Reader's Note: Yes, Michael has returned. I have been hiatus a bit longer than expected but in the early part of Indian Summer in this part of the world, I've chosen to get this story going again.
Disclaimer: If you're too young or your community standards don't permit you to read this, then don't. It is a work of fiction. The people, the events, and even the sex-without-consequences is made up (a.k.a. if you're gonna stick it...cover it!).
Write me with kudos...keep your flames to yourself. It'll keep you warm on those cold winter nights!
Enjoy!
"Who could it be?" Thomas asked himself as he drove to his office at Wylie & Sons. Thomas kept thinking over who would want to bring him down, but just couldn't come up with an answer to the question.
Thomas knew that Michael and Robert would be meeting with the Dillingham project people today. He knew he had to have some answers ready for them if the question of funding came up, but he also needed to think about the name of his company; the company his father worked hard to build. So much corporate scandal had gone on recently; he didn't need his name or the name of his family's company being mixed in with those of Enron, MCI, and others.
As usual, Helen was at her desk as Thomas exited the elevator.
"Good morning Mr. Wylie, how are you this morning?" Helen made direct eye contact with Thomas.
"I'm actually very good today." Thomas was only lying just a bit. "And how are you?"
"I'm good too, thank you for asking." Helen picked up her pad. "I want to remind you of your meetings today and I received a call from Mr. Wright wondering when you'll have an answer about their project completion."
Thomas thought for a moment. "Oh right, yes, I do need to give him a call. Is my mail on the desk?"
"Yes, as always, Mr. Wylie." Helen waited for instructions.
"Very good, I don't have anything for you. If anyone should need me, I'm going to be holed up in my office for awhile. Thank you." Thomas walked through his doors and allowed them to close securely leaving the outside world to its own agenda. He wanted to ponder his findings a bit more. He started to reach for his desk phone to call Randy but then pulled out his cell. While he trusted Helen, she could be a busybody at times and he didn't want to hear this conversation.
"Hey Thomas, how's it going?" Randy answered still trying to search for some information.
"It's okay, I guess. I figured out why those receipts were bothering me." Thomas had Randy's attention.
"Oh really?" Randy stopped what he was doing. "Well I've got some news for you too. I think I might have an idea of who is embezzling money from you."
"We both have some startling revelations then, huh?" Thomas felt like a detective. "But before we mutually share here, don't you think we should call that Det. Manning in?"
"No, I don't." Randy stopped short of saying anything more though he had a lot to say.
"Why shouldn't we? Wouldn't that make me look better?" Thomas was unsure of Randy's answer.
"Well speaking as a former cop, even though you'd come forward with this information, I'd still be suspicious of you." Randy stopped again then continued. "I think you need to know who it is and why they're doing it so that the case is airtight and closed before opening yourself up to media scrutiny."
"Yeah, I guess you might be right." Thomas smiled. "I'm sure you are watching my backside on this whole thing."
"You can say that again." Randy snickered.
Thomas chose to ignore the innuendo of the comment and continued. "Those slips that Henry brought me? The signature looks good but there's a problem. I was out of town when the withdrawals were made. I couldn't have done it."
Randy was surprised. "Look at the signatures, is it your signature?"
Thomas took a moment to carefully look at each of the slips. "Well it looks like my signature, but I can't be sure, I sign so many things."
"But Thomas, you're writing out large checks, wouldn't you know what you're signing?" Robert was surprised.
"Hey Randy, you've got to understand, to write a $25,000 check really isn't a big deal for me. I sign and it goes out to whomever it's written to be paid." Thomas stopped to think how his Dad always instructed him to read everything he signed. Now he wishes he heeded that advice. "But the thing that bothers me is that checking my schedule, I couldn't have written a couple of these, maybe more because I was out of town and while I know I've written a few of those checks to cover fees for the project, it would have needed me to be in town to do it in case there were questions."
Randy paused. "That is interesting news. Do me a favor, get some proof you were out of town. I have copies of the checks; I'm going to have Steve look over the signatures. He's pretty good at eyeballing a fake signature."
"I can do that, so who do you think it is?" Thomas asked.
"That, I'm sorry to say, is going to stay a secret. I just want you to trust me while I gather information, okay?" Randy started digging for the check copies.
"I guess I've trusted you this long." Thomas was anxious again.
"Hey, just be cool. We're gonna get this figured out soon. Later." Randy hung up.
Steve came down from the upper level wrapped in a towel and drying his hair. He walked over to Randy and looked over his shoulder.
"You're thinking counterfeit, aren't you?" Steve didn't hesitate.
Randy was not surprised at the comment. Steve and he connected like this when they worked a job. But just to see where he was going, he questioned Steve.
"Why do you think that?" Randy interest was piqued.
"Cuz', you dumbfuck, you're sitting there looking at those check stubs and the check that Wylie wrote you last week, and anyone worth their weight can see that the signatures are different." Steve reached for a cup of coffee.
"Are you so sure?" Randy wasn't going to acknowledge Steve's thoughts until they were finished.
"Yeah, you can see the loop is different in the way the "T" is formed." Steve moved behind Randy and pointed out the differences. Randy could smell Steven's cleanliness and outline of Steve's dick on his back. "Counterfeits can usually be caught by the little stuff they think passes for a signature. I can't be sure, but it has to be someone close to Thomas that's doing this."
"Do you think you know who it is?" Randy was keeping his comments simple.
"I don't but I think you do." Steve drank his coffee and sat down across from Randy. The towel opened just a bit to allow Randy a view of Steve's big hairy balls.
"Actually, I think I do." Randy moved his gaze back to the work in front of him. "There has to be some counterfeiting. That call was from Thomas. He said that he couldn't have made some of the withdrawals because he wasn't in town and in order for those to be made, it had to be with him in town. I can't get a lead on where the money was transferred to but we've got to nail down that account to make my story stick."
Steve reached under the towel and scratched his balls knowing that Randy was distracted by his not so subtle show of his manhood. "Well I guess we'd better get going then. I have a feeling we're going to be very busy today."
"Alright Andy, it's time again for the bars." Peter directed Andy's chair to the beginning of the path of pain.
Andy wasn't as pissy today as he had been the previous day. He knew he needed to do this. Randy, Robert, and Michael were all rooting for him. He needed to walk.
Slowly he stood up. His ribs had been taped and weren't in as much pain as they had been the day before. He had never been injured to this extent before so he had no idea how long it would take to heal but it was amazing what a night in bed with his lover did for him.
"Do you want me to walk behind you?" Peter asked.
"Nope, I want to do this myself." Andy was sure he could do this.
Slowly, he put one foot in front of the other. He continued to look at his feet but this time he didn't feel detached from them. He felt the rubber flooring below him. He slowly let go of his grip on the bars and allowed his body to rest on his legs. As the weight transferred, he felt like it was time to step again but without holding onto the bars.
"What are you doing?" Peter was cautiously watching. He didn't want Andrew to fall.
"Just watch." Andrew paused.
Andrew took his hands off the bars and then proceeded to step. He wobbled a bit but grabbed onto the bars not so much to hold them but to keep him from falling over. He took another step, then another. He was at the halfway point.
"Very good, Andrew, very good! You are doing very well." Peter clapped for his patient. "You need to be careful but what made you think you could do that?"
Andrew sweated and beamed, "because I can."
Andrew balanced against the bars and finished out his walk. When Peter met him at the end, Andrew was sweating.
"So do I get a gold star today?" Andrew teased.
"Well no gold star but I think we need to try again, don't you?" Peter turned Andy around.
Andrew sighed and laughed. "You are a sadistic son of a bitch."
"Yep," Peter laughed too. "I'm the best at it too. Now turn around and walk!"
The Dillingham architect, contractor, and director were all in the meeting room when Michael entered. Robert brought them up to speed on their findings and that financials were still being reviewed but felt they could proceed with the project. Just as Michael sat down, Thomas entered and sat next to him.
"Thomas, this is a surprise." Michael really wasn't surprised but thought he should at least act like he was.
"I wasn't sure I was going to come but I wanted to be here to see about the progress of this project." Thomas was confident in his speech.
"We were discussing the building before you came in." Robert took control. "We've decided that we're going to do a two-story building, completely handicapped accessible and wired for technology."
"That is very good but what about expansion?" Thomas was genuinely interested in the project.
"Well," Ms. Baker chimed in, "I think it's safe to say we won't need to expand in to the 2nd floor for awhile but if we need to, we could possible rent out the space temporarily and get some reinvestment on the property. We discussed a lease buy-back thing but it's too complicated. Our program has grown tenfold in the last five years. I could see us occupying that space in about 2 to 3 years, but it is cheaper to build now."
"Does this include an activity area?" Michael hadn't heard the details.
"Yes it does." The architect brought out her designs. "As you can see, it will be an open room, two stories high and can serve as a gymnasium or broken up into smaller rooms depending on the need."
The conversation eventually turned to what it will take to get the building under way. The contractor said that he had all the information he needed and they would begin the bidding process for the facility's needs. He felt confident that the building would be built within a year if not sooner if the weather held out.
Both Michael and Thomas felt confident that the building would be built but in the back of their minds, they knew Thomas and Wylie & Sons would need to be cleared first. It never left their mind throughout the meeting but whatever resolve they had before the meeting, this project gave them further resolve so they could see it built and put to use.
"I think we need to proceed." Robert took the lead. "Let's meet again at the end of the next month once the bids are all completed. We can then develop an accurate timeline. We then can tap into the media and get their help for the groundbreaking."
Michael tuned Robert out but looked at his lover. Yes, he was a confident young man. He's going to go far. He hoped that distance would be covered with Michael being by his side. Michael was startled to hear his name called.
"Michael? Earth to Michael?" Robert was teasing him in front of the others.
Michael straightened up and apologized. "I was caught in a thought. What was it you needed?"
"I said did that sound like an acceptable plan to you?" Robert was smiling but knew Michael was deep in another train of thought.
"Yes, I believe we should wait until the end of next month and to get the media involved would be a great idea. I think you folks can work with Robert on the details, can't you?" Michael covered his ass.
Thomas smiled. "I agree, Mr. Jennings is doing an excellent job and I think we can be assured that this will be completed in a timely manner."
Before leaving the meeting, everyone shook hands and exchanged more information. On the surface, there was no hint of impropriety but Robert, Michael, and, especially, Thomas knew they would have to work fast to resolve the financial mess. It was time for war.
"Jack Giardi?" Randy had a hard time hearing the connection.
"Yeah, who is dis?" Jack answered.
"This is Randy Duncan? Remember me?" A tensioned silence was heard on the line.
"Yeah, I remember yah, what do ya want?" Jack was less than pleased to hear Randy's voice.
"It's time for some payback and I need your services now." Randy knew by Jack's voice, this wasn't going to be pleasant.
"Fuck, I thought I was done with ya." Jack wasn't going to make this easy.
"Ah, you should know you're never done, especially when I've saved your ass a time or two from `the family.'" Randy could hear the sigh of release in Jack's voice.
Jack couldn't deny that he was being held by the balls. "What's duh job?"
"I want you to do some digging. Find any offshore accounts in the names I'm faxing to you. You have 24 hours." Randy wasn't in the mood to fuck with this guy.
"24 hours? How the fuck do ya expect me to do dat?" Jack was pissed now. "I need at least 4 or 5 days."
Randy called his bluff. "No you don't. You're the best. Don't tell me you can't find shit because I have a pretty good idea you'll find something pretty fast."
"I can't do it, not in 24 hours." Jack was being stubborn.
"Listen up fuckhead. You have 24 hours from the time I fax this sheet to you. If you don't produce, I'll come looking for you and I can guarantee I won't be alone. Do you understand?"
Jack knew he had his balls to the walls. "Yeah, I'm not too happy about `dis. Send over da shit, I'll get on it now." Jack hung up.
"Well that was pleasant." Steve laughed.
"I hate that fucker." Randy hung up his phone and pushed the send button on his fax machine. "I busted his ass for doing some work for a crime family a few years back but instead of breaking every bone in his body, the crime family and I came to an understanding. Actually, they're still clients of mine, to some degree. No one can touch Jack when it comes to locating off shore accounts."
"You're doing business for a crime family?" Steve was shocked.
"Not really, just when they want me to locate someone. I don't ask and they don't tell me why. It's been about 4 years that I've known Jack. Let's just say, Jack owes me his life." Randy shredded the document after it cleared the fax machine.
"Fuck, you'd better be careful with that shit. It could come around to hurt you bro." Steve was concerned.
"What? "The Family" is definitely small-time potatoes. I've got too much on them and I could go to the cops. They know it too. I don't play on the dirty side too often." Randy drank his coffee. "But thanks for the concern."
"So you think this Jack will find what you want." Steve looked at Randy.
"Definitely and when we do, we're gonna have a party." Randy smiled with an evil glint in his eye. He knew he was on the right track.
Nick was hot on the trail of Tad Reynolds. Tad left work at 5 p.m. and headed for a local bar near his home.
"This guy is definitely a creature of habit." Nick took some mental notes.
Tad bellied up to the bar and ordered a shot of whiskey and a beer. Nick took a table down from him to observe. While Nick got his drink from the bar maid, Tad did a quick scan of the room. He saw Nick but didn't know who this new guy was. He was intrigued, especially when Nick returned the stare. Nick wasn't afraid of blowing his cover. He knew how these types worked.
Tad went back to watching the television. After about a half hour, he finished off his beer, and went to his car. Nick waited long enough before exiting the dark smoky bar. He saw Tad drive off and got into his Hummer and hit the ignition. He stayed back enough and watched Tad from a distance.
"Yep, pretty fuckin' boring this one is. I think he's about to get a good dose of a new life very soon." Nick grunted. "Breaking this piece of ass is going to be real fun."
Thomas, Michael and Robert converged on Robert's office.
"So what do you guys think? Did I do okay?" Robert put down his files, loosened his tie and sat back in his chair.
"I couldn't have done better myself," said Michael. "Thanks for not embarrassing me too much for daydreaming."
Thomas laughed. "You're face was pretty red. I thought it was funny myself."
Michael blushed. "Well, I, um..."
"I never thought that I'd see the day when the great Mr. Michael McManus would be a loss for words." Robert was now pitched forward in his chair laughing.
Michael gained his composure. "Now we have bigger fish to fry, don't we gentlemen?"
"Yes," Thomas continued, "you're right. We need to find out what's happening and fast."
Robert leaned back and sighed.
"What are thinking?" Michael asked Robert.
"I think Randy and Steve are on to something. Randy is one of the best at what he does. I'm sure Steve will only help to speed things up." Robert had his hands behind his head.
"For my sake," Thomas stood up to leave, "I hope so. Good night gentlemen. Good job again today, Robert."
"Thanks Thomas, I appreciate that." Robert looked over at Michael.
Michael was sitting on the leather couch in the office. His eyes were open but he wasn't there.
"What are you thinking about now, Michael?" Robert got up to stretch before going to close the door and lie on Michael.
Michael didn't answer. When he felt Robert's body on top of his, he relaxed. He looked into his lover's eyes and smiled.
"Have I told you lately that I love you?" Robert pushed his groin into Michael's.
"No."
"I love you." Robert smiled.
"Ditto." Michael smiled too.
Randy's phone rang.
"I found sumpthin'" Jack's raspy voice was grasping for air.
"Already? I'm impressed." Randy was impressed but not surprised. He knew his hunch was right on.
"Yeah, you won't believe it though. Not only does both deez names register on off shore accounts, but der is a third dat has a connection to one of duh names." Jack could be heard clicking in the background.
"Who is it?" Randy was interested.
"I'm faxing the information over to you now. Hope you got a shitload of paper in your machine, it is long."
"Cool, if I like what I see, I might even pay you for this." Randy laughed.
"Yeah, whatever. Call if you have questions." Jack hung up.
Less than a minute later, Randy's fax machine rang and paper began feeding out of the tray.
About 20 minutes later the fax machine stopped whining and Randy pulled all the information off the tray. The paper was warm because the machine was hot.
Randy didn't need to look far before he knew he was right. "I'll be fucked."
"Found something interesting?" Steve just came in from being out on business.
"Oh hell yeah, we've hit the mother lode. This is going to be real good." Randy got on the phone immediately.
"Anton? You home?" The dark figure called out for his sometime lover-fuckbuddy.
The condo was silent as the figure moved about the room. He went up the steps to the bedroom to see Anton taking a nap. Anton was lying naked, on his stomach, just under the sheets.
The figure pulled the sheets down and began to undress quietly. Anton shifted to widen his legs a bit.
"Oh yeah, open up for me babe. I'm going to do so much to you tonight." The figure stood for just a second as he stared over the body he was about to overtake.
As the figure slid on the bed, he let his tongue down the crack of Anton's ass, stopping to lap up the tangy goodness of his hole. Anton groaned a bit and shoved his ass against the tongue. The tongue continued its assault on the hole until it wet and loose with anticipation.
"Gawd Jerod, I hope that's you because only you can make me crazy like this!" Anton smiled.
Jerod stopped only grab the lube from the side of the bed applied a generous amount to the hole and to his dick. "Baby, I'm gonna take you like the bitch you are and you're gonna want me to cum in you over and over again."
Slowly Jerod's unsheathed dick entered the tight hole. Anton gasped but soon relaxed as he knew this is what he wanted. Jerod continued to slowly enter waiting for Anton to adjust to Jerod's girth.
Jerod leaned over to kiss Anton's ear. "You ready for this?"
Anton didn't answer but started to grind his ass into Jerod's hips. Jerod knew what Anton wanted and there wasn't a word spoken during their intense lovemaking. As Anton received each thrust, he concentrated on making his hole tight for his lover. Gasps of pleasure where heard. The smell of sex permeated the room. Jerod's sweat dripped of his tight body as he thrust harder into his lover.
Finally breaking the silence, Jerod says, "Oh baby, I'm gonna cum soon, you ready to join me?"
Anton gasped. "I've been waiting to cum with you; let me turn over so we can cum together."
The switching of positions took seconds as Jerod barely waited for Anton to turn over before entering again. He was close. The two lovers kissed as Jerod's thrusts became even more heated. Anton pulled on his dick feeling the cum starting to move on its way to explosion. Without as much as a word but only wimpers of pleasure, Anton exploded his wad of cum between the two while clamping down on Jerod's exploding pole inside of his ass.
The two collapsed in a heated pile of passion; neither wanting to move, nor neither one wanting to separate anytime soon.
"Good evening, this is the Wylie's." James answered the phone the same he had for over thirty years.
"Hey James, this is Randy, is Victoria around?" Randy asked.
"Yes sir, I believe she is. Just one moment, please." James dismissed Randy's informality but was curious about why Randy would be calling Victoria. He put Randy on hold while he found Victoria.
Victoria was in her room just reading a book when a gentle knock was heard at her door. She was still in her clothes.
"It is okay, come in." Victoria looked up to see James. "Yes?"
"Mr. Duncan is on the phone for you ma'am. Would you like to take it here or in the study?"
"I'll take it here." Victoria was getting up when she turned to James. "James, why are you still on duty?"
James smiled. "It's alright; I was about finished for the evening. Do you need anything else tonight?"
"Yes," smiled Victoria, "for you to take the rest of the night off! Now go!"
James closed the door as Victoria picked up the phone. "Mr. Duncan, how nice a surprise. What might I do for you this evening?"
"Actually, it's what you can do for me." Randy replied. "What can you tell of me about Helen Dawson?"
"Hmmm, well she's been around the company for a long time. She was my late husband's secretary and she is Thomas' now. She probably knows the company as well as I do." Victoria paused. "Why do you ask?"
"Let's just say that I'm suspicious of everyone at this point, including you." Randy laughed a bit.
Victoria could tell he was teasing her. She responded in a Scarlett O'Hara-type drawl. "Me? Why little ol' me? Certainly you wouldn't suspect little ol' me in all this mess?"
Hearing Victoria toying with him over the phone only made him laugh harder. "Okay, okay, maybe not you, but everyone is suspect at this point. I have another question though. She's got a son, right?"
"Yes she does. I've never met him but from what I hear, he's quite handsome, but I don't know much about him. Helen is a very quiet regarding her personal life."
That only made Randy's eyes narrow a bit more with suspicion. "Okay, well thanks for the information, I was just curious. Have a good evening."
Victoria didn't like the abruptness in which the conversation ended but figured Randy was just being careful. However, as Victoria went back to reading, she couldn't help the nagging feeling like a dam was about to burst.
Anton and Jerod recovered from their third round of lovemaking when they finally got up to get something to eat.
"You'd better watch that late-night eating or those abs will disappear." Anton joked.
"I think the aerobic exercise tonight has been enough to burn off anything I could eat right about now." Jerod smiled.
Anton was making a sandwich when he asked, "So how was work today?"
"It was okay, I guess." Jerod got quiet. "I just wish I could be doing more. I mean, I love my kids, I love teaching, but some of them just don't get what I'm teaching them."
"I actually wish I would have been a better student, I know I would have paid attention to you as my teacher." Anton smiled.
"Cute." Jerod smiled as he took a bite of Anton's sandwich.
"Why don't you try a different approach?" Anton was inspired. "You're teaching poetry, why not trying to equate it to some of their lyrics of today? Rap, hip hop, whatever, make them understand that this was the "hip hop" of an earlier time."
Jerod was awestruck. Sometimes Anton could be very shallow but there were times, like now, he could really be lucid and creative. He came around the island that they both leaned against and hugged Anton from behind.
"You're only using me for my money, right?" Anton smiled.
"I don't think so. I think I'm actually falling in love with you." Jerod sighed.
Anton was taken aback. He never had anyone want him for him. "Why are you telling me this? It is a cruel ploy to get at my money, isn't it?"
Jerod was hurt. He stopped hugging Anton and turned him around so they were face to face.
"You know you're an ass, don't you?" Jerod was serious. "I don't care about your looks, though you are sexy as hell, I don't care about your money, though I know you're richer than I'll ever be, and I don't care about your name. I just care about you. Is that so hard to understand?"
Anton felt like a heel. His head bowed in shame. "I'm sorry; I'm just not used to this. It's not something that...well, I just feel like the prodigal son most of the time. I don't know if I'm being used for who I am, what I am, or whatever. I know it doesn't make sense."
"Yeah, it does." Jerod lifted Anton's head up so their eyes met. "You just have to trust me, I care for you....I love you."
The two shared a hug. They finished the sandwich in silence and went back to bed. For the rest of the night, they just snuggled and held each other closely.
"So what are you thinkin', bro?" Steve pulled Randy out of his thoughts.
"I don't get the connection. I know Thomas isn't to blame, that's pretty clear. When he shows his travel expenses, we'll be able to clear his name. But what's unclear is why he has a private account in the Bahamas?" Randy continued. "But the coincidence that Helen also has an account at the same bank is what really concerns me. I feel a set up."
Steve was now deep in thought. "Yeah, you've got the "where" but where is the "why" in all of this?"
At this point the phone rang. Randy was surprised at the name on the caller ID.
"Hello?" Randy answered.
"We need to talk immediately tomorrow morning." The voice was mysterious.
"Okay, where?" Randy said.
"Denny's on 12th, 6 a.m. Don't be late." The voice hung up.
Randy just sat there and looked at the phone. "I'll be damned, we've got a 6 a.m. appointment at Denny's in the morning." Randy shook his head.
"With who?" Steve asked.
"James."
The two knew something was up.