Flux - 29. Chapter 29

July 14, 2002

Escorial

Will

“You having fun?” Marie asked me. I’d actually had a rare moment alone, at least until she interrupted it.

“Dude, my slutty ways are coming back to bite me in the ass,” I said.

She laughed at that. “At this party?”

“Yeah,” I said, frustrated. “This is like the first minute I’ve had by myself.” I’d been talking to people constantly and taking care of all my boyfriends, current and ex.

“You can escape,” she said.

“No, I can’t. Erik is here, so I have to be nice to him and pay attention to him.” Erik Delgado was a really nice guy, so it really wasn’t that tough. “Then I invited Tony here to finish putting all this shit behind us, but he only knows Matt, Wade, and Gathan.”

“I’ll bet Matt and Wade are really into spending time with him,” she said sarcastically, shaking her head.

“And then there’s Zach.”

“And he’s the one you really want to be with,” she said.

“Yeah,” I said, and felt myself break out in an idiotic grin.

“You have about an hour before we can escape to the pool,” she said. That was when the younger crowd went down to the indoor pool, and got to really party. She gestured over to one of the buffet tables, where Zach and JJ were getting food. “Zach’s got JJ to keep him company, you go hang out with Tony, and I’ll keep an eye on Erik.”

“Thanks,” I said, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Wait until you find out how you have to pay me back,” she said.

“Oh shit,” I said, pretending to be worried. “What do I have to do?”

“The Junior League is putting on a ball, and it has been explained to me that I have to go,” she said, really annoyed.

“Your mother?” I asked, but skeptically, because that didn’t sound like something Aunt Claire would force Marie to do.

“No, my grandmother,” she said. “Well actually, both of them, but Grandmaman isn’t putting pressure on me, she’s just happy I’m going.” Uncle Jack’s mother was a formidable socialite. I could see her insisting that her granddaughter go to what was the equivalent of a debutante ball.

“So if you don’t go, you don’t get the Hobart jewels?” I joked.

“That’s right,” she said playfully. “I figure a ball is worth some diamonds.”

“Well that totally sucks for you, but why is that bad news for me?”

“Because I have to have a date,” she said, giving me a sinister look.

“Oh no you don’t,” I said, shaking my head.

“Oh yes I do,” she insisted.

“You do not seriously want me to be your date,” I said.

“That’s your job,” she said, assuming I’d do it.

“What if I don’t want to do it?” I asked, teasing her, not really taking this whole thing seriously.

“Remember that talk Grandmaman had with Grand, Stef, and your father when they were mean to Austin?” I chuckled again, thinking about that. “You get to explain to her that you won’t go with me.”

I frowned at her. I so did not want to go to some society thing, but she was a good friend, and during the school year we hung around together a lot. Plus she’d neatly backed me into a corner on this. There was no way I could turn her down and not get a ration of crap from everyone. “Fine,” I said.

She kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Dancing lessons start when we go back to school,” she said.

“What are you talking about?” I had no clue what she meant. “Dancing lessons?”

“That’s part of it. We have to know how to dance. You know how to waltz?”

“Waltz?” I asked, freaking out.

She stared at me. “Waltz.”

“Yeah, kind of.” I’d taken ballroom dancing lessons when I was in 7^th grade. It had been lame, and I hadn’t done very well. “I’m not good at it.”

“That’s why we have to go to class,” she said.

“You’re really an evil person.”

“Duh,” she said.

“You were so hating this, but now that you can torture me with it, you’re enjoying it.”

“I am impressed that you figured that out, all on your own,” she said, teasing me. “I’m off to find Erik.” She vanished into the crowd, leaving me standing there, shaking my head.

“Hey,” Zach said. Just seeing him made everything alright. I wished that I could just be here with him. I thought about how Grand and Stef were at parties, and how they stayed relatively close to each other, unless they were hosting it. Dad and Robbie had done the same thing. That’s something we wouldn’t be able to do. Ever. By thinking about that, I’d managed to depress myself, so it took some Herculean effort for me to pull myself back to an even mood.

“Hi,” I said, forcing myself to be cheerful. “Tomorrow, we’ll be in London.”

“I cannot fucking wait,” he said, and high-fived me.

“I’m sorry if I’m ignoring you,” I apologized.

“It’s all good,” he said with that grin that melted me. “You’re very popular, and very busy.”

“Lucky me,” I grumbled.

“I’ll catch up with you later.” He said that last sentence in his sexy voice, making me chuckle.

“You do that,” I flirted back.

I tracked Tony down, worried that he’d be sitting in some corner by himself, but that turned out to be so not an issue. He was talking to some of the faculty members from Stanford who’d been invited, probably sucking up for next quarter. He finished up his conversation, saw me, and smiled. “Hey,” he said, walking toward me.

“Having fun?”

“I am,” he said. “I was mostly hanging with Gathan and Kristen. Then I ran into a couple of profs and figured I’d make some brownie points.”

“Did you charm them?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said, pretending to be offended that I’d even question his social skills.

“In an hour, we can escape to the pool area, and then this gets more fun.”

“Awesome,” he said, then got serious again. “Can I talk to you for a few minutes? Alone?”

“Sure,” I said, even though that made me a little nervous. What if he hit on me? Would I give in? I thought about Zach and smiled. Not a chance. “Come on.”

I led him into Grand’s study, my way of keeping things formal and not romantic at all. He sat down on the couch with me, and his nervousness was really freaking me out. “I’ve been seeing someone.”

“Is it romantic, or just sex?” I asked.

“It’s both,” he said.

“Are you happy?”

“I am,” he nodded. I just looked at him, waiting for him to tell me who it was. “I’m with Mason.”

I sat there blinking, not because I was freaking out, but because I was surprised. I’d hooked up with Mason last summer after Tony had blown me off. Tony had been pretty pissed off about that, so it was a little surprising that he’d gotten over that enough to start seeing Mason. “Cool,” I said, pulling my head out of my ass.

“You sure you’re OK with that?”

I smiled at him. That was really sweet, that he was really worried about my feelings, but also a little annoying, because it made me seem like some fragile flower. Then again, I kind of had been one of those. “Dude, I’m fine with that. I’m happy for you.”

“It just seems like I keep picking these dudes who are close to you,” he grumbled.

“I’m doing a lot better than I was. I’m sorry I totally freaked out on you.” That really shocked him, but I realized that I’d let my post-9-11 fucked-upness make me lose it over him and Matt more than was reasonable.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he said emphatically.

“I’m only going to be pissed if I have a boyfriend, and you sleep with him,” I said.

“You do have a boyfriend,” he said, smirking at me.

“What do you mean?” I asked, all paranoid.

“It’s pretty obvious that you’re totally into Zach.”

“It’s obvious?” I asked, horrified. I thought Zach and I were doing so well, but if we were visibly together, I needed to change.

“Only to me, because I know what you look like when you’re in love,” he said, making both of us sad.

“You do,” I said, then joked with him. “You mess with him, and I will hurt you. I’ll turn into my dad.”

“Settle down,” he said, chuckling. “I’ll behave myself. Besides, he wouldn’t give me the time of day.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dude, he is as into you as you’re into him.” I smiled broadly. We both stood up, and I gave him a hug and a nice kiss on the cheek.

“Tell Mason I said hi,” I said.

“Maybe you can come visit this summer, and I can fix you up with someone if Zach’s not around.”

“Right,” I said. “Who?”

“Carmine liked you,” he said, raising his eyebrows. That had been one of my sluttier moments, when this guy on our float trip had fucked me in the bathroom. “Or there’s always Rick.”

I led him out of Grand’s study and back to the party, even as we continued our conversation. “Yeah, I’m not seeing that.” Rick had been this asshole Tony had dated, and the guy had totally slammed me behind my back.

“I don’t talk to him anymore,” he said.

“Why?”

“You said something to me when we were talking about him. You asked me how I could let someone fuck around with my mother like that. You were right. No one lies to my mom like that and is still my friend.” He was resolute.

“I’m glad you and Mason hooked up. He’s a really nice guy, and so are you.”

“Funny,” he said, smiling. “He said the same thing about you.”

July 14, 2002

Escorial

Brad

I’d been enjoying the party, socializing with these people who I’d seen for years at this event, only this time I actually spent time getting to know them better. Before, we’d had these oblique conversations, inane small talk, but that was it. It made me feel like I’d been a boor all those years, showing little interest in these people who were our guests. I was trying to figure out why I was doing so much better this year, and finally nailed it down. I hadn’t really let the news that I was on the Forbes 400 list impact me much, but this was one of the times that it did. It gave me confidence in this crowd, something I normally didn’t need, but this year it helped. There were other people here who were on the list, like Larry Ellison, who I’d just spoken to, but somehow landing closer to the middle of the list made me feel like I was one of them, and not just Stefan Schluter’s nephew. I had definite successes that I was responsible for; I wasn’t just a dilettante who had inherited a bunch of money.

I walked over to the bar, questing for another gin and tonic, when I saw someone walking out of the house and into the gardens, someone I hadn’t seen in a very long time. I froze and stared at him, making sure I hadn’t gotten it wrong, but there was no mistaking that handsome face, even though it had more lines than it did when we were in high school; or that red hair, even though it was mixed with some gray now. That was definitely Doug Childers. What the fuck was he doing here? I mean, it’s not like I didn’t want him to be here, I was glad that he was. I was just surprised. I hadn’t seen his name on the guest list, and God knows I’d pored over the damn thing a few times. It wasn’t easy to crash this party, so he must be here as someone’s date. I pushed my ruminations aside and strode confidently toward him.

He was looking in a different direction, but his date recognized me, and that attracted his attention. He was here with Astra Holstein, a Junior League member from Hillsborough who’d just divorced her third husband. “Bradley,” she said, with that Euro trash accent of hers. “How wonderful to see you. This is Doug Childers.”

I gave her the requisite fake kisses. “It’s good to see you as well,” I said, then turned to Doug. He smiled at me, and I smiled at him, and there was a connection, a friendship, which had been dormant much too long. I shook his hand, and the warmth just flowed between us, and I impulsively turned it into a man hug, a gesture he returned whole-heartedly. “It is great to see you! I haven’t seen you since college!”

“You two know each other?” Astra asked, and seemed almost disappointed that we did.

“We graduated from Gunn together,” Doug said. “Damn it is good to see you!”

“You didn’t think you’d run into me here?” I asked, remembering not to flirt. “I live here now.”

“I was hoping,” he said, then withered under Astra’s stare.

“Your lucky day,” I said, being positively vivacious.

“I’m sorry about Robbie,” he said, getting somber, threatening to destroy my upbeat mood. He and Robbie had been good friends too, and I recognized his pain. “I should have made it to his memorial service.”

“It’s fine,” I said, to assuage his guilt, and to move us beyond that. “So what are you doing here? Do you live here?”

“I started an appraisal company a few years back,” he said. “We’re based in Cupertino.”

“That’s great,” I said.

Astra was giving us dirty looks, because she liked to be the center of attention, so Doug obliged her. “I met Astra, and we fell in love almost immediately.”

She put her hand on his shoulder in a possessive way. “We did. We just got back from Lake Tahoe. We were married two days ago.”

“Congratulations!” I said, forcing the enthusiasm. I gestured for a waiter to come over, and grabbed three glasses of champagne off his tray so we could celebrate. “To many happy years,” I said, raising my glass.

“Thank you,” she said, almost giggling, as we took a drink. “We really must pay our regards to your father.”

“He’ll be thrilled to see both of you,” I said, which was an overstatement, but you were allowed to do that at parties. I turned my attention to Doug. “You want to get together and catch up on old times?”

“That would be awesome.”

“You still remember how to surf?”

He chuckled. “Duh.” He sounded so much like Will, I had to laugh.

“Give me your number, and we’ll go to Santa Cruz.” We pulled out our phones, swapped numbers, and then I let Astra sink her claws back into him. I spotted Stef, so I went over to gossip with him. “Guess who I just ran into?”

“There are so many possibilities, I will not even try to guess,” he said.

“Doug Childers,” I said. “You remember him, right? He’s the guy I brought down to Malibu in high school, the one who bailed on me and went back home.” That had been a pretty traumatic time. I’d taken him down to Malibu to surf, but he’d found out I was gay and just left without saying anything. We’d had a rough time for a month or two, until we became friends again.

“Of course,” he said, the tumblers in his mind clicking. “You were friends, though, after that?”

“We were,” I said. “We’re good. We made tentative plans to go surfing together in Santa Cruz.”

“I am glad that was not an unpleasant encounter for you.”

“He’s here with Astra Holstein,” I said.

“Rumor has it she got so much money from this last divorce, she can focus on finding a man who is not rich,” he joked.

“There’s a downside to marriage,” I said ruefully, thinking of the costs, emotional and financial, of divorces. “She and Doug just got married. So I guess now she’s actually Astra Childers.”

“That quickly? Her divorce was only final in April.” It always amazed me how in tune to the gossip mill Stef was.

“Well, he was either with her before the divorce, or it was a whirlwind courtship,” I observed. Based on her track record, I wasn’t giving them good odds as a couple.

“I am sure that they were not officially together, otherwise she may not have done so well with her divorce settlement,” he said. I’m not sure if that really mattered, but regardless, it wasn’t something worth thinking too much about.

“What are you plans for the next week or so?” I asked him.

“I am contemplating a trip to Paris to join JP when he breaks free from the British,” he said, making me chuckle. “Before then, I am relatively open.”

“I was thinking that since they’re going to start working on the dining room, maybe we can escape from the construction and go to Malibu for a few days,” I suggested.

“That has a certain allure,” he said, thinking about it. “But even if I do not go, you certainly can.”

“Let me know when you decide to go to Paris. Maybe I’ll tag along,” I said. Suddenly the thought of going overseas seemed appealing.

“That would be marvelous,” he said. After that, I wandered off to socialize some more. The party had started in the early afternoon, so by 7:00pm, it was winding down, at least in the main areas. By tradition, the younger set was allowed to vanish down to the pool area around this time, and they’d evidently had enough and had already escaped.

“Hey,” I heard Sean’s voice from behind me. I turned around and hit him with a big smile.

“Hey there,” I said cheerfully. “You having fun?”

“I had a great time, but I have to head back to the City.”

I tried to hide my disappointment. “That’s too bad.”

“I have an early morning meeting,” he explained. “Otherwise, I’d stick around.”

“I understand,” I told him. “I’m going down to Malibu for a few days, but we’ll try and set up that meeting.”

“I’d like that,” he said. He leaned in and kissed me, a really nice kiss. “The best part of this party was the time we spent in the gazebo.”

I felt my hormones surge. “You got a few minutes before you leave?”

“Maybe,” he said, raising his eyebrow.

“Come on.” I led him down the hallway to my room, pulled him in, and locked the door. He smiled at me, but I wiped that away by kissing him, only this time, since we were in private, I really ramped up the intensity. I backed him up against the wall and pressed against him, moving my hips so he could feel my hard cock rubbing against his. I felt him totally surrender to me, heard him almost whimper, and that just fueled my desire.

I pulled back and guided him to the bed, pushed him backward into it, then fell on top of him. He wrapped his arms around my back, and his legs around mine, and thrust back into me willingly, even as we made out. When I broke off the kiss, he looked at me, forcing our eyes to connect. “I want you.”

“I want you too,” I said. We jumped up and hurriedly pulled off our clothes, even while my eyes were fixed on his beautiful body, and his thin cock that stood out in front of him like a lance. “We don’t have much time.”

I pushed him back onto the bed and ran my mouth down his chest and his abdomen to his cock, and sucked on him, but only for a little bit. I could tell he was too wound up to last, and I didn’t want it to end like that. I went lower, sucking on his balls, even as I inhaled his tangy odor, then moved lower. He willingly pulled his legs back, giving me total access to his hole. I grinned as his little pucker almost winked at me, then I dove in, really rimming him, getting him ready for my big dick. I alternately licked and probed his hole with my fingers, and then finally I’d had enough. I straddled him even as I leaned over him to get lube and condoms out of my nightstand, putting my huge cock in front of his mouth. I felt his tongue on the tip, then his lips around the head, and then he was blowing me. “That feels so fucking good,” I said, almost a moan.

I let him go on for a bit, then pulled my dick out of his mouth and knelt over him while I put the magnum on. Then I stroked it, spreading the lube out, almost laughing at how wide open his eyes got. “You’re fucking huge.”

“You can handle me,” I said, encouraging him.

“I can,” he said, as I started working the lube into his hole. I’d gotten him about as prepared as I could, then I slowly started to guide my dick into his amazing ass. I was good at this; I knew what I was doing. I watched his face carefully, and when he cringed, I stopped, or backed out. I did that four or five times, adding lube, before I could work my way inside of him. “Fuck yeah,” he said.

“You’re so fucking tight,” I said, as I began to slowly piston in and out of him.

“You’re stretching me out so much,” he moaned. “Feels so fucking good.” I went slowly for just a little bit longer, watching to see if he was ready. When he threw his head back, rolled his eyes back in his head and moaned, I really started to fuck him. I watched him, making sure I wasn’t going too fast, gauging his responses and matching my own actions to them. There was something exciting about being with a man for the first time, a sense of exploration of the unknown, but it also was more inhibiting, because I didn’t know his body well enough to really let myself go.

He didn’t seem to have that problem at all. He moaned and all but cried out as I fucked him. His cock had gotten soft when I’d forced my dick into his ass, but now he was into it, and it was hard as a rock. I reached down and stroked it gently. He made to stop me, but before he could, he started to cum. He cried out as his load rocketed out of his dick and splattered all over his chest and abdomen. I slowed my pace gradually as he came, and then when he was done, I gently pulled out, ripped off the condom, and knelt over him again. I started stroking my big dick, even as I looked at his panting torso, glistening from sweat, and covered with his cum.

“Shoot it all over me,” he said, and his words were so sexy, he set off my trigger.

“Fuck!” I yelled, and then blasted my load all over him. It had been a while since I’d fucked a guy – the last time had been with Wade – so it was one of my more intense orgasms. Finally, when I was done, I collapsed onto the bed sideways, so I was next to him.

“That was fun,” he said, smiling.

“I thought so,” I said. “You want to take a shower?”

He chuckled. “Probably a good idea.” I led him to the bathroom and we both took a quick shower, and then got dressed. “I’m really looking forward to when you come up to the City.”

“You weren’t looking forward to it before that?” I asked playfully.

“Not as much,” he said. He leaned in and gave me another nice kiss. “That was awesome.”

“It was,” I said, smiling. I led him up to the foyer, gave him one more kiss, and then watched his cute little ass as he walked out the door. I was so engrossed in that view, I didn’t hear someone come up and stand next to me.

“You fucked him,” Will accused. I looked at him and blinked, but he just smiled at me. “You’re glowing.”

“Damn right I fucked him,” I said, cracking him up.

“Good for you,” he said, as he put his hand on my shoulder in an affectionate way. “I’m going back downstairs. I just wanted to check on you, and let you know where I’d be.”

“I’ll see you later,” I said, even though I probably wouldn’t, then gave him a nice hug. He sauntered off to the pool area, while I scanned the house to see who was still here.

I found my mother saying goodbye to some guests. “This was a wonderful party,” I told her. Last year, she’d been banished from the event, and from much of the planning, but this year she’d been involved, although she had to share the control of planning the party with Stef, JP, and Claire. They’d all worked well together, and it showed. When Stef had been in charge, it had been incredible, but over the top, and a bit more flamboyant than we all were comfortable with. Mother tended to rein in his extreme choices.

“I am glad you enjoyed it.”

“I was just pondering how classy everything was, and how your touch was evident in everything,” I said.

“Why thank you,” she said, and put her hand through my arm and guided me back into the house. “I think that it was the most special because everyone was getting along.”

“With our family, that is saying something,” I noted humorously. As the last of the guests left, with the exception of the younger group by the pool, the rest of us retired to the television room and all but collapsed into the soft leather chairs. Claire still managed to seem rested and vital, despite spending several hours on her feet, while Jack was doing almost as well. Frank and Mother, as well as JP, showed their fatigue more. Stef was still perky, but now that he’d sat down and relaxed, he got out of his social mood and began to look as worn out as JP. “Where did Ace go?” I’d seen him a couple of hours ago, and we’d chatted, but then I’d lost track of him.

“He and Cass were tired, but I think Courtney was even more exhausted, so they left about an hour ago,” Mother said.

“It will be a tough day for you tomorrow,” I said to JP sympathetically.

“I disagree,” he responded. “I have but to finish packing, then I can rest in the plane.”

“Unless the boys bother you,” Claire teased.

“They can be quite loud,” Stef added, making us snicker.

“I am sure they will make sure not to disturb my sleep, lest they have to contend with my being in a cranky mood,” JP said, cracking us up, since he was about the least moody person in the room.

“I’m sure,” I said skeptically.

July 14, 2002

Escorial

Matt

“You boys remember Mrs. Hobart, don’t you?” Nana asked, referring to Jack’s mother. She was a formidable woman, with a pretty imperious demeanor.

“Of course,” Wade said, and then we both greeted her.

“I’m so glad Marie agreed to go to the ball,” she told Nana, resuming their conversation. “She can be such a free spirit, and so impetuous.”

“She’s not the only one,” Nana said, looking at me.

“No, she’s not,” I said, staring back at her, and making Wade chuckle. I’d already heard that Marie had strong-armed Will into going as her date.

“Who’s Marie going with?” Wade asked.

“She asked Will, and he is to be her escort,” Mrs. Hobart said. It was all I could do to avoid laughing in her face.

“That’s great,” I said, using my hilarity to charge up my smile. “I was going to head to the bar. Did you ladies want anything?” They both demurred, so Wade and I made our escape.

“That’s insane,” Wade said, and started laughing. “Will at a debutante ball.”

“Well, unless he’s the debutante,” I joked. Sean came up to us, looking very focused.

“I’m heading home,” he said.

“You have to leave already?” I asked, pretending to be disappointed. He and Wade and I had had some fun threesomes, but I was enjoying Wade, and wasn’t really all that into bringing someone else into the mix. At the same time, I wanted Sean to feel wanted. It’s what I’d want someone to do for me.

“I do,” he said. “I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow.”

“You’ll have to come out to Boston and see me when I get settled in,” Wade said.

“Then you can stop in Chicago on the way back,” I said. “It’ll be more fun.”

“It will not,” Wade insisted.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Sean said impatiently, not wanting to get into our banter. He gave us quick hugs, and then hurried off.

“He isn’t interested in hanging around with us,” Wade told me.

“Why not?”

“He’s focused on someone else.”

“Who?” I was trying to figure out who Sean would be lusting after. “Ben?”

“Nope,” Wade said with a grin, as he shook his head. “Brad.”

“Brad?” That was a surprise, but after I thought about it, it made sense.

“I saw them making out in the gazebo earlier,” he said, raising his eyebrow.

“Dude, we keep losing all of our threesome partners,” I joked. “First Victoria snaked Tiffany away, and now Brad’s stolen Sean.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” he said, teasing me.

“I’m not disappointed,” I said, turning him so he faced me. I kissed him gently but lovingly, since we were standing in a place that was pretty visible and I didn’t want to put out too big of a PDA display.

“Neither am I,” he said.

“So what are you doing tomorrow?” I asked. I was heading to England with JP, Zach, and Will, and while I was excited to go, I was really enjoying Wade.

“I planned to go back to Goodwell,” he said.

“Come with us,” I said.

“I have stuff to do,” he said insincerely.

“Bullshit.”

“I don’t want to impose,” he said, telling me the real reason.

“There’s Will,” I said, spotting him with Zach. “Let’s go give him shit about going to the ball.” That wasn’t my plan, but Wade bought into it.

“Hey!” Will said enthusiastically. “You guys having fun?”

“Absolutely,” Wade said.

“I need you to do me a favor,” I said to Will.

“What?”

“I need you to convince Wade to go to Europe with us. He wants to, but he’s worried you don’t want him to go along.”

“I didn’t say that,” Wade objected, giving me an evil look.

“Dude, that would be so awesome,” Will said to Wade. “You have to come along!”

“For sure,” Zach said, winking at him.

“I’ll think about it,” Wade said, to put us off. I looked at him severely, and folded my arms for emphasis, while Zach and Will mimicked my gesture. Wade gave us a dour look. “Fine. I’ll go.”

“Kick ass!” I said.