Millennium - 53. Chapter 53

January 11, 2000

         

“You want to come down and eat breakfast with me?” Robbie asked me. He was showered and dressed, eager for another day at the office, while I was enjoying a leisurely morning.

I lay there, looking at him, the inertia overwhelming me, convincing me that I should stay in bed and be a slug. Then my stomach growled, and the high-pitched whirring of a power tool reverberated through the room. Robbie snaughed at me. “Alright, let’s go,” I said fatalistically. “Do they have to start work so early?”

“You want our love den to be finished, don’t you?” he asked me with a leer.

He looked so cute with his little sleazy smile, but not cute enough to pull me out of my cranky morning mood. “Not at the expense of my morning sleep,” I replied as I hauled myself out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants.

“You’re not wearing a shirt?” he asked me.

“In my own kitchen, I have to wear a shirt?” I asked in a really bitchy tone.

“Can’t have you tempting the construction workers,” he joked. It was maddening the way he just ignored my bad mood.

“Fine.” I walked into the closet and grabbed a T-shirt just as another power tool started throbbing. The thought of hot construction workers with throbbing tools made me just slightly less cranky. “Will I pass muster in the dining room?”

“Barely,” he teased, and his good humor finally managed to erase some of my bad humor. I was actually smiling by the time we got to the kitchen, and my smile got even bigger when I saw who was waiting for me.

“Stef!” I exclaimed, as I ran over and gave him a big hug. “What are you doing here?”

“I must have a reason to visit?” he asked petulantly.

“You know, as you get older you’re becoming more and more like Tonto,” I teased.

“You must not have many visitors if you insult all your guests,” he joked back. “I thought I would come to visit you for a change, and talk about our plans to take Omega down.”

That wasn’t like him. He was here for a different reason. I looked at him sternly, telling him that I wasn’t buying that line. “And?”

“I spoke with Jordan Pfinster last night. He told me that you had a nice dinner,” he said cautiously.

“And you were worried about me?” I asked.

“Perhaps,” he said as he looked as his sleeve disdainfully.

“I’m just fine,” I said as I beamed at Robbie. He smiled back at me.

“You are evidently in good hands,” Stefan observed.

“That’s for sure,” I said in a slutty tone that made Robbie blush. “Join us for breakfast, and then I’ll tell you all about my weekend.”

Robbie wolfed down his breakfast, while I ate mine a bit more slowly. Stef nibbled on some cantaloupe and grapes. “Is that all you’re eating?” I asked him.

“I do not want to get fat like Robbie,” Stef teased.

“I am not fat,” Robbie asserted strongly, as he always did when someone called him fat.

“I like him like that. He’s like a big teddy bear,” I said.

“Well, this teddy bear has to go to work,” Robbie said. He stood up, gave me a nice kiss, Stef a nice hug, then he strode confidently out of the kitchen.

“I have never seen him so happy and confident,” Stef observed.

I thought about that. “You may be right.” I felt myself starting to head into that cesspool of introspection where suddenly I worry that his confidence and happiness is somehow a bad thing, so I jerked myself out of it by changing the subject. “Jordan’s wife Marcia is a nice lady.”

“Indeed?” He didn’t want to hear about that, he wanted to hear about my bio-dad, and I didn’t want to torture him by beating around the bush. I hated it when people did that to me.

“Jordan gave me a box with some pictures and stuff from my bio-dad. Would you like to see it?”

“Certainly,” Stef said, pretending to be calm when he was dying of curiosity. “It seems that old boxes can be quite interesting.” I laughed at his joke, his reference to the box we’d found last summer, the one with his father’s diary in it.

I dug it out and went through it, showing him the pictures and the uniform. “The hat even fits me,” I said, modeling it for him.

Stef was holding a picture of my bio-dad and looking at me. “You look so much like him. He was very handsome.”

“Why thank you,” I said politely. “Hearing about him from Jordan stirred up some pretty interesting memories.”

“Unhappy ones?”

“Some of them. Jordan told me that my bio-dad came to see me when I was a kid.”

“In Claremont?” Stef asked, really surprised.

“Yeah. It jogged a lot of memories. He came to see me after school, but before I could really talk to him my mother showed up.” We could both hear the bitterness when I mentioned her. “I think that was the thing that triggered her suicide.”

“How horrible,” Stef said.

“Horrible that I didn’t get to talk to him, not that she killed herself,” I said. He was about to chide me about not speaking badly of her, and to defend her as someone who was mentally ill and deserving of sympathy, but he picked up on my mood and said nothing instead. “She made my life a living hell.”

“I would have thought Tonto would have been a moderating influence,” he observed with a smile, reminding me of what a dynamo my grandmother had been.

“Only she wasn’t around all the time. After my mother saw my bio-dad, she really freaked out.” I told him all about my flashback in the elevator, and how my memory had come back. As I recounted the story of how my mother dragged me to the airport and hotel, I found that it was as clear in my mind as if it were only yesterday that I’d experienced it.

When I was done, he looked guilty, incredibly guilty. “I am so sorry. I did not realize that your mother, Nick, and Bitty had tortured you emotionally. I should have been there for you.”

“Stef, you’ve always been there for me,” I said. He smiled at me.

“I remember how I would take you back to Claremont with me when you were young, before I met Greg, and how mean they were to you. That must have been terrible; it must have reminded you of all of this.”

“I didn’t remember it until now. I just didn’t like it there. I just wanted to get the hell out of there and stay away.”

“How ironic. I feel the same way. Unfortunately, your father thinks otherwise, and I fear he will be dragging both of us back there soon enough.”

“He’s doing this to atone for leaving,” I asserted. “He has to save them from themselves.”

“And he must drag us along as he does it?” Stef asked. He sighed. “This is something he must do, so I will support him, but it does not mean I have to like it.”

“Well, we’ll have to try and keep a positive attitude,” I said without much enthusiasm. “I keep telling myself that I’m doing this for Tonto, because it would have made her happy.”

He smiled. “It would, and you are right. We must be positive. I am sorry you did not get to know your real father. He sounds like he would have been fun.”

“In a way, I feel like I do know him. Hearing Jordan and Marcia talk about him, seeing all of this stuff, and remembering the time I met him, it kind of brings him to life in my mind. Before this, he’d just been this guy who knocked up my mom. Now, there’s a real person there.”

“I am worried that this has been traumatic for you, and that you will bottle it all up inside and stew about it,” he said, finally revealing to me the real reason for his visit. It was annoying because it made me seem like a weak person and that I couldn’t handle my demons, but I knew he was just concerned about me.

“I can see where you’d think that,” I said, surprising him. “I was pretty freaked out about the whole thing when I found out Kevin was my cousin. I think it bothered me most that I might lose my identity because of it.”

“And you realize, of course, that is nonsense,” Stef said.

“Actually I do. I’m part of this family, and I always will be,” I said confidently, getting a smile from him.

“Yes you will,” he said, and grabbed my hand affectionately.

“You know, it gets a little confusing. I actually have three fathers,” I told him, excluding him from that list on purpose. I saw him try to hide that it bothered him. “I never knew Billy, my real dad, and I didn’t remember anything about my bio-dad until this past weekend. JP’s been there for me, filling that role when I lost the other two. But none of that really bothers me because I have you, and you’re at a whole different level. You’re my hero.” I saw a tear run down his face, which didn’t surprise me, as he was emotional in general, and this was an emotional conversation, but I needed him to understand how important he was to me. I needed to make sure that he got it, so all these revelations wouldn’t somehow cheapen our relationship.

“I certainly do not deserve to be anyone’s hero, but being there for you, watching you grow into the man you are today, has been the best thing I have done.” I got up and hugged him, a long, meaningful hug.

I finally broke off our embrace, and just smiled at Stef. “Thanks for coming down here. It means a lot.”

“You are welcome. I did have another motive,” he said. His tone told me this one wasn’t as important.

“Oh?”

“There is to be a big meeting in Claremont at the end of the month. JP wants to know if you and Robbie will be there, but he is too afraid to ask you himself.” I laughed at that.

“What good will having us there do?” I asked. “It seems like we’re the poster children for all they want to keep out of the town: A happy gay couple living in Hollywood.”

“Ah, but you are successful, and you have achieved the dreams of so many of Claremont’s youth. Having you there gives some credence to our arguments, and Robbie’s star power doesn’t hurt either.”

“So I’m just arm candy for Robbie?” I asked, pretending to be bitchy.

“You certainly are that,” Stef said. He was so good at managing people and their moods, even when they were faked.

“If JP thinks it’s important, I’ll go. I can’t vouch for Robbie though.”

“I plan to stay for a few days, so while I am here I will have to take him to dinner and try to charm him into going.”

 

January 12, 2000

 

 

“It’s nice to go out to dinner with you two,” Robbie said affably as he put his napkin on his lap. We were dining at one of the newest, chicest restaurants in Beverly Hills.

“You may not think so when you hear why Stef invited you along,” I told him. Stef gave me a withering look, which I completely ignored.

“Oh?” Robbie asked Stef.

Stef sighed, glared at me once more, and then dove in. “We are going to Claremont later in the month. JP would like you to come with us.”

“Why didn’t he ask me?” Robbie asked in a really bitchy tone. He seemed to have realized that as he said it and toned it down as he spoke, but there was no hiding his irritation.

“He is worried that if he asks you directly, you will feel obligated to do this instead of wanting to do it,” Stef told him.

“But I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to go back there ever again,” Robbie said adamantly. “I have washed my hands of that place, and those people.”

“But JP has not,” Stef said, trying to put things into perspective. He wasn’t getting through to Robbie.

“What Stef is saying is that not only do you have to go, you have to act like you want to go,” I told him.

“Why do I have to do this?” he demanded, showing us how annoyed he was.

“Because JP is asking you to,” I said. I watched Robbie digest that, to think about all that JP had done for him, and factor in the love and respect he had for him.

“That’s a good enough reason,” he said fatalistically, caving like I knew he would. “Why aren’t you more upset about going out there?” he asked me.

“It’s much more fun to watch you get all upset and do the work for both of us,” I teased.

“Asshole,” he said as lovingly as one can utter that word.

“To help make this more palatable, I have a surprise for you after dinner,” Stef said.

“You do?” I asked curiously.

“I do,” Stef said, grinning. “Your love den is finished.”

“Cool,” Robbie said, grinning just as broadly as Stef. “Maybe I’ll get laid tonight.”

“Why should tonight be any different than any other night?” I asked him in my sluttiest bedroom voice. It was fun to see him grin and blush at the same time. I leaned in and whispered in his ear: “You’re a fucking animal in bed.”

“I’m done eating,” he said, tossing his fork and knife down so they clattered, and making Stef and me laugh. “Let’s go.”

“There is one more thing I wanted to talk to you about,” Stef said cautiously.

“What?” I asked.

“You have been travelling a lot lately,” Stef said, looking directly at Robbie.

“I’m sorry for using your plane so much,” Robbie said defensively, showing just how much relying on Stef’s plane bothered him.

“I do not mind, but I think you need to have your own.” He paused as if he were nervous, so I winked at him to encourage him. “You two seem complete only when you are together. Physically together. As we move forward with this project to reduce Omega to ashes, you will be busy, and out of town a lot.” He looked at me when he said that.

“And you’re thinking that if we had a plane, we could spend more time together?” He nodded. I looked at Robbie and grinned. “Baby, Stef thinks we’re so right for each other he built us a playroom and wants us to get our own plane so we can be together all the time.”

He snaughed. “Works for me.”

Stef ignored my playful, smart-ass banter. “Anders-Hayes always had a corporate jet when Greg was in charge.”

“That was one of the things I cut out,” Robbie said. “I didn’t really need it, and it was expensive.”

“Well now you do need it,” Stef said.

Robbie looked nervous now. “With the dividend payout gone, I’ve been working up some plans to enhance the profit-sharing plan we have in place. I’m trying to get the employees as excited about where we’re going as the management team is. I think if we suddenly add a jet to the financial mix, that could be demotivating for our staff. Don’t get me wrong, Stef, I appreciate what you’re saying and what you’re trying to do, I just don’t think it would be good for the company right now.”

Like any mogul, Stef didn’t like to be contradicted, and that’s what Robbie was doing. Stef was offering to support a board resolution to let Anders-Hayes get a plane, and Robbie was turning him down. I watched his eyes narrow as he stared at Robbie, and watched as Robbie stared back at him resolutely. I knew Robbie was right, that he had a better feel for morale at Anders-Hayes than either Stef or I did, and I was so proud of him for standing firm to make sure the company was successful, even if it meant things were less convenient for us. Even better, I watched Stef mellow as he digested Robbie’s words and realized he was right. “I see your point. Well, it was just an idea.” Robbie beamed with pleasure both because Stef wasn’t mad or offended, and because Stef was agreeing with him.

“It seems that the travel comes from my end, and I’d been thinking about getting plane before this whole Omega thing started. I wasn’t sure whether to buy or lease it. Now that we’ve gotten our financing strategy in place, I think I can swing it either way, but I’m leaning toward the lease option. I think the tax benefits will be better, and I won’t be out a lot of money on the front end,” I said, rambling on about it while at the same time giving them both an out. “We’ll have to go jet shopping.”

“I will pay for decorating if you let me do it,” Stef offered.

“Let’s see how you did with the love den first,” I joked. We finished our dinner, then drove back to see what Stef had created.

We walked upstairs and into our bathroom. Where there had been a wooden barricade this morning, now there was an elegant looking door with a strange looking pad to the right. “This is the locking mechanism,” Stef said. “It scans your hand and uses those patterns for recognition.”

“This way the kids can’t come up here and explore,” I concluded. The unspoken message was that no one could get in here without one of us letting them in. It created a hurdle we’d have to overcome if we tried to use this with other people. Stef helped us program in our handprints, and then I held mine up to the glass panel. It recognized it, and a loud click indicated that the door was unlatched. I pushed it open and walked in, with Robbie right behind me.

The first thing I saw was a wall, strategically placed to block direct views into the room. On it was a life-size mural of the two of us on the beach, wearing just bathing suits. I was wet since I’d just come in from the surf and had that exhilarated look on my face I always got when I’d been fighting waves. Robbie was completely dry, standing there looking so handsome with his arm around me. I smiled when I thought about the obstacles we’d face if either one of us decided to bring some stray guy up here. First, there was the locking mechanism, and then when we walked through the door the first thing we’d see is our partner.

“This way,” Stef said prompting me. The space was divided into three separate areas. He led us to the left side, where there was a lounging area. The décor was tasteful, with an oversized chair and a couch as the only furniture. On the wall was a large plasma television with speakers conspicuously mounted next to it. The whole scene seemed pretty basic, not what I’d expect for a love den.

“This seems pretty normal,” I said.

Stef gave me a dirty look. “That is because you have not looked at all of the features. You are so pedestrian.” He walked over to the wall and pushed a button. I heard electric motors whining as a panel lifted, exposing rows of DVDs. I went over and grabbed one.

“Assmasters V?” I asked. Robbie started laughing.

“I have tried to find movies to appeal to various proclivities,” he said. His officious mode combined with the subject matter was hilarious.

“It’s awesome,” I told him. Robbie picked up another movie with dungeon masters and slaves in various poses on the cover, and we started cracking up all over again.

“There is more,” he said. “You will notice there are microphones and a camera here. That is so you can make your own recordings. You can star in your own movies.”

“Right,” Robbie said skeptically, but I felt my exhibitionist streak surging at the thought of fucking in front of cameras.

He led us into the center room of the three, and now we both really started laughing. My feet sank into the floor, which seemed to be covered in padded black leather just like all but one of the walls. That wall had a painting on it, a painting of the ‘silent duck’, the shape I made with my hand when I fisted Robbie. “Does that put you in the mood?” I asked him playfully.

“I’m always in the mood,” he said. Stef giggled. There was a full sling hanging from the ceiling. “That looks like fun.”

“That is a sling,” Stef said unnecessarily. “I think you will enjoy it. It comes with a remote control so you can raise and lower it, and move it around.”

Robbie walked over to it and climbed in. “Look, it even has manacles on it.” You could lock yourself in.

“We’ll have to try those out later,” I told him. I looked at the wall and suddenly noticed that there were several dildos sticking out, all at waist level. “That’s my dick!” I said, as I noticed that one of them looked just like my cock.

“That is why you did the mold,” Stef said. “You see Robbie, you can pivot yourself sideways and line yourself up and enjoy a replica of Brad when he is not around.” Robbie did that, moved around in the sling so his ass was aimed at the wall and the replica of my dick. “This one is even motorized, to simulate thrusting actions.” He turned it on and the dildo thrust in and out. It was so funny, I couldn’t stop laughing. “There is a knob on the remote control so you can adjust the speed.”

“I like this room a lot,” Robbie said to me.

Stef walked over to the wall and pushed another button, where more electric whirring revealed another storage area. This one had a virtual porn shop collection of sex toys. There were scores of dildos of every shape, size and color, along with cock rings and lube in all types and flavors. “I designed this room as much for self stimulation as for sex,” Stef said. I noticed that everything, from the sling to the dildos, could be fun either with Robbie or all by myself.

“What are these machines?” Robbie asked. He held up a couple of things that looked like electrodes.

“That is an e-stim machine, and that is a TENS unit,” Stef said. “You attach these electrodes to various parts of your body, most likely your penis, and adjust the dial. It sends an electric charge through your dick. I have heard that you can simply adjust the voltage and bring yourself off.”

“Really?” Robbie asked dubiously.

“That is what I am told,” Stef said. “If you use them, make sure to use lots of this lubricant, or you can get burned. The TENS unit is designed for muscle relaxation, but it works the same way.” It was funny to see Robbie think about that and get excited about it.

“I feel like a kid in a candy store,” I told Stef. “You did a fantastic job.”

“And you have not even seen the last room,” he said, leading us into the third area. I felt like I’d walked into a BDSM chamber. Robbie and I started laughing all over again. In the center of the room was a queen size bed, with a wrought iron headboard in a simple square grill form. Hanging from two of the squares were pairs of handcuffs, while above the head and footboard hung a number of other bondage restraints. One of the walls had shackles built in, clearly designed for more restraint. On the opposite wall was a rack with all kinds of things.

“What’s all this stuff for?” I asked Stef.

“Well, there are various types of whips and chains,” he said. It was hard not to laugh at everything. “There is also another electric device, this one with a wand. It emits a slight charge.”

“And what do you do with that?” I asked playfully.

“You may use your imagination, but it is worth noting that it has a phallic shape,” he said.

“Look at these things,” Robbie said. He picked up a leather and metal device that was obviously designed to wrap around your dick and balls.

“Lots of things to try out,” Stef said to him.

“There certainly are,” I said, smiling at Stef. “What did Dad say when you showed him your plans?”

“He pretended to be uninterested,” Stef said.

“So are you going to build one of these at Escorial?” Robbie asked him.

“Perhaps. I think I would like to build this kind of room in the Great Hall. It is already so medieval; I think it would just add to the whole effect.” That really cracked us up.

“Thank you both for making this happen. It’s a wonderful and thoughtful present,” I told him.

“Enjoy it,” Stef said. We both gave him hugs, and then he wandered out of the area, leaving us to explore it on our own.