CHAPTER 16 - MORE STINKING MEANS LEGAL SINKING
MICHAEL
“How much do you want?” I put my hands in my lap so he can’t see my nervousness.
“Nothing. Here.” He tosses it on the desk, then leans against the jamb. “So why?”
“What have you done to it?”
“Nothing!” He looks butthurt. “I’m clean, so I didn't give Boyd whatever he got. I take it he’s very grateful?”
“It’s good you’re clean, but I went on what I was told. And yes, Boyd was grateful, moreso to you, since he got you a job. What perks do you get?”
“A decent wage, medical and a pension. Nothing physical. I meant Patric, does he know about Kip? He strikes me as a person that won’t accept that.”
“We have an open relationship.” I retort, cringing at the truth of his words. After we fucked the last time, he has been trying to nest a bit too much for my liking; I’m not about that. “If that’s all; leave and never come back. Anything said about what you knew or heard will cost you dearly. Remember that NDA you signed.”
“Were you ever faithful with me, was it only open on your side?”
“You were fucked by Drew Boyd amongst others…”
“Which you wanted to know every detaIl of. At least they let me, you missed out, never had any…”
“You’re joking?! You’ve, no, no way!”
“I’ve never lied. See you around.”
“Not in here you won’t! You’re banned!”
“Good. Babylon’s bathrooms are better than this club!”
I stand and applaud; he - naturally - looks confused. “I knew I could trust you, I just knew it! Please sit down, let me get you a…”
“What is this?” He frowns.
Grinning, I pocket my phone he still doesn’t move.As he knew the code to unlock my phone, whilst he’d been complaining I’d been checking it; the idiot hadn’t taken the chance that I would, which is why he’s still a barman! “Sit, please. I’m so sorry it was Lindsay's idea to fire you. She was jealous of us!”
“So she's not jealous of Patric?” He scoffs.
“There’s no Patric.” I sigh leaning forward. “Please sit down and let me explain…”
BABYLON - AN HOUR LATER
EMMETT
It's the cough that breaks us apart. “Finished your good deed?” I demand.
“Emmett.” Drew murmurs.
“You can’t expect me to be friendly.” I grumble as Jerome waits by the bar. “Especially as he’s done that.”
“No, and I get why you’re not. Look, I’m with you, and…”
“...wanted Brian first.”
“Liked the look of him first, then I saw you. Jerome and I screwed. I don’t screw you, fuck and make love yes, but not....”
“I don’t know why but the word screw is much worse than fucked…so vulgar sounding.”
“What’s so funny?” I frown at Mel as she comes out of the office with Gus and Daph.
“The similarities between you and Brian. Can you believe they’re on a play date with Pheebs?” She smiles. “Brian doesn’t need to do anything to get a man, the fact that he’s doing this means…”
“He really likes him, nobody gets to meet Pheebs!” Daph beams. “Now Emsy, get over this insecurity; you’re the best bottom so…”
“Shush!” I blush. “Sorry, Drewsie, with him being so close every day.”
“Well, you get something that nobody ever gets.” He pulls me close. “And it’s this.” The kiss leaves me breathlessly perplexed. “I never ever kissed anybody that I don’t feel deeply about. I feel deeply about you.”
“What about Sienna?” I touch my throbbing lips, he looks amused. “You were ‘dating’ for ages; she’s very beautiful. How did you not kiss her?”
“I’m very gay!” He laughs. “Now let’s hear his explanation.”
JEROME
For once Emmett is not evil eyeing me as they come up. “Can I get anyone a drink?”
“Cosmos all around.” Mel declares, to everyone’s surprise. “I want to see what wets his whiskers…” She wags a finger at Gus and Daphne, who pout. “...they can have Shirley Temples.”
“Will bring them over.” I nod at the booth, as I start to set them up, Emmett remains. “I like it here, so I am not going to mess about…”
“I’m Emmett, and you are?”
“Jerome.” I shake his hand. “How do you like your Cosmo? Can do the original or watermelon, honey or…”
“Ooh honey sounds good, watermelon for everyone else.” He joins me. “How do I make it?”
For ten minutes we prepare them in silence but it’s too much and I have to ask. “I don’t get why you let him. Michael isn’t as good as he thinks he is. In all that time, I almost only topped once. He always wanted something on someone. I just don’t understand.”
“Let who? Drew? I didn’t let him.”
“So you blame me for him cheating on you, that’s what the stink eyes are about?!”
“Whoa!” Gus rushes over. “Why are you shouting?!”
“What do you mean cheating?!” Emmett glares at Drew, whose head drops in his hands. “I asked you a question, answer it.”
“I wasn’t cheating on you, we stopped when we stopped.” Drew is flame faced and I realise what I’ve said. “You had to remember that?”
“Come on, Rain Man, what have you had sudden recall over?”
“He’d say your name. You know, when…he’d say your name.” I twiddle with the glass whilst that registers. “I thought you guys had been dating before - he said that…”
“Please stop talking!” Drew begs; sighing as he rejoins us. “Gus, go sit down, we're fine, well once I explain we will be.”
“Learn to communicate!” Gus grumbles over his shoulder.
“You would think of me, when…I’m flattered I think. No, I am flattered. Wait a second, you almost topped Michael?! Did you…”
“Absolutely not! Only you get to do that!” Drew exclaims, which judging by their expressions is a surprise to both of them. “Can we please discuss this privately?”
“Oh yes, discuss and practice!” Emmett grins and waves him away.
“Can you do me a favour though? If you ever meet Michael, confirm I topped Drew.”
“Of course! Now let’s get these made!”
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
DAPH
“Hey!” I chide Gus as he reaches for my glass, having gulped his down. “They’re fine!”
“Areyousure?!” He babble-shrieks once more checking his phone.
“He’s on a playdate with the most important woman in his life, his granddaughter.” Mom smiles softly. “If it makes you feel any better, he was walking funny.”
“Why would that make me feel better?” He sighs. “I just want Dad to be happy, to find love, to…walking funny?”
“Walking funny. And despite having a row the morning after…”
“They had a row?!”
“GUS!” I snap. “Stop and breathe!”
“Yes they had a row, but they made up, as evidenced - third time has got to improve your hearing - by them being on a playdate together with Pheebs.” Slowly he relaxes. “Justin got up and left after thinking he’d been dismissed. It turned out he didn’t give him enough time to recover; that was what the row was about.”
“How do you know?” I gasp.
“Dad would never tell you that!” Gus asserts tensing up again.
“Security camera above the front door.” She chuckles. “You know your Dad doesn't do anything or let anybody do anything he doesn’t want them to do. He wanted that.” He gives this some thought and although nodding still looks concerned. “What good deed did you do Jerome?”
“I returned Michael’s phone, because doing so allowed me to prove my loyalty to you and him.”
“Loyalty? Why would you need to prove it to him?” Gus is smiling, which means, praise be, he’s relaxing.
“Because he lies. He sat there all sorrowful about having to fire me saying that it was Lindsay being jealous of our friendship. He’d always said that they were best friends and business partners, not that they were married. The night that Ted got thrown out and he was kissing her, he said he had lost a $10K bet.” He puts a phone on the table. “So that’s almost a clone phone, anything he does, we can see. Unfortunately, we can’t send texts or anything like that going forward but we can see everything he’s done.”
“Mine!” I whoop grabbing it before Gus. “So we can look now?”
“No, that's the other thing, we can only use it at the same time as him.” He sighs. “However, the good thing is that once it’s unlocked he leaves it that way. And he always does at 4pm, because that’s when he sends instructions for the night to his club managers.”
The time passes very slowly; twice I have to slap Gus’s grabby hand away. “Well at least share the chair!” He starts tugging, eye-rolling I let him sit down then get comfy. “Wait, will he be able to see if we plug it into a laptop?!”
“No he won’t…” Jerome smirks, putting one down. “...that’s brand new.” Just as he connects the phone it unlocks. “Okay we're in.”
“Put it on the big screen.” Emsy orders, it doesn’t take long. “Let's split the tasks; Jerome, you and the tweenies concentrate on what he’s doing. Mel, Drewsie and I will look at what he’s done.”
AN HOUR LATER
GUS
“Okay Dad, we’ll be home in about another hour.” I hang up and squeeze Daph. “Justin was giving Pheebs a bath. A bath!”
“Great, now back to this!” Daph kisses my ear. “How are we going to get these emails from there to all of his clients?”
“Wait, scroll back.” Mom demands. “Christ, he’s trying to get dirt on his attorney! Is there anything to his attorney since he had to pay out?”
“That fucker!” Jerome explodes before tearfully rushing off.
“Let me.” Mom declares.
BATHROOM
MEL
“Hey…” I rub his shoulder, whilst he sobs. “...want a whisky?” He nods. “Emsy! Whisky!” A glass is put on the side and the door left ajar. “Brandy do and can he come in?”
“Yes and yes.” He sniffs, he leans into his embrace, whilst I grab tissues. “I’ve had a tense relationship with my parents ever since I came to Liberty Avenue. They have no problem with me being gay but with me working in bars. I told them about me going to school, which is what I was doing after my shifts. Now he’s emailed them about what I did with Drew.”
“How did he get their details?” Emsy fumes.
“Most likely from my personal file, this is going to destroy everything!”
“No it won’t.” Daph states. “It went to his outbox, so we’ve deleted it, he’ll think it’s gone.”
“Oh thank you so much!” He knocks back the brandy, spluttering slightly. “He’s given me an idea, he’s got an email prepared for Justin, I think I saw that, let’s add in there that Lindsay doesn’t want to do the show anymore.”
“And get Justin to forward it to Lindsay!” Daph claps, then grabs his hand. “You get to do it!”
OFFICE OF ERIC TRENCH, MICHAEL’S ATTORNEY - THREE HOURS LATER
ERIC
I scrub my face, whilst my stomach has settled but my fury has increased. I wait for her to pick up.
“Hi Miss Marcus, thanks for your patience and for sending the documents to me. I confirm that the contract and NDA were not written up by anyone, past or present, in this firm.”