Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 02:08:23 EDT
From: KissAndCuddleGem@aol.com
Subject: Dad's Just Desserts (Installment 8)(by KissAndCuddleGem)

This story is purely a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons
living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely
coincidental.

Moreover, none of the actions of the characters in this story is presented
with the intent to condone, approve, or sanction their behavior.

The above-expressed disclaimer also does apply to any and all installments
of this story, including those preceding and following this installment.

All questions and/or comments are welcome; and, if you wish to contact me,
please feel free to email me at: KissAndCuddleGem@AOL.COM; and I will most
definitely respond to email, as appropriate.


In a matter of minutes, this scene was unfolding at the Chambers family
residence, a mansion closely resembling that one known as Tara in the movie
classic, "Gone With The Wind":

"Gentlemen, please follow me into the living quarters and let us recline.",
a tall gentleman very pale in coloring and dressed in what looked like a
silk twead pastel ensemble and presumably the one the pair had arranged to
meet with said in greeting the cousins.

Both teens were about to sit down in the richly decorated immense room,
when the gentleman now with us extended his hand to Ryan in a rather formal
way; and said: "You must be Mr. Cummings, the one I had the phone
communications with."

Ryan took his hand, nodding and returning a firm grip, stating: "Yes,
indeed, I am."

"Well, let me begin by saying that I am most gratified to make your
acquaintance, in fact most gratified to make both of your acquaintances.";
and, upon saying "both" he looked at Casey and gave him a quick wink.  The
wink was so quick I was uncertain as to whether Ryan even noticed; though
from his subsequent interactions with the junior Chambers, he apparently
did not.

We spent the next few minutes chatting casually about Maine and in
particular the great cultural offerings of Augusta.

Casey kept looking at him.  He was not what I was picturing.  He looked
very understated: The gold-rimme spectacles, the initialized handkerchief
in the jacket pocket, and the prematurely-grey black hair.  But then Casey
noticed that he was pretty fit, had a nice muscular chest that sort of
tightened the fit of his shirt in the upper torso; and, then, Casey knew
exactly who we were dealing with upon seeing his eyes: These grey eyes
shined with a fire, an intensity, as they sharply returned Casey's
not-very-subtle gaze.

Having enough of this idle chit-chat, Casey interrupted: "Mr. Chambers,
forgive me but...."

"Please, forgive me, I know your time is valuable, as is mine of course,
Mr. Michaels...and please call me: Richard, I much prefer the sound of that
and it is far less formal and much better suits me."

 still very much up to the challenge, went on: "Well, yes, okay,
Richard...we really would like to know whether you have the records we are
seeking, the records your father presumably kept as to the treatment of
Ronald Michaels."

"Ronald Michaels is your father, as I recall.  Well, then, who may I ask is
this Jake Michaels: Does he bear any relation to the two of you?", Richard
asked specifically, directing this at me.

"Yes, though I never did know him, I know of him: He was my grandfather,
who passed on shortly before my birth."

"Well, his records have all been cross-referenced with those of your
father's and vice-versa; and, in other words, so there is no
misunderstanding both gentlemen were patients of my father."

"Wow!  Are you saying in effect that both my father and my grandfather were
seeing the same--", Casey started to say.

^@d, I^@m"Shrink?  Yes, they were seeing the same...uhm... 'shrink', as you
put," Richard conceded, a slightly demonic grin displayed on his face as he
did so.

"My father was meticulous, extremely well-organized, and, frankly, on a
personal level, a bit of a control freak.  But I loved him and I am very
much still in mourning as to his untimely passing."

"Oh, forgive us, sir, I mean Richard, we of course do wish to express our
sincere condolences to you upon your father's untimely passing."

"Thank you, that's very kind."

"Well, what is the bottom line?  Do you have the records?  May we have
them?", Casey chimed in.

"Mr. MIchaels, let me first say that, yes, the records you are seeking and
those on your grandfather, which I assume you will want to have, too, are
indeed in my possession.  My father had kept a detailed listing on his
personal computer of all records in his possession up through the day of
his retirement; and a manual search of voluminous, as in boxes and boxes,
of records he kept in a secured storage arrangement, confirms they are
still in existence.  However, I feel conflicted with regard to some ethical
aspects of just handing these highly confidential records over to you.  I
feel compelled to consult with the family attorney on this one."

Casey's eyes fell to the floor; and Ryan, realizing there was nothing but
disappointment on his cousin's face, gallantly attempted to save things:
"Richard, please listen carefully as to what I have to say: We are both
very much prepared to pursue a legal avenue to get those records we are
seeking from you; and are confident that a court of law will agree with the
extenuating circumstances justifying an exception to confidentiality
concerns."

Casey could not believe this display on Ryan's part: "Had he ever studied
law?", he wondered.  He thought he was like a junior Perry Mason.

"Mr. Cummings, I mean no disrespect, but what you have in mind could take
years, actually more acurately decades, and, if I deem it appropriate, the
matter could be forever dragged, eternally dragged out."

Ryan looked at Richard as if he were about to throttle him.  Casey closed
his eyes, fearful as to what would follow.

That's when Richard surprised the two with this: "Mr. Cummings, I think
some compromise could indeed be worked out.  May I have a word with you in
private?  I think you will find that my proposal offers a way for you to
get what you are after."

Casey was shown by Benton, the devoted Chambers family servant, to the den
in the rear of the mansion.  Though this was not exactly the time for
humor, Casey later on would recall that the butler bore a striking
resemblance to the character Lurch of television's "The Addams Family".

The next day, Casey was busy preening and primping in front of the
full-length mirror on the bedroom closet sliding door.

"You do not have to go through with this", Ryan practically whispered to
him, upon walking in.

"You said that it is just a date, right?  I mean he told you he is lonely
and that he thinks he would enjoy my company...uhm...for dinner, that is, I
gather; but that it is just a date, I mean he is not expecting to be
sleeping with me or anything...."

"Casey, that's right, that's what I understand.  He essentially made it
pretty clear that that is the way he would just simply hand over the
records, for you to go out on a date with him as his social companion."

Casey was, as he was saying this, adjusting the collar of his navy blue
silk shirt so that it neatly overlapped the collar of his wine-colored
blazer.

Ryan, upon seeing what Casey was doing, half-joked: "Well, if you are going
that route, you might as well show a little cleavage."

Casey, a closeted exhibitionist, did not need much encouragement; and began
to unbutton his shirt buttons all the way down to his navel.

"Hey, wait a minute there.  Let's not get carried away.  We are providing
the 'milk', not looking to sell the whole cow."

Casey got the message; and blushed.  He also stroked Ryan's chest, gently
fingering one of his massive pecs, and chided his romantic interest: "Look,
cuz, we all know that it is you that really has the goods to showcase here.
I am way, way out of my league.  I have no idea, frankly, what this Richard
person sees in me."

Yet, Casey was far from naive.  He knew where things might go, and, at this
very moment, wondered what he would have to do if they really did go in
that direction.  Plus, realizing that he had to get through the evening, he
felt that the best way to do this was to completely dismiss any thoughts of
Richard being an incarnation of evil, pure evil, as simply hogwash and the
product of an overactive imagination.

"Does he know about us...you know, us?", Casey queried.

"As far as I am aware of, no.  But it did occur to me that he is perhaps
pretending not to know; and my sources tell me that he has been around, so
to speak.  We should not underestimate him."

Ryan told Casey to put some lip palm on, commenting that he thought his
lips would look more enticing that way.

Casey kissed Ryan very hard on the lips; and said to him very firmly:
"Ryan, isn't it bad enough I will be whoring around tonight?  Do I have to
have you as my pimp as well?"

Ryan laughed hysterically at this; and, then, upon hearing the intercom
system's buzz, there was complete silence between the two; and Casey's
lower lip was trembling as a look of panic was etched upon his a bit-ashen
face.  In this very moment, even Casey was uncertain as to whether he would
have the courage to go through with this charade.