CHAPTER 44: THE TIES THAT BIND...AND THE ONES THAT DON’T

JUSTIN:

As I came back into the office, Daphne told me that Jared Thorne called, and proceeded to give me a rundown of what he wanted. I look at the stack of files on my desk and sigh deeply. “I swear I need a second assistant.”

“What? I’m not enough for you?” she snarks.

“You’re always enough, Daph, but this is different. It’s like there aren’t enough hours in a day.”

“You don’t have to take it on, you know?”

“No, I do. With Lance fucking up more than Michael- and I can’t believe I just said that- this puts Thorne behind schedule by more than half a year. It will be a rush job, but I can handle it personally.”

“You don’t think you’re stretching yourself too thin?”

“Of course, I do. But what choice do we have? Gardner left Vanguard in such a fucking mess!”

“You need to delegate some of this shit out, Jus. You and Brian cannot do every single thing yourselves. You have employees up here at Elite for a reason.”

“I’ll talk to Brian about it,” I say, sighing again.

“Oh quit your theatrics,” she snipes playfully. “If it makes you feel any better, Brian hired Hunter. He starts tomorrow.”

“Great! At least, we won’t have to go to the Corporate building every time we need to run the prints over there, before and after approval. Maybe I should bring him in today? Or at least give him the tour of the other building before he starts tomorrow?”

“It couldn’t hurt. But first, you need to call Thorne and Jinx back. They are in a time crunch.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

MEL:

I still can’t believe that Harry is in jail. But in all honesty, I can’t blame him for his actions. No matter how legally wrong it was, he was completely justified. Hearing Harry’s story, I actually had the urge to call my mother, even knowing I would get yelled at… and Debbie. Regardless of how our association ended with her, it doesn’t change the fact that at some point she was a mother to all of us. And yeah, sometimes I really miss her.

My thoughts are interrupted by the ring of my cell. “Melanie Marcus,” I answer.

“Hello, Mel,” Dale’s deep, raspy voice came over the speaker. “Are you on your way back to Kinnetik.”

“Yeah. I’m about ten minutes away from there. Why?”

“There was an automatic payment from Michael’s account that was just rejected. I thought you and the guys might know what to make of it.”

“O-kay…” I say, dragging the word out. Somehow, the fact that he didn’t divulge the name of the company or person was setting off instant alarm bells. “There’s something you’re not saying, Dale. What is it?”

“It’s just that… well, it’s just…”

“Oh my God, spit it out, Dale. You’re not inclined to stutter, so stop doing it!”

“It’s just that according to the records, it seems like the account is implicating your culpability.”

“What? How so?”

“Part of the funds are going into your former dormant account, while the other is going into an account labeled the CNC Brighter Day Fund. When was the last time you used that account?”

I think back to the account he’s speaking about. Originally, it was established so that my parents could put money in it while I was away at college. They put money into it about three times a week, convinced that as a college student, I’d never have enough money. I always thought they did it out of guilt from when I came out and my father cut me off financially for a time. I’d ended up posing for a men’s magazine, and made pretty good money doing it. So much in fact that I had no need to ask for money from them for more than a year. But they wouldn’t hear protests I made about them not sending the money, thinking it was just my silly pride. So I’d kept about a hundred bucks in the account to ease their worry, and opened up a new one since they were determined to do it anyway.

Ironically the money they insisted on sending came in handy just before I met Lindsay. Turns out that I needed three extra classes to graduate from law school on time with a dual concentration so that I wouldn’t have to take out an additional loan. The money I’d received from modeling allowed me to pay my last two years in advance, minus expenses. But not only did the money my parents sent cover the additional credits, it also made it so I wasn’t living hand-to-mouth after I graduated, like so many others I knew.

“Once I met Lindsay and we decided to join the bulk of our finances into a joint account, I held onto my main personal account, where I originally hid my porn money. But I still kept the one I thought lay dormant with a hundred dollars in it for sentimental reasons.”

“Well that explains how she was able to get the money into it without you knowing. All she needed was your account number, including the routing number and an email address to be able to set up the automatic payments online,” he tells me. “With your permission, I’d like to access Lindsay’s personal account. You still have her power of attorney, right?”

“Yes. She didn’t have time to change it before she was arrested. And even though she had the opportunity to change it with her attorney, she opted not to.”

“Why the hell not?!”

“Because in Lindsay’s warped WASP mind, it keeps me tied to her,” I sigh. “I’m pulling into the parking lot now, so I’ll sign over the permission.”

“Great!” he says and hangs up.

I place my head on the steering wheel, tempted to beat it repeatedly against the object. But it occurs to me that I can’t afford to have a bigger headache than the one I already feel forming between my eyes. I just keep wondering when all this shit will end. It’s like, as soon as Lindsay does something helpful or good, there are mounds of her evident malevolence being uncovered at every turn. I really need to find out her purpose for giving me that information against the others in this case.

I know now that it was in no way a benevolent act of altruism, even if she set it up to look that way. So I really need to know what her end game is. It can’t just be a last ditch effort to stay out of jail, since she’s going there anyway. No, Lindsay has some other motive in mind, and I’m suddenly glad that Daris advised me to take Brian and Justin with me. Having someone well-versed in Lindsay-speak will help.

Sometimes, I think Brian was even better at it than I am; he’ll be able to catch the bullshit I don’t hear and respond or react accordingly. But most importantly, we will have someone with us who is fluent in WASP. With Justin there, Lindsay won’t be able to double-talk her way out of trying to throw me and my career under the metaphorical bus. No. She won’t be able to hide at all!

ETHAN:

After the impromptu accosting of my person earlier in the cafe, I didn’t have to wait all that long to be contacted. How the fucker or fuckers even knew where I live will forever remain a mystery to me. And at the moment, it’s simply not important. I look over at Avery, who I brought with me as a precaution, although I know not why. I mean, it’s not like he could throw a punch if he had to, or even if he would. He’d be too busy worried about breaking a damn nail.

I still don’t know how he ended up with a boyfriend, while I am still Justin-less! But I guess some men are just into stereotypical gay men, whereas I’m most certainly NOT! Granted, Justin was pretty… almost too pretty. Having him did wonders for my self-esteem, along with my public image. I mean, why shouldn’t I have a pretty boy on my arm?

It’s the one thing I share in common with that accursed Kinney; I like the finer things in life. And my God YES, Justin fit that bill in so many ways and more! The fact that he’s physically perfect, and fucks like a walking wet dream was just the icing on the cake for me. It still bothers me that he wouldn’t let me fuck him, and not the other way around. But I suppose I can understand that now.

It’s said that Brian Kinney is a veritable God in bed. Perhaps Justin was just trying to save himself the comparison. But once he’s back in my good graces, I’ll make it a requirement that all things be equal, including equal time on top. Goodness knows, I’ve had enough days where I was barely able to sit, or walk straight. He should have the same experience from me.

Which reminds me… I wonder who that idiot- that Blake character- who Justin allowed to insult me, was? I asked Avery about him once he returned to our table from wherever the hell he was when Justin hit me. He said that he didn’t know, but that I should stay clear of the guy who talked me into this meeting. Apparently, he’s some fairly new guy Gardner Vance hired just before he got booted out of his company.

Avery still hasn’t been able to find out any information about just how that happened. All he could tell me is that the Taylor-Kinneys were responsible for it. I wonder who Brian and Justin had to blow to make the takeover of Vanguard happen, and so quickly. It’s so frustrating not to have an angle to get at Justin anymore; to not know the everyday workings of his life! There simply must be an inroad to getting the answers I need!

“Glad you could make it, Ethan,” the guy from earlier approaches the table where Avery and I are sitting. “But I’m wondering why you brought company to a private meeting.”

“Seeming as how I don’t know you, I thought it was best to err on the side of caution.”

“But Avery here could have vouched for me, couldn’t you, Avery?” He licked his lips at my cousin. I notice the flustered look on his face, but says nothing. Instead he picks up his phone.

“Be that as it may, I don’t know you. The only thing Avery conveyed about you is that you are a former employee of Vanguard, which has now become Kinnetik.”

He laughs. “My name is Troy Perkins, and I’m still employed there. But back to the matter at hand, I still don’t understand what you could possibly see in the little WASP, who is a supposed partner in the company. I will admit that he’s at least pretty to look at. Although, he would have more value as a hood ornament for Kinney’s fuck mobile though since he doesn’t seem to have much of a brain if he left Brian Kinney for you.”

I bristle at his insult to Justin. “I’ll have you know that it’s Kinney with the lack of brain power for letting him go in the first place. But his egregious error will, once again, become my gain…”

Troy laughs again. “Forgive me, but wasn’t it you who told me that they were officially joined now? From what I’ve been gathering about Justin Taylor, he’s been Brian’s lapdog since the first night they met. Which I can certainly understand, since he seems like such a timid little bitch.”

“And that’s your first mistake, Troy,” Avery answers him in my stead. "You’re underestimating Justin, which is a big NO to do.”

“And you would know this how?” Troy sneers.

“The first thing is that I’ve seen his work, up close and personal. He’s more than qualified to be the Head of the Art Department. As for the other reason you are discounting him, not many know it but Justin scored 1500 on his SAT, and was being groomed to attend the Ivy League college of his choice. He was offered full-ride scholarships to at least five of them. Stanford, Brown, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, just to name the ones off the top of my head.”

“How come I’ve never known about this? Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask Avery.

“I did, but you didn’t listen. You thought your charm was the only thing required to hold onto Justin. I may not like Kinney, and I damn sure can’t stand Justin Taylor, but even I have to admit that what they produce together is magic, both in and outside of the backroom of Babylon.”

“So where does that leave this meeting?” I ask Troy. “Didn’t you say that there were others who were part of your little merry band of troublemakers?”

“That actually depends on you.”

“Why?”

“They didn’t want you to know who they are unless you’re completely committed to the cause. Your little scene with Justin today raised some red flags, especially when you spoke to me. Both of them have a lot riding on your willingness to participate, as do I. We don’t want to associate ourselves with a possible liability.”

“Ethan, I’m going to warn you again, and then I’m done with this. You really need to think about what this can and WILL cost you. Brian Kinney does not make idle threats, and Justin has already granted you the gift of instant amnesia about what happened today in the cafe. Are you really willing to sacrifice yourself on the altar of assholery for clowns you’re not even sure you can trust?”

The indecision must have shown on my face because Troy chimes in. “We have evidence that they should not be in charge of a multi-million dollar company. With the current client list, and the one that Kinnetik is building steadily, they could skyrocket into a billion dollar company any day now.”

“So what does that have to do with me?”

“Well, what do you think will happen when our little video of Brian and Justin’s supercharged display of public sex leaks out? Their clients will surely jump ship, and who knows? It might even cause the permanent breakup of Liberty Avenue’s Royal Couple. Isn’t that what we all want?”

“If I hook up with you, I could lose my record deal.”

“But then you would have the opportunity to self-promote. I mean, wasn’t one of the stipulations in your contract that you have to publicly live your life as a straight man? Why do you think that Justin ultimately left you? He was almost killed coming out of the same closet being with you would keep him in. Wouldn’t it be nice to not have that hanging over your head?”

I thought about what he was saying. My intention was that once I was established with Justin by my side, I would open up my own recording company someday. I knew that Justin was destined for greatness with his career as a painter, and that he would also want to see me succeed in my dreams as well. So whereas he would be on tour with me, he would also be selling his paintings to support us until I made enough to get my idea off the ground. It was a win-win situation, but then Justin had to ruin it by going back to Kinney.

“I…” my answer was cut short by the ringing of my cell phone. Without looking at the caller ID, I answer, “Hello.”

“Hello, this is your village calling, and they want their idiot back,” Avery sneers into the phone. “You should GO HOME, IDIOT!! But if this is not enough of a warning for you, Stupid, check out who just walked in and is staring both you and HIM down.” He hangs up, rolling his eyes and sucking his teeth at me. God, I hate it when he does that!

I turn around, closing my eyes at the man who literally holds my future in the palm of his hand. Because as fast as Avery made that sarcastic call to me, is as fast as Brian Kinney’s cell phone is in his hand, and he is dialing…

OH FUCK!!