Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 10:06:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: Orrin Rush <orrinrush@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Lifeguard

Disclaimer:  The following is a work of fiction.  If you are
offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go
somewhere else.

Copyright c 2002 by Orrin C. Rush.  All rights reserved.

Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed
electronically or in any other manner without the express,
written consent of the author.

This is a work of fiction, any resemblance of the characters
to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence and not
intended.  They are all products of the author's imagination.

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


                          THE LIFEGUARD

                           Chapter 63

"Look who I found wandering the halls!" Eric said as he
ushered Al the superstar, and Rick, his lover, into my
office.

We went to the "conversation" area and caught up on what'd
been happening to everyone.  Tina stuck her nose in, and had
the opportunity to thank Al and Rick for the fabulous wedding
present they'd sent.  She even got a big hug from Al which
I'm sure made her day.

Eventually, Al pulled a video cassette out of his pocket.  "I
wanted to deliver this in person," he said, handing it to
Eric.  "It's a run-through of the presentation.  Actually,
two different ones, one for the liberals and one for the
conservatives."

"Don't we have a big screen down in the auditorium?" Eric
asked me.

"I'll see if it's free," I told him and grabbed a phone.

"It is," I told them.  "It'll take a few minutes to set up."

While we were waiting, Eric and I took them on a tour of the
Foundation's offices, introducing Al to everyone as one of
our "Advisors".

With half of the Foundation Staff in tow, we found our way to
the auditorium.

The screen was just slightly smaller than ones in a movie
theater.  We found seats, Eric on one side of me, Al on the
other.

The music came on, a catchy tune that I'd never heard before.
The scene was a school gymnasium.  The music faded, then a
very up-tempo piece started and the troupe bounded onto the
floor, doing a variety of tumbling moves.  There were three
hunky guys and three beautiful girls.  The guys were wearing
spandex, mid thigh shorts and tank tops, the girls short
skirts and halters, all in red, white, and blue.

As they found their positions, the music went up a notch and
the clapping started.  I assumed that with an audience, they
would be joining in.  One guy and one girl were the leaders.

"ARE YOU READY TO HEAR HOW IT REALLY IS?" The guy leader
yelled into his headphone, after getting everybody worked up.

>From there, he and the gal leader talked to the crowd.  It
wasn't a lecture, but a humorous discussion of how things
"were" in this, the 21st century.

The points they stressed were Love and Caring,
Responsibility, and Safety, and were done in such a way as to
make them important but not onerous.

The music went up and the show was over.

"All the performers will then man the exits and hand out
brochures and posters," Al said.

George got up in front of everybody.  "I cannot see how ANYONE
could possibly object to that presentation, Liberal OR
conservative!  A magnificent, powerful presentation!"

"Let's hold our discussion until we see the other version,"
Eric suggested.

It had the same cast, and was basically the same with a few
script changes.  Just as funny and just as powerful, but the
part about 2 people of the same sex getting together had been
eliminated.  To me, they were the most important.

We filed back to the Foundation conference room and all got
seated around the table.  Eric stood.  "Al, I don't know how
we can thank you for shepherding this project through to such
an awesome conclusion."  There was a round of applause.

George took over from there.  "It'd sure be easier just to
play that tape, but we all feel that a live performance would
have a lot more impact.  We're really going to have to work
to make our performances live up to the standards that you've
set."

"That was taken into consideration when it was written," Al
said.  "There are only two significant speaking parts, the
others only have a few words.  The performance you saw was
done completely by amateurs."

After a few more formal comments, we settled down into a
"bull session" with ideas flying around like crazy.  At this
point, I excused myself.

It was late afternoon before Al, Rick and Eric returned to my
office.  I invited them to come home with us for dinner.  At
first they refused, saying they had a plane to catch.  This
objection was overcome when I reminded them that we had a
couple of planes of our own and could fly them home anytime
they wanted.

At home, conversation continued about the Lifeguard Project.
Al was really fired up about what we were, or, Eric was
doing, and wanted to know everything there was to know.

"Our goal is to have five troupes on the road by September
fifteenth," Eric told him.  "We already have them scheduled
through January first.  Hopefully, before then, we can have
at least another five on the road, but we're not scheduling
them until we see how the first five are received."

"How're you going to move them around?" Rick asked.

"We're having five new busses converted," Eric said, "It'll
be just like a 'Road Show'."

"We've been really surprised at the response we've gotten so
far.  Just about every school we've contacted has accepted
our offer, even without the preview video we'll be able to
use now.

"Our goal is to have 25 troupes on tour within a year, making
at least one performance per day.  At that rate, we could
cover every High School in the country every four years."

Eric went on to tell them about other programs that they were
working on, some I hadn't even heard about yet.  "Lifeguard",
he explained, would remain non-oriented, neither gay nor
straight, to avoid controversy, and subsidiary or separate
foundations would be set up for specifically gay programs.

Al and Rick wanted to help in any way they could.  Rick, who
ran a modeling agency, offered to help find cast members if
Eric had trouble finding enough real lifeguards.  "Gorgeous
guys are a dime-a-dozen in Hollywood.  All of them want to get
into the movies, and there just aren't enough jobs, even as
extras, and decent modeling jobs are just as hard to find.
A lot of these would jump at the opportunity.  No problem
with beautiful girls, either."

This idea really excited Eric.  He'd been worried about
finding enough Lifeguards.

                           - - - - -

We decided to grab Neil and Dan and fly to Houston to check
out what was really happening with the building delays.

We got into Houston early and got a rental.  Not economizing,
but we all decided it'd be easier.

The Plastics plant was much, much larger than I had
envisioned.  The molding part was in the front.  Behind that
were silos for raw materials, and behind that were warehouses
and loading areas.

The silos were up, and the warehouses looked nearly complete,
but the most important part was mostly just poured
foundations.  The floors hadn't even been poured and there
wasn't any sign of walls or roof.

"How come?" I asked Neil.

"The contractor says the steel hasn't arrived," he answered.

"How's it being shipped?"

"By rail, it'll come in on flatcars back there," he said,
pointing.

"This is bullshit.  Do you happen to know who it's coming
from and where?"

"I talked to one of their Reps when he was here," he said and
gave me the guy's card.

I found a piece of concrete to sit on, and called the steel
fabricating company.  I managed to get through to the
manager, and asked about the status of our buildings.  He was
very apologetic, saying that the order had been cleared for
production only two weeks ago.  It seemed that our contractor
was a "Cash in advance" customer and his check had just
cleared.

There wasn't anything that this guy could do at this point,
but I asked him to push as much as possible and to call me if
any snags developed.  He was also located on the CLP
Railroad, and agreed to call me when they were ready to load.

I handed the phone to Neil.  "How about giving our contractor
a call?  Have him meet us at our hotel later this afternoon.
He WILL be there."

The Chemical plant, a short distance away, looked ready to
start up - from the outside.  On the inside, Neil explained
that a lot of equipment was still missing, but would arrive
and be installed well ahead of deadline.

Normally, I don't give an ass chewing in front of others, but
in this case it was unavoidable.

The contractor knew why he was being called on the carpet,
but did his best to act like everything was wonderful.

"We've just been out to the plant site," I told him.  "I
wasn't too pleased with what I saw."

"The steel's been slow.  It's on the way right now."

I stared at him.  Do anything, but don't lie to me!  "That's
an outright lie, and we both know it!  They just started
fabricating it, and it'll be a couple of months before
they'll ship.  I talked to the plant."

"But, but, but..."

"If you'd had the balls to tell me that you needed cash up
front, we could've worked something out.  Now, I want to know
if there are any other snags that we have to look forward to."

"nnNo," he stuttered, "I don't think so."

"Well, if anything comes up, grab the goddam phone and call
me.  I think you're aware that you're on a deadline.  If
those buildings aren't ready the day and hour they're
supposed to be, I'm going to own a construction business plus
every other dollar you've got or ever will have."

"I understand how you feel," he whined.

"Let's just be goddam sure there aren't any other delays," I
threatened.  The meeting was over.

Dan was sitting there wide-eyed.

"Feel better, babe?" Eric giggled.

"Sure do," I told him.  "Pride again.  He just couldn't admit
that he had a problem, and now we both may be in trouble."

Dan and Neil took off to see Neil's house, and wouldn't be
back to join us for dinner.

Eric suggested we call Ron and Jason to join us for a night
out, and that we go get some jeans so we could do a little
shit-kicking later on.

                           - - - - -

Annie was in a quandry over whether to go to Germany for the
engagement announcement or to ask Hans to come to
California.  Germany was finally decided on, but she wanted
the whole family to go with her, not including Georgia, of
course.

Eric and I were ready and rarin' to go, but Tina and Rick
weren't as eager.  They were both buried in work and didn't
feel they could take the time off.  Annie did a "Sales Job"
on them, and eventually everyone agreed.  We were to leave the
day after Spence's graduation.

They had set a wedding date in mid September, in Germany, at
the family Castle in Koenigsburg.

"Do we have to learn how to curtsy?" Eric asked Annie.

"God no!" she laughed.  "Hans' family wouldn't know how to
act.  Just be yourself."

"Do they know we're gay?" I asked.

"Oh yeah!  I made sure of that.  Remember Kevin?  Don't want
a repeat performance of THAT!"

We went on to discuss what would be happening once we got
there and what type of clothes we needed to take.

                           - - - - -

The night before Spence's graduation, Eric and I took him and
Dirk out to dinner.  They showed up smiling from ear to ear.

During dinner, they told us all about what was going on.  The
big news was that they both felt their major problems with
each other were behind them.

"I've been an absolute angel since I met Spence," Dirk said,
"I've got calluses on my palm to prove it, but it was worth
the wait."

"Does that mean...?" Eric asked.

"Nosy fucker," Spence giggled, "but yes, that means yes..."

"About time!" Eric snorted and we all broke out laughing, the
two red faced boys included.

"Just between us," Spence giggled, "Dirk has the most
beautiful, tasty, filling, dick I've ever laid eyes on.  You
can bet I'm not going to give up that baby without a helluva
fight!"

"What're you calling a 'baby'?" Dirk kidded him.  "OK, so you
got me by a quarter inch."

"OK, OK, guys, so you're both hung like horses.  We don't
really need all the details," Eric laughed.

"Here I get used to all the money Spence's got, then he tells
me it's doubled," Dirk said, changing the subject.  "I guess,
after a certain amount, it doesn't matter any more."

"It wouldn't surprise me to see Micron continuing to climb,"
I commented.  "How're Alex and Ricky working out?"

"They're great," Spence said.  "The only time I'm out of
their sight is when I'm sleeping, and if Ricky had his way,
they'd be there too.  Damn, I've never seen such a horny guy!"

Eric and I exchanged grins on that one, no surprise.  "You're
any different?" Dirk teased.

During dessert, they told us their plans for the summer.
Dirk would be staying on the West Coast and they planned to
just jump in the car and go.  No plans, no destination, just
go wherever the road led.

"Of course, if you guys go anyplace and wouldn't mind a
couple of KIDS tagging along," Spence said in his little boy
voice, "we'd sure love to go."

"We're going to Germany in a couple of days," Eric told
them.  "Annie and Hans are going to announce their
engagement, but I'm afraid the whole family's going."

"That's OK," Spence said.  "We need a week or two to wind
down."

The Graduation ceremony was the same as Eric's, but there
weren't as many in Spence's 'School', so it went faster.  As
soon as it was over, Spence ran up to us, Ricky and Alex a
short distance behind.  Dirk got the first hug, but Dirk
didn't stop there.  He laid a big lip lock on him that raised
a few eyebrows.  Eric got a hug and eventually, so did I.

As I was holding him, he whispered in my ear "They're
standing right over there."

"Who?" I asked.

"Mom and Dad, and I'm sure they saw Dirk kiss me.  It's gonna
hit the fan now."

"They won't touch you if you don't want them to," I told him
softly and motioned to Alex and Ricky who rushed over.

Spence let go of me, and was immediately enveloped by Dirk.
I could see Spence whispering in his ear.

I looked around to see if I could pick out the Youngs.  A
very well dressed couple was walking toward us.  As they
neared, the woman's hands flew out "Spencer Darling!"

Before she could reach him, Alex was in front of Spence
blocking her way.  Spence just stood there, Dirk's arm still
around him.  When she stopped, a man I assumed was his father
stopped beside her.  "It's OK," I heard him murmur to Alex.

Alex stepped aside, but stayed between them, Ricky was on the
other side, tensed.

"Hello, Mother, hi Dad," he said unemotionally.

"You're looking wonderful, Spencer, you've put on a lot of
weight," his mother said.  Dad just stood there and scowled.

"It's all the good clean living I'm doing," Spence said with
that gleam in his eye, unable to resist the needle.  "I'd
like you to meet my friends.  This is Dirk, my best friend,
this is Eric, my big brother, and this is Dave, Eric's
partner."  Mother nodded to each of us in turn, but Dad
didn't make any effort to shake hands.  I also noticed that
Spence hadn't used any last names.

"Who are these thugs?" Dad spoke for the first time, nodding
toward Ricky and Alex.

"They're my good friends and bodyguards," Spence answered.

A very awkward silence followed.  Everybody looked everyone
else over carefully.  Dirk didn't let up his protective grip
on Spence either.

How fucking cold, I thought.  Not one congratulation to
Spence on his achievement.  At least he knew that the three
of us were enormously proud of him.

Dad broke the silence.  "Got a job yet?" he growled.

"No, Dad, I don't have one, and I'm not looking for one
either.  I'm planning to take some time off and play,
something I've done very little of in my life."

Momma stepped in.  "Could you have dinner with us tonight,
so we can talk, Spencer?"

"No Mom, I can't," Spence said, looking her straight in the
eye, with kind of a grin.  "I already have plans... with my
Family here."

Spence's Dad looked like he was on the verge of some kind of
fit.  Momma must have seen it too, because she grabbed his
arm and started moving.  "We'll be in touch in the next day
or two, Spencer," she said over her shoulder.

"I don't think so, mother," Spence murmured as we all watched
them walk on out of the outdoor amphitheater.

On the surface, Spence looked calm, but I could tell that
inside, he was churning.  Even if planned, the confrontation
couldn't have gone much better than it had.  Actually, it
hadn't been a confrontation, more of an exchange, but the
little that WAS said carried enormous meaning, and what wasn't
said carried even more.  Even though Spence may not realize
it yet, that conversation had been a turning point in his
life.

"Do you want to go out tonight or come over to the house?" I
asked him.

"Can we come over to your house where we can relax and be
ourselves?" he asked, "and bring Ricky and Alex too?"

"Of course," I said.

"Anything special for dinner?" Eric asked.

"Food at your house is always wonderful, I'll take potluck,"
he giggled.  "Can we come early?  I don't feel like going
home."

"Anytime," Eric told him.

                           - - - - -

"Why'd those assholes have to horn in and spoil it for him?"
Eric asked on the ride home.

"I don't think they spoiled it for him, and might have done
him a favor."

"How's that?"

"His dad showed up to reassert his authority over Spence, to
take back control.  That didn't happen, and now probably
never will.  Spence stood up to him, not arrogantly, but made
it clear that he was making his own decisions.  I think once
Spence realizes this, he'll be much more comfortable with
himself."

"I see your point," Eric said, "and there wasn't any screaming
and yelling either.  His father scares me, though."

"Me too.  Let's get the boys out of town for a week or two.
That'll be my graduation present to Spence."

                          - - - - -

"I did it!" Spence roared as the four of them came in.

"Did what?" Eric kidded him.

"Actually two things - I got my Diploma, and I stood up to
Mom and Dad."

"Congratulations on both," I told him.  "I'm really really
proud of you."

About that time Annie roared in.  "Hiya Brat," she said.
"Heard you conned them into giving you a diploma!"

"You got it all wrong," he told her, "I bought it, for $24.95
plus shipping and handling."

"Congratulations, anyway," she laughed.  "Hi guys," she
acknowledged the other three.  "I'm off to Tina's to help her
pack.  See you all later."  Before leaving she walked over
and gave Spence a big hug.

"That's what I mean about 'Family'," he said to Dirk, hugging
him close.

"Well, how do you guys feel it all went?" Spence asked us.

"You looked great getting your Diploma, summa cum laude and
all.  Hope the pictures turn out," I told him.

"I'm pretty proud of that," he admitted, "but I'm even
happier about the way things went with Mom and Dad.  Rather
civilized, I thought, but I don't think Dad's going to give
up yet."

"I kind of feel sorry for him," I said.  "First, you 'out'
yourself, then you make it clear that he no longer controls
you, then you tell them you no longer need them.  All of
that's hard to swallow.  But there'll never be an excuse for
what he did to you."

"Someday, I might be able to forgive him, but not soon.  Just
talking to him, even if it was only a few words, has made me
feel different.  I don't think I actually fear him any more,
and I don't feel guilty about defying him either.  It's kind
of like gaining my freedom.  It's easier to see him for what
he really is, a poor soul so caught-up in religion that he
doesn't recognize reality."

"Do you think he'll leave you alone?" Eric asked.

"Hell no!  Seeing me now, and how I've changed, will only
goad him on to undertake a Holy Crusade to 'save' me.  He
won't give up this easily, and now he knows where I am."

"OK Spence," I said.  "Your parents will probably only be in
town for a few days.  Eric and I are leaving for Germany in
the morning, so we can't watch you, not that Ricky and Alex
aren't doing a damned fine job, but I'd feel much better if
you weren't anywhere around."  I paused for breath.

"I know that Eric got you a Graduation present from both of
us, but I have one for the two of you.  Tomorrow, a plane
will be waiting to take you to Disneyworld for as long as you
guys want to stay.  Your rooms, a car, and anything else you
might want is taken care of.  How does that sound?"

They took a look at each other, grinning, and chorused
"YESSSsss!"

"After dinner, you can go home and pack, but you're staying
here tonight," I told them.  "If you forget anything, buy it."

"Can we go pack now?"  Dirk asked, "it's still afternoon."

"Good idea," I said as the four of them headed for the door.

"You keep reminding me why I love you so damned much," Eric
said.  "Are you going to send Ricky and Alex with them?"

"No, I don't think it'll be necessary," I answered.  "They
need some time by themselves, an opportunity to be on their
own."

I called Sam, The General, to set up the plane.  The General
was in the mood for a pissing contest.  "I can't," he said.
"Every plane is booked solid for the next week."

"Sam," I said, "I want a plane waiting tomorrow morning at
9:00, fueled and with pilots ready.  I don't care which plane
you use."

"I can't."

I lost it.  I held my temper with a great deal of effort.
"Sam, one last time.  There will be a plane waiting as I
asked.  That is now a direct order, and it WILL be obeyed.
Let me warn you, this is the last incident of insubordination
we will ever have while you're a Metalco employee.  I think
you know what that means.  I'm at home.  Call and confirm
those arrangements and let me know who the pilots will be in
an hour."

"Yes Sir."

"Old Sam acting up again?" Eric chuckled.

"I wonder who the hell he thinks he's working for?  It's a
cinch that I'm not putting up with any more of this crap."

My next call was to Dan.  He would make all the arrangements,
get them a suite at one of the Disney Hotels, and get the
whole package over to the house sometime that evening.  I
told him it was a graduation present.  No need to give out
any more information.

The boys came back all packed.  I took Alex and Ricky aside
to tell them that I didn't think they'd be needed.  No
problem, as far as they were concerned.

"When are you guys going to get packed?" Spence asked Alex and
Ricky.

"We're not going," Ricky said.  "Dave feels that you guys
need some time alone, and we agree."

"Oh no!" Spence said and came over to plop between Eric and
me.

"These guys have been real good to me, Dave," he said.
"They told me about your 'order', and I'll vouch for the fact
that they were well behaved.  They deserve to go."

"No Problem," I said.  "I thought that you'd be safe and
might like a little time just to yourselves.  But, I gotta
tell ya, I'm pulling back the orders I gave them earlier.
Fend for yourself, baby stud!  ...However, that doesn't give
permission to anyone to force anything on anyone else.  Just
have fun, Willingly!"

                           - - - - -

When we got to the airport the next morning, everything was
very quiet. Only one plane, ours, was ready.  Two of the
other planes, including the other Gulfstream, were gone, and
one was in the hangar.  I went looking for Ron and Jason,
Eric right behind me.

They were working on their pre-flight checklist in the
cockpit, and when I told them what had happened, and Sam's
evident refusal to follow orders, Ron went ballistic.

"I don't care if he is doing a good job," Ron said, "this shit
will not be tolerated."

"Excellent timing, too," Jason added sarcastically.  "We're
all on our way out."

"Let's go find out what's going on," Ron suggested.  "Can I
fire him?"

"If you don't, I will," I told him.

When we got to the office, Sam was sitting there at the
computer with a big smile.  "Good morning, Gentlemen," he
said cheerily.

"Good morning, Sam," I said.  "How come the other plane isn't
ready to go?"

"I decided to stick to the original schedule," he said.

"Then there's no plane scheduled to fly my guests to Orlando
this morning?" I asked.

"We couldn't fit them in until Wednesday," he answered.  "If
they want to go sooner, they'll have to fly commercial."

"That's not the way it works around here," Ron told him.
"You're fired."

"You can't fire me!" Sam roared.

"Well, I sure as hell can," I said.  "Sam, you're fired for
insubordination.  Get out NOW.  You can come back in an hour
to collect your personal belongings under the supervision of
our Security people.  Now, get your ass out of here!"

He started to say something, thought better of it, and left
the office.

Jason sat down at Sam's desk and started looking around.
"Here's the flight schedules, I'll take care of the other
flight," he said.

Taking another desk, Ron asked Jason "Is Rich scheduled
today?"  Jason shook his head.  "He can man the fort today,
at least, then we can organize the next few days by phone."

I got out my cell phone to call Bob and give him his
instructions.  Ron or Jason would keep him up to date on what
was happening.

Eric and I went back out to the plane to tell everybody what
was going on.  They were all aboard the Gulfstream with
Jacques and the other Steward serving coffee.

As soon as I'd explained the situation, Spence spoke up.  "We
can fly commercial, that's no problem."

"Not when I've got a plane sitting over there that's
scheduled to take one passenger to Seattle late this
afternoon," I said.  "Whoever THAT is can fly commercial.
You may be an hour or two late taking off, but you'll get
there by this afternoon, a helluva lot faster than commercial
where you'd have at least two stops along the way."

Annie looked nervous, so I sat down beside her.  "Relax,
kiddo.  We won't be more than a half hour late taking off.
There's always a cushion built into the schedule, so we'll
arrive just about on time."

"OK Dad," she smiled.

When Bob and another carload of his people pulled up, Eric
and I went out to talk to them.

Following right behind them were pilots who went right to
work getting the other plane out of the hangar.  Ron reported
that the plane had been fueled, and that he'd ordered food
from the caterer.  "Can't let four growing boys go unfed for
five hours, no telling what they'll be chewing on," he
giggled with a leer.

Ron briefed Bob on what had to be taken care of.  He was
capable, and if he didn't have an answer, would find someone
who was more knowledgable.

The four boys climbed out of the Gulfstream and stowed their
stuff in the smaller plane.  Ron went over to introduce them
to the pilots and show them where food and drinks would be.
Eric and I said goodbye and we all climbed aboard and got
settled in for takeoff.

"Nothing like a little excitement to get the day rolling,"
Annie quipped.

"It'll all be back to normal by the time we get home," I
assured her.

The Steward took breakfasts to the cockpit and Jacques brought
us ours.  Almost too much "service", two stewards for five
passengers and the three pilots.

Rick and Eric were deep in discussion, Annie and Tina were
talking, and I had an opportunity to sit back and look my
family over.

Rick was a fine addition, fitting right in, comfortably, once
he realized that we were all harmless.  He and Tina seemed
blissfully happy, and he'd developed a relationship with Eric
that was more like brothers-in-law than "step Father-in-law".
I believe it grew out of mutual respect.

Rick was insistent on calling me "Mr. R".  Actually I liked
it.  "Dad" was reserved for my girls.  Eventually it would
grow into "Dave".

Tina was happy and content.  She'd grown up in the short time
she'd spent with us as a "family".  I couldn't be more proud
of her.

Annie had changed enormously since she'd shown up on my
doorstep.  From a very angry young girl, she'd blossomed into
a mature, responsible woman, who now was bringing another
addition to the group.

>From what I'd seen, Hans would fit right in.  No bullshit, no
pretense.  I looked forward to getting to know him better.

My reverie was interrupted when Ron and Jason came out of the
cockpit.  "Doesn't somebody have to fly this damned thing?" I
asked, chuckling.

"Kirk's doing just fine," Ron assured me.  "Thought we needed
to talk about the 'Sam' mess."

"Got any ideas?" I asked.

"Actually, we do," Ron said.  "As it usually happens, just
when you've found somebody for the job, you run into all
sorts of good candidates.  Now, all we have to do is find
them and hope they haven't already found good jobs."

"We don't need a 'yes-man', but somebody who'll follow the
rules.  Do you guys think I've been unreasonable?" I asked.

"Hell NO!" Jason said.  "I think you ask very little, and
hell, you own the company and should be able to do anything
you want without question."

"The guy - or gal, for that matter, that we get, doesn't have
to be a pilot," Ron said.  "All they need are good
organizational skills and the ability to learn that program
that Sam got.  I did, and I'm sure no computer whiz.

"Don't worry," he continued.  "Everything's under control
right now, and we'll have a permanent solution a week or two
after we get home."

                           - - - - -

Hans literally stormed the plane as soon as the engines were
shut down.  Annie was the first one off and jumped into his
arms.

We gave them a chance to say hello in peace, then the herd
descended.  We all hugged him, Rick a little shyly at first,
but Hans was insistent, just grabbing him.

After the enthusiasm settled down, Hans told us that nothing
was planned for that day to give us a chance to get over jet
lag, but things would get busy the next day, and gave us the
schedule of events.

Two limos pulled up and the crew unloaded all of our baggage.
The six of us climbed in one, and the crew in the other,
putting overflow luggage in the back seat with them.

Our arrival at the hotel was like an invasion.  The doorman
ushered us into the lobby and Jacques took over the luggage.

We left our passports at the desk and went directly to our
rooms.  Eric, Jacques and I were in the biggest suite, with
Annie next door on one side and Tina and Rick on the other.
The rest were in rooms down the hall.  We were pretty high up
and had a sweeping view of the city.

"I'm going to find the pool and see if swimming helps jet lag
when you travel East," Eric said.  "Want to join me?  I'm
wearin' speedos..."

"Then, definitely!" I told him.

"I think I'll see if anybody else wants to join us."

Neither Jacques nor the kids were interested, but the crew
were, meeting us at the rooftop pool.

It was a warm, sunshiny afternoon, but the pool wasn't
crowded.  The eyes of those there just about popped out when
Eric took off his robe.  How he managed to stuff his dick
into that tiny little thing was always an amazement to me.

Kirk, the new pilot, and Joey, the steward, were a bit awed
too, their jaws dropping and eyes boggling.  I watched them
for a minute, then looked at Eric myself.  My God, what a
body! what a face!  what a basket!  No man could ask for
more.  He looked at me and grinned, not the least bit self
conscious.

I loved the way he handled himself.  He was outstanding.  He
knew it and the effect he had on others, but he wasn't the
least bit conceited.  To me, his looks were a small part of
his attraction.  I loved the whole man.

We spent quite a while in the warm water.  No serious
swimming, just playing around, talking and splashing.

We all went to dinner together then Eric and I headed for
bed, the rest heading out to check out Hamburg's "Hot spots".

                           - - - - -

The next two days were pretty well planned for us.  First on
the agenda was lunch with Hans' father.  Hans came to collect
us and drove us to the tallest building in the city.  Up the
elevator to the top floor, naturally, whizzing past
secretaries and receptionists to the huge, unmarked, double
doors of his father's office, and right on in.

His father rose and came around his desk.  He was tall, very
distinguished looking, graying at the temples of his medium
brown hair, and the same blue eyes as Hans.  His Teutonic
bearing brought the words "stiff as a poker" to mind
immediately.

"Dad, I'd like you to meet Dave Rush and Eric Lundborg," Hans
said.  "Dave, Eric, this is Otto Koenigsburg, my father."

The stern expression vanished, and was replaced by a huge
smile as we shook hands.  "So nice to finally meet our biggest
customers and, I hear, soon to become the newest members of
our family."

It took less than five minutes to dispel the "stiff as a
poker" image.  He was as down-to-earth informal as Hans, and
was obviously very close to him.

We moved to a private dining room that was as elegant as Otto.
Lunch conversation switched back and forth between the
upcoming engagement and business.  Otto's sense of humor came
through with his constant kidding of Hans and general lack of
seriousness.  He sure didn't LOOK like the personality he was
turning out to be. One of the things I really liked about him
was the way he effortlessly included Eric in everything that
was said.

Lunch lasted well into the afternoon, then Hans took us back
to our hotel.  A limo would call for all of us that evening.

While Eric and I were sitting around discussing our lunch
with Otto and Hans, my cell phone rang, or dinged as this one
did.  It was the Senator.  After exchanging pleasantries, she
asked how soon we could be in Washington.

"Eric could probably be there tomorrow," I said, winking at
him, "but I couldn't make it for a few days.  My daughter's
engagement party is tomorrow night, and we're in Germany."

"Don't EITHER of you miss it," she said.  "What I have to
tell you is highly confidential and will have to be in
person, but let me tell you this, it's GOOD news."

"That's real encouraging," I told her.  "We can be there on
Friday, for sure."

"That would be fine.  How about noon and I can take you to
the Senate Dining Room for lunch?"

"We'll be there," I promised.

"Please give your daughter my congratulations," she said.

I relayed the news to Eric.  "Don't get your hopes up yet," I
told him.  "This thing could drag out forever."

He sat and grinned at me.  "I know it'll work out.  It's just
that neither of us have any patience," he said.  "I spent
most of the trip over talking to Rick about building houses
up there.  I think we may have something going there too.
That's how confident I am that this thing will fly -
eventually."

Dinner that evening was a family affair, the five of us and
Hans' family, including his younger brother and his wife.
As Annie had told us, Hans' mother Charlotte, Lotti for short,
was delightful.  She wasn't exactly petite, but not a
Brunhilda either.

Dinner was informal, or as informal as it could be when
served by five maids in a baronial dining room with enough
antique silver to supply the Mint for a year if melted down.
Eric and I were seated on either side of Lotti, and she was a
great talker, wanting to know everything there was to know
about the two of us.  Not nosy but interested.

Hans' brother Kurt and his wife Edith were a stunning pair.
He was classicly handsome with high cheekbones and
mischevious blue eyes, Edith was an adorable blond.  The two
of them really seemed to hit it off with Tina and Rick.

It turned out to be just a family dinner, lots of laughing
and teasing back and forth, making Eric and me feel very
comfortable and welcome.

We left fairly early, the next day would be a busy one.

                           - - - - -

Annie was spending the day shopping with Lotti, Tina and Rick
were doing something with Kurt and Edith, and Eric and I were
going on a plant tour with Hans and Otto.

Our first stop was at the docks.  Cranes were hoisting crated
machinery into the hold of a freighter.  "This is the first
boatload of your molding equipment going to Houston," Hans
explained.  "The first of six."

>From there, we went to an enormous factory where the
equipment was made.  It was more like a steel mill with
furnaces melting the iron to be cast into the large parts
that would be machined and end up as our molding equipment.

I didn't have a clue how they worked, so Otto explained,
ending with "The ones we're building for you are among the
biggest we've ever built.  With these, you can handle more
cavities and produce more pieces with each cycle of the
presses."

We invited them both to come visit us when our plant was up
and running.  They both eagerly accepted.

We spent the whole afternoon at their electronics plant.  It
too was enormous, they made a lot of other things besides
disk copiers.

At the moment, the majority of their production of copiers
was for Lundborg Rush, and Eric warned them that LR was on
the verge of explosive expansion and to hold lots of
production slots for us.

We got back to the hotel in time to rest a little before the
evening's festivities, but instead, got caught up on
something else that had been neglected.

Freshly fucked, showered and dressed, I think we both glowed
when we met the others in the hotel lobby.  Our limo whisked
us off to a private club where the party was being held.

We went into a lounge where drinks were being served.  Otto
and Lotti were waiting for us.  Kurt and Edie whisked Tina
and Rick off in another direction.  Annie was already
someplace with Hans.

With drinks in hand, we were introduced around to some of the
other guests, certainly not all because there were a LOT of
people there.  Then out of nowhere stepped the most regal
lady of all, none other than Sarah!

She walked straight to us, threw her arms around Eric for a
hug, then me, then the von Koenigsburgs.  "Where're my
girls?" she asked.

"They're here someplace," Eric told her.  "Want me to find
them for you?"

"No, that's fine," she said.  "They'll show up sooner or
later."  Then she turned to me.  "They may be getting
married, but they'll always be MY girls," she smiled.

The dinner itself was spectacular.  The "family" sat together
at one big, round table, including Sarah, of course.  There
were toasts to the newly betrothed, then dancing.  They even
played some waltzes for the old farts.

Eric was dancing up a storm with the younger set, even Hans,
to everyone's delight.

Sarah and I had a chance to talk while they all worked up a
sweat.  "Everything work out with the Georgia mess?" she
wanted to know.

"What mess?" I grinned.  "Officially, nothing happened."  She
laughed, understanding me perfectly.  "Annie says that
Georgia's not going to be within a thousand miles of here
when SHE gets married."

"That's a good idea," she said.  "But how can you keep her
away?"

"I'm not sure, but Annie's determined, so we'll figure out a
way."

"Annie's already asked me to help her with the wedding,"
Sarah said.

"You should," I grinned, "afterall, you're responsible.
By the way, did you fly over on one of our planes?"

"No, none were available, or so I was told."

"That will never happen again," I told her.  "Our flight
operations manager who did all the scheduling was fired on
our way out.  I wished you'd have let me know."

"I have to admit I'm spoiled," she said.  "It's so nice to go
when you want to, and those nice young men of yours spoil me
rotten."

"We're going home tomorrow by way of Washington D.C., want to
go with us?"

"No, I'm going to Paris for a few days."

"Call when you're ready, we'll come get you," I told her.

"Why don't you come to Paris with me?  I'll take you to some
grand parties."

"Wish we could, but we have to be in Washington on Friday."

"No problems, I hope," she said.

"Don't you know that the two of us always find problems, or
they find us?" I laughed.  "This time, though, we're getting
dragged into politics, which I hate!"

"Serious?"

"I'm confident it'll get worked out," I said.  "I'll tell you
all about it when the dust settles."

Around midnight, Eric slumped into the chair next to me.
"Don't be fooled," he whispered in my ear.  "This afternoon
was only an appetizer!  I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"That's an offer that's impossible to refuse.  Let's get the
hell out of here."


To be continued.