The Inheritance Clause

This story contains descriptions of graphic sex between males. If that kind of thing does not appeal to you, stop reading now.

This story is pure fiction. If this resembles something that happened to you, it must have been an incredible experience. But it's simply a coincidence.

All comments are welcome: djwarner1984@hotmail.com Please donate to Nifty: https://donate.nifty.org/

-DJ

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The Inheritance Clause - 12

Dawson reached into the armoire and started pulling the remaining plastic bags off of the back panel. He tossed them into an empty canvas bag. When he was done, he put the plastic bag and notes that he had opened into the canvas bag. He turned and put his hands on his hips. He looked at Adam, who was reading more of the notes in his plastic bag.

"I think Q traveled a lot. There are several notes in here where she says she can't wait until she is home and can see my granddad again," Adam said.

"Do you want to dig into figuring out who Q is? Or do you want to keep going through your granddad's room?" Dawson asked.

"Sorry, let's keep going," Adam said as he started putting the notes back into the plastic bag.

"It's fine with me, if you want. It's your granddad. I just want to do what you want," Dawson explained.

Adam got off the bed. He tossed the plastic bag in with the rest of the notes.

"We can look at those later. Let's keep going," Adam said.

Dawson brought the canvas bag with the love notes over to the sitting area and put it on the couch. Adam began to go through the remaining items on top of the armoire. He took a few things and added them to the box. He put the rest in a trash bag. Dawson finished removing the clothes from the armoire drawers.

Dawson lined up canvas bags in the hallway with Clayton's clothes. He then began going through the vanity. He was separating things into canvas bags for donation, into a box to keep, or into trash bags to throw away.

Adam went over to the side tables, next to the bed. He opened the first drawer. He found a ziplock bag containing a gold chain necklace. It had Sarah's engagement ring and wedding ring along with Clayton's wedding ring on the chain. It had very distinct, intricate chain links. Adam remembered Clayton always wore that gold chain with the rings on it. He must have been wearing it in bed when he died. He took the chain out of the ziplock bag and slipped it with the rings still on it into his pocket. He tossed the ziplock bag into the trash bag.

Dawson finished going through the vanity and began to look through the bookcases and shelves. Adam joined him when he finished the side tables.

At one point, Adam swiped the back of his hand across his forehead and sighed. Dawson turned toward Adam. He embraced Adam and they hugged each other as they took a break. They heard a knock at the doorway and turned to look.

"I brought some water for you," Niven said as she carried in two water bottles.

"Oh, thanks, Niven," Dawson said as he went over and took the water bottles.

"Niven," Adam said, "did you know if my granddad dated anyone after my grandmother died? We found a note from someone named Q that makes it look like he might have."

Niven thought for a moment. Dawson snuck a glance at Adam as he handed him a water bottle. He wondered why he said they found a single note.

"No. From what I know, after your grandmother died, he wasn't interested in dating. I heard stories about a few occasions when someone tried to set him up, but he never got over being in love with your grandmother. He wouldn't do it," Niven said.

"And nobody named Q? Or a name that starts with Q?" Adam asked.

"No. That would be unusual enough that I'd remember," Niven said.

"Thanks, Niven," Adam said.

Niven nodded.

"I'm making flatbread pizzas for lunch. What toppings do you want?" Niven said.

"Oooh... um... veggie... Whatever vegetables you've got, I'll take 'em," Adam said as his face lit up.

"Hamburger and mushroom?" Dawson asked.

"I can do that. I'll contact you when lunch is ready. Let me know if there's anything else you need," Niven said and then turned and left.

Dawson took a long sip of water. Adam did the same.

"Why did you say there was only one note from Q?" Dawson said as he began pulling things off of a shelf.

"Well, my granddad clearly wanted to keep his relationship with Q a secret. I don't feel right about exposing his secret, if I don't have to," Adam said as he started going through things on one of Clayton's bookcases, "One note makes it sound like maybe they went on a date. A lot of notes is a relationship."

"Ah," Dawson replied.

The boys finished going through the rest of the things in the master bedroom. They paused and took drinks of water.

"Bathroom or closet?" Dawson said as he leaned against the bed.

"Bathroom..." Adam said and then took a drink, "We can get that done, have some lunch, then tackle the closet after that."

"Mmm," Dawson acknowledged.

The boys made quick work of the bathroom. They were drinking their waters when Niven contacted them and said the pizzas would be ready in ten minutes. Not having enough time to do anything meaningful, Dawson came toward Adam with a purposeful look in his eye. He tightened the cap on his water bottle and tossed it to the side onto the bed. Then he practically tackled Adam as he fell back on the empty bed in surprise. Adam wrapped his legs around Dawson's waist as Dawson climbed over him. He dropped his sealed water bottle onto the bed and hung onto Dawson's torso as they passionately began kissing.

"Mmm," Adam mewed as he felt Dawson's powerful body cover him. Adam placed a hand on the back of Dawson's head as he sensually kissed him. His other hand slid down and cupped Dawson's butt cheek. He pulled Dawson into him as Dawson began to thrust. The boys started out flaccid, but both quickly developed erections.

Dawson felt himself starting to lose control. He knew he shouldn't let things go too far until Adam had dealt with Vickie. He broke the kiss and slid his cheek next to Adam's as they embraced.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. You looked so adorable standing there," Dawson whispered into Adam's ear.

"Do you hear me complaining?" Adam said before he planted gentle kisses on Dawson's cheek.

"Mmmm," Dawson said in pleasure, "you smell so good."

"Heh heh," Adam chuckled, "I was just thinking how good you smelled."

Dawson pulled his torso up, locked his elbows, and held himself above Adam as he looked down. Adam slid his hands to hold Dawson's neck and cheeks. He locked his ankles behind Dawson's back, holding him in place. They stayed like that for a bit, looking into each other's eyes.

"You're worried about tomorrow," Dawson said.

"Yeah," Adam replied, "I am."

"I'm sure the judge will see how awesome we are and rule in our favor," Dawson said lightheartedly, trying to calm Adam's anxiety.

Adam looked past Dawson as he thought about the inquiry.

"Oh... Vickie... That's what you're worrying about," Dawson said tenderly.

Adam still looked past him as he nodded yes.

"I know it's going to be difficult for you," Dawson said and then started to ramble, "I'm going to do my best to keep my mouth shut, my hands to myself, and my eyes on anything but you. Even so, I want you to know I..."

"Babe, It's ok," Adam interrupted softly as he looked at Dawson and began to caress Dawson's cheeks with his thumbs, "I know how you feel about me. And you know how I feel about you. Whatever happens tomorrow isn't going to change that."

"But..." Dawson protested.

"I promise," Adam interrupted in a whisper as he tried to pull Dawson closer.

Dawson unlocked his elbows and came down. He embraced Adam with their cheeks touching. They held each other for a few moments. Dawson slowly pulled his face back and looked at Adam.

"Did you just call me babe?" Dawson asked with a slight grin.

"Let's not make a thing of it," Adam quipped as he gently slapped Dawson's cheek a couple times.

Adam unwrapped his legs and Dawson began to get up. The boys stood on the floor and straightened their clothes. Adam moved to Dawson and planted a single kiss on his lips. Dawson smiled. Adam moved toward the couch and picked up the canvas bag with the love notes in it. Dawson grabbed the box of personal items the boys collected from Clayton's armoire and vanity.

The boys went to Dawson's room. They crossed through the bathroom into Adam's bedroom. Dawson put the box on one of the couches while Adam put the canvas bag with the love notes in his closet. They then went downstairs.

Niven was at the sink when they walked into the kitchen. She had set out a pitcher of lemonade and a pitcher of iced tea on the island in the center of the kitchen.

"Good timing. I'm just about to pull out the pizzas," Niven said.

Adam and Dawson made their way to the island.

"You know," Niven said as she put on oven mitts, "Krantz told me he had a conversation with you about protocol. For what it's worth, I used to think some of the protocol rules were silly. But over time I began to see the value of it. I suspect you'll feel the same way eventually."

The boys were pouring their drinks from the pitchers when she said that. She had her back to them at the oven. The boys looked at each other. Adam scrunched his face at Dawson. Dawson shook his head at Adam. Niven opened the oven and the steam rose up and fogged up her glasses.

"Thank you, Niven. We understand it was important at one time. But the world is changing. Maybe it's not needed as much as it used to be," Adam explained as he poured a glass of lemonade.

She turned to look at them.

"Well... Mr. Stewart... Mr. Jameson..." Niven said, purposely using their surnames, "There's something to be said for simple respect," she stated as she looked at the boys over her now foggy glasses.

"I think respect should be earned, not granted just because someone has a lot of money," Dawson said.

Adam pointed at Dawson in agreement.

"What if I respect you despite the fact that you have a lot of money?" Krantz said as she reached into the oven.

The boys looked at each other. Dawson raised his eyebrows as if he were considering what she said. Niven removed the pizzas from the oven. She placed each pizza on a pedestal serving tray. She brought the two trays over to the table in the kitchenette area and placed them down.

"Now, be careful. The pizzas are hot. They just came out," Niven said as she slipped a serving spatula underneath each pizza, "Anything else I can get you?"

"Crushed red pepper?" Adam asked as he raised his eyebrows.

Niven raised her finger and turned toward the pantry. The boys sat down at the table. She came out with a shaker and put it in front of Adam.

"Thank you," Adam said.

"Thanks Niven, this looks delicious," Dawson said.

She nodded and turned. She did a couple things at the oven and the sink and then left. The boys began to eat. They bantered back and forth as they enjoyed the pizza. They were hungrier than they realized and they devoured both pizzas. Dawson chewed his last mouthful and swallowed. He took a long drink of his iced tea. He pulled his glass away and looked right at Adam.

"Brrrraaawwwppp!!!" Dawson burped long and loud and gasped when he finished.

Adam burst out laughing so hard, he started to cry. Dawson began laughing with him. They laughed and giggled for a few minutes. Adam sighed when he finally recovered and he wiped his eyes.

"I didn't think you could do anything to make me love you more... and you still haven't..." Adam joked and then burst out laughing again.

Dawson laughed too as he started to pick up his dishes. Niven came in, hearing all of the noise. She stood in the doorway and put her hands on her hips with a somewhat disapproving look. The boys looked over at her and they couldn't help but roar again in laughter. Niven couldn't suppress a smile as she began shooing them out of the kitchen. The boys thanked Niven in between their laughter as they left the kitchen. They laughed until they reached the top of the stairs.

"I gotta pee," Dawson announced, with a smile still on his face.

"Good luck," Adam said as he chuckled.

Dawson headed toward his bathroom and Adam headed toward Clayton's room. When Dawson was done in the bathroom, he entered the master bedroom. The closet door was open and Adam was standing inside, looking around.

"I'm not sure where to start," Adam said.

"Hmmm," Dawson mused as he looked around, "Well, let's start on the shoes. That will clear the clutter on the floor, at least. I'll see if there's a portable rack, so we don't wrinkle the suits and shirts when we sort through them later."

Dawson contacted Niven and Krantz. He asked if they had a portable clothes rack they could use. Krantz responded he had several and he would bring two of them up. Adam began picking up pairs of shoes on the floor and arranging them.

"Are there any clothes you want to keep or is everything going for donation?" Dawson asked.

"Ummm... I think we should just donate it all. None of his clothes fit either of us, plus the styles are all outdated. Oh, wait... There's a tie my granddad used to wear that he always said matched my eyes. I want to find that," Adam said from his position on the floor, surrounded by shoes.

"Oh, ummm..." Dawson said as he sifted through the multitude of ties hanging from Clayton's tie racks. "You mean this one?" Dawson said as he pulled a brown hued tie with a distinct pattern from the tie rack.

Adam turned and furrowed his brow.

"How in god's name did you know that was the tie I was talking about?" Adam said with confusion.

Dawson smiled.

"Every time your granddad wore this tie, he would say that it matched your eyes," Dawson said, standing there holding the tie.

"Really? Wow..." Adam said as he turned his body to face Dawson, "He talked about me?"

"Well... yeah..." Dawson said as he wrapped the tie around his neck and let it dangle over his front, "Almost every time we played pool... He was very proud of you. I remember he puffed up with pride when he told me you got the marketing job at Stilton's. And he made a big deal about it when you got that big bonus... When you bought your new car, the white Nissan, and took him for a ride to show it off to him? He wouldn't stop talking about it. He told me when you started dating Vickie..."

Dawson paused after that, holding the ends of the tie. Adam looked down at the floor. The silence was awkward.

"Wow," Adam said as he thought about how much his granddad loved him.

Dawson turned and began to look at Clayton's shirts and suits.

"You know," Adam said as he started lining up the shoes from the pile again, "my granddad used to talk about you all the time, too."

Dawson was absentmindedly rummaging through Clayton's shirts when he stopped and turned toward Adam.

"He did not," Dawson said with skepticism.

"He did," Adam protested, "He told me you lived with your cousin, Cassie. He told me when that class action suit you worked on, against that pharmaceutical company... umm... Fermenti... He told me when you won that case. He told me you had a beautiful singing voice..."

"Now I know you're making that up," Dawson interrupted.

"No, I'm not. When you were in high school, you sang a song for senior talent day. Um... 'Hallelujah', right?" Adam said.

"Oh my god! I forgot I told him that," Dawson said in shock, "Why would he say anything about that to you?" Dawson said in confusion.

"I told you. He liked you," Adam said, "He talked about you all the time."

Just then, the boys heard rattling as Krantz came into the master bedroom with two empty clothes racks.

"Ah, Krantz," Adam said as he jumped up and went to the closet doorway, "Do any of my granddad's clothes fit you?"

Krantz stopped outside the closet with the two racks.

"I wouldn't think so. He had a much larger stature than me," Krantz said.

"Ah, right," Adam said, "The clothes are going to go to charity, then. We're going to put anything that might wrinkle on the racks."

Krantz nodded.

"I'll bring up more racks, then, and leave them in the hallway. Anything else you need?" Krantz asked.

"Oh... yes... Krantz, we found a note from a woman who signed it 'Q'. It seemed to indicate she dated my granddad. Do you know anything about it?" Adam asked.

"I don't think that's possible," Krantz said, "unless it was before he married your grandmother. Mr. Jameson was pretty definite that he wasn't interested in dating. There were a few attempts by others to 'set him up', so to speak. He refused them all."

"Hmm," said Adam, "no, the note doesn't look old enough to be before he met my grandmother. What about before your time? Who was here before you?"

"The butler before me was Lieberman," Krantz replied, "He passed away a couple years after I took over. During the transition, when he was handing over to me, he made it clear that Mr. Jameson wasn't interested in dating after the death of his wife."

"Ok, thank you, Krantz," Adam said a bit dejected.

Krantz nodded and left.

"Nothing but dead ends," Adam said softly to himself, "Any ideas on how to crack this mystery, there, Henry Fonda?"

Dawson laughed.

"We should read through all the love notes, see if we can find more to go on," Dawson said.

Dawson came over to Adam and swung the tie from his neck, over their heads, to around Adam's neck. He pulled him in close with the tie and kissed him on the cheek.

"Something tells me all the clues are there. We'll figure it out," Dawson said.

He let go of the necktie. The ends draped over the front of Adam's chest.

"It really does match your eyes," Dawson said as he looked at Adam.

"Mmm, maybe I'll wear it tomorrow for the judge, make a good impression..." Adam said as he grinned at Dawson.

"You'll just make it harder for me to keep my eyes off of you," Dawson said as he moved in to kiss him.

"Well, you definitely can't keep your hands off me," Adam said with a chuckle as he playfully pushed back at Dawson.

"Well... it's hard," Dawson said.

"Yes, I know," Adam said, picking up on the double entendre, as he reached down and groped Dawson's package lightly.

He backed away slowly as he smiled at Dawson and played with the tie around his shoulders, flirting with him.

"Let's find a tie that matches your eyes. Even the score a bit..." Adam said as he went to the tie racks.

Adam began sifting through the ties. Dawson came up behind him and lightly held him by his hips.

"Ooooh, look at this," Adam said as he held up a dark blue tie with the same distinct pattern as the tie around Adam's shoulders.

He turned and held the tie up against Dawson's chest. He looked from his eyes to the necktie as he smiled.

"I can't wear that tomorrow. We'll look like twins," Dawson said.

"Good point. But that is a good tie for you," Adam said.

He extended it and gripped the ends. He flipped it over Dawson's head and draped it over his shoulders. The boys both smiled. Adam turned and went back to looking in the tie racks. It took him maybe five seconds of searching.

"Ah... This is the one," Adam said with excitement.

It was a mostly navy-blue tie with some other colors in it, most prominently some strands of pink. Adam turned and put it up against Dawson's chest.

"Mmmm, wear this tomorrow. The judge will instantly fall in love with you," Adam said with a grin.

Adam strung the necktie around Dawson's neck and pulled him in. Dawson kissed him lightly on the cheek. Adam had other ideas. He kept him close with the necktie and began to nibble on his neck. He worked his way up to his ear. He began to nibble on Dawson's ear lobe.

"Ohh," Dawson moaned.

Dawson hunched his neck involuntarily as Adam flicked his tongue on his ear lobe. Adam slipped his mouth off his ear. Dawson felt the cool air hit his wet ear. Adam held onto the necktie as he looked at Dawson.

"God, I love you," Dawson whispered.

Adam sighed heavily.

"I feel like you were made just for me," Adam whispered.

Dawson leaned his forehead against Adam's.

"I feel the same way about you," Dawson admitted.

They stayed like that for a few moments and then they separated their heads. Adam moved in to kiss Dawson. They leaned into the neckties hanging in the closet as they sensually made out. The silkiness of the ties tickled their faces and necks. The sensation heightened their excitement. They kissed each other with abandon for several minutes.

Dawson finally broke the kiss, trying to prevent himself from losing control. Both boys were breathing heavily. Dawson looked at Adam and smiled. Adam continued to hold the necktie as he smiled back. They moved in to embrace and held each other for a few moments. They both had erections and they gently pressed them into each other. Adam let go of the necktie. He sighed heavily.

Adam began going through the ties again. Dawson knew, instinctively, that Adam was picking out more ties for him. So he smoothed out his shirt and got down on the floor and started going through the shoes. After a minute or so, Adam, without speaking, draped a couple more ties over Dawson's shoulders.

Dawson began stacking Clayton's shoes in boxes, so they would be easier to carry. He brought the first boxes of shoes out into the hallway. When he returned, Adam had a couple more ties around his neck. He turned to Dawson and put two more neckties over his shoulders.

"There, that should do it. These are good ties for you. Wear that blue one tomorrow," Adam said.

Adam lifted two of the tie racks, brought them out of the closet, and lay them on the bed. He went back and got the third and fourth tie racks and did the same. He got a canvas bag and put all of the ties into it and put the bag in the hallway. He went back into the closet and put the empty tie racks back on the wall.

Adam turned and saw that Dawson was halfway through boxing the shoes. Adam got down on the floor with him and they continued boxing them up.

"Look at these. They look very expensive," Dawson said as he held up a pair of shoes that he found at the bottom of the pile.

They were slip-on loafers with small tassels on the tongue. They were old, but they were in very good condition.

"Mmm, they look Italian. I can't imagine my granddad wearing those," Adam said as he continued collecting shoes.

Dawson looked inside to see if there was an Italian label.

"Yup, they're Italian," Dawson declared and then he paused.

He was looking at the size on the label inside the shoe.

"Hmm, that's weird. These are the wrong size," Dawson said with a puzzled look on his face.

He grabbed one of Clayton's other shoes and lined up the soles. The Italian shoe was an inch shorter than Clayton's.

"Maybe they belong to Krantz? Or your dad?" Dawson speculated.

"My dad's feet are too small. And I'm not sure those are Krantz' style," Adam said.

Adam tilted his head and thought about it.

"Maybe granddad bought the wrong size and never returned them?" Adam guessed.

Dawson turned them over and looked at the soles.

"No, these have been worn," Dawson said.

The boys both looked at the shoes.

"Hmmm," Dawson thought, "We can ask Krantz and Niven later,"

Dawson set the shoes on the floor, in the corner of the closet. They continued boxing up Clayton's shoes. When they finished with the shoes, Adam grabbed the ties from around Dawson's neck. He went to Dawson's room and lay them on one of Dawson's couches. He pulled out the navy-blue tie and put it on top. He went into his room and put the ties from around his neck onto one of the couches. He pulled out the brown tie that matched his eyes and put it on top. He went into the bathroom and peed.

When Adam got back to Clayton's room, Dawson had started putting Clayton's suits onto one of the racks. Adam started going through all of the pockets, to make sure there was nothing in them. Krantz delivered two more empty racks and left them in the hallway. After another hour, just as they were wheeling the fourth rack full of clothes out to the hallway, Niven appeared. She was holding a tray with some cold drinks and snacks.

"I figured you might want to take a break," Niven said.

"Good timing," Dawson said as he positioned the rack they were moving up against the wall.

Niven pursed her lips as she walked into the master bedroom with the tray. She put the tray down on the coffee table in the sitting area. She looked around at what the boys had cleaned up.

"My goodness. It looks like a different room," Niven said.

"Check out the closet. It looks twice as big now," Adam said as he picked up a cookie from the tray.

Dawson picked up a brownie, broke a piece off, and followed Niven as she went to the doorway of the closet.

"We just have the shelves left to do," Dawson said as he gestured.

He popped a piece of brownie into his mouth and started to chew. Adam appeared behind them, chewing on a cookie. Niven was nodding her head.

"Very impressive," Niven said, "oh... Giorgio Brutini's!" she exclaimed.

"Who?" Adam said with a mouthful of cookie.

Niven pointed at the loafers the boys found, still on the floor in the closet.

"The shoes... They're Italian. And expensive... Giorgio Brutini's... I'd recognize them anywhere. My brother had a pair back in the day. They were very popular," Niven explained.

"When were they popular?" Dawson asked.

"Oh, in the 1980's. Michael Jackson wore a pair once and everyone had to have them," Niven said as she looked like she was remembering her younger days.

"Huh. Do you know who those belonged to? We found them buried in my granddad's pile of shoes. They're not his size," Adam asked excitedly.

"I haven't the foggiest. Maybe they're your father's?" Niven said turning to Adam.

"No, they're not his size," Adam said dejectedly, "Could they be Krantz's?"

"Ha!" Niven barely stifled a laugh, "He wouldn't be caught dead in those shoes."

"Mmm," Dawson acknowledged, as he was chewing another piece of brownie.

Niven paused as she contemplated the shoes.

"You boys let me and Krantz know when you start bringing things downstairs. We'll help you," Niven said.

She turned as Adam moved to let her pass and she left the bedroom. Adam grabbed the shoes and put them on the bed.

"You're going to keep them?" Dawson asked.

"Yeah, until I find out who they belong to," Adam said.

"I'm not sure you're gonna find out. There are endless possibilities, with no real leads," Dawson said as he started taking a box down from the shelf in the closet.

"Well, you had a lot less to go on with the lock to the office and you figured it out," Adam said as he stood at the bed with his hands on his hips.

Dawson didn't respond. He had opened the box he took off the shelf. He was looking at a fedora. He took it out of the box, put the open box on the floor, and put the hat on. He looked at Adam and grinned. He swiped his hand across the brim.

"What do you think?" Dawson asked as he hitched his thumbs into the front pockets of his slacks.

"Damn, you look so sexy," Adam said as he smiled, "It fits you, too. You should keep it."

"Really?" Dawson said as he went to the mirror, "When would I ever wear it?"

"You can wear it for me," Adam said as he came up behind Dawson and looked at his reflection.

Adam put his hands on Dawson's shoulders.

"Mmm, I like it," Adam said.

Dawson leaned back into Adam. Adam wrapped his hands around Dawson and held him.

"Niven and Krantz were right. We really can't keep our hands off each other. At this rate, we're never gonna finish," Dawson said.

Adam let go of Dawson. He patted him twice on the shoulder.

"You're right. Let's keep going," Adam said as he turned toward the closet, "You're keeping the hat," Adam said as if it were an order.

"I guess I'm keeping the hat then," Dawson said under his breath with a smile as he removed it and put it on the bed.

Dawson stopped at the mirror to primp his hair. He fixed the front, so it was standing up again, like Adam had set it earlier.

The boys went through what was on the shelves in the closet. They found hats, gloves, belts, suspenders, and various sorts of other clothing accessories. There were only a couple stacks of boxes left on the shelf, when Dawson picked up a small box. He opened it. He took out a small card and read it. He turned his head as he looked into the box. He put the card back and closed the box.

"Adam," Dawson said in a very serious tone.

Adam turned to look. Dawson handed the box to him.

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If you liked this story, tell me: djwarner1984@hotmail.com And then donate to Nifty: https://donate.nifty.org/

-DJ