The Gradual Bloomer
Chapter 9
Sunday morning dawned another beautiful day. I woke up before John did, but just enjoyed the quiet of the early morning before my dick started making demands. I shook my head and smiled. You're always looking to get up some ass or mouth, no matter the time of day, I thought to myself with a smile. My mind turned to the man next to me. Handsome, built, hung, white. Not who I'd have thought I'd be spending so much time with. But, he had all the qualities in a man that I was finding that I loved.
Was there love in the air? Maybe. But, I needed more time with him and to think about that and so did he. But, he certainly treated me well.
I rolled on to my side and looked at him and smiled. He was awake now. "Good morning, Sunshine," I said.
"Back at ya, Beautiful," he beamed. His hand slipped down my side to my hips and then slipped into my crotch. "And I see that my best friend is awake, too," he snickered as he squeezed my hard dick. He pulled his hand away for a moment and tasted his fingers. "You have the sweetest precum I've ever tasted," he said. He came closer and kissed me. Then, his lips moved down my neck to my nipples. He kissed them and headed farther south. When he got to my hard dick, he engulfed it greedily.
"In your mouth or up your ass?" I asked.
"You have enough nutt for both," he recalled. "I'll take the first helping down my throat." And he did, but not until we got into a mutual blowjob. I nutted first, but he wasn't far behind. We uncoupled and hit the shower. Of course, we fucked each other in there. It was almost like a ritual now, a delightful ritual.
While we dressed, we checked our phones. "Anthony wants to fuck with us," John smiled. "No surprise there. But, I'm gonna put him off unless he has a current test. You okay with that?"
I assured him that I was. "And Cal and Mel want to fuck with us this afternoon," I reported. "We know both of them are good fucks."
"Text them back that we're available and they should bring their test results. Ask them if 1 p.m. works for them," John suggested. "The director sent me a text, too. I wonder what he has to say."
"I got one, too," I reported.
We read silently for a minute. "Wow!" John exclaimed. "We hit a major jackpot last night with pledges for the museum. It's the biggest haul ever. He's giving you the credit! Congratulations, Adam!"
"He wants to see me in the morning," I responded. "He says it's vital that we speak before I begin work. I wonder what that's all about."
"He probably wants to give you a big, fat raise," John smiled. "You were stellar last night."
"I doubt it," I said. "The museum is pretty tight with their salaries. Maybe, I'll get better supplies to do my restorations. That's more likely and better for the museum, too."
When we'd finished dressing, I walked to the gate and gathered up the Sunday newspaper and the mail we'd failed to pick up yesterday. Back at the house, I handed him the mail and opened the newspaper. I scanned the headlines and then moved on to the Arts section. That's what I always did. "Holy Shit!" I exclaimed. "I'm on the front page of the Arts section!"
John raced over beside me and checked out the page. "You sure are. Read me the article while I make breakfast. What does the caption under your picture say?"
"'Master restorer shows off his skills at local museum on Friday night's gala event', I reported. And the headline for the article says, `Another Coup for a Local Museum'." I paused for a moment and scanned the first paragraph. It didn't say much of anything. I read aloud the full article though for John's sake. "Very complimentary," I allowed.
"And you shined in there with a couple of quotes and the critic's praise for your skills," John replied. "The article was about the fundraiser, not about you," he reminded me. "That'll come later."
"Surely, you jest," I countered. "I'm a nobody!"
"Nonsense," John insisted. "You're a very talented restorer. The article made that very plain and so did the director. And I've known it even before I first met you. Your excellent work precedes our first encounter. I just didn't know who the artisan was."
I walked over to the cooktop and gave him a kiss. "You always know the right thing to say."
"Well, you are all that, seconded by the director and the newspaper. And you have other talents that they don't know about that I find most alluring," he grinned, patting my round ass. "Set the table and I'll have breakfast ready for you in five minutes."
Just as we finished eating breakfast and before I could clean up the kitchen, John's phone started ringing. It was one board member after another who wanted to be sure that he'd seen the article. And they praised my work and suggested that the board have a meeting with the director to suggest that he move heaven and earth to keep me at the museum. I said that was very thoughtful of them, but I wasn't going anywhere. I liked the museum and the staff and the work.
Shortly afterwards, the writer of the article called and said that he'd like to do an article about me. I said that the museum is who he needed to talk to. They determine the nature and scope of my work. I'm just an employee. He continued to press, but I held firm on rejecting his offer.
The phones continued to ring. With Mel and Cal arriving soon, we still needed to get cleaned up and get ready for them. The only solution to all the interruptions was to turn off our phones. So, we did.
"You're a star, Adam," John said as we finished a last bareback fuck. "The board of directors is very happy with you as you can tell by the glowing calls we got this morning. And you're great in bed!"
I laughed at him. "So, I'm more than a pretty face?"
He kissed me softly. "You're so much more," he assured me. "And if Mel and Cal weren't coming over soon, I'd be on you all day long."
Cal and Mel did arrive on time. We showed them to the master bedroom and the California King bed. They immediately decided that they needed to bottom for us. We weren't about to reject their offer. But, first, we had to suck dick and eat ass. They were delighted that we'd pre-loaded our butts. I could tell that Cal was surprised that Mel loved the idea of eating cum from a manhole. I saw that they had a new thing to do in bed when they got home.
Mel had more trouble taking us than Cal did. But, he did take us and got deeply bred. We spent most of the afternoon filling their butts with occasional breaks to get fucked by them. However, it was clear that both of them would prefer to bottom, given the choice.
Unable to sustain an erection, they left by 3 p.m. We showered again and retired to the living room. John rifled through Saturday's mail and cast most of it in the recycle bin. Only a couple of items dealt with the house or his clients.
I turned my phone back on and checked for messages. There were several from acquaintances and people I worked with at the museum. They were all excited for me and my new fame. John told me to check my e-mail account at the museum, because he saw that several of the board members who had sent messages to John had included me as an addressee. There were messages from people I didn't know as well in the museum account. Those, I looked to John for an answer.
"Who are these people?" I asked him. "I recognize the museums, but none of the people."
He took my phone and looked at the sender's names. "Some I know other's I know by reputation only. They are directors or board members of museums." He checked farther down the list. "Wow! The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and the Getty in Pasadena, just to name a few. You're famous, Adam! Word gets around quickly in the art world," he smiled. "Do you want to call them back now?"
"I don't know any of them and would feel ridiculous talking to them," I said. "Besides, the director wanted me to talk to him first thing in the morning before I did anything rash as a result of the newspaper article. Is this what he meant?"
"Probably," John responded. "Restorers with your skills are rare. And the local rag is noted for their pulse on the art market for talented people. You've struck a chord that is resonating across the country."
"Then, I should wait until tomorrow to reply?" I pressed.
"Yes," he said with a firm resolve. "I'm going to call the director and tell him that you're getting calls from New York and D.C. That'll light a fire under him for tomorrow morning." He smiled at a thought. "And I'll bet he calls all the board members and suggests he be given a free rein to keep you at the museum."
"That won't take much," I assured him.
"Don't be so sure," John countered. "Most of those big museums have deep pockets."
"You think they're trying to steal me away, even without an interview and checking references?"
"I think it more likely that they're testing the waters to see if you might be interested."
"If that's the case, I guess I'm flattered."
I didn't sleep well that night. The possibility of moving to another museum with a bigger budget and salary was tempting. But, I really had no idea what they might be offering, so this endless speculation was pointless. I told myself that repeatedly, but it didn't help me get to sleep. Finally, about midnight, I fell into a restless sleep.
John got me up early and took me home to shower and change clothes. Because we couldn't be naked in front of each other without fucking, I was nearly late for work. If he hadn't driven me there in his car, I would have been very late.
I knocked on the director's door when I got to the museum. He beckoned me to come in and I opened the door. He was seated with two other men, board members if I correctly recalled. "Adam! Please come in. We were just talking about you. You certainly put us on the map Friday with your masterful restoration work." I thanked him for his kindness in letting me do what I thought best for the museum. "Now, Adam, I'm sure you've heard from other museums over the weekend." I nodded sheepishly. "Good news travels fast in our world and you've certainly made a big splash. Have you spoken with any of the others, yet?" I told him that I'd decided to wait, mainly because I didn't know any of these people and it felt awkward just calling them out of the blue. "I'm glad you waited," he beamed. "We've underappreciated you and your talents, Adam. We want to set that right. The board members and I have decided that you need an increase in pay and a bigger budget. After all, it was your talent on display Friday that produced the biggest fundraiser in the history of the museum."
I kept my mouth shut and waited for his offer. "Because we know that other museums are interested in you and they have very deep pockets, we know that we want to keep you here. How about a 50% raise in pay and a 40% increase in your budget, plus a bigger work space?"
I was taken aback by the generosity displayed. "But, I wouldn't want to displace someone else who already has that space," I weakly objected.
"It's a storage space that never should have been used for that purpose," he countered. "There are better places for storage that don't take up premium space that we're giving you. Does our offer interest you?"
"Indeed, it does," I smiled. "But, I have another offer that is not restoration work that might require me to be absent infrequently for a few days. It would never interfere with my restoration work here, though." I was thinking of the potential modeling work that was perhaps coming my way. "And my assistant could use a pay increase, say 10%?"
The director looked at the board members and they nodded. "As a salaried employee, you are paid monthly for doing your best restoration work. If you can accomplish that without having to be here the usual eight hour day, I don't think we'd have any objection to that," the director said. The board members nodded. "We expect you to continue with your excellent work for us. Our endowment fund is always on the look-out for works of art that are in need of restoration that can be purchased for a reasonably small price. The fund isn't being replenished rapidly, so there won't be a heavier workload than you have now. At least, that's the case right now. We may have a fundraiser for the endowment fund in the future though."
"Perhaps, I should go on some of those purchasing trips. I'd have a better idea of what can be restored and what would be ruined by the attempt. And if the endowment fund is declining, all the more reason to have someone see the works, so we don't make a bad purchase," I suggested.
"That's a very good idea," responded one of the board members. "Just avoiding one bad purchase would more than make up the additional travel costs. And heaven knows we haven't always bought winners."
"We do three or four trips a year, mostly to Europe," the directed noted. "I'll draw up a budget for the additional cost and get the full board's approval. And this is not to be repeated internally or externally, Adam, but your supervisor, Mr. Graham, is retiring soon. Board members already know," he added with a wink. "I want him to groom you to take over his position. He will connect you with places and people we deal with for our acquisitions. Of course, that would give you another increase in pay when you take over his position fully. That leaves your position open. Do you have someone in mind to succeed you, perhaps your assistant?"
"Well, she's very capable at what she does, but doesn't have the skills or training to be a restorer. We need to look elsewhere," I said.
One of the board members spoke up, "Don't we get resumes all the time from people who want to work here? Surely, a few of those are qualified to take over some of Adam's work."
"Yes, we do," replied the director. "I'll give them to you, Adam, as soon as my secretary can locate them. But, I'm sure you have other sources that you could tap, too."
"I was thinking of my old college professor," I mused. "He probably has a student or two who are good restorers or have the aptitude for it."
"Good," the director smiled. "There's no rush on that. Mr. Graham will need your time, so he can train you to take over. After you have a chance to chat with him, I'd like the two of you to meet with me and a board member or two to discuss what duties you should take on and which ones should be handed over to someone else. We still want you to continue your restoration work for which we have become recently famous."
The two board members nodded their agreement. I shook hands with everyone and left the director's office.
When I got to my shop, I told my assistant that we were moving to a bigger space and had a bigger budget. She was a good worker, but didn't have an eye for the technical restoration work that I did. However, she was very capable when it came to preparing a piece for my talents and keeping an eye on the budget. I told her about her increase in pay. She was all smiles.
The next thing was to call John and tell him the news. He was as happy about the outcome as I was. "They came through when they had to. They know your skill level and they know they have to pay for it or you'll go to a bigger museum," John crowed. "I'm so happy for you, Adam. And that was really quick thinking to include your assistant for a pay raise as well as putting a bug in their ear about taking time occasionally for modeling. You didn't tell them why, did you?"
"No," I replied with a laugh. "They'd have thought I was nuts."
"You haven't heard anything from the Anthony or George?" John wondered.
"I need to check. I turned off my phone as soon as I got to work. I didn't want it to interrupt the meeting I had with the director," I said, turning the phone back on. "By the way, what should I do about the messages I got from the other museums?"
"Let's deal with that tonight after I take you out to dinner to celebrate your good fortune," John replied. "I'll help you draft a response that will let them down easy, while thanking them for their interest. Never burn bridges to a possible future," he intoned.
"Maybe, we should put off dinner tonight," I said. "George says that he has four clients who wish to speak with me as soon as possible. He's willing to represent me for the customary 10%. Opinion, John?"
"Text him back and tell him that you'll take the same deal that Anthony has: 10% on the first $100,000 of the first year's income. You'll renegotiate after that if you choose. And add that you're willing to meet with the clients in the evening after your work day. If they don't like it, you don't care," John laughed. "I'll remind him that 10% of $100,000 is a lot more than 10% of nothing!"
"You got that sweet deal for Anthony?" I asked.
"Only after Anthony's career took off. This was his second year, you understand. I told George that other agents would be more than willing to take the offer," John revealed. "And George had made the contract for only one year, so Anthony was free to go where he chose after that. Anthony knew of other agents who were foaming at the mouth to get him, so it wasn't a bluff."
I sent the text as dictated by John and went back to work. Mr. Graham came by in the afternoon and talked privately about his desire to retire. He had health issues that were going to impact his ability to do his job. We discussed what he did and how much time he spent doing each task. He had already scheduled a trip to Europe for two weeks from today to attend an auction of objects d'art in three weeks. He invited me along, but added that he always went a week early to survey the items that would be sold for their appropriateness for our museum and their potential for restoration. That was why the difference in our departure and the date of the sale.
"I don't have a passport," I revealed.
"Go on-line; get the forms, and a photo. How to fill it out and where to send it will be described on the application form. And you'll need a copy of your birth certificate," Mr. Graham pointed out. At least, I had that. "You'd better get on it now or you won't receive it in time. And ask for expedited handling. It's more expensive, but you have no other options. I'm sure the director will reimburse you for the cost."
I called John right away and told him that I was travelling to Europe within two weeks, but I had to get a passport application in and approved before I could go. "That means you'll need a passport photo. Costco does those," John said. "Can you escape from the office now? I can take you there as soon as I drive over to the museum." I assured him that I could get away for a few minutes.
Mr. Graham offered to help me fill out the application, in case any of the instructions weren't clear. We sailed through that quickly just as John walked into the museum. "I'll need to go by my apartment to get my birth certificate," I told him. "And we need to expedite this to the passport office."
"I looked that up and we can get a passport by directly applying to the U.S. Department of State to rush it through. They promise to have it in your hands within one or two business days. And the cost is about $20 for that service, plus the State Department fee of another $145. I assume the museum will reimburse you for that?"
"Mr. Graham said that they would," I said.
"Okay. Let's do this!" We spent the rest of the morning gathering documents, paying fees, and submitting the application. The passport folks said that I'd get it in the mail by Thursday for sure. If I didn't see it by then, I should call them at a special number to get it tracked. We got the passport in the mail on Wednesday. Visas weren't needed for where Mr. Graham and I were going.
Meanwhile, I'd spoken with all four of the George's clients. Each one had brought a photographer with him. I sat or stood for poses for up to 30 minutes with each one. That included three wardrobe changes from my closet. John was with me for each interview. I didn't sign any release orders for the pictures to be published. That would have to wait for contract terms to be negotiated.
All of them demanded exclusive contracts, but John told them that they couldn't afford that fee. They assured us that they could. So, John suggested that they include two fee structures: one that was an exclusive arrangement and a second one that allowed other clients to use me. They reluctantly agreed.
Tuesday, I tried to get on the flight to Europe that Mr. Graham was on. It was museum policy that if your flight was more than six hours, they would pay for a business class ticket. All the business class seats on his flight were sold out. I tried a couple of other airlines and came up with the same issue: no seats available in business class and only a few available in the back of the plane in "cattle" class. That's not uncommon for short notice requests during the height of vacation season.
Exasperated, I called John. "You have connections for everything. Can you get me on a flight for the 18th to Paris, business class? I've tried three other airlines and got the same message: no seats available that day."
"Is there a museum policy that you use only certain airlines?" John asked.
"They have a list of preferred ones, but I already tried them." A few moments later, Mr. Graham said that any airline would do after our preferred ones couldn't meet our request, if they didn't rob the museum blind with outrageous fares. "So, can you help me?"
"In fact, I do have some travel agent friends who work wonders when I need a quick flight," John said. "You need to be in Europe on the 19th. Any wiggle room in that date?" I told him Mr. Graham wanted to introduce me to some people he knew there and that he wanted to look over the items for sale before the auction. I needed to be there for that, too. "Let me call you back," he finished.
An hour later, John called. "I have two tickets across the aisle from each other on Air France, departing on May 18th at 3:15 in the afternoon."
"Two tickets?"
"I'm going with you," he beamed. "There's much to do in Paris and you need a seasoned guide like me to do it right. I'm sure Mr. Graham is a wonderful man, but he doesn't know Paris like I do."
"We'll have to schedule your tour guide skills around what Mr. Graham wants me to do."
"No problem," John assured me. "That will give me time to set up some special tours for when you're available."
Anthony called at the end of the week and said that his test results were negative. He wanted to bed down with us as soon as possible, but it would have to be after he got back from a lengthy photo shoot. So, it would be at least three weeks before we could share sperm. We reassured him that we were looking forward to breeding him several times when he got back.
In the intervening two weeks, I gained a great deal of knowledge about Mr. Graham's work. Some of it seemed like busy work and should be shuffled off to my assistant. She loves that kind of brainless stuff. And John and I were spending every evening at his estate, fucking our brains out. We included Larry several times, because he's so good in bed and has that enormous dick we both love.
The modeling agencies came through with their proposed contracts. John reviewed all four of them and then sent them off to his lawyer to get her opinion. A couple of phrase changes were suggested by the lawyer (to earn her fee, John laughed). On the other hand, John said that an exclusive contract with one client looked like the winning offer. I'd get a $100,000 signing bonus, plus first class travel and accommodations to wherever they wanted me. They stipulated that I had the right to refuse any session that interfered with my work.
With the Paris trip in mind, John called the winning bidder and asked if they could use me during the two weeks that I'd be there. They promised to call me back with an answer within a day. He reminded them that the museum would split the cost of the airfare and the food and lodging while we were in Paris, so the agency wouldn't be out very much money. However, they'd still have to pay for my time while I was modeling for them. I did have some earned vacation that I could take at the end of the Paris trip, so I didn't think the museum would care. However, I'd clear it with them today to be sure, before a contract was signed. John negotiated my daily rate. I thought it was obscene, but they agreed to his price. John had the upper hand because he knew what Anthony was getting and got more for me.
"You have to remember, Adam, that as a contractor, you are a self-employed person," he reminded me. "That means you are required to make quarterly tax estimates and payments to the State and the Feds. Further, you are required to contribute to your social security as a self-employed person which requires more of a payment than is deducted from your salary at the museum. You may think that we're fleecing the modeling agency, but after all the taxes you have to pay, you'll see less than half of it in your pocket. I'll take care of all of the tax issues for you as you are my client for money matters. Give me a dollar and we'll seal it with a kiss. That makes it official!"
Mr. Graham and I had a meeting with the Director and an available board member. Mr. Graham and I had already discussed sending some of his duties off to my assistant and giving me more training on the rest of his duties. The one duty that he insisted that I knew was the most important job was a monthly inventory of all of the art work. To that, he added my more expensive tools I used for my restoration work. The tradition inventory would be done by the accounting staff that included desks, chairs, table, and supplies.
With agreement from all parties, I started to shadow Mr. Graham for a few hours each day. That did put me behind schedule on my restoration work, but they had always been on a flexible deadline. The director agreed that they were minor pieces and could be postponed, but not forgotten. Mr. Graham spent an hour or so each day with my assistant, showing her the "busy work" that he thought was important. She jumped at the chance to do something new.
As the departure day approach, I was nervous about what to take with me. "The old adage about travel is true: Take half the clothes and twice the money," John smiled. "Take basic toiletries and casual clothes. We'll find a laundry, so don't take enough clothes to last two weeks. Be sure to take a light jacket. It can be cool in the evening in Paris or it could rain. We can buy umbrellas there if we need them. You won't be doing anything that requires you to dress up. If that happens, it'll be at the photo shoots. And they did promise to let you keep anything you liked that fit."
Two days before we left for Paris, the client came through with the $100,000 check. John took care of paying George and setting aside funds for quarterly withholding for state and federal taxes. The rest of it, he put in a growth account that he managed. I asked him how much the management fee was and he merely smiled. "I'm taking that out in trade," he snickered.
A part of the contract stipulated that the client would bring along a tailor at the contract signing who would take my measurements. Clothes that I would be modeling would fit me when it was time for the photo shoot. The measurements were to take place at the same time that the signing bonus would be delivered. We elected to have to the contract signing and measurements taken at John's estate. After all, I was there every night and weekend. I was beginning to wonder why I kept my apartment. But, I thought it was too early in our relationship to cross that bridge just yet.
The tailor was very professional. I had to strip down to my underwear. The client drooled over the big outline of my dick, but the tailor ignored it. He'd seen a lot of dick in his days and wasn't about to make a fool of himself like the client was. However, by the time the last measurement was taken, I'd stiffened up. Precum drooled into a widening wet spot in my shorts. The tailor said nothing and neither did I.
But, the client did. "You're gonna be very popular at the photo shoots," he grinned lusciously. "Are you sure you don't want to do swimwear?"
"Quite sure," I asserted. "And you know very well why that is."
"Pity," he sighed. "But, you're okay with beachwear?"
"Yes, if it isn't too revealing," I reminded him.
"As per the contract," John said, "Adam has the right of definition on what is too revealing."
The client sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Do you have all the needed measurement, Paul?" he asked of the tailor.
"Finished, Sir," he replied. "I'll send them off to the clothes design houses that you designated."
"How many are we dealing with on this trip?" I asked.
"Uh, let me see," the client mused. "Two in Paris, one in Berlin, two in Milan, and two in London, if we have the time and the weather cooperates."
"That's a lot of travel," John said. "Are you sure you can get all that done within the week Adam is available?"
"We're hoping that Adam has at least one evening available for location shooting in the city and a late afternoon for another shoot at Versailles," the client hoped.
"I don't know what my boss, Mr. Graham, will have planned for me, but it is possible to fit those two shoots in before Berlin," I allowed.
"Berlin and Milan will be studio shoots," the client added. "London is on location, but that also depends on the weather."
"I guess we'll just roll with it as the situation presents itself," I sighed.
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