Millennium - 54. Chapter 54

January 12, 2000

“This is pretty cool,” Robbie said as we stood in the bondage room. He seemed a little uncomfortable, as if this was pushing our boundaries a little too far, too fast.

“It is,” I said. I went up and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him affectionately. “Just because there’s a machine with electrodes in here, and whips and chains, doesn’t mean we have to use them.”

“It might be fun,” he said, grinning at me.

“It might be. You know what I want to try out?”

“What?” he asked, still grinning.

“That sling.” I moved closer, pushing our bodies together. “I’ll bet I can really fuck you hard in that thing.”

“Let’s find out,” he said. He literally tore off his clothes and rushed to the middle room, while I followed him.

“Which lube shall we try?” I asked playfully.

“I don’t give a shit,” he said as he climbed into the sling. I grabbed a bottle at random and walked over to him, locking his hands and feet into the manacles.

“You’re all tied up now,” I said to him in my sluttiest voice. “I can do anything I want to you.” I ran my hand up and down his crack, flicking my fingers gently across his hole as I said it.

“Anything Brad,” he said breathlessly, “you can do anything.”

I leaned in and kissed him for a really long time, enjoying our bond, and that he could only respond with his mouth because his body was locked into the sling. I moved my mouth down his body, licking and nibbling on each nipple, until I got down to his cock. While I enveloped him, I began working into his ass with my fingers, first one, and then two. I felt him getting worked up, heard his moaning and his panting, so I stopped and just looked down at him, this amazing specimen of a man, so charged up and ready for me. I moved up to him, rubbing my hard dick up and down his crack, grazing it across his hole.

“You want me baby?” I asked, teasing him.

“Yeah,” he said almost desperately. “Come on, fuck me.”

I grabbed the remote and moved the sling up an inch or two, lined up my cock, and drove into him. I watched him gasp as he took me and adjusted to my big but familiar size, then his expression changed to bliss as he relaxed and let himself enjoy it. I started out slow, but he wasn’t having it. He kept trying to move the sling back into me, to urge me on, using just his body undulations to do it. “You want me to really fuck you now?”

Before he could answer, I started slamming into him. “Yeah, oh yeah Brad! That feels so good. Oh yeah!” The sling was so awesome, because it gave me so much more flexibility. I could move him with me and really make each thrust impact him hard. “Oh God, that’s so awesome.”

“You like that baby?” I asked as I pounded him even harder. I had tied him up, but he hung on to the sling as if I hadn’t. I watched as his cock bounced around, leaking pre-cum like crazy, as I plunged in and out of him. He finally gave up trying to talk, and ended up whimpering instead. I was working hard; there was sweat pouring down my chest.

“You’re gonna make me cum. Fuck!” he screamed. Then he shot his load, blasting it all over his chest. I knew how his body worked, I knew him so well, that I waited until the first few shots blasted out and then I started jacking him off, nursing every drop out of him that I could. When he was done, I pulled out and stroked my cock, bringing myself off. I blew all over him, my cum landing on top of his.

“That was hot,” he said with a grin after we’d both caught our breath.

“You like that when I jack you off after you start blowing, don’t you?” I asked him as I undid the restraints. He loved it when I talked dirty to him. Even though he’d just blown, I saw his dick quiver a little bit when I said that. He just nodded. “You remember the first time I learned to do that?”

“No,” he answered cautiously.

“It was the first time I made love to you. We were at the beach, at the house in Santa Cruz, and you let me bring you off with just my dick, then you started jacking yourself off right after you started to cum.”

“I remember that now. I thought I’d found the ultimate in pleasure, that you’d taken me to a place that could never be more intense, but you keep proving me wrong. Sex with you is amazing.” He looked at me, forcing the contact, so I’d know he was sincere.

“That’s my goal,” I said with a cocky lilt to my voice, “to make each and every orgasm better than the last.”

“I like that goal.” He led me into the shower where we washed each other off, then climbed into our bed. He let me crawl onto his chest in my favorite position and he wrapped his arms around me, making me feel so loved and so protected.

“I sub-leased the apartment today,” he said from out of the blue. “I hope that’s OK with you.”

I felt fear and doubt return, but not as bad as it would have if he’d have sprung this on me a few weeks ago. I was getting more and more confident about our relationship with each day. “Why?”

“I figured that we have our love den, and we can always go away if we want to have a sanctuary. We really didn’t need it anymore.”

I knew him so well, knew exactly why he’d done that. “You didn’t want it to be a temptation?”

“What, you don’t trust me?” He asked belligerently. I looked up at him and he looked guilty, because I’d nailed it right on the head; his reaction proved that.

“I actually think it’s a really sweet thing to do.”

“You do?” he asked, confused.

“This is a tough town to be faithful in. I think it’s great the way you thought about it, thought it might be a problem, and took steps to remove the temptation.”

“It still sounds like you don’t trust me,” he said grumpily, still not getting it.

“Baby, I know you love dick. I do too.” That got a snaugh. “I’m not asking you to be perfect. If you didn’t love me as much as you do, you’d have kept it and maybe used it. Instead, you gave it up so it isn’t even an issue.”

He smiled at me, glad that I’d gotten where he was coming from. We drifted off to sleep, both of us happy and content.

January 26, 2000

“Thank you both for coming,” JP said as he climbed on the plane. He addressed both of us, but we all knew he was talking to Robbie.

“There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you, JP,” Robbie said honestly. It was one of those moments where a sincere emotion catches JP off guard and you get to see him genuinely react. He hadn’t been expecting that kind of statement from Robbie.

“I appreciate it that much more, knowing this isn’t easy for you. But I think you can help people understand what we are trying to do here, just by being there and showing support. I talked to Nick, and he thinks that if you’re willing, it would be great if you could say a few words tonight.”

“So this is a speaking gig?” Robbie asked, trying to be lighthearted about the whole thing. “What do you want me to talk about?”

“I think it’s important that they understand you’re a normal person with a normal family life. You’re a celebrity in Claremont because of your contact with all the celebrities in Hollywood. Name-dropping wouldn’t hurt,” JP said as diplomatically as he could.

“I’m a normal person? I have an S&M chamber located off my bedroom and I get off by having my partner stick his hand up my ass. I should ask the people there if they think that’s normal.” Stef and I laughed so hard at that we doubled over.

JP gave Robbie a slight smile. “That’s probably not the best idea.”

“The love den you designed is awesome,” I told Stef. We really hadn’t pushed the envelope too much yet, mostly just enjoying the sling. I think that was just us getting used to it, getting comfortable with all that stuff.

“I am so glad you are enjoying it,” Stef said.

“God, are we enjoying it!” Robbie said. “When are you building one for the two of you?”

I started laughing again at the look on JP’s face; horror at the thought that Stef might just build something like that at Escorial. “You should try it Dad.”

“Very funny,” JP said in his irritated tone.

“You do not think I can be fun and creative?” Stef asked him with a pout, piling on.

“I didn’t say that,” JP snapped.

“I think if you are going to drag us all back to Claremont in the depths of winter, you should be willing to put up with a little teasing,” Stef said logically.

“That seems fair to me,” I agreed.

“The election is next Tuesday,” JP said, ignoring us and changing the subject. “There are only three issues on the ballot: Nick’s confirmation as Mayor; the ‘Claremont Revitalization’ bill which will encompass zoning and public approval for this master plan; and the ‘Live Free Claremont’ bill, which has become known as the Tolerance Referendum. Nick’s predecessor appointed him upon his own resignation, and that surprised everyone. This special election came up so soon afterwards, no credible opposition to Nick could be mounted. He’s expected to win handily. The revitalization plan is a little more controversial, but polls show that should win handily. The Tolerance Referendum is a different matter entirely. The polls show that it will win if everyone shows up to vote, but the picture changes when you look at those more likely to vote, not just all the registered voters.”

“So getting people out to vote will be the key to winning?” I asked.

“It will. That’s why we’re having this meeting. We want people to understand what we’re trying to do, and what this can mean for Claremont.”

“Our contacts at Triton think that our plan to put the new plant downtown where the old warehouses are will work out well,” I told him. “We’ve even lined up congressional support among the Ohio and Pennsylvania members. We’ll probably need it when they debate the appropriations measures next month.”

“Why?” JP asked.

“Omega is making a bid to take over the whole contract on the Virginia class submarines. If they win, that will be a big hit for Triton. All the money we pumped in will be needed just to keep the firm afloat until the next deal comes along,” I said calmly, even though that looming bill had kept my stomach in knots for the past week and a half.

“Do you think you have the political muscle to win?” JP asked.

“We think so,” Stef answered. He was more confident than I was. “We think it is likely Triton will have to share the contract with Omega. Both sides are lobbying for the exclusive rights to the deal.”

“The biggest block is in the Senate. The Armed Services Committee will need to review and sanction the vendors. It seems that’s where the decision will end up being made,” I added.

“Isn’t Wade’s father on that committee?” Robbie asked.

“He is. And the way things are lining up, he may end up being the key vote,” I answered. “We’re trying to line up other support so we don’t have to rely on him.”

“Has he told you he’ll support you?” JP asked.

“We’ve funneled a lot of money their way, and he seems supportive enough, but it’s hard to tell, and I still don’t trust him,” I answered.

“It is Wade’s mother who is the scary one,” Stef observed. “She is quite the DC power broker. The senator is actually quite easy to deal with. His wife drives a much harder bargain.”

“I don’t get it,” Robbie said, turning toward me. “She hates your wicked stepmother, so this should be a no-brainer for her.”

“I think their relationship is more complex than any of us, including Wade, understands.” I’d been trying to figure out what made Elizabeth Danfield both hate and fear Alexandra Carmichael, but I hadn’t been able to discover it. Yet.

“Stef said you created a slide show for your part of the presentation,” JP said. He clearly wanted to know what I had planned. I decided that while it wasn’t OK to keep Stef in suspense, it was fine to do that to JP.

“I did.” If he wanted more info on it, he’d have to dig. I waited to see if he would, but he just moved the conversation on to different topics. It ended up being a nice flight until we landed and the door opened. We were pelted with snow and ice, not to mention frigid temperatures. We spent the drive on the way to Tonto’s old house bitching about it, much to JP’s annoyance.

By evening, the weather had moderated so it was just cold, and that seemed to help the turnout. The meeting was being held at the high school, the one Tonto had worked so hard to get them to build in the 1960s, in the cavernous gymnasium. We got there early to see the setup. I gave my slide show to the computer guys so they could flash it up on the big screen when I talked, then I wandered off to join JP and the others. Robbie followed me around dutifully, as if he was looking at me to protect him. I could feel how on edge he was, how uptight just being in this city made him.

JP was talking to a big, handsome black man who looked to be around 50 years old. “Ah Brad, Robbie, there you are,” JP said in his social voice. “I’d like you to meet Reverend Jefferson.”

I shook hands with him as he smiled at me. “You call me Sam, and I’ll call you Brad, OK?”

“Sounds good to me,” I said, smiling back at him. He shook Robbie’s hand too.

“Sam is trying to help us with this measure,” JP said.

“It is what’s best for this town,” Sam said confidently. Stef was eying Sam, and there was some definite sexual tension in the group. I’d learned to read Stef well enough over the years to know him. He’d fucked this guy. We made eye contact and he gave me his snippy look, mad that I’d read his mind.

“You probably remember Sam’s parents,” JP interjected. “Abe and Vella were part of our family, as is Sam.”

I remembered them, especially Vella. She was the Crampton’s housekeeper. “Your mom sure could cook,” I said to Sam.

“Yes she could,” he said, smiling at her memory. We moved off after that, heading toward Nick.

“Well look who’s here, husband,” I heard an unpleasant voice say. I turned to find Robbie’s mother and the Reverend White.

“We have come to put a stop to your attempt to turn this fair town into a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah,” Reverend White said haughtily. Robbie just glared at both of them.

“I’m not sure your idea of a fair town and the vision of the residents is the same, Reverend,” I said dismissively. “Unless, of course, they’re happy with rampant crime and unemployment.” Robbie and I turned and walked away from them before they could respond.

The meeting started on time, even though people were still straggling in. There was a big turnout, which surprised me. I figured the citizens would be apathetic, but these people seemed genuinely interested in the topic at hand, at the plans to save their city from itself. Nick opened up the meeting by explaining the basics of his vision, and laying out the agenda for the night’s talk. He’d set it up so people from both sides of the issue would have a chance to speak. My slot was in the middle: I followed the Reverend White. Nick explained that to revitalize Claremont, they had to lure new industries into town, and to do that, they needed to pass these bills, the revitalization plan and the Tolerance Referendum. Nick explained that the revitalization plan was important so we’d have a blueprint for the development we were trying to spark, and that the Tolerance Referendum was even more important, because it was Claremont’s sign of good faith, its welcome mat, to attract people who weren’t just straight white males. Most of the presentations were thankfully brief, with both sides spewing the usual dogma: tolerance and prosperity for our side, moral indignation and righteousness on the other.

JP was by far the best speaker, with one of the longer presentations. He had that same dynamism I’d seen him exhibit in the classroom, and he captivated the audience. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized what Nick had said was true: the people of this town obviously had a lot of respect for him. Of all the speakers who went before I did, JP was the only one to use the big screen, and he did so to marvelous effect, showing pictures of the plans for a revitalized Claremont. He got a lot of questions from the audience, mostly about this neighborhood or that, which seemed to really irritate the other side, since everyone was acting as if passage of the referendum and the revitalization bill was a fait accompli. The fact that he was familiar with each neighborhood, even its current condition, seemed to impress the crowd, but I wasn’t surprised. JP always did his homework.

The Reverend White did a full-blown sermon on gays, painting us as the scourge of the earth and the root of all evil. He talked about family values, and moral strength. He talked about God and doing what was right in God’s eyes, and implied that Claremont would be flooded with gay men and women who would corrupt Claremont’s youth. I watched as his words struck home with some, as it mirrored what they’d been taught, and that was amplified by his own flock of supporters who punctuated his talk with “amens” and “halleluiahs.” Then he finally finished, and it was my turn.

“I’m here for one reason and one reason only,” I told them. “I’m here because of my grandmother. She loved this town, and she would have wanted me to do what I could to help make it a better place for families, a better place for kids to grow up in.” I got sneers from the Reverend White’s supporters.

“You say you’re doing God’s work, Reverend,” I said, referring to Reverend White, “but I don’t see the hand of a loving God in any of this. You’ve been spreading hate and intolerance in this community for years, and look at the results.” I went through about ten of my slides, showing pictures of Claremont as it had been in the 1950s and 60s compared to the same views of Claremont now. The difference was stunning. The old pictures showed a thriving, bustling city, the new ones showed a city that was dead and decaying.

“God is punishing the sinners!” shrieked Reverend White. “And what would you know about family values?!” The moderators jumped in to try and shut him up, but I went with his comments.

“My partner and I are raising three sons, and they’re fine young men.” I figured Jeanine would forgive me for not mentioning her.

“Are they all gay like you?” he demanded in a sarcastic tone. After that, Nick and some of the guys pulled him aside to shut him up.

“Their sexuality is really none of your business,” I said, protecting my children while keeping my voice level, using my calm, even cadence, “but my oldest son is straight. The others are too young to know for sure.” I wandered to the other side of the stage. “Your brand of family values rings hollow. Claremont has some of the worst schools in the state.” I flashed a slide showing the rankings of Claremont compared to other cities in Ohio. I turned and spoke directly to the crowd. “Of your children who go off to college, less than 15% of them move back to Claremont.” Another slide with a pie chart to emphasize that point. “Why would they want to come back? What incentive have you given them? There are few jobs, men like Reverend White and his followers have all but crushed any culture from the city, and when they decide to have children, they’ll have to send them to some of the worst schools in the state.” I paused to let that sink in. “Do you want your children to come home? Do you want your grandchildren to be raised somewhere else? Is that the kind of family values you believe in?” That got them, that made them think. Older people were the toughest sell. They’d had all these ideas beaten in their heads for years about gay people and minorities, and it was tough for them to overcome all that social conditioning. They may not have fully grasped all the nuances about tolerance, but they were dealing every day with not having their kids and grandchildren around. That was pain they could relate to.

“Let me show you another way,” I said. I talked about Nick and JP’s plan, and then I talked about our attempt to get Triton to put a new plant here. “This plant will attract educated employees, people who are used to living in areas with a lot of things happening. People who are used to living in a town like Claremont once was. Why would they move here instead of to California or New York? What incentive do you offer them?” I rambled on that theme for a few more minutes, and then ended my speech. I was surprised by the applause; I hadn’t expected there to be much enthusiasm for what I said.

I walked over to the dais and sat back down with the other speakers (except for Reverend White, who’d been removed). JP smiled at me, and his expression told me that he was proud of me. I felt my heart swell, so happy at having done a good job for him. I sat next to Stef, who squeezed my hand and whispered “great job” in my ear. Robbie, on the other side, was so nervous I could almost feel him shaking.

“You did really well,” he said to me supportively.

“You’ll do well too,” I told him. He gave me a dubious look, and then we focused on the current speaker, the guy who would most likely be running against Nick for mayor in the next election. His talk was largely designed to rebut mine, and he did a nice job of spelling out values as he saw them, and how that was the foundation of a town like Claremont. I was pretty impressed that he was able to do that without sounding like a demagogue, like the Reverend White.

Then it was Robbie’s turn. He got up and stood there, looking nervous, but I watched him swallow hard and surge ahead. He really was a dynamic speaker when he got going, so within a minute or two, he was an entirely different person: energized and confident. He talked about his career; shamefully name-dropped the celebrities he knew and worked with, and then he paused, as if unsure about whether to go on or not.

“I left this town while I was still a teenager. I’d been gang raped in the showers of this very high school, and the coach decided it was my fault and kicked me off the football team. I managed to land on my feet in California, get a good education and a great job, all with a lot of help from my partner.” He turned to look at me, as did everyone else, and I felt myself blushing even as my eyes got teary. “I’m a gay man, but I’m still a man, and my future in this town was cut short because of some of the same kind of intolerance I’ve heard tonight. I didn’t want to come back here, I didn’t want to talk to all of you, but Professor Crampton and Mayor Schluter are committed to helping get Claremont back on track, and they’ve asked me for my support. I’d like to see this as a place I can proudly call my birthplace, a place I can come to visit and feel safe and welcome. I think Claremont can be a place like that, but only if its citizens want it to be.”

Suddenly a loud voice spoke up from the stands. “You talk about family values, and how much you appreciate your own family. That’s bullshit. You left the rest of us here, left us behind, and never looked back. You managed to escape. What about the rest of us? People ask me about my cousin, the hotshot movie producer, and ask me when I talked to him last. I tell them the truth: Never!” We all focused on the voice, and on the young man who owned it. He stood at medium height with a muscular body; his abs bulged through his tight long-sleeved shirt as he spoke and gestured. He had dark blond hair, the same color as Robbie’s, which was clipped short. His face was pear-shaped, dominated by full lips, a flattened nose that was almost like Matt’s, and piercing lavender eyes. He didn’t have those classic “Hayes” looks like Robbie and Marcel, but with those eyes, he was obviously one of Robbie’s relatives. All the attention and scrutiny made him nervous for a second, but he swallowed hard and continued on gamely. “Some of us are smart. Some of us just need a chance, some help, a leg up. You got that, other people helped you out. You can’t do the same? Where have you been? How long are you going to ignore the rest of us?” The sadness and bitterness in his voice were heartbreaking. There were security guards here, of course, and they moved to remove the heckler, but Robbie caught their eye and raised his hand to stop them.

I turned my attention back to him and got worried. He stood there, his mouth open, stunned like a deer in headlights. I wanted to help him, but I didn’t know what to do, so I just kept watching him, trying to mentally urge him on. I could read him so well, I could almost see inside his mind as it worked, as he digested what this young guy had said. He’d written off his family here, written off all of his cousins and their offspring, and now here was one of them, calling him on it. I thought about how I’d almost done the same thing with Bitty, how I’d been ready to amputate her from my life like a decayed limb. I was so glad I hadn’t done that. If I had, I’d have never been able to raise Darius and JJ, never had the joy of being one of their parents. I found that the thought of that was upsetting enough to almost make me vomit. Yet here was Robbie, who’d done what I’d almost done, and now he was faced with a very loud and very determined young man who was shoving the consequences of that decision right in his face.

He closed his mouth, his mental digestion period over, and he glanced over to me. I smiled and winked at him, telling him that I loved him in a non-verbal way and reminding him that I was there for him, no matter what. He smiled back at me and seemed to get his mojo back. “How long am I going to ignore the rest of you?” Robbie asked, looking at the young man directly. “It ends right now. You’re right. I let the traumas that I went through scar me, and I turned my back on my extended family and on this town. You deserve a chance, and Claremont deserves a chance, too.” That got a nice round of applause.

Robbie walked down from the stage and across the gym to the stands. He climbed the stairs halfway up to where the young man was standing, looking at him nervously. Robbie was tall, broad, and muscular, an imposing figure. The young man had been a smaller object when he was on the stage, but now that Robbie was up close in front of this young man, he must have been pretty intimidating. Robbie seemed to sense that, as his demeanor became gentle and he stopped one step below his now apprehensive cousin. “I’m Robbie Hayes,” he said, holding out his hand.

“I’m Gathan, Gathan Hayes,” the young man said nervously. He shook Robbie’s hand, and I could almost feel Gathan shaking all the way up here as he did.

“Well it’s nice to meet you Gathan. Come on, you’re with me.” Robbie dragged Gathan back up on the stage and made him sit on his other side while the last two speakers finished up, then Nick gave his summation address. Finally, the thing was over.

“Gathan, this is my partner, Brad,” Robbie said, introducing us.

“Nice to meet you,” he said nervously.

“Nice to meet you too,” I said. “You’re a pretty brave guy.”

“It’s easy to be brave when you don’t have anything to lose,” he said bitterly.

“I was thinking that we could take Gathan out to eat and get to know him,” Robbie said.

“If he has your appetite, that should be an easy sell,” I joked.

“Food would be good,” Gathan said, cracking me up.

Stef, JP and Nick walked up, joining our circle. “I’m sorry I interrupted your meeting, Your Honor,” Gathan said to Nick sheepishly.

“All’s well that ends well,” Nick said. “I think you made my points better than I did.”

“Well I think what you did was awfully bold and daring,” Stef said, flirting harmlessly. “It makes you very attractive.”

“Christ!” Robbie said as he looked up toward the heavens. I started laughing, I couldn’t help it.

“Stefan!” JP admonished.

“I am not trying to sleep with him; I am just telling him that his courage made him seem attractive. What is wrong with that?” Stef demanded. Stef was doing what I’d seen him do countless times before: he was flirting shamelessly in an effort to make Gathan more relaxed and comfortable, and it worked, just as it always did.

“You’re not trying to sleep with me?” Gathan asked, flirting right back.

“Yes, but I do not want them to know that,” Stef said.

“You can join us for dinner if you’ll stop hitting on him,” Robbie said.

“You are no fun,” Stef pouted.

“I’ll bet you are,” Gathan said to Stef. I looked at JP and just rolled my eyes. This kid would have Stef wrapped around his finger in no time.

“You are obviously smart as well as handsome,” Stef said. He put his arm around Gathan and guided him out to our waiting limo. Robbie just shook his head and smiled as we followed them out.