Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2002 05:23:53 -0600 From: Ross Cutler <rosscutler111@hotmail.com> Subject: The Apprentice 3 291 Emails! You guys are all that and a jelly sandwich! In this chapter there's a little incident with ice.....It really happened, and it wasn't funny. At the time. The copyrights for this story have been applied for, and thanks everybody for the advice. Also thanks to Greg in the UK for the pictures of PJ, they were right on the mark, dude. If anyone comes across pics that remind them of the characters, please, pass 'em along. Thanks everybody! Ross Rosscutler111@hotmail.com The Apprentice: We're not alone anymore Even on vacation Van and PJ fell into a sort of routine. The got up at six, worked out in the resort's well-equipped spa, swam laps, and had breakfast before hitting the theme parks. They usually had a late dinner before heading back to the bungalow for passionate and usually very physical lovemaking. Their fourth night in Florida proved to be more exhausting than the others, and they decided to sleep in. At a little after eight in the morning PJ was dragged into consciousness by an overwhelming need to urinate. As with most males, this had caused a massive morning woody, which wouldn't be any big deal, except that Van was sleeping on his stomach and PJ was sleeping in his stomach on Van's back, still inside Van's ass. "Jesus, PJ, are you STILL horny, or do you have to piss?" Van said with a smile in his voice. His cheek was pressed against the pillow, and it distorted his words. PJ really didn't want to move, and he didn't want to pull out either. Van's letting him do it had been the greatest thing that had ever happened to him, and he wanted to savor it. Facts were facts, though, and with a groan of disappointment he slid out and rolled to the side. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." He jumped up and jogged into the bathroom, his erection slapping against his stomach. "I've been awake, Baby. I didn't want to wake you up." Van yawned and sat up, sliding up against the headboard. He listened to PJ, who seemed to be going for a world record piss, and shook his head and chuckled. PJ walked out of the bathroom and headed for the kitchen. Their unit had a coffee pot with a timer, and PJ returned with two mugs of coffee. Van accepted his and slid his feet apart so PJ could get in his lap. He slid his arm around PJ's waist when he got comfortable and then picked up his mug. "So what are we doing today?" "I don't think I can take anymore Disney, Van. It's cool, but it's like there's to much of it." PJ said. He set his coffee on the table and looked out the window. "Can we just go bummin' today? Go see the city or something?" "We can do whatever we want, Baby. There's no rules." Van rubbed his chest, almost getting PJ to purr. "What about the beach? It's like an hour's drive. Not that far." "I'd really like that." PJ yawned and settled back against Van's chest. "It wouldn't suck to just sit like this all day either." "No." Van chuckled and kissed the top of PJ's head. They did finally get up and get moving, and after showers and doing a load of laundry, they packed PJ's gym bag with towels, sunscreen, and anything they might need and headed for the car. It was hot and humid outside, and PJ cranked up the A/C as soon as Van started the car. They left the top up because of the heat. It was a little over an hour's drive, and they talked and joked about all of the swamps on the way. They stopped at a couple of small shops to look at the trinkets, and had lunch at a small diner near the beach. Van stood up from the car when they got there and stretched, enjoying the sun on his face and the smell of the salt in the air. PJ bounded up the wooden stairs and looked out over the wide beach, his mouth open in awe. He'd lived in Oakland his entire life and never seen the Pacific Ocean. Now, standing on the bridge from the parking lot, the Atlantic Ocean almost took his breath away. He ran back to the car to help Van with the cooler they'd bought and their bag. Van couldn't keep a straight face as he watched PJ. They spread out their towels and an umbrella they rented, and before Van had his shirt off PJ was down to his Speedo and was running towards the water. Van put their things under their towels and headed after him. The beach was not crowded. In fact there were only maybe sixty people that they could see any where near them. PJ dived into the surf and swam out away from the sand, shouting and waving for Van to follow. Van wasn't real worried about PJ's not so hot swimming skills, but he kept a close eye on him anyway. They ran through the surf and chased each other, threw a Frisbee, and collected shells. It was nowhere near as muggy or humid on the beach as it had been in Orlando, and with the wind blowing it was actually pretty nice. Exhausted and wet, PJ ran up and collapsed on his towel. He watched as Van walked up. They were both still soaking wet, and Van shook his head so the water would fall on PJ. "Dick cheese! You want to get hurt?" PJ mock snarled and held his fists up. "Oh, it's on, bitch." Van threw himself on top of PJ and tickled the shit out of him until he begged for mercy. "You need to remember you're kind of a little fucker." Van sat on PJ's lap and held his wrists, pinning him. "Somebody might just bounce your ass someday." He grinned. "Kiss me." PJ said simply looking from Van's lips to his eyes and back. "There's a bunch of people around." Van said, still smiling. "Fuck 'em!" PJ shouted. "Kiss me like you mean it!" His face was bunched up like he was angry but his eyes weren't mad. Van didn't even hesitate. He bent down and gave PJ a tender kiss. When they parted PJ grimaced and tried to move under him. "Okay, that was way cool but get off!" Van rolled off and PJ jumped to his feet and bent over to stretch. "Leg cramp." He explained. "Got it." Van laughed and got sodas for them from the cooler. As he handed one to PJ he noticed a nice looking guy about his age walking towards them. The guy smiled as he got near them and knelt down on one knee. "Hey, guys, can I ask you something?" The man said. "Are you family?" "What does that mean?" PJ asked, eyeing the stranger. The guy was as toned as Van and about the same size and height. He had brown hair cut short and parted, and his brown eyes were behind dark glasses. "He wants to know if we're gay." Van answered, knowing the term from his brother Brad. "Is that important to you?" He asked the stranger. "Easy guys, you're among friends." The guy held out his hand to them. "Dakota Cooper." "Van Myers and Preston Stilwell." Van responded. "What can we do for you?" "Look, I don't mean to intrude on your vacation or whatever, but I'd like to invite you guys to a party tonight. We have a gathering here on the beach once in a while, and it's all family." Dakota sat on the sand and folded his legs. "Nothing weird or kinky before you get the wrong idea. We just like to be around our own for a few hours, you know?" He smiled at PJ. "There's a little over a hundred that usually come. All ages. It's great." "What do you do?" PJ asked. "Listen to music, dance, bullshit, play volleyball." Dakota chuckled. "A couple of months a go we had a comedy night. It's all class, it's not a pimp show." "We had planned to head back soon. We're staying in Orlando." Van said. "It's tempting, but if we stayed we'd have to find a hotel." "See that hotel about a block away? The one with the turquoise trim?" Dakota pointed. Van nodded. "I manage that building for Peter Mannax. I can get you a single for twenty nine bucks." "What do you think, Preston? Want to meet the 'family'?" Van asked. He knew the look on PJ's face, and he knew that PJ had questions he didn't want to ask in front of the stranger. "Tell you what. We'll think about it while we go eat. We appreciate the offer, man." He held his hand out to Dakota. "Sure, guys." His genuine smile was infectious. "Just meet back here anytime after seven. We'll have beer and hotdogs and stuff, and it's ten bucks a head, okay? Covers all the food and stuff." He stood up and touched his finger to his forehead. "Hope to see you." He walked away. "You wanna go?" PJ asked immediately. He played with the cap from his soda. "Entirely up to you, Baby." Van stretched out on the towel and adjusted the umbrella. "Something to remember, though. This might actually be fun, and that guy may just be a nice guy. If it was a dive we wouldn't stay." He closed his eyes and let the sun soak in. Despite his decade old Speedo tan, Van could tell that he was getting a mild burn going. PJ stretched out next to him and propped himself up on one elbow. "It could be cool. We could just be our real selves instead of hiding, too." PJ smiled wistfully. "I'd really love to dance with you." "We can head back right now and dance all night, Peej." Van smiled and touched his fingertip to PJ's bottom lip. "If you make me hard on this beach in my Speedo I will kick your ass, buddy." PJ grinned broadly and moved away from Van's finger. "You ain't tough, Baby." Van smiled wickedly and clambered up off the towel. "Oh, shit!" PJ shrieked and jumped up, tearing off for the water with Van in hot pursuit. Tired and moderately sunburned, they collected their things from the beach and headed for the car. PJ set the cooler by the trunk and worked on pulling his hair back in a ponytail with a rubber band. "Van, I've been thinking about it and if you want to I want to try that party out." "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do." Van set the cooler and the bag in the trunk and picked up the shorts he'd worn on the way out. "What the hell, right? If it's weird or something we'll bag out of here." He pulled the shorts on over his Speedo and tossed his tank top over his shoulder. "It's only an hour back." PJ pointed towards the wooden bridge that led to the beach. "There's that Dakota guy." Preston looked up as Dakota made his way over to them. "So, are you going to take a chance on us?" Van laughed. "We were just talking about it. Yeah, we'll stay and see what's up." "I was hoping you would. Go over to the hotel desk and tell the manager that you're Dakota's guest. He'll hook you up." He stuck out his hand. Van shook it. "That's decent, man. Thanks." They watched Dakota head for his car, and Van got in their rental. "I guess we should find a store and get some clean clothes. I didn't know we were staying here tonight." "Can we go to the hotel first? I need to use the restroom, and I don't like the public ones at the beach." PJ made a face. They pulled in and parked, and PJ pulled on his shirt over his Speedo. Never one to be very modest, he left his cargo shorts in the car. Van pulled on his shirt and held the door for PJ and followed him inside. The hotel wasn't very large, but the lobby was high ceilinged and decorated with expensive furnishings. The counter was some kind of polished dark wood. A heavyset guy in a dark suit looked up and smiled as they walked up. "You wouldn't happen to be Van and Preston would you?" He set a form and pen on the counter. "I just got off the phone with Dakota. He said you were coming." Van blinked in surprise and shrugged. "That's us. He said you might give us a discount for the night." He looked at the guy's nametag. Paul Anderson was apparently the day manager. "Family always gets a discount, sir." Paul took the form from Van and handed him a couple of credit card keys. "Your in suite fourteen one floor up and to the rear overlooking the beach." "Don't you need my credit card?" Van asked, handing one of the cards to PJ. "You're money's no good here, Van." Paul smiled broadly. "Dakota mentioned that they shanghaied you for the party. If you need a change of clothes the shop will give you a fifteen percent discount with your room key." "Alright." Van chuckled and put the card in his pocket. "Your boss is a generous guy." "So's Mr. Mannax. You'll meet him tonight I'm sure. Everyone does." Paul pointed down the wide hallway. "The shop's just out of site right there. They have everything you need." "Thanks again." Van smiled at him and put his arm around PJ's shoulders. They headed for the shop. "Do you believe this shit?" Van said quietly. "Don't jinx us, man. This is cool shit." PJ grinned at him. They turned into the shop. "Oh, man." He worried. "This stuff looks expensive." "Hey look, we're going to dress up tonight, okay?" Van went towards one of the racks and pulled out a pair of pleated silk knee length shorts. "Stuff like this looks killer with a dress shirt." "I never had dress clothes." PJ followed Van around. "I don't know what looks good." He pulled out a white silk shirt and examined it. "There's no buttons on this." "It's a wrap around." A tall thin man came around the counter to help them. "It's sort of like a robe. You don't tuck it in; it just fastens on the side. Shows off a nice chest, too." It took zero seconds for PJ to figure out that the clerk was (A) family, as Dakota put it, and (B) what he'd always thought of as a 'flamer'. The guy's movements were swishy, and he held his hands up in front of him like a praying mantis. "Try it on. You're tan will really set it off." The clerk smiled and pointed at a changing room. Van nodded, and PJ shrugged he handed the hanger to the clerk and pulled his shirt off, leaving him standing in his speedo. He took the shirt off the hanger and shrugged into it. "Well, that works, I guess." The clerk said and rolled his eyes. Van turned away and put his hand over his mouth. There were times when PJ was so blunt and so in your face that it was hilarious. What made it worse was that PJ was oblivious to what he'd done. PJ fastened the little belt and walked over to a mirror, turning to each side. The shirt was fitted loose, but clung to his chest and abs, showing them off nicely. "I like it." He said finally. Their friendly store keeper had gotten quite a show from PJ. "Pull these on." Van handed him a pair of dark wine colored pleated shorts. He pulled them on over his Speedo and did them up, then pulled out the shirt to hang over the shorts. He looked up for approval, and Van nodded. He looked fantastic. Van got a loose fitting micro fiber crew neck shirt and a pair of the silk shorts, and they each got a package of underwear. Next were a hairbrush and two toothbrushes, two dress belts, and deodorant. PJ took the bags and headed for the room while Van paid the tab. He had to look at the receipt more closely because he knew they'd just dropped a couple hundred bucks easy. The bill was half that. "Have a good time at the party." The clerk smiled and walked him to the door. "If you forgot something call and I'll send it up." "How the hell do you guys stay in business giving stuff away like this?" Van asked incredulously. "We gouge the straights." The clerk said deadpan. It took a second for Van to catch it and then he burst out laughing. He was still laughing when he got on the elevator, and he could be heard laughing as it went between floors. PJ was all ready for the shower when he let himself in the room and was standing at the vanity naked and brushing through his hair. His tan was now much the same as Van's permanent one. Where his Speedo covered was pale white, and the rest of him was golden brown tinged in red form the sun today. PJ met his eyes in the mirror. "Was it a lot?" "Half price." Van pulled off his shirt and looked around the room. There was a small living room area and wet bar, the vanity in the hall, and a king sized bed in the bedroom. It was very ritzy looking. "Nice, huh?" "I guess it will do." PJ smirked and put in the silver hoop earrings Van had given him in Orlando. "You want to go out and eat or get room service?" "What do you want to do?" Van pulled off his shorts and Speedo and sat on the end of the bed. "I want to call room service and then run out all of the hot water with you in the shower." PJ walked over and crawled on top of Van. "Either that or bag the food and just fuck like bunnies right here." He bent down and kissed Van long and hard, letting his tongue dart in and out. An hour later PJ came back into the bedroom from letting the room service guy in and took the towel from his waist and dropped it on the floor. He climbed on the bed and snuggled up against Van. Van stroked his hair, deep in thought, and absent-mindedly ran his finger through the fluids on his stomach, evidence of their lovemaking. After several minutes he turned on his side and looked at PJ. "Ready to go back to the real world in a couple of days?" "You are my real world." PJ said, not opening his eyes. "Nobody ever loved me like you do. Wherever you go that's my real world." He moved his head slightly to get more comfortable on Van's arm. "I'm really getting used to the idea that you might be my keeper, you know that?" Van stroked his finger along PJ's jaw. "I can see you and me together a long time from now. Growing old together." "You just figured that out?" PJ smirked and looked up at him. "For being college educated you sure take a long time some times." He caught Van's hand and pulled it to his chest. "That tickles." Van was silent for several long minutes. He had never felt before what he did now. Like time was suspended as he looked at PJ's face and scanned over his form. It was hard to speak. "PJ, I want you to stay with me. I don't want to you to leave when we get home." He said softly. "I don't want to come home if you're not there." PJ shivered against Van and had to swallow hard. He smiled, almost achieving his customary impish grin. "Are you asking me to marry you, Van?" Van's chest tightened and he felt relief wash through him, relief that he was understood. "Exactly. Yes, I want you to marry me and be with me forever. I know there's places that will do it." He lifted PJ's face up to his. "What do you say?" "Spend my life with a perfect god? Duh!" PJ suddenly pushed Van onto his back and climbed on top into his favorite position. "Don't you know how much I love you yet? I'd have my self sewn to you if I could!" He squeezed Van as hard as he could. "Find somebody. Of course I will!" He sniffed and pushed his hand across his eyes. "Does that make you my fianc,'?" Van nodded and kissed his forehead. "I don't think everybody will by into that, but I think what really matters is how we feel. I don't want anybody else ever." He had to clear his throat to try and get the lump out of it, and was surprised to feel tears running down the sides of his face. "God I love you." After several minutes PJ lifted his head and put his chin on Van's chest, looking him in the eye. His own eyes were red, and he reached up and touched the tear tracks on Van's face. "If we're going to that party we have to go shower." "Do you want to go?" Van asked. "I have no problem with staying just like this until I'm eighty." He ran his fingertips up PJ's sides, causing him to jump and giggle. "I want to go." PJ said. "Can I ask you something?" Van nodded. "Why did you introduce me to Dakota as Preston instead of PJ?" "Because," Van brushed his hair out of his eyes, "Preston is the guy that everybody gets to meet." He traced PJ's jaw line with his fingertip. "PJ belongs to me." The party ended up being everything that was promised. There were a little over a hundred people there in various ages, sexes, ethnicities, body shapes and styles. There was beer for those that were old enough and soft drinks for the rest. Four fires burned along the beach, and there were conversation groups around them. Music played and people danced, and some even swam in the darkness. Dakota had met them in the parking area and led them through the throngs of people, making introductions and pointing out the famous and not so famous. They eventually stopped near a motor home. There were six people sitting in lawn chairs talking and laughing and they looked up at the three of them approached. "Dakota, who's that with you?" A man with a deep tan and silver hair stood up. His eyes burned with life, and he looked to be in his fifties but was in great shape. Dakota walked up to the man and hugged him. "Peter, this is Van Myers and Preston Stilwell from California. Guys, this is Peter Mannax." Dakota stepped out of the way so they could shake hands. "How do you like Florida?" Peter asked. "Did you hit all of the theme parks?" "Florida's great." PJ said, instantly liking the older man. "I think we're Disney'd out, though." "We spent four days at the parks. Today is the first day we took off and just screwed around." Van took the seat that was offered to him and accepted a bottle of beer from Dakota. "Man, you are a life saver." "Come on, Preston. I'll introduce you to Peter's son, Mark." Dakota led him off into the crowd. "So, Van, what do you do for a living?" Peter asked. "I'm a structural engineer for Oakland City." Van chuckled. "We're down here blowing my last two bonus checks." "Structural, huh? You mean like upgrades for existing structures or new construction?" Peter asked, interested. He crossed his legs and leaned back. "Actually I had to take over two projects when we lost our senior to the private sector. I just finished seventeen thousand feet of sewage and water piping." Van took a pull off the beer. "We had to satisfy a contract with a major developer so he could subdivide the area." "No kidding?" Peter leaned forward with even more interest. "Do you mind if I ask how you bonused off a project like that?" "Sure. We came in almost nine percent under budget on the first stage and three on the second." Van said proudly. They talked about the details of the jobs at length, and Van really enjoyed himself. He didn't get to talk shop that often. The other men in their group all worked for Peter as accountants, managers, etc., and for the most part Van got along well with them. The time flew by, and he was surprised to see that it was getting close to midnight. He looked up as PJ jogged up to the chair out of breath. The kid took his beer and took two healthy swallows from it and handed it back. He looked at the men in the group with an impish smile and looked back at Van. "You promised to dance with me." "I did." Van agreed and caught PJ around the waist in a quick hug. "If you'll give me a few minutes I'll be right there." PJ nodded and kissed him, pulled off his sandals and threw them under Van's chair, and jogged back through the sand. "He's remarkable." Peter said. "Seems to be almost fearless." "He is, so don't dare him to do anything." Van smiled proudly. "He's the best thing that ever happened to me." "How long have you been together?" Peter asked with a smile. He liked everything about Van and Preston. It was a gut reaction, but he believed that he'd seldom met more honest people. Van's face reddened and he smiled, embarrassed. "Six weeks, actually. I wasn't even sure was, well, gay until I met PJ." He sighed and met Peter's eyes. "If I can find out where they do those same sex marriages I'm going to marry him." "I personally believe that what matters is what's in here." Peter thumped his chest with his fist. "If you honor the commitment, the legal part of it is moot, isn't it?" Van smiled, and Peter went on. "Get a ring, put it on his finger, and be happy together. You don't need a preacher for that." "You are absolutely right." Van nodded. "Thank you, that's exactly how I feel." A few minutes later he found PJ in the crowd of kids dancing with two other boys. From his looks the tallest one was Mark Mannax, who looked like a clone of his father. The other boy was obviously his boy friend, and they were laughing and having a good time with PJ. PJ saw him and jumped at him, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around Van's waist. He kissed Van hard on the lips and grinned at him. "I was getting worried." "Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you by yourself." Van had to almost shout to be heard over the music. "Mark and Ashley kept me company." PJ indicated the two kids with him. "Guys, this is my fianc,', Van." Van chuckled at the introduction and shook their hands. A slow song started, and Van slid his arms around PJ's sides. "Sorry, guys, I have to borrow him for a few minutes." They laughed and danced off, and Van looked down at PJ. "You get off on that fianc,' shit, don't you?" PJ snuggled up close to Van and let him guide him with the flow of the music. "More than you'll ever know." He squeezed Van hard and released him. "It's important to me, Van." "Me too." Van was awakened the next morning by the phone going off. He gently untangled himself from PJ and rolled towards it. "Hello?" He said, blinking into the morning sunlight. "Mr. Myers, my name is Keith Felt. I'm the personal assistant to Mr. Mannax." The caller said. "What can I do for you?" Van took his watch off the table and looked at it. It was seven am. "Mr. Mannax wondered if you might be available for a tour of a few of the projects you talked about last night. He'd like to get your perspective on some of the details." Whoever Keith Felt was he sounded young, like about Van's age. There was a lot of confidence in his voice. "Sure, I guess. Where did he want to meet?" Van stifled a yawn and leaned back on the pillow. "Is nine okay? We'll pick you up at the hotel. Also, Mark Mannax asks if Preston is available to go into town with him. They would probably be bored to tears on the construction sites." "That's a good idea. I know he would." Van answered. "We'll see you at nine." He hung up the phone and shook PJ gently. "Wake up, runt. We're going out today." "Mmmmmm." PJ grumbled and curled up into a tight little ball. Van shook him again, and PJ pulled the sheet over his head. "You asked for it." Van stood up and went to the ice bucket on the vanity and took out one of the last few ice pieces. He walked over and lifted the sheet and looked carefully, setting up his aim, and touched it dead center on the sphincter of PJ's ass. "Wooo!" PJ shouted and flew across the bed and onto the floor. Van laughed and held his sides, and PJ shot him the dirtiest look he had. "Fucker! What the fuck was that for?" He stumbled around the bed with only one eye open and put his head on Van's chest. "That wasn't cool." "We need to get showered and go get breakfast, Baby." Van soothed and steered PJ towards the bathroom. "I've been invited to go see some of the projects that Peter Mannax is building, and you're invited to go sight seeing with Mark and his friend for a few hours." "Oh." PJ stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the light. Van was thinking about what he needed to wear for the trip, like jeans and tennis shoes instead of the dress shorts and sandals that he had with him. PJ could get away with the tank top and shorts he had, but Van would feel ridiculous. He remembered what the kid in the shop had said about if he needed anything and he took a risk and called. "Hey, this is Van Myers in Suite fourteen. Do you have any jeans or shoes available?" "Of course, Mr. Myers. Did you have anything in mind brand wise?" It was the same guy. "I can get just about anything you want." "By nine?" Van asked, waiting to be told no. "In ten minutes, sir." "How about Hilfiger carpenter jeans in a thirty and a large Tommy polo shirt, and Nike's, size eleven?" Van asked. He thought for a second. "Then I need a pair of those cargo shorts in a twenty seven and a white muscle tank top. A medium." "It's on its way." The clerk said and hung up. Van stared at the phone for a second and smiled as he hung it up. He realized that he was blowing a fortune on this trip, but since he'd never done anything like this before, and likely wouldn't for a long time, it was pretty damn fun to live the high life. He whistled as he walked back into the bathroom and climbed in the shower with PJ. They ate breakfast in the caf,, an upscale affair with linen napkins and wine glasses for water glasses. While they were eating they heard a helicopter fly over the building, and PJ looked out the window curiously. "I landed in that parking lot." PJ said around a mouthful of eggs. "Is it Life Flight?" Van asked, turning around to look. "Can't tell. I didn't hear sirens." PJ shrugged and finished his orange juice. "Thanks for the threads, by the way. I wasn't looking forward to wearing dirty clothes back to Orlando or sight seeing." Van stood up and led PJ out into the foyer. "No problem. Are you set for cash?" "You haven't let me buy anything yet. I still have the four hundred dollars you gave me in California." PJ wrapped his arm around Van's waist. "Do we have to go two different places?" He sounded a little nervous. "You would be bored in about five seconds on a job site." Van laughed. "Go with your friends and see what's going on here. Blow the whole damned wad if you want. We have to leave day after tomorrow, and I want to be able to say we had a blast." "Okay." PJ looked out the doors and saw Mark get out of a stretch limo. "Jesus Christ, Van, did you see that?" "I told you it would be fun." Van chuckled. From the other side of the lobby a tall platinum blond guy about Van's age walked up to them and smiled. He was heavily muscled and deeply tanned, and his grip was firm. "Mr. Myers, I'm Keith. We spoke on the phone." "Call me Van." Van shook his head. "I never did get much out of the mister stuff." "Preston!" Mark said as he came through the doors, "Dude, we gotta book. They won't be gone that long!" PJ looked over at Van and waved and then followed Mark to the limo. "If you come with me, Van, Peter is on the chopper." Keith waved him towards the other doors. "In that black helicopter that just landed?" Van asked incredulously. Keith nodded. "We're going site hopping on a helicopter?" "I guess we could drive, but it's hard to hit all five sites in an afternoon by vehicle." Keith held the door for them, and the jogged across the parking lot to the helicopter. As they got near Van could hear the engine starting, and by the time he stepped into the open door the blades were turning. "Thank you for being available on short notice." Peter said, shaking his hand. Keith handed him a radio headset, and Peter spoke over the intercom to the pilot. "Billie, go to the West Downing site first." The pilot held his thumb up and the chopper vibrated slightly and jumped into the air. "I told your driver to have the boys at the house by three, Peter." Keith said into his headset. Peter nodded and met Van's eyes. "I'll give it to you straight, Van. Talking to you last night I got the impression that you're an honest man. Probably the only honest son of a bitch I've met in the last five years." He pointed out the window at the houses that sailed by underneath them. "That's what I do, Van. I develop property, and when I can I buy it and sit on it. It's not as hard as it sounds." He took out o rolled drawing of a site plan and handed it to Van. "What screws up the simple system is when some dishonest son of a bitch starts cutting corners and pocketing the money. Look at that and tell me what you see." Van looked down at the sewer, street drain, and fresh water distribution drawing and his eyebrows knitted together. "I don't have the detail drawings, but it looks like the pipe is either to small or not the right material so they used twice as much of it so it could handle the storm run off." Peter smiled knowingly and looked at Keith. Keith handed him a dollar. "Right now I am spending almost a million dollars to tear that system out and do it over." Peter put the dollar in his pocket. "I'm not an engineer, Van, I'm a business man. I couldn't tell you if what was happening was the same as the drawing or not, but I can tell you that the bastard that pulled this was getting a kickback from his brother in law that happens to sell piping among other things." "So what we're doing is playing tourist, and while you shake hands and smile, I look at the plans and smile, and then we go for a walk through the sites, right?" Van smiled and shook his head. "Not the first time I've played the dumb kid, Peter." "My God, honest and smart." Peter laughed. "Keith, call the hotel and tell them to reverse any charges Van's made. I don't want him paying for a goddamned thing." "Peter..." Van began to protest but the older man held up his hand. "Least I can do, kid. Enjoy the scenery, we'll be at the first site in about five minutes." PJ sat on a bench outside the food court at one of the largest malls he'd ever been to and stuffed nachos in his mouth. There was a bag with an awesome skintight shirt in it for Van, and some sheer bikini underwear he'd found to wear for Van. Mark wiped his fingers and looked up at him. "You're out of your fucking mind, PJ. Your hair is gorgeous. Don't cut it all off." "I want to change my look, man. I can't explain it." PJ took a sip of his coke and set it down. "This is the way I looked when Van and I met. I want him to see me differently now." He'd told Mark their story during the trip, up to and including the details on his mom, jail, and poverty. "I want to be different." "So what do you want to look like?" Mark asked in resignation. "I really like that guy's style." He pointed at a guy that was in his early twenties and had what had been called an Ivy League style. The hair was one length to the middle of the ears and then sloped in at an angle. It was parted in the middle and swept back in a real preppy style. "That's exactly what I want. Something a little older looking." PJ tossed his garbage and followed Mark down the concourse. "I need one more favor, Mark. This one's a big one." Van stood in the foreman's trailer at a large residential site and smiled while he listened to the job boss telling Peter how well things were going. He didn't say anything, but he could tell from the plans that he was looking at that things were not going well. There was ten times the ground water standing in giant puddles than the plans were designed to handle, and Van knew that before they could build that the water would have to be dealt with, permanently. They walked out of the trailer and Peter thanked the man as they headed for the truck they'd borrowed. Peter was an unusual surprise, acting like a regular guy and driving Van around in the Chevy. Van really liked Peter, and seeing the way he ran things was interesting. "We need to hustle. The kids will be back at the house." Peter started the truck and drove towards the road entrance. "Okay, so tell me what you saw." "You have a massive drainage problem here. Did you see the two back hoes at the far east end?" Peter nodded and Van went on. "From the way it's laid out, I'm guessing that they're trying to dig a sump to pull some of that water off. To me it's like the site is laid out backwards. They're trying to pull the water up hill to get it off the pads." "So what would we do to correct it?" "I have no idea what the local codes are, but I would drop a canal down the center of each street, fill it with gravel, and have them pull it the way it wants to drain. Cover that with pipe, road base, grade it, and forget about it. It'll go right into the pond where it should be in the first place." Peter swore violently and shook his head. "Goddamned geniuses, that's what they are." He pulled into traffic and headed for the site where they'd left the chopper and Keith. "What do you charge for consult work?" "Never done any." Van smiled. "Could be fun though." "When we get back to the house remind me to see if there's a time I can get you with Ashley Greene, that guy that was sitting across from me last night." Peter glanced over his shoulder and turned. "It'll be a while before I can take any vacation again. I sort of shot my wad." Van offered. "Believe me, if I can get you down here again I'll make it well worth you time, Van. I need somebody that will tell me straight and not try to kiss my ass. Everyone of these over paid morons is like a leech on my ass." Peter swore again and looked at Van. "Where did you go to school, anyway?" "UCLA and Cal Tech. I graduated almost two years ago." Van answered. "I started taking college courses when I was a junior, and graduated when I was seventeen, so it was easy to get done fast." "Wish I had ten just like you." Peter smiled and punched his arm. PJ stood looking in the mirror and grinned. He carefully put the bandage back on his shoulder and turned to look at Mark. "It's perfect." "I still think two hundred was a lot." Mark said uncertainly. "Damn, PJ." PJ had gotten tired of being called Preston and had asked Mark to use his nickname. "Not to me. It's going to make Van happy, so it was worth all of it." He followed Mark out of his room and down the long glass walled hallway towards the patio. Peter's house was a sprawling single story u-shaped affair with a family wing and a guest wing wrapped around a patio, garden, and pool. PJ had never been in a house this big, and he tried not to stare at all of the fancy shit. He'd decided during the day that Mark was a real decent guy. He had no idea what PJ's background was like, and treated him like an equal. What's more, Mark held doors for ladies, and treated all of the clerks nice that they met. He wasn't arrogant at all, and PJ admired that. They could hear the sounds of a helicopter and PJ turned to look up, seeing the same black chopper that landed that morning near the hotel. Two and two came together, and he looked at Mark suspiciously. "Did that asshole get to go for a helicopter ride without me?" Mark put his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. PJ sometimes looked like a little kid, and with that tone of voice it completed the picture. Mark nodded, watching PJ walk towards the yard where the chopper would land. Honest to God, he could easily imagine PJ's tail lashing in irritation like a cat's. The chopper touched down and Peter, Van, and Keith got out and moved quickly away from it. It immediately took off again and headed for the airport where it was kept. Van jogged up to PJ and saw him standing with his hands on his hips and a cloud over his head. His long medium blond hair was gone, replaced with a much shorter style. He looked fantastic, and a lot older than he had. "Hey, Baby, did you have a good time?" He looked curiously at the bandage on PJ's shoulder. "You look great." "Don't baby me, you dork. I didn't get to go for a helicopter ride." PJ said testily, folding his arms. "I ought to take your surprises back." "Surprises? For me?" Van put his arm around PJ's shoulder and followed the others towards the patio. "What did you get me, huh? What did you get?" "Oh, nothing special. Just this." PJ stopped and peeled the tape off his arm, revealing the tattoo he'd gotten earlier. It was a vampire smiley exactly like Van's, but this one had a smaller vampire smiley, identical to it, in front of it. The larger bat smiley had its right wing wrapped protectively around the smaller smiley. "That is so fucking cool!" Van laughed out loud. "PJ, I love it!" He scooped him up in a hug and lifted him off the ground. "God I missed you today." "You don't ever have to put me down. This is good." PJ said quietly in his ear and then stuck his tongue in it. Van cringed from the sensation and lost his footing, dumping them both onto the grass laughing. "Gees." Mark rolled his eyes. "Maybe you two should get a room." He laughed and followed his dad. "Van, can we go back to Orlando now?" PJ whispered and winked one eye in an exaggerated manner. Van snorted and nodded. "Soon, Baby. Real soon." He kissed PJ and pulled him to his feet. "Let's go be sociable and then get the hell out of Dodge." They grilled steaks and had a long bull session with the Mannax's, listening to Jimmy Buffet tunes and drinking beer. Peter handed one to PJ and Mark before sitting back down and going in to great detail about the virtues of living near Melbourne, Florida. With great reluctance they thanked their hosts for a great couple of days, and PJ impulsively hugged Mark. "I'm really glad I met you. Don't forget to email me once in a while." "If I come out there will you show me around?" Mark asked. "Everywhere but Disney Land." Van promised solemnly. They drove back to their resort and PJ bitched about how far it was to walk to the room. He was tired, and he didn't want to walk. Van turned around and picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder and heading for the room. He opened the door and went to the bedroom, tossing PJ on the bed. "Damn!" PJ slid off the side and stood up, pulling his shirt off. "You could hurt somebody, you big ape." "I'm going to hurt somebody." Van grinned at him, showing his fangs. "Get your ass in bed, you whiner." "Big dork." PJ said through a yawn. "Hurry up. You know I hate being in bed alone." He pulled the covers back and slid under the sheets. "It seems weird being back in this room, doesn't it?" "This whole trip has been weird from day one." Van undressed and got in bed. "What made you decide to cut all your hair off?" "That was Ion's hair. This is PJ's hair. He said simply, sliding up against Van's side. "I want to start fresh I guess." "That's cool. I really like the tattoo, by the way." Van yawned hugely. "What do you think of Florida?" "The touristy shit gets old fast, but I really liked the last two days. Living by the beach would be awesome." PJ closed his eyes. "So what would you think if we moved to Florida?" Van asked, looking down at him. PJ's eyes opened. "Really?" "Peter offered me a job, Peej. Almost double what I make now." PJ looked up at him. "You're part of this now, Baby. It's as much your decision as it is mine." "You mean actually live here permanently?" "We'd have to go home and get things wrapped up, but yeah. We'll go get Bruno and the truck and drive back. We'd be here in about three weeks." Van closed his eyes and ran his fingertips up PJ's spine. "If you say yes we're going to go find an apartment in Melbourne tomorrow and sign the lease." PJ slid on top of Van and put his head on his chest. "On one condition." "Name it." PJ lifted his head and looked at Van for several seconds. "I want to legally change my name to Myers." Van stroked his cheek and smiled. "Done." They slept like rocks.