Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:49:50 -0600
From: Evan D <panprince83@gmail.com>
Subject: The Richest Things In Life Chapter 2

This is a fictional story dealing with love and consensual sexual
activities between males. If you are not of legal age, reside in an area
where viewing such material is illegal, or are offended by homosexuality
and/or homosexual themes, leave this site now. The author retains all
rights to this story. No reproductions or links to other sites are allowed
without the permission of the author.

Thanks to everyone who wrote me. I appreciate the feedback as well. I had
one request for a longer chapter but this is what I can do for now. I've
still got a lot of planning to do as far as where I want to take this.

Any feedback to panprince83@gmail.com

The Richest Things in Life Chapter

Garrett Wheeler looked around Alex's 2010 Acura MDX in awe. It was all
decked out with an all leather interior, a moon roof, and more gadgets than
he could count. The exterior was a beautiful bronze color, and the seats
were a dark umber. He wished for a car like this, but what he most admired
of all was the beautiful man sitting in the driver's seat.  Garrett still
was in shock that he had actually run into The Alex Tigard, let alone be
sitting right next to him and be heading to his own family home to visit
Garrett's mother.  Ever since he saw Alex for the first time four years
earlier on television, he couldn't believe how completely gorgeous this guy
was. Those crystal blue eyes caught him in a trance even through the screen
of the TV set. Sometimes he had fantasized about Alex at night before he
went to bed or when he jerked off.  He had had quite a difficult time not
getting lost in those eyes as he was speaking with Alex earlier.  When he
saw Alex sleeping on the beach, he recognized him immediately. His first
thought was, "Oh! my God, I must be dreaming.  He is so much sexier in real
life. Maybe I should go talk to him and thank him for what he did for
mom. No, I couldn't do that. He's probably just trying to escape and is
sick of dealing with the little people all day."  But for some reason
Garrett got the courage to walk up to this bronze beauty sprawled on the
sand before him and block his sunlight. The minute he saw those eyes he
melted.  After their conversation, he got the sense that Alex was attracted
to him as well but figured it had to be his mind playing mean tricks on
him.

Being with Alex, however, did bring up memories of that tragic day over two
years earlier.  His father and Nick Simms were partners in an up and coming
accounting firm. At that time, they had worked together for three years and
were just starting to get attention from the Los Angeles area. They were
doing taxes and keeping financial records for several major corporations in
the region.  The night of July 12, 2007, Garrett had overheard his parents
arguing.

"I can't believe this, Pamela! He's been pocketing funds since we started
three years ago," Jason screamed.

"You think I'm surprised, Jason?  I've been telling you ever since you
agreed to be partners with him that he was bad news."

"I know. I just can't believe he would do this after all we've been
through. We've known each other since college, and I've always felt I could
trust him."

"You been blind, dear. That arrogant prick is slimier than a slug. I've
never heard one ounce of truth come out of his mouth. Have you been
listening to my concerns at all?"

"No, I guess not.  I'm sorry. I should have listened.  As of tomorrow I'm
going to confront him about this and dissolve the partnership. Don't worry
about the financial backlash; we will get through this."

" I know. We've been able to get through everything together. I have faith
that this will all work out."

"Me, too, babe. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie. Let's get some sleep."

Garrett had been very concerned to hear about his dad's business problems
that evening, but like his parents he was convinced it would all work out.
The next day, Friday the 13th, he got the worst phone call of his life.  He
had just walked out of his accounting class when his cell phone went off.

"Hi, Mom."

All he could hear were sobs. "Garrett, honey, I've got some bad news," she
managed to get out.

At that moment his heart sunk. He knew what was coming next.  "What
happened mom? Is it Dad?"

Pam bawled some more. "That bastard Simms–he killed him!  There's no
other explanation.  They found your father two hours ago hanging from a
flag pole. The cord was around his neck.  He suffocated to death."

Garrett couldn't believe what he was hearing. His father had just been
murdered.  He had to sit down on one of the couches in the hallway. "Mom,
where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"I'm at the morgue. I had to identify the body. They'll be moving it to the
medical examiner's office soon."

"Where the hell is Simms?"

"They don't know. The police are out looking for him."

At that moment, Alex knocked Garrett out his trance.


"We're approaching the city.  Which way should I go?"

"Keep going up the highway to Driffill Blvd. and hang a right toward the
entrance to Royal Palms Mobile Park," Garrett stated. He fondly remembered
the days when his family lived in Ventura. His family lived comfortably in
an upper middle-class home in the foothills. Now, he was working two jobs
and had to drop out of college at CSU Channel Islands to take care of his
mother. They could barely afford to live where they were living due to his
dad's funeral costs and his mother's medical bills. He was ashamed for such
a rich boy like Alex to even see it.

Instead, Alex managed to make him feel better by saying, "Royal Palms? I
hear that's a great place to live especially with the economy the way it
is. Lower energy bills and a close-knit community."  Garrett smiled at
that. He failed to notice Alex nearly lose his grip on the wheel.  Yep, he
was oblivious that this guy was totally crushing on him.

As they turned into Garrett's driveway, Alex became very nervous. "Was this
a good idea?" he thought. "What if I bring back bad memories for her?" He
didn't have much time to worry about it, because within an instant they
were unloading the scooter onto the driveway and heading to the front door.

"Mother, I'm home," Garrett shouted as they walked in.

"That's great, honey. Oh, you brought a friend," she stated as she came out
of the kitchen.

Pam Wheeler looked great for several months of cancer treatments. Her wig
looked natural, and she still had that glow of a strong desire to
live. Shortly after her husband's death she had noticed a strange mole
developing on her arm. She was too depressed to worry about it at the time
and ignored it. Then, she noticed her skin changing color and more moles
appearing near the original. Her doctor quickly diagnosed her with
melanoma. They were able to surgically remove the tumor; unfortunately, the
cancer had returned three times since. She kept a positive attitude about
it, though. It was easier for her to appreciate the good things in life and
cherish the memories of her husband.  She was also very proud of her son
stepping up to take care care of her.

"Yes, mom, I think you should sit down as I introduce him."

Pam looked at her son funnily but complied, as she settled herself on the
couch.

"Mom, while I was at the beach in Malibu, I ran into Alex Tigard and told
him how he helped us, and he wanted to meet you."

Alex held out his hand to Pam, her mouth gaping open. She slowly raised
herself and held out her arms to embrace him tightly.  "Oh, my gosh! Alex,
I didn't recognize you. I'm so grateful for you helping out Garrett and
me."

"It was my pleasure, Ms Wheeler."

"Oh, nonsense. Call me Pam," she laughed.  Her smile changed to a look of
concern when she turned to Garrett, who nodded.  "Oh, I imagine Garrett
mentioned something else about us as well."

"Yes, ma'am. And if it's any consolation, it was that incident that
inspired me to reach out to those in need and use my family's wealth and
power for good.  My father and I don't agree on many things, and how he
uses his power and prestige is certainly one of them. I'm going to do more
research on what exactly he did to get the charges against Simms dropped
and see what I can do. I'll promise you that at least."

" Oh, Alex, you are by no way obligated to do such a thing just because you
ran into my son."

"Actually, I'm surprised I haven't thought of doing something about it
until now. Your story has inspired me, and I feel compelled to look into
it, because it's the right thing to do," Alex said with passion in his
eyes.

"That's what he told me, mom. I don't think there's any way of talking him
out of it," Garrett stated, lost in Alex's eyes yet again.

"Well, in that case we appreciate anything you can do for us, Alex, and
thank you so much for everything you've done for us already."

"It was my pleasure, Ms...uh...Pam."

Pam smiled at that.  "So, what are your plans now, boys?"

"If you don't mind, I should get running, if that's okay with you,
Garrett. I have some things to think about and take care of back in
Malibu. Here's my number." Alex wrote it down on a sheet of paper and took
Garrett's number as well.

"No problem, Alex, it was a pleasure meeting you. Thanks for bringing me
home and meeting my mother."

"You're welcome; the pleasure was all mine," he smiled.  Alex hugged Pam
and then Garrett. Drinking in his smell and becoming almost intoxicated,
Alex realized he had held the hug a little too long and quickly let
go. Garrett was in too much of a trance to even notice. Pam noticed right
away though. She had known Garrett was gay nearly all of his life, and she
knew what it looked liked when another guy was crushing on her son.

"I will talk to you guys soon," Alex stated as he walked out the
door. Garrett's mouth watered as he looked at Alex's tight ass hugging his
shorts and stared at it all the way until it was into the MDX.

Pam smiled at her son as Alex drove off.  "Dear, as sweet as that boy is
and as great it is that he's determined to help us, I have a feeling he
wouldn't be as passionate about it if you were my daughter."

"What are you trying to say, mom?" Garrett asked in shock.

"You know exactly what I mean, son. I wasn't born yesterday.  I had to tell
you you were gay before you even admitted it to yourself.  That boy is head
over heels at first sight, and so are you."

Garrett really hated how often his mother was right, but she couldn't be
right about Alex–that would be too good to be true.  "I'll admit I feel
something for him mom, but there's no way...."

Pam cut him off. "You're just as stubborn as your father was. He never
believed me, when I told him Simms was bad news," she sighed. "You'll
figure it out soon enough, even if you're too blind to see it now."

Garrett shrugged it off and headed to his room already trapping the images
of Alex in his mind to play over and over for the rest of the
evening. "Maybe she's right," he thought. "Nah."  On the drive back to
Malibu, Alex started brainstorming. He was even more convinced after his
visit with Pam that something had to be done. He just had no idea what. He
figured his first course of action would be to head up to the Tigard
Mansion in the Santa Monica Mountains. He knew at this point, confrontation
with his father would not be an option. However, he figured if he spent
some time there, opportunities to find out more information could present
themselves. He dialed his sister.

"Alex, by what do I owe such a pleasure?"

Courtney Tigard was the mediator of the family. She was very intelligent
and had the most common sense of the Tigard Clan, next to Alex, of
course. They were rather close growing up and at one time, they told each
other everything, which was strange for being nearly six years apart. Alex
had figured once he came out to his family, she would be the first one he
would tell. She was very liberal in her thinking and didn't have the same
arrogance the rest of the family had. She did have some arrogance though,
and that arrogance had increased since she had become a rather successful
dermatologist. He didn't hold that against her, though, knowing that it
would take much to open her eyes to the fallacies of the family.

"Hey, sis. What are you up to this afternoon?"

"Well, I just left the office and was going to head back to the house to
spend some time soaking in the jacuzzi and entertaining mother. She gets
bored so easily, you know?" Alex laughed at that.

"What? Has teacup collecting gone out of style already?"

"You better believe it. God only know what her next hobby will be. But for
the time being she needs someone to talk to, since dad pretty much is
living at the office these days, and Mark's in the Alps with his flavor of
the year."

"Does he ever work?"

"Not lately, he and dad have been at odds, believe it or not!"

"Do you know why?"

"They won't talk about it."

"Hmm," Alex thought to himself.

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know I'm going to spend some time up
there this evening. There are a few things I need to get from my room and
besides I miss seeing you and Mom."

"Well, that sounds great. I'll let Edna know, so she can set another plate
for you at dinner."

"Sounds great, I'll see you soon."

"Love you, little brother."

"Love you, too, Courtney."

When he got to Malibu, he stopped by his house to gather up some things, as
he was planning on spending the night at his parents'. A million thoughts
were going around in his head. He knew that if he went about this the
wrong, things would get real bad real fast. Whatever he did, he would have
to do it carefully, plus he would need to make sure that he didn't break
any laws in the process