Dangerous Obsession

by Richard Hunter

Chapter Twelve

Sterling was already on his fourth cup of coffee and it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. He was really tired from staying at the hospital with Robbie until almost two am when his parents finally arrived.

He remembered how shocked he had been to see Robbie’s mother. She had been a real homebody, an old fashioned mother when he last knew her. But now she looked strung out, dressed like a street walker and didn’t even seem all that upset that Robbie had been so viciously attacked. Sterling thought she hadn’t heard him right, at first, and repeated himself and she just snapped at him. Things had really changed in that home, and not for the better.

He was still struggling with the budget and running out of time. If he didn’t find a way to fit twelve million dollars of operation into a budget allotment of eleven million dollars real soon, he would be cutting officers, freezing pay increases and delaying promotions right and left and there would be one loud cry coming from the rank and file.

He felt a tremendous sense of relief that Robbie was alright, though. He had called the hospital this morning and found that Robbie had been discharged at his mother’s insistence and gone home a little after five am. He thought he would stop over at the house late this afternoon when Robbie was home alone, check up on him, and avoid having to deal with Robbie’s mother again. If it wasn’t for Robbie, he might have arrested both his mother and stepfather last night for public intoxication and given them a night to think about it in the drunk tank.

“Chief, there’s a young man to see you.”

“Who is it Shirley? I’m really swamped here.”

“His name is Tyler Williams, he said he’s a friend of yours?”

Sterling was completely taken by surprise but realized it was a good surprise. “Send him in.”

Tyler came through the door looking like a million dollars. He had on an electric blue silk shirt and a pair of not-too-tight black slacks, all of which made him look very good and very respectable. Sterling felt a sense of relief that he hadn’t stopped by wearing some of those tight slacks he wore at the restaurant. Shirley would have been scandalized at that sight.

“How are you, Tyler? I went by the restaurant last night for dinner and Marcel filled me in. I was so mad I just left.”

Tyler smiled wide, pleased by the demonstration of loyalty. “Thanks, Ch...Drew. Don’t let it get to you and keep you from continuing to go there for dinner. I know you like the place and really, it is a good restaurant.”

“Well, I felt I needed to make a statement. I know that Marcel will see to it that Mark gets the word because he’s upset about some of the changes, also.”

“You think? I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark didn’t have his eye on Marcel’s job for the new boy toy. He’s going for younger and younger boys all the time and, like you said, they can’t tend bar so he’s going to have to start making places for them.”

“I just don’t see why he doesn’t just keep them at home. Why does he need to have them at the restaurant anyway?”

Tyler chewed his lip a bit, debating his response. “I think it’s because he doesn’t trust anyone. They say that someone who is not trustworthy themselves will never trust anyone else. They expect everyone to be like them. Mark keeps his boys in sight at all times to make sure they don’t rip him off while he’s away. The six months I was with him, I never had a key to his house or the codes to the alarm system. When I was home, I was with Mark. When I was away, I was either with Mark or had a time and place to meet him in order to go home.”

Sterling’s expression betrayed his dismay. “I never knew that. It’s really sad. Obviously, somewhere in his past he’s been hurt or betrayed in a major way.”

“Yea, I kind of thought that, too.”

“Well, I’m sure you didn’t come to see me to talk about Mark’s shortcomings. What can I do for you?”

Tyler turned beet red, clearly embarrassed by what he was about to say. “I feel really weird asking this because we don’t really know each other that well, but....I’m desperate for a place to stay for a short period until I can get some work and get a place. I really wasn’t expecting this to happen so fast.”

“Nor was I. What about that modeling job?”

“Didn’t work out. I had the interview this morning - which is why I’m all dressed up - but it was obvious the guy had no intentions of hiring me for the shoot. He kept wanting to take ‘test’ shots of me in the nude and then started talking about how generous he was and he could make it worth my while if I wanted to come to his house for the night. I finally just got fed up and told him I wasn’t a whore and if that’s all he was looking for then he could keep looking.”

“Good for you! I just hate those type of people. They’re users. They want to possess you, control you, and they use their money or their influence or even drugs to impress you. Once they get tired of you, you’re out the door on your ass with nothing to show for it.”

“Tell me. I just got out of a situation like that. Sure didn’t need another one.”

“Well, something will come up. But, you’re more than welcome to stay with me for awhile until you get on your feet. I’ve only got eight bedrooms so it may be a little crowded with the two of us there, but I’m sure we can make do.”

Tyler’s jaw dropped. “Eight bedrooms? What do you have, a palace or something? I had no idea that a police chief’s salary paid so well.”

Sterling scoffed. “It doesn’t. I couldn’t live on my salary if I had to.”

“So, what are you, some kind of millionaire?” Tyler stopped himself, suddenly embarrassed at asking such a personal question. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“No problem. My father was the head of an investment house and when my parents died, let’s just say they left me extremely comfortable for the next three or four hundred years.”

“I would never have expected. You...you’re so down to earth. Mark always acted like he was so superior to everyone just because he brings in a hundred fifty thousand a year.”

“Thanks. I like to keep low key. Anyway, I need to get away from this budget and clear my head for a few moments and maybe some fresh air will help me wake up. I’ll take you over to the house and show you around and you can move your things in whenever you like.”

Sterling told Shirley he was going out for an hour or so, which caused her to raise an eyebrow. After all, she knew the Chief was unmarried and he was leaving in the company of a young, extremely gorgeous and probably gay man. Sterling just looked at her and shook his head. He could actually read the expression on her face. She just quickly frowned and looked down at her desk.

It was only ten minutes drive from the station to what Sterling referred to as ‘Casa de Drew’ and Tyler squirmed nervously as they pulled up in front of a pair of black iron gates across a driveway that were connected to an ivy covered brick wall about ten feet high running as far as he could see to the left and the right. Sterling had pushed a button on the dash and the gates swung open, closing behind them after they had passed through.

They went up a long driveway for about a tenth of a mile and the drive branched off going to a row of garages on the right or curving left to a tall portico across the drive at the main entrance to the house. The house was red brick and white stucco, gleaming in the daylight, with massive oak front doors and gleaming brass carriage lamps on each side.

When they entered the house and Sterling had punched in a code on a keypad next to the door in response to the ‘beep-beep-beep’ being emitted, Tyler gasped at what stretched out before him. The wooden floors were a highly glossed walnut, peg and groove style, going from the front straight back to large french doors that exited to the patio and beyond. To the right was an enormous sitting room with snowy white carpets, a fireplace large enough to almost be called a ‘walk-in’, and elegant furniture obviously selected and strategically placed by an interior decorator.

To the left were two large wooden doors that slid open to reveal a very homey den, wood paneled and filled with bookshelves and books that looked too expensive for Tyler to even want to touch them. A large desk sat with it’s back to a large picture window that looked out on the massive rolling lawns and flower beds at the front of the house. Further back was a kitchen that seemed to be about as big on its own as most apartments Tyler had lived in. There was also a formal dining room, a breakfast nook, an all purpose room for entertaining that was bigger than two apartments and had another fireplace, a wet bar and a cool room where Sterling kept good wines and near-Cuban cigars.

Tyler was moving about like an automaton, completely awed and unbelieving at the sumptuousness of the surroundings. But he was finally overwhelmed and his knees just about gave out when Sterling took him out the french doors.

Standing on the patio, they were looking out on the blue waters of the Pacific. The property stretched back about 100 feet from the house before the ground fell away sharply and dropped to the beach below and beyond the beach the crashing waves. At the bottom of the cliff, at the property line that divided the estate property from the public beach, was the continuation of the ten foot wall that surrounded the entire estate, and an alarmed and electronically operated gate through which to access the beach.

There was a large and inviting pool on one side of the patio and tennis courts in the other corner. Between them were the most beautiful gardens Tyler had ever seen outside of those tourist attractions devoted to flora and fauna.

Sterling smiled at Tyler’s awed expression. “Nothing fancy. Just home.”

Tyler looked at him half in shock and half in constipation. “Nothing fancy my ass.”

“Well, as I remember from the beach, you do have a rather fancy ass.” Sterling immediately blushed, not believing he had actually said that. It seemed that Tyler had the ability to really make him loosen up, or maybe it was just that he was starting to like the kid a little too much and a little too fast and was getting carried away.

“Anyway. This part of the property is totally private and accessible only by coming through the house or up the stairs from the beach so if you feel like swimming or sunbathing in the nude, you won’t be disturbed. And this button,” Sterling pushed a button on the exterior wall of the house concealed by a hinged cover, “assures that you have privacy even from helicopters overhead.”

As Sterling had pushed the button, a large mirrored panel standing beside the pool rose and turned until it had formed a ceiling over the pool and deck, hiding the area and making it impossible for anyone above finding any angle that would allow them a view of anyone in or around the pool.

“If you prefer the beach, there are steps at the cliff that go down to the sand. But, let me finish the tour of the house.”

Back inside, Sterling pointed out a fully equipped gym, showed Tyler where his own bedroom was and then the other seven bedrooms from which Tyler could choose one that he liked. Finally, he took him into a dark room, switched on a dim overhead light revealing three rows of loge seating facing a large white screen.

“This is the theater.” Sterling pushed against the rear wall and it swung open revealing shelved doors and a small room containing perhaps three thousand movies on DVD, VHS and even some old videodiscs. “We have a fairly good selection of movies to choose from. If you like something a little naughtier, I keep the gay porn stuff behind the little locked door to the right.”

“This is some house, Drew. You must really rattle around in this place. It’s huge!”

“Yea, you’re right. But if nothing else it provides employment for a maid and a gardener. And, I think you’ll like the poolboy. He’s about your age, maybe a year younger, he likes to work around the pool naked and he loves to be watched. He almost puts on a show for me every Saturday when he comes by. I give the maid Saturday’s off so she won’t be shellshocked.”

“Well, which room would you like me to take?”

“Anyone you want.”

“Can I take the one here next to yours?”

Sterling was smiling inwardly, completely pleased, but maintained a poker face. “If that’s the one you want. Each of the bedrooms has its own private bathroom and this one you’ve chosen actually has a shower the size of a normal bathroom and a jacuzzi with a picture window that looks out on the pool. It also has a bidet.”

“What’s a bidet?”

Sterling chuckled. “You’ll find out soon enough and you’ll probably be using it constantly, whether you need to or not.”

Tyler flashed him a puzzled grin and followed Sterling back to the kitchen.

“You hungry? There are steaks in the walk-in freezer over there and just about anything you want you’ll find in the refrigerator or the pantry. Help yourself to whatever you like. Just make yourself at home.”

“Have you got time for a swim before you go back to the station?”

Sterling looked at his watch, musing momentarily. “Well, I guess so. Maybe it will help wake me up.”

“Late night?”

“Yea. Kid I’ve known since he was twelve got beaten badly last night by the same guy that killed that boy you found on the beach. I was at the hospital till the wee hours.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’ll be fine. I’ll stop by and see him this afternoon.”

“Well, let’s swim.”

Sterling paused. “Um...let me grab my swim trunks.”

Tyler’s face fell. He had hoped with all the talk of privacy that Drew would swim naked. “You wear a swim suit?” He forced his tone to sound like a challenge but it came out sounding like a tease.

“Only when other people are around.”

Tyler decided he would have to be satisfied with seeing Drew in trunks. “You don’t mind if I swim in the buff?”

Sterling replied with a slow drawl. “I don’t mind that one bit. It’s just a good thing the water is cool.”

♂♂♂♂♂

Later, after returning to his office, Sterling would sit daydreaming and playing it over and over again in his mind. Tyler, naked, running around the pool, diving into the water, his hard round butt cheeks bobbing above the surface as he swam from one end to the other and back. And when they had settled into a couple of chaise lounge chairs, positioned side by side, Sterling couldn’t help the occasional sideways glance out of the corner of his eye and had almost choked when he saw Tyler’s hard-as-a-rock erection stretching up over his stomach, a full nine inches in length, and the kid was making absolutely no attempt to hide it. Sterling, on the other hand, had laid his towel in his lap like a bundle of laundry to hide the enormous tent that had suddenly sprung up in his swim trunks.

The intended one hour respite from his budget had turned into two hours and when he finally sat back down at his desk, he was clearly in no mood to try and deal with it. He gathered all the reports and statistics, the projections, the cost analysis and the personnel reports together in a folder and took them out to Shirley. “I have no idea what I’m doing here. I’m no accountant and I’ve got better things to do. Call the city controller and tell him since we’re not allowed to have our own accountant for the police department, I’m delegating this to him. I want a proposal that doesn’t affect staffing or morale and I need it by next Monday.”

Shirley just smiled. The chief had actually caved in sooner than she had expected. The little side bet that she had with Deputy Chief Randall meant that she now owed him ten dollars.