Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 15:58:36 EDT
From: Jetjt@aol.com
Subject: Empire Chapter 33

The following is a work of gay fiction. If the subject matter is offensive
to you or you are too young, please exit now. This chapter is the property
of the author and may not be reproduced without permission. See Ch. 1 for
copyright information. JETjt@aol.com


				  EMPIRE

			   Chapter Thirty-three

Thursday evening, Ron and Matt's estate on the pool deck

Nathan and Carl looked at David ben Sharif who had just offered to lay open
his heart to them.

"David, you don't have to tell us, unless you want to," Carl offered. "In
this house, your past isn't held against you. What's important is from this
day forward."

"I appreciate you saying that Carl," David replied. "You guys have been
open with me and offered me friendship, so I should be open with you
too. It's my decision. It's not an easy one for me, but I need to tell
someone."

"Alright. We promise that anything you tell us will be just between us, and
that we'll not judge you," Carl declared.

"I was feeling confident that it was so," David responded, so here
goes. "Uh... I'm like you guys. I'm pretty sure I'm gay," he said in one
staccato blast.

"That only makes the bond of our friendship closer," Nathan said without
surprise. "We know it's difficult to come out, and we also know how much
trust it takes. As we promised, we'll never tell anyone without your okay."

"Thanks guys," David responded. "You're not shocked?"

"No. Someone else might be, but not me, for sure," Carl replied. "I have
pretty good Gaydar."

"What's that?"

"It's the ability of someone to detect others who are gay. Some guys are
really good at it and some have no clue."

"You can really do that?" David asked.

"Sometimes. Nathan is better at it than me." Carl said truthfully.

"I would never confront anyone that I thought was gay," Nathan went on with
the conversation. "It's not up to me to `out' anyone. It's a person's
choice whether or not they want others, including me, to know. There are
always risks."

"How do you do it?"

"With some guys it's really difficult, especially if they're very `butch.'
I look at mannerisms, the way subjects of conversation are handled, but
most of all I look at their eyes. I look at the way they look at me, and if
they look at other guys, especially cute ones."

"Did I give myself away?" David asked.

"Well, I wondered," Carl answered, "but I wasn't really sure. The thing is,
it didn't really matter. I liked you as a person, gay or straight. You knew
that I was gay and that Nathan was my partner. You accepted us. We accept
you. It's pretty simple. Being gay is just another ingredient of you being
who you are, and it's not as important as you being a good person at
heart. That's the guy we accepted as our friend."

"I second that," Nathan added. "I think you have a good heart."

"You don't know that much about me," David countered.

"No, but I have an innate feeling that is seldom wrong," Nate responded. "I
felt that way about Carl, when I first met him. I had all kinds of personal
doubts about myself, but at least I was sure I could take care of
myself. Then I was attacked and left for dead. Carl came to my aid and
helped me, even though he was in no position to take care of himself, much
less me. Nonetheless, he jumped in to my rescue. Somehow I feel that you're
that kind of guy too."

"You were attacked?"

"Yes. Being gay is sometimes more than just emotionally difficult. It can
be physically dangerous."

"I can believe that," David agreed. "I've never told anyone about me
before, partly because of that, and also because I have no family or
friends who would support me, for sure if they knew I was gay. My religion,
like the Christian one, condemns gays."

"You're a follower of Islam?" Nathan guessed.

"Yes," David revealed. "I hope that won't make you dislike me."

"No, of course not," Carl said, reentering the conversation. "I was raised
in a sect of the Mormon Church whose teachings are far less than
mainstream. I'm certainly not one to challenge someone's beliefs."

"Hoping that you won't judge me either, perhaps you'd be more comfortable
knowing more about me," Nathan offered. "It's not a pretty tale, but as
Carl said earlier, yesterday is not as important as today and tomorrow."

"I'll listen, even though you don't have to tell me anything you don't want
to."

"Thanks David. Here it comes..."

For the next 20 minutes, Nathan told about his earlier life. When he was
finished, Carl took up the baton, telling about his background. David's
reaction was mixed. It was exposure to the inner feelings that he shared
with his two hosts, but circumstances were beyond what he had expected and
what he was sure he fully understood.  He listened with interest though,
asking a few questions as the stories unrolled. Finally when Carl
concluded, he sat in silence thinking of all he'd been told.

Breaking the silence, he confessed, "I'm not sure of what to say."

"No response is necessary," Nathan said. "You know more about us now than
anyone besides each other. You either accept us or you don't. You can think
about it though. There's no hurry."

"The older guys here don't know your background?" David asked.

"Tyler knows most of it," Carl said. "I'm sure the other guys know a lot of
it, but I'm sure not all. The younger guys here, as we said earlier, all
have difficult backgrounds. We all love each other, and accept the guy we
see."

"I'm not sure that they would accept me if they, or even you, knew
everything about me. My story is quite different from yours."

"Perhaps that's true," Nathan said. "Cultural differences sometimes make it
difficult to come together in understanding, but that is just another
version of acceptance.  Ron often says that `being different' is the root
of most of the world's problems. We're taught from an early age that `we're
okay' but whoever is not like us is wrong, immoral, and less than we
are. It doesn't matter if you're talking about sexuality, skin color,
religion, ethnic background or whatever. Civilized man in an overcrowded
world needs, most of all, to change his attitudes. The guys in this house
are the best example I've ever seen of true acceptance. If you're a `bad
guy' it's because you act bad, not because of what you are or where you
come from."

"I can see that," David agreed. "I come from a culture that has huge
difficulty with gays."

"Were you born in the United States?" Carl asked.

"No, I was born in the Middle East. My father was a car mechanic and I had
three brothers and a sister. My father was an angry and cruel man. When I
was just a teen, I knew that I had to leave my family as soon as I could to
escape him. He would beat us and was extremely violent. I was afraid for my
life and ran away when I was thirteen. Fortunately, I found some guys that
let me live with them. When I was 16 my mother found me, and told me that
an uncle in the United States would take me, so I was able to come
here. Unfortunately, my Uncle was as bad as his brother so after two years
I ran away again. I was afraid he'd find me so I took the money I had saved
and came to Las Vegas. I had worked in construction in New York, so I
looked for a job here and got the job I have now with Turner Construction."

"Why did you say we wouldn't like you," Carl asked. "It sounds to me like
all you did was escape from harm."

"In a way that's true," David admitted. "It's what I haven't told you that
you won't like."

"Can you tell us that?" Nathan asked. "You don't have to, you know."

"It's just that my family, and for that matter everyone I grew up with, had
ties to terrorism. Several of my young friends were either killed or
sacrificed their lives for the cause of Islam. I'm sure of how you feel
about those things. I was afraid you'd paint me with the same brush."

There was another pause of silence before Carl replied.

"David, you are right in one respect. We hate terrorism and violence. It's
the antithesis of everything we believe and practice in this house. The
ultimate result of terrorism is death, death for the victims and death for
those who practice it. Terrorism breeds retaliation until all who hate are
dead. We believe in life and love, not death and hate. On the other hand I
can only repeat what we said before. For you, with us, today is a new
day. Wherever you came from, what ever you did, can be over if you want it
to. I won't ask if you participated in that hate game. I don't want to
know. I only want to know if you can buy into what we believe, the belief
that life is good, and love is the highest goal of life."

"I want to Carl," David said with a tear leaking from his right eye. "I
guess I've never really believed that there was a choice. Please be patient
with me. I've got a lot of thinking to do."

"Take your time," Nathan said. "Friendship means giving, not demanding."

"Thanks guys," David said.

"Sleep on it, my friend," Carl advised. "We can talk some more another
time. In the meantime, how about a hug before we call it a night."

"No one has hugged me for years," David revealed.

"It's about time for a change then," Carl said as he arose, pulling his
friend up from his seat and into an embrace.

Nathan also stood and waited for his turn, then after taking their new
tearful friend in his arms, said softly, "It's okay David. Everything will
be okay."

Friday Morning, 6 AM, Ron and Matt's suite

Ron lay on the large bed looking at the beautiful body of his mate. He
never ceased to be amazed at how lucky he'd been in their union. Not only
was Matt gorgeous, he was intelligent, funny, and caring. The best thing,
without a doubt, was the love for each other that they shared. It wasn't
only physical, it was the joining of two hearts, both different, but united
in a commitment of devotion to the other partner and to the goals in life
that they pursued. Somehow that devotion made the sexual side of their
relationship whole. It became the physical expression of the love they
shared, rather than an end in itself.

Matt stirred, opening his eyes and seeing his lover looking at
him. "Mornin' Babe. Like what you see?" he asked with a smile.

"My eyes can never get enough of you lover," Ron replied. "Sometimes I have
to pinch myself to believe that you're real and that you're mine."

"I'm real alright, and will always be yours," Matt promised. "How long have
you been awake?"

"Just a few minutes. We have a lot to do today if we're going to Houston
this afternoon so I woke up early."

"Parker will get us all packed," Matt replied. "What's left to do?"

"I was just thinking," Ron replied. "Since Jerry and Zack are staying for
the move this weekend with Tyler and Dan, we have plenty of room on the
plane. I know that Carl especially would like David ben Sharif to come
along."

"You think Carl is getting `sweet' on David?" Matt asked surprise.

"Not at all," Ron answered. "I'm sure that Carl and Nathan are
inseparable. It's just that I think he's found someone `in need' and wants
to help him as much as he can."

"It's okay with me," Matt agreed, "but I'd talk to Carl and Nathan first
before offering. Nathan just met David, and I'd hate to add a third wheel
to their bicycle unless they were both comfortable with it."

"I get your point, lover," Ron said giving Matt a kiss.

"Yuck! Morning mouth!" he exclaimed with a grin.

"Same to ya!" Matt kidded back. "Your mouth tastes like my ass."

"Hmmm," Ron responded with a twinkle in his eye. "There might be a reason
for that!"

"Let's hit the shower and get beautiful," Matt suggest after a feigned poke
to Ron's shoulder.

"A shower will never improve your looks," Ron assured his love.

"No, maybe not," Matt countered, "but it will sure improve the air quality
down-wind of me," he concluded with a laugh.

			* * *

20 minutes later, in the breakfast room

Ron and Matt found Carl and David busily munching down their breakfast at
the table when the two older men entered the room. The younger guys were
dressed in their work clothes, and were wasting no time with eating in
order to avoid being late on the job.

"Morning guys,' Ron and Matt both said.

"Morning Ron," Carl responded then David quickly followed with, "Good
morning, Sir."

"Where's Nathan," Matt asked.

"Oh he's going in with you guys later," Carl answered. "He's up but was
just taking his shower when I last looked. He'll be along shortly. He wants
to say goodbye to David before we leave for work."

"I need to talk with both of you privately for a minute," Matt
requested. "Let's go up and chat for a second. It won't take long. Ron can
stay here with David and get better acquainted."

"Sure Matt. Let's go," Carl said as he wiped his face with a napkin. "Back
in a minute David."

"Okay," came the muffled reply from a mouth half full of English muffin.

Matt and Carl disappeared through the doorway through the family room as
Ron grabbed a cup of coffee and joined David at the table.

"How was your visit?" he asked the younger man.

"Incredible," David responded. "At first I was a bit intimidated with this
place, but Carl and Nathan kept me so occupied I didn't have time to worry
about it. It sure is beautiful though, and you and all your family made me
feel welcome. I want to thank you for having me here."

"You're most welcome David. Carl has had nothing but good to say about you
since he first started working with you. I'm glad you enjoyed your
visit. We try to enjoy ourselves when we're not working. How do you like
your job?"

"It's a lot better now that Carl is working with me. I mean it was good
before, but now it's great!  We get along well and make a really good
team."

"I'm glad," Ron said with a smile. "You know, I worked construction too for
a while when I was younger."

"I bet it wasn't as a laborer though," David said.

"Not for very long, that's true," Ron confirmed, "but I started at the
bottom and had a taste of the construction business all the way up. I did
it for all of the summers when I was in college, then returned to it for a
while later when my Dad and I didn't get along. The first summer I worked
was doing what you're doing."

"Wow! I had no idea," David responded.

"Where do you think all these muscles came from?" Ron said jokingly as he
raised up his arm and flexed.

"The gym," David replied.

"Well, that too," Ron admitted with a wink, "but working in the field got
`em going. I used to come home beat to a frazzle. It gets pretty hot here
in the summer."

"I can't wait," David kidded back.

"Anyway, I'm glad you had a good time here. We want you to feel that this
is your second home. You're welcome anytime."

"I really appreciate you saying that Ron," David replied. "You have no idea
how much it means to me. It's one thing for your friend to invite you home,
but it's so much more when you're welcomed and made to feel part of the
family like you guys have done with me. Carl said I'd not want to leave,
and he was right."

"I consider that a sincere compliment, David. Thank you."

"You're welcome Sir. You can be proud of what you have here. I don't mean
just the house either. The guys here are the best. It makes me want to cry
with envy."

"Good things come to those who work hard for it.  Of course a little help
makes it easier, but I believe that, with few exceptions, we make our own
destiny in this country. It's what makes America great. We have the freedom
to become what we want to be."

"What about America forcing its will on others?" David asked. "I came from
the Middle East and we feel America's yoke on our neck, trying to make us
bend to their will. What about Afghanistan and Iraq?"

"I wish there was an easy answer to that David," Ron replied. "America has
made a lot of mistakes since it was forced out of isolationism by World War
One, and even more so by World War Two. Before then America believed that
it could survive and prosper by itself. Now we have a world economy. Not
being isolated is an economic necessity, if we wish to improve our
conditions in the world. The world's population explosion alone makes it
imperative.  For years our main focus was to defend against Communism. The
third world was of minor concern to us. As I said, we made many mistakes
and we'll make many more. We've often allied ourselves with despots in
order to achieve a regional balance or even in our own self-interest. We've
toppled some too, for the same reasons. I'm not making excuses, just
stating facts. There are many things we can't be proud of, but in the last
100 years we've never conquered for our own gain. We've never enslaved
peoples for our own enrichment. We've poured billions and billions of
dollars into helping other nations and peoples. We want peace, but it's
very difficult when hate is preached from infancy, and power and greed
prevail. I'm not saying we're blameless ourselves. Our human rights history
alone is appalling. We're trying to do better, but it's hard to overcome
generations of distrust."

"I wish everyone felt as you do Ron," David remarked. "The world would be a
better place."

"I'm sure that's true," Ron agreed. "We have to win this battle one person
at a time. I truly believe that good is stronger than evil. I believe that
love is stronger than hate and that hard work and caring for others will
prevail over greed and selfishness. Sometimes it looks like a hopeless task
and we might never live to see it, but I believe that one day it will
come. Of course we didn't believe that man could travel to the moon
either. It's happened though, and my father lived to see it. It is amazing
what can be accomplished when the will is there."

"No one ever talked to me about this stuff before," David revealed. "I was
either a dumb kid whose opinion didn't count, or someone's pawn. You treat
me like an adult, a man with a brain."

Ron smiled.

"That because you are a man David. You do have a brain and your opinions do
count. I only ask that you make your judgments from the right perspective,
the perspective of the inherent goodness that is the potential in all
people."

Their conversation was interrupted by the reappearance of Carl and Matt,
followed by the now freshly scrubbed Nathan. Matt nodded affirmatively at
Ron.

"David," Carl who had been appointed spokesman began, "I know I had asked
you here for the weekend, but it turns out this weekend we're taking a
trip. We wondered if you'd like to go along."

"Where are you going?" David asked in pleased surprise.

"We're going to Houston to visit some friends," Matt answered. "They have a
camp there for youths, and they called last night telling us that they're
having a weekend gathering there. It will be a bit rustic, but should be
fun."

"Uh, I'd sure like to," David replied, "but I haven't any money for fun
things, nor clothes that are really good enough."

"It will cost you nothing," Ron responded. "We're providing all the
transportation and lodging, and there'll even be a bit of pocket money for
everyone too. As for your clothing, I'll ask Parker to take your
measurements before you leave for work. He'll see that you are outfitted
properly and he'll love spending the day shopping. Most of the time will be
very casual so there won't be much, if any `dressing up'."

"I can't let you do that," David said dejectedly.  "You've all been
wonderful to me and I've nothing to offer in return."

"All we're asking for is your company, Dude," Carl replied. "Daddy Warbucks
is in charge of everything else," he said kiddingly. "Ya better say `yes'
if ya know what's good for ya," Carl said in imitation of John Wayne.

"Then it's `yes'," David decided with a smile; then he suddenly frowned.

"A problem?" Ron asked.

"Uh, I was supposed to go to um....a meeting this weekend," David
reported. Then shaking his head he again made up his mind. "I can skip it,
I guess. I'll just have to make a phone call. Thanks for asking me. I'll
try not to embarrass you with your friends."

"That's Carl's job," Ron said laughing. "It will be good to have you
along. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

			* * *

6 PM, McCarran Airport's Executive Terminal

Ron and Matt led the boys through the doorway leading to the RET
hangar. The boys' eyes, already filled with wonder, about popped when they
saw the white Grumman G-V bathed in light from the overhead floodlights. In
addition to Ron and Matt, the entourage consisted of Ronnie, Douglas, Carl,
Nathan, and their guest, David.

"WOW!" David said, expressing each of the boys' feelings. Only Ronnie had
ridden on the large corporate craft before and he smiled as he was reminded
of the trip to see Jerry in the hospital in Houston. He knew how the others
were feeling, yet was again himself filled with the excitement that was
visible on the other boys' faces.

"We're going on that?" Carl asked. "I knew we had a plane, `cause Nathan
and I rode on it when we came here with Tyler, but it was way smaller.  I
didn't know we had this one!"

"Actually we have four planes," Ron revealed. "This one, and another like
it are the big ones. We have two smaller ones too. The rest of them are all
gone on business now."

"Man, you have a regular airline," David ventured.

"Sometimes it seems like it," Ron said. "We have another three on
order. Two are small ones, and the other is even bigger than this one. It's
actually a commercial jet from Boeing that's customized for business. We
rent two planes also, but we don't keep them here. We have one in Atlanta,
and another in New York. We'll turn them back in when we get the smaller
ones delivered."

"I'd hate to have your gas bill," Douglas giggled. It seemed that whenever
he got used to one thing in the household, there was another surprise
waiting.

"You forgot the helicopter, Ron," Matt reminded his mate.

"Oh yes," Ron announced to the boys. "We have a helicopter too."

"It that what the big concrete pad is back behind the house?" Douglas
asked.

"Yes, that's what it's for," Ron answered. "Let's get aboard. It's going to
be very late when we get to Houston."

"How long does it take to fly there?" Ronnie asked as everyone approached
the boarding stairway.

"About 2 ½ hours," Ron replied, "but then there's the time change, and
we'll still have an hour's drive out to the camp."

Later

An hour into the flight the three older boys were watching a movie on the
plane's DVD system, while Douglas and Ronnie were playing games on the new
game system that Ron had special ordered.  Ron and Matt rested on two
adjacent executive chairs, holding hands and listening to music over
earphones from the aircraft's stereo system, ignoring the antics of the
younger crowd.

"Mr. Turner," Ron heard the co-pilot's voice interrupt the Bach he was
enjoying. "There's a phone call for you from Jeff Davis. Just push the
blinking button."

Ron removed his headset before picking up the phone from the armrest and
pressing on the blinking light.

"Hi Jeff," Ron greeted.

"Hi Ron. We've finished the audit. Everything looks good. We have an
outline of the contract too. I'll be faxing it to you aboard the plane
along with two consolidated financial statements. One is for Tegano
Constructors, and the other is an asset statement on the land the company
owns. I'm also including the information on a couple of pieces of land that
you asked me to research.  The one between Austin and San Antonio is owned
by Tegano, but the other one near Dallas is available for trade. We have
contacted the owner and have a potential land swap ready, if Tony is
interested."

"Good work Jeff," Ron said smiling.

"If you guys get the chance to see the land while you're in Texas, it would
sure make things easier, if Tony wants them. One we can just exclude from
our deal with Tony, transferring title to his trust or whatever. The other
we can proceed with the land swap and probably consummate the deal within
two weeks or so. Let us know as soon as you've decided. As for the
purchase, I think we should snap the offer up. It's a great purchase, and
Will, who's here working on the purchase agreement, thinks financing will
be a snap."

"I'll review the statements here on the plane. Are you sending the
preliminary agreements along with the draft of the final purchase
agreement?"

"Yes, the preliminary agreements are included," Jeff reported. "If you
agree with our assessments, I'd get those signed this weekend if at all
possible."

"I'll let you know if I see any problems," Ron assured the bright `whiz
kid.' Thanks so much for your hard work. If this deal comes off as
expected, you'll be properly rewarded as I indicated before."

"Working for you is reward enough, but thanks anyway for the bonus. Call me
if you need anything. We are staying at the Houstonian hotel. It's first
class and adjacent to the best health club I've ever seen."

"I'll call you if I need you. In any event, I'll call you at least on the
way back to Las Vegas on Sunday. Thanks again. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Ron, give our best to Matt."

"I will. Thanks."

Ron hung up the receiver. Matt seeing his partner finish the call, removed
his own headset.

"Good news?" he asked.

"Yes, the best. The purchase of Tegano Constructors is solid.  Phil and
Jeff have found a couple of pieces of land to expand Jake and Tony's
camping charity too. The paperwork will be coming by fax momentarily."

"Looks like there's no rest for the weary, huh?" Matt said smiling.

"It's a labor of love, Babe. Not to mention that it's the biggest deal, by
far that we've ever made."

"I hope it goes," Matt said encouragingly. "I know it will mean more work
for awhile, but I'm sure it will be worth it."

"Yes, its effect on our company will be monumental. I'm positive that it
will keep us all hopping for the next few months."

"I'm with you all the way Babe," Matt assured his partner.

"I'm counting on it, Poopie," Ron replied with a grin.

		* * *

Three hours later, at Tony Tegano's camp outside of Houston.

Ron and Matt sat back in the living room of the owners' cabin at Tony
Tegano and Jake Marley's Camp Hope. Sleep had finally overcome their boys'
excitement and Ron and Matt relaxed for the first time since early in the
plane flight from Las Vegas.

"I don't know how to tell you how impressed I am with your facility here,
guys," Ron commented. "It's beautiful and wonderfully well kept. I'm
overawed with the beauty of this place too. It's not that far from the
City, but you'd never know that, once you're here."

"Thanks Ron," Tony said over the drink he was sipping. Jake and I love this
place. If it wasn't for the daily needs of our businesses in town, I think
we'd just move here permanently. As it is we keep a condo in town and come
out here twice a month on the weekends. How is our deal looking?"

"It's a done deal as far as we're concerned. I brought a preliminary
agreement for signatures, along with the financials. After you read them we
can discuss or change anything you wish. There is one thing though. I asked
Phil and Jeff to look for land for new camps for you. They found one parcel
in San Marcos that is part of the `Constructor's' land. They found another
southeast of Dallas on a lake at Seven Points. It's available for swap and,
I understand is quite beautiful. We have the preliminary swap already
earmarked for another piece of land you already own that is not nearly as
desirable for your use."

"How will that work?" Tony asked.

"If you like the land, we'll extract the piece you already own from our
deal and place the title with your charity that operates this place. The
other, we'll swap for you, then deed it over the same way. If you don't
like either or both pieces, we'll find some land that you like
instead. Matt and I discussed it on the way here. Since we're buying your
construction company, we'll build any facility you want on the two pieces,
and are willing to donate $5 million apiece for each parcel's development."

"That's very generous," Tony said as his partner Jake agreed.

"The generosity started with you," Ron replied. "The deal you've offered us
is the best deal we've ever made. The two camps are just our way of
thanking you."

"How will we be seeing them?" Jake asked.

"I took the liberty of chartering a helicopter for tomorrow and Sunday when
we landed," Ron answered. The boys can stay here, and we can make a short
hop to San Marcos sometime tomorrow, and a longer trip to Dallas on
Sunday."

"That sounds great," Tony responded enthusiastically. "I like the way you
work. I have a suggestion though."

"Shoot," Ron requested.

"Tomorrow we'll make the fairly short round trip to San Marcos and back. On
Sunday we can fly to the second site by helicopter in the late
afternoon. Your boys can board your plane here, then fly to Dallas. After
we see the site, the helicopter can take you to your plane, then bring Jake
and me back to Houston.  That way, you'll save an hour or more on your
return flight."

"Thanks, that's a great idea," Matt said as Ron nodded his agreement. "I'll
stay with the boys on Sunday to make sure they don't forget their heads
when we leave. I'll get a chance to say goodbye when you bring Ron to the
airport."

"Sounds like a plan," Tony agreed. "Well, I think we'd better turn in. It's
well after midnight here."  "I'm ready," Matt responded. "Thanks again for
your hospitality."

"For friends, nothing is too good," Tony replied.

		*	*	*	*	*