We're in This Together
This story may occasionally include explicit depictions of sexual acts between consenting adult males. If you are underage or it is illegal to view this for any reason, consider yourself warned. If you find this material offensive, please leave.
This story is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to people, living or dead, is entire a coincidence. As the author, I keep all rights to this story, and it cannot be reproduced or published without explicit consent from me. This work is copyright © 2017 by Steven Wells.
I love to hear any feedback you have, be it positive or negative. Send me an email with any comments or questions at MaWriterBoy@yahoo.com.
This is a sequel to my original story on Nifty.org, Sam and Chris. I have tried to make this a standalone story. I look forward to hearing from you.
Previously
"Why in God's name did you buy a bank?" I exclaimed as Mel returned with our coffee.
"Yea, Chris, why did you buy a bank?" Mel asked with a smile as she put our coffee in front of us.
"It was reasonably priced," Chris explained. "The estate of the man who owned it wanted to sell it. Your father knows the family, and they were motivated sellers. We will need to set up an account to guarantee the loans in case someone has problems."
"You're a very thoughtful person, Chris," I replied.
"Thanks," Chris said. "Your father's attorney friend from my grandfather's law firm is the trust administrator. She gives the direction for the bank operation. I'm certain they will work out something. You also need to work on a talk for the Center for Controlled Growth. CCG is a combination of a Chamber of Commerce and a community service organization. They want you to speak about getting involved in community causes, such as Home Front, and Green Peace. The meeting is next Thursday at 7 pm at the newly renovated Holiday Inn."
"I didn't know I hired you as my scheduler," I said to Chris.
"Your friend Pat, the clothing store owner, suggested he needed a speaker and immediately thought of you," Chris explained. "I told him you'd be thrilled with the opportunity to share your thoughts."
"I'll leave the two of you alone with your conversation about buying banks," Mel said with a smile. "What else did you buy? Land in the middle of town where the old high school stood?"
"Thank you for the coffee, Mel," I replied.
"You're so welcome," Mel said. "Thank you for bringing a little excitement to this town. You've only been here a month, and you've already shaken the town into life."
Mel left before she started laughing.
"Chris," I said. "If you weren't my husband, I would strangle you. But, you are my husband. You need to make up your error of judgement."
"What would you like me to do for penitence?" Chris asked.
"Plan on naked bodies in bed tonight," I said. "It will be a long appointment."
"Got it," Chris said with a smile on his face.
"Chris! I'm home," I announced as I walked into the house from the garage.
No response or other sounds. `What has Chris and the kids done now?' I thought to myself. Then, I looked out the back window. Three boys, five dogs, and one adult seemed to be playing in the dirt.
I charged into the back yard and demanded an explanation, "Hey, guys! What's going on here?"
"Remember the dirt pile at the condo in the living room?" Chris began.
"Yes," I replied. "How could I forget the dirt pile at the condo in the living room?"
"We took the dirt from the dirt pile at the condo in the living room and added two more fifty-pound bags of dirt from the hardware store," Chris continued. "We now have the beginning of a garden."
"Oh," I said as I looked at Mathew and Joshua. They probably had most of the fifty-pound bags of dirt from the hardware store on them. Donny hadn't fared much better. Chris had the least amount of dirt on him, but I wouldn't invite him to bed with me until he had a long, long shower. Suddenly, I remembered when Chris and I stood in the old house after the movers took away the furniture. He had the same gym shorts and tank top on. Then, I spotted Lincoln, Roosevelt, Simon, Wallaby, and Winthrop. "Do you realize how long the dogs will be at the groomers? This could be a weeklong session of bathing."
"We're gonna grow toma... toma...," Joshua announced.
"Tomatoes?" I said to fill in the blanks.
"Yea," Joshua proudly replied. "Those things."
"Daddy said you lived on a big garden when you were our age," Donny added.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Farm, Donny," Chris corrected him. "Daddy lived on a farm, which is somewhat like a big garden."
"Oh," Donny replied. "It the farm where Mabel lives?"
"Yes," I replied as I looked down at Mathew. He suddenly wanted to be held. "Oh jeez!"
So, what did I do? I leaned down and picked him up. Dirt pile and all. "I think it's time to get all of you cleaned up for dinner. We'll go in shifts. Boys first. Dogs second. Adults third."
"Now, I understand the reason to have the mud room," I said as he pulled three boys out of their dirt pile covered clothes. "Did we put a bathroom in the mud room of the new house?"
"Yes," Chris replied. "But, we only wanted a shower in it. Maybe we should reconsider and put a bathtub in it as well."
Chris and I each took a twin. Donny raced upstairs on his own volition. We left the dogs in the enclosed back yard awaiting laundering.
After a long siege, we had accomplished our goal. We had three clean boys and five clean dogs. Now, it was our turn.
"Whose idea was the garden?" I asked as Chris and I stepped into the shower together.
"I had an epiphany while driving by the hardware store today," Chris replied as I began washing off the copious patches of dirt from his body.
"Suggestion," I added. "Next time, include hazmat suits for the kids, dogs, and you."
"They are looking at us, Sam," Chris said as he nodded toward the floor of the bathroom. Five dogs sat, tails sweeping the floor, still wet from their bath. "Guys! Could you please give us a moment of privacy?"
They filed out of the bathroom one-by-one.
"Privacy is not a Constitutional right, Sam," Chris explained as he shut off the shower. "Especially when you have three kids and five dogs in your household."
"Do you think?" I asked as we began to dry one another.
~~~~~
"It's not the Ritz, but it is a fair amount of open space," the real estate broker Yolanda said as we surveyed the interior of the old bank building in the center of town. "And you have your own bank vault."
"We could put the servers in the vault," Sawyer said as he roamed the building with us. "We could use the second floor as an employee cafeteria and fun zone."
"Fun zone?" I asked.
"Latest trend with tech companies, Sammy," Sawyer replied. "If you are a viable tech company, you need a fun zone. I've been researching tech company office environments. A fun zone and a pool table remain high on the list of required amenities."
"I'll file your information for further consideration, Sawyer," I replied. "Why is this space so cheap?"
"No one wants it," Lilly, the real estate broker, replied. "Remember where we are, Sam. Most people around here see this as an antiquated bank building which needs to be replaced by something more sleek and modern."
"What would you do with the building after we move into the new office?" Sawyer asked.
"Turn it into a community theater," I replied. "Or a contemporary art museum. My father discovered another stash of my grandparents' art collection. He's afraid to follow-up with some other potential sights."
"The Samuel and Christopher Williamson Community Theater/Contemporary Art Museum," Sawyer added. "Has a ring to it."
"I'd name it after my grandparents, Robert and Theresa Williamson," I corrected Sawyer. "My grandparents used to own the bank."
"What didn't your grandparents own in this town?" Sawyer asked.
"As we have discovered, not much," I replied. "Zach and Tim already did a thorough walk-through of the building. Let's make an offer contingent on the building inspection."
"How much do you want to offer?" Yolanda asked.
"Asking price," I replied. "If my family is buying up the town again, I don't want to make any enemies."
"When do you want to close on the property?" Yolanda asked.
"As soon as the inspection is finished," I replied. "She's scheduled for tomorrow, which is Wednesday. How about Friday?"
"Other than the vacant lot and your house, what else has your family bought?" Sawyer asked after Yolanda left us to make the offer.
"My father and Chris bought the bank down the street," I replied. "My parents are considering buying the Watson mansion. They want to downsize."
"Downsize?" Sawyer asked.
"It only has two floors, not three," I replied. "So, no more ballroom space for us."
"How will you ever manage without a ballroom on the third floor?" Sawyer asked.
"We will have the equivalent of the ballroom in the guest quarters in the back of our house," I replied. "It's on the ground floor, though."
"Sam," Yolanda said as she stepped back into the area where Sawyer and I stood. "It looks like you've bought a bank building pending the inspection."
"Terrific!" I replied. "Sawyer, please have the funds necessary for closing wired to Yolanda's escrow account."
"Me?" Sawyer asked. "What in God's name are you talking about Sam?"
"Oh!" I continued. "I forgot. You need to sign these papers. You'll have control of BuzzZone's capital account."
"Sam," Sawyer calmly began. "How much money does the BuzzZone Capital account control?"
"We just deposited five million a few weeks ago," I replied. "We'll need to refresh it as construction of the new building begins."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Sawyer said. "Why me?"
"You're our business manager, Sawyer," I replied. "Who else?"
"You," Sawyer replied.
"Sawyer," I explained. "I have committed to growing this business at a fairly rapid pace. I won't have time or energy devoted to banking. You'll be terrific at this."
"Thanks," Sawyer replied. "Do I get a raise?"
"In a few months, I will take our human resources team evaluation under advisement," I replied.
"Who's the HR team?" Sawyer asked.
"You," I replied.
"Oh!" Sawyer said as we left the soon-to-be offices of BuzzZone.
~~~~~
`We really will need to buy a jet,' I said to myself as I parked my Mustang in our garage. I needed to make a quick trip to Nashville to see a potential client. I drove three hours each way to save five hours each way if I flew. It was all worth the effort when I stepped into the house. Three kids, five dogs, and one husband greeted me when I walked through the door.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" the three boys exclaimed as they wrapped themselves around my legs.
The five dogs circled as they waited for their turn to receive attention. I picked up Mathew and Joshua as Donny led me to the kitchen island where Chris had milk, coffee, and cookies waiting. I really hoped for a vodka on the rocks, but this will suffice for the moment.
"Welcome home, Daddy," Chris said as he kissed me. He whispered to me, "I'll spike your coffee."
"Thanks, sweetie," I replied as I sat Mathew and Joshua on the kitchen island. Donny miraculously made his way to the top of the island as well. "It's good to be home."
The five dogs sat in a semicircle waiting for their turn for attention. Tails sweeping the floor. Eyes fixed on my every movement. I knelt in front of them and gave each one an ear rub. All five managed to get a lick of my face in before I sat on the seat in front of the island.
I was home.
"How did the trip go?" Chris asked.
"Unbelievable," I replied. "I'm still trying to make sense of what happened. But, unless I am mistaken, BuzzZone is now the exclusive website developer for new talent at Nashville Music. Chris... this is big!"
"How big?" Chris asked.
"Freaking huge," I replied. "I tried to wrap my head around this the entire trip home. Nashville Music signs more new country talent than any other recording business in Nashville. And BuzzZone will produce all the websites for all the new talent. Twenty a month. All unique. No cookie cutter designs. I need to get our team down here and double the people on staff."
"Wow!" Chris exclaimed. "You'll be happy to know I haven't been sitting here organizing the garden club with the boys. Sawyer and Tom, in your absence, asked me to survey the renovation project. The building will be ready for occupancy on schedule. And it looks unbelievably perfect. You will have your team on board, as scheduled, in one month."
"Did the tech guys start the installation yesterday?" I asked.
"Yup," Chris replied. "A swarm of tech guys. Several Microsoft Partner vehicles made quite a stir yesterday. No one in town has seen so many tech guys in one place before. You also have sixteen resumes waiting for you to review. The word is out."
"I hope ten of those people with resumes know how to build a website," I replied. "Otherwise, I will have an overworked staff. Any other news?"
"Your friend Pat, the clothing store owner, stopped by our table while I treated the boys to lunch at Mel's," Chris began. "He heard through unofficial sources your new office building will have retail space on the first floor. He's interested in moving his store if the building would accommodate his needs."
"News travels fast," I replied.
"When do we buy a jet?" Chris asked.
"Soon," I replied. "I have two trips to LA scheduled. One next month, and on the following month. I hate flying coach."
"We might not really need to BUY a jet," Chris demurely added. "My grandfather called while you were in Nashville. His firm is replacing the small jet with a new one which is faster. He suggested the firm might be willing to let us lease the small jet when we need it at a fixed price per trip. We could keep it at the newly revived former Air Force base."
"What did you promise your grandfather in return for his generosity?" I asked.
"He wants us to visit them in San Diego," Chris said with a smile. "All of us. Boys, dogs, cats, and us. He also wants to speak to us about a potential joint investment."
"Joint investment?" I asked.
"He didn't give me the details," Chris explained. "He wants to speak with us personally. I think my grandmother has a hand in his scheming."
"Nothing unusual so far," I replied as Joshua climbed on my shoulders. Mathew made it to Chris's. "How are they doing in California?"
"Terrific," Chris replied. "He seemed to have a lilt to his voice. They hit the charity scene and are now heavily involved in a gazillion events."
"We can plan an outing to coincide with my first trip to LA," I added. "We've never flown with the whole group, you know."
"The joys of having a private plane at our disposal has advantages," Chris said. "We need to make a date to have a private discussion."
"Why?" I asked with a smile.
"I've missed you," Chris replied.
~~~~~
We finished renovating the old bank building almost three months after I acquired BuzzZone. It's an amazing space. Zack somehow managed to transform the old space into an open, bright, cheery, and comfortable workspace.
I gathered the staff for a late morning meeting to talk about our future at BuzzZone. I had returned late Friday evening from LA after a week of client meetings. It took all weekend for me to piece together my notes which needed to be transformed into work plans for the staff. We needed more staff.
Sawyer trotted through the door last.
"Sorry I'm late," Sawyer explained. He was a little out of breath. "I needed to finalize some plans with the recruiter."
"All Buzzers are accounted for, Sir," Harrison said.
"Thank you, Harrison," I replied. "We have a few items of business to discuss. First of all, thank you for your excellent work on the proposals I took to LA. I have letters of intent from three of the groups I spoke with. We have a lot of work to do. Sawyer also has some news to share with us about additional staff."
"Hope looms around the corner, Buzzers," Sawyer began. "The recruiter we hired has fifteen candidates for designer positions. We will interview these candidates within the next two weeks. Most have some experience in website design. Others not so much. All of us will be involved in the interview process. As Sammie put it, we all need to work together. Sam has more news."
"By the end of the first phase of the interviewing process, I hope to have at least one new staff member assigned to Grayson, Joel, AJ, Max, Jake, and Melinda. So, out of the fifteen, we will hire six. We need to make decisions and make offers as quickly as possible. If you want one of these fifteen to work with you, tell us. You will have your new staff member on board within a few weeks. I don't want to agonize over choices. If they are all good candidates, we might hire all fifteen."
"You're moving rather fast," AJ said. "I assume this means we have new business to support the growth."
"Your assumption is correct, AJ," I replied. "I also have a stack of resumes from local people who heard we were looking for staff. Claris has four scheduled to talk with me this week."
I paused before I continued. "I'm giving Grayson, Joel, and Melinda project responsibility for the three clients who have given us letters of intent. You may be traveling to LA from time-to-time. I want Tom, Glen, and AJ to supervise the Nashville contract. I also want Jake and Max to supervise all of the other design projects we have under contract. And, I want Clarise and Sawyer to keep all of us geeks on track. So, you're all now managers. I'll add ten percent to your salary starting today. Any questions?"
"Will you also be giving us company cars?" Glen asked with a smile.
"No, but you all will have a company American Express card by the end of this week," I continued. "Use it to cover expenses for the car. How is the housing hunt going?"
"We're hoping to make an offer on a new construction house within the next few days."e
~~~~~
My phone rang. It was Clarise. "This is Sam."
"Sam, I have Justin McCloud here to see you," Clarise said.
"I'll be right out," I said as I grabbed Mr. McCloud's file and headed to the reception area. I began interviewing local talent for new design positions three days ago. No one appealed to me so far.
"Justin," I said as I stepped into the reception area with my hand outstretched to greet the job candidate. "I'm Sam Williamson."
"Good morning, Mr. Williamson," Justin replied. "Thank you for speaking with me."
"Could I get you something?" I asked. "Water? Coffee?"
"No, thank you, Sir," Justin replied. "I'm fine."
We stepped into a glass enclosed conference room to begin our session.
"Tell me about yourself, Justin," I suggested.
"Just like you, I was raised in a small town," Justin began. "My father served in the Marines. An IUD blew up when he was on patrol. It killed him. My mother stayed single until I was a freshman in college. She married my step-father who lives here. I went to SIU and majored in graphic arts with a bent toward websites. I'm finding my choice of majors to be somewhat of an obstacle to getting a position designing websites. I'm a fast learner, though."
"Have you explored designing websites?" I asked.
"I still have my Adobe school Creative Cloud account," Justin continued. "Just by chance, I started playing with Adobe Muse. I enjoy being creative without worrying about the code and the back end of the site. I had a class in school where we used Dreamweaver to create projects. I liked Dreamweaver until I discovered Muse."
"Do you have any examples of a Muse project?" I asked.
"I do have a few projects I have experimented with over the summer," Justin explained as he pulled out his laptop.
He showed me an extremely well thought out website in Muse, an outstanding drawing done in Illustrator, a photo enhancement in Photoshop, and a video he made using clips he took in Premiere Pro.
"This is outstanding work. It shows your creativity and highlights your ingenuity. I believe you have just landed a job at a website development company," I said with a smile. "Tell me about your family."
"You'll find out eventually anyway, but here goes," Justin began. "My mom married my step-father when I went off to college. Somehow, she seemed lonely with me gone. Anyway, I have a step-brother the same age. You know him. Seth Broderick."
I moved from my seat across from Justin to the chair beside Justin.
"Did your step-brother tell you about how we know one another?" I asked.
"Yes," Justin said quietly. "He bragged about beating you up because you were gay."
"Did he mention the three other dudes who did the dirty work after he incited the incident?" I asked.
"He said he beat you up because you were gay," Justin continued. "He didn't mention anyone else."
"I'm certain he used the word `fag' or `faggot.' Did he tell you what happened after he and the three other goons beat me up?" I asked.
"He said your family pulled some strings to get him expelled," Justin replied.
"Did he tell you the captain of the football team and a few other players confronted him and told him he would be toast if he did anything like this again?" I asked. "Did he tell you my mother sued the board of education to get Seth removed from the school?"
"No," Justin replied as he looked at the floor in front of him.
"How would you feel working for a gay person?" I asked.
"Here's the rub," Justin said. "I'm gay, too. I'll get the shit beat out of me if I tell my mother because she will tell my step-father and his son."
"How will your step-father and step-brother feel about you working for a gay person?" I asked.
"They won't be happy," Justin added. "Thanks for speaking with me today. I thought I might have a chance to work here, but I know I'd be putting you at risk."
"I want to hire you," I replied. "So, I'm offering you a position at BuzzZone as user interface and creative designer. Salary to start: $85 thousand. We cover health insurance. We also offer four weeks' vacation, fifteen personal days, medical leave as necessary, and family leave. These are just a few of the benefits of working for BuzzZone. I will let Clarise explain the rest. What do you think? Would you like to work at BuzzZone?"
"Absolutely," Justin replied.
"When can you start?" I asked.
"When do you want me to start?" Justin asked.
"Tomorrow? Next week? How much time do you need?" I asked.
"Tomorrow is fine," Justin replied with a smile big enough to light up a room.
"This is a safe work environment, Justin," I continued. "We want you to be yourself, interact with your colleagues, enjoy the work, and have fun. I know you'll accomplish a lot here. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Sir," Justin replied.
"It's not Sir, Justin," I corrected him. "I'm Sam. We're equals here."
"Let's go meet the other Buzzers," I said as Justin followed me out of the conference room.
~~~~~
"I'm meeting Chris for lunch at Mel's," I said to Clarise as I stopped at her desk to update her on my plans. "Call me if you need me for something. Otherwise, I'll be back in ninety minutes."
"I suspect we can manage without you while you enjoy your lunch," Clarise replied. "Justin seems to be fitting in really well."
"He does," I replied. "I'm certain he and Max will work well together. Justin's an extremely creative guy. He'll fit right in and contribute significantly."
"Go," Clarise said to me. "Please give my best to Chris."
"I will," I said as I left the office. I walked the two blocks to Mel's.
Chris arrived at the same time I did. We hugged and went in.
"At last!" Mel exclaimed as we walked through the door. "I thought you'd returned to the big city!"
"Isn't happening, Mel," I replied. "We've just been incredibly busy."
"I hear rumors you're importing more people," Mel added. "Are my sources correct?"
"Yes," I replied. "Our staff of twelve grew to twenty in one month. It's getting bigger in two more months."
"I also heard you hired Seth Broderick's step-brother," Mel added. "Why? After what Broderick did to you, I thought you wouldn't want any of his family around you."
"Just the opposite," I replied. "Justin is a nice and very, very talented young man."
"Don't forget who hired him, Mel," Chris began. "Sam can not only be very empathetic, he also can be one stubborn badass when he wants to be. I'd assume Mr. Broderick and his family are now fuming!"
"Probably," Mel replied. "What can I get the two new superstars of the town?"
"Special of the day," I replied.
"Same," Chris added.
"Two specials of the day," Mel said as she slipped away from the table.
"How's your day going?" Chris asked.
"Surprisingly well," I replied. "I'm hoping it will continue. I could use a week without trauma. How has your day gone so far?"
"I worked on my lesson plans all morning," Chris began. "Fortunately, the former music teacher left copious notes and a huge binder of lesson plans for every class. A year of lesson plans. It makes my life easier, but I want to be creative on my own."
"And I'm certain you will be, Chris," I replied. "You'll have a wonderful time teaching the kids..., and the kids will have an exciting time learning from you. You really are a born teacher."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Chris added. "I hope I'm not in over my head on this one."
"You'll do a great job, Chris," I countered.
"Yea, Chris," Mel added as she arrived with our food. "You'll do a terrific job. My oldest, Kevin, wants to be a rock star. I'd settle for a piano teacher. He's in your vocal class."
"Your son is in high school?" I asked.
"He's my step-son, but yes," Mel continued. "Tom just wants him to have an education."
"What college did Tom go to?" I asked.
"He didn't," Mel replied. "He went into the Marines right after high school. He always wanted to go back to school for a degree, but Kevin came along unexpectedly. Now we have two more."
"But, he's a financial genius," I added. "Half the town depends on him to keep their financial house working in high gear."
"He's just intuitively creative," Mel said with a smile. "I'll leave you boys alone so you can get creative. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks, Mel," I replied. "What about this idea of your grandfather's?"
"I think he is out of his mind," Chris replied. "I didn't think he was serious when he first started talking about buying a ranch in Montana. He knows even less than I do about ranching, and I know absolutely nothing. But he felt sorry for the cows."
"He felt sorry for the cows?" I added. "How can a sane person feel sorry for a cow? They lead good lives. They have a purpose in life."
"What purpose?" Chris asked.
"Provide food for people," I replied.
"So, let me get this straight," Chris continued. "A cow lives a good life. A cow's good life consists of eating, drinking, and defecating while waiting for their ultimate sacrifice—to become someone's lunch."
"Yes," I replied. "They have no worries. They have friends around them. Unlike some Americans, their health care is paid for. They have a place to exercise. What more could they ask for?"
"Ask Mabel," Chris said. "She'd be able to give you her opinion. Why didn't Mabel become someone's lunch?"
"We couldn't," I explained. "Mabel and I became very attached to one another at a young age. My parents knew I would need psychiatric help for the rest of my life if they sent Mabel off to the hamburger factory."
"I see your point," Chris said. "Your decision, if I am understanding you correctly, is to opt out of this particular investment."
"Exactly," I said as I finished my lunch before retreating back to the office.
~~~~~
"No," I said loudly into the phone. Our attorney had finished telling me about a slight holdup with the new house. "I will not give in to Mr. Ritter's whims. He can whine all he wants to whine, and I will find a way to build our house exactly as we want. Tell the idiot I want to meet with him, our architect, and our contractor tomorrow afternoon."
As I hung up the phone, I noticed Sawyer and Justin outside my door. "Come in, guys. What's up?"
"Now we know never to get on the side of an issue against you, Sammie," Sawyer said with a grin.
"You know very well I'm not usually the bully, but this Ritter dude is pissing me off," I replied. "What can I do for you this morning?"
"Justin came to me for advice," Sawyer began. "I thought you'd be the better person to offer advice because you know the players."
I looked at Justin.
"I told my family I was offered a position at BuzzZone as a creative designer," Justin said quietly. "I never told them you owned BuzzZone. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until last night. Seth and my step-dad kept firing questions at me about BuzzZone. I managed to stay just on the other side of telling them you owned the company. I don't think this will last much longer. I hope the dynamic duo doesn't make trouble for you, Sam. I'm worried ugly things might happen."
"We'll get through this," I replied. "Do you feel unsafe living with them, Justin?"
"I'm watching my back," Justin replied. "Either Seth or my step-father could explode at any minute. I have my important possessions in the trunk of my car. At the first sign of anger, I'm out the door."
"Why do you think Seth and your step-father don't know who owns BuzzZone?" I asked. "It's hardly been kept secret."
"If they knew you owned BuzzZone, I probably wouldn't be here now," Justin replied.
"What if you called your mother and told her you need to go out of town for business?" Sawyer asked.
"She'd have twenty questions asking me about when, where, why, and how," Justin replied. "Why?"
"You could stay with Glen and me," Sawyer replied.
"I'll be okay, guys," Justin added. "They won't hurt me. They'd be in too much trouble."
"Let's hope they realize how much trouble they would be in," I replied. "Justin, I want you to promise to call me the moment you even THINK things may be going badly."
"I promise I will call you, Sam," Justin agreed. "I'll be careful, but I don't want anything to happen to you, the employees here, or the office."
"We'll survive, Justin," I added. "I will call the police chief and tell him of a possible family altercation. Are you okay with this?"
"Yes," Justin quietly replied.
"Go build a website," I suggested as we closed off the meeting. I picked up the phone and dialed.
"This is a pleasant surprise," the voice replied.
"Dad, I need some advice," I began my explanation of Justin's problem.
"I agree you should call Chief Evans," my Dad said. "Think about having some security present in the reception area. I don't trust Seth Broderick or his father Edgar. Seth has started his share of brawls in the streets, in the bars, and, once, during a traffic altercation."
"I don't want an armed guard in uniform standing in the entrance of BuzzZone," I said. "And I don't want to alarm the staff."
"What about outside in a car?" my father suggested.
"Where do I find a security guard in this town?" I asked.
"Call your high school classmate," my father said. "Tina Dressler. She owns the only security business in town."
"Tina?" I asked. "The prom queen? She owns a security business?"
"Yes," Dad replied. "She started the business after she finished her service with the Marines."
"You've got to be shitting me!" I exclaimed. "Tina Dressler is a Marine?"
"Yes," Dad replied. "She's engaged to a fellow Marine. They moved here after they finished their stint with the Marine Corps. They met during a special operations mission and are partners in the business."
"Do you have a phone number?" I asked.
"Yes, I'll text it to you when we're finished here," Dad replied. "Are you and your gang busy on Sunday?"
"I don't think so, why?" I asked.
"We thought it would be nice if we could have a barbeque here on Sunday," Dad added.
"I'll talk to Chris," I replied. "We are being summoned, why?"
"Just to visit," Dad replied.
"Got it," I replied. "I'll let you know after I speak to Chris."
We ended the call. My phone buzzed announcing a text. I called Tina.
"Tina! This is Sam Williamson," I said into the phone.
"Sam!" Tina shouted into the phone. "I heard you were back in town with a husband and three kids!"
"Yup," I replied. "And five dogs and two cats."
"We need to get together and chat," Tina said. "My boyfriend, soon to be husband, has heard all about you. He'll be excited to meet you and your family. I have a feeling this is not, however, a social call."
"My father recommended I call you," I began. "We have need of security against a possible attack on one of my employees who happens to be the step-brother of Seth Broderick."
"Will he ever just go away?" Tina replied. "What kind of security?"
"I'm not certain what we need," I replied.
"What if Barron, my boyfriend and business partner, and I visit your office and discuss your needs," Tina suggested. "Do you have any time this afternoon?"
"Sure," I replied. "I don't have any events scheduled this afternoon. A crisis may rear its ugly head, but I have no meetings. How's 2 pm?"
"Perfect," Tina added. "We'll see you at two."
The day continued. I made my rounds. I grabbed a sandwich from Mel's across the street, and ate at my desk. I jumped when my phone broke the silence.
"Sam," I said when I picked up the phone.
"Your two o'clock visitors are here," Clarise said.
"I'll be right with you," I said as I ended the call and made my way to the reception area.
"Tina!" I exclaimed when I saw her in the reception area.
She looked exactly like she did in high school, except her hair looked blonder, and she dressed in black. Black slacks. Black jacket over a white blouse. Black stilettoes. We hugged.
"Sam," Tina said as we turned our attention to the man who accompanied her. "This is Bradley Mikosa, my business partner. Bradley, this is the one and only Sam Williamson."
We shook hands as I tried with all my will power not to stare at Bradley's amazing body. Six-six, jet black hair closely cut and perfectly spiked. His body, even in his impeccably tailored black suit, would make most body builders jealous.
"I finally meet the topic of many of our conversations," Bradley said as he released my almost broken wrist.
"How are you enjoying life in our small town?" I asked.
"We've become acclimatized," Bradley replied. "I grew up in the din of Brooklyn. So, this is a pleasant change."
"Before we digress into social niceties, tell us about your situation, Sam," Tina said as we settled into four chairs to the right of my desk.
"Do you remember Seth Broderick?" I asked.
"How could I forget one of the biggest assholes in our high school graduating class?" Tina said. "Although, he didn't graduate, did he?"
"No," I said with a smile. "Something drove him to abandon high school in his junior year. He's a step-brother to one of my employees, Justin McCloud. I believe his dumbass step-brother and equally stupid step-father haven't grasped the fact I own the company Justin works for. Justin also hasn't told them much except he was hired to work at BuzzZone. Justin is also gay, except his family doesn't know it."
"I definitely see the problem here," Tina added. "Security for you and the firm or the employee?"
"All of the above," I replied. "Mostly for Justin. I don't trust Seth and his father."
"What about your family?" Tina asked.
"The house has an alarm," I replied. "We need to figure out how to use it, but the house did come with an alarm."
"We can help you figure it out," Bradley added. "Besides, you're a computer geek, right?"
"I am indeed," I replied. "My Dad suggested we have someone watching BuzzZone. We have cameras in the reception area."
"We could install a panic button," Tina suggested. "It automatically calls us and the police who are only a few blocks away from your office. I suspect, however, the Broderick boys won't attack the office. Too many people. Daylight. They seem more the attack in the dark when no one is around type."
"So, protecting Justin is more important than protecting me and the office," I added.
"Yes," Bradley replied. "I don't know these guys, but from what Tina has told me, they will want to direct their anger at someone nearby. So, yes, I believe protecting your employee should be the priority."
"Shall we talk with Justin?" I asked. "I want our operations manager with us during our conversation with Justin."
"Absolutely," Tina replied.
I picked up the phone and called Sawyer.
"Hello, Sammie," Sawyer said as he answered the call.
"Hello, Sawyer," I began. "I have two people from a local security firm in my office. We'd like to speak with you and Justin. Could you round him up and join us?"
"Be right there," Sawyer replied.
"Sam," Tina began. "Before your employees arrive, I want to warn you. This will be our first mission of this type as a business. We've done mostly event security. But, our special ops training make us veterans with this type of operation."
"You don't need to sell me, Tina," I replied. "If I remember correctly, you helped me out of a few scrapes in high school."
Tina smiled.
Sawyer knocked on the door before entering. Justin stood behind him.
"Have a seat," I began. "This is Tina Dressler and Bradley Mikosa. They own a security company here in town. Tina, Bradley, this is Justin McCloud and Sawyer Cunningham. Justin is a new member of our design team, and Sawyer is our operations manager."
"Unless I have my human resources hat on," Sawyer added. "Sometimes I'm the custodian, too. But, hey! This is a startup."
"Justin, we wanted to speak with you about arranging some security for you while you are with your family," I explained. "Would you be willing to work with us here?"
"I don't want to be trouble for you, Sam," Justin replied. "I'll be okay."
"Justin," Tina took over. "I'm certain you are a very confident person who can stand up for himself in normal circumstances. Sam and I went to high school together. I know Seth Broderick and his father, Edgar, all too well. They have never been honorable men. So, please let Sam, Bradley, and me help you."
"What do I need to do?" Justin asked quietly.
"We will need to install an app on your phone," Bradley explained. "It will allow us to monitor the conversation around you once you push this panic button. The panic button will escalate the situation, and we'll be at the front door of the house in a few moments. The police will be right behind us."
"What if I can't push the panic button?" Justin asked.
"The phone will buzz every thirty minutes unless you initiate a time out so you can take a shower and so forth." Tina explained. "You have ten minutes to respond. If you don't, we'll be at your front door posing as a Fed Express delivery person. We will have a package we can only deliver to you in person. Do you have any questions?"
"Is all of this really necessary?" Justin asked. "It seems like such a bother for all of you."
"Sam doesn't know it yet, but we get paid rather handsomely for this kind of work," Tina added with a smile in my direction.
"We can schedule this surveillance for the next two evenings you are at home," Bradley suggested. "We can decide on future security measures in the future if necessary."
"Okay," Justin agreed. "I'm game. I just I don't want to cost a lot of money for you, Sam, for no reason."
"It's only money, Justin," I replied. "I'd rather have you working for us than having the money lurking in my checking account."
"Thank you," Justin replied. "All of you."
Justin and Sawyer left the room while Tina and Bradley stayed behind.
"You did the right thing, Sam," Tina added. "You could see the fear in the guy's eyes. He's terrified of his step-brother and step-father."
"How much IS this costing me?" I asked with a smile.
"We bill at $250 per person per hour," Bradley replied. "Since we want a reference from you, we'll give you fifty percent off for this gig."
"Thank you for the offer," I replied. "Do you need a retainer?"
"We would normally ask for one," Tina replied.
I grabbed the phone and called Sawyer. "Sawyer," I said after he answered the phone. "We need a six-thousand-dollar check as a retainer for Dressler and Mikosa Security."
"I'll categorize it as employee security," Sawyer replied. "Give me ten minutes. I'll deliver it to your office."
"Thanks, Sawyer," I replied.
"So, Sam," Tina turned to a different topic of discussion. "Why did you decide to return to town? I would have thought you were more suited to an urban environment."
"My husband Chris and I, along with my father and a few other people in the area, saw the potential of the area as more companies sought refuge from expensive large urban areas. We also saw a quality of life for our boys here we could never hope to achieve in a city. But, we aren't totally giving up on urban life. We have a condo in Chicago we will keep. The boys need to be exposed to things only a large metropolitan area has to offer, such as a vibrant art and music scene, community based programs, and other advantages of living in a city. Why did you decide to return?"
"We saw the opportunities here as businesses move in and grow," Tina explained. "We are, at the moment at least, the only security team in the area. Besides, Bradley wants a few kids, a dog, and a backyard garden. He's really a mild mannered guy—until he isn't."
"I certainly would like to remain on your side, Bradley," I said with a smile. "How tall are you anyway?"
"Six-seven," Bradley replied. "I find it hard to melt into a crowd of people. Here, at least, the crowds are smaller, and I have fewer reasons to melt."
~~~~~
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