Black Widow (Story Discussion)

[methodwriter85]

Do you think racing thoroughbreds is profitable? Yacht racing? Playing polo? When you are rich you can indulge in incredibly extravagent hobbies. Owning a hot club, even if it is losing gobs of money is a gay man's hobby.

 

It isn't the "cool young people" who are moving to Brooklyn, but the financially challenged young people who think they are cool (or more to the point want others to think they are cool) that are moving to Brooklyn. They tweet, Instagram and Yik Yak to each other about how cool, hip and trendy they are and hope people believe them. The really rich stay in Manhattan.

 

Way to think of it as like a hobby business. That makes sense.

 

As for Brooklyn...I mean, you got a point, but there is a lot of artistry going over there. But it's not like that really matters to JJ. He''ll stick to TriBeCa.

 

 

I'm not sure JJ is genuine enough to appreciate the genuine.

 

I don't think JJ is, either. He might grow out of it, but right now JJ is very much about surface, and how well people are bred, and it's rare for him to give the time of day to somebody who doesn't have the right clothes or the right attitude.

 

I can't see see JJ hanging out with avant-garde artists in Williamsburg, for sure. (I guess now its Bushwick?)

[impunity]

You are missing two key points here. The family is rich and the family is really rich.

 

Do you think racing thoroughbreds is profitable? Yacht racing? Playing polo? When you are rich you can indulge in incredibly extravagent hobbies. Owning a hot club, even if it is losing gobs of money is a gay man's hobby.

 

 

Way to think of it as like a hobby business. That makes sense.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with both of you here. While this may be true for the average (really rich) person, owning businesses for fun has never been Stef's model. Bear in mind this is Stef who grew up poorer than dirt and sold his body on the streets of Paris to buy food. Stef is in business for the money; Stef is Will's mentor and this is Will's first business investment. Will is going to want to prove himself, not fritter the opportunity away as a hobby.

Edited August 6, 2015 by impunity

[Timothy M.]

Stef is in business for the money; Stef is Will's mentor and this is Will's first business investment. Will is going to want to prove himself, not fritter the opportunity away as a hobby.

 

I think you're right, except for the fact that Will is looking for ways to spend money. But of course he want to be in control of how his money is spent, and he'll soon lose patience with Trey or whoever is running the Club as a private party. In any case, I look forward to the confrontation.

[Headstall]

It's never cool to lose money, whether you're rich or poor. A hobby like horse racing or yacht racing is many things, but primarily it is about competition. The thrill of running a business is about being successful and that means making money, so I don't think they equate. Sure, there are people who are frivolous about money, but I don't see this family as that. My guess is that while Will will spend a lot of money, he will make some long range smart moves, and he won't accept the Chicago club being a failure as a business.

 

JJ is only 17, and I would say too young to be completely pigeon holed. If he can't learn and change, I'm not sure he'll hold much appeal as a character for very long. He's been through a lot and he's changed a lot... maybe a guy like John can help him continue the process... otherwise the bitchy spoiled diva is going to wear a little thin. To continue in this vein, I think we'll have an inclination to eventually view him as a villain.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Headstall

[impunity]

Will is looking for ways to spend Brad's money. I think the Chicago club is Stef's investment. Either way, Will doesn't want to appear incompetent at managing his first business venture.

 

EDIT: Also, there is a big difference between spending money and losing it.

Edited August 6, 2015 by impunity

[Timothy M.]

Edit: So, what happens at 300 posts? Nothing! Nothing happens. I feel a bit cheated.

Edit 2: Where is Tim when I need him to explain these sorts of things to me?   (Alright, I know it's midnight in Copenhagen and it is unreasonable for me to expect him to be at my beck and call.)

 

I'm flattered, but why do you expect me to be able to explain?   Although I think you can choose your own member title at 500 posts, so keep going.

But I don't mind being at your beck and call, my lady.

[Timothy M.]

Will is looking for ways to spend Brad's money. I think the Chicago club is Stef's investment. Either way, Will doesn't want to appear incompetent at managing his first business venture.

 

EDIT: Also, there is a big difference between spending money and losing it.

 

Good points, I'll concede that Will won't use the Club to spend Brad's money. Except for taking a private jet out there to sort matters out.

[mmike1969]

I thought the club and building belongs to Will? It was given to him on his last birthday.

 

Maybe Josh is doing to Will what Will is doing to Brad: spending other people's $$$ to get attention.

[methodwriter85]

I thought the club and building belongs to Will? It was given to him on his last birthday.

 

Maybe Josh is doing to Will what Will is doing to Brad: spending other people's $$$ to get attention.

 

Yeah, we've got to remember that Will is a 16-year old multi-millionaire mogul in addition to being a sexy piece of jailbait who looks 20 years old and a 4.0 honor student who nevertheless doesn't seem to spend that much time in school AND a champion-level surfer who opted not to compete.

Edited August 6, 2015 by methodwriter85

[impunity]

I'm flattered, but why do you expect me to be able to explain?   Although I think you can choose your own member title at 500 posts, so keep going.

But I don't mind being at your beck and call, my lady.

 

I remembered your commenting on the 500 posts and thought you might know about the other levels.    You're so sweet.   Although you might want to be careful what you offer.

 

I thought the club and building belongs to Will? It was given to him on his last birthday.

 

Will owns the building and a percentage of the club. I don't think we ever learned how much other than Stef had proposed 60% before they met with Josh. (At least, I couldn't find it when I went back to check.) He also has the lease on the club so it is in his interests to keep it in business.

[mmike1969]

Chapter 8:

“We did not do anything for your birthday last year, nor did we celebrate it the year before, so we thought we would try to make it up to you.  That is the deed for the building that Spartacus is in, and those are the certificates transferring ownership of the bar to you.” 

        “You’re giving me the building and the bar?” I asked, stunned.”

 

Excerpt From: Arbour, Mark. “Streak.”

Now I know what's been bugging me about this 60 (Will) / 40 (Josh) arraignment: Who holds the liquor license? Almost certain it can't be Will. What would happen if someone (our nameless Black Widow) sent the Chicago Police went down there and checked everyone's ID? Will's fake ID is not going to pass.

 

 

 

 

Impulsively I pulled out my phone and hit the speed dial to call him. I expected it to go to voice mail, so I was really shocked when it didn’t. I heard the call connect, and I could hear him breathing on the other side. “Zach?” I asked. Then he hung up.

 

 

I am now positive Zach is being blackmailed.

[Headstall]

 

 

 

 

 

I am now positive Zach is being blackmailed.

We don't even know if that was Zach on the other end of the phone. Why would he pick it up if he wasn't going to talk to Will. Sure, he may have answered without looking, but that seems unlikely to me.... unless he really wants to talk to Will, tell him something... but feels he can't, and chickened out. I think he is in trouble, and I would think, after all they've shared and how well they know and can read each other, that Will would clue in to the wrongness of what happened. I guess pain can interfere with our ability to assess a situation clearly, and Will is really hurting?

[Kitt]

Did we ever find out if the Parnell that Zack met is any relation to the idiot that was a half brother or something to JP and tried to take advantage of that?

[Timothy M.]

Did we ever find out if the Parnell that Zack met is any relation to the idiot that was a half brother or something to JP and tried to take advantage of that?

 

Nope, nothing about that so far.

[PrivateTim]

Chapter 8:

Now I know what's been bugging me about this 60 (Will) / 40 (Josh) arraignment: Who holds the liquor license? Almost certain it can't be Will. What would happen if someone (our nameless Black Widow) sent the Chicago Police went down there and checked everyone's ID? Will's fake ID is not going to pass.

 

I am now positive Zach is being blackmailed.

 

The ownership would be in a corporation or trust's name and the responsible person would be a lawyer or trustee for the entity. Will's name might not appear anyplace on paperwork.

 

I am curious why Zach hanging up makes you think he is being "blackmailed".

 

If anything I think he has gotten the word from someone that his "friendship" with Will is a threat to his career and football has always come first with Zach. If you go back to Flux Chapters 11 & 12 when Zach first broke up with Will over rumors of their relationship then Will knew that it was going to be hard to maintain the relationship through college and the NFL.

[methodwriter85]

 

As Private Tim noted in the forums, at this level of wealth, Will can afford the luxury of a toy investment. He is very different both Brad and Stef in how he views business.

 

If they expected Will to become a business shark, they were pretty sorely mistaken. If Will does get involved with Corporate America, I'm guessing he's going to be of that Free Trade/Compassionate/Local/Save the World kind of vein.

[B1ue]

Will's fake ID is not going to pass.

It wouldn't now, I don't think, but it might have when the story took place. Actually, it still might, as long as the cop in question merely gave it a cursory glance instead of running it through a database. Especially since the ID would be from a different state. We didn't even have the rotated IDs in California yet; I didn't start running across them until after I stopped working the door for my job, which was mid 2005.

 

If anything I think he has gotten the word from someone that his "friendship" with Will is a threat to his career and football has always come first with Zach. If you go back to Flux Chapters 11 & 12 when Zach first broke up with Will over rumors of their relationship then Will knew that it was going to be hard to maintain the relationship through college and the NFL.

One of the major plotlines of the last novel was that Zach was starting to question if he even wanted a career in football, let alone give up Will for that career. My impression at the end of Streak into Black Widow was that he was going through the motions for lack of any better idea, not because he was really still dedicated.

 

My impression could be off of course (not like that hasn't happened before), or Zach could have changed his mind once he was actually playing again, but I also think its possible that someone could have changed his mind for him. Although what on earth that could be, I have no clue. Having Will as a sugar daddy should insulate him fairly completely from most forms of retaliation, unless someone was threatening one of his siblings. And even there, the logical thing to do would be to unleash Team Crampton on them.

Edited August 9, 2015 by B1ue

[Mark Arbour]

I posted the latest chapter pretty quickly, and I'll try to turn the next one out quickly as well.  I wrote them and didn't really realize that they were both reasonably stout cliffhangers, so I'll try to atone for that. 

[mmike1969]

Latest poll: how many people does Will out Zach to in the next chapter?

 

Will: shut up about Zach. You outed him to Ryan and you outed him to John C in the last chapter. STFU already.

 

The boyfriend that dumped you and broke your heart? His name is Alfred Bennicourt, the 3rd, and he's on the squash team.

 

Remember that!

Edited August 12, 2015 by mmike1969

[Headstall]

Latest poll: how many people does Will out Zach to in the next chapter?

 

Will: shut up about Zach. You outed him to Ryan and you outed him to John C in the last chapter. STFU already.

 

The boyfriend that dumped you and broke your heart? His name is Alfred Bennicourt, the 3rd, and he's on the squash team.

 

Remember that!

Ah, yes... Alfred... it was a terrible break-up... he cheated with someone from the water polo team

[Timothy M.]

Latest poll: how many people does Will out Zach to in the next chapter?

 

Will: shut up about Zach. You outed him to Ryan and you outed him to John C in the last chapter. STFU already.

 

I agree completely. However, according to Mark, Ryan already knew about Zach.

 

Reply from Mark Arbour (author)

I'm going on the assumption that Ryan knew about Will and Zach.

 

But I have to admit it seems less than plausible to me, and I wonder why none of his betas / editors questioned it.    Oh well, I guess I'll have to accept Ryan as trustworthy, even if I dislike him.

Ah, yes... Alfred... it was a terrible break-up... he cheated with someone from the water polo team

 

LOL

[Headstall]

 

LOL

I have been informed that LOL is now obsolete, and that we should use HAHA... to that I say... LOL

[Timothy M.]

I have been informed that LOL is now obsolete, and that we should use HAHA... to that I say... LOL

 

Well, HAHA is what I'd say in Danish, so it looks perfectly fine to me.

[PrivateTim]

Latest poll: how many people does Will out Zach to in the next chapter?

 

Will: shut up about Zach. You outed him to Ryan and you outed him to John C in the last chapter. STFU already.

 

The boyfriend that dumped you and broke your heart? His name is Alfred Bennicourt, the 3rd, and he's on the squash team.

 

Remember that!

 

I am pretty sure Ryan knew already. It isn't a secret exactly about Zach & Will. They were together at the Bastille Day Party even if they weren't macking, I think a lot of people can add 2 +2.

 

Well, HAHA is what I'd say in Danish, so it looks perfectly fine to me.

 

This is a gay forum, it ought to be HO HO HO.

[impunity]

I have been informed that LOL is now obsolete, and that we should use HAHA... to that I say... LOL

Who exactly informed you of this? I've been using haha instead of LOL for years. It's good to know I'm finally trendy.