Ralph: Breaking free - 4. Web pages and posing pouches

Maurice Ventura of Iverson's (or Morrie as he insisted on being called) was a big bear of a man, with a laugh to match. But he had an acute business sense, and he had taken Ralph through a whole impressive business model. One in the process of being implemented rather than something scarily airy fairy. Ralph and Morrie were meeting in the firm's new offices in the Business Park. Neat, unobtrusive and slickly modern, the atmosphere of the reception area, however, was enlivened or disturbed, depending on your point of view, by photos of scantily clad young men wearing the company's products, many of the models with what seemed to Ralph to be unfeasibly large genital bulges.

Gesturing towards one well-filled packed on display Morrie pronounced, "This is what I'm trying to get rid of."

Ralph blinked, "How do you market swim gear and posing pouches without photos."

Morrie laughed and led Ralph to a meeting room, "With these", presenting Ralph with a contact sheet. The photos were all guys wearing highly abbreviated outfits, but none were conventional models. Two were big, muscled blokes and the third was trim but ordinary. The pictures were small, but as far as Ralph could see, none seemed to have the overstuffed packages on display in the reception.

"You go to a club, don't you, and see regular blokes. I want to show folk that our gear looks good on everyone."

Ralph let the comment pass about going to clubs, it wasn’t something he needed to get into with a client. He smiled and indicated the contact sheets, "So, models are out?"

"Nah. We'll mix it up. Some's aspirational."

Ralph nodded, "How much material do you have?"

Morrie grinned, "Not a lot. Yet." He leaned over at Ralph, "That's where you come in." Morrie had got in rather close, perhaps slightly too close but Ralph came to learn that Morrie was a toucher, getting your attention by touching you, always happy to clasp hands. Ralph didn’t think anything of it, after all people came in all sorts and it seemed that Morrie was charming and a bit overwhelming.

He did eventually get to make his pitch and Morrie liked it, but he sensed that the bloke had already decided. The whole morning was a funny mix of Morrie pontificating and Ralph squeezing a word in edgewise. But Morrie knew his stuff, would pick up on salient details. The coffee was good too.

Morrie's Father was some sort of financier entrepreneur, always investing in firms and turning businesses around. A family firm, Iverson's had been making swimwear and leisure gear for generations. The firm was now in trouble, and they’d caught Morrie's attention. He'd been the owner of a shop specialising in the gay market, some fetish/leather though more of the posing sort than functional, Morrie had hastened to add, party gear, posing pouches and some swim gear that was really only good for lounging by the pool. He had created a lucrative online presence. A meeting with a new designer at the same time as his Father's interest in Iverson's had developed a remarkable synergy. It had the advantage of keeping much of the manufacture of the product line in the UK, ensuring Iverson's stayed in business, and producing a line of swim wear geared to the gay market but of the high standard that Iverson's was known for. And a move into underwear too. All created by the new designer, Tommo.

"So, like a real-life Kinky Boots?"

Morrie had grinned at that one, "Yeah, but with real business sense."

The afternoon meeting stretched on. Morrie had definite ideas. Some were good, some not so, but it meant that every single element of the web design had to be discussed and agreed. Not every element, of course, they were only putting together concepts, but dealing with Morrie still became wearing. He was also charming, and the meeting was punctuated with stories, everything from his early days with his gay lifestyle store to recent photo shoots, he even managed to make a funny story out of what seemed like his Father’s less than wholehearted support for Morrie’s unashamedly gay lifestyle.

It was well after 6pm when they drew to a close, for now. Ralph had enough to work with. Then Morrie asked if he fancied a drink, and Ralph found himself being swept into Morrie's office, where amongst the usual office detritus there was a fridge and drinks cabinet.

"Sorry, the view isn't much. I dream of having an office with a view but", Morrie shrugged, "we're not there yet. The other side of the Business Park, RK Enterprises has the top floors of their block with terrific views."

"You've been up there?"

"Once. I was trying to interest Russ Kahn in investing in the business. You know him?"

Ralph shrugged, "Only by reputation. His websites are done by a fuck-arse London firm."

Morrie nodded, "Figures. Mind, he's a bit of a control freak. If he invests in a firm, then he takes a personal interest." Morrie put the word in air quotes. "It wouldn't be my baby anymore. Shame, as I've heard he gives terrific parties."

Ralph laughed, "Parties. Bloody hell, I'm lucky if a client takes me to the pub."

Morrie's eyes sparkled, "Kahn evidently has naked dancers and cute waiters."

"Nice", Ralph smiled then wondered, “Hang on. Girls or boys?"

Morrie rolled his eyes, "Like all the best businessmen, Russ Kahn likes guys. His parties are men only."

"But what about the straight blokes? Surely, he does business with plenty."

Morrie shrugged, "Dunno. They either don't go or discover that cute boys aren't all bad, really. Plenty of blokes are like that."

It was partly to brush away the idea that Morrie was getting at him, that Ralph quicky changed the subject. Later on in their chatter, as they were winding up, they had moved to more personal subjects. Morrie had spent the weekend walking with friends, the phone reception had been terrible, so he had funny stories against himself. Morrie, it seemed, was a man who needed to be connected at all times. Ralph had moaned that he never had time to walk at weekends, because of his daughters. This required an explanation.

Was Morrie surprised? Perhaps, but he hid it well, so Ralph made the twins’ party visit, food frustrations and need to get out and about into a story. Morrie picked up on the girls’ names and the man was interested enough or perhaps simply nosey to make a comment. Which led Ralph to explaining how Therese had wanted the girls to have good sensible names, Jane, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Anne had been the possibles, whereas Ralph had wanted something a bit more adventurous. Discovering it was twins had thrown them in so many ways, and Ralph had argued for contrasting names, not two plain ones like Jane and Anne. The result had been two pairs Jane and Frances, Alisa and Emilia, the theory being that each girl would have a choice, when growing up.

Ralph shut up abruptly, as usual, he’d morphed into proud Dad mode. Morrie seemed enchanted, but it wasn’t something Ralph wanted be, not all the time. Oh, God. He needed some hobbies, something else he could talk about.

Returning home, thinking about their encounter, Ralph had the distinct impression that Morrie had assumed he was gay. It wasn't the first time it had happened, and Ralph had joked about it at work before now, but with the image of Gordon cropping up both in dreams and in real life, the joke was starting to wear thin. Would it be a problem? It seemed not, Morrie was back in contact the following day arranging for Ralph to come over with a demo site and by Thursday he was back at the business park.

---

Morrie was the most charming of men, but the most annoying of clients. He wanted to supervise every moment, every detail. Yet he combined this with being a genial host. Thursday's meeting, Ralph had scheduled it late in the day, in case things ran on. Which they did, of course.

But Morrie had simply brought out refreshments, wine and even some cheese. And Morrie wanted to know everything, not just about work, unashamedly asking Ralph questions, so Ralph found himself chatting about the twins’ recent love of football, and Nolan's coaching project. So, did Ralph have a girlfriend, how did the twins get on with her?

“Girlfriend, you’ve got to be joking”, Ralph laughed nervously, “what with the twins every weekend and getting WebIdeal off the ground, there never seems to be time”, Ralph gave an ironic frown, “or money either. But my parents would love it, if I did, providing she was suitable.”

“Pressuring you?”

“You bet. I’m an all-round disappointment. I should be a partner in a big London legal firm by now.”

Morrie laughed, “With a glossy wife.”

“And a suitable golf handicap.”

Morrie rolled his eyes, “Tell me about it. Dad and I fight about this”, he waved a hand vaguely around the office, “constantly.”

“About Iverson’s?” Ralph stared at him, “Why? It’s a success, isn’t it?”

Morrie shrugged, “Not as much as Dad wants, and I shouldn’t be so open about being gay, putting myself forward.”

“You what? It’s your business.”

“Not. Well, the gay bit. It’s OK if I like blokes, but it’s bad for the firm’s image.” He gave a wry smile.

“So, being gay is OK if you keep it private?”

“Yeah. I had to raise the finance myself for my first firm, a gay lifestyle brand didn’t really fit the right image for Dad.”

“Shit. What about Iverson’s?”

“Some”, the way Morrie pulled a face and shied away from the subject suggested that his Dad still wasn’t fully on board.

Ralph didn’t really know what came over him, or perhaps it was the old thing about it being easier to tell stuff to a stranger. “When I was 17, I had an affair with another boy at school.”

Morrie’s eyes widened, “Shit. How did that go down?”

“Badly, as you can imagine given that it was a school that prioritised Christian morality.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nope. Afterwards, I got myself a girlfriend, but I think Mum and Dad still worry that I might do the wrong thing.”

“And you go and become a web developer.” Morrie laughed, but there was a question in his eyes, one he’d clearly love to ask. But you could only take friendliness so far, and this was a business relationship after all.

“I’ve always wondered what would have happened if things had been different.”

“You mean exploring other relationships with men?”

“Yeah. I never did. And now…” Ralph drifted off, aware that he was getting into deep water and not entirely sure what he was saying.

Morrie gave him a look, “It’s never too late.” But then he moved the conversation towards lighter anecdotes.

Ralph worried that things had got a bit too confiding; he’d let slip more than was wise and Morrie had revealed his financial challenges with his Father. But next meeting, Morrie was his usual ebullient self with no sense of inhibition or regret. Thank God.

Ralph frankly didn’t know what had come over him, it was as if the universe was conspiring. The dream that night was a bit different. He was still caught in public in flagrante with another figure, but this time it morphed from Gordon to Nolan. Ralph woke up sweating, with images in his head of Nolan’s perfect pink skin and red hair, or at least how his subconscious pictured it to be. It wasn’t just that, in the dream Ralph and Nolan had gone far further than Ralph and Gordon ever did, images of the fantasy Nolan’s perfect pink prick thrust in and out of…

Fucking hell.

He’d never knowingly watch two guys fucking, certainly not in porn and he didn’t think he’d ever seen a tamer version on film, but his unconscious seemed to have done its work, OK.

Fucking hell.