Tough Love in Kansas City: The Project
When Jesse and Tyler finally made it to breakfast, Uncle William and Jordy were just sitting down to eat. "Grab something to eat and join us," William said to the two young lovers. After getting some french toast, eggs, bacon, coffee and juice the boys took seats opposite of William and Jordy. William and Jordy were in the middle of planning an afternoon road trip to taste and purchase wine at a local vineyard.
William finally asked, "So, did you guys get a good night's sleep?
"Yes," Jesse said, "We slept very well."
"I didn't seem to sleep as well as normal," William said. "How about you Jordy."
"No, I had a hard time falling to sleep," Jordy replied. "I don't know why, I was tired but just couldn't drift off."
William pushed a button on his Iphone and the apartment's stereo system suddenly played at full volume, "Cumming, cumming, fuck!"
Jordy turned red, and Jesse looked at William and said indignantly, "I can't believe you recorded us."
"I wasn't recording you, I was in the library recording a business meeting I was zooming with a partner in Tokyo when that was included in the conversation." Now Jesse and Tyler were both in full blush.
Jordy was laughing so hard he was about to fall out of his chair. "Shit William, how did the translator deal with that."
William tapped his Iphone again and the stereo played "カミング, カミング, ファック!"
Now both William and Jordy were laughing uncontrollably, and even the boys couldn't help smiling.
When he got control, Jesse said, "I think we have two rooms that need acoustic modification."
Tyler looked at Jesse with a confused expression.
"What they heard last night," said Jesse, "is nothing compared to the XXX translation of the Norse sagas I have been subjected to since I arrived in this geriatric frat house."
"Hey, young man," Will shot back, "don't go throwing around words like geriatric or you'll be restricted to a diet of bread and water." "And cum," Tyler added and the table erupted again with laughter.
Over the next few weeks Tyler became a regular at the Marshal dinner.....and breakfast....table. One afternoon Tyler came home to get a change of clothing before heading to the gym and heard hammering in the apartment. Not sure what was going on, he went to explore. He finally entered the library and found one of the bookshelves standing away from the wall. It was in fact a door concealing a room. He heard his uncle's voice coming from the room and he went to explore.
The room itself seemed to be a communication and security room. There were monitors showing feeds from the lobby, hallways, and strategic locations in the building. There also appeared to be a telephone interchange and a bank of computers functioning as servers. He also noticed a door opposite the one he just entered and his uncle's voice was on the other side.
Passing through, he saw William speaking to a guy in a hard hat who was looking at blueprints. William saw him and waved him over.
"Uncle, what is this?"
"Well, when I had my apartment built I also had several storage rooms built on this floor and a second apartment. The second apartment has a concealed passage from it to the main apartment. In the main apartment the door is behind a bookshelf in the library and in this apartment it is behind the entertainment center. In between the two apartments are all the security and communications for this floor and a back up for Marshal Trust, additional storage, and a safe room. Did you not notice all the extra doors on this floor."
"I just thought the space behind them was blank. Jesse, paused, "Are you planning to rent this apartment."
William looked around, "I suppose I will have to seal the pass between the two apartments before I do that. ...Or....I could turn it into VRBO. Of course I would have to furnish it, and then would Jordy have the time to manage the place..... I just don't know.....I just wish there was someone I liked and trusted to live in this place."
"Uncle...."
"Yes, Jesse?"
"Don't you like me?"
"Come to think of it, I have grown fond of you."
Jesse smiled, "You can trust me."
"Now that I still have some questions about."
"Well Uncle William, you do trust Tyler."
"Yes, I do trust the boy, but he could never afford this place with what I pay him."
"Come on Uncle Will. How about if I lived here as well. I could help with the rent and you could take the rest from my trust disbursement."
"I guess there are two bedrooms. I think it would work for you guys to be roommates. Or we could get twin beds. Even better bunk beds then you would have plenty of space in the master and you could use the second room for an office."
"Seriously Uncle Will. Roommates? Twin beds?"
"What! Don't tell me you boys are sleeping in the same bed when Tyler sleeps over. I wondered why you never came to borrow my sleeping bag. Whatever would your mother think."
"Fuck that bitch."
"Hey, don't you try sucking up to me just to get this apartment."
As they bantered William and Jesse had been walking through the apartment and were now in the second bedroom. "You know Uncle Will I'm really liking working at the Trust and it is important that I get a business degree, if that is my future, but I also really do like art. This room would make a nice room for painting and digital photography, it wouldn't work for sculpture, but I could make it a studio."
"Before you start moving you easel in here you had better look at the last room." At the end of the hall was a newly hung door waiting for trim work. Beyond it was the source of the banging and sawing.
When Jesse stepped into the room, he broke into tears, turned, and hugged his uncle. William held the boy and said, Jordy and I love you so much. What had brought the tears was the site of a large well lit room being converted into an art studio. While the apartment was architecturally in keeping with the style of the early 20th century, this space was modern, industrial, urban. It was a place to break creative boundaries and Jesse was in awe. But most importantly his uncle, the man who had become the father that his biological never was, not only humored Jesse' passion for art, but now said I support you--I will be your patron.
Still holding Jesse in a bear hug, William softly said, "We need to have a family meeting, and Tyler needs to be there." For once, Jesse looked forward to a family meeting.
Sunday morning Jesse and Tyler walked into the apartment ready for the family meeting. William had given permission for Jesse to stay at Tyler's apartment so the two boys could have an honest discussion of what they wanted before sharing it in the family meeting. As usual, Jordy had made an incredible breakfast. Watching Jesse wolf down crepes topped with raspberry glaze Tyler thought to himself that he needed to ask Jordy to give him a few cooking lessons. Finally, William topped up everyone's coffee and said it's time to start the meeting.
"So Jesse," William said, "Have you decided to move into the apartment?"
"Yes sir, I have."
"Are you concerned that you might be living too close to Jordy and me?"
"No Uncle William, I think the eight-foot gap between my entertainment room and your library is just perfect."
"The work on the apartment was completed yesterday," William said, "You can move in anytime you like. Of course you will need to purchase furniture and things to furnish it. I did take the prerogative of purchasing a bed for the master and some linens for the bed and bath,"
Jesse looked at William with suspicion and asked, "What kind of bed? Did you put in bunk beds?"
William laughed, "I wanted to for a gag, but Jordy said that was just making work for some poor delivery people. I purchased a California king with a heavy duty, extra-firm mattress and box springs. I figure that will last you a year or two before it's worn out." Tyler blushed.
William continued, "If you want, Jordy will take you to shop for kitchen stuff if you want him to."
"I appreciate the offer Jordy," Jesse interjected, "but, I like eating with you guys and was hoping that would still be possible."
"I had this topic planned for later in the meeting, but since it has come up let's deal with it now. Jesse, you will always be welcome in this home, so will you Tyler. However, Jordy and I are getting married in two weeks and we have decided that for the first two months of our marriage we are going to lock the library entrance and dinner will be by invitation."
"It's not that we don't love both of you," interjected Jordy, "but we need to focus on `us' for a while. I know it seems odd, because we've been living together for some time. But, this is a new phase of the relationship and we want to nurture it."
"I understand," said Jesse and Tyler nodded in agreement.
"So," continued William, "last Friday, Maggy transferred from the Trust $10,000 to your account so you can shop for furnishings and other items necessary for establishing a household."
Jesse and Tyler smiled at each other.
"Jesse, you are the next item on the agenda. Do you have anything to report?"
"Yes Uncle William, Tyler and I have been discussing living together even before I learned about the apartment. So, last night we agreed that we would move into the apartment together."
William picked up a paper in front of him and handed it to Jesse. It was titled "Lease Agreement or Apartment 9A, Marshal Building: Tenants Jesse Marshal and Tyler Davidson. Jesse smiled and signed the document and then passed it to Tyler who did the same. Jordy then handed each new tenant a set of keys.
"The next item on the agenda is the wedding," William said. "We are having a civil ceremony at the courthouse and then a reception is in the old ballroom on the 12th floor of this building. The ballroom hasn't been used in decades and needed some extensive work to be ready to host this event. In fact, the crew that did the work on the art studio was part of the crew that did the work up there."
The day before the wedding," Jordy continued. "William and I will be coordinating the decoration of the ballroom and helping the caterers get set up what they can the day before. Jesse will of course be helping as a family duty, but we would like for you to help too Tyler."
"I would be honored," said Tyler.
"Thank you, Tyler. At the courthouse my brother Michael Owens will be standing up with me." Jordy stopped and looked at William.
"Jesse," William began with some reserve, "Would you stand up with me?"
"I would be honored Uncle William," Both men stood and embraced each other in a deep hug. Dry eyes were scarce in the room. After a bit William and Jesse sat down and William continued.
"There is one more item on the agenda. In addition to the employees of Marshal Trust and our friends, Jordy's parents and brother and sister be there. I also sent a couple of other invitations more as proforma manners than out of any expectation of getting even a response."
William handed an envelope to Jesse. He opened it and looked at the contents.
RSPV Marshal-Owens Wedding Reception June 22, 2019 Marshal Building Ballroom Kansas City, Missouri
Jesse saw that it was from his sister Jennifer and that she would be attending with her fiance Ryan Wentworth. In a handwritten note Jennifer said, "I am so glad you invited me. I had hoped that at some time I would have the opportunity to meet you and Jordy. Tell Jesse that I look forward to catching up with what has been happening in his life and having him meet Ryan."
Jesse was again red-eyes as he handed back the RSVP. William asked, "Do you want me to reserve you sister a hotel suite, or do you want for her and Ryan to stay with you."
"I would like her to stay with Tyler and me. Both of us have someone special to introduce."
William handed Jesse a second invitation. Like the previous, it was an RSVP for the wedding banquet, but the only message was an RSVP for Monty Marshal + 0. This time the redness in Jesse' eyes was anger. "So the asshole is coming to the wedding," muttered Jesse.
"Yes, but without the Queen of Bitches," said William with a note of intrigue in his voice.
A week before the wedding Matt Harris was in William's office for a meeting he had requested.
William, normally I wouldn't bother you with something like this, especially a week before the big day, but this is not just business, it involves family.
"So, what's up Matt?"
"I had two associates submit a proposal for developing the Mulberry Warehouse property."
"I thought we were going to sit on that property for a while and see how the winds are blowing in West Bottoms before doing anything. Is it that good of a proposal?"
"I would say we have a 75 percent chance of breaking even on the property rental and a 50 percent chance of turning a profit."
"This sounds like a no brainer. Tell the two associates that this isn't the time or the right plan."
"Well,..."
"Okay Matt, what's going on that you haven't told me?"
"The two associates are Tyler Davidson and Jesse Marshal."
"I thought you wanted to let Tyler go and Jesse is just an intern."
"Well Tyler has changed since he and Jesse have become close. He's growing and more confident. As for Jesse being just an intern, my question is which job is he really interning for. If I read the tea leaves right, he might be my boss some day."
"I don't know about your tea leaf literacy, but I see why you don't want to make the call. So, how about we make the call together. Run me a report on how much this would hurt the trust if we had to completely flush it down the toilet."
"Jordy told me to run the report three weeks ago, didn't he give it to you?"
"I feel some family conspiracy at play." mused William. "Don't say anything about this and set up a meeting for them to pitch their idea tomorrow at 2:30. There are three young men who just poked the bear."
That evening William and Jordy joined the boy for dinner in their apartment to break in the new kitchen and let Tyler show off some of the culinary skills he was picking up from Jordy. Just as dessert was being served, William announced that he had a meeting with Matt Harris the next day in the afternoon.
"What is the meeting about," Jordy asked while looking over his coffee cup.
"I don't know, a couple of wet behind the ears associates think they have a plan for the Mulberry property."
Tyler choked on the piece of cake he had just put in his mouth.
"Are you okay, you take a sip of water," William said to Tyler before continuing, "I didn't ask Matt who they were, but I can bet it is Ashley Jensen and Ian Garber. Ever since they were written up in the Star for their work on The Gregory and Oak redevelopment they think they are wonderkind. From what Matt told me about this project, he should have nixed it." Without giving any clue that he knew what was going on, William continued, "I'll bet it's because his daughter is dating, well more than dating, Ian Garber. He doesn't want to be the one to make his little princes unhappy. I hate nepotism."
William smiled imperceptibly as he studied the distressed faces of the rest of the people in the room. "I'll teach them to gang up on me," thought William.
As William and Jordy said their goodbyes he noticed Jordy mouth "I'll soften him up" to Jordy and Tyler. Under his breath William muttered, "There will be nothing soft about tonight."
Back in their apartment William stretched and then said, "Ouch, my back is sore. I think I'll get in the jet tub and relax a bit." Just before he stepped out of the library William looked at Jordy, "I could really use a whiskey sour. Could you make me one babe?"
"Ah...sure...I'll bring it right in."
William drew a nice hot bath, added some bubble bath Jordy had found that smells like vanilla and the woods, turned on the tub's jets, and then sank into the water.
A few minutes later Jordy brought in the drink. "Here you go babe,This will help you relax."
Just as Jordy turned to leave, William said, "Babe, you know what I would really like?"
"What baby."
"I would like you to wash my back, pleeeease."
"Okay, I can't resist when you beg." Jordy stripped and William's cock was prompted to twitch a bit when he saw his lover's naked body. Jordy crawled in behind William and lended back on the tub while William leaned into his chest.
William took a drink then said, "Oh babe this is so good." Then he wiggled his ass against Jordy's cock and felt it swell. Jordy began to scrub William's back as he sipped his whiskey sour.
Finally William said, "You know something funny babe?"
"What babe"?"
William again wiggled his ass and Jordy's cock responded.
"Today Matt told me that he sent me a report about what would happen if one of our investment properties tanked. I said I didn't request such a report and he said you did."
"Oh...ah"
"The other thing that was odd was that the numbers he ran were identical to the numbers of the proposal I will be hearing tomorrow."
"Oh shit, you know."
"Yes, shit-for-brains I know."
"How mad are you?"
"This mad," and William wiggled his ass on Jesse' cock until it reached its full ripeness.
"We really didn't mean to sandbag you William. It's just things kind of developed."
"Oh?"
"Well you told me to tutor Jesse in his business classes, and he had to develop a plan for his project management class. Tyler had told him what his ideas were for the Mulberry property and Jesse thought they were really great, but Tyler wouldn't pitch them to Matt. So, Jesse decided he would use Tyler's ideas for his project. He and Tyler ran the numbers, put together the presentation and prospectus: they spent hours on this project. When Jesse presented his project the class and professor loved it and he got an A. He thought that would be enough to convince Tyler to make the pitch, but he wouldn't."
A light bulb went off in Williams head, "So Jesse had you get the numbers on what would happen if his plan totally bombed. Jesse had to convince Tyler that he wouldn't destroy the Trust if his gamble didn't pay off."
"Yeah, Tyler is always second guessing himself and getting him to make this pitch was hard, but Jesse wouldn't take no for an answer. Are you upset, babe."
William wiggled his ass and Jordy had all the answer he needed.
Then William said, "However babe, you will be in that meeting tomorrow in the event this goes horribly wrong. We have two boys who are putting a lot on the line and we might need some emergency ego massage."
"Like this," and Jordy wrapped his arms around William and began to rub his chest before venturing below the waterline.
William moaned and leaned his head back onto Jordy's shoulder, "So Jordy, what did the report say about the impact failure would have on the Trust."
"It said the Trust would take a hit in it's working capital and credit score, but it wouldn't come close to endangering the Trust. The Trust is so solid, it would take dropping a nuclear bomb on Kansas City to destroy it."
William muttered, "That's the way I like my trust, solid and able to weather the worst." He then again wiggled his ass against Jordy's cock. "I think it's time for some deeper massage, babe."
Jordy moaned in full agreement.
The next afternoon, William and Matt Harris sat at the office conference table and Jordy in a chair along the wall when Tyler and Jesse walked into the room. Neither looked particularly happy or comfortable. Matt asked the two to have a seat for the moment.
William began, "Boys, I just found out about this meeting and your proposal yesterday. I find it odd that I was not included in the conversation earlier, particularly since we are neighbors. However, I will assume you want me to make a decision on the merits of the proposal and not our personal relationship. I can respect that; however, I will also ask that you view my decision as purely business and that what I am decide is what I believe is best for the Trust. Is there anything you want to say before we start?"
Jesse, "We're sorry we didn't include you in our planning. It's just the we....well...we..."
William, "I understand why you didn't talk to me earlier. Jordy, explained all of that last night. He also apologized and.....and...."
"Made atonement." Jordy smiled.
"Yes, that's a good word for it. He made atonement for the plotting behind my back," William said while returning Jordy's smile. "So, let's get started."
Jesse stood and booted the PowerPoint slides while Jordy distributed four-color copies of the prospectus. Then Jesse began.
The basic idea was to build on the Tiny House movement and brand small studio apartments as urban tiny homes. Several slides showed sample floor plans and artist renderings of what the apartments would look like, William was pretty sure the renderings were Jesse' work and were quite impressive. It was clear that the design was borrowing a lot of the esthetic of the tiny house culture.
While each apartment was minimalist, the commons areas were quite generous and provided a variety of gathering spaces and services. At street level a small cafe and grocery story filled half the space.
Jesse explained that Tyler's research found that West Bottoms was effectively a food desert. So the inclusion of the grocery store on street level was a solution not only for the building's residents, but also for the neighborhood. The fact that the store was in the same building meant that the limited pantry space in the kitchen was less of an issue. Tyler had already found a food coop that was ready to run the grocery store. To pack the most product into a limited space, it was decided that no more than one name brand and one generic of each item would be stocked. Also, only the two most popular sizes of an item would be carried. However, a higher that normal percentage of the store would be dedicated to fresh, produce, meat, and dairy. To supplement the store's selection, the coop agreed to fill and deliver orders from it's warehouse semi-weekly.
Occupying the other half of the street level would be a 24 hour fitness franchize, a laundromat, and a combination drug and sundries store. All of which would be available to people in the neighborhood as well as residents to patronize. As with the grocery store and cafe, Tyler already had suppliers and providers lined up.
On the second floor half the space was dedicated to a commons room patterned after a sports bar to provide community interaction. Included in the commons room was a demonstration/community kitchen. The rest of the second floor was dedicated to a business and creativity center. Jesse pointed out that this shared work space not only created community and business amenities like copy machines and printers, but compensated for limited space in the apartments to use as a home office. Floors three four and five were all configured with the tiny house concept and six and seven would be one and two bedroom apartments.
While the configuration of the building would be unique, William saw nothing that was controversial or even particularly risky. Until Jesse flipped to the next slide.
Target Rental Price $500-$600 including utilities and free wifi
Lease Options 6 mo., 1yr., 2 yrs.
Target Customer Recent college graduates who lack sufficient credit for a normal rental
Suddenly, William sat up, "Are you out of your fucking minds?!"
Jesse started to answer, but William cut him off, "No, I want Tyler to answer the question. This is his plan and I want the Wiz Kid to tell me why this is such a damn hot idea. Because to me, it looks like we'd be pissing money down a hole."
Tyler froze like a deer in the headlights. He looked at the table and not William. He looked on the verge of running from the room.
"Well tell me, how are we going to make any money renting to broke ass kids right out of college and up to their eyeballs in debt?"
Jordy reached out and touched Williams arm to get him to ease off of Tyler. At the same time Jesse moved behind his lover, put both hands on his shoulders, squeezed, and said "breathe." Tyler took a deep breath and stood up.'
"Respectfully sir, we won't make money from renting these apartments."
"Then what the hell are we doing here," William yelled, "We are not a charity, we are not the government, we are a for-profit family trust." Now Jordy was standing behind William and gently keeping him in his seat.
"Sir," This time Tyler kept eye contact with William, "The problem with West Bottoms is there is no nucleus in the neighborhood. There are a few cafe's, a coffee shop, several art studios, and mixed commercial activities. But there are no significant residential buildings in the Bottoms. So, no residential building and no residents means the place shuts down at night; the Bottoms has no nightlife to make it an attractive residential neighborhood. And because people aren't looking at the Bottoms as a residential neighborhood no developer wants to risk being the first to invest."
"That's why the Marshal Trust is the perfect developer for the district. The Trust has a healthy stable of buildings to use as collateral for the investment as well as a great deal of ready capital in the stocks and bonds division. But most importantly sir, you have complete discretion to invest the Trust's resources without worrying about shareholder reaction."
"Okay," said William in a calmer voice, "I understand why residential development in West Bottoms is slow, and I understand the need to create, as you called it, a nucleus. But why college kids and where is the benefit to the trust?"
"Well sir, the reason is that kids just getting out of college are used to being packed high and tight in college housing. They will just love not having to have a roommate if they don't want one..."
"And no RAs," chipped in Jesse
"Yes, and adult freedom," Tyler continued. "So we can generate a lot of residential density for a relatively small footprint. If this were a normal apartment development we would need a 10 story building to get this density. Instead we are doing it with six and still keeping the street level for commercial space."
"But to attract people just entering the workforce from college the rent has to be affordable and predictable. That is why the rent is all-inclusive. The other reason people right out of college are having difficulty finding housing is because they are under-water with college debt and don't have the credit to rent many of the places in the downtown or near downtown area."
"Why the 6 mo. lease," asked Matt.
"A lot of people just entering the job market are shy to commit to longer leases. Also, we did some research and found there are more companies who would be willing to include housing with internships, in the way that Marshal Trust does, if there were affordable short term leases available. A couple of companies said they would even sign a long-term agreement if we kept apartments available for their interns."
"So you still haven't told me what is in it for the Trust," William said.
"Well Sir, the Trust owns two other buildings in West Bottoms and holds options on four more. If, no I mean when, we turn the Bottoms into a desired residential neighborhood, those buildings will be developed at top market price. Plus, by treating people well who are just entering the Kansas City workforce, we will be building loyalty to the Marshal Trust brand, not only in property development, but open other profit opportunities in providing investment and financial services should the Trust choose to move in those directions. By focusing on young, college-educated tenets, we are building a long term base market."
Jesse added, "Plus, we should be able to milk the good P.R. of helping struggling kids saddled with student debt, in the local, regional, and maybe even national media."
"Okay boys, that was a fine presentation and a very intriguing plan. No matter what I decide on the project, I am proud of you, especially you Tyler. You handled my outbursts and my questions like a pro."
"Thank you Sir, that means a lot to me."
"I think we can stop with the Sir. If it is alright with Jesse, I'd like you to call my Uncle Will when we aren't around the junior staff."
"That's very fine with me," said Jesse and then gave Tyler a big hug.
"Well, let Matt and I visit, And I'll let you know tonight."
As Jordy walked by, William handed him a note.
Call and make reservations for four at The Campground. Also, arrange for car service. I feel like getting drunk and I don't want to be the only one.
Once everyone had left, William asked Matt, "What do you think?"
"I was impressed. Those two are perfect together, it is like they were made for each other."
"I agree, but what did you think of the project."
"I don't know, I just don't have a read on this, so I kind of asked around the property division what other people thought. The older associates are like me, they just don't know. But the young associates are excited. All week they've been buzzing around Tyler and Jesse trying to get a piece of the project. If not helping on the Mulberry Building directly, they are real gunning to be part of the redevelopment of the rest of the Marshal properties in West Bottoms."
"I also talked with my daughters to see what they thought. They immediately put in a request for an apartment for each of them, but on different floors. So, if you do this, I've already got two apartments leased, and it will be hell if I don't get them based on Toni's and Jerri's reaction. So, what do you plan to do?"
"I am going to green light it. If nothing else I'll get an answer."
"An answer?"
"Yes, if they succeed I know they are the team Marshal Trust needs in the future. If they fail and learn from their mistakes, then there is still work to get them ready, but they will be the Trust's furture. If they fail and are to dumb to learn from failure, or if they fail and are to scared to try again, then I will need to restructure the Trust for the future."
When William met Jordy, Jesse, and Tyler at The Campground he handed Jesse and Tyler each a ring of keys to the Mulberry Street property. "The project is your. Don't fuck it up." The party started and all night Jordy couldn't stop smiling at William. His man was a great uncle.
On the way home in the limo, William slurred, "Jordy."
"Yes, Willie?"
"I told you never to call......shit....who cares......are you going to drunk fuck me when we get home."
"I thought you were going to drunk fuck me?"
"Shit......who cares......we are both fucked." Then William passed out.
When William woke the next morning, his head was pounding and he needed some water. He also noticed that his ass was a bit sore. He looked over at Jordy and saw he was completely naked except for one sock and his tie was now around his balls. "Shit...I don't even want to know."
Walking down the hall he looked in the library and noticed that the doors to the passage were both open. When he went to close the entertainment room door, he heard from the direction of the master, "Cumming... fuuuck... fuuuck... Cuuuuummming."
He shut the door and muttered, "Damn fucking bunnie rabbits."
Next Chapter--Tough Love in Kansas City: The Big Day