Brett called his mother and changed into casual clothes, then joined Dirk on the after deck. "Everything is set. Mother is free for lunch," Brett said. "Let's head for the parking decks, and I have a surprise for you."
"In fact I have several surprises for you that I was planning to spring on you next month. But since you've had such a bad morning I've decided to move the timetable up to lift your sagging spirits."
When they reached the garage Brett handed Dirk a set of car keys and pointed to a dark blue Mercedes convertible parked next to his Porsche. "That is your reward for keeping your promise to me."
Dirk was speechless; he threw his arms around Brett, hugged him and said, "Thank you so much. This is a wonderful surprise." He hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you."
Brett sat down in the passenger seat and said, "I'm not sorry, and you didn't embarrass me."
"I want you to drive to that spot where we parked at Westhampton Beach six months ago," Brett said. "Do you remember the place?"
"How could I forget? It's etched in my brain."
"Good! Take us there. I have something to tell you before lunch."
Dirk drove to the beach and pulled into the exact space they parked in before.
"When we first met, you said you envied me because I had an expensive car and that one day you would have a brand-new car," Brett said. "This is the car you earned for achieving your goals and for keeping your part of our bargain. I'm a sentimentalist, Dirk. I wanted to be in the same place where you accepted the job with me. You have done better than even I expected. You not only have become my business associate, but also my closest friend. As of December, you will become an equal partner in the luxury yacht division. January first, I'm promoting you to President of the Harcourt Marine Corporation."
"The contracts are already drawn up and ready for your signature, but I want you to keep this quiet until we make it public in January. I am having our advertising agency make a big splash. Naturally, you will be receiving a six-figure salary as President of Harcourt Marine Company plus a percentage of profits, and stock in both divisions. I will become Chairman."
"This is all too much to absorb at one time," Dirk said. "I'm not over the car yet. This is absolutely the most fantastic day of my life. No, I take that back. Memorial Day was the best day. That's the day you offered me my new and exciting life. You saw my potential and worked with me to help me grow. I could not have done this without your support and encouragement. You have given me a new life, Brett, and I will always love you for that."
"I'm happy to see how well you have turned out. I'm very proud to be part of what you have accomplished," Brett said. "You have kept your promise to me and you have justified my faith in you. I know you will achieve much more in the future. I hope you will always remain my friend and partner. You have opened up a door in my life that I never knew existed before. I feel I can trust you and you will never betray our friendship. So I feel you have more than paid me back. I have no doubt that you will run my company with the same dedication and enthusiasm that I have for the business. Now, partner, I think its time for lunch."
Dirk was so wrapped up in his thoughts he did not speak again until they pulled through the gates of Brett's family estate. "My God, Brett, this estate is larger than Buckingham Palace. It's absolutely magnificent."
Brett chuckled, "Mother will be pleased to hear that. I guess I have never looked at this big old place as anything other than home," Brett said. "I suppose I would feel the same way if I were seeing it for the first time."
The butler opened the door and showed them into the morning room where Brett's mother greeted them after the introduction. Brett kissed his mother and sat down. "I thought we could have a glass of sherry to celebrate this occasion," Molly said. "My darling son has promised to bring you around for months, and now at long last I get to meet the dashing Dirk Devlin. You have the distinct honor of being the first person Brett has ever invited to have lunch with me. You don't mind me calling you Dirk, do you? You're too young to be called Mr. Devlin."
Dirk chuckled. "I'm flattered that the Grand Dame of Harcourt Hall would be interested in inviting me to lunch in your beautiful home. And please, do call me Dirk."
"I'm always interested in my son's friends," Molly told Dirk. "I've heard mostly good things about you and not all from my son either. Usually I'm the last one to hear anything from Brett. Westhampton is a small gossipy town, Dirk, and a number of my friends have told me of the talented young man who has been making a name for himself in Brett's company. I'm a woman, Dirk, and it is natural that I would be curious about you."
"Now tell me, Dirk, what exactly do you do for my son?"
Dirk smiled, "Pretty much anything he wants." Dirk went on to explain his duties with the firm including his new promotion as president of the corporation.
Molly's eyes widened with a surprised look on her face and she quickly turned to her son, "Is this true, Brett?"
"Yes, mother! It's all true."
Molly's attitude changed completely after that. The aloof manner melted away and she became warm and charming. "Well, this will change everything," Molly said. "You must tell me everything about yourself, now that you have become part of our family."
They had a delightful lunch. "Brett, if you will excuse us, I plan to take Dirk on a tour of the mansion," Molly said.
"I know when I'm being dismissed," Brett said. "This is quite an honor, Dirk, my mother never takes anyone on a personal tour of the house."
"Mrs. Harcourt, please don't think me an oaf for gaping like a neophyte at these beautiful antiques," Dirk said. "I have never seen so many beautiful treasures in a private residence before. Your home is absolutely magnificent and I thank you for sharing this with me."
Brett was on the telephone when they passed the library. Molly said, "Let me show you the rose garden until Brett is ready to join us." She led Dirk out into the garden.
"I told my son he was crazy when he fell in love with you," Molly said. "I guess he was right all along. I'm so happy for him. You are definitely the one for him, and I can see that. I hope you both will be happy together. As a mother, I've only one question to ask. Are you in love with my son?"
Dirk did not hesitate when he said, "Yes! He is the most incredible man I've ever known," Dirk said. "I never realized until today, just how much I love him."
"I'm really happy for Brett," Molly said. "I love him and I prayed he would find someone and settle down. My reaction may not be a typical reaction for a mother of a gay son, but, it would be cruel to deny him happiness because of a condition he has no control over."
"Brett has been a lonely man all his adult life and I always felt he needed a spouse," Molly confided. "For the past several months, I noticed a miraculous change in him. He has become more outgoing and affectionate. I've never seen him this happy. Naturally, I was curious as to what brought about this change in him. That's when he told me he had fallen in love with you. I had the answer. I warned him that he was flirting with disaster falling in love with a married man who didn't even know he existed. Yet he said you were the only one for him and that you would come around in time. Brett can be difficult once his mind is made up. Now that he has found you, he is turning over his baby to you. I'm so relieved that he will be taking his rightful place as Chairman of Harcourt Oil. I was a little concerned about you in the beginning because you came on so strong with Brett. My investigators found out that you had an excellent record. So, I concluded that you were genuine in your feelings for Brett. I'm sure you would do the same thing in my position. We must take care of one another now, Dirk, and I trust you'll take the same precautions since you're now part of this family."
"Brett is so proud of you," Molly said. "He's told me how much you have done in the short time you've been working for him. Even I must admit you have an impressive record of accomplishments. In time, Brett thinks you will outgrow Harcourt Marine and will be looking for a new challenge. He has great plans for your future, believe me."
"I was surprised by Brett's call this morning. He said he wanted to bring you around for lunch. He was elated when you agreed to move in with him. Brett is an exceptional young man, Dirk, and I am not saying that because he is my son. He is a man of integrity and compassion, yet he has never taken anyone into his confidence as he has you. He usually keeps everything bottled up inside him. He claims that it is one of his strengths. I think otherwise. I hope he will confide in you more in the future. I will not be around forever and I feel he needs someone like you in his life. I'm telling you this so you will understand him better. If you love my son, you will give him the companionship he will need after I'm gone."
Dirk was astounded at what Molly just told him. He tried to cover his feelings because he did not want her to mention this conversation to Brett until he sorted it out himself. "I think we should keep this conversation from Brett for now," Dirk said. "He is very sensitive about our relationship and would feel very embarrassed if he knew we discussed this behind his back."
"You're right, of course, he would feel hurt," Molly agreed. "I can see now why my son loves you as much as he does. If I were a few years younger, I would go after you myself."
Dirk laughed, "You are an amusing lady. Look at it this way; you'll now have two men who will adore you."
Molly laughed, "Yes, sir, I can tell we're going to become great friends."
Brett joined them in the garden. "You two seem to be enjoying yourselves," Brett said. "What did I miss that was so amusing?"
"I was trying to sell your mother a nice yacht of her own."
Brett laughed, "Now that does not surprise me at all. Dirk, we must be on our way, your lawyer called and wants to speak to you."
"It was a pleasant lunch, Mother, but we must be going. I'll call you tonight."
"Now that you know the way, Dirk, I expect to see more of you. Naturally, I expect you to bring Brett with you," Molly smiled.
"I would like that, and again, thank you for showing me your beautiful home
Dirk drove back to the Yacht Club. "Would you mind taking the Brett Jr. out this afternoon and find a quiet place to anchor overnight?" Dirk asked. "You've got to help me sort everything out. Too much has happened today. My mind is about to explode. Is that all right with you, Brett?"
"Anything you want," Brett replied. "Let's stop at the market along the way and pick up some groceries."
It was a sunny afternoon with a cool brisk breeze blowing off the ocean. After they reached the yacht, Dirk made the call to his lawyer. His next called was to Brett's secretary. He explained about his divorce and asked her to open the door to Brett's apartment to let the movers in when they delivered his clothing and personal effects. He told her he would contact her again in the morning.
Dirk disconnected the electric cables to the dock and went below to change into some warmer clothes. He donned a warm jacket and joined Brett on the flying bridge. The air was much cooler now that the sun had disappeared behind the clouds.
Brett was warming up the engines as Dirk cast off the lines. Brett eased the yacht out of its berth and headed down the bay. Half an hour later, he found a sheltered cove and anchored. Having set the anchors, he secured the boat for the night. When they returned to the cabin, it was warm and comfortable.
"Let's sit and talk. You look like you're ready to erupt," Brett said.
After they were comfortably seated in the lounge, Dirk said, "This has been the most nerve-wracking day in my life so far. In the past eight hours, I have been sued for divorce, thrown out of my home, and promoted to a fantastic job. Not to mention the fantastic gift that is sitting in the garage, and having lunch with the grand dame of Westhampton society. Nevertheless, the down side and the most disappointing news was I learned that my new partner is leaving the business. Why did I have to learn this from your mother and not from you? Jesus, Brett, we have been like a pair of Siamese twins for months and you never mentioned this to me? Not only was I hurt, but I felt like a fool in front of your mother. I thought we were close."
"Your mother was ready to make mincemeat out of me when I walked into her parlor. I could feel the chill in the room. Please never do that to me again."
"I'm sorry, Dirk, that was not the way I planned it; believe me. Linda's bombshell this morning threw a monkey wrench into my carefully laid plans. I realize now that I should have prepared you for this. You are the last person in the world I want to hurt. I had everything planned so carefully, I'm sorry it turned out so badly."
"We've worked together for over six months, yet I only know what you want me to know," Dirk said. "Why can't you be more open with me? I would give worlds to know why you can't do that. I thought we had a close friendship. Today was the first time you have shown me your home, even though we've been coming out here all these months. Why are you so insensitive? Did you think I was going to run away when I saw how you lived? Or, did you think I was a fortune hunter as your mother thought? Have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?"
All the color drained from Brett's face. He opened his mouth to speak, but could not. He could only stare. Dirk realized that he had shattered the shell that Brett always hid behind and could see that he was suffering. Dirk walked over to him, pulled him into his arms and kissed him on the forehead, ears, cheek, then finally on the mouth. Brett let out a long sigh and held on tightly.
"Now, my little baby, I want you to tell me how you really feel about me," Dirk said.
"I love you, and I've loved you since the day we met," Brett said.
"Now, that didn't hurt, did it? Don't you feel better getting that out in the open?"
"I've always wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you would reject me if you found out I was gay."
"Brett, baby, I knew you were gay from that first weekend. Anyway, did you think that would have made any difference to me?"
"I don't believe my ears," Brett said. "Here I thought I had disguised that from everyone?"
"You did," Dirk said. "I found out at Stewart's lunch that first weekend. It was common knowledge that we were going steady. It didn't bother me, in fact it keeps those hungry females at bay. I was even curious about what it would be like to take you to bed, but I was not ready to make that move. After a while, when we were alone together I will admit I was attracted to you, but I felt it would complicate our relationship. Now I want you to start at the beginning and tell me about the real Brett."
Dirk wrapped his arm around Brett's waist and led him over to the lounge. Brett laid his head next to Dirk's and began his story. "During my first year in college, I realized that I was attracted to men. I wrote my father and told him how I felt and asked him for his advice. He was on the telephone to me after he read my letter. We decided that I should consult a psychologist. Not just one, Dad thought I should get three opinions. After many months of counseling, all three psychologists agreed that I was a homosexual. They also suggested that I find an analyst close to the college to help me through the period of adjustment. My parents accepted my homosexuality and were very supportive, which helped me immensely."
"The counseling helped a lot but my sex life was less than spectacular. I had several flirtations during college, all very disappointing and ending up nowhere. I wrote off these encounters as nothing more than a learning experience in how to have male sex."
"I've always been a fairly serious person and could not cope with the cavalier way so many guys approached a relationship. I was looking for a meaningful relationship with another guy that would end up in marriage. I was not going to settle for anything less than that. I knew that it would happen one day, and I had no desire to jump into a relationship. Time was on my side. Funny thing is I never had any doubts that I would find the man of my dreams."
"I learned from experience that it was much harder for a gay man to find a partner than for a heterosexual. Gay men have a much smaller pool of eligible men to pick from. In my case, it was worse, because I was completely turned off with the gay scene. I dislike the crude element in the gay community. I was turned off with the 'queens' that paraded around in a cheap and degrading manner. Granted, a homosexual cannot change what he is, but he certainly can control the way he conducts himself in society. Finally, I dropped out of the gay scene altogether. I found it easer to hire male prostitutes when I wanted sex."
"I went back to college for my MBA and devoted my energies to building my Marina business."
"Everything was going fine until you walked into my life. You were everything I wanted in a partner. You were handsome, sexy and intelligent. Only one slight problem: you were married. To me, that made you even more appealing. If I could never have you as my lover, at least I could have you as my partner and friend."
"Happily, I discovered after our first weekend together, that you were charming and intelligent and had the makings of a good salesman. I knew that with the proper training and encouragement, you could be the man that could run the business in the future. You worked hard and remembered everything I taught you about the business. Within two months, you were accepted in my social set. Personally, I found you to be a delightful companion. As you learned the business, you became more self assured and a great salesman."
"The more I tried to stifle my feelings for you the stronger my desires became. Try as I might, I could not reverse the process. At one point, I tried limiting my contact with you, but that proved to be not only impossible, but made it much worse for me. Maybe I was partly to blame for the breakup of your marriage, but I don't think so. Perhaps, if I had not monopolized so much of your time things would have turned out differently with you and Linda. Who knows? I know it is unfair of me to judge Linda, but she is a very strange woman. It became obvious to me that you two had very little in common and that the breakup was inevitable. Really the only things you have in common are your daughters."
"I'm so pleased that you will be running Harcourt Marine, and I know you will succeed in that position as you have in everything else. Making you president was a signal to my mother that I was giving up the Marina businesses and taking over control of Harcourt Oil. It was only a matter of time anyway. With you heading up the Marine division, there is nothing to keep me from running the oil company. I'm sorry that I kept this from you, but I felt justified in taking the actions I did. I also will never regret falling in love with you."
"I'm sorry I had to be so hard on you," Dirk said. "But I had to get through to you. How can we have a meaningful relationship if we're not honest with each other? Open your heart and trust me. There can't be any secrets between us if you want our love to grow." Dirk smiled, "Your mother was a veritable chatterbox today. She was receiving the wrong signals from you. I am convinced she thought we were lovers. In any event, Molly wanted to make sure I was not a fortune hunter and that I did love you. I guess I would have jumped to the same conclusion if I just learned that my son's boyfriend was moving in with him and he brought the boyfriend home to meet mother. And that the boyfriend was taking over her son's business."
"Brett, I knew for some time that you had the hots for me, but I never dreamed that you were deeply in love with me. To tell you the truth, I was flattered. I couldn't believe that a handsome, intelligent person like you, whom I think the world of, would be attracted to me. The more I thought about the situation, the more inquisitive I became. Some time ago I decided to let things take their natural course. I'm not homophobic and I was not going to stop you if you wanted to have sex with me. From the signals I was receiving, I thought you would have made your play a long time ago. Today, I realized for the first time that I was more than fond of you. When your mother asked me if I was in love with you, the answer was yes. The reason I spirited you away this afternoon was because I want to make love to you and learn the truth about myself. I do love you, Brett, but I also want to be sure it's the right thing for us."
"I've had some serious reservations about having sex with you. I've not had sex with another guy since I was a teenager. Therefore, you are going to have to be patient with me. If you are willing to accept me on those terms then I want to make love to you."
"I'm madly in love with you," Brett said. "I have no doubts that you will become a wonderful lover. Don't worry about the sex part. We'll work that out, as we have with everything else."
Dirk kissed Brett passionately and rubbed his back. "I never thought holding you like this could be such a turn on. I can't believe I could have had any doubts about my feelings for you." Dirk took Brett's hand and led him into the main cabin. He took him in his arms and tenderly kissed him, then removed his clothes.
Brett then undressed Dirk and they lay down on the large, queen-size bed. Brett had Dirk lay on his back, then took out a bottle of lotion from his night stand and rubbed it onto every inch of Dirk's body. Dirk was fully erect and moaning with pleasure. Brett reached over, slipped a condom on Dirk's penis, and prepared himself for anal intercourse. He coated the condom with KY gel, and then lay on his side.
Dirk move up behind him and slowly inserted his penis into Brett. Dirk reached around, took hold of Brett's penis and began to masturbate him once he was deep inside him. He waited until Brett's rectum had adjusted to his large penis. When Brett was fully relaxed, Dirk began long, deep strokes into his lover. Brett began to moan with pleasure and push back with each stroke. "Oh God, baby, you were worth waiting for," Dirk said.
"Oh, Dirk, you're fantastic. Every stroke of your dick is sending me to a higher level of pleasure. I've never known making love to be this beautiful."
In a matter of minutes, they were both moaning with pleasure. Dirk paced himself until he could feel Brett's body language telling him that he was ready. He felt Brett's sphincter muscles tighten like a vise-grip around his penis. That was all it took. Dirk experienced one of the most prolonged orgasms he could ever remember. They both let out a long, loud moan as they climaxed and stayed locked in that position until their breathing returned to normal.
"Hold me close. Don't let me go," Brett said.
"Oh, baby, that was the most fantastic sexual experience I've ever known," Dirk said. "I don't think I'll ever let you out of my arms again. God, when I think of what we've been missing all these months."
"Baby, before we get too comfortable, let's hit the shower," Dirk suggested. He led Brett into the shower where he slowly lathered and washed Brett's body then his own. Brett wrapped his arms around Dirk's neck and kissed him passionately. They rubbed their bodies together until they were hard again. Brett reached down, grabbed both their erect penises, and masturbated them together until they climaxed once again. They rinsed off, dried each other, and returned to bed.
Dirk kissed Brett tenderly. "I never knew making love to someone could be so beautiful," Dirk said. "I love you, sweetheart, and I want to spend the rest of my life making love with you. I don't remember the last time I felt this alive, maybe I'll never get dressed again."
"Now I know how it feels to have sex with a lover," Brett said. "You've made me so happy." He laid his head on Dirk's shoulder and fell asleep. Dirk pulled the blanket over them and fell asleep as well.
Dirk awoke and looked at the clock. It was seven o'clock. They had slept more than two hours and Brett was still asleep in his arms. He gently pulled the covers back so he could look at Brett's naked body. He had always admired Brett's body; he was well proportioned at five-ten with golden tanned skin. His thick, blond, curly hair was soft to the touch. His face was beautiful with that classic profile. Dirk could see Molly's fine bone structure in his face. He had a straight nose and snow-white teeth. Brett had hardly any hair on his body. His body was like that of a swimmer yet well developed. His penis was as beautiful as he was and it was tanned like the rest of his body. He was circumcised and was well endowed for a man his size. 'I never thought I could be turned on by another man's body,' thought Dirk, but Brett proved to be the exception. He leaned over and kissed Brett's penis, then took him into his mouth. Surprisingly, he liked the feeling. He tasted and smelled wonderful. Dirk ran his hand over Brett's firm, warm body and kissed the silky moistness of it. He had a fresh clean scent to his skin and not a blemish anywhere. Dirk was aroused again and enjoying the erotic sensation he was experiencing. He turned Brett's face to his own and kissed him again.
Waking, Brett said, "I take it you approve of my body?"
"I sure do! I view this as one of my employee benefits. That beautiful hot body of yours turns me on. Its great sleeping with you, baby, we are a perfect fit. Look, Brett, I want you to tell me if I'm hurting you, or if there is a special way you like to have sex. I'm a novice when it comes to male sex and I'll try anything that turns you on."
"I've been saving myself just for you, Dirk, and you're doing just fine sex-wise."
"Good. Now your beautiful body belongs to me and I don't plan to let anything happen to you. God, I love you!"
Brett's eyes filled with tears. Dirk kissed his eyes, licked the tears away, and held him close until he stopped.
"Remember, I'm the only one in this family that's allowed to cry," Dirk said.
"I've never felt this way before. You're my first lover and the feeling is incredible," Brett said. "You can't possibly know how it feels to be in your arms like this. All those years of hoping and dreaming and now the reality; it's a powerful and overwhelming feeling."
"Thank God you never gave up on me," Dirk said. "It took me a long time to sort out my feelings for you. Now, all I want is to make you happy. Remember, my little one, I am fighting years of heterosexual thinking. You are not going to believe this, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I was concerned that I would not be able to satisfy you in bed. Who would have thought that behind this quiet reserve lurks a hot sex machine that doesn't quit? But once I held you in my arms, the fear melted away. It felt good. We have the magic, my love. I don't think I'll ever get enough of you. Do you think I may be oversexed?"
Brett laughed, "You don't hear me complaining. Believe me, you are doing just fine."
"Are you about ready for some dinner? That roll in the sheets has given me an appetite, and I was too nervous to eat much at lunch."
"I'll let you go only if you promise we can do this again after dinner."
Brett laughed, "What if I said no?"
"Then, my little sex machine, I wouldn't let you leave," Dirk said. "I've heard a man can go several days without eating food. I'm sure I can find several ways to keep your mind off eating, believe me."
Brett grinned and kissed Dirk on the cheek, "I'm sure you could."
They donned their jump suits and went into the lounge. Brett began to prepare dinner, while Dirk found his favorite FM station that played dreamy music and poured them each a glass of Merlot wine. He checked his voice mail for messages, jotted down the numbers and returned the most important calls.
"Sweetheart, your mother called and wants you to return her call, ASAP."
"I had better get that out of the way before dinner. I'll just put the potatoes in the oven to bake first. We can grill the steaks after I've spoken to Mother." He sat on the lounge next to Dirk and made his call. Dirk pulled him close, put his arm around his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.
Dirk got up to refill their glasses and returned. Finally, Brett ended the call and leaned over and kissed Dirk, "That was from mother." Brett checked on the potatoes and started the grill.
"Your mother sure knows how to kiss."
"It runs in the family," Brett chuckled. "Your handsome good looks and charm made a favorable impression on my mother. She thinks you'll make a welcome addition to the family. She also wants to make sure we're on time for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Dinner is at two o'clock. I told her I would be on time. Now that Mother has finally met you, she insists that we move into Harcourt Hall. She cannot understand why we would even consider living in that apartment at the Marina. If we cannot bring ourselves to live at Harcourt Hall, the least we can do is buy a decent estate. Mom did make a point though, she said it was not right to allow your daughters to visit you at the Marina. Once my mother gets into something like that, she'll never let up."
"In all this excitement, I completely forgot that tomorrow was Thanksgiving Day," Dirk said. "I would be delighted to have dinner with you and Molly at Harcourt Hall. We both have something to be thankful about this year, sweetheart."
"I don't care where we live as long as you sleep in the same bed with me every night," Dirk continued. "I'm going to enjoy making out with you, and I don't want anything to get in the way of that. I'll leave the domestic arrangements to you. You are supposed to have the culture and taste in this family. If you want to move back to that beautiful old home that's fine with me. If you want to live in the squalor at the Islip Marina, that's fine too. I'm very easy to please, except when someone comes between us, baby, and then I can get really ugly."
"Seriously, I want what is best for us," Dirk said. "You will be commuting to New York City every day and I'll be working on Long Island. I hate the thought of you spending so much time on the train every day. Maybe you should consider using a helicopter to commute to the office to work every day. You can land on the front lawn for that matter."
Brett said, "Dinner is ready, Dirk."
They finished dinner, and Dirk cleaned up the galley while Brett made his calls. dirk poured two glasses of brandy and sat down on the lounge next to Brett until he finished.
Dirk licked Brett's ear and neck until Brett finished his call.
Brett disconnected the phone and snuggled up to Dirk, laying his head on his shoulder.
"Is everything all right?" Dirk asked.
"Everything is perfect. I was thinking of the lonely nights I sat on this couch thinking of you. I had this persistent feeling that there was chemistry between us beyond our partnership. I could feel your attitude gradually begin to change toward me after the first three months. Naturally, I was in love with you, but I could also feel the affection you felt for me. I noticed your many longing glances. More and more, you began to cherish our weekends together. You weren't even aware you were courting me."
"You found more excuses to be alone with me. We did share some delightful days alone together. As wonderful as those days were, they were the most difficult for me because I wanted your love. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to be lovers, it would just be a matter of time."
"I felt that the time would come when our work forced us to be separated. We are both creatures of habit and I hoped that you would miss that close personal relationship we had together. We've been together seven days a week for the last six months. I was counting on that absence to make you think about what you really felt toward me. Linda's move this morning changed everything. I had no choice but to scrap my timetable and have you move in with me. You needed my support and you could not bear this alone."
"I'm glad you forced the issue today," Dirk said. "It's obvious that you know me better than I know myself. Everything you said is true about my feelings about you. I cherished our weekends together. It got to the point where I became possessive of you."
"Your mother made it easy for me today when she said 'Do you love my son?' There was no hesitation on my part. In that split second, I knew I loved you. Of course, she had it all wrong. You had not told her that Linda wanted me out. She just assumed we were lovers. Your bringing me home only meant one thing to your mother. Everything else only tended to reinforce her basic premise. That I was getting a divorce and moving in with you made everything fit in her mind."
"How well do you and your mother get along?" Dirk asked.
"We are very close. We've had our moments in the past, mainly because my mother was opposed to my involvement in the Marina. She felt I was wasting my time on that small operation when I could be running the family business. Naturally, I thought otherwise."
"That was the first time we had a serious disagreement, and that's what triggered my move to the apartment in Islip. I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of running a business on my own. It's way too easy to step into the family business, I wanted some experience first. Now I feel confident that I can run Harcourt Oil."
"My moving out and living on my own was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I grew up during those four years. I learned how to take care of myself for the first time in my life. Since I was a child, I've always had servants taking care of me and was completely ignorant about the basic things that the average person takes for granted. Things like shopping, cooking and cleaning, the normal everyday things you do without giving it a second thought. In the beginning, I hired an agency to take care of everything. However, I quickly learned that there was a constant turnover in their personnel and it became a nuisance after a while to explain the same things repeatedly. Anyway, they didn't do a good job, at least not to my satisfaction. What bothered me the most was the breakage and the stealing? I noticed articles of clothing and some expensive keepsakes missing, but I blew the whistle when my private papers and files were being searched. That's when I fired the agency."
"I decided to do my own household chores. I brought the staff in from Harcourt Manor to teach me how to shop, cook and do the basic household chores. I'll tell you one thing, the place was spotless after that. I felt good knowing that I was able to take care of myself. It's relatively simple once you organize a workable system."
"I would like to live at Harcourt Hall," Dirk said, "providing we can have our privacy."
"Privacy is not a problem, if that's what you want," Brett said. "We would have our own wing and all the privacy you want. My mother is not a problem and she would love to have me back home. She is only in residence at Harcourt Hall for the summer season, after that she follows the sun to our other estates scattered around the world. I used to travel with her during the summers and holidays until I graduated from college. Mother loves to travel and visit her friends all over the world."
"You have a thing for Harcourt Hall don't you?" Brett asked Dirk.
"Yes, sweetheart, I think it's beautiful." Dirk said. "Why should we live anywhere else? You are a wealthy and sophisticated man and you belong in Harcourt Hall, or some place just as grand. I agree with your mother, you have been raised to live in a more genteel style."
"Harcourt Hall is my home and I love the old place. I'll have no problems returning there to live with you," Brett said. "My father left the estate to me as part of my inheritance. The whole conversation with my mother was to let me know that she approves of you and wants me to move back home. She is a lonely woman and wants me around in her declining years. You made a favorable impression on her and she likes the idea of having your children coming to visit. She misses not having grandchildren."
"Before we make the final decision, we should take a second look at the place tomorrow morning and plan to have Thanksgiving dinner with Mother after your tour. If you still feel the same way, we will move in next week. If not, we can look at some other estates closer to the City."
"I think it's fitting to have Thanksgiving dinner with my beautiful lover in the main dining room at Harcourt Hall," continued Brett. "We all have something to be thankful for this year."
"We also own a penthouse apartment on Central Park South in Manhattan. You will love that place. We can stay there during the ugly winter months, or when we are in town. Next week I want you to look over the list of properties we own. That may give you some ideas where we could spend some of our vacations. We also have a small fleet of jets at our disposal. I must tell you so many things. We are going to have a marvelous life together, my handsome lover. For the first time in my life I'm excited about the future."
Dirk laughed, "And here I thought I was going to take you away from all this misery. I'm an extremely fortunate man to be blessed with an incredible lover like you. Enough of this talking, I want you to keep your promise and make love to me."
They went to bed and made love again. They took a quick shower and returned to bed. They kissed and cuddled up next to one another. Brett laid his head on Dirk's shoulder and fell asleep.
Dirk could hear Brett's soft, even breathing and feel the beating of his heart against his own skin. The feel of Brett's naked body touching his was much more exciting then he ever imagined and he was enjoying the pleasure of the moment. He thanked God for this wonderful gift.