.
Gary Franklin and Jessie Fox had moved to Atlanta, working successfully together running the Atlanta Regional office of Aztec-Turner Security, and also living together happily as partners in their private lives. That office was expanding rapidly with a burgeoning workload as of the countrywide emphasis on security due to 9/11. In fact, the Aztec-Turner operation, led by Tyler, was growing at a rate far beyond either Tyler’s or Ron’s wildest expectations. Ron was delighted that Tyler was at the reins. His brother had a passion for business and his knowledge of the security issues that were of concern to both the public and private segments of the country allowed the company to capitalize on new opportunities that seemed to appear on a daily basis.
The trauma caused by Christine and her brother evaporated with their deaths in the explosion. Ron was eternally thankful that it was over, and that his family could enjoy the summer without the constant uneasiness that had filled the atmosphere while they were alive.
Matt’s takeover of the operation of Turner Trusts after Mr. Peterson’s retirement, while filling Matt with some initial trepidation, had gone smoothly. Ron had stayed close to him during the first weeks until Matt’s natural intelligence had finally convinced Ron’s partner that he was not only sufficiently capable, but was able to add youthful exuberance to the job that Mr. Peterson had lacked. Wise investment strategies had swelled the Trust to over $1 billion and Matt had his hands full, but loved the challenges. The New York operation of the Friendship Trust was now fully funded with Alan and Bryan skillfully making sure that every dollar was spent where it would do the most good.
The Construction Leasing building was the New York home of it’s namesake, but also of Aztec-Turner, the Friendship Trust operation of Alan and Bryan, as well as Turner Brokerage, a new investment arm of the Turner operation. The companies had all grown, not only in size but also profits, turning that building into an important investment for Turner Enterprises.
The wedding of Parker and Mary had gone off without a hitch. They had returned from their honeymoon in Europe with a new spring in their step. It took a week for them to get back in the “groove” that kept the household on such an even keel. No sooner had they returned than preparations for the long awaited trip for Ron, Matt, Tyler and the boys to the Mediterranean began. Ron had to laugh, as Parker and Mary had suddenly become experts on world traveling.
The month spent in Europe was a welcome break from the fast paced activity that their daily lives had become. Ron, who had been to Europe several times, became the “leader” of the tours even though many of the places they visited he had never before seen. He remembered the number of hours spent in the luxurious Owner’s suite of the PT II, reading up on places they would visit as part of their itinerary. Ron was finding out again the truth of the statement, ‘the teacher learns the most.’ Ron also remembered with joy the many hours spent with his lover in that same suite, bare skin to bare skin, expressing their love for one another.
Ronnie and Jerry were in hog heaven. They were constant companions and “glued” to each other as if the world would stop if they were out of sight of one another for more than one minute. Ron laughed again as he thought of the cute young guys, who he and Matt as well as Tyler and Dan, called their sons. Then there was Douglas.
Ron sat up in his chair. ‘I wonder what Douglas is up to now?’ he asked himself. Ron thought about the newest member of the family. The youngster had had a difficult life, one made barely tolerable because of his handicaps. Even with the application of the best medical care available including three surgeries, he could barely walk. The summer had been one of weaving medical care around their trip to Europe, with Douglas confined to a wheelchair or being carried for the entire trip. ‘We’ve been so busy since we returned I wonder if he feels he’s been forgotten?’ He stood up from his chair and looked out over Las Vegas, the city that had produced the newest member of their household. It was a beautiful city, ablaze with lights. Yet a city, like most, that held its seamier secrets…
One floor down, the 15 year-old youth sat in his room in his wheelchair at his computer. He had just finished the entry in his daily journal that Matt had suggested he keep when he revealed that he liked writing. Matt had also introduced him to the stories on Nifty, where amateur gay writers could post their work. He had not yet begun writing one that he was satisfied with, but had great interest in the styles of presentation that different writers used to convey their stories. His couple of attempts to start one had been met with disappointment as he re-read the text of the beginning pages and found them lacking. He decided that if he didn’t like it no one else would either.
He was bored. The older boys, Ronnie and Jerry, had each other and as much as they were nice to him and tried to include him in some of their activities, he knew they also needed their time alone. He knew too that his deformities made it hard for others to invite him along on activities that required physical dexterity or stamina. Wondering if he should check out the Nifty site to see if there were any new postings of the stories he was following, his thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. It was Ron.
“Hello?”
“Douglas. I’m up in the eagle’s nest and getting a bit bored. Would you like to meet me downstairs in the game room for a round of pool?”
“Sure, I guess,” Douglas answered. “You know I’m not very good.”
“You’ll never get better if you don’t play. Besides, it’s just a game. I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”
“Ok Ron,” Douglas agreed. “Whoever gets there first can rack ‘em up.”
“Right,” Ron concluded.
“Bye,” Douglas said hanging up the phone.
Douglas looked down at his lap and the protrusion that was evident in his shorts. He might be deformed and limited in his activities, but when it came to receiving physical equipment he had been standing in the front of the line.
‘I don’t know why I keep getting a constant woody,’ he thought. ‘Sure hope that thing goes down before I get to the game room and I embarrass myself in front of Ron.’
Moments later, Douglas wheeled into the game room to find Ron racking up the balls.
“Grab a cue stick,” Ron suggested. “You can break.”
Douglas parked his chair near the pool cue rack, stood, grabbed a stick and hobbled to the end of the table away from the racked triangle of balls in the center of the table at the opposite end. Centering the cue he aimed, drew the stick back, and slammed it into the white ball.
The man and young boy began playing and after three games, decided to take a rest.
“Did you let me win that last game?” Douglas asked as they stepped to the bar to get a coke.
“Let’s just say that I got a bit sloppy, and let it go at that,” Ron answered with a smile.
“Yeah, I figured,” Douglas responded knowing that Ron had suddenly lost the precision he had shown in the first two games. Douglas was sure that it was on purpose, and that, in kindness, it was meant to prevent him from being discouraged about his physical limitations.
“You should know that I enjoy hanging out with you,” Ron offered. “It’s not important who wins or loses, it’s being together doing something fun that’s important. Do you want to quit and go back to doing whatever it was that you were doing?”
“Nah,” Douglas answered. “Truthfully, I was kinda bored too. I finished writing in my journal and was thinking about writing a story, but the two times I tried before, I threw my stuff away because I wasn’t satisfied with it.”
The look of a new idea surfacing crossed Ron’s face.
“Do you have any writer friends?” Ron asked.
“Nope. I’ve written to a couple of authors whose stories I enjoy on Nifty. I got nice replies, but I’m sure those guys are too busy to mess with a kid.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” Ron said. “If you told them you were trying to write too, they might have some advice or words of encouragement.”
“I hate to tell ‘em I’m a writer, when I don’t even like what I’ve written,” Douglas said looking down at his feet.
“Hey! All of them were young once, and all of them started with their first story. It’s like pool, you don’t get better if you don’t work at it and keep trying. I think the secret is to find a subject that you like and know about. It’s hard to make stuff up and make it sound genuine if you haven’t been there.”
“I guess that means I don’t have much to write about,” Douglas responded.
“Writing is more than just places, or things. It’s about feelings and relationships. I’m sure you have those.”
“Yeah, I could write about being lonely, or rejected, I seem to have enough experience with that! ….Uh,….”he stammered, suddenly realizing what he had just said. “Uh, I didn’t mean here,” he quickly added. “I meant before. You and Matt have been wonderful and Ronnie and Jerry have been like brothers to me.”
Ron smiled.
“Were glad you’re here with us as part of our family,” Ron said reassuringly. “You can talk to either Matt or me about anything. We care about you and love you.”
“I know,” Douglas said sheepishly. “I’m sorry if I sounded ungrateful. It’s just that I wish I had a boyfriend, or at least a best buddy to hang with. I know that Ronnie and Jerry try to make me feel welcome, but it’s not the same. With my body, there’s not much of a chance anyway.”
“I do understand,” Ron said sympathetically. “It has to be a bummer to not have anyone to hang with on a Friday night except two ‘older’ guys. Will you excuse me a minute? I need to call Matt. You can rack up the table.”
“I’m just glad you care some for me Ron,” Douglas replied. “I’ll get the table ready for our next game. Take your time talking to Matt.”
Ron stepped out of the game room and into the kitchen, where he picked up a portable phone. Dialing Matt’s cell number, he waited until he heard Matt’s greeting.
“Hi Babe,” he responded to Matt’s greeting.
“Who is this?” Matt asked with a smirk.
“Wait’ll you get home! I’ll ‘who is this’ you!” Ron said laughing.
“I can’t wait!” Matt said blushing. “It won’t be long now. The meeting just let out.”
“That was fast,” Ron observed. “I wanted to talk to you before you came home.”
“What about?” Matt asked.
“Well, it seems that Douglas is lonely. We’ve been shooting pool, but it’s not the same as having someone his own age and interests to be with.”
“What do you have in mind?” Matt probed.
“Well, I was thinking about Eddie Burroughs. He’s about Douglas’s age and is quite a writer. I know that Douglas likes writing, and I thought maybe you could see if Eddie would like to come over and spend the night and tomorrow during the day.”
“It won’t hurt to ask,” Matt agreed. “I’ll go over to his house here at the Center and, if he’s interested, I’ll invite him over. Have you said anything to Douglas?”
“Not yet,” Ron responded. “I thought I’d wait until I talked to you.”
“Good idea,” Matt agreed. “I’ll call you as soon as I’ve talked to Eddie.”
“Thanks Babe. I’ll wait for your call.”
“K. Bye.” Matt pushed ‘end’ on his cell phone and turned toward the house at Thornton that Edgar Rice Burroughs III, called home.”
Ron returned the phone to its cradle and walked back into the game room. The balls were arranged in their triangular shape ready for the break.
“You’re the winner,” Ron declared. “It’s your break.”
Douglas slid off the bar stool he was sitting on and grabbing his cue headed for the table.
“How’s Matt?” he inquired as he lined-up his shot.
“He’s good. He’s finished with his meeting and may be bringing home some company.”
“Oh?” the youth asked as he thrust his cue stick for the break.
Ron waited until Douglas had made his shot before responding.
“Yeah. We have a young friend who lives at Thornton that we have taken a special interest in. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen him, so I thought it might be nice to invite him over for the night and for tomorrow.”
“He’s young?”
“Yeah. Your age. You don’t have to feel obligated to entertain him, if you don’t hit it off,” Ron offered. “Matt and I, and especially Tyler, are very fond of him. He has a famous grandfather too.”
“Who would that be?” Douglas said after Ron missed his shot.
“Have you ever heard of Edgar Rice Burroughs?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Douglas answered with interest. “Isn’t he the guy who wrote ‘Tarzan’?”
“The same,” Ron answered as he heard the phone ringing in the other room. He rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the portable phone. After exchanging words with Matt, he returned to the game room.
“It’s on,” Ron declared. “They’ll be here in about a half hour or so. Matt is going to stop and pick up a couple of pizzas. He’s getting a ‘supreme’ for us and an anchovy, green pepper and pineapple for you guys.”
“Yuck! I hate anchovies! You guys are trying to kill us off,” Douglas said with disgust.
“Nothing makes for a closer friendship than shared adversity,” Ron said dryly.
“Are you guys trying to set me up?” Douglas asked suspiciously.
“Would we do that?” Ron asked with a feigned look of surprise on his face.
“Yep,” Douglas answered with a grinning blush.
* * *
35 minutes later
The door to the kitchen from the 8 car garage opened as Matt pressed down on the lever with his free hand while balancing a box that looked and smelled suspiciously like one containing pizza in the other. Matt held the door open after he stepped through, and was followed by a young man carrying two similar boxes.
“Just set the pizza on the counter there Eddie,” Matt said pointing.
The youth slid his boxes across the counter surface and stepped away, then Matt placed his own box beside the others.