Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 11:02:49 -0500 From: Lee Mariner Subject: Christopher(Chris) #8 CHRISTOPHER(CHRIS) By Lee Mariner January 2003 DISCLAIMER: This is a gay fantasy and is intended for adult readers only. All characters are fictional and in no way related to any person or persons living or deceased. Any such perceived similarity is purely coincidental. IF YOU ARE NOT OF LEGAL AGE TO BE READING THIS STORY OR YOU DO NOT APPROVE OF SUCH MATERIAL, PLEASE LEAVE. DO NOT ENGAGE IN UNPROTECTED SEX, IT CAN LEAD TO A LIFE THREATENING CONSEQUENCE. All stories I have written or I am writing may be found listed in the Prolific Authors section under the pen name of Lee Mariner. This work is copyrighted (c) by the author and may not be reproduced or copied without the specific written consent of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the provisions of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written consent of the author. Copyright: January 2003 - Author: Lee Mariner - All Rights are Reserved. Mariner23502@hotmail.com * * * * * * * * Chapter # 8 It was only a three-block walk to the building where Lloyd's office was at and the skies were becoming darker as we walked. For a moment I thought we should get the car from the public parking garage but it was six or one or half a dozen of another. By the time we did that we probably be soaked anyway. The one good thing was that we could use the underground subway concourse if it was raining when we left Lloyds and from the way Chris seemed to be enjoying himself, I doubt it would have made any difference to him if it snowed or rained. He was like the country boy in the big city for the first time. Every time he looked my way, his eyes were shining with excitement and he positively glowed. Even in the threatening gloom of a thunderstorm, he was bubbling over. All I was thinking about was how much he meant to me and all the more so when we were together. Ben was always good in bed and Lance was born to be screwed. His ass was like a sucking gripping vacuum and he could drain every drop from you nuts. There had been other men but for some reason they didn't strike that spot inside of me that called for a commitment, needing them over and above others. That is until Chris walked into my life. He was young, vibrant, sturdy, charismatic, sincere and when he looked at me with his soft brown eyes, my heart melted. I needed him to fill that empty spot that most gay men have but seldom admit. I drop of rain brought me out of the depths of my thinking and looking up I saw Chris dashing for an open doorway, the entrance into the Flat Iron building. "Come on Chuck get in here or you'll get soaked." He called out laughing. "How did you know this was Lloyd's office building?" I said as I joined him. "I didn't Chuck. Who's Lloyd?" "He's my lawyer, haven't I mentioned him? His office is on the 3rd floor." A bright flash of lightening followed by a very loud clap of thunder made us both jump and we bolted through the door. "Darn it. That was close." Chris said looking at me his eyes widening at the ear shattering sound of the thunderstorm outside the doors. We saw a young man with a girl slip on the terrazzo tile of the entrance outside the door when they jumped in to avoid the rain and luckily they didn't fall. I pushed the elevator call button and we both watched as they straightened their clothes from the near fall. The young man glanced through the glass at us and grinned before turning to his companion. When we stepped inside the elevator and just as the doors slid shut, they both came inside the lobby. The rain was coming down in sheets and starting to blow in the entryway, they would have gotten soaked if they hadn't. Chris kissed me quickly on the cheek as we rode up the three floors to Lloyd's office. His eyes were sparkling but I didn't know if it was from the excitement of the storm or where we were going, Lloyd's office. I managed a quick kiss on his nose just before the elevator doors slid open. * * * * * * * * When we opened the door for Lloyd's office, his secretary recognized me and told us to go on in. Lloyd stood as we walked in. "Charlie, good to see you. Man you just made it or you might have been caught by the storm. Boy is it coming down." "It started just as we got here Lloyd." I said sitting the packages I was carrying in a chair and taking those that Chris was carrying. "Chris, Lloyd Weber, Lloyd, Christopher Larkin." "The young man you were telling me about? Nice meeting you Chris." Lloyd said extending his hand. "You too sir." Chris said gripping Lloyd's hand firmly and locking his eyes with his. A slight smile spread over his face and his eyes went up and down over Chris as they shook hands. "Have a seat Chris, Charlie." He said walking around his desk to his chair, flicking the switch on his intercom. "Cathy, Mr. Mercer is my last client for today so why don't you lock up. I'll switch the telephones when we leave. From the look of the rain outside, you might want to use the underground concourse too the garage." After hearing his secretary's reply, he switched the intercom off completely and turned towards us. "You and Chris must have just beaten the storm getting here Charlie, how about a drink before we start? Maybe Chris would like something." Lloyd said walking across his office too a small bar. "I'll have whatever your having Lloyd. How about a Coke or something Chris." "No thanks but a glass of water would be nice." "Water it is along with a stiff bourbon and soda for you and I Charlie." Lloyd fixed the drinks and brought them to where we were sitting and then sat behind his desk again taking a sip of his. "Are you still working on the cottage you bought Charlie?" He asked casually. "It's coming along pretty good. Chris was helping me move in last weekend but there is still some work that is being done." "You live close to Charlie's cottage Chris?" "Yes sir. I live with my mother only a few blocks away. Mr. Mercer was unloading a trailer full of stuff and I asked him if he needed help." "You can make spending money that way." Lloyd said grinning as he sipped his drink. "Whenever I can." Chris answered glancing at me. "You live with your mother Chris?" Lloyd asked, "What does she do?" "Mom works in a bar at night as a waitress." "Does your father live with you and your mother Chris?" Chris looked at me with a pained look in his eyes before answering. "No sir." "Lloyd, what do your questions have to do with filing an adoption petition?" I asked looking at him intently. "Several things Charlie. I can't advise you unless I know the reasons for you wanting to adopt Chris. I need to know his background and that of his parents. The courts will investigate all of the information we include in the petition. Chris just gave us a critical piece of information that has a lot to do with how we can go." He said before turning back to Chris. "I'm not trying to embarrass you Chris, I hope you believe that but there are a couple of more things. Does your father give your mother any support of any kind for you and how old are you?" "How old am I?" Chris said, a startled tone in his voice. "Yes. Charlie said you were 17." "I'll be 17 next week on the 10th. I don't know where my father is Mr. Weber and I don't think my mother knows either." "Charlie, have you and Chris talked with his mother about this? Is she willing or do you know?" "No we haven't Lloyd. Chris and I talked about it but I thought we had better talk with you first. When we asked her for permission for Chris to visit this week, she wasn't very cooperative at first." "Mom can be pretty nasty Mr. Weber when she's drinking or getting over a drug high." "Your mother uses drugs and drinks and you don't know where your father is!! Has your mother ever been arrested for drug and/or alcohol abuse?" "Yes sir, lots of times." Chris said softly, hanging his head and fidgeting from nervousness. "Chris, you won't mind if Charlie and I talk privately for a few minutes will you?" "No sir, can I have another glass of water?" "Help yourself, we won't be long. Charlie. . . . .!!" Lloyd said looking at me and getting up. * * * * * * * * Lloyd and I went into a small conference room off of his office. The only sound was the rain lashing at the windows and his silence was making me nervous. I didn't know if he was waiting for me to say something but as we sat down I blurted out, "got a cigarette handy Lloyd?" "You don't smoke." Was his surprised answer? "I feel like it right now and another slug of that bourbon would help. You were pretty rough on Chris in there." "I didn't mean to be but it could get worse. Wanting to adopt Chris is great but from what he has said it sounds like a real can of worms and I don't think he is telling everything Charlie. The big problem does not know who or where his father is. The courts are pretty strict on protecting the rights of a biological father and they have the right to object to an adoption." "But he doesn't know that information Lloyd. From what he said his mother told him, his father left her before he was born." "That is not an excuse in the eyes of the law. Has she ever attempted to find him and let him know he has a son? Have you seen his birth certificate? The fathers name should be on it. What else is in her background that will come out during an investigation, do you know of anything that Chris has not said? The courts will want all of this information so they can evaluate the circumstances leading up to an adoption. There will be an investigation into your suitability and ability to be a parent. Charlie. You don't just say you want to adopt someone and that makes it so." He said looking into my eyes. It's not easy Charlie and it can get nasty if we don't know everything." My head was spinning and it felt like he had kicked me in the gut. I could see Chris slipping away in a blizzard of paperwork. Lloyd sat watching me as I sucked my lungs full of air. "Lloyd, I only know what Chris has told me and I believe him. I met his mother once and she is not a very impressive person much less a mother. He told me she worked in a restaurant as a waitress but there is more to that than just being a waitress, she may be a prostitute. He has told me about the different men she would bring home and that she had tried selling him once for $50 too one of her "clients". The drinking I saw for myself and there was an odor of marijuana in the house when I met her. I've been in a lot of dirty places but that house is filthy. As far as me being investigated, if I can withstand the investigations conducted by the bank, there is not much to be worried about. Me being suitable as a parent. . . .he hasn't had much of a parents guidance from what I've seen." "It really does not sound like he has. It really sounds like a good case of child abuse and abandonment could be made if everything he and you have said can be proven. There is one thing I need to know Charlie and I want you to remember I am talking as your friend and lawyer. Nothing you or Chris says goes beyond these walls, have you and Chris slept together?" Lloyds question hit me in the gut like a thunderbolt and I felt a hot flash of anger wash over me and I answered through clinched teeth, "Why in hell would you ask something like that?" "Because I am your friend, I have seen the way both of you look at each other this afternoon and the way you would check me out in the gym when we worked out together Charlie and it is something that might be asked by an investigator in a full adoption procedure. A 30-year-old man asking to become the adopted father of a 17-year-old boy is not a usual adoption. If Chris was of legal age, 18, you and he could file for an adoption by mutual consent without the consent of his biological parents and in all likely hood it would breeze through without question. Background checks would not be necessary since both parties are of legal age and consenting to the adoption. Chris is not 18 Charlie." "So what you are telling me is that if we wait until he is 18 none of this would be necessary?" "Essentially that is correct except Chris would have to live with his mother until then. From what I see you and he don't want that." "Perceptive aren't you? Is there any way we can get his mother's consent without mentioning adoption and he could live with me?" "That Charlie, pretty much answers the question you didn't answer and being perceptive is part of my job. In answer to your question, I can draw up what is called a Relinquishment-Consent-Time to Revoke agreement between his mother and you giving you the right to assume responsibility for Chris until he is 18. You would assume the responsibility for his education, health care, etc. during that period until he reaches legal age. After that you can file for an adoption if you still want." "How long does that take?" I asked. "Not as long as an adoption procedure if his mother is willing. I can have it drawn up tomorrow and you can take it with you or I can fax it to an associate of mine in Dover who would handle it for you." * * * * * * * * When we returned to Lloyd's office, Chris was standing at the windows looking out at the rain still falling in sheets and when he heard us enter he turned facing us. He had taken his jacket off and he looked magnificent even in the artificial light, his strong developing torso and arms barely hidden by the thin fabric of his shirt. Looking over the rim of his glass as he drank, his soft brown eyes followed us as Lloyd and I walked to his desk. "Sit down Chris, I think Charlie and I have a solution and you are a part of it. Did I mention that you must consent in writing to what you and Charlie want?" "I don't think you did Mr. Weber. What do you mean I must consent? I thought that is something my mother has to do." "It's the law Chris since you are over 14 years of age. Your mother will have to as well but nothing happens unless you agree." Chris looked first at Lloyd and then at me before answering. "Of course I consent sir, it's what I want." He said smiling at me his eyes sparkling. "I'll have the consent agreement drawn up showing Charlie as your guardian and the papers that are required for your mothers signature. I'll need her full name and address Chris." "Linda Wrightman, 122 E. 3rd St., Rehoboth Beach, Delaware." Chris said and Lloyd wrote it on his desk pad. "Good, Chris thanks. I hope you don't think I was being a hard ass when I was asking you those questions?" "No sir, I didn't. I know you're trying to help Charles and me." "Great, I hope we will see more of each other after this is all taken care of." Lloyd said holding Chris by the arm. "Can you and Chris be here tomorrow about the same time Charlie? I'll go over everything in detail then and give you the name of my associate that will handle the case in Dover." "If you fax it down there Lloyd, will we need to take anything with us?" I asked standing up. "There will be a duplicate set for you to take. Will you leave tomorrow or Wednesday morning?" "We will leave from here Lloyd and see if we can see Mrs. Wrightman this Wednesday." I said glancing at Chris, seeing him stiffen just a little but he didn't say anything. After we shook hands and were leaving, Lloyd whispered over my shoulder, "If you haven't, you're a damn fool." I looked at him and smiled without saying anything. * * * * * * * * When we were in the elevator on the way down to the lobby and Chris asked, "What did he mean about you being a fool Chuck?" Looking at him I smiled a little. I had noticed that he was studying about something as we walked to the elevator. Reaching for the "stop" button, I pushed it and took him in my arms looking into the innocent depths of his eyes. "It's funny how much someone's eyes tell when you look into them," I thought before answering. "He meant I was a damn fool if I hadn't taken you to bed." "He knows we are gay Charlie?" He said his eyes widening a little. "No he doesn't, he suspects it. But he told me something I had suspected, he is gay and he was trying to find out if I was when he asked about you and me. He asked if we had been having sex." "And you didn't tell him that we have been in bed and made love?" He said grinning at me his eyes gleaming. "If he needed to know, Chris, and it would help in adopting you then I would have told him. He will know soon enough but not yet." "Lance knows doesn't he? What about the dressing room at the store?" "Lance only thinks he knows Chris. He would love knowing more but remember one thing. No one knows another person is gay until they have had sex with them. Lance and I have had sex but as far as you are concerned, he knows only that I am gay and in the dressing room all he knows is you needed a new pair of briefs, that's all." We both stood in each other's arms, packages still in our hands. His eyes sparkled and he lifted up on his toes leaning against me. Pressing his lips to mine in a short gentle kiss he whispered, "I love you so much." "And I love you." I said, a warm feeling spreading through me and then the alarm bell on the elevator rang. When we reached the lobby and the doors slid open an angry man and woman were fuming and glaring at us. "Sorry for the holdup." I said, "Our packages got in the way of the doors upstairs." Their glares said more then words and I knew my feeble apology was not acceptable when they pushed past us into the elevator. Chris turned his head grinning and I almost laughed at their exaggerated anger. The rain was still falling but not as heavily as it had been. We used the underground concourses, walking to the garage as a lot of other people were doing. It took one of the attendants a few minutes to bring our car down and Chris was still fascinated by the things going on around us. The rush of people pushing and pulling trying to get home or where ever they were going. I had become used to the crush, living in Philadelphia as long as I had but I found myself wishing we were headed for the cottage instead of my condo. "Is it always like this Chuck? So many people." "Pretty much I'm afraid, not like Rehoboth. You will get used to it." "It's a little exciting watching them. What are the schools like?" "I don't know Chris but hopefully we will find out next week." "Hopefully, does that mean I might not be able to come back with you if we go back to see my mom?" "Lets cross that bridge when we get to it Chris. Here's the car." I said taking the keys from the attendant and giving him a tip. The ride home was silent except for the soft swish of the windshield wipers. Chris sat close to me, his head on my shoulder with both of his hands clasped around my bicep. He was breathing evenly and softly and I wondered what he was thinking. "You alright Chris? You haven't said a thing since we left Lloyd's." I asked, pulling into the garage. "Ummmmmmm yes, I'm okay. I was just thinking." "About what?" I asked, turning off the cars ignition. "You and me." He said as he lifted his head from my shoulder. "I think about how much I love you and want to be with you and make you proud and happy." "You mean everything to me Chris and I knew you loved me the first time we made love." I said softly twisting in my seat and looking at him. "Lets get these things upstairs before Bette and Ben get here. It's almost 6 o'clock and they are supposed to be here in an hour." * * * * * * * * While we were waiting for Bette and Ben, Chris and I put the things he and Lance had selected away. He was like a kid opening Christmas presents showing each item he had selected, Banana Republic, Dockers, Calvin Klein, Old Navy, Ben Sherman and accessories. His eyes sparkled as he unpacked the packages we had carried home and he looked at me like a little boy looking for approval. "I didn't get to much did I Chuck?" "You and Lance must have had a ball picking these things out. I'd like to have been there with you." I said grinning at him. "It was fun but it would have been more fun if you had been there. I like Lance but he talks too much and his hands roam. Is he always like that with customers?" "Not always or he wouldn't keep his job. Did he try and get fresh?" I asked. "No, just feeling me up sort of sneaky like. Feeling my chest and arms when he was showing me sweaters and shirts, holding the up to me pretending to see how they would look." "That's Lance, always looking for a feel." I said laughing. "He is harmless but you won't find a better friend once he gets to know you." I felt a little twinge of anger listening to what Chris was saying but at the same time I knew how Lance was. Life being gay always seemed to be defensive and Lance was an aggressor who would take advantage of any situation if he thought he had a chance. The intercom buzzer sounded just as Chris was hanging the last pair of his jeans in the closet. * * * * * * * *