Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2008 14:40:44 -0500
From: Pee Jay <peejay@mi.rr.com>
Subject: "Winging It" - Part III

"Winging It" - Part III
By: Pee Jay
peejay@mi.rr.com
*This story is strictly fictional.

As the two were nearing Capitol City airport and the completion of their
trip, John couldn't help but recall the previous night.  He took Adam's
hand and held it.  Adam gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"Hon, what do you suppose old man Hughes meant by a proposition?  If he
wants your bod he'll have to take me out first" John smiled at Adam.

"I don't have a clue."

"Ya know, I was thinking."

"Oh man, now what?"

"How would you feel about relocating to a warmer climate.  It's not like we
have to worry about selling a house and all that.  We're not anchored here.
I'm still considered junior level at work but I can transfer; the only
hitch is we would have to pay our own relocation expense.  And I can take
the CPA exam where ever we decide to go instead of here."

"I'm not sure babe.  Where is this coming from?"

"Well, if we make the move now it's easy, very little to lose.  If we wait,
it won't happen till we're old farts if it ever happens at all."

"I'm tired babe.  Can you stop thinking for a while?  Correction, talking."

"Yeah, your birthday is coming up in a week.  What do you wanna do for
that?"

"Geez Louise!  I don't want anything.  A quiet night at home would be nice.
Give it a rest will ya?"

John gave Adam a 'what's wrong with you' kind of look and clammed up.  He
was basking in that 'fresh' feeling from the previous night.  He had
finally given himself entirely to Adam and wanted to shout it out.  He was
certain he couldn't feel any stronger about his love than he did at that
moment.  He knew they were meant to be.

Adam was in a time and place he was most pleased to occupy.  He had John
and was happy with the way things were.  He had never considered
relocating; 'for what reason?' was all he could come up with.  He couldn't
understand the motive behind Johns question.  As much as he cared for John,
he thought 'maybe he needs a partial lobotomy' and he smiled to himself.

John caught the smile and reminded himself not to push it.

With the plane safely on the ground and tied down, they went in the office
to check the answering service for messages.  There was one from a student
wanting to know if Adam could give a lesson this afternoon.  Adam returned
the call and scheduled it for early afternoon.  It was almost noon so John
left to pick up lunch while Adam held the office open.  Before John left he
asked Adam to sign him off in his log book.  When John returned, Adam had
made another appointment for a lesson following the first one.  John sighed
as he resolved to spend the better part of the afternoon in the office.  'I
should be getting paid for this shit' was his frame of mind.

John asked Adam if he wanted to give any lessons on Sunday in the event
someone called while he was out.  Adam said it was up to John whether or
not he wanted to be there or spend the day alone together.  He reminded
John that he could call Larry and ask him if he felt like giving lessons on
Sunday.  Larry was the only other instructor on the payroll.

John decided to book any lessons for Adam since he could use the money.
When the last lesson was over, Adam scheduled a lesson for the student the
next day.  He noticed that John had booked two lessons for him while he was
gone.  Sunday afternoon was shaping up to be a busy one.

Back at the condo, they greeted Jim and settled at the island in the
kitchen.

"How did it go?"  Jim was curious.  Adam had told him about the planned
'special night'.

"It was great.  We had a good time" Adam said with a grin and a nod to John
who was smiling.

"Did you guys get my message?"

"Yeah, but we forgot to call back, sorry" John said and Adam conveyed his
apology as well and asked Jim, "What was it about?"

"Your parents left a message Friday afternoon.  I called them back when I
got home from work and let them know you wouldn't be back till today.  They
want to visit next weekend and I told them it was okay by me."

"I'll call them tonight.  What do you think John?  That means we can't
sleep here together."

"Yeah, and there's no reason for them to stay elsewhere" John said, mindful
of the third bedroom.  "Whatever you decide is fine, it won't kill us.  Are
you going to take the weekend off then?  That's gravy time you know" John
said as he focused on the income side of the equation.

"Yeah, I know.  I'll work.  Maybe I can schedule my lessons for morning on
Saturday and afternoon on Sunday.  Larry doesn't care when he goes out as
long as he isn't waiting a long time in between."

That having been resolved, they ordered a pizza and went to Adam's room for
the rest of the evening.  Adam called his parents and arranged for their
overnight stay the coming Saturday.  There was no question he loved his
parents but he had already begun to resent their intrusion.  He knew he
would miss John for the night they would spend apart.

Monday morning John was back in the saddle and his old self again.  He was
in an affable mood and getting a lot of work done at the same time.  A
colleague by the name of Kay Armstrong stopped at John's cubicle shortly
before noon and asked him to go to lunch.  John readily accepted without
thinking and regretted it.

Kay had been flirtatious on more than one occasion and John had made it a
point to avoid her.  She was very attractive and a few of the guys in the
office had tried to date her with no luck.  She was smart, looked good,
dressed well and handled herself with a good deal of poise, that was the
extent of her appeal to John.

During lunch she made her boldest move to date.  She went so far as to ask
John to a movie the coming Saturday night.  It was the latest blockbuster
and a topic of conversation around the office.  John politely declined
saying he was seeing someone else and thanked her for the offer.  She
appeared a little crest fallen to John but seemed to be fine by the time
they finished lunch.

After work, John went to the airport to pick up Adam and they went home.

The next couple of days went that way until Thursday rolled around.  After
work on Thursday, John went to the airport and Adam was gone on a charter
so he settled in for the wait.  However, unlike any other day, Mr. Hughes
didn't leave to go home; he stayed camped out at his desk.  This made John
wonder what was going on or think something may be wrong.  He didn't know
but was relatively sure it wouldn't be long until he did.  It was out of
the ordinary for the old man to stay when John arrived.

For the last few month's he had always made a beeline for the door.  Adam
finally returned and escorted the party of two inside.  One of the
businessmen gave Adam a charge card to pay for the service.  When Adam
presented the bill, he signed it, thanked him and left.

"Well that's about it for today" Adam said as he locked the door to the
tarmac and turned the lights off.

"Do you two have a few minutes to talk?" Hughes inquired.

"Sure" Adam said and flipped the lights back on.

The old man sat unanimated for a while before he began.  "You aren't aware
of it, but I've been trying to sell this place for the last six months,"
the old man said looking at Adam.

Adam had a look of disbelief overcome his face.  He couldn't help but think
his job might be in limbo.

John's ears perked up as well.  He was concerned for Adams sake at the old
man's revelation.

The old man sat there for a couple minutes quiet and motionless.

"Go ahead" John said.  The silence was aggravating.  He hated the way the
old man raised issues then sat there like some kind of guru or sage or
whatever the hell.  The term bumpkin came to mind.

"So far the only interest has been one phone call," the old man said.  "No
one has been out to look."  "Forgive me Mr. Hughes, but why mention this to
us?  This seems like something you would keep to yourself and not share
with the hired help," John said looking at Adam.  "And incidentally, have
you considered a business broker?"

"I did consider it and I do have a broker.  His expertise is in the
aviation industry.  Like I said, he's only had one phone call in six
months.  Our contract expires at the end of this month" Hughes said and
looked out the window.

John thought, 'Is the SOB going to spit it out or is he that slow upstairs?
Or is he trying to give us the dumb as a fox routine?'  He decided to let
the old man have his moment in the lime light.

"What are you trying to say?" Adam asked.  He was growing impatient with
his boss.

"What I'm trying to say is, do you guys want to buy this place?"

Adam and John looked at each other baffled; neither one knowing how to
respond.  The questions passed silently between them.

With a raised brow over one eye Adam said, "I doubt we can come up with the
necessary funds.  Just for curiosity sake, how much are you asking anyway?"

"The asking price is four hundred fifty thousand which is roughly what the
assets are worth."

"There's no way in hell we can come up with that much cash" Adam stated
without hesitation.

"Are there terms?"  John wanted to know.

"Yes there could be."

"Why mention this now?"  John asked.  "And why us?"

"I accepted an offer on my house last week.  I have one month to vacate
before closing.  In that time I have to find a new place to live.  I'll be
going to Florida in the next few days to look for a house for me and
Nelda."

John looked at Adam and they both cracked up.  Was that some kind of joke?
'What kind of name is that anyway' Adam thought, he had never heard it
before.  He made a mental note to use it on John.

"Who is Nelda?"  Adam asked, still grinning.

"Mrs. Sims, our bookkeeper" the old man said not understanding why the guys
found that so funny.

Since Mr. Hughes handled all contact with her, there was no reason to know
her by name.  He had always referred to her as the bookkeeper and nothing
more.

"Is she making the move with you?"  "Yes.  Her house is up for sale too.
Whenever it sells, she'll make the trip back to sign the papers.  Part of
the terms would be for you guys to look after the house until it sells; the
lawn, raking leaves, shovel the snow and anything else that requires
maintenance.  The realtor will keep me informed."

"The most important question to me in order to proceed is the down stroke.
How much would be required?  If we can't swing that then there's nothing
further to discuss" John said.  "And there are repairs that need to be made
right away, for instance the water heater."

"You don't need to make a down payment and the selling price would include
some cash in the bank; enough to cover two months operating expenses.  I'm
looking for a monthly income of four to five thousand dollars.  I'm
seventy-three now.  That would make me about eighty-two years old at
payoff.  I want some time in the sun before I die.  I think that's a pretty
generous proposal and very workable for the two of you."

"It's certainly something to think about" Adam said.  "Let's call it a day
and give it some thought.  We can take this up tomorrow where we left off,
okay?"

Everyone agreed, said their good nights and left.  John offered to drop
Adam off in the morning so they rode home together.

The conversation on the way home was lively.  John pointed out that the
books would need close examination and would not reflect any cash the old
man was pocketing.  The un-numbered invoices were an obvious giveaway.  The
ground lease with the airport authority would require their approval for a
change in ownership.  He decided to ask for Will's help.

Back at Jim's place, Adam was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning and
John couldn't help but notice.  He loved that boyish quality and the
endearing smile that went with it, the lilt in his step and the sparkle in
his eye; it all added up to Adam.

He was making dinner in the kitchen and John rose from his seat at the
island.  He approached Adam from behind and put his arms around Adam's
waist, pulling him in tight.  He buried his face in the small of Adams neck
and shoulder and inhaled.  He rubbed his cheek in Adams soft shiny hair and
whispered in his ear, "I'll be here as long as you'll have me and then
some.  When you throw me away I'll stalk you" and he kissed his cheek,
squeezed him then sat down.

Adam shook his head as he smiled, "Go get Jim dinner is ready."

After dinner they retired to Adam's bedroom and discussed the old man's
proposal some more.  They were both a little scared but decided to pursue
the deal.  They reasoned that there was nothing to lose and conversation
didn't cost anything so why not?

The proposal put John's suggestion of relocating to a warmer clime on the
back burner.

Adam certainly knew how to run the place.  He and John were practically
doing it now.  After some time, the topic became a bit numbing so they set
the issue aside.  They had a passionate session of lovemaking and drifted
off to sleep, tangled up in each other.

Friday morning John outlined the offer for Will and asked him to look
things over.  Will was more than eager to help; honored even that John had
asked for his input.  Will agreed to meet them at the airport Sunday
afternoon; he was a churchgoer and that was a morning long affair for him
and his family.

Friday after work, John went to the airport.  The old man was minding the
office while Adam and Larry were both gone.  John took the opportunity to
chat with him some more.

"If I understand correctly, the building and the adjacent hangar are
included in the sale.  Is that right?"

"Yes.  We don't want anything to worry about up north when we make the
move."

"When are you going to Florida to look for a house?"

"We leave next Wednesday.  We'll be gone two weeks.  I hope that's enough
time.  The movers are coming in three weeks."

John thought that was a tight schedule.  It seemed like the old man was in
a hurry and it surely didn't strengthen his bargaining position.

"If you were planning to stay and grow the business; what would you do to
increase revenue?"

"I would promote the charter part of the business.  No one can compete with
our prices.  You should also be aware that Larry is looking for another
job.  He applied at one of our competitors and they called me out of
courtesy.  I've been friends with Don Fishcer at Fishcer Aviation for
thirty some years."

"I'm not surprised.  I have been somewhat biased when I schedule lessons
and charters.  Fortunately, there is a fresh crop of graduates every year
from the University aviation program.  He has an attitude problem anyway; I
don't think it would be a big loss."

"You're right.  But it isn't all that easy to find certified flight
instructors, keep that in mind."

"Mr. Hughes, would you be available Sunday afternoon to meet us here.  I
asked my boss to come over and take a look around and advise us as we
proceed.  He's going to be here with his wife at one o'clock."

"I'll be here.  I'm going home now; don't forget to lock up."

"Okay, have a good evening."

John turned the radio on to monitor the control tower and sat down at the
desk to wait for his boy.  He was feeling horny and looking forward to
getting Adam home and in bed.  The more he thought about it; he started
getting hard.  Larry was the first to return.  When he came in with his
student, he scheduled another lesson for Sunday and the student left.  John
wasn't sure how he would react when everyone showed up for the meeting but
decided not to worry about it.

"Larry, Adam's parents are coming to visit tomorrow.  Would you want to
take Adam's lessons for him?"

"Yeah sure, I could use the money.  Are you going to be here?"

"I don't know about tomorrow but I plan to be here Sunday afternoon."

"Are you ready to meet the in-laws?" Larry said with a smirk and eyeing
John for his reaction.

"What?" John said trying to buy himself some time.  He looked away from
Larry.

"Come on John, do you think I'm stupid?" Larry said.  He was still fixed on
John.

John resigned himself to the obvious truth.  After all, he was coming and
going with Adam for several months now.  He also knew that Larry might be
his employee soon and had to decide if he was comfortable with the
situation.

"I guess so.  His parents don't know though.  We were just going to let it
slide.  Sooner or later they'll figure it out."

Larry was grinning at John's admission.  He never gave the gay thing much
thought but knowing these two, it didn't seem like such a big deal.  He
actually liked both of them.  He did resent the fact that John favored Adam
when it came to scheduling flying time.  The truth be known, it pissed him
off but he didn't know how to get around it.  John wasn't even an employee
yet he was given the authority.  He thought it was as good a time as any to
confront John.

"John, you should be a little more fair minded when you schedule flying
time.  It isn't right that you give Adam all the charters and me mostly
lessons.  I'm trying to build hours too you know."

John was nervous; he hated confrontation and knew Larry was right.  He was
more than aware of his bias but as long as he didn't have to confront it;
he was able to ignore it.  Now Larry was raising the issue and he had to
face the facts.

"You're right Larry and I apologize.  Mr. Hughes mentioned it to me
yesterday" John lied.  "I'll make it as close to even as possible from now
on.  You're not planning to quit are you?"  John knew the answer but wanted
to see if Larry would be honest.

"The truth is that I have put my application in a couple places.  Nothing
has come of it so far though."

"Larry, I don't think you need to leave.  You can count on having more time
than Adam from now on."

John knew that Adam would have to spend more time in the office when and if
the deal closed.  John wouldn't quit his job until he was sure the business
could support them.  He wanted Larry to stay.  They all got along and knew
each other well enough and he was trustworthy.  He was single too and
therefore more flexible.  Who knew what a new employee would bring to the
table?

Larry left for the day saying he had a date and John wished him a good
time.  With that little piece of business out of the way; John turned his
thoughts to his more prurient needs.  He was going to seduce Adam when they
got home.