Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2003 20:17:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: William Becker <billdrae2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Protecting David Chapter 18

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                    Protecting David 18

Frank was pacing in the sitting room of our suite in
Frankfurt.  David was staring out the window at the
brightening lights of the mid-evening city, he hands thrust
in his pockets.  I was sitting on the sofa and Alex was
lying, half asleep with his head on my leg staring at the
television.  I had been wondering why he seemed to be so
interested in German television and then I remembered that
he spoke German.  Duh!

Frank was puffing on his unlit cigar.  "How are you going to
approach this, David?"

David shrugged.  "I'm really not totally sure yet, Frank.  I
wanna see their reactions."

Frank went over to David and waved his cigar.  "I'm coming
with you!"

David never turned from the window.  "No, Frank.  First of
all if they knew that you were in the city it could raise
the price of everything, too eager.  Besides, I've got my
own way of doing this.  Emi's working on it already."  He
turned and smiled at Frank.  "Just calm down.  I know
exactly what you want and if they've got questions Mark will
be with me."

Frank waved his cigar at me.  "How come he gets to go and I
don't?"

David turned to Frank.  "Frank, they've known all along that
Mark was coming.  He's my lover, they know that, they're
expecting him.  The fact that he's affiliated with the
company is," David smiled, "a happy coincidence."

David walked over and sat on the sofa and rubbed Alex's
back.  "Frank, I really need you to be at the hotel in case
there's a question that needs to be answered or a decision
made that only you can make."

Now it was Frank's turn to stare out the window, which he
did for several minutes.  He shook his head slowly.
"They're gonna think this was some kinda accident.  You're
here to take a look at a company your investors own a lot of
and a major officer of our company just happens to be your
boyfriend."

David spoke from the sofa.  "And, as we speak, Emi is
planting the idea in their heads that this might be the
perfect moment, the perfect time to initiate a deal.  Emi is
very good at this."

"You know what I want, David?"

"You want to be out of the armaments business, Frank."
David looked at me.  "I want you to be out of it too."  I
wondered if that was what I wanted.

Frank turned from the window.  "How good is Emi?"

"Well, Frank, for one thing Emi is very well educated, he
holds two doctorates, one in economics.  As you know that
means something over here.  Also, Emi is from a good family,
also something that's important here.  The thing that throws
people are his looks.  It's hard for some people to believe
that anyone who looks that good can also be smart but Frank,
I can promise you that Emi is very smart and what's more he
knows the how things work."

Frank stuck his unlit cigar in his mouth.  "Okay David, I'll
sit in the hotel."

It occurred to me that we had flown thousands of miles on a
private jet, stayed in the very best hotels and eaten the
very best food, all because my lover, David, was arranging a
deal that probably only a handful of people could, and that
in his spare time he made love to me and took care of us in
every conceivable way.  There was no way that I deserved
him, no way that I was worthy of the love and attention that
he lavished on me.  And yet....how could it ever be any
different?  We were only a few feet from each other and I
could feel the electrical connection, the completion of a
pair.

                    ------------------------------------

Doctor Metz, the Managing Director of Zander Gruppe was a
tall man with a full head of formerly blonde hair and a
square, solid face.  He was dressed in a navy blue suit with
a relatively bold stripe.  David and I were dressed a bit
more casually, sports coats and slacks.  This was after all,
suppose to be a casual meeting engineered by someone who
represented a fairly substantial block of Zander Gruppe
stock and who happened to be in Europe on vacation.  Emi was
also there and had been deep in a discussion with Doctor
Metz that our arrival interrupted.

Emi, with more grace than anyone has a right to be in
command of, made the introductions and guided us to a small
conference table at the other end of the office.

"Doctor Metz spoke.  "And so David, we have spoken many,
many times on the telephone and finally we meet.  You and
Mr. Chauvet are enjoying your holiday?"  He nodded towards
me and smiled.

David nodded and smiled.  "Immensely."

Doctor Metz sat back in his chair.  "Mark Chauvet!   I have
heard many good things about you, Mr. Chauvet.  We have, I
think, a mutual acquaintance.  You have worked with Mr.
Montgomery Block?"

I wondered how they knew each other but then in a way they
were the same, mirror images, one speaking English and one
German but I was still amazed at the dropping of Monty's
name and it made me wonder what else we didn't know.

"Ahhhh...yes, yes I have.  Have you known Monty long?"

"Oh yes, for many years.  When you trade around the world
there are certain people that it is important to know,
people in a position to.....ease the way.  In Washington,
Monty is one of those people."

Emi leaned forward.  "Carl, I have spoken to David and Mark
about some of the things you would like to accomplish with
regard to....well, shall we say, expanding your horizons."
Emi was the most exotically handsome man I had ever seen.
He looked like one of those fashion model types but real and
if you didn't hear him speak you would never guess him to be
either German as his father is or Spanish like his mother.
His accent was German but there were so many other speech
patterns thrown in that what sounded very German one moment
sounded vaguely French or Italian the next.

Doctor Metz turned to David.  "David, you know us well and
you know that while we have enjoyed great success, there are
certain markets that have.....eluded us.  After speaking
with Emi, I have come to the conclusion that we are faced
with a unique opportunity if some condition can be met.

                    -----------------------------

David and I walked into the bar of the hotel and Frank
immediately spotted us and started waving us over to his
table.

"You guys wanna a drink?"

He didn't wait for an answer but spoke in rapid-fire German
to the waiter who turned immediately on his heel and headed
out to get whatever Frank had just ordered for us.

"You didn't call."  Frank drained the last of his drink.
"Is that good or bad?"

David leaned back and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Mmmmm, both I think, gonna depend on your point of view."

Frank said.  "David, you know my fucking point of view.  Do
I think it's good?"

Frank looked at me.  "Mark?"

"Frank, the deal is still very....soft, but yeah, you'll
think it's good.  If we can work out the details."

David leaned forward and put his arms on the table.
"Basically, Frank, they've agreed to everything, in
principle.  There's about a zillion things still to work out
but they're desperate to get into this business.  But Metz
is no idiot, he realizes that if he's gonna sell armaments
to the U.S. he's gotta have the front end of the business
peopled with Americans.  When you boil this all down he
wants you to stay involved at least as a board member, a
name he can point to and he wants Mark to be the main
contact with Washington.  Your buddy Monty told Metz how
fond he is of Mark.  Did you know that they knew each
other?"

The waiter brought three double Scotches.

Frank took a big swig of his drink.  "Makes sense that he'd
know Monty, he's the kinda guy you'd need to know.  Fuck!  I
wanted out of this business."

"You would be out, Frank, at least for all intents and
purposes.  Just attend a couple of board meetings a year and
cash the checks."

Frank looked from me to David.  "So why aren't we happy?"

"Cause Mark wanted out too but now, he not only wouldn't be
out, he'd be even more in."

Now it was my turn to sit forward.  "David......I'm not sure
that I mind.   I mean I don't wanna be running to Washington
every week like before because that takes me more away from
you and Alex than I can stand but I don't mind the
business."  He started to raise his hand but I put mine over
it.  "I like the military.  I like bein around guys like
Shetlan.  I speak the language, it's something that I
understand."

I didn't like the thought that I wouldn't be working for
Frank.  He'd been my mentor for a long time but in a way, if
he was still on the board we would be working together.

David sat back, a look of disappointment washing over his
face but then he sat forward again quickly.  "Well if you're
gonna stay and peddle that shit then you gonna have the best
fuckin contract they've ever given anyone!"

"I'm gonna have a contract?"  I smiled.  "Frank never gave
me a contract."  Frank rolled his eyes.

David looked at me.  "I wanna structure this so that you've
got a maximum amount of freedom."  David rubbed his eyes
with the palms of his hands.  He dropped his hands quickly
and turned to Frank.

"Is there any reason that Mark couldn't start his own rep
firm?"  David sat up straighter warming to the idea.  "That
way he could even continue to represent what will be the
industrial tool business that will remain with your company.
Wait, maybe not a repping company but just consultants.
Whadya think, Frank?"

"No reason not, David."  Frank sat up and looked around.
"What the fuck we gotta do to get another scotch?"

"Well," Frank said, "Monty and Shetlan would be no problem.
They wanna keep dealing with Mark.  They don't give a fuck
if he's an employee or a consultant.  But you're right that
board has gotta be loaded with Americans.  They're gonna
check the company out six ways to Sunday and they're gonna
have to be satisfied.  But if this guy Metz knows Monty and
more importantly if Monty trusts him that's gonna count for
a lot."

David laughed and turned to me sliding his foot next to mine
as he did it.  "Wanna be self-employed?"

Frank couldn't see it but I wrapped my lower leg around
David's  "Does it pay well?"

"Better than you could fuckin believe!"

                         ------------------------------

David called Jamie in for meetings and then had him fly to
Franfurt to work with Emi on the deal.  He paces when this
sort of thing is happening, back and forth, hands thrust in
pockets, cell phone nearby.  Behind the scenes, lawyers,
clerks, investment bankers and tons of executive talent was
working eighteen hour days to make things happen.  This
would all make me a nervous wreck but it seemed to have the
opposite affect on David, for David all this activity seemed
have a soothing effect.  He totally loved it.  In his way he
was an artist weaving together many different threads into a
new fabric.

"Chauvet & Associates, how does that sound?"

"I have associates?"

"You will....but the name, it's okay?"

"Sounds great.  Come and sit on my lap and I'll make you an
associate."

"Huh?"

"I'm lonely."  I did my best to come up with a crooked
smile.  The kind he can't resist.

"Oh!  Oh fuck I'm sorry, Mark."  David walked over and
straddled my lap facing me.  "Am I being too intense?"  He
kissed me.

I smiled.  "Nope, I just wanted ya to sit on my lap."  My
arms were wrapped around him and the warmth of his skin was
radiating through the fabric of his shirt and warming my
hands.

David kissed me again and then laid his head on my shoulder.
"There's so fucking much to do.  We gotta finish structuring
this deal.  We gotta get you some office space and do all
the shit involved in starting a new business.  For one thing
you're gonna need offices in Washington and Milwaukee and
people to staff em.  You got any ideas for somebody to head
the Washington office?"  David lifted his head and stared
into my eyes.  "And don't say you!"

I turned my head and kissed the side of David's neck.  "You
probably think that I've just been sittin around lookin
handsome but actually I've pretty much got figured out who I
want."  I moved my hands down and cupped his butt.  "I think
I can get Ted Olson for Washington.  You met him didn't
you?"

"I don't think so."  David looked at me and tilted his head.
"We can't fuck, Alex is due back any second."

"Who said anything about fucking?"

David buried his face in my neck.  "When you do what you're
doin now you're thinking about fucking."

I started sucking lightly on David's earlobe and whispered
in his ear.  "Such a handsome young guy and such a dirty
mind."

"Mark!  You're startin something we can't finish, at least
not right now."

I wrapped my arms around David's back again.  "I know hun.
And by the way, I called the attorney and they're working up
the incorporation papers and I talked to Frank about office
space and he said I can have as much of the seventh floor as
I want.  Did you know Marcy's family owns that building?
That's a freakin twenty story building!"

"I didn't know but it doesn't surprise me.  I suspect
there's a lot she owns that we don't know about."  David
interlaced his fingers behind my neck.  "You know, you can't
just throw a few desks and chairs into these offices,
especially the Washington office, they've got to be done by
a designer.  They gotta look like something."

"Ugh!  How much is that gonna cost?"

"Don't worry about it, they're gonna pay for it, Frank and
Zander.  I already told Jamie that I want it in the deal.
It's gonna be part of your contract.  If you don't care one
way or the other I'll have my office find a designer to do
the offices.  They probably should have a common theme."

"Theme?  I gotta have a theme?"  I kissed David lightly.
"You mad about my staying involved with that stuff?"

"Ohhhh.....no, not really.  I know how you feel about the
military and as long as you're gonna be home more that's all
that I really care about."

We heard the front door of the suite open and went to greet
Alex.  It really was a kind of an absurd sight, this little
four year old blonde boy flanked by two really huge guys.

                    ----------------------------------

I was sitting on the bed pulling on my socks.  David and I
were meeting Frank for dinner tonight and while it probably
wasn't necessary for me to be too well dressed I didn't
think that dress slacks and a sweater was going overboard.

Alex came bounding up onto the bed and got behind me and
wrapped his arms around my neck and was pulling be
backwards.

"I'm tough, Dad!  Bet I'm almost as tough as you!"

I let myself be pulled backward until I was lying flat on my
back.  Alex climbed onto my chest and sat there like he was
riding a horse.  He was leaning slightly forward, his hands
pinning my shoulders to the bed.

I looked up at him.  "Did ya have a good time today at the
zoo?  Get to see all the animals?"

Alex nodded vigorously.  "Yep we did, Dad....but Michael
doesn't like snakes so we didn't get to see em all.  He says
you seen one snake you seen em all but I think he just
doesn't like lookin at em.  But they didn't scare me, cept
maybe that really big one that squeezes things.  Michael
says they only squeeze other animals but I think that I'd be
afraid that he might think that I was an animal so they
might squeeze me.  You think they'd do that to a boy, Dad?"

"Sweetheart, I think that they take a look at how scrawny
you are and figure you wouldn't even make a decent lunch."

Alex sat up straight and said.  "Dad, I'm not scrawny."  He
lifted his arm and to show me his muscle.  "See, Dad, I'm
getting bigger and stronger all the time."

I closed the fingers of my right hand lightly over his upper
arm.  "Wow, Alex!  You really are gettin big."  I smiled up
at him and then reached up and touched his hair.  Alex's
hair is a very pale blonde and takes on an ethereal quality
that seems to draw everyone to it.  The poor kid has his
hair ruffled like ten times a day.

God I didn't want him to get big!  I mean I did but I
didn't.  Sure I wanted him to grow up and get married and
have a wonderful life but wow, how I would mourn the loss of
these moments.

Alex folded his hands on my chest and laid his head on them.
"Dad, do you think we'll be goin home soon?"

I lightly rubbed his back.  "Not the coolest vacation for a
kid is it?"

Alex was mumbling into my chest.  "It's all the business
junk, Dad.  It's like we can't have any fun cause of all the
work stuff you guys are doin."

                    ---------------------------

Frank was wearing a pale tan and light caramel colored plaid
sport coat, a navy Polo shirt and light brown slacks.  He
plopped down into the chair opposite from David and to my
right.  He looked aggravated.

"Marcy is pissed that we're hanging around Germany this
long.  I promised her that we'd leave for France tomorrow.
It's not like I'm meeting with Zander and if you need info
just call me."

David said.  "That's fine, Frank.  We've pretty much reached
the point where the lawyers take over anyway."  Frank was
waving for the waiter and was ordering his scotch while the
guy was still eight feet away.

I smiled at David.  "Alex is bored too.  And I think he's
missing Joe."

"Shit, you guys are lucky.  I'm gonna be stuck with Marcy's
sister and that asshole husband of hers for two weeks."
Frank looked down at his drink and swirled the ice with his
finger and then looked up at David.  "Unless of course you
absolutely have to have me come back early."  He grinned
evilly.   "Like if something needs to be signed or
something?  Use your fucking imagination!"

David reached down to his briefcase lying against his chair
and pulled out a folder containing the highlights of the
deal we were doing.

"Frank, I know that you're planning a conference call with
your other board members.  This will give you an outline of
the deal as it exists now.  Naturally all of it depends on
your approval and theirs.  The things that I've highlighted
in red are the things that Zander has to have and the things
in blue are the things that if I were you I wouldn't back
down on.  Basically for $1.4 billion you're selling Zander a
forty percent interest in the new company that will be
created to hold all of the armaments manufacturing and R&D
assets that your company owns.  The agreement will also give
them the right to buy another eleven percent within five
years.  I've added the proviso, and I think they'll accept
it, that if they want to buy that eleven percent you can
force them to buy all of your remaining interest or any
portion of it that you choose, above the eleven percent.
That allows you to get totally out if you want to.  The
agreement also makes your company the sole representative
for their metal working tools in the U.S. for a period of
seven years with a renewal clause based on performance.
Anyway, it's all in there.  Will the board be a problem?"

Frank took a hefty sip of his drink.  "Fuck no!  I've
already approached them all about it, they'll go along."
Frank picked his unlit cigar up from the ashtray.  "They got
the money?"

"Yeah, no problem, they're loaded and Jamie has lined up
about $400 million in private money.  They're gonna be
fine."  David glanced quickly at me and smiled.  "Mark says
the seventh floor is available?"

Frank smiled.  "Twenty-two thousand five hundred square feet
of it.  The old tenant bought their own building out in the
burbs."  Frank took the cigar out of his mouth and stared at
me.  "Mark can't possibly need it all."

I started to say no but David interrupted me.  "We'll take
it, all of it."

I almost choked on my vodka and tonic.  "David!"

Frank tilted his head and smiled.  "Can I get that in
writing?"

David laughed.  "I'm outta space.  When I rented that little
building my guys are in I never dreamt that we'd get this
big."  He looked at me.  "You mind if I split it with ya?"

My very first thought was that we'd be able find some moment
during the work day when we could go into my office, lock
the door and fuck.  I know, I know but it was my first
thought.  "That'd be great David.  But what about Alex?"

"I'd keep my office at home.  I like working at home but the
guys gotta have more room and having the offices downtown
will look better."

Frank puffed on his unlit cigar.  "I don't give a damn how
you do it as long as I get the check every month."

Turning to me Frank said.  "Mark, I want you to represent us
to the military manufacturers with this new product line.  I
know that we've got our own reps but you're gonna be in a
much stronger position to sell that particular group."

"Fine with me, Frank but, by the same token, why me?"  The
side of David's shoe touched mine and I thought of the look
on his face that morning when I stepped behind him while he
was shaving and gently pulled his towel off and wrapped my
arms around his waist as my cock nestled in the warmth
between his butt cheeks.

Frank smiled.  "Your relationship with Shetlan and Monty
hasn't gone unnoticed.  I don't think you'll have any
trouble selling this stuff and we'll handle the detail crap
from our office along with maintenance."  Frank paused for a
moment and then smiled broadly.  "And we still get to have
lunch."  Out of the corner of my eye I could see the side of
David's face as he looked at Frank, his long black eyelashes
and that spot just under his jaw that I loved to kiss.  Just
behind David's ear at the base of his neck his hair ends and
feathers out against his much lighter skin.  In one part of
my mind I could feel those strands of hair and the warmth of
his skin as I rubbed that spot with my thumb.

                    ---------------------------------

David and I tossed a wave to Frank as we stepped into the
elevator to take us to our floor.  As soon as we stepped in
a party of six or eight also wanted to get on and we were
forced to the back of the elevator.

David was standing to my left and slightly forward of me but
got pushed all the way back and when I felt his hip brush my
hand I reached behind him and cupped his ass but I continued
to stare straight ahead.

David turned his head slightly and frowned at me but when
the guy in front of me happened to turn a bit and saw him he
turned it into a smile and friendly nod.  I squeezed his ass
harder and pressed inward with my middle finger while David
began to blush.

Eventually we got to our floor and got off, David turned and
shook his head slowly.  "Like I've said before, just and
oversexed little boy."

I grinned at him and then made a grab for him.  He tried to
dodge away but I caught him and pressed him, laughing, up
against the wall of the corridor.  He was squirming and
trying to get away because he's always nervous about doing
anything like this in public but I held him and kissed him.

I kissed the end of his nose.  "I thought that you liked me
to be oversexed?"

David tried to look up and down the hallway but I held his
head in my hands so he only moved his eyes.

He was pushing on my chest but it didn't do him any good.
"We're gonna get caught!  Some lady with curlers in her hair
wearing a flannel bathrobe is gonna stick her head out and
see us necking in the hallway and she's gonna freak!"

"Love me?"  My voice was somewhere between teasing and
serious.

David glared at me and then smiled.  "You know I fucking
love you!"  He was so warm and alive in my arms.

"I wanna go home!  I want us to take our little boy and go
home."  I pressed my fingers to his lips so that he wouldn't
speak.  "You can do all of this from home and we've got a
shit load of things to do there."  David's expression
changed, relaxed actually.

David stared up into my eyes.  "What about Italy?"

"Buy it.  Let the neighbors harvest the olives and have your
guy get someone to fix up the farmhouse.  We can rent it
out....or not, it doesn't matter, the money doesn't matter,
you matter and Alex matters, the rest is noise."  I touched
my forehead to his and whispered.  "If you only knew what
you've done to me, what you've become to me."  I lifted my
head.  "I wanna be home.  You and me and Alex in our house."