Winging It

"Winging It" - Part IX By: Pee Jay peejay@mi.rr.com

The airplane ride back to Springfield was all together too quiet for Johns liking, he was growing more worried with every silent minute that passed. He was thinking and thinking way too much for his own good. He managed to work himself into a state of nervous anxiety. He convinced himself that he had upset Adam to the point where he may no longer want to be with him. His armpits had wet spots the size of large pancakes and he was beginning to tremble lightly from time to time, his hangover wasn't helping matters either. He would sneak a look at Adam every so often who was maintaining a blank expression alternating his attention between the instrument panel and out the windshield.

Adam was well aware of Johns ambivalence, what he failed to realize, though, was the depth and breadth of Johns self-imposed mental anguish. A few times John cleared his throat as if he wanted to say something but never did and it made Adam smile inwardly, 'Yeah" he thought to himself 'Let him squirm'. Adam kept his hands on the yoke so John couldn't take hold of one but was getting tired of flying the plane manually so he set and engaged the autopilot.

An hour or so from home John couldn't stand it anymore; he was going crazy, "Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing".

"How come you're so quiet?" John eked out in a docile voice.

That did it. Adam had to smile and look at John it had been building up inside him too long to repress now. When he turned to John, he was appalled at the sight of him. John had worry lines in his face and he looked like he might start crying at any moment. His armpits were wet half way down to his belt and he was fidgeting with a pencil rolling it around and twirling it with his fingers. He looked ten years older.

"John are you okay?"

The concern in Adams voice threw John off. He thought Adam was mad and not sure how to interpret the sincerity of his question; he was confused.

"I'm not sure. I don't feel so good."

Adam decided to put an end to the guise; John had obviously been deliberating and beating himself up enough. Adam took John's hand and raised it to his mouth and kissed it then held it tight to his chest before lowering it to his lap. He was concerned for John.

John turned to look at Adam who was wearing a devilish grin on his face, which only served to baffle John further. John decided to get some clarification, "What's so funny?"

"You, you're too much."

"What do you mean? Aren't you mad?"

"Yeah, I'm mad about you" and Adam flashed an ear-to-ear grin at John.

John felt relief wash over him like a morning shower, cleansing him of the guilt that festered inside of him. He smiled as he discharged every doubt and dreadful thought he fostered for the last few hours. All he could feel was consolation and solace at the respite he had been given; he felt light and ethereal as if he had been set free, a long drawn out sigh escaped him.

"So you're not mad then?" John asked Adam.

"No, why would I be mad?"

John thought about it for a minute, 'If the SOB wasn't mad then why the silent treatment'? 'Was he messing with me'? John figured that was it; Adam had been playing him like a maestro plays his instrument and he bought into it.

"Hon that wasn't even close to funny, that was mean. You had me worried sick," John said. He was too relieved to be angry and a little too close to tears at the thought of losing his lover boy. It may as well have been a brush with death; that's how scary it was in Johns mind.

John leaned over for a reassuring peck on the mouth and got it. He squeezed Adams hand and exhaled as he leaned back in his seat; he never wanted to revisit those thoughts again; ever, it was too dour. He closed his eyes and let the drone of the engines lull him to sleep; secure in the knowledge that he still belonged to Adam.

When they made it back home and upstairs, Adam punched the playback button on the answering machine. There was a message from Jim and Dave, one from Adams mother, and one from John's mother. Adam returned calls while John unpacked and put their things away. John turned the air conditioning on, put a CD on the sound system, and took a leak while Adam talked on the phone with Jim and his mother.

When Adam hung up he said, "Mom wants to come and visit again. This time she wants to bring the old man."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her they couldn't stay here, the apartment is too small."

"Your Mom knows about the sofa-bed we have though."

"Yeah, she said it's okay for her but too small for the two of them. I'm glad too. I don't want the old man staying here."

"Me either. We aren't the best of friends."

"Don't worry he doesn't stray much further than where Mom allows him to go. Her family controls the largest single block of voting stock where Dad works. Actually Mom does, she's the last of the Lemieux's and sits on the board. Dad more or less works for her" and Adam chuckled at the thought.

"That still doesn't make him easy to get along with. And Hon, I had no idea your mother was from that kind of stock. I mean she's classy, handles herself well and all that but she surely doesn't come off as being privileged or stuck on herself...you know what I mean."

"Yeah, well that's Mom and she's always been like that. One thing about her though, if she likes you that's good if she doesn't then she can be cold as ice, and she likes you. So you gonna call your mother back?"

"Yeah, I don't know how she got this number. I haven't talked to her in so long I really don't remember. I feel like ordering us some Chinese food before I return the call, are you okay with that?"

"Yeah" and Adam rose for the bedroom to change clothes.

John sat at the snack bar in the kitchen and ordered dinner. When he finished he dialed home.

After a couple rings, his mother answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi mom, it's John."

"Hi John, how are you? It's been a long time since you called. Why do I have to be the one to call?"

"Oh, no real reason mom. I've been very busy with work."

"That's funny, I called your office and they told me you don't work there anymore. Are you okay?"

"Yeah mom, I apologize for not calling. How did you get the number here?"

"Your sister gave it to me."

John chatted with his mother and she wanted to know if he was coming home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. John told her that he wasn't. He told her he made other plans and felt bad about it. He loved his mother, she was sweet and kind, but his redneck father was more than he cared to deal with. He had listened to enough of his bigoted comments while growing up; he didn't want to hear any more of it. As far as he was concerned, his father was rude and crude and he had no need or use for him; love and affection was the last thing that came to mind.

His mother seized the moment and said, "How is Adam?"

John was stunned and speechless; he was caught completely off guard. He didn't know where that was coming from, only his sister knew about the arrangement. And so it dawned on him; his sister had spilled the beans. It made him angry and he wanted to call her and tell her to keep her big mouth closed; he was pissed.

John monopolized the conversation for a few more minutes and promised to call back in a few days. They hung up and John breathed a sigh of relief; his mother was fine but the last person he wanted to see now was his father, especially with his situation exposed. He thought there was a good chance he would never go home again, at least as long as his father was alive.

Adam went downstairs to answer the side door when the doorbell rang and paid for the food. Upstairs, they traded containers sampling and eating from each container when the other wasn't scooping from it.

When Adam had enough, he went to bed. John put the leftovers in the fridge and sat on the couch to watch TV for a while. After cycling through all his favorite stations and finding nothing of interest, John went to bed and snuggled up to Adam, it was nice to be home in their own bed.

Monday was a little on the slow side as usual. Adam moved the airplanes out of the hangar then tended the office while John cut the grass, and cleaned the place up. Larry was busy giving lessons to University students all day.

When John finished cleaning, he sat on the desk to talk to Adam.

"Hon, do you have a problem with me getting some office help?"

"No, not at all. Why do you ask?"

"Well I'm tired of sitting around here and doing menial tasks. It only takes two hours to do the books for the month then all I do is take reservations for those students that don't do it on the net. I could be out there bringing in so much more business. I want to ratchet up the charters like we discussed. So let's put the word out; start mentioning it to the students, maybe someone knows someone type thing."

"Okay I will."

"Good, I'm going to bring in so much business we're going to be pulling our hair out."

And so they let it be known that there was a need for a secretary / clerical type person. One of the students mentioned his wife and after talking with her John hired her. She was a quick study and picked up on operations in no time, she proved to be an asset. Her name was Angie, she was bright, witty, energetic and confident; and she didn't have a problem with the gay thing; John made sure of that before he hired her. She was a pretty girl that smiled easily and disarmed people before she spoke; she reminded John a lot of Adam in that regard. In addition to clerical functions, John had her doing the cleaning including the windows and the apartment upstairs and she seemed to like the job.

John had some glossy promotional brochures printed with pictures of planes aloft, employee portraits and short bio's. The printer made suggestions and John went for them; he wanted the material to be alluring and worthy of the price he planned to charge the customer. Then, he set about the task of drumming up additional business. Since they were in the state capitol, he began calling on every state department he could identify. The legislators proved especially loose with taxpayer funds and John was able to get his foot in the door. As it happened, the idea was lucrative and kept Adam flying the Aztec full time. The state had trimmed their fleet down to two airplanes and one was set aside for the exclusive use of the governor.

John placed an ad in one of the trade journals for another flight instructor and the response was overwhelming. They needed another instructor badly since Adam was spending all his time flying charters.

The students were beginning to complain about the schedule being constantly full and that was bad; instructing was the bread and butter of their business. Adam sorted through the responses and narrowed it down to three candidates. He and John interviewed them and Adam made the final decision, which was fine with John. Adam told John that the one he liked could be checked out in the Aztec in a few hours if they needed him.

As hectic as things were John still had the urge to pursue new business but Adam put a halt to the idea. They were too busy as it was in his opinion. John liked the sound of that and decided to respect Adams wishes. He was going to let things run as they were for a while until everyone got comfortable with the way things were going.

And things were going well; the business was firing on all cylinders and the money was pouring in. Angie was a big help but occupying the office downstairs full time. John talked with Adam and they decided to make an office for themselves upstairs in one corner of the apartment.

They hired the same cabinet company that did the bar and the outcome was tasteful and consistent with the apartment, it looked good. They had a computer and telephones installed along with an internet connection. It was a nice arrangement; they could look down on the airport through the windows while talking on the phone and hold private conversations between themselves without outside interference.

They decided to sell the older of the two 172's and bought another 152. The training side of the business was generating enough income to support them nicely by itself. Adam took the new instructor up for a few hours and checked him out in the Aztec so he could fill in when he or Larry were too busy, it was a requisite by law and an insurance company requirement as well.

A week before the Thanksgiving holiday, John and Adam were sitting in their office in the apartment after everyone had left for the day. John got up and went over to the bar to make himself a drink. He asked Adam if he wanted one and Adam told him yes, and make it a double, John smiled at him. He knew Adam had been working hard.

"Hon, we haven't made any plans for Thanksgiving yet. You have any ideas?"

John asked Adam as he put the two drinks on the bar and came around to sit down.

"No. Christ, it's been so damn busy I haven't had time to think of anything" and he squeezed John from behind, grabbed Johns crotch then sat beside him. "For some reason, I have the feeling you do though, am I right?"

"Geez Hon, you know me too well. Okay, there's a used King Air for sale in Florida. It's been on the market for almost nine months and hasn't sold. I called on it yesterday and it's still for sale and it's priced about two hundred grand cheaper than anything comparable; I'm guessing the owners would like to get rid of it. The down side is; there's less than a hundred hours to TBO (time to be overhauled)."

"That will hardly give enough time to pay for the overhaul."

"Right. Anyway, I talked with the broker and he said we might be able to get the price reduced to help pay for the overhaul."

"How old is it?"

"It's ten years old and has that champagne like interior; I forget the exact name of the color scheme. The exterior is beautiful; it has those elongated stripes down the fuselage and at the top of the T-tail, it's sweet. It looks like it's doing five hundred knots just sitting on the ramp. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, it has a throne for the pilots seat" and John laughed.

Adam clipped John on the back of the head and they both laughed.

"Who owns it now?"

"The broker said it was part of a corporate fleet; he wouldn't divulge the name. He did say the company upgraded and replaced it with a Gulfstream."

"No shit! Must be some serious cash there, how 'bout the avionics?"

"Collins, standard factory shit; but nice all the same".

"Do you want us to look at it?"

"Yeah, what do you think?"

"Hell, it doesn't cost much to kick the tires; why not?"

"That's what I was thinking and we don't have any plans for Thanksgiving anyway. Would you rather take the Aztec or fly commercial?"

"Where in Florida is it?"

"Opa Locka Executive."

"Shit, that's like Miami. That's a long haul in the Aztec, maybe eight hours or more. And that doesn't take into account any weather problems."

"I think it would be cheaper and faster to go commercial and we wouldn't be so tired when we come back home."

"I agree. Let's do it."

And so they did. They both had a legitimate excuse to offer the family during the holiday and that eased their conscience, especially for Adam. John made it clear to Adam that they would fly coach, stay in an inexpensive motel, and rent a cheap car. John didn't want to create the illusion of wealth or deep pockets; he was planning to squeeze down to the last penny if they decided to go ahead and pursue the deal.

Two days before they were to leave, the broker called John wanting a letter of credit from the bank. John was pissed off and told the broker that if he required a letter of credit, he could shove the deal. He told the broker they would not be pursuing something they couldn't afford to pay for and the airline tickets were non-refundable. The broker apologized and John reminded him of the commission he stands to collect should the sale go through. When he hung up the phone John thought, 'Fucking whores those brokers ; making their living off the effort of others, no investment, no risk, just plug in the phone and you're in business; fucking whores' and he paced the office for a few minutes until he cooled off.

It was Wednesday night and they were to leave on Thursday morning, that was Thanksgiving Day, and then view the plane on Friday. They planned to fly back Saturday and spend a quiet Sunday at home. Adam decided to make dinner that night; he was getting sick of carry out and delivered meals, he wanted a home cooked meal. He wanted to make meatloaf because he said he missed it and liked it; but neither he nor John knew how to prepare it. Neither one wanted to call home for the recipe so they got on the internet and found one that seemed easy enough to follow.

John was watching Adam prepare the dish for the oven; it was amusing, he was getting frustrated. Adam kept referring to the recipe every two minutes. John couldn't help but smile; he was wondering what Adam would look like naked and wearing an apron with that cute pert butt sticking out behind him.

"Okay, what's so funny?" Adam wanted to know.

"You. I was wondering what you would look like naked and wearing an apron."

"Fuck John, you should be doing this. I've been flying all day and you've been sitting on your ass in the office."

"Hon, that's not fair. We're both doing our part."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean that like it sounded. You could at least read it to me as I go."

John got up, went over to Adam and hugged him from behind. He kissed the small of his neck, left his head there and made an 'mmm' sound and kissed him again. Adam turned around, pulled John in for a tight hug and held it for a few moments.

"Babe, I'm sorry about that comment. I didn't mean it at all like it sounded. Okay?"

"It's okay. Maybe we should skip looking at the King Air. It's just going to create more stress around here and it's not worth it if one of us is unhappy, screw the money."

"Let's look anyway. We need to get away from here for a while."

"Do you think it would be better if we didn't live here? You know, find us a place away from the airport and work?"

"Maybe, but I really like it here. I like the apartment and everything about it."

"Me too Hon" John said and pulled Adam's head onto his shoulder and ran his fingers through his hair. "Me too."

The next day, they drove to the passenger terminal and boarded their flight; it was Thanksgiving day and the airport wasn't terribly busy, most travelers had made it to their destination already. The flight stopped in Chicago and then continued non-stop to Miami. Adam was moaning about the cheap car and motel and John felt bad about it; not bad enough to change, just sorry he had to put Adam through it.

When they checked in there was a note from the broker asking them to call as soon as they arrived. They made it to the room and Adam called the broker at home, told him they arrived safely and would see him in the morning at Opa Locka Executive Airport; they were to meet in the general aviation terminal, the broker would be holding a sign that read 'Hughes'.

The two had dinner at a chain restaurant and went back to the room to watch TV in bed. John was bored with the program so he scooted further down in bed, kissed Adam's crotch and lay his head on the pillow for the night. Adam was tired and decided to join his handsome babe, and turned the light off. He pulled himself in tight to John placing an arm and a leg over him and pushing his stiff dick into the crack of John's ass. He tried and eventually went to sleep.

The next morning the phone rang and John rolled over to answer it. It was the automated wake-up call they requested. John replaced the phone in its receiver, scooted close in behind Adam and wrapped his arms and legs around him. He kissed his boy and closed his eyes again as he held him close.

"Babe are you going to start the coffee maker?"

"No, and neither are you. I'm staying right here next to you all day" and

John tightened his hold on his hunk of male beauty.

Adam turned to face John, kissed him around the face and neck and climbed on top of him. He pushed his morning erection into John's crotch and John pushed his hips upward forcing his erection against Adam. They explored each other's body moving hands and fingers to all the right places; touching, kneading and caressing. They were feeling the passion that love alone can fuel and ground into one another with a fervor that only orgasm could surfeit. Adam pushed John's knees up to his chest and slid down on John placing his hard-on between John's firm cheeks. Adam stroked the firm concave cavity on the side of John's ass causing his erect penis to jump; he couldn't wait to get inside of his handsome lover. He took the lube and greased John's ass up then himself.

He positioned himself at John's threshold and applied steady pressure, anticipating and yearning for the object of his desire. He slipped inside John slowly and gently. John made an audible gasp and pushed down on Adam forcing him in deeper and wanting all of his lover boy inside of him.

John relaxed looking Adam in the eyes as they made a silent exchange, it was clear they wanted the same thing. Adam bent down and kissed John on the neck. He rose up and began to slowly move in and out of John. John was rolling his head from side to side, filled with the pleasure of his boy and his boy's longing for him, wanting and needing him, all of him.

"Fuck me Adam. Fuck me hard."

That was all the encouragement Adam needed. He had a faint smile come across his face and began to pump John slowly at first then faster and harder giving it all he was worth as his want and need overtook him. He pounded into and out of John loving the feel of John's hot strong ass around his hard shaft. He forged hard inside John only to pull back and ram him again and again, arching his back with every thrust; searching for the bottom, seeking the depth of titillation. John moaned with pleasure having his lover boy poke and stab into his guts with his hardness, longing for the next drive, needing it. John rolled his head from side to side as Adam drove into him faster and harder, time and again, pounding him, ramming him. John loving the hard cock of his boy buried deep inside him, filling him up, making him feel whole and opening up to have it all, wanting it all.

Adams pistoning began to slow as his shaft swelled up inside John, feeling the nectar beginning its journey up and out. Adam voiced a loud moan and began to fill John with his juice pumping into John with every surge of his shaft. John felt the pulse and release of his boy inside of him and it sent him over the edge. He began to jettison his load onto his chest and stomach never touching himself, needing only the feel of his boy filling him up and completing him to get him off. They gasped and moaned with every release until there was nothing more to spend and they collapsed; satisfied and whole, complete and content; lost in the serenity and fulfillment of the moment, catching their breath.

Adam slowly shrank from John's ass and lie next to him on the bed, an arm and a leg on top of John. He put a hand behind John's head and kissed him on the mouth then pulled him close and inhaled him. They lie side by side; arm in arm embracing, feeling and occasionally kissing, happy and content to be in the company of the other one, needing nothing and no one.

"I love you," Adam said softly.

"I love you too stud boy" and John returned the kiss. "A whole lot."

After a few minutes John got out of bed to start the cheesy coffee maker in the bathroom, there was no room service at the motel. Adam watched John as he walked around the bed and stroked himself at the sight of John's muscular ass with the dimples working as he walked, it was beautiful and sexy to Adam's eyes and mind. Adam thought, 'that has to be the picture of the perfect male ass', and his dick jumped at the thought.

They took turns in the bathroom and packed their things after they dressed. When each one finished and they were ready to leave, Adam stopped John at the door before they left the room for a heartfelt embrace, and they both held on to each other, it was an affirmation of their bond. They made their way to the front desk to pay and partake in the continental breakfast with coffee and rolls in the motel lobby. Adam was good about not commenting on the facility and John appreciated it.

Adam seemed to understand and concur with the reason for the spartan accommodations; but that didn't mean he had to like it. For whatever reason, it didn't seem like a big thing; he was with John and that was good enough for him.

They finished their coffee and bagel then re-filled their coffee for the ride to the airport. It was a short drive and they talked in the car as they went. Adam was upbeat as usual and John was wary, he harbored some misgivings for the broker they were going to meet.

"Hon, regardless of how things go; let's not give any indication, one way or the other, of our intentions today okay?"

"Yeah sure. We need to talk it over anyway."

"Yeah Hon, and I would never agree to anything without us talking. And that's what we'll tell him if he pushes too hard. No fucking way are we going to make a decision worth one point eight million on the spot or under duress, no way."

"I agree and I expect him to push too. From the couple times I've spoken to him he seems like the type that would."

"Yeah, he's after the commission. He doesn't give a shit what happens to us beyond that. He's a fucking whore."

John made his last statement with such conviction that it caused Adam to look at John and grin.

John glanced at Adam and said, "What?"

"He's not just a whore; he's a fucking whore" and Adam laughed as he quoted John.

John smiled. He got the message and realized he was a bit emphatic with his characterization.

"Hon if there's anything you want to discuss without him nearby we can ask him to give us a few minutes alone. I don't think there's anything rude about that given the amount of money involved."

"No problem."

Adam pulled the rental car into the parking lot of the general aviation terminal and found a parking place. He turned the engine off and looked at John; he wasn't the least bit nervous. He was still amazed that he and John had come this far and that they were actually considering to buy a turbo-prop, a King Air! He knew it was primarily John's stewardship that had brought them here; and he couldn't help but feel for his handsome lover.

He leaned toward John and kissed him, "You're something else babe, you know that?"

John knew what the comment was about and where it was coming from; he was thinking the same thing too. He ran his fingers through Adam's hair and said, "Hon, it took the two of us to get here; remember that. It takes two" and with that John squeezed Adam in the sub-compact rental car, which was a feat in and of itself.

"Okay babe, let's give 'em hell" and Adam opened his door to get out.

They crossed the parking lot and entered the general aviation terminal, scanning the concourse as they walked. It was much larger than either one expected with a great deal of people milling about. Adam spied a fat squatty older guy holding a sign that read 'Hughes' and drew John's attention to it. They crossed the terminal in the man's direction. As they approached him, John said, "Alan Schwartz?"

"Yes", the man said.

John extended his hand and said, "John Turner and this is my partner Adam Felstow."

Schwartz shook both their hands as he smiled, "Nice to meet you guys. I didn't expect someone so young. Hell, you're just kids."

"You have a problem selling a King Air to kids?" John said as more of a statement than a question.

Schwarz began to fall all over himself trying to explain his intended meaning and surprise. John loved it. He thought, 'with a dick like this, the best defense is a good offense' and it worked. Schwartz was apologizing profusely as John smiled inwardly; he patted himself on the back.

When Schwartz was satisfied with his retraction, he bade the guys in the direction of the tarmac and escorted them out of the terminal. He had his arm around John as they walked and John couldn't help but think he was going to look at a used car and not an airplane; much less one that would be pushing two million with the sales tax and transfer fees. He wondered if the guys polyester sport coat would make him itch before he removed his arm and smiled.

The smile wasn't lost on Schwartz; he picked up on it and patted John on the back before he lowered his arm to his side.

As they walked toward one end of the field, Adam was sizing Schwartz up. The old fart was shorter than the two of them and somewhat hunched over as he walked. He needed to see his barber and get on a weight loss regimen too; he needed both of them badly. Adam chuckled aloud as he realized the way Schwartz's mannerisms reminded him of Rodney Dangerfield, God rest his soul; and his body hiccupped as he stifled a laugh.

When they reached the building where the King Air was hangared, Schwartz held the door for them and they went inside. He turned the quartz lights on and they walked to the airplane as the lights heated up to a glow.

Both of the guys were in awe of the plane. It shone as though it was new and the striping gave the illusion of motion as it stood tall and proud, proclaiming its own majesty. Adam walked over to the engine cowling and stroked it as if it were a soft delicate flower, not wanting to knock the petals off. John took his cell phone out and captured the sight with a photo; his boy was too cute for words.

Schwartz launched into his spiel and the guys listened as they paced around the exterior of the plane. There wasn't a speck of dust or dirt anywhere to be found, not even on the tires. John couldn't help but think it looked new even though he knew it was ten years old; it must have been hangared the whole time, and that was worth something.

When they completed their inspection of the exterior, Schwartz motioned toward the stairs and they climbed inside the plane. The interior was spotless; not a smudge or trace of a spill anywhere on the carpeting or upholstery, in a word it was clean. Adam turned his interest to the cockpit and took the pilots seat. He was close to drooling as he surveyed the avionics; they were state of the art and complicated, he understood all of it. He adjusted the seat to fit him and grabbed the yoke as he imagined himself at or near the service ceiling of thirty-five thousand feet, almost seven miles above MSL (mean sea level).

It was too much for him. He turned to John who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat and beamed a broad grin at him. John willed himself to resist his boy's exuberance but he had to give in; he wanted to grab hold of him so bad he could hardly stand it.

Something about the exchange between the two struck Schwartz as odd. Why were those two guys looking at each other like that? And the way they smiled at each other; that wasn't the way friends or business partners interact. He began to have his suspicions; there was something going on between them, it was evident.

"Well how's 'bout it boys?" Schwartz asked. "You want to take her home with you?" and he feigned a laugh.

John turned in the co-pilot seat to look at Schwartz who was standing just outside the door to the cockpit. "Can we have a few minutes alone please?"

"Sure, I'll be in the office whenever you're ready to talk" and he turned around, waddled to the back of the cabin and descended the stairs, the plane listing with his every step.

"Babe, this is awesome. I want to fly this thing so bad it hurts. I can't stand it. I wish we could take it for a spin."

"With any kind of luck, you'll get sick and tired of flying this thing."

"No fucking way. I'll never get tired of flying this mother, never."

John pulled Adam toward him and held him; Adam turned it into a deep throat experience and they went at it hard. John stroked Adams hard-on through his pants and Adam ran his hands over every part of John he could reach. Adam moved to John's neck and he moaned with pleasure as he tilted his head back. John wrapped his arms around Adam's neck and said, "Fuck me here and now".

"Take your clothes off" Adam said into John's ear and they both laughed and pulled away from each other.

"I guess you like it, huh?"

"John I could fly this without being checked out if it were legal. You realize this cruises basically twice as fast as the Aztruck?"

"Yeah I do Hon. It's pretty exciting isn't it?"

"You bet Babe. I feel like I have the greatest toy in the world here." John grabbed Adams dick and said, "So do I", and stroked it a few times.

"Okay let's go Hon before I bone up again" and John rose to leave the cockpit. Adam felt John up as he rose to leave and John bent over briefly to offer his ass.

The two of them exited the plane and walked across the hangar to the offices. Once inside, Adam said, "Hello" in a loud voice.

"Back here" came the response from Schwartz.

They walked to the back of the offices and found Schwartz chewing on a mushy cigar and sitting at his desk. They sat in the two chairs in front of Schwartz's desk.

"Well guys?"

They looked at each other and smiled again, they couldn't help themselves. John re-directed his attention to Schwartz and said, "Mr. Schwartz, we want to know the bottom line. We don't want to dicker, negotiate or haggle, none of that horseshit. We have two other prices and when we get your bottom line, we will make our decision."

"Give me the figure you want to pay."

"No, I just told you that we're not here to play games and try to best each other. Call us when you have your bottom line and we'll make our decision."

With that, John rose, stretched his hand out to Schwartz and shook it. Adam did the same. Both the guys thanked him for his time and patience then turned to leave. As they crossed the tarmac to the general aviation terminal Adam said, "Babe, why didn't you name a price?"

"Hon that old goat has sold more airplanes than you and I put together will ever buy. I had no intention of getting sucked into his game. If he wants the sale then he has to do whatever he can to offer us the best price. And guess what?"

"What?"

"Whatever price he comes back with is going to be too high" and John chuckled.

"Well we don't want to lose the deal. You said it's the best one you've seen."

"True, and there's plenty of time to spend two mil. We don't need to rush into anything."

"That's one fine airship John," Adam said. "It would be a shame to lose it."

"Hon, we have one fine business. It would be a shame to lose it."

"Jesus Christ, you have a come-back for everything, fuck and fuck."

Adam gave John a soft playful punch in the arm and John wrapped one arm around Adam's neck and pulled him in before he released him. Adam knew it was John's aversion to risk and his conservative nature that brought them this far; he trusted John and decided to go with whatever John recommended. He was sure it would be the right thing to do. As they walked across the tarmac, Adam couldn't help but think how handsome his partner was and reveled in the thought. 'My partner' he thought silently, 'Yeah I like that'.

They decided to call the airline and try to get a flight back home instead of staying another night. They wanted to go home and relax; they would have two days at home alone, just the two of them with no one else around until Monday. John closed his cell phone and said they were booked on a flight at 4:30 that afternoon, and asked Adam what he wanted to do until then. Adam suggested they call Mr. Hughes and drop in and say hello if Hughes was up to it.

John liked the idea and pulled Hughes number up on speed dial. When Hughes heard John's voice and that they were in the area he was glad to hear from them and anxious to see them. John took the directions and hung up. They found Hughes' house twenty minutes later, he lived in Miami Lakes on the golf course. His house was on the sixteenth fairway and was beautiful. He had palm trees in the backyard with a swimming pool and a nice lanai for shade. They settled under the lanai with a cold beer to chat and catch up.

They told Hughes about the King Air at Opa Locka Executive and the old pilot was aware of the plane being up for sale. He said it was owned by a local bank that merged with a larger out of state bank. The larger acquiring bank had an Israeli Westwind and a Lear so they didn't want the King Air.

The guys explained to Hughes how Schwartz said that the owner's bought a Gulfstream to replace it and that was the supposed reason it was up for sale. Hughes told them not to believe anything Schwartz said; he didn't have a very good reputation in the business. John asked Mr. Hughes if Schwartz had an exclusive listing and Hughes laughed.

John's curiosity was obviously piqued; he suspected there was something less than straightforward with the guy. He asked Hughes to explain further. Hughes informed him how the broker was an old whore and that made John laugh. He apologized to Hughes for interrupting and told him how he had the same opinion. When the old pilot finished his story he offered to find out whom to talk to about the plane and the guys were most grateful.

They brought Mr. Hughes up to date on what was going on at the business and the old man was impressed and wished them continued success, it was a sincere wish too. He thanked the guys for making their payments in a timely fashion and told them how much he depended on that. He also expressed his gratitude for their help when Nelda sold her home.

The mention of Nelda's name evoked a snicker from Adam and John couldn't resist a quick grin.

That prompted Adam to inquire about her, as they hadn't seen her since they arrived. The old man's demeanor took a turn for the worse; he looked forlorn. After a few moments, he told them that she wasn't well; that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and had to be institutionalized. He related an incident where she had come at him with a knife while he was facing away from her in the kitchen. He said if he hadn't turned around when he did, she likely would have stabbed him. The old man's eyes were misty by the time he finished the tale and he excused himself asking if they wanted another beer.

The guys looked at each other not knowing what to say; they felt for him. It was a sad state of affairs for sure. The old man had spent seventy some years of his life earning his place in the sun; and now, his chosen companion couldn't share it with him, she didn't even know who he was. It was sad indeed.

Hughes told them about the golf league he joined and how much he enjoyed it. How he swam in the pool every morning and evening for exercise, his card playing and everything else he did to occupy his time. They talked about all sorts of things but the conversation always seemed to come back to aviation, it was a passion they shared.

As the time to leave grew short Adam said, "We better get going babe" and he began to turn red as soon as he realized what he had said. Then he put his sunglasses on in an attempt to hide.

They both looked at the old man. He smiled and said, "What time is your flight?" as he stood up.

"4:30" John said and he rose as well.

The old man led them toward the front door. John clipped Adam on the back of the head as they followed Hughes through the house, and shook his head. They were both grinning ear to ear.

At the front door, they shook hands and wished each other well. They vowed to stay in closer touch and Adam extended a standing invitation to visit anytime Hughes felt up to it. Hughes thanked them for dropping by and told them how much he enjoyed the visit, and the guys left. On the way to the airport John said, "That was an eye opener."

"What do you mean?"

"About Schwartz, that was exactly the impression I had of him."

"Maybe Hughes will be able to put us in touch with the owners."

"That would be great. I mean the seller pays the commission so that doesn't bother me; it's the sleaze factor that rubs me the wrong way."

"You know babe, we make a pretty good team when it comes to the business."

"Yeah we do. I've thought about that a lot and I agree. There is one thing that bothers me though."

"And that is?"

"Well, if we buy the King Air or any plane in its class for that matter. The burden is going to fall on you to fly it."

"I don't see that as a problem."

"Maybe not at first but the novelty is bound to wear off sooner or later. And, with the extended range and speed, there's bound to be some overnight charters. How do you feel about that?"

"To be honest, I hadn't thought about it. I'm not sure."

"See what I mean Hon, it's going to create a whole new set of circumstances. We could afford to have Larry checked out but I would rather we wait. I was hoping to have a cushion of a couple hundred grand after the acquisition. You know a safety net type thing."

"John, with what we have in our personal and business accounts, we have over half the purchase price. What's the problem?"

"Hon, the idea of owning a business is to take money out not put it in."

"Then we could loan it to the business. What's the difference, take a loan at the bank or take a loan from us?"

"Jesus Christ Hon, I never thought of it that way" John said and looked at Adam with a surprised look.

Adam was right. 'And why not' John thought. The business could pay them interest instead of the bank. Of course, they would still have to borrow from the bank, just not as much. If push came to shove, they could pay the bank and wait to reimburse themselves; it would lower the hurdle, and maybe the interest rate with a larger down stroke.

"Son of a gun Hon, hey that sort of rhymes. That's a great idea, glad I thought of it" John said and leaned over to peck Adam on the side of the head.

"Sheeet, you're so full of it."

"I know...it' not easy being an idea man; I keep churning 'em out like a mill. You should carry some paper and a pen so you can write 'em down."

"The only note I'll be writing is DOA (Dead On Arrival) when I drop you off at the morgue."

"Then what would ya do huh? Be lonely? Be sad? Be sad and lonely? You'd miss me. You'd start listening to country and western music. You'd cry a lot. You better scratch that idea, it's a bad one. I'm thinking of you here."

"Yeah right" was all Adam said with a smile. He knew better than to try to spar with John, it was hopeless.

When they boarded the plane Adam wanted the window seat because John always fell asleep so they traded seats. It was an uneventful trip and John woke up while they were on the ground in Chicago. He went to the bathroom while the plane discharged and took on passengers. When he came out of the bathroom a rather attractive flight attendant stuffed a piece of paper in his shirt pocket. He looked the guy in the eye and saw a twinkle there along with a half smile on his face. John gave him a perfunctory smile and made his way back to his seat.

He had the idea to keep it secret from Adam; he didn't want to give Adam any cause to doubt him. But the more he thought about it, he had an idea. He took Adam's hand from his lap and pressed the paper with the name and phone number into Adam's hand.

Adam gave John a quizzical look and examined the paper. "Where did this come from?"

John nodded his head in the direction of the flight attendant. Adam turned his head to have a look. John could see the anger building in Adam and wondered what he was going to do. Whatever it would be; John was certain he would get a kick out of it. Adam's face was getting red and he was pursing his lips; he could have been firing bullets out of his eyes with the intensity of his glare. He was definitely no good at hiding his feelings.

John lowered his seat back and closed his eyes with a hint of a grin on his face; he was going to enjoy it, whatever it would be. He liked the territorial behavior his lover boy evidenced; it made him feel safe and secure.

The other flight attendant served them a beverage during the short flight to Springfield so Adam didn't have an opportunity to react. The object of Adams ire was tending to the first class cabin.

When the plane parked at the gate, John and Adam retrieved their bags from the overhead bin and queued up for the exit. John was in front of Adam and wished he were following so he could see what, if anything, Adam was going to do. 'Damn' John thought 'I might miss the whole thing' and he chuckled.

John turned his head every so often to check on Adam with his peripheral vision. As they neared the exit, Adams glare became more intense; he was very nearly seething with incense and John was getting worried. The flight attendant was standing by the front door as the passengers stepped into the jetway. When John moved in front of the flight attendant, he offered a token smile and turned to his side. Adam took the flight attendant's hand and slapped the paper into his hand as he stared him in the eye proclaiming loudly, "He doesn't want it."

John had to turn and keep walking so Adam couldn't see his big shitty grin, thinking as he walked 'Fuck me, I love that guy." They walked to John's truck, threw their bags in the back and drove to the other side of the airport; it was nice to be home.

Jim and Dave were getting into Jim's SUV when they pulled into the parking lot of the FBO. John honked the horn to announce they were there. Jim and Dave closed the doors and waited for them to park. They exchanged hellos and John invited them upstairs.

Adam was still agitated when they entered the apartment and John gave him a firm hug and a kiss then stroked his soft hair. Adam held onto John firmly and said, "Babe that guy pissed me off."

John smiled looking over his shoulder so Adam couldn't see; he felt a pang of guilt having, more or less, engineered the whole thing. "It's okay Hon, forget it."

Then Adam had to explain the scenario to Jim and Dave. John went about turning lights on and putting their bags in the bedroom. He was glad for that because he didn't think he could keep a straight face while Adam explained it to the guys. Talking about it seemed to calm Adam down and he began to smile and relax.

The four of them were sitting at the bar drinking a martini, talking and looking out over the airport. Adam had a classical CD playing in the background and the mood was relaxed and easy.

"You guys have had some work done since the last time we were here; it looks great!" Dave said. He was genuinely impressed.

"Thanks, it's all Adam's doing. He's the one with the vision," John said.

"We need something for the walls though," Adam observed.

"Oh, speaking of something for the walls" John said as he rose from his stool. "I have something for you Hon."

John walked over to the corner where their desks were and pulled a paper bag from the leg space. He walked back to Adam and said, "Here" handing him the package.

"What is it?" Adam said as he reached inside and pulled the contents out.

It was a shadow box with a dried white rose mounted askew with a mat around it; the frame was black lacquer and shone with a rich luster.

"It's from our room in Gulfport. Remember the bouquet of white roses in the foyer? I took one when we left."

"Thanks, it's nice; I really do like it."

Jim and Dave both commented on how much they liked it as well. Jim got up and offered to make another martini for anyone that was ready, and everyone pushed their glass forward.

"I miss the good times we used to have at the condo," Jim said.

"Me too," John and Adam said almost at the same time.

"I miss your cooking too," Adam said.

"Yeah, same here," John added.

Jim invited them over for dinner the next night and they accepted; Adam had hunger pains just thinking about it. Jim commented how John and Adam appeared to have lost weight; he made a singular reference to John and Adam concurred.

Dave suggested a four-way before dinner so they could 'work up an appetite' and Adam clipped him on the back of the head; he was sitting next to Dave. Jim chuckled from behind the bar and Adam noticed the change in him. Jim's disposition was perceptively brighter and more gregarious and he attributed that to Dave. Adam was happy for him; it was nice to see.

Dave asked John and Adam where they had been as he remembered the bags they carried in from the parking lot. Adam gave him the skinny on the King Air and their trip: visiting Hughes, the part about Nelda and Schwartz, everything. When Adam finished, Dave wanted to know what a King Air was; all that aviation jargon was Greek to him.

John went over to his desk to retrieve an industry publication. It was open to the page with the ad for the King Air; it was a half page, color photo of the same airplane. John showed it to Dave and he looked like he was going to drop his teeth; and he probably would have if they were dentures. Dave also noticed the asking price and looked at John then at Adam; he was beyond being impressed, he was in awe. Dave handed the ad to Jim and pointed at the price as he passed it.

Adam looked at John and they smiled at each other; they were proud of themselves and it showed.

"Geez, are you guys seriously going to buy it?" Jim asked.

"We're doing our best, time will tell," Adam responded.

"Say, you guys haven't taken us for a ride in the Aztec" Dave said.

"You could have gone with us to Gulfport", Adam reminded him.

"I would have liked to go but Jim's parents were in town."

John and Adam told Dave that they had forgotten about that and suggested they try it again sometime; Jim and Dave agreed enthusiastically.

Adam said he was going to order some carry out from an Italian place that he and John liked and went into the kitchen to get the menu. They passed it around and everyone marked it up with their selections. When the last one was done, Adam phoned the order in and hung up. He went to the closet for his coat and asked Jim if he would ride with him and Jim agreed to go. Adam asked John for the keys to the truck and John said they were on the counter in the kitchen. Adam gave John a goodbye peck as did Jim to Dave and they left pulling the door to the stairs closed behind them.

Dave sat down next to John at the bar and they began to talk about different places the four of them could go in the Aztec. Dave asked John how much it would cost and John told him not to worry about it; he and Adam would pay for the cost of the airplane. John said they only had to cover their lodging, meals and any activity they might pursue.

Dave said, "That's very generous" and looked at John then at his crotch, he had that wanton look in his eyes.

John wasn't stupid; he got up, walked to the backside of the bar and took a cold beer out of the fridge then sat on a stool behind the bar. He didn't want anything happening that might jeopardize their friendship; and the signals were getting stronger all the time. It wasn't that Dave was an unattractive guy, not at all. Dave was very attractive borderline hot in fact. Forget being able to look Adam in the eye; John would never be able to live with himself if something happened. There was only one person he wanted and needed and he didn't need to be reminded who that was.

John and Dave heard the truck doors closing down in the parking lot and John went to look out the window to see if they needed help. They were managing just fine so he went to the kitchen for silverware, napkins and some condiments for the food. He placed them on the bar and brought some wine glasses and a bottle of red French wine.

They all managed to eat everything that they ordered and enjoyed every bite. Jim and Dave lounged around for a while before thanking John and Adam for an entertaining evening. John and Adam walked them to the door and said good night reminding Jim of the home cooked meal he had promised them.

"I don't know about you but I'm tired," John said.

"Me too babe, let's clean this mess up and go to bed. I'm beat."

And so they did. When they finished cleaning up, Adam turned the desk light off and walked over to the windows overlooking the airport. John came up next to him and put his arm around his boy. They observed the airport and the snow that had started falling a couple hours earlier. The scene was beautiful and eerily quiet; it was a holiday weekend and there was very little general aviation traffic that night. They stood there for several minutes until Adam kissed John on the side of the head and pulled him toward the bedroom. John followed and they stripped down, climbed into bed, kissed again, and tangled up for the night; neither one able to think of a place they would rather be.

The next morning they slept in late, lying in bed half-awake with no obligations until dinner at Jim and Dave's later that evening. John was getting restless so he decided to get up and make a morning snack for the two of them. He put a t-shirt and sweat pants on and went into the kitchen to start the coffee maker and toaster; he was feeling good about spending a laid-back day with Adam. He turned the heat up in the living room, the temperature outside had dropped substantially overnight and the apartment was on the cool side. He put a CD on the sound system and went to look out the windows at the airport; it was covered in a pristine blanket of fresh snow and John stood there admiring the beauty of it.

As John stood quietly lost in his own thoughts, Adam snuck up behind him hoping to scare the crap out of John. He accidentally stubbed his toe on an end table and emitted a string of expletives, which made John turn around to see what happened. Adam was hopping on one foot holding the injured one in both hands; swearing as he tried to maintain his balance.

John started laughing; he knew that criminality was afoot and walked over to Adam. He gave Adam a peck on the cheek and pushed him down on the sofa laughing again. Adam was still wincing in pain as he moaned and rolled around although his swearing was beginning to subside.

"Serves you right" John said as he walked back to the kitchen.

When Adam was able, he hobbled back to the kitchen and sat down at the snack bar. John put two plates of toast and two coffees down and walked around to sit next to him.

"I think its broken babe."

"See what happens when you sneak around with malice and ill intent in your heart. God punished you for your thoughts. At least your time in purgatory won't be lengthened."

"I'm having my hell on earth. I won't be laying over in purgatory." John laughed at that. 'So this is hell is it?' he was thinking, 'The guy was too much'.

"What do you want to do today Hon?"

"I don't know. You feel like going furniture shopping to finish this place off?"

"Yeah sure, I'd like to see it done too. Let's make it our Christmas present to ourselves."

"John, don't start with that squeaky shit again."

"Damn it Adam, there's no end to your spend thrift ways. Do you forget how hard and long we had to work to get it?"

The phone rang and John got up to answer it.

"Hello" John said abruptly with a stern voice.

"Bonjour cher coeur. Comment a ete votre Thanksgiving?" (Hi dear heart. How was your thanksgiving?)

"Bonjour Mme. Felstow. Ici, John. Un instant s'il vous plait, je vais cherche Adam". (Hello Mrs. Felstow. John here. One second please, I'll get Adam.)

John handed the phone to Adam, "It's your mother".

Adam took the phone and greeted his mother. She must have asked about John because Adam told her he was squeaky this morning and laughed as he glanced at John. John rolled his eyes and decided to take a shower; he failed to see anything funny in Adams observation.

When John finished his shower, he was in somewhat better humor. He felt lousy about his little tantrum earlier even though his opinion was unchanged. 'The fucking guy must think money grows on trees' was all he could think. The idea still irked him like a nagging itch that you can't reach. He decided this issue was going to go his way; they were not going to piss away the King Air on frivolity or largesse. He was resolute and determined; Adams spending habits had to change, one way or the other.

John finished the rest of his routine in the bathroom and made his way to the bedroom to dress himself. Adam was off the phone and John ignored him as he walked by. As he dressed, he was having feelings of guilt but was not yielding one bit; the money was staying in the bank, period!

Adam sensed the cold shoulder he was getting from John and was concerned. He went into the bedroom to get clean underwear before taking his shower. He was watching John from the corner of his eye; John was pissed and not saying a word. John made the bed after dressing and cleaned up the bedroom then went back to the kitchen for another coffee.

Adam went to the bathroom for his morning routine; he was worried as he went through the motions. He knew there was a lot of money available from home; he had never mentioned that to John. He was sure John had picked up on it though; it should have been obvious to him Adam thought. He didn't understand John's problem; the reason he was being such a tight ass.

Adam dressed himself in the bedroom then sat on the bed. He took a deep breath then went to the kitchen where John was sitting with a coffee in front of him, staring off into space.

"Babe, let's talk."

"I'm all ears, what do you want to spend money on now?"

Adam put his arm around John and John stiffened his posture. There was no way he was agreeing to spending a large sum for Christmas or 'any other God damn thing'.

"Babe, we're not broke" and Adam waited for his response.

"No, but the way you spend money it won't be long."

Adam was cautious; he knew John was having a John moment. He chose to wrap his arms around John and kiss his neck; that always disarmed him; and John responded as always.

John turned around, wrapped his arms around Adam's waist and rested his head on Adam's chest.

"Hon, we can't piss money away every time there's an occasion or whim."

"Babe, Mom's loaded. You should have figured that out by now."

"Good for her. We don't have it and we're trying to build the business. Do you get it?"

Adam sighed. He loved the handsome guy he had in his arms but how could he make John see his point? John didn't seem to understand that it wasn't about the money; there was plenty of it, all he had to do was ask. He wanted John to get off his high horse tight ass routine.

"Okay then, hows about I use the check Mom gave me?"

John released Adam with a sigh and turned around, "It's okay Hon, and we'll use our own money. Let's try to keep the Christmas spending modest. I don't want or need anything, okay?"

"Okay" Adam said. Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head behind John's back. He couldn't understand how someone that wasn't thirty years old yet could be so miserly. He laughed to himself, 'what the hell is he going to be like at fifty' he wondered. Adam was contemplating giving John a good hard screw maybe that would loosen him up and he chuckled to himself.

They put their coats on, John tossed Adam the keys to the truck and they left for the furniture store. Of course, Adam selected one of the most expensive stores in town, which only served to grate John all the more. Adam selected a round, pub style table with stools for the kitchen, a few pictures for the walls, some lamps and accessories.

When he was satisfied with his selections, he went to the office to pay while John sat on a sofa in the showroom; he didn't want to know the total, well he really did but figured he would know soon enough. When Adam finished, he found John and they went to lunch.

Adam drove them to a nice bistro in the gay district. They went inside and were seated by the host; it appeared that the clientele, as well as the help, were all gay. The two of them checked everyone and everything out; they had never been in a gay establishment together, it was strangely different and a little exciting for them. Adam noticed two guys kissing at another table and stared at them; it was a public display of affection and it intrigued him.

John was taking it all in too; he spotted the two guys kissing and felt a strange rush of exhilaration. It never occurred to him that it would be okay to do that in public; he felt a sudden urge to kiss Adam, thereby staking his claim on his boy. After a few minutes, the novelty wore off and John turned his attention to Adam.

"Hon, I don't know why I have such a problem spending money. I was thinking while you were paying that it's not my money it's yours too. I don't know where that comes from. We weren't rich growing up but we weren't poor either; I guess you'd say comfortable."

"It's okay babe. I don't know where you get that shit either. But you know what?"

"What?"

"If you didn't do that shit then you wouldn't be you; and I love you," Adam said then he winked and smiled at John.

John couldn't resist his smile and put one on his face too. 'The dude is too good for me but he's mine, all mine' was John's only thought. John rubbed his leg against Adams under the table and his dick jumped; 'yup, the dude's all mine' and he picked up the menu, content in his own thoughts.

The meal was tasty and light but filling just the same. They enjoyed the restaurant and the time they spent there and vowed to come back soon; it was nice to let their guard down in public for a change. Adam gave the waiter his company credit card and he left to swipe the card.

When the waiter returned he said, "You're the gay guys that own that place at the airport aren't you?"

John and Adam looked at each other in bewilderment; they couldn't figure out how the waiter would know that. It was a little un-nerving to be singled out like that, not that it was a bad thing, just a little surprising.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Adam said as he admired the waiter's good looks.

"I saw the company name on the credit card. My boyfriend's taking flying lessons there and that's the name of the company he writes his checks out to. His name is Mark Stefan."

"Oh, he's Larry's student. I know who he is," John said as he pictured the two of them together.

They were both good looking and John wondered who was fucking whom; he guessed that the waiter was on the receiving end and smiled. Mark was attractive but more the stud type while the waiter tended to have the cute model look about him.

Adam took a business card from his wallet, wrote their phone number on the back, and handed it to the waiter saying, "Give a call sometime, and come over for a drink with Mark, we'll show you around. What's your name anyway?"

"Patrick O'Leary, Pat's okay too, whatever," he said extending his hand.

"That wouldn't be Italian by any chance." John said with a chuckle.

Adam shook his hand and John introduced himself and shook his hand too. The waiter left after some small talk and the guys sat for a few minutes drinking their coffee. John was sitting sideways with his back to the wall and his legs crossed, surveying the room. He liked the place and the relaxed feeling it afforded them; the scenery was pretty good too.

"John, what the fuck?" Adam said.

"What?"

Adam was pointing to John's shoe on his crossed leg. John stretched his leg out to inspect his shoe; he didn't see anything unusual, just a plain old leather loafer.

"What?" John repeated. "I don't see anything."

"Your shoe has a hole in it for Christ sake", Adam was shaking his head back and forth.

"Oh yeah, I was going to have them re-soled but I don't know where to find a shoe repair."

"That's fucking it John. I can't fucking believe you. That's a new god damn low for you", Adam stood up and turned around in place with one hand on the back of his head. He stopped, facing a seated John, and raised his hands with open palms, shaking his head.

"What?" John said sheepishly; he knew what Adam was getting at.

"Come on, we're going to the god damn mall and you're going to spend some god damn money, that's what." And Adam headed for the door not waiting for John; talking to himself as he walked away.

John stood up to follow Adam and the waiter gave him a smile; he heard the whole exchange and thought it was funny. John gave him a half ass smile; he was feeling embarrassed.

Adam made John buy practically an entirely new wardrobe. He picked out stylish shirts, belts, pants, shoes, socks and underwear. He told John that he was throwing out all his underwear and socks with holes when they got home. He made John buy a new leather winter coat and sweaters; Adam was tired of looking at John wearing worn out, cheap clothing and he was pissed off enough that John didn't dare protest. John had never seen Adam pissed off like that, it wasn't an act.

He made him buy a designer suit and two new sport coats and several slacks he could interchange with them. He selected several ties that he liked with the suit and sport coats. When Adam couldn't think of anything further to make John spend money on he relented; and John was grateful the spending spree was over.

"Okay, let's go home, clean out your dresser and closet, and make room for this stuff", Adam said.

"Okay Hon" John said in a child like manner he didn't dare cross Adam, he was beginning to calm down. "I must have spent at least five thousand."

"Shut the fuck up or we'll go back for more", Adam said; he was starting to get himself worked up again.

John didn't say a word.

When they arrived at the apartment, Adam got an oversize plastic garbage bag from downstairs and began cleaning out John's dresser; throwing all the 'old shit', as he called it, on the floor. When he finished that, he turned his attention to John's closet. There were shirts, pants, sweaters all kinds of 'old shit' flying out of the closet. John was picking them up and putting them in the garbage bag; it was killing him to throw the stuff away.

When Adam was satisfied, he came back into the bedroom and said, "Okay let's have 'em."

"What?" was all John dared say.

"The shoes", and Adam pointed to John's feet.

John slipped his loafers off and put them in the bag; he hated to see them go, they were his favorite pair.

"The shirt and pants too", Adam said.

John took his shirt and pants off and laid his belt on the bed; the elbows and knees were paper-thin. He threw them in the bag and Adam took the belt from the bed and threw that away too; it had white scratch marks up and down the length of it. Adam took the bag from John and told him to get dressed; he was taking the old clothes to the dumpster next to the hangar so John couldn't 'save' something.

John was standing in the bedroom in his underwear and grateful not to have to throw those away too. He started looking over his new clothes and selected a pair of pants and shirt that Adam said he especially liked when they were in the store. He was looking for his favorite cardigan sweater but couldn't find it; he guessed it was probably in the dumpster.

He pawed around in his closet some more looking for another one; he bought so much stuff he couldn't remember what he did and didn't have. He found a new sweater that had a deep v-neck with buttons and rather liked it so he put that on.

When he finished, he inspected himself in the full-length mirror on the back of his closet door. He was missing shoes so he went back in the closet to find some. There was a new pair of brown casual leather loafers and he slipped them on; they were nice and comfortable too, not worn out.

When Adam came back, John was standing in front of the mirror admiring himself and his new look; he liked what he saw, although he thought he smelled like new clothes. He turned sideways to catch a glimpse of his backside and Adam walked over behind him. He grabbed both John's ass cheeks and squeezed them then wrapped his arms around John as he stood behind him, kissing John's neck.

"Babe, you look beautiful."

"Good enough to fuck?"

"Oh yeah, very fuckable."

John turned around and embraced his boy, "Thanks Hon. I owe you", and then he kissed his lover boy on the lips. The money was the last thing on his mind; he wanted his boy to be happy and it seemed like he was now. He felt pretty good too; the new threads were nice and they looked nice on him.

Adam decided he needed to change clothes as well so John went to the living room and put a CD on the sound system. He went over to the bar and made two vodka martinis then checked himself out once more in the mirror behind the bar. He liked what he saw; he was feeling dashing and dapper. He came around the bar to claim a stool and decided to do a couple Fred Astaire dance steps with an imagined Ginger Rogers in hand. As he spun Ginger around he circled her to take her imagined hand when she came to rest. He would strike a pose then resume his 'pas de deux'.

Adam came out of the bedroom to witness the scenario, "What the hell are you doing?"

John stopped instantly; he was busted.

"I'm dancing with Ginger Rogers. Wanna cut in?"

"Noooo. Are you feeling okay?"

"Never better" and John went over to Adam, took his hand and began to dance around him. "You make a great Ginger Hon, and you're prettier too!" John laughed as he pranced around Adam. "Soin a danser?" (Care to dance?)

"Not with a nut case like you" Adam couldn't help but grin at his 'goofy twit'.

"Aw Hon, how 'bout a slow one then? We could pretend it's our first rendezvous, or our honeymoon, or our first fateful meeting!"

"Your fate is sealed. You're bound for the nut house."

Adam walked over to the bar and sat down and John followed him saying, "Party pooper".

Adam used the phone at the bar and called Jim and Dave to find out what time to show up. Jim told him to come now if they were ready. John and Adam talked for a while as they finished their drinks. They turned a couple lights on and left for the condo. John chose to wear his new leather coat and he looked as handsome as he ever had, he was an eye catcher, and Adam was taken back with the transformation.

When Dave opened the front door the aroma in the condo came wafting at them filling their senses with visions of delicious food. When he closed the door behind them he said, "Wow, what happened to you" he was looking at John.

"Adam made me throw a bunch of perfectly good clothes out and buy all new stuff", he was trying to get a dig in at Adam for having been forced to part with, what seemed to him, a small fortune.

Jim had come to the foyer to greet them as Dave was taking their coats and asked John, "Did he make you throw those loafers out too?"

"Yeah, and they could have been re-soled; they still had some mileage left in them", John said as he made his way to a stool at the island in the kitchen.

Jim looked at Adam and rolled his eyes; Adam said, "I know" softly so only Jim and Dave could hear.

Dave poured everyone a glass of wine and they settled in at the island to talk. Jim said it would be another hour before dinner was ready and encouraged everyone to drink up saying they had plenty of wine. Adam put some music on the sound system and turned it up so they could hear it in the kitchen. When he returned, he took a stool next to John and was having trouble keeping his hands to himself.

Dave was unusually attentive to Jim and John was glad to see that; at least he wouldn't have to worry about Dave getting frisky. Jim asked Adam and John what they were doing over Christmas and Adam told him they hadn't made any plans as yet. He also said they hadn't decided on which days the business would be closed; it was 'to be determined' he said. John said they should do that soon because students were scheduling their own lessons over the internet.

Adam said, "If you guys want to go with us; I'm pretty sure we're going south, exactly where and how long we haven't decided."

Dave was getting excited, "Jim, do you want to go?"

"Yeah sure, I may have to make an appearance at home for Christmas or something."

"Try to find out okay."

Adam said, "My mother wants me and John to come for Christmas Eve." John moaned. The last person he wanted to see on Christmas Eve was Jack, Adam's father; the guy was impossible to get along with and he remembered their last encounter, it was tenuous at best.

"How about you John?" Jim asked.

"I'm off the hook. I already told my mother I had plans. With any kind of luck, we'll be trying to figure out how to get the King Air home then."

They talked some more until Jim asked Dave to set their places at the island because everything was ready. Jim cooked a turkey since none of them had a Thanksgiving meal and they thoroughly enjoyed it. He gave Adam and John a generous amount of leftovers to take home and it was greatly appreciated by the two. The hour grew late and John and Adam thanked them for a fantastic meal and evening.

They all agreed to start thinking about dates and destinations for a break over the Christmas holiday. Jim told them they were welcome for dinner anytime; he was a great cook and enjoyed having the guys over for an evening. They all bade each other good night and John and Adam left for home.

The next day they rose well after the sun; it was the last day of the holiday weekend and they hadn't made any plans. John thought to call his mother and decided to wait for a weekday when his father would be out working and he wouldn't have to worry about talking to him. They lounged around the apartment, watched TV, played some video games on the computer and generally enjoyed the slack time.

Wednesday of that week proved hectic; the weather had been clear all week with good visibility and high ceilings and the students were taking advantage of it. The furniture store delivered Adam's purchases and two workers showed up to install some window treatments for the apartment. Adam had ordered some fabric covered cornices for the windows. John was a little peeved; he didn't say anything since it was a done deal, and he didn't feel like an argument.

That afternoon while the workers were finishing up; Mr. Hughes called and Angie forwarded the call to John upstairs. They chatted for a few minutes and Hughes gave John the name and phone number of the contact person for the King Air. It was a guy by the name of Charlie Jenkins at the corporate headquarters of the acquiring bank in Atlanta. They chatted a little longer then John thanked him, said goodbye and they hung up. John was elated at the prospect of not having to deal with Schwartz; he didn't like or trust the guy.

He leaned back in his chair and gazed out over the airport. As he scanned the airfield, he noticed Adam taxiing back in the Aztec and rose to go meet him and give him the good news; he was returning from an airfreight run. When Adam killed the last engine, John approached the Aztec and put the wheel chocks in place for him. He opened the cockpit door and told Adam about the phone call.

Adam looked tired but he immediately became excited at the news and they decided to go upstairs and place the call right away. On the way upstairs, John told Angie they were going to place an important call; he asked not to be interrupted until they came back downstairs.

They settled in at their desks facing each other. John placed the call and was forwarded to Charlie Jenkins by Charlie's secretary. When Charlie picked up, John introduced himself then Adam who was using the phone on his desk. After the intro's, John explained the nature of the call and how they obtained his number from Mr. Hughes. As it turned out, Charlie had served in the air force with Mr. Hughes and they had maintained contact over the years; and John liked that, a little networking couldn't hurt.

The guys listened to Charlie relate a couple of war stories about himself and Hughes; Adam rolled his eyes at John and they smiled at each other. They spent nearly a half hour discussing the airplane and its condition. They wanted to know everything about the King Air and its history, and Charlie said the airplane log was available for their scrutiny. Charlie answered all their questions easily from memory; it seems he was very familiar with the plane.

The guys told Charlie about their visit to Opa Locka and he was aware of it; Mr. Hughes had given him the details of their trip. John couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to talk money; he brought up the fact that there was only a hundred hours until TBO and asked Charlie if he had room to move on the price. John reminded him that there was no broker in the picture. In other words, if John and Adam went through the broker, Charlie's company would have to pay the commission.

Charlie told them he could only go down by a hundred grand and that was it. John raised his eyebrows and nodded his head at Adam in a silent gesture that meant, 'Is that okay with you', and Adam nodded his head approvingly. John told him he had a deal and asked him how he wanted to handle it.

Charlie wanted cash and the guys concurred, verifying the terms and price; Charlie's employer was not willing to finance the deal. Adam asked Charlie if he knew anyone that could get him checked out to fly it and Charlie said he could, but the guys would have to pay. John asked for an estimate for the service and Charlie told him not to worry about it; he wouldn't be able to find it any cheaper anywhere, Charlie was going to check Adam out himself in the King Air. Charlie said he was looking forward to spending the time in Opa Locka so he could visit his buddy Hughes and John let it go at that.

Charlie said the bank's legal department would draw up a letter of intent for both parties to execute. They traded fax numbers and email addresses then hung up.

Adam and John were jumping up and down and hugging each other; shouting, whooping and hollering, high fiving each other and generally acting like a couple of yahoo's. When their intoxication began to dwindle and their buoyancy diminished to grinning John said, "Hon, I have to talk to you about something."

"What is it Babe?"

"I'm scared to death to tell you the truth. This is going to be a big acquisition for both of us. You know what's on my mind?"

"I have a pretty good idea where you're going. It's the money isn't it?"

"Yeah, you got it. Hon, we have to watch it for a while or I swear to God I'll have a coronary."

"At least you'll look nice lying there in your new Armani suit."

John walked over to Adam and held him with the side of his head against Adams, "Hon, I'm serious. I'm going to sweat this every nickel and inch of the way. Let's consider the trip our Christmas present and not spend anymore than that, okay?"

Adam sighed, "Okay Babe, if that's what you want then that's the way it'll be" and Adam hugged his handsome boy, pecked him on the mouth and led him toward the stairs. He wanted to announce the good news to anyone he could find.

The next day John called his old boss, Will Harris. After a few minutes of chatting, John told Will about their planned purchase and the one firm financing commitment he had in hand; John asked for Will's advice. Will suggested he call the Chicago branch office of the Toronto Dominion bank. Will said that the bank had the lowest rates for loans of a million dollars or more, so John took the number from him.

John thanked Will and invited him to the airport for a ride in the King Air when they got their hands on it. He reminded Will that he never collected on his ride in the Aztec; Will laughed and said he wasn't all that crazy about small planes. John was about to offer it to his wife and kids but thought if Will didn't like small planes, he probably didn't want his family in them either so he let it go.

John told him what happened when Kay Armstrong came to see him at the airport; Will said he knew and so did the rest of the office. John wasn't crazy about that but there wasn't much he could do about it. When they were close to winding things up, John invited Will to lunch Friday and he accepted; they both enjoyed each other's company and realized how long it had been. They said their goodbyes and hung up.

That afternoon, Charlie's secretary sent the letter of intent via fax to John and Adam. John read the document over and everything was just as they had discussed. When Adam returned they both signed in the appropriate place and sent it back.

John looked at Adam and said, "Congratulations flyboy, you all but own a King Air now."

"When will we be able to pick it up?"

"We have thirty days to come up with the financing which we already have.

I talked to Will this morning and he gave me a lead on another bank, a Canadian one. I'll check with them and then we're ready to go. Charlie sent the insurance company a copy of the agreement too."

"I don't know about you but I'm a little nervous."

"Me too Hon, I'm scared if you want to know the truth. We better start moving our own funds into the company account I don't know if they want to do a wire transfer or certified check or what. Do you still have a check from your mother?"

"Yeah, how much do we need?"

"We don't. I was thinking in case we get into trouble that's all. You know, the slow season is coming up too. Jesus Christ Adam, what have we done? Are we crazy?"

"Settle down babe, everything will work out, you'll see."

"I hope so Hon, I hope so."

They looked at the clock and it was quitting time so they went downstairs to say good day to the employees and lock up. Larry helped Adam put their fleet of five planes, soon to be six, in the hangar and invited him upstairs for a drink before he went home.

They told Larry about the King Air and he was astonished. It took several minutes to convince him that it wasn't a joke; he kept glancing back and forth between them looking for signs of humor or a smile or anything that would tell him it was hogwash, but nothing came. John and Adam wore a serious, if not concerned countenance.

Larry wanted to know if he was going to be able to fly it and Adam told him he would. Adam explained that he was going to get checked out first so he could bring it home then he would check Larry out when time and funds permitted.

Larry was excited at the thought of flying a turbo-prop, and a King Air at that! It was the grand dame of turbo props, very impressive. He said that would make them top dog at the airport and would make the Piper Aerostar that Fischer Aviation had look like a toy, and he was right. The Aerostar was the biggest plane Fischer Aviation had and the pilots over there were always making fun of the Aztruck. Larry said he couldn't wait to rub it in their nose and the guys all had a laugh over it. John mentioned that the Aerostar was older than anyone of them and they had another laugh.

As the Christmas holiday neared and the dead line to consummate the sale was upon them; the guys along with Jim and Dave decided to take their holiday break in Florida. They would leave Adam there and John would fly the three of them back in the Aztec. Adam would stay with Charlie at Hughes' house while he became proficient in the new plane; when his training was complete, he would ferry the King Air back home.

And so, the die was cast and the wheels set in motion, there was no turning back. Their bold acquisition was about to precipitate a momentous bearing on the shape of things to come. John and Adam were poised to secure their place among the big boys in the aviation industry; they had arrived.

To Be Continued.