Business Before Pleasure

Business Before Pleasure Chapter 10

He sent me an invite.

That's actually the wrong way to say it.  Invite is a verb.  It should actually be invitation.  He sent me an invitation. "An invitation". It refers to the actual message asking someone if they'd like to do something or go somewhere.

"This is all you?"

Bron opens the door and walks me in.  I'd been staying at Jr.'s place getting myself together but he promised to come pick me up later that night when he got off work.  It took forever to get in the building with the state of the art security and the concierge making a big deal just about us arriving.   His loft is gorgeous.  It smells like him.  It's an amazing smell to smell.  As I walk the stately room I'm kind of blown away by the size and the scale of it.  The living room area is bigger than my entire old apartment.   Here I am looking like a sickly patient walking into something like this.  Bron doesn't seem to care though.

"Yeah is that a hot tub?" I ask.

I feel like a fan when I walk into a spa room and see a beautiful hot tub.

"Get in...I'll turn it on."
"I don't have a bathing suit."

Bron reaches over and pulls out a drawer.  Sure enough, he has an extra.  He hands me them and repeats, "Like I said get in...I'll turn it on.   Get comfortable.  You deserve it.  I'll be right back."

With that Bron turns and leaves.  I can't believe any of this is happening.  I look out the window and see the city below me and it's only in that moment, alone, looking at what my friends have accomplished that it all really hits me.  I wasn't in the same situation anymore.  My life had changed and it felt like overnight but that wasn't the case.

I change and get in the spa.   It's relaxing as hell.  It makes me feel alive.  I feel the warm bubblers walking over me and I can hear Bron moving in the distance.

"You still owe me fifty dollars from when we were 16," I laugh, "You better pay me my money bro..."

"I think I can make that work," I hear him say from the distance, "You want something to drink?"

"Sure."

That's when I hear his footsteps.  That's when I see him in the doorway.

My tongue gets caught up in my mouth when I see him standing there.

"Oh shit."

Bron is completely naked.  He's standing there in all his glory.   Under the threshold, he had a bottle of expensive looking wine in one hand.  On the other hand, he has two flutes of wine.   I'm not focused on any of that though.  I'm focused on the Anaconda between his legs.  All of a sudden, I feel like I'm in the thriller from the 90s.  I'm probably playing the role of J-Lo running from his anaconda trying not to get swallowed whole.  His long beautiful dick flap is semi-hard.  He's looking at me and when he does I swear I feel like the entire world surrounds this man.

Our eyes connect and I am literally speechless as he walks over to the water.  It's a slow walk.  Sexy.  I've seen Bron being sexy for girls before.  It always came naturally to him.  I'd seen him seduce girls to the fact that they were dripping wet before he even got in arm's length.  Back then I would stay off to the side feeling so jealous that I wasn't one of those girls.  I'd get just as turned on.

It was never me though.  It was always them.

This time he was doing it to me.

By the time he submerges himself into the water, dripping of sex appeal and masculinity I feel like my dick squirts out a little semen into the water.  It's just pre-cum.  It's just my body letting me know that I've been waiting for this forever and I'm dying of anticipation.

"I hope you like it," he tells me pouring some wine, "It's chateau lafite Rothschild.  1st grown.  I got it imported from France."

I grab a glass.  I'm so nervous that he's naked in the water with me that my hands are literally shaking when I start drinking.  I take a sip.

"Taste like shit.  You got any Trader Joe's."

"Trader Joe's?" he laughs, "Nile.  Trader Joe's wine is like 3 dollars.  I paid over 1000 dollars for this wine."

He's fancy as fuck now.  Way too fancy for my blood.

"So you...don't got none?" I ask.

He laughs, "I got you."

I watch as he gets out of the spa again.  This time I'm looking at his ass.  He's definitely been working out.  The guy has buns of steel.  When he returns with the Trader Joe's wine, I realize he gets closer to me this time.  Our arms are touching.  He watches as I drink the wine.  I drink all of it.  I'm that nervous.

"Slow down.  With how much you are worth now you can buy millions of cases of those," he tells me.

"How much am I worth exactly?"

"Let's not talk business right now," he responds grabbing the flute out of my hand, "I've been waiting forever to spend time with you."

There is a pause.  It's an awkward pause.

"About that...kiss earlier..." I start.

I didn't want to bring it up before he did but I had to.  Clearly, our relationship had changed.  Before I got into the coma Bron wasn't having it when it came to any sort of feelings for me.  Things had changed and he made that clear to me.

Instead of just talking I watch as Bron gets real close.  So close that my heart is beating through my chest, "I meant every word.  I meant every action."

"What's changed?"
Bron looks at me and shrugs.  I can feel this whole weight on his shoulders.  I wonder how long he's been thinking about this conversation.  It feels like he may be a little bit nervous but he's covering it up a lot better than I am.  It's almost as though he knows exactly what to say in this situation.  It's almost as though he's had this prepared or something.

"Can't I just kiss you again?"  he asks, "Show you how I feel?"

"No."

"No?"

I can't believe in a million years that I would be the one saying No to Bron but the truth is I feel like it's necessary at this moment.  So much has changed, including Bron.  He's a lot more in shape than he was.  He a lot sexier.  He seems more mature and like he has it all figured out.  He's not that guy chasing after his slutty baby's mother anymore.  He was independent.  And I feel lost in how I fit into this new world of his.

I'm hurt at that moment.

"I've been in love with you since I knew what love was," I explain to Bron, "And you've always...ALWAYS looked past me.  You've never seen me."

"Nile..."

"Let me finish."

He looks uncomfortable.  He looks as though I'm the one who is making him uncomfortable.  I know I'm fucking up the mood.  Here is this man who is sexy as all fuck and he's doing everything he can to try to show me that but I'm stuck in the past.  I just couldn't live in the moment.  Not right now at least.

Bron nods, "I'm sorry.  Go ahead."

"You've never seen me.  And I thought this whole time that I was that sad case of the gay guy who was desperately in love with his straight best friend.  And I felt stupid.  I felt dumb.  I felt crazy as though I was the one misreading all the signs.  So I need an explanation.

"You weren't the one misreading all the signs.  I was," he explains.

"What do you mean?"

"When you went into your coma," he tells me, "I tried to date.  I tried to be happy.  But I realized every person that I was trying to get with never lived up to the person who I had in my life.  That was you.   I always thought you would always be around.  I always had feelings I think as well.  But I figured what was the rush in trying to confront them?  In the back of my mind I always thought I could go explore my options and if I was ready to face the feelings I had for you, you'd be there.  But when this happened I realized that wasn't the case.  So I stopped dating, and I started praying.  I prayed for you to wake up.  I prayed for you to come back.  I prayed for these moments."

I almost cry when I hear the words coming out of his mouth.  The way he looks at me feels so good.  It feels so perfect.  I watch as he leans over at that moment and he kisses me.  His mouth presses up against my mouth.  Our tongues intertwine.

I don't stop him this time.  I don't stop him from kissing on my neck and making his way slowly down to my nipples.  He puts my entire nipple in his mouth, sucking on them slowly.  His hands begin to explore my body.  He touches every piece of me.  It's not like a straight man who is just experimenting.  It's like someone who has thought about this for a long time.  His hands spread around my dick, slowly making their way to my ass.  Grabbing my ass...holding it and worshipping it in his hands.  Every touch seems to send shivers down my spine.

I find myself on the rim of the jacuzzi, lifted in his arms until my legs are up around his shoulders.  That's when he leans down and puts his tongue directly in my ass.

"OH FUCK!"  I moan.

My heart is beating faster and he begins to explore my asshole as though he's eating out a pussy. His tongue desperately searching for a clit but not realizing that every part of my asshole feels just as good.  He eats me out hungrily, fingering me.  Getting in there and staring back into my eyes to see my expression.

"Does it feel good?" he asks.

I know he's really wondering if he's doing it right.  It's rare there is something that I have experience with that Bron doesn't.  I nod in an eager moan.

And that's when he levels himself out, lifting himself out of the water to expose his dick.  His body is not awkward.   His dick is fully hard right now and I'm so moist that I don't require anything.  He puts his dick in me, slow.  He eases in the head first and then when he gets to the shaft I damn near scream out in desperation.  I'm panting.  My body tensing up around him but he seems to enjoy it.

Then he begins to stroke me.  His body rhythmic.  But he isn't fucking.  No.  I notice when he leans over and starts kissing me that this isn't fucking.

Bron is making love to me.

And when he's done...when he floods my asshole with his life juice he collapses on top of me and whispers in his ears, "I want you to stay here...with me."

~
"There's that glow I love to see," Clapper tells me.

For three days Bron and I locked ourselves in his condo.  We made love over and over.  We made love to the point I didn't think it was humanly possible for us to continue, but somehow Bron still managed to get his dick hard.  It felt like we were fucking every other hour.  It felt like Bron had discovered the perfection of gay sex and was making up for every year that we had when we weren't with each.  The fucking was amazing but it was the way he kissed me that made me feel special.  I'd never seen him kiss any girl the way he kissed me.

"I'll see you later baby?" a voice states.

Clapper then sees Bron walk past me.  Not only does he walk past me.  He leans over and kisses me.  He kisses me on my lips in the open in front of all these people.  He kisses me in front of Clapper.  Bron could care less about who is watching.

As he walks away I watch how Clapper looks at him.  It's the same way he's always looked at him.  The same worried look.

"There's a lot there to explain," I start off seeing how Clapper is looking at him.

Clapper shakes his head, "Actually there isn't.  When you went into your coma he broke down to all of us and let us know how he felt about you.  As though it makes it OK that he never told you that before the coma.  Just be careful with Labron.  Things are...different."

I don't like the way Clapper says that things are different.  I don't like the way that he speaks about it.  It's odd and intentionally so.  Clapper has this anguish in his eyes.

"Are you two OK?" I ask.

"Are we friends?" Clapper asks, "No.  We're none.  None of us are friends anymore.  Romelo doesn't even come into the office anymore.  He's not allowed.  Romelo is suing us for millions"

"Are you joking?"

"Wish I was. Bron clearly knows about what happened with me and Zima."

"You and Zima aren't together now huh?"

"Of course not.  I have custody of Athena."

"What happened to Zima?"

"Long story.  One that I don't have time for.  Fri-End.  Girlfri-end.  Boyfrie-end.  Best Fri-end.   Everything has an end," Clapper explains, "Except pizza.  Pizza doesn't.  Definitely getting some pizza for lunch if you want to come."

"Clapper, I'm serious...our friendships were what started this company."

"Bron and I have an understanding.  At least we can work together," Clapper explains, "Romelo though.  Man.  He's just another story.  Romelo is a lost cause.  But think about it.  He always has been."

Hearing how things are with Romelo just confuses me.  Romelo had always been difficult.  I remember how much I disliked him.  I remembered all his shady deals.  Things had changed towards the end but maybe he'd gone back to his old ways.  I wasn't sure.   Right now the relationships that we built weren't doing good and I knew that I had to do something about it...somehow.

Clapper is giving me a tour of Nile Industries.  He's showing me all the products we ship all over the worlds.

"This is just our headquarters.  We have offices all over the world," Clapper is telling me, "The skincare line has expanded.  We have set up a bank account with your name on it.  Later on today we'll give you all the information.  How do you think you'll spend your first couple millions?"

Here was my best friend asking me how I was going to spend millions.  Millions that I didn't know I had.

I shrug.

"I guess buying some 3 dollar wine?" I suggest.

"Same old Nile," he laughs before continuing down the path, "We will get you used to everything.  You're a millionaire now kid.  You need to live it up.  We were competing with companies like Olay, Avon, and L'oreal.  Nile products are in every major store..."
As Clapper is talking I notice some screaming in the background.  At first, I'm not sure what's happening but then I see Bron.

He's screaming at some guys.  It's aggressive.  It's a side I've never really seen from Bron.  He's in a conference room and he's slamming his fists on the table.  I watch as he literally slaps coffee into one of the guy's laps.   Bron is so mad that veins are literally popping out from the side of his neck.  The kid definitely looks heated to say the least.

"What the hell is going on in there?" I ask Clapper.

Clapper just looks away as though this isn't something uncommon.  He looks like he doesn't want to have anything to do with it.

I can't help barging into the conference room.  Clapper.  I know I probably have no right to but I'm really confused on why Bron is tripping out the way he is.

I walk in on Bron going off, "FIX THIS!  WHAT THE FUCK DO I PAY YOU FOR?"

It's scary hearing him talk like this.   He's talking in the same way that Waverly used to talk to us when she was in control.  When I walk in he seems a little surprised as though he wasn't expecting me.  He looks like he calms down a little bit but he's still mad.  I can see it all over his face.

"Bron, what's going on? I can hear you screaming from down the hallway."

"Everyone out," he states.

There is a pause.  Maybe they are a little confused on the fact that someone had the balls to come into the meeting unannounced and try to calm down Labron.

"EVERYONE OUT!"  he barks again.

This time his voice is so loud and aggressive that the men in the room scurry off.  It shocks me that I think I even jump a little bit.   Bron looks at me afterward though and goes to sit in one of the chairs.  I hear him breathing slowly trying to calm down.

I am confused.  I'm just looking at him and I'm a little worried.  The last few days that he'd taken off to spend with me had been some of the best days of my life.  To come back to someone seeming so stressed just didn't seem right.

"Bron, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry.  I didn't want you to see me like that.  Sometimes when shit is going wrong you just have to get a little aggressive.  Let these motherfuckers know who owns this company,"  he states, "I'm the CEO.  That's a lot of stress."

I walk over to him.  I get it.  I put my hands on his and just sit there in silence until I feel his voice return back to normal.  Me being there seems to definitely help him get back to his happy place.

"Talk to me, I'm here to help."

Bron nods, "Romelo is suing us.  And my good for nothing lawyers isn't doing a good job fighting him off."

"Why's he suing?"

"He's greedy," Bron states, "Isn't that what these things always come down to."

I sit there and sigh.  Hearing each of them I can feel the same pain.  Clapper didn't even want Romelo in the same hospital the day that we went over.

"You guys have the money to fight any lawsuit though right?"

"Well being that Waverly was one of our first investors, she's gotten very rich off his back and she's supporting the lawsuit."

"Maybe I can talk to Romelo."

Bron pauses for a minute.  He looks up at me, "No.  No I couldn't ask you to do that.  If that motherfucker wants war then he'll get one."

"There is going to be no war.  I want to solve things.  I've been asleep for way too long.  If there's anything I can do to bring peace back to everyone then I want to do it.  I want to at least try."

Bron continues to think about it.

He pauses for a few seconds.

"You own a quarter of the company," he explains, "If you feel like you can save it I won't stop you.  But I'm driving you to go see him.  I don't trust that motherfucker around you.  He's a snake and we all know it.  Nothing's changed."

I watch as Bron goes in his phone and starts to hit up Romelo.

Bron seemed to know a lot now.  He seemed to be in charge.  It was kind of scary but maybe that is how you had to be to run a business successfully.  I just wish there wasn't so much tension.

With all that Bron knew he was wrong about one thing.

Things had changed.  A lot of things had changed.

~
Meeting with Romelo is awkward, to say the least.  We meet at a restaurant outside.  When I see him I expect it to be hugs and things like that.  I expect him to at least smile.  None of that happens.  I sit down and I can see his eyes jet towards the entrance.

"He dropped you off?" Romelo asks.

"Bron.  Yeah."

There is a pause.

"I've been trying to get in contact with you for a while."

"I don't have a phone yet.  Been using LaBron's."

"So you guys been around each other a lot huh?" he asks, "He ask you to come here?"

There is a pause.

"No of course not."

He laughs as though he doesn't believe it, "Sure.  What did you need?"

"I need you to drop the lawsuit against the company."

"You don't understand what's going on?"

"We're brothers."

"Brothers?" he asks, "I usually am not in love with my brother."

There is an awkwardness.  I lift up my head and look at Romelo.  His eyes look at mine.  It feels heavy.  That's the only way to describe it.  Romelo is perfect.  Looking at his handsome face I know this is a face that I could really care about.  This is someone who I could really fall for.  Hearing him say the words that he's saying to me hurts because I know that things could have been so different.

But they aren't.  I'm in love with LaBron.

"Romelo..."

He clears his throat.  He knows what I'm about to say.  I can tell that he knows.

"I know you still look at me as that shady guy."

"You're with Waverly.  I know you're not in love with her, Romelo.  It seems like a lot of the same shady business."

"I did what I had to do to survive.  You don't know what it's been like with Clapper and Labron.  You don't know what kind of guys they are now."

He is desperate.

"Romelo.  We are all supposed to be friends."

Regardless of what issues, he's had with them he needed to drop them for a peace of mind for all of us.

"Nevermind," he cuts me off, "Tell your man that I'll drop the lawsuit."

"Seriously?"

I'm shocked.  It seems like he's saying it out of emotion if anything.  The look on his face just seems a bit uneasy.  I'm confused by it.

There is a pause, "You should leave.  Bron is probably going crazy every second you are around me."

It's so cold.  I know it has all to do with me being around Labron.  It's almost as though Romelo can tell that LaBron and I have a new kind of relationship.  Maybe I have it written on my forehead.  It just sucks because I am realizing that the relationship that we had might be over because of this new relationship that I have with LaBron.

"Thank you Romelo," I tell him.

"Hey, sexy?"

I pause before I leave.  I turn back at Romelo.  He has a slight smile on his face.  It's the only smile he's had all day so I'll take what I can get.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Tell your man that he better not fuck up with you.  If he fucks up even a little bit I'm coming to get you.  Let him know that.  Aight?"

I sigh, "Alright Romelo."

~

We get home that night.  Bron takes me out to dinner and he seems to be in a good mood.

"We have to continue celebrating," Bron states.

"Celebrating what?"

"Celebrating the fact that we don't have a fucking multi-million dollar lawsuit over our heads," Bron explains, "You work miracles.  How the hell did you get Romelo to drop it?"

The truth is I didn't know the answer to that.  Romelo just sort of...gave in...when he saw me.  Seeing how Romelo acted the way he did at the restaurant doesn't sit well with me.  He told me he was in love with me.  I don't know why I feel warm butterflies in my stomach at the thought.  I shake them off though.  It's not healthy.

Bron was here and Bron was finally giving me everything that I wanted.

I should have been happy.

Whatever situation I had with Romelo I had to leave it as just that.  It was just a situation.  And I couldn't let this blind me to the fact that I now was getting everything I ever wanted.

"Let's just...celebrate, like you said," I state.

I don't want to talk about Romelo.  Not with Labron.  It was all sort of still sore for me.

Bron grabs me and pulls me in, "How about I go get some massage oil and lay you down and give you a long hot massage.  Then I put my dick in that tight ass of yours and fuck you all night?  Is that celebration enough for you?"

"Hell yeah."

He smiles, "Alright be right back."

With that Bron walks away.  He walks away and goes to the next room.  I am about to sit down when I see him walking backward.

"You forget something?" I ask.

Bron looks scared at that moment.  I notice that his hands are up.  He's sweating.  He's worried.

"Nile stay where you are," he warns me.

I'm confused but then I realize that he's walking backward because someone is walking out from the room and has a gun in their hands.  When I notice who it is my mouth almost drops.

His ex-wife Zima is here and has her gun pointed right at him!

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