Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2006 01:31:59 GMT From: Jon <backbayguy@juno.com> Subject: life after nick part 3 My apologies to all for the delay. Preparations for the wedding(yes, the Stonewolf has gone from engaged to married) and other interesting life challenges have kept me busy with very little time for writing. I'm back and it won't take too long for the next one. Comments as always... backbayguy@juno.com CHAPTER ONE: ... With that Kristian stood up from their meeting.. "I'll be in touch next week about the meeting and such" Jonathan shook his hand and walked him to the door. "So it begins" "Indeed" said Kristian walking out the door. Jonathan walked back to his desk and sat as his intercom beeped. "Jonathan, there is a Sam on line one" Jonathan reached for the phone. "Hi Sam, I'm glad you called" said Jonathan. "Thanks, I'm glad I called too I think" said Sam. "So, what's up?" asked Jonathan. "Well I was thinking about what you said last night about Las Vegas" said Sam. "Were you serious about flying out there this weekend?" "Yeah, I was very serious" said Jonathan looking at his watch. "I'm leaving for Key West in about an two hours. I need to be there for a short time then going on for Las Vegas. I'm figuring on being on the ground around midnight Vegas time; hopefully a little before that." "I see" said Sam. There was a silent pause. "If you still want, I think it would be fun to spend the weekend in Las Vegas. I've never actually been there" "Great." said Jonathan. He pushed a button on the desk. "When can you get away?" "My last class ends at 4 pm." Said Sam. "I need to go back to my apartment to get some stuff, and can be ready to head out to the airport by 5 pm. I just need to know what airline to get to." "I'll make it easy for you" said Jonathan as Brandon came up to his desk. "Give me your address and I'll have a car pick you up" "One of your drivers?" asked Sam jokingly "Actually someone from my company" said Jonathan. "OK" said Sam. "I live at the corner of Hampshire and Webster streets in Cambridge. Just tell me what time and I'll be out front" "Sounds good." Said Jonathan. "Call it 7pm. That should give you a wheels up time around 8 pm depending on air traffic at Logan. That will put you in Vegas around 11 pm or so. I'll try to get out a little earlier but should be there no later then midnight. I'll make arrangements to see that you can check in and what not." "OK" said Sam. "This has got to be costing you a lot of money" "Don't sweat it" said Jonathan. He noted Brandon making notes. "I'll see you in about 12 hours or so. The people who will pick you up will have my number if anything crops up." "Oh yeah, what time are we getting back? Are we doing a red eye?" asked Sam "I need to know if I have to get someone to cover my 10 am class" "I hate red eye flights" said Jonathan. "Although it is easier when you have a jet at your disposal. However I'm thinking on flying out around 230pm on Sunday. That will put us back in Boston around10pm. Does that work for you?" "That's perfect" said Sam. "I can hit the gym on the way back to Cambridge and still get to bed at a decent hour. I can't wait to see you; sounds like a great weekend. I haven't been away in ages. " "Me too, take care" said Jonathan. He hung up the phone and turned to Brandon. "I gather you got all of that?" "Yes I did. We are having company for the weekend?" said Brandon. "Yes we are" said Jonathan. "Here is his address. Would you send someone to pick him up and get him to the airport? Have him picked up at 7pm with a wheels up as soon as it is available when he arrives at the airport." "OK" said Brandon, making notes. "I'll notify the backup crew to check out the G550" "Thanks" said Jonathan. "Anything I need to take care of here or can I sneak out for lunch?" "You're going to go to lunch if I tell you that there is paperwork or not" said Brandon laughing. "I'll have the rest of the stuff on board Renaissance for you" "You're too kind" said Jonathan getting up. "I'm going to lunch then the airport." "Danny is waiting" said Brandon. "I'll see you on board" CHAPTER TWO: After a leisurely lunch at Legal Seafoods, the Hummer detail took Jonathan out to the airport. As they were driving, Danny turned to Jonathan. "I took care of everything for Sam's arrival" said Danny. "He is going to have company while he is there. I still don't know enough about him" "Try not to scare him off" said Jonathan. "Brandon taking care of the Vegas end?" "As far as I know" said Danny. "Brandon will be on board about 10 minutes after we get to the airport. I know he is sending Mark out with a driver and agent to meet Sam. They will fly out with him. From there, they will be met by a car and a couple of more agents. I presume you want him in your suite" Jonathan just shook his head. "We'll see. In the meantime make sure there is a suite of his own available" "I believe Brandon has done both" said Danny as they turned into the Airport grounds. Shortly thereafter they arrived at the foot of Renaissance. Captain Hendrickson was there waiting at the foot of the jet stairs. He walked over and opened the Hummer door. Captain Hendrickson found it moderately amusing that he was the only person outside of the security staff to be allowed to open the door. He nodded as Danny got out then shook Jonathan's hand. Jonathan looked up at Renaissance. The plane had already been towed out of the private hanger. Jonathan noted two things at once. One brought him pleasure the other a frown to his face. Firstly it was the first chance to see the plane since it was repainted. What was a white plane with a deep blue stripe down the center was now a metallic black with a deep maroon stripe down the center. The engines remained their metallic gold color. Jonathan also noted a contingent of 8 agents around the perimeter of the plane. "Hey Don" said Jonathan returning the handshake. "You all set for some flying?" "That's what I do" said the Captain. "We've got clear skies all the way down the coast. We might pick up some turbulence over the mid west; there are some storms there but it shouldn't be too bad." "Sounds good" said Jonathan. "When are we wheels up?" "About 14 minutes" said Captain Hendrickson. "We've done all the checks, just need to commute over and get in line" "Rock and Roll then" said Jonathan as he started up the steps. Entering the jet he handed his coat to a steward with his thanks and headed into the front lounge. There he found Karen mixing up a small pitcher of Martinis. "Good Afternoon Karen" said Jonathan. "Hello Jonathan" she said, coming around with a drink in hand. "Here you go" Jonathan paused to taste the potent drink. "Mmmm Apple" said Jonathan. "What's that spice in there?" "Just a hint of Cinnamon Schnapps on top of the Apple Vodka, sour mix and cider." "It's great' said Jonathan. "I'm surprised no one has thought of that" "It's nice to see that I can still surprise you after all these years" said Karen. "Do you want anything to eat?" "No I'm good thank you" said Jonathan. "I hit Legal Seafoods on the way here. I'll probably snack a bit on the way down." "Well then just let me know if you change your mind" said Karen. "I will thanks" said Jonathan. "Is Anthony on board as well?" "He's down in the gallery puttering around making preparations for dinner" said Karen. "What time do you think you will be getting away from the party?" "It starts at 7pm and I want to be out of there by 730, however I probably will get away by 8 and be on board by 830pm" said Jonathan frowning. "I'm shooting to be in Vegas before midnight; earlier if possible" "OK, I'll plan on dinner at 930 or so; soon as we get clearance from the flight deck" said Karen. "Sounds good" said Jonathan. "Thanks" As Karen was leaving the lounge, Danny and Brandon both walked in. "We're cleared for taxi" said Danny. "The Hummers are locked in and everyone is on board" "Let's do it" said Jonathan, frowning. "I know that look... what?" "There is some construction on the highway down to the Keys." Said Danny. "There's no way you can drive it and make the party on time." "Damn" said Jonathan. "I don't suppose I can drive in Vegas?" "Of course not" said Danny. "You know better" "I really need to hop in a convertible somewhere and just hit a hundred for a while" said Jonathan. "I'll work on something then" said Danny. "Maybe the salt flats." Jonathan looked at him and gave him a patient scowl. "On your way" He turned to Brandon. "Let me guess, I'm working all the way down to the Keys" "Depends on how good you are and how fast you can finish what you need to" said Brandon. "I'll lay it all out on your desk for you." "Thanks I think" said Jonathan as he noted the jet start to move. Later on, much to the surprise of Brandon, Jonathan had all of the paperwork done before they flew over Georgia. Having deposited all of the paperwork back in a file and on Brandon's desk, Jonathan wandered around the plane. He stopped in the front lounge to check the onboard computers and noted that they still had about an hour and a half before landing in Key West. His thoughts were wandering and he let them wander. He paused before the bar and poured another martini from the chilled decanter Karen had left on the bar. Jonathan moved over to the couch and was going from one thing to another in his mind. He realized that if he kept that up while he was going through the martini without thinking they would be pouring him off of the plane. Jonathan reached for the phone on the side table. Dialing the galley, Anthony picked up on the second ring. "Yes Jonathan" he replied, "What can I get you?" "What about something that isn't going to fill me up?" he asked. "I've got the munchies but don't want a full meal" "OK" Anthony said. "I'll be upstairs in about 10 minutes." "Thanks Tony" said Jonathan. "I'll be topside" CHAPTER THREE Renaissance came to a halt near the hanger in Key West that security had insisted to be built. While waiting for the jet stairs to be rolled up to the plane, Jonathan paced up and down the hallway. In mid pace he noted Captain Hendrickson coming down from the flight deck. "How long do you anticipate us being here Jon?" asked the Captain. "If I had it my way about 20 minutes" said Jonathan with a smile. He looked at his watch. "It is 5pm now. The party starts at 7pm. I'm going to try to be out of there no later then 8pm. That would put me back here by 815pm. What time frame does that give us?" "Well, I'll file for an 830pm departure." Said Captain Hendrickson. "That should put us wheels down in Las Vegas about 1130 depending on the winds; maybe a little earlier. I'll get an update on the weather while you are in town." "OK thanks' said Jonathan, noting that Danny had undogged the door and was waiting for him. "I'll see you in a few hours." Walking down the stairs, he noted that Hummer One was waiting for him. Eric was standing by the rear door, holding it open. "Are we going to the house?" asked Eric as Jonathan got in. "Yeah, might as well." He replied. "We've got about 2 hours to kill" "Sounds good" said Eric. It was a short drive to the estate. Eric having called ahead, noted with satisfaction that the gates were open and that two of the security staff were standing by it. They nodded an all clear sign as he passed by. Jonathan got out and walked up the stairs to the front doors and went inside. Suddenly he came to a halt as he realized it was the first time that he had been back to Key West without Nick. He wandered around the house, finally ending up on the balcony that overlooked the pool from his bedroom. Past memories flashed through his head. Of good times and bad, seeing Nick in the pool, Ryan in the pool. Times he had made love in the pool. He turned back into the house, a little sad but not depressed. Jonathan looked at his watch. He had to leave in about an hour and a half or so for the party. He had noted while on the balcony that the house staff had taken care of the property beautifully. He decided to take a dip in the Jacuzzi. Walking into the changing room off the bedroom he stripped down and changed into shorts. He walked down and out the back door, nodding to the security agent on the back verandah. Sliding into the hot bubbling water, Jonathan let out a sigh of relaxation. This was what was missing from Boston he thought. He made a mental note about a Jacuzzi in the penthouse. Funny how that somehow didn't make it into the blueprints he thought. About a half hour later he got up and headed back into the house to shower and change. Coming through the house he noted Brandon in the study. He stopped by. "How are we looking" he asked "No problems" said Brandon. "There is nothing on the immediate horizon requiring your attention. Mark and two agents picked up Sam about 10 minutes ago. They are scheduled for take off in about 40 minutes. That will put them in Las Vegas about 11 or so." "Great" said Jonathan. "Did you put him in his own suite?" "I had the hotel manager block out one of the players' suites for him for the time being." He replied. "You never said if he was spending time in your suite or his own" "I'm not sure of that either to be honest" said Jonathan. "We'll see how the weekend plays out. Can you call out there and put him in one of the private suites on my floor." "OK" said Brandon. "I'm going to do a little more paperwork and then head back out to Renaissance. Speaking of, which one are we flying home in?" "I think Renaissance will do." Said Jonathan with an evil smile. "If the weekend goes well, Sam might as well see everything" "If the weekend goes well I'm sure he will" said Brandon with a smile and a familiarity that he knew he could get away with. "Smart ass" said Jonathan good naturedly. "How are the next couple of weeks looking?" Brandon paused to check his IPAQ. "There's nothing on the calendar until the Board meeting in Geneva next month. Do you have plans?" "Nothing serious" said Jonathan. "I thought when Ryan was here, that we'd spend a couple of days in Boston then fly out to the house at Boulders" "OK" said Brandon. "I'll make sure you have the calendar free. Do you have the exact days he is coming in yet?" "No, but I'll check on Monday" Jonathan replied. "He was going to email the dates and such over to me. We'll send the jet over to get him" "Sounds good" said Brandon. "You know, I still remember the first time you flew my someplace in a jet. It really freaked me out" "We've come a long way since then haven't we?" said Jonathan CHAPTER FOUR. Jonathan fairly leapt down the jet stairs in Las Vegas. Danny kept up with him as they headed for the Hummers. "You in a rush Boss?" he asked. "What makes you say that?" asked Jonathan as he got into the Hummer. "Because you were out of the Hummer in Key West before I barely got the door open on my side" started Danny, "You ran up the steps to the jet and yelled `haul ass' over the intercom to the pilots" "It was not a great party to say the least" said Jonathan. "Besides I love Las Vegas". "Don't we all" said Danny. "OK, we are 11 minutes out. Anything I need to know about your plans for tonight?" "Nope" said Jonathan. "I'm tired. I'm thinking a late dinner with Sam and crashing. Maybe a little blackjack but I don't know. I'm not really up for going to another casino just to play" "OK" said Danny. "Can you get a message to Sam that we're coming in?" asked Jonathan "No problem" said Danny, reaching for his cell phone. Jonathan watched the lights of the casinos flash by the Hummer as they sped down the expressway. Making two final turns, Eric turned the Hummer into the front of the casino. As usual, a large contingent of his security staff was waiting for his arrival. Being a late hour, they were all dressed in dress jackets, shirts and pants; albeit head to foot in black; right down to the black Ray Ban Pilot Sunglasses. Danny got out of the Hummer and looked over everything prior to letting Jonathan out. As they walked towards the Casino, Jonathan could not help but wonder if it was all worth it. Being a billionaire several times over, what was the point of having the money if he had to be surrounded by seven people, all dressed in black, to get into a building that he owned. Going through the casino, he stopped to talk to several managers. Finally entering the elevators, he was brought up to the floor where his private penthouse was. Danny unlocked the door for him and finally he was alone. Or near alone. "Hi" said Sam "Hi there yourself" said Jonathan "How was your flight?" "It was incredible" said Sam. "You actually own that jet?" "Yeah I do" said Jonathan. "Have you eaten yet?" "I got a burger from Room Service" said Sam. "I hope that was OK. You must have some serious pull around there. I've never seen Room Service deliver a meal that fast before" "You could say that." said Jonathan "What do you mean by that?" asked Sam coming around the table. He gave Jonathan a friendly hug. "I'll tell you later on" said Jonathan returning the hug. "Right now, how about a late dinner and a drink?" "A drink sounds good, but the burger was huge" said Sam. "I could go for dessert though" "Great, I know just the place" said Jonathan. He turned to Danny. "We're going over to Napoleon's" "OK" said Danny, reaching for his cell phone. "I just want to change and we can go" said Jonathan. "I pretty much dressed down after the party on the way out here." "How dressy is this place?" asked Sam. "I have a suit jacket I can get" "No, you're dressed fine" said Jonathan. "In fact you look great. I just want to throw on a dress pair of pants and a shirt" "All right I'll wait right here" said Sam. "Did you need help with luggage or anything?" "Nope, got what I need in the bedroom" said Jonathan, "I didn't see you carrying any luggage when you arrived" said Sam. "I keep a set of clothes here" said Jonathan, cringing as he thought about how that sounded. "You keep a set here?" asked Sam, bewilderment in his voice. "How is that?" "I knew that was going to sound fucked up when I said it" said Jonathan. "I'll be out in a minute and we can talk over a drink." "Sounds like that's a good idea" said Sam. Jonathan changed quickly and exited the bedroom. He could see that Sam was wearing an expression that was a mix of curiosity and confusion. "I know this is a little weird" said Jonathan, "Let's go get that drink and I'll try to explain" "OK" said Sam, "Before we do, I need a question answered" "What's that?" asked Jonathan. "What if I told you I'm kinda freaked out about all of this and wanted to bail" he started. "What would you say?" "I'd say that I'd have you in a car and back to the airport as fast as you wanted" said Jonathan. "I'm not holding you prisoner here." "OK" said Sam. "I'm not at that point, but this whole scenario is a little freaky" "I can imagine". Said Jonathan. "I'll explain a couple of things on the way." They two left the suite and walked down the hallway towards the elevator. Danny and a crew of two others were with them. Once they reached the lobby level, one other joined them. Sam noted several people dressed identically in a very loose oval around them. "Well" started Jonathan as they walked. "You made the comment about the room service being so good and me having connections. That is true pretty much, because, uhm, I own the casino" Sam stopped in his tracks and looked at Jonathan. "You own this?" "Yeah and a bit more then that" said Jonathan, gently taking his arm and guiding him along. "Like I said it is a long story and I'll explain more over a drink". "I think you better make that more then one" said Sam. "It will be OK" said Jonathan as they continued out the front door to the waiting Hummers. "I just have money, I'm not evil" CHAPTER It was a short ride over to Paris LV. Once more the routine was repeated for the security team. Jonathan never gave them a second thought thinking himself about how much to tell Sam at this point. Sam on the other hand was not dealing really well with 7 armed agents around him. Danny had already called ahead to Napoleons and had a couple of agents check the place out. As they arrived one of the agents nodded and Danny. The security crew dispersed almost as if by magic. One moment 7 of them surrounded Jonathan and Sam and the next it was only Danny. "Where did they go?" asked Sam as they walked in. "They do that" said Jonathan. They were met at the door by the General Manager of Napoleon; who escorted them to a secluded table yet they were met with a great view of the jazz band performing. The champagne preferences of Jonathan were well known. Having been advised that they were coming two bottles of Moet and Chandon White Star were chilled down to the coldest temperature possible. The manager delivered the first bottle himself, uncorking it with barely a hiss of sound. He silently poured two glasses as a waiter brought strawberries, both chocolate covered and plain in a silver bowl for them as well as a crusty loaf of French bread. "Wow you do get service in this town" said Sam "Membership has its' privileges" said Jonathan. They paused for a moment to taste the champagne. "That is awesome" said Sam. "It is really good with the strawberries" said Jonathan. "You said you had more you wanted to explain to me" said Sam. "I've told you a lot about myself and I don't really know much about you except you have a private jet and own a casino" "Actually I own two private jets" said Jonathan. "Oh" said Sam. "I was born into a very rich family and after my parents died in a car crash I was able to turn that money into something very special with the help of an incredible investment team" said Jonathan. "What kind of money are we talking about just out of curiosity?" asked Sam. "Somewhere in the vicinity of `I don't have to worry'" said Jonathan. "That defines it well" said Sam "In time man" said Jonathan. "There are a few other things you need to know" For the next hour or so Jonathan told Sam the background of his life and Nick, leaving out the parts about immortality or the four jets. After a while they were both silent as the jazz played in the background. "That's a lot of information" said Sam. "I'm not sure how to take all of this" "Well, I wanted it out in front" said Jonathan. "I'm not sure if we have anything going beyond friendship and this weekend, but I've done it both ways with telling people and not telling people my background. It usually works better to have it all out front. Danny over there is a great judge of character. Of course you still have to pass muster with Sebastian but that's another story. I think he'll approve" "Sebastian?" asked Sam laughing. "I haven't heard that name outside of old black and white movies where the butler was English and named that" "Sebastian is a very unique character." Said Jonathan. "If you want you can meet him next week. He usually hangs around" "Who is he?" asked Sam as he opened the second bottle of champagne; much to the annoyment of the waiter whom he beat to it. "You'll see" said Jonathan with a smile. The two continued to chat for another 45 minutes. Finally Sam turned to Jonathan and said "I'm beat man. My body says something like 5AM and I've been up for 22 hours" "No problem I'm not too far behind you" said Jonathan as he signaled for the check. It was brought over promptly. "Listen, I wasn't really sure about the sleeping arrangements for this weekend. There's no pressure here. There is a suite right down for the hall from mine if you want or you're welcome to spend the weekend in mine" "I've got some thinking to do on that" said Sam. "You've given me a lot to think about tonight. Would you be upset if I spent the night by myself? It has been a while since I've been in this kind of situation" "Not a problem" said Jonathan. "Let's head back and I'll see you for breakfast".