The story below is a work of fiction and contains erotic and/or sexually explicit behavior between consenting males. If you find this type of writing offensive, or if you are underage and it is illegal to view it, please do not read further, but exit now.
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Author's note - Another long chapter for you. Hope you enjoy. Special thanks to Andrew, Bill, Brewster, Cyril, Eric, Gerry, Gordon, Matt, Nick and Peter and many other people for the wonderful emails. You don't know how motivating those emails are. As always, keep the emails coming. Note the slight change to my email address. Pnskid61@cox.net
Sojourn Chapter 37
Dan had really enjoyed himself. He couldn't remember walking into a house and instantly feeling so much love and friendship. He was sure it had to do with Rick and Ethan. They seemed to be beautiful people and the quality of people around them really is a testament to their own goodness. Dan of course had seen Rick's financial information and had expected something very different than what he found. Nothing pretentious. No "airs". Just regular folk. What Dan hadn't really put together was that the Ethan mentioned during the hearing was Ethan West the reputed billionaire. The down to earth guy he met sure didn't seem like a billionaire. He just was a regular guy that was obviously in love with Rick. Maybe he really wasn't the same guy. Oh well, one thing he did know for sure, Adam would be in good hands with these two.
Of course he couldn't stop thinking about Sarah. It had been a long time since he felt so comfortable with a woman. Her dry British wit and her tough exterior belied a special heart. It was obvious that Adam absolutely adored her and kids are great judges of character. Dan was thinking about how they just fell into a smooth pattern cleaning the kitchen - almost like they had been doing that for years. The conversation in the backyard was so easy. They talked a lot about Adam and Rick and Ethan and about Dan's work with kids. He didn't learn much about Sarah. He didn't even know where she lived or what her phone number was. Perhaps he would go by Rick's after his morning hearing to see if he could get some contact information.
The morning at the house in Destin was picking up steam. Everyone was up. Adam was hyper and was demanding a lot of attention. Sarah was on the phone with the office and seemed to be concerned. Rick was making breakfast and chasing Adam while Ethan was on his cell phone with Sean.
Ethan wanted Sean to come back over to Destin and to accompany him to meet with Ruth and Buddy. Even though the case had been closed and the outcome was far better than expected, Ethan still wanted to go ahead with his plan. He was sure that Sarah and Rick wouldn't agree but for Ethan it was a matter of principle. Sean would be over in a couple of hours.
Sarah hung up the phone and looked frustrated. She sat at the kitchen table and Rick made her a tea and joined her. Ethan came in and the three sat at the table enjoying a moment of calm in the day of Hurricane Adam.
"Ethan, we have received some threats. They have been coming in pretty steady. The security team has been looking at each one of them. They think we have some serious ones now. We have doubled the security for the ships in each port of call and access to the ships is severely restricted. The current turn around ports of Port Everglades, San Juan, and Los Angeles have had extra security put in place. We also are having some issues with suppliers. They are concerned that we are having financial problems as a result of the boycott and security issues and they are demanding cash payments. I am afraid that we are going to have to go back to ENW for some cash. We have a bit of a cash flow problem on our own at the moment."
Ethan absorbed the information and nodded. "We have plenty of cash up at ENW and we will transfer what ever is needed back to Compass Cruise Lines. The safety of our passengers and crew is priority one."
Sarah nodded, "I know and I have gone so far as to hire a firm to come in and review all of our safety and security procedures. They were very impressed but they did make some recommendations which I have already implemented. They also reviewed our crisis management and disaster management procedures. They gave us high marks for having such detailed plans and that we have run frequent drills. But the fact remains, we are having serious troubles. Passengers and suppliers are getting nervous."
"Sarah, this will pass. But that being said, I want to convene a meeting of the Compass Cruise Lines executive team. I also want to invite the head of the airline as well. The airline has also been having some problems but they have been operating with heightened levels of security since the New York attacks. Would you please make the calls and set a meeting up for Monday in Ft Lauderdale?"
Sarah left to make the calls. Ethan took this opportunity to talk to Rick about moving forward with his plans for Ruth and Buddy. Rick tensed.
"After the hearing she had a few choice words for me and wished me to burn in hell. I heard what you said about not doing anything bad to them and I agree. But I really don't like the plan. Please Ethan."
"Rick, you are going to have to trust me on this. I have to do this." Ethan replied.
Rick knew that when they had their discussion about Ethan sharing things with him and involving him in major decisions that it didn't mean that things would always go the way he wanted. He just didn't expect to see that played out so soon. He could tell that Ethan wasn't going to back down and decided to trust in Ethan and his wisdom. He gave the go ahead to Ethan and could see the gratitude in Ethan's eyes. But there was something else. It was pride. Ethan was so proud of Rick.
Sarah came back and said the meeting was set for noon at Compass headquarters. She also had received an update that work on Quest in Mobile was moving along and she suggested they go over to Mobile to have a look. Ethan lit up at the suggestion and they set the plan to go over the next day for a tour of the ship.
Sean and Ethan arrived at the bowling alley and went to the front desk. Ethan had never met Ruth but she looked like he expected. Leather skin, no make-up, a smile that dulled a room. She was thin and looked old beyond her years.
"What the fuck are you doing here," she said to Sean. "Haven't you and your faggot lover done enough to us already? You can get the hell out of here and tell faggot boy I meant what I said. You can all burn in hell."
"Hi Ruth. Always a pleasure to see you too. Ruth, we have come here to talk to you. It is important," Sean said coolly to Ruth.
"Who is the guy. Some lawyer?"
"No, my name is Ethan West. I think it is important that we talk. Is there an office we can go to?"
"Oh, you are that rich queer that is sucking Rick's cock these days. Well I ain't got nothing to say to you or Sean. So get going."
"We can do this the easy way or we can make it difficult. Your choice. But I think you should talk with us now," Ethan said in a matter of fact tone never losing eye contact with Ruth.
Ruth called for someone to cover the main desk and took Sean and Ethan into an office. She lit a cigarette and blew smoke into Sean and Ethan's faces.
"OK, make it fast. I ain't got a lot of time for your types."
"I will get right to the point. I have something I want to talk to you about. I want you to hear me out."
"You don't have anything to say I want to hear. You got the brat kid, what else do you want. Fuck you and fuck Rick. But I guess you are already doing that," she blew out smoke and let out a cackling laugh.
"The way I see it you have two options."
"Oh, so now Mr Bigshot Cocksucker is going to tell me my options."
"Listen Ruth. In 30 days, there will be a new owner of this bowling alley. Rick and I have secured an agreement to purchase this property. Your two options are very clear to me. You can continue to shoot off that filthy venom trap of a mouth and you can be out on your ass in 30 days. I can imagine a situation where information concerning your treatment of Adam and your foul mouthed bigoted views could somehow make it into the press. Be assured, Ruth, that nobody would hire you and I can only imagine how your husband's employer will feel about things as well. So with the very few meaningful skills you have you will be up shit's creek - a term I am sure you understand."
Ruth took a deep breath on her cigarette realizing that for once in a long time she had to do some listening.
"The second choice is this. Rick and I will lease this property back to you. As owners of the property we will provide an improvement fund of up to $200,000 to bring this place up to code and to make it a decent place. We will lease it back to you for $1 a month."
"You are full of shit. There must be a catch." Ruth hissed.
"I can assure you I am not full of shit. There are a few conditions."
Ruth cackled again. "OK, here it comes."
"We will have a 30 day termination clause in the lease. We can terminate without cause and you waive all rights to challenge this right. Rick and I would only terminate the agreement if you fail to live up to the upcoming conditions or if you try to interfere in Adam's upbringing in any way. I am sharing these conditions with you verbally so that you know where we are coming from. The item about Adam will not be written into the contract. The contract will state we can terminate without cause. You will have to trust my word that we would only do so on the conditions I have outlined."
"You will donate 25% of your gross takings to two organizations. The first organization will be specified to you but it will be a local charity organization that assists battered children. You will donate 15% to them. The other 10% will be donated to the Human Rights Campaign. This group fights for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals. You will make these donations each month from gross takings. Not net - gross. The donations come off the top before any other bills are paid. We reserve the right to audit your books, at our discretion and without advance warning, to ensure you are meeting this goal. If you don't, the 30 day termination clause is activated. These charitable contribution conditions I just described will be outlined in the contract."
"You will receive the full benefit of the tax write-off for these contributions. The rest of the business and funds are for you to manage and all profits, or losses, are yours. I have done research on this operation and comparable operations in the area. Ruth, you and Buddy could have a good income and not have any money worries if you manage this properly."
Ruth sat stunned. "Why. Why would you do this? I see, you want us to get dependent on this place and then you will pull the rug out from under us on some trumped up claim and leave us high and dry with only 30 days notice. Well, fuck you."
"Ruth, I have explained to you the conditions that would cause us to terminate this agreement."
"Ok then answer me this question, why? Why would you do this?" Ruth asked.
Ethan laughed, "that seems to be the big question of the day. I have to say that I seem to be the only one that wants to do this. But I see it this way. You are Adam's only blood relatives besides Rick. While I don't want you to be a part of Adam's life and I could easily hate you for what you, your husbanc, and your daughter did to him, I also think that you haven't had a chance to make a new start in a long time. I am giving you that."
"I ain't giving money to no gay rights group." Ruth hissed lighting another cigarette.
"Well then, Ruth, I guess Sean and I will be leaving now." Ethan stood up and so did Sean. "Be looking for your termination letter in the next few days. I'd also be getting the paper every day. You are about to be famous."
Rick and Sean picked up the documents and were walking out the door. Sean couldn't breathe - he felt as though he had been holding his breath through the whole discussion. Sean's respect for Ethan had grown enormously.
"Wait, wait just a second. Do you have papers there?" Ruth said as she jumped up from the desk and walked towards Ethan and Sean.
"Yes, you can have your lawyer review them. But please pass this on to your lawyer. There will be no negotiation and no changes. This is a take it or leave it deal. Our purchase of this facility is going forward regardless of any agreement with you. I expect to have a signed agreement from you and Buddy in Sean's hands by close of business Monday. If not, we will proceed with our plans to secure a new management team," Ethan passed the documents into Ruth's skinny talons.
Sean handed Ruth his card with contact information and then Sean and Ethan left. They got into Ethan's BMW and Sean let out a whoosh of air. Ethan turned to Sean and laughed.
"Can you believe that bitch? I wanted to smack her senseless." Ethan said to Sean causing him to laugh. They both laughed. The tension of the meeting easing as they drove back to Rick's.
Sean was like a kid retelling the meeting to Rick and Sarah. Sarah was still very much against this whole deal. Rick had given in and had decided to be supportive. Everybody had a laugh at Ruth's ignorance. Everybody packed up and loaded up Ethan and Rick's cars and headed to the condo in Pensacola.
By the time they arrived it was time for dinner. They turned on the news at 6pm. The headlines were normal. At the first commercial break everyone stopped in shock.
"Coming up next on News at 6, Pensacola's very own billionaire. Find out about Ethan West and the vast ENW empire in our special investigative report... The Man Behind The Money." This was accompanied by the typical fast paced music and closed with two stacks of money and a blacked out head with a question mark on it. This was low cost schlock but it got the point across.
Sarah was immediately on the phone calling the media group at Compass HDQ. Rick ran and put a tape in the VCR and pushed record. Everyone took a seat to watch the report.
The commercials ended and the anchor introduced the story. The reporter was stationed in front of Quest in Mobile for the intro and close pieces of the story.
************ "Just who is Ethan West and exactly what are his various business interests. While Mr West's company, ENW, is a private company and therefore is not required to provide public reports, we have been able to piece together some insight into the vast holdings. Core to ENW is Compass Cruise Lines which has been the center of a boycott by the Southern Baptists. Compass Cruise Lines is highly rated and has won several awards for providing high levels of service. Headquartered in Ft Lauderdale, Compass includes five large ships including Quest which you see behind me. The cruise line employs almost 7,000 people and provides its employee with the highest wages and best benefit programs in the business. Another large piece of ENW is Compass Airlines which has a fleet of state-of-the-art 777 aircraft. Again, the employees are well taken care of and Compass Airlines enjoys high customer satisfaction and a perfect safety record. Unlike most of the airline industry where management and employees are always at odds, the employees of Compass Airlines are very happy and have voted on more the one occasion to not join unions.
The two businesses are the core of ENW and I have to say that ENW runs a class operation. ENW also owns properties in the UK and owns several condominiums on Pensacola Beach including Tranquility, The Breezes, and The Point. With Mr West's holdings in Pensacola and Ft Lauderdale we estimate that he is one of the largest private tax payers in the state. Mr. West certainly has made a significant contribution to the economy of the State in terms of job, tax revenue, and the ripple effect of his operations. Compass Cruise Lines recently had another of its ships here in Mobile for repairs and you see Quest behind me now. The impact of this work on the Mobile economy is in the tens of millions of dollars and comes at a time when the city really needs the money.
Perhaps the most surprising and most telling insight about the man behind the money is ENW Charities. Since this arm of ENW is a non-profit operation, we were able to get some information from various governmental organizations. ENW Charities has an annual budget of over $300 million per year. Over $280 million of that sees it way to various charities focusing on senior care, shelters for abused children, health awareness programs provided in various schools around the nation, and an award winning program providing mentors for under-privileged children. Not only is Mr West a very successful businessman but he is also an extremely generous benefactor of enormous proportions.
There has been a lot of public discussion about Mr West's private life. Mr West has always shied away from making public appearances and has never discussed his personal life. We spoke with several people that are close to Mr West but nobody would discuss his private life. We do know that Mr West has a partner and they are raising his partner's son. Mr West and his partner and son live in Pensacola and spend a good deal of time in Ft Lauderdale.
Bob, I have to say that I went looking for something scandalous and I came up with nothing. ENW seems to be a well run organization, with quality products and happy employees. ENW charities is one of the largest privately funded charity organizations in the United States and has had an impact on people in many walks of life. I can only surmise that all of this is a reflection of the man behind it all. I think we should be proud that he calls Pensacola home." *********
You could hear a pin drop at the condo. Nobody had expected this. No religious fanatics, no scandalous accusations, no innuendo. Sarah had the phone line open so that the media team in Ft Lauderdale heard the report. Sarah spoke to them, thanked them for listening, and planned to talk with them in the morning about next steps.
"Well, ahem, well... that was interesting." Ethan said.
"The great Saint Ethan has spoken, listen and learn," Sarah cracked.
Ethan shot Sarah a look but soon everyone was smiling and laughing.
"Ah, honey, I think you forgot to tell me something," Rick said.
Fearing he was in trouble again, Ethan felt his stomach tighten. "If I did forget to tell you something it was because I forgot, I don't have anything to hide," Ethan said sounding a bit more defensive than he should.
"I didn't know you owned this building and the others mentioned in the report. Ethan, I can't help it, the look on your face..." Rick then burst out laughing.
Sarah's cell phone was ringing. She answered it with a stern, "Sarah Williams." But then she went all girlie which caused Ethan and Rick to look at each other and then at Sarah with looks of curiosity. Sarah shot them the bird and went in the other room. In stereo sound the guys said, "Dan."
Dan has said that he just saw the news and that he didn't fully realize that the man eating chicken with his fingers and running around after Adam the night before was a billionaire. He said he thought it was him but now he knew for sure. Sarah laughed and said, "Oh him? It is just Ethan. He is just a regular guy that happens to be rich."
Dan and Sarah had some small talk before Dan could muster up the courage to ask if he could see Sarah again. She said that they were going over to Mobile to see the work underway on Quest the next afternoon and he was welcome to come along and then they could go out for a nice dinner, just the two of them, when they got back to Pensacola. Dan was pleased and said that he didn't have any hearings in the afternoon and would take her up on her offer. Sarah was walking on air as she went in and faced the third degree from the guys.
Friday morning arrived and Ethan and Sarah were on the phone with the gang in Ft Lauderdale. The Today Show and Good Morning America had called asking for interviews with Ethan. There were also calls from CNN and also from Time, Newsweek, and Business Week. The media team thought it best that Ethan accept the interviews since the interest was mostly positive and could possibly turn things around for Compass Cruise Lines. Ethan reluctantly agreed. This was certainly the end of the privacy he had so cherished. After the team meeting on Monday in Ft Lauderdale he would fly to New York for interviews on Tuesday with the morning shows and magazines. Wednesday he would meet with CNN in Atlanta and be back in Pensacola Wednesday evening.
Shortly after lunch, Dan arrived followed by Sean who had invited Kevin to go along. That meant seven people so they took Ethan's BMW and Rick's BMW and went to Mobile.
Arriving at the shipyard Ethan's heart skipped a beat as Quest came into view. Quest was the first of his girls and he remembers the day that Quest was delivered. That was five years ago and now she was going through an extensive refit. Kevin had flown over the ships but had never actually be onboard a cruise ship. Dan had never seen one and was awed by the enormous ship that stood as tall as a 12 story building and was about 3 football fields long.
Everyone put on hardhats, including a small one for Adam, and they went up the gangway and entered Quest on one of her lowest decks. Captain Medina met them and had a warm embrace for Ethan and Sarah and shook the hands of everyone else.
"It is very rare to have my two bosses onboard. I just wish we were at sea where both Quest and I belong. But, soon, very soon I think." Captain Medina said to Ethan and Sarah.
Dan was confused by the comment about two bosses. Ethan clearly was the owner and boss. Oh well, he'd ask about it later.
Captain Medina led the tour. He explained that most of the crew was on leave but 162 people remained on board. They ran the electrical plants, computer systems, security, some kitchen support for the staff onboard, and provided assistance to the contractors doing the refit. Of course the bridge was also manned with 3 people at all times since it was the control center for the ship.
Most of the pastel décor that had been so popular when Quest was launched was being replaced. Cabin décor would now be similar to that found on Tranquility. All of the carpets through-out the ship were being replaced. Darker richer colors were being used. The children's playroom was being updated and renamed to Adam's Den. One of the main bars was being redone in the same style of the bar on Tranquility which it would share its name - Rick's. The main lobby was undergoing the most dramatic change. A new atrium sculpture was being installed, the old marble was being replaced with new Italian slate, the pastel blue carpet being replaced by deep blue. The Scandinavian looking chairs were being replaced by Italian styled chairs in bold red and yellow. The transformation was startling. Quest would be even more beautiful than her youngest sister Tranquility.
Captain Medina invited everyone to his private dining room for some snacks. Sean, Rick, Kevin, and Dan explored the bridge and were fascinated that the ship was fully automated with auto-pilot like that on R-1. The ship was steered by joy stick and once the destination was plotted into the computer and the ship entered open sea, the auto-pilot using GPS technology took over. Radar, sonar, and various other high tech systems were visible. The entire ship's layout was shown on one console. The ship was divided into various watertight compartments and fire zones. From the bridge any area of the ship could be sealed off within seconds. A similar control system was in main engineering. This was true with most critical systems. In fact the ship could be steered and fully operated from main engineering in cases of emergency. Redundancy had been built in to ensure that if one area had a failure that no critical systems would be impaired.
The guys returned back into the Captain's dining room as Captain Medina was handing some papers to Sarah. She signed them all and asked some questions about the figures on one of the documents. The Captain answered her questions and she then signed the forms. Suddenly, the penny dropped for Dan.
The gang thanked Captain Medina for his time and made their way back to the gangway. It was hard to imagine that Quest would be ready to go in two weeks. Wires were hanging, floors were bare, furniture stacked all around. But it wasn't hard for Ethan to imagine. He knew how these things worked and was totally confident things were under control. Quest would be back home at sea in a few weeks.
At dinner, Sarah and Dan finally had time to talk. Sarah explained her history with Ethan and also about her current position. She explained that she lived in Ft Lauderdale, her mother was in the UK, and that she spent most weekend with the guys in Pensacola. She talked about her family, her love for Ethan, Rick, and Adam. She found she talked more about herself that night than she had in years. Certainly more than she ever had with any man. Well, besides Ethan. Dan opened up too and talked about his family and growing up in Crestview. He had gone to Europe during college and spent time exploring the UK and had an idea about the places Sarah mentioned. He had been married when he was in his early 20s but it didn't work out. No kids. He is now 33. Sarah is 34. They found they had so much in common but there was one problem. Distance. At the end of the evening, a light kiss was exchanged. They both agreed that they would try to work things out and she agreed to see Dan the next weekend when she would be back in Pensacola.
Monday's meeting in Ft Lauderdale was tense but productive. Ethan reviewed the financial situation and it was not as dire as he had feared. The cost of the extra security was high. Some competitors had recently added on a security surcharge to their tariffs. Compass would follow suit and charge and additional $7.50 per passenger. The cost would not fully offset the additional security but would help, a lot, and would also not be too burdensome for passengers. Ethan also promised to personally contact some of the troublesome suppliers. He would call them later in the week from Pensacola.
Each department head gave an update on their areas. Sarah and the team had been doing an outstanding job running things. Ethan did have a lot of questions but he didn't change anything major about what the team was doing.
The media team gave their update following the news report that aired last week and the fact that other news organizations had picked up on the story. It had received extensive coverage across the US. Apparently the public was thirsty for a story about a good guy and Ethan was filling that need. Then, in an almost embarrassed tone, the media director said that Ethan had also become somewhat of a sex symbol. Apparently Oprah had made a comment about him "looking good enough to eat." Ethan blushed and shrugged it off.
The interviews in New York and Atlanta went real well. Ethan was uncharacteristically tense for the Today Show interview. He confided to Rick that he thought that Katie Couric was hot and that if he ever had to go straight he would want Katie. Ethan was performed well for all the interviews and after reviewing the footage it was agreed that things had gone real well. How could anybody not be taken by Ethan. Charming, smart, funny, handsome, rich, and generous. Women across America were swooning. Gay men were walking a little bit prouder too. The calls to the Compass Cruise Lines reservations center and hits to the web site had surged. Suddenly suppliers were not requiring advance payment. The magic of Ethan had worked again.
Thursday night, Ethan, Rick, and Adam had curled up on the couch to watch Friends and Will & Grace. At 915pm, a few minutes into ER, there was a news bulletin. At the same time the phone rang. Ethan left the room to take the call.
"Sir, this is Randy in the operations center. We have a code Red situation and we have activated Disaster Plan 2 and 3 (DP2 and DP3)."
Ethan had to think about what those were and felt instantly felt sick when the gravity hit him.
"The ship is fully engulfed. We are not receiving any data transmissions from the ship through the satellites at this point. We are not able to establish telephone contact. All transmissions ended at 8:48 pm local time. Local authorities are arriving onsite. From what we know so far we have injured personnel, some severe. We had 162 onboard tonight. So far we have 73 accounted for. That is all the details we have at this point. Ms Williams is on her way here and the other components of DP2 and DP3 have been activated. We will update you every 30 minutes or as we have more details."
Ethan hung up the phone and felt sick. He turned to see Rick in the door looking ashen. They went to look at the TV which had live images of the fire. Flames were shooting into the night sky. Quest was indeed an inferno. Injured people could be seen on the pier. There was footage of people running off the ship with clothes ablaze. Rick, Ethan, and Adam sat in silence unable to comprehend what was happening. It was now 930pm and their lives had changed dramtically.
At 8:45pm the first explosion occurred. The blast detonated in main engineering and destroyed everything in a large radius. This blast ignited fuel and other materials which led to a second explosion at 8:47pm. At 8:48pm the next explosion occurred. This one detonated just below the bridge. The powerful explosion sent a tremendous force upwards completely disintegrating the bridge and officer accommodations. At 8:49pm the final blast detonated in the central atrium. The force from this blast rose the 8 stories and sent glass shrapnel flying at supersonic speeds. The hundreds of buckets of carpet glue and paint ignited causing a chain reaction of mini explosions. With engineering and the bridge destroyed, the two nerve centers of Quest were out of service. She could not fight the fire herself. She could not close off parts of herself to contain the damage. She could not do anything to help the crew that were onboard. Her fate, and theirs, was sealed.
The TV was the only thing lighting the crowded, dingy, dirty room. Images of the fire filled the screen. Everything had gone to plan. A smug smile crossed his face. The faggots were getting their due. Hell's fire consuming the symbol of the fag's arrogance. He was sure that this would be the end of the great Ethan West and his faggot friend Rick. With that hope filling his heart, he turned off the TV and went to bed.