Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 17:24:24 -0800 (PST) From: Orrin Rush Subject: The Lifeguard #36 Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. If you are offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go somewhere else. Copyright c 2000 by Orrin C. Rush. All rights reserved. Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed electronically or in any other manner without the express, written consent of the author. This is a work of fiction, any resemblance of the characters to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence and not intended. They are all products of the author's imagination. -------------------------------------------------------------- THE LIFEGUARD Chapter 36 "That's just a sample," he said. "Wait'll tonight. I'm gonna make you cum so hard and for so long that you won't be able to move for days." Still gasping, I managed to tease "Promises, Promises!" "You'll see." - - - - - "Don't move," he said when he walked out of the bathroom, his long hard dick bobbing in front of him. "This is my party tonight." He pushed my legs apart and crawled between them, holding my knees up so his legs could slide up along my sides. Dick to dick, he leaned forward and pulled me up for a long kiss. That alone would have been enough for me! Lowering me, he spread a very generous amount of lube on his hand, then put the bottle within my reach. Rubbing his hands together to spread it and warm them, he slowly descended to my throbbing, leaking dick. His strokes were feather light, tantalizing, making me gasp and arch forward with the sensations. He had a mischevious grin on his face and his eyes never left mine. The light stroking and the vision before me of his awesome torso made me want to erupt, but Eric had other ideas. I relaxed and let the visual and tactile sensations take charge. He sensed my closeness to the edge and leaned forward to tongue my nipples, holding his hands still. I cooled, and he started stroking again, close call avoided. Another trip up to the edge, another cooling period and replenishment of lube. He read my reactions so well that he could ease up to the edge, dance around it, then let me back off. The agony, for me, was not knowing if he'd stop in time, or if he'd push me over. When he finally did, it was more intense than any time I could remember. I bucked and squirted, shivered and shook, and after the main event, just lay there twitching with aftershocks. His head was next to mine, his arm across my chest holding me tight. I was in no rush to recover. "I think you set a record," he giggled softly in my ear. "I told you it was going to be long and hard." "It IS long and hard," I said reaching for him. He pushed my hand away, though. "If you even touch me now, it'll be all over," he said. "Give me a few minutes." He got up to go wash the lube off his hands, returning without the raging boner he'd had earlier. Good. I could start from scratch! He lay passively while I scooted into position between his legs. I could understand how he'd gotten close while "doing" me - my own dick was rising as I gazed at his pointing skyward. God, what a turnon! I lubed my hands and started the slow, light strokes. I watched his eyes open and close slowly as he enjoyed. I knew him well, too. The groans and gasps I understood, but knew that when he whimpered, it was time to stop. My hands are fairly large, but there were two fistfuls with room to spare. Having his pulsing tool in my hands was getting me as close as I was getting him. The interval between cooling down periods was shortening, and after a long stop in "neutral", I pushed him up to the edge, held him there as long as I could, then pushed him over. First, he stiffened his whole body, then, as he started cumming, his body went into spasms, rising, twisting and jerking. I held on through the whole ride, milking the hot spunk out of him in unending spurts. He seemed to relax for a few seconds, then stiffened and came a second time. Not as long or intensely as the first time, but nevertheless a very powerful orgasm. He must've felt my hard dick against his leg because he took it in his hand and with a couple of quick strokes, I shot all over him. "Film at eleven," he chuckled. "What do you mean by that? I asked "The camera was running," he laughed. "Want to watch it tonight or later?" "Later," I groaned. - - - - - "It's time to get creative," I told Eric, Annie and Tina. "We need to come up with some names for the new companies." "We need some good ones, too," Eric agreed. "Let's do something original." "Think Mythology," I suggested, "or maybe something having to do with Alexander the Great." I winked at Eric. They all agreed to think about it. "I think we've found our man," Annie said, changing course. "For what?" I asked. "To run the development company," Eric added. "He's got experience in both residential and commercial, and a really impressive track record." "A real nice guy, too," Annie said. "We want you to meet him before we hire him." "Why?" I asked. "I trust your judgment." "We'd just feel better if we had your approval," Eric said, smiling. "OK, bring him on," I told them. Annie had a small conference room in her office across the street. The whole crew was on hand when Dean was ushered in. Eric introduced him to Tina and to me. I'd seen his resume and was impressed. He had also passed all of our tests, including Bob's "Sensitivity" evaluation, but I still had a few questions. After the preliminaries were gotten out of the way, I asked one of them. "You've been with your last employer about seven years, what makes you want to make a move?" "I'm about to run out of anything to do," Dean answered, smiling. "All of the properties that they own have been developed out, and they aren't looking for more. All the projects we've been working on are nearing completion, so it's a good time for me to leave. I have their blessing, by the way." "How much do you know about what we're planning to do?" I asked. "I know that you recently purchased Catalina Pacific Properties, and I also know that virtually nobody outside that company knows the extent of their holdings. I'm assuming that you plan to develop those, and after talking with Henry, learned that you have big plans and have the resources to make them happen." I had to chuckle. "We own the company," I told him, "but we are still finding more property ourselves. Now, I have one more question. We're a family company, privately held. The four of us here are the owners. My question is: How do you think you'll get along with us?" "I've done my homework too," he smiled. "It's almost impossible to find out anything specific about Metalco, Lundborg Rush, or any of the other companies that you own, but you have the reputation of finding the best people available, then turning them loose. I'm pretty sure I could work well with all of you." "That's pretty much the way we work," I told him, "but, be warned that we're all involved in everything that goes on." "I would want that," he answered. "I don't have all the answers." All the rest had a few more questions, then the meeting was over. Eric and Annie had talked with him, Tina hadn't, so I asked for her opinion. "He's qualified," she said, "and he doesn't talk 'down' to us. I like that." "Then, let's hire him," I said. "I'll leave it all up to you guys." - - - - - Dean was anxious to start, and his former employers let him go as soon as he accepted our offer. Although I wasn't in daily contact with him, I heard a lot from Eric, Annie and Tina who were. The three of them spent a whole week introducing him to the way we operated and what our long-term plans were. In most cases, he agreed, but had suggestions on everything that would either simplify or enhance our overall plans. Everyone agreed that the Silicon Valley project was Priority #1, and since none of us had even seen it, we hopped on the plane to go have a look. Jason flew as low and as slow over the tract as the FAA allowed, but you couldn't really tell much from that altitude. From the ground, it was completely different. What looked to me like a bunch of bare hills and valleys was seen completely differently by Dean. "Even with the Topo maps, I had no idea this land had so much character...and potential!" he raved. "Now I see why Henry was so excited." It was in the foothills of the Coast Range, not too rugged and not much vegetation except a few big Oak trees and a lot of scrub. We drove the perimeter as much as possible, driving the dirt roads onto the property whenever we found one. I obviously didn't have Henry's imagination, or Dean's either, because I couldn't envision what would soon be happening. Eric, Annie and Tina were much more attuned to Dean's descriptions of how roads would go "here", and lots developed "there", and bigger, estate sized parcels "over there". They could see it, I couldn't, yet. Passing a small shopping center that abutted the property, Dean saw something else. "This type of center won't begin to handle the population once we get started," he said. "It's a good central location, and we could provide access from the whole project. They'll have to expand, and the only place they have to go is onto our property. That's some rather valuable commercial land we have there." "Why not develop it ourselves?" Annie asked. "That's a possibility," Dean answered, "but do you want to get into the Property Management business?" "We're going to be in it anyway," Tina added. "We'll be building a lot of apartments, so, why not combine them?" "It'll take millions of dollars..." Dean said. "Not a problem," Annie said. "We've got virtually unlimited borrowing power. Some of the lenders I work with on the Hotels are so anxious to get involved in this project they can't stand it! We're already 'into' them for about $15 billion, and they want more of the action." "Sorry," Dean said a bit embarassed. "I keep forgetting how big you really are." A few days later, Dean had put together a "Plan of Action" outline that he wanted to go over with all of us. It consisted of one page, but everything was covered. I liked his brevity. He explained it point by point, detailing how he would like to implement his plans, using language that we could all understand. Using Henry's conceptual Master Plan, he wanted to "flesh it out". This meant detailed layout of the entire tract, right down to where water, sewer and power lines would go. This would give the City, who would approve the project, sufficient information to act. To accomplish this, he suggested that we build our own Engineering team which he would supervise. This brought a groan from Annie. "Where are we gonna put em?" she wanted to know. "We'll be in the new building in three or four months," Tina spoke up. "We can find more temporary space around here until then." "Most of the initial work will be on-site," Dean explained. "We have to survey the whole thing first, so maybe a satellite office up there would be best for starters." It was pretty clear to me that Dean was a "Take charge" type. That's exactly what we needed, and after a little discussion, we gave him the go-ahead to get started. - - - - - "I think I'm ready to take some time off," Annie announced as she plopped down in the den. "Everything is under control and I want to get out of town for a couple of weeks." "Any plans?" Eric asked. "I want to spend a little time in New York," she said, "and I was going to ask you if I could stay at your place. After that, I'd like to head for the Caribbean." "You don't have to ask," Eric told her. "That place is 'OURS', and that includes you. Have you ever met Sarah?" "No, but from what you say, she's a really cool lady." "Make you a deal," he said. "I'll fly back with you, show you how the place 'works', introduce you to Sarah, then leave you on your own. OK?" "That'd be great, but I know my way around, and I don't need a babysitter," she chuckled. "I don't want Sarah to feel obligated to entertain me, either." "I'll only stay over night, then YOU decide what you want to do," Eric told her. "Deal," Annie agreed. "How about next week?" "I'm ready when you are," he told her. I really wanted to go too, but this was between them. Having a couple of days to myself would be kind of nice, too. Eric made all the arrangements and they left early Saturday morning. Eric planned to return on Sunday. - - - - - The only plans I had for the weekend were to be lazy and maybe do a little reading - find a trashy novel to escape in. Mary and Sam, however, had other plans. They cornered me while I was eating breakfast and reading the paper. "How do you like the new Chef?" Mary wanted to know. Rene had only been there a week, one that Chef Maurice had picked out for her. "I think he's doing fine," I answered. "How does he like us?" "He says he's happy here. I think he's still a little intimidated by all of you, particularly Annie. She can scare anybody, particularly in the morning." "How well I know!" I laughed. "I hide from her in the mornings too." "By the way," Mary continued, "I had Rene checked out by Security and everybody else. Don't want another Barbara around here. I still feel terrible about that." "Don't," I told her seriously. "Those people were after us, and it could have been a lot worse. I see you also have a couple of new 'girls'." "Yes, and they were checked out too. What we really want to talk about is that vacation we haven't taken yet. Is your offer still open?" I remembered, the Cruise. "Of course it is. Where would you like to go? The Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Alaska?" "You and Eric had such a wonderful time on that Caribbean Cruise that we'd like to go on that one too." "When do you want to go?" I asked. "I figure Rene'll be ready to take over in two or three more weeks, anytime after that unless you're planning any big parties that I don't know about." "No Parties, and I'll have Dan bring you a bunch of brochures. Pick out any cruise you want." Now it was Sam's turn. "Have you looked over the 'back 40' since we've been working on it?" he asked. "No, I haven't," I told him honestly. "Got time to take a walk? We're about done with it." "Sure, let's go," I said, rising. I'd seen the plans, but had no idea what it would look like now. It had always been just a weed patch that I'd bought as "insulation" from our neighbors. I'd seen the slate walkway that had been built from the deck leading around the end of the house, but had never followed it. When we rounded the corner, it was like a tropical paradise, fully grown. Lawn now stretched all the way to the tennis courts, and I could just barely see Sam's greenhouse behind them. The lawn went all the way to the cliff, but on the other side was a jungle. Full grown trees had been moved in, and the tropical foliage and flowers were lush and beautiful. Occasionally there were paved paths through the jungle and I followed one of them. On the other side was a paved parking area that would hold a lot of cars. "Now we'll have someplace to park cars when you have a party," Sam said. "This is unbelievable," I told him. "You did it all right under my nose and I didn't even notice." "We tried not to cause any disruption, even when the cranes came in to set the trees." "They look like they grew here," I told him, "like they've been here for years." "We got 'specimens', some of them are 50 or 60 years old, and they seem to like it here." He was obviously very proud of his accomplishment, but was itchy to show me his pride and joy - the greenhouse. First, we entered a "Shade House", shaded from the sun with some kind of cloth, and filled with large tropical plants. "This is where we 'recondition' the plants from the house," he explained. "Now I can rotate them rather than replace them when they get tired of the low light in the house." Next was the greenhouse itself. It was a lot bigger than it looked. Sam explained that here was where they grew the "bedding plants" that provided year-round color to the whole yard. Another section was where he grew flowers for cutting, forcing them into bloom all year by regulating the number of daylight hours with black drapes. In another section were bench upon bench of what looked like potted cuttings. "These are Poinsettias for Christmas," he explained. "I'm growing enough for your new office, too, every color imaginable, but mostly red." "You really have to plan ahead, don't you," I said. "How're your helpers working out?" "Got my grandson working with me," he said. "He was a Horticulture major at Riverside. Don't think I'll be able to hang onto him for long, though, he's got big ambitions." When he'd mentioned the new office, I'd gotten an idea, so I presented it to him. "We're going to need a ton of plants for that new office building," I told him. "Would you and your grandson be interested in handling that?" "I thought you already had a contractor," he said. "I really don't know much about it, but if you're interested, it's yours. I'll even finance it if you want." "Money we don't need," he chuckled. "You pay us so much, and we never spend it, so that's not a problem. I'll talk to him and see if he wants to do it." "Talk to Tina," I suggested. "That's her project." What Sam had accomplished was a miracle. He'd turned a weed patch into a Garden of Eden. I heaped well earned praise on him which I knew he appreciated. We'd use the new area, too. It was perfect for the big parties we occasionally threw. While it was still fresh in my mind, I sent an Email to Tina regarding Sam's interest in handling the plants for the new office. She was never around anymore, spending all her time with her architect. I also gave Dan a call. I asked him to book Mary and Sam on any cruise they wanted, in a suite, and to take care of everything for them. I knew I could count on him. - - - - - Eric came bouncing in, all bubbly. After a hug and a kiss that made it seem like he'd been gone a month rather than overnight, he told me about his trip. "Annie's all settled, and I think I'm going to have to fight her for Sarah's attention. The two of them really hit it off. I'll bet she never does get to the Caribbean." "Sarah may be an old broad," I said, "but she's got more life than anybody I've seen in years." "She didn't say anything to me, but I feel like she knows what Annie needs - a change of scenery and some new faces. I do know that Sarah's taking her to a party tonight." "Annie's independent enough that she won't get into the 'social swim' unless she wants to." "Sarah loves all of Annie's energy. She seems to feed on it," he said. I made us a drink then plopped down next to him. "You're sure full of it," I told him. "Slept all the way home," he said. "I'm all charged up, so you'd better look out," he leered. I'd planned ahead for that. I picked up the strategically placed blanket, and told him to grab his drink. "I have something to show you." Drink in hand, he followed me out the back, across the deck then up the walkway around the house. "My God, when did this happen?" he asked when we rounded the corner of the house. "Sam and his Grandson have been busy," I told him. "Oh, so that's who that kid is. Have you seen him? He's a knockout! This is fucking fabulous! I remember seeing the plans, but I never imagined it would look like this." The plantings on the Eastern side weren't in a line, irregularly placed, leaving spots that were private and hidden between them. When we got to one of the deeper ones, I walked over and spread the blanket. Eric sat down beside me, putting his arm around my shoulder. We just sat there, looking at the coast and the ocean beyond. It was quiet, it was unbelievably peaceful. We were silent for a few minutes, then Eric moved around so he was behind me, his chin on my shoulder, his arms around me. "I have a feeling we're going to spend a lot of time out here," he said softly. "It's like the door to the real world suddenly slammed shut and here we are in a little world all of our own." I hugged him to me. It was so peaceful and having his warm body wrapped around me made me feel so secure. "I'd love to sit here just like this until sunset, then make gentle love to you," he murmured. "But, dammit, we have to be at Mom and Dad's house in a couple of hours." That realization broke the spell, a little. "There'll be other times," I promised him, turning to kiss him on the cheek. An hour later, he shook himself and stretched. "This is better than meditation," he almost whispered. - - - - - In addition to being my "inlaws", Karl and Ingrid had become really close friends. Without any effort, they made me feel comfortable whenever I was around them. We talked about family - my two brats and Ryan and Diane, and, of course, the baby. Eric helped his Mom with dinner, just like a little boy. He was so damned sweet. Karl and I discussed life in general. During dinner, Ingrid made an announcement. "The Lundborg family is having a reunion in July, someplace outside of Chicago, and we're all going." She grinned at me, "You too, Dave." She caught me totally off guard. It wasn't an invitation, but a command performance. There was no way out, so I grinned back at her and said "OK". "That was easier than I expected!" she said. "I thought I'd have to use threats and do a sales job. Has Eric softened you up, perchance?" she giggled. "A little, maybe," I said. "I know when I'm cornered, and I'm too lazy to argue." "Neither Eric nor Ryan have met most of Karl's family, and I haven't seen most of them in a long time. I want to show off my boys and my son and daughter-in law." "It should be thrilling," Eric added. "I can hardly wait!" That got a pointed stare from his mother. "We can all go together," I volunteered. "We'll have the new plane by then so we can be comfortable. Don't forget, Eric, we have to go to Savannah this week to pick out the interior." "I hear it's about the size of an airliner," Carl commented. "Not quite, but it's going to be a lot bigger than the little ones we have now. It's hard to tell until we see one," I said. After dinner, Karl asked about the Railroad. Eric took over. "It's a helluva lot more than just a railroad," he said. "I haven't had a chance to tell you what else came along with it." "For that kind of money, I figured there was more," Karl said. "We've got the Railroad, which is a nice little moneymaker, a thousand square miles of land that very well may have some valuable minerals on it, and you wouldn't believe the land that the Development Company has. The Development Company's land alone is worth many times what we paid for the whole thing." "I notice you using the words 'we' and 'our' a lot, Eric," his Mother said. "What do you have to do with all this?" "Eric's a partner," I said. "Annie, Tina, Eric and I each own a quarter of it." "That was mighty generous of you, Dave," Ingrid commented. "I have to admit that it wasn't my idea. It was the girls'. And don't worry, he's going to work damned hard for it." Eric went on to tell them how we were selling off marginal property to recoup our investment, and how we were moving ahead on the Silicon Valley project that would take up to 20 years to complete. When he got to the mining, he winked at me. "We've already started exploration. Dave and I have been over to Arizona and have checked it out ourselves. We haven't found anything major, yet, but the potential is enormous there too." "How in the hell you guys keep track of everything you've got going on sure beats me," Karl commented. "We're following Dave's tried and true management method," Eric told him. "Everybody has an area of primary responsibility, then we all find the best people we can and delegate. Dave watches over Metalco and Milton, Annie runs Rush Properties which has grown enormously, Tina is in charge of the new office project, and I'm responsible for Lundborg Rush. "Dave and I are handling the mining ourselves, the Railroad pretty much takes care of itself, and we're all involved in the Development Company. It works." "Me and my three kids," I laughed, getting a glare from Eric. - - - - - "I've got an idea," Eric said on the way home. "The Hydra Group." "What're you talking about?" I asked. "The name for the new Company. You suggested Mythological, and Hydra fits." "What's a 'Hydra'?" I asked. "Hydra was the nine-headed monster of Greek Mythology. When they tried to slay it by cutting off one of the heads, two grew back in place of it. Indestructible, just like us," he giggled. "Not bad," I commented. "The Holding Company could be Hydra, Inc., or The Hydra Group, or something like that. The Development Company could be Hydra Properties, or Hydra something, and we can find a Mythological name for the mining, maybe Midas." "We're NOT in the muffler business, I don't think," I laughed. "But I think we could use a 'muffler' the next time we go to Arizona so the rest of them could get some sleep." - - - - - On the way to Savannah, Ron came back to talk to us. He had several items on his agenda, and according to him, the only time he could talk to us was when we were "cornered" on the plane. First was the question of more pilots. He was in the process of interviewing the men that my buddy Russ had sent to him, and had some good prospects, he said. Since we'd soon have three planes, he wanted to hire at least three if not four more. The two planes we already had were in the air a lot. Eric and I were far from the only people using them. "Having three planes will ease the pressure," he said, "but we need backup." I agreed with him, and relied on his judgment. All the pilots had to go to Houston for training for the new GV. Gulfstream provided a school for corporate pilots to fully familiarize them with the new planes in classrooms as well as simulators and flying the planes themselves so that they could obtain FAA certification. Ron planned to go with Jason, first, then send the others. That's one of the reasons he was anxious to hire more help. With a twinkle in his eye, he gave us a parting shot "After you've seen that new baby, I want to talk to you guys again," and then disappeared into the cockpit. "I wonder what that was all about?" I commented to Eric. "All I know is that the new plane is a lot bigger than this one." "That's all? You haven't seen pictures or layouts or anything? You just plop down $40 million sight unseen?" he said, shaking his head. "That's about it. I've seen some of the older models and they were nice, and I understand that this one is the ultimate in private jets. Only the best for us," I chuckled. "Boy, are you ever in for a surprise! Jason showed me a brochure on it, and now, I can't wait to see your face when you get a look at it." We were met by the Senior Vice President of Marketing. He was close to being obeisant. I looked at him, kind of puzzled, and he explained. "With virtually all of the aircraft we sell, all the details are handled by lower echelon executives. You're the first CEO, not to mention owner of a major company to get personally involved. We want to treat you right." "Hell, I'm just a regular guy," I protested. "I believe you, Mr. Rush, that's what makes this all the more fun for me. When we get through with our tour, our President would like to meet you." The four of us were led into this absolutely enormous building. Planes in various stages of completion were in a line as far as I could see. The ones closest to us were the closest to being complete. "Would you like to start at the beginning of the line?" our guide asked. "The rest might, but I don't think I'm ready to see one of these with their guts all hanging open," I told him. "We'll start with this one, then," he said gesturing toward the first in line. "It'll be complete in a week or so, and will be delivered to a Sultan in the Middle East." We climbed onto a platform then went through the door. My first thought was of Rene de Thierry's red Rolls Royce. Oriental carpeting, maroon velvet and red brocade everywhere was set off with gold fittings just about anyplace they could find to put them. Once the affront to my senses wore off, I noticed the plane itself. There is only one way to describe the cabin. Spacious. I counted the seats. Sixteen, but they didn't seem in the least crowded together, arranged in groups around tables, it still seemed really roomy. We walked the length of the center aisle, and I noticed something else - Headroom, lots of it. At the back of the plane was a galley, compact, but on closer inspection, better equipped than most kitchens. The way it was arranged, it would be totally functional. I turned to Eric who commented "Looks like we're going to have to find a Steward who knows how to cook." I couldn't supress the giggle. We were both so male-oriented that the thought of a Steward-ess never crossed our minds. Walking back through the cabin, our guide explained that this was the standard 16 passenger configuration. There were other standard layouts available for from 8 to 19 passengers as well as custom layouts that could be installed. The next plane that we looked at was completely opposite of the first. It was utilitarian, more like an airliner, with seats lined up side of the cabin. The decor was also bland, everything in shades of gray. The only feature that I really liked was a separate "Crew Quarters" just behind the cockpit. It wasn't huge, but would allow two crewmen room to stretch out, even sleep comfortably in reclining chairs. In the rear was another galley that also looked more utilitarian than the first. The third one was somewhere in between the other two. The color scheme was brown and rose, pretty bland, but comfortable. The 14 seat layout was spacious even though there was a slightly larger "Crew Quarters" in front. The galley was unbelievable. "Top of the line, the 'Gourmet Edition'," our guide explained. We'd definitely want that one! Outside the plane, our guide elaborated. "You've seen only three of our standard configurations, we have a total of twenty, and I'll give you a brochure with all the details. There's another option, though. We have a 'Completion Center' in Dallas that can finish the interior however you want, something you might want to look into and use your own decorator." Ron, Jason and Eric wandered off to take a look at our plane which was seventh in line. I looked around the huge building at all the activity. "No guts lying around," Eric reported, chuckling, "But there really wasn't much to see." From there, we were ushered to the President's office. Sitting around a conference table there, the virtues of the Gulfstream V were extolled. The plane flew at almost the speed of sound high above the weather and commercial traffic and had a range of 6,500 miles. When he got into the technical aspects of the aircraft, I held up my hand. "You're talking way over my head," I explained. "We're already sold on it. Hell, if it works out, we may even order another one." "How many planes are you currently flying?" he asked. "Two," I answered, "and they're in the air almost all the time. Adding this one will help, but our business is growing so fast we need to move a lot of people around, and we also use them a lot for personal travel." "You'll love the GV," he answered. We gathered up all the literature they gave us and headed for home. Once in the air, Ron came back to the cabin. "Whatcha think?" he wanted to know. Eric spoke first. "Those interiors were nice, but I'll bet Brucie could do a lot better job." "No psychedelic and no antiques," I laughed. "I liked the bigger 'Crew Quarters', what do you think?" I asked Ron. "Having a place like that would be really nice," he said. "Once we're at cruising altitude, the plane literally flies itself. Only one person needs to be in the cockpit. Be nice to be able to stretch out for a while." "You'll still have to blow Jason in the cockpit," Eric put in, snickering. "I told you, we only do that when we're flying empty," he shot back. "Just kidding," Eric answered. "Personally, I'm all for it - anytime!" "OK guys, back to business," I chuckled. "I like the 14 seat arrangement, but none of them had a sofa. I'd like to have either one of those or a love seat that makes into a bed in place of a couple of seats. What do you guys think?" "Definitely," Eric said. "Is that all you guys ever think about?" Ron laughed. "No, dammit, we like to sleep sometimes," Eric answered, giggling. "How's this sound?" I started. "We establish criteria then turn Brucie loose, and I've got a guy at home I want to give a shot at this to also." "We'd better get busy if we expect delivery before Christmas," Eric suggested. I got a pad and started writing. "Gourmet Galley," I spoke as I wrote. "Larger Crew Quarters, 12 seats and a sofa-bed, warm colors, no blues or greens. How about stereo and VCR?" "I'll check to see if those're included," Jason said. "I'm pretty sure all the communication gear like phones, fax and all that will already be in the cockpit area. We're getting the full instrumentation package." "Leather's nice," Eric added with a wink, "but I prefer cloth seats." "I think that's about it. If we think of anything else, we can add it later. As soon as we get home, you call Brucie," I said to Eric, "and I'll call Gary, the guy who's doing the new offices. We'll give 'em a week to come up with something, at least preliminary. If they need to go to Savannah to see the plane itself, we'll buy them tickets." "Why wait until we get home?" Eric asked. "We've got a phone here." He located Brucie and gave him our specifications. Brucie wanted to see the plane and agreed to go to Savannah the next day and have drawings for us in a week or less. When I called Gary, he didn't feel it necessary to actually see the plane, but needed all the measurements, and also promised drawings. Ron went back to the cockpit to call Gulfstream to request that drawings of the cabin be faxed to us at home, and got the phone number of the "Finishing Facility" in Texas. When I talked to them, they indicated that they had space to start on our project as soon as the plane was ready. - - - - - Gary was the first one ready to make a presentation, and agreed to come to the house on Saturday. I'd worked with Gary on the house several years ago, and he was the only "butch" Interior Designer I'd ever met. His work was good, conservative if necessary, flamboyant when that was called for. When I led Gary into the den, Eric was on the phone, his back to us, wearing only shorts, no shirt. When he hung up and turned, it sounded like somebody had knocked the wind out of Gary. I performed introductions, and as soon as the hand shaking was over, Gary slumped in a chair not taking his eyes off of Eric. "Sorry about that," he said when he regained his composure, talking to me as if Eric wasn't there. "Is he...?" I nodded. "My God, he's the most..." he stuttered, "awesome...male I've ever laid eyes on." "I couldn't agree with you more," I said, putting my arm around Eric. "Would you like something to drink?" Eric asked, giving him one of his most dazzling smiles. Gary choked then managed to say "Triple Scotch. No, just give me a glassfull." Eric chuckled then got up. "Want anything babe?" he asked me. "Just a Coke," I told him. "I may have to drive Gary home." "I've read about Eric Lundborg the 'Wall Street Whiz', and I guess I expected some nerd, certainly not THIS!" Gary explained. "Where on earth did you find him?" "Actually," Eric said, putting our drinks down in front of us, "I found Dave." Gary choked again, and took a mighty swallow of his Scotch. "We'd better get to work while I can still function." He dug out his drawings while giving us a rundown on what he'd done. "I've worked closely with Gulfstream designers and plan to use their seating. It's not like you can go into a furniture store and pick out chairs! They've already done the work, and their seats have been designed for comfort as well as ergonomics for less stress. They will be covered in MY fabrics, though." His first drawing showed the layout, grouped seating with a side-facing sofa that folded out into a queen size bed. Then came the full color artist's conception of the space. Instead of plastic surfaces, the entire interior was lined with light brown suede. The seating itself was many shades of rust, russet and orange, trimmed with Walnut burl. A big flat-screen TV was strategically placed as was a console for a VCR and Stereo system. Headset jacks were located at every seat. "The concept I worked with was 'cozy'. Not too dark to be cavelike, but still masculine yet spacious. I know how 'butch' you are, Dave, so no pastels," he chuckled. "This color scheme may make the space seem slightly smaller, but I believe that's offset by the warmth of the colors. With all those big windows, it should be plenty light inside too. The carpeting is really thick pile a few shades lighter than the wallcovering and sculpted to define the traffic pattern. Well, what do you think?" Shoulder to shoulder, Eric and I had been studying the drawings intently as Gary had presented them. Eric spoke first. "I like your concept. The warm colors are relaxing and soothing, and at the same time dramatic." He then gave Gary another of those dazzling smiles, and I thought the poor man would swoon on the spot. My turn. "I like it all," I told him, "the colors, the layout, everything. But, I would like to think about it a little. You have to admit it's a radical departure from what we're all used to. "By the way, Gary, the guy who designed Eric's penthouse in New York is also making a presentation, so we'll have to wait until we see that before making a decision. It should only be a few days." Poor Gary looked crestfallen. "I didn't know this was a competition." "It's not," I said. "We'll probably buy a couple of these planes and we certainly wouldn't want them all alike." That seemed to satisfy him. I certainly didn't want to hurt his feelings. With the drawings still spread out, the conversation moved to the new office building. We had pretty much just turned the project over to Gary, letting him 'do his thing'. Neither of us had even seen any drawings of the interiors. I, for one, wanted to be surprised. I had total faith in Gary's abilities. On his way out, Gary turned to Eric. "You'll have to forgive my reaction," he said. "I was totally unprepared. It's not often that one has the opportunity to gaze upon such perfection." Eric didn't answer, but gathered him up in a big hug that, I'm sure, made his whole week. Monday, Brucie came flouncing into my office with Eric right behind. Amidst all the fluttering and waving of arms, he showed us his idea of how the plane's interior should look. I was very surprised to see that his concept was far more conservative than Gary's. Lighter, more subdued colors throughout, with the cabin sheathed in a light antique gold fabric. No doubt his concept would make the cabin seem more spacious, but I was leaning toward Gary's design. I liked cozy. "I really had to hold myself back," Brucie admitted. "If you guys would turn me loose, I could do something so spectacular you'd get off just by looking around." "That's not quite what we had in mind," Eric told him, chuckling. I explained, again, how we were looking at other design concepts, and would let him know in a few days. That night, Eric and I spread both sets of drawings out in front of us. It was a tough call. Both were excellent and "different". "My only concern," Eric said, "is that Gary's brown interior will be too dark. Other than that, I'd go for it." "What the hell," I said, "if it turns out that it's too dark, we can always have it changed. Let's go with it." - - - - - Although she called every day or so, this call from Annie was different. The purpose of the call was to let us know that she wasn't going to the Caribbean and was planning to spend a couple more weeks in New York. It wasn't so much "what" she said, but how she said it. Instead of the all-business, brusque Annie, she was giggly and relaxed. No reasons were given, and I didn't ask any questions. Hmmmmm. I wonder. - - - - - To be continued. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate hearing your comments on the story, my writing, and anything you would like to offer - good or not so good. Send me a message at orrinrush@yahoo.com and also let me know if you would like to be included on my "alert" mailing list for new postings.