Chapter
3, ADD A LITTLE ROUX
“Hey,
Kyle. You awake?” Dex asked. He had his arm draped around Kyle and his morning
woodie burrowed in his blond bedmate’s crack. Dex slowly moved his hard cock
back and forth a few times to gently bring Kyle into consciousness.
“Ummm,
this is nice,” was the sleepy reply. “What time is it?” Kyle pushed back to
greet his new friend’s erection.
“Unfortunately,
time to get up. I hate to waste a good hardon but I’ve got an early meeting.”
Dex reached down and wasn’t surprised that Kyle was equally erect with wood.
‘Make that steel,’ Dex thought, remembering his thorough fucking of seven hours
earlier.
“We
gotta do this some weekend,” Kyle replied, while rolling around to face Dex. He
moved over to Dex’s ear and nibbled on the lobe while he ground his cock into
Dex’s firm member. “Yeah, definitely some weekend.”
“How
about Saturday night? I’d like to have a little dinner, see the new Christian
Bale flick and explore our friendship.” Dex decided that some instant frottage
was in order and started matching Kyle’s morning rub.
“Saturday
night is a deal,” Kyle said as his breathing became more intense. He lined up
his erection and Dex’s with his hand and increased the speed of the friction on
the underside of each other’s dickheads.
“Oh,
fuck…this is great,” Dex groaned as the cock-to-cock rubbing and humping
started to achieve the desired level of physical intimacy. ‘Jesus, this
certainly beats Matt Lauer and the Today Show,’ Dex thought, while his nuts
tightened and were withdrawing inward.
Within
moments the guys shared simultaneous ejaculations. In spite of the earlier
midnight sexual activities, both men erupted with force and resolve. The
movement slowed down to a sticky conclusion and the two bodies clung to each
other. Dex could feel the Kyle’s heart beating in a slowed, synchronized
response.
“Babe,
how about sharing a shower before you go home? I do have a meeting in an hour
and I can’t be late.” Dex pulled away and swung his legs over to the side of
the bed. He looked down and shrugged at the sight of his chest hair and pubes
matted down with their randiness.
“And
a whiz, too.” Kyle scooted over to the other side of the bed and stood up.
“This
is a one shop place. I figure that we can pee and shower at the same time,” Dex
said with a laugh. He stood and started walking to the door. “Come on, let’s
shake a leg.”
“I
think I’d rather shake a dick…yours.” Kyle walked up to Dex and aimed for an
accurate goose as they entered the bathroom. “Bingo,” he said as he grabbed for
Dex’s balls from the rear.
“Hey,
ease up on the merchandise,” Dex replied with a chuckle, while he turned on the
shower water. ‘Shit, he thought, ‘Kyle has no idea how close he is to the truth
using the term, Bingo. I gotta figure out a way to come clean to this hunk if
our friendship becomes the real deal.’
“Babe,
with merchandise like that, it’s just too tempting.”
~~~~~
“The
file on the salmon stuffed with cash really came in handy,” Bingo said above
the din of noise at Starbucks. “Can you believe the cahones they have to pull
that shit?”
“And
a wild imagination. Who would think to look in the cavity of an air-expressed
King salmon that has been handled thousands of miles away in Alaska by a third
party. Is the shipment still arriving next week?” Drew was aware that the
specially dressed salmon, along with 10 other harmless fish, was arriving in
Washington at Reagan National Airport on Monday afternoon.
“Yep.
We’ll have the shipment monitored. With a hundred grand at stake, it’s
guaranteed that Congressman Lincoln will personally pick it up. According to
their plan, the congressman will return to his office and give his staff the
salmon after he’s removed the contents of the stuffed fish. We’ll have
photography surveillance and monitor Lincoln’s actions for an appropriate
search once we see him retrieve the cash. Chances are it’ll be out at the
airport.” Bingo seemed pleased with this phase of the growing investigation.
“Any
idea who’s behind this? I know one of the partners is representing some oil
interests in Alaska.”
“The
research center is pretty sure that all trails will eventually lead to Texoil
itself. In the meantime, we’re going to squeeze Lincoln and your slippery
lobbyist guys.”
“Sounds
like we’ll get our men soon. Congratulations,” Dex said before taking another
sip of the decaffeinated latte.
“It’s
a team effort. We’ll all be getting a few brownie points. How did your meeting
go with our queer subject?” Bingo asked.
“Que…queer subject?” Dex put down his cup and
glared at Bingo.
“Yeah,
that pansy you are monitoring,” Bingo said with a low chuckle.
“Okay,
I’m the junior man, but understand one thing. Terms you just used are not part
of my vocabulary nor that of any intelligent person.” Dex was aware he was
breathing a little faster and he could feel his heart pounding. ‘Time to get
this guy straightened out,’ he decided. However, Dex was also aware that this
was not the time to come out of the closet.
“Whoa,
wait one frigging minute. Who are you to correct your supervisor?” Bingo sat up
in his chair and returned Dex’s stare with a smug superiority.
“One
who is out of line? Like you have a dark complexion. I’m guessing you’re a
‘spick’ or maybe a ‘guinea-wop?” Dex watched Bingo blink and shift his body.
“Ah,
I’m Italian-American so watch the
name-calling,” Bingo said a little louder.
“So
it’s okay to call a gay man – who’s a good guy, by the way – a queer and a
pansy? Let me tell you something, Sir, about the realities of this new century.
Calling anybody a term that is considered offensive is something I don’t and
cannot buy. I consider racial slurs and homophobic terms unacceptable and if
you don’t like my philosophy, I’ll put in for a transfer immediately…Sir.” Dex
knew he had possibly invaded his supervisor’s personal space when he leaned in
closer. Dex was doing everything not to scream, ‘I’m a fucking fag, asshole.
Deal with it.’
“Err,
Dex, there’s no reason to be defensive. I guess I don’t understand you younger
guys but I don’t want to create a reason for you wanting to transfer.” Bingo
had a nervous look and perspiration was beading on his upper-lip. “You’re doing
a great job.”
“Just
so you know where I stand. Maybe there is a generation gap, Sir, but I’m not in
a minority in thinking this way.” Dex decided to ratchet down the emotional
level of the conversation and get on with business. ‘When I bail,’ he
considered, ‘it will be on my terms and timetable.’
“Okay,
ah, message delivered and I, um, apologize. Now let’s start from the top. Would
you give the rundown on the subject you were with last night for dinner?” Bingo
had an expression of resignation as he restated the original question.
“In
the envelope is the tape of our dinner conversation. I’ve concluded that he is
completely clueless of knowing anything and that his congressional boss is
clean. It was a screw-up in their Chicago office, clear and simple. I’m anxious
to wrap this up and get on to other things.” Dex kept his voice low and didn’t
add inflections to punctuate his statement. He stared at Bingo intently and
silently communicated that this was as far as he wanted to go on the subject.
“Well,
that’s it, then. I’ll review what you’ve given me but I respect your judgment.
In the packet, you’ll find the plan of action for the money coming in with the
salmon. My advice is to take a late lunch on Monday. We’d just as soon that you
were not in the office at 1:12 p.m., if you get my drift. Congressman Lincoln
and some of the senior partners at your firm are going down in separate searches.”
“Thanks
for the heads up. I’ll arrange to be out of the office from 12:45 p.m. and come
back an hour or so later.”
“Good.
Just act casual and carefree when you leave. Maybe tell the secretary that
you’ve got a few errands to perform.”
“I’ll
plan on returning by 2:00 p.m. You can reach me on my cell if there are any
complications.”
“Excellent.
Before then, take a little R ’n’ R. How’s your weekend shaping up?” Bingo
asked, almost paternally.
“Actually,
pretty well. I met somebody really nice and we’re going out Saturday night.”
Dex smiled when he pictured Bingo’s face if he ever found out who his date was.
“Well,
have fun with her. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Bingo said with a laugh.
“Don’t
worry, Sir.” Dex rose with Bingo and each grabbed their envelopes. He smiled at
the unintended, double-edged irony of Bingo’s statement. In addition to his
date, Dex had arranged for initial interviews with two security companies on
Sunday afternoon. One interview included brunch at the Four Seasons; the other
was at a K Street office. The interviews were in response to resumes he had
emailed the week before.
~~~~~
“Fantastic.
That’s all I can say. This guy Dex and I have really hit it off.” Kyle was
highly animated in his description of the weekend activities. ‘Well,’ he
thought, ‘a G rated version with R undertones.’ He and Phil Tortello were wolfing down a late salad bar lunch in
the cafeteria on a pretty mellow, Monday afternoon. Since it was about 1:45
p.m., Kyle figured that he’d go to the gym after work and pass on dinner other
than some soup with the evening TV news when he returned home.
“Wow,
two dates and you’ve lived to tell about it. So I guess the stud in the Vice
President’s office is off the radar screen? What’s his name, MacDonald Price? ”
Phil asked. “Christ, have you ever heard any name that’s more Republican and
waspy?”
“Ya
got a point but he’s a pretty nice guy. Everyone calls him Mac. I was going to
call him and suggest a friendly get together before I met Dex.”
“Well,
the rate this administration is going, everyone in the executive branch will be
looking for a new job and bale at the earliest opportunity. Maybe I should meet
Mac before he’s history in this town. I’ve seen his picture on the Internet and
think he’s kinda hot,” Phil said a little smugly.
“Hot
is a good description. He’s usually at Cobalt on Tuesday nights and you two
would make a neat couple.”
“You
mean he might like an old fart like me?”
“Phil,
the only guy who considers you old is you. Believe me when I tell you that
he’ll consider you a real catch. You’re smart, good looking and kinda sexy,”
Kyle said with a lecherous smile. “Plus, Mac Price is a pretty mature guy for
his age. I suspect he might just like an antiquity like you.”
“Then
I might haul my tired, decrepit ass over to Cobalt tomorrow night and see what
happens ’cause I gotta find a man and catch up with you. I’m secretly
jealous…Dex seems to be the real deal.”
“You’ll find the right guy when he comes
along. Just don’t push it. But you’re right; Dex might be for real. And the
convenient thing is he lives across the street from me.”
“Let
me know when you want me to throw a bridal shower. I guess the wedding dress
won’t be white?” Phil asked with a chuckle.
“I
won’t even respond with a ‘fuck you’, Mr. Tortello. I don’t think either one of
us is virtuous as the driven snow.” Kyle smiled and took another bite of his
salad. “Well, maybe if the snow had been on Connecticut Avenue for a few
hours.”
“Seriously,
I’m really happy for you and couldn’t be more pleased if it turns out to be the
right guy. Hopefully I’ll find someone before I shuffle off to assisted
living.” Suddenly, bells playing ‘Hail to the Chief’ emitted from Phil’s cell
phone. Phil frowned, picked up the phone and pushed the ‘on’ button. “Yes,
M’am,” he answered.
Kyle
watched as Phil’s expression changed from curiosity to alertness.
Phil
looked at Kyle and mouthed ‘oh, fuck’ while he listened intently to their boss.
“Right you are. Kyle and I just finished lunch and will be right up.” Phil
scowled at the phone and turned it off.
“Serious?”
“In
the big picture, yes. The FBI just announced a raid and search at the infamous
Biggs and Dasch office on K Street. Plus there’s something Mandy just got wind
of concerning Congressman Lincoln, the esteemed bag of bullshit from
Shreveport.”
“What’s
that slime ball done now?” On an integrity scale of 1 to 10, he considered
Mandy to be a 9.8 and Lincoln hovering just above a 1.2.
“Not
sure, but Mandy wants us with her pronto. The cable news channels are going
into overdrive.” Phil grabbed his tray and got up. Kyle did the same thing and
they walked briskly over to the dirty dish conveyor area.
“Looks
like the word is getting around.” Kyle observed that several other people in
the cafeteria were departing abruptly.
“Oh,
yeah. It’s going to be raining shit before the day is over,” Phil replied. Phil
and Kyle made a beeline for the elevator bank and impatiently waited for an
elevator door to open. Within moments, 10 other congressional staffers formed a
queue behind the guys. When the doors opened to an elevator, there was a rush
to enter and punch in the floor numbers.
“Good
luck,” Kyle said to no one in particular when Phil and he exited the elevator
on the third floor. He looked at the grim expressions on the faces of the other
passengers. As the doors closed, they dashed to the end of the hall and
Congresswoman Mandy Burns’ office.
“Mandy
is waiting for you,” the secretary said.
Phil
and Kyle entered the corner office. Two TV sets were monitoring CNN and Fox
News. Along with the congresswoman was her chief of staff, Joyce Goldstein.
“Hello, boys,” Joyce said without looking up. “Something big is going down.”
“Phil,
you and Kyle will probably need to prepare a response for me. With last week’s
crap still warm, I’m sure that I’ll be asked to comment. Grab some yellow
pads,” Mandy said, without her eyes leaving the TV sets.
“We’ll
watch this with you and try to figure out what’s happening,” Phil said while
pointing for Kyle to sit down with him. Phil took two yellow pads from the
congresswoman’s credenza, handed one to his assistant and pulled up a chair.
Over
the next half-hour, both cable news channels’ reporters breathlessly reported
‘breaking news’ with remotes from the K Street office and the VIP congressional
airport parking lot at Reagan National. In addition to the live reporting, each
news organization assembled panels to debate the unfolding story and add ‘spin’
to the programs.
“Hey,
Phil,” Kyle said quietly. “Look to the right behind the reporter on K Street. I
think that’s Dex up against the yellow tape.”
“Yeah,
you’re right. Looks like he’s probably been locked out of the office.” Phil
pushed ‘zoom’ on the remote to get a better picture of Dex. “This might be an
opportunity for us to get an inside opinion of what’s happening. You okay with
calling him on his cell?”
“Umm,
sure. I am concerned about Dex and he’s a big boy. If there’s anything he can
pass on, I know he’ll do it.” Kyle rose from his chair and said to Mandy, “Be
right back. Phil will explain.” He pulled out his cell, hit the ‘on’ button and
walked to the door.
“The
guy in the red tie is a friend of Kyle’s who works in the Biggs and Dasch
office. He’s going to call him and see if he can find out anything.”
“Good
idea, Kyle. Anything will help,” Mandy said as Kyle left the office.
Kyle
walked over to his desk and scrolled his cell address listings to ‘Tate, Dex’.
He pushed ‘send’ and waited for the signal to connect. At the third ring, he
heard the distinct click and street noises.
“Tate,
here.”
“Dex,
this is Kyle. I just saw you on TV in the crowd over on K Street and was
concerned. You okay?”
“Other
than being barred from entering my office while the FBI conducts a search,
everything is hunky dory,” Dex said with a laugh. “Seriously, I’m doing fine.
This all is part of some shit with another of the partner’s dealings with a
Congressman.”
“Really?
Anything you can tell me?”
“From
what I understand, Lincoln from Louisiana is in some serious doo-doo. You
didn’t hear it from me, but apparently he’s being detained at Reagan National
while the FBI searches his vehicle. Something to do with a shipment in from
Alaska and some cold cash. Real cold cash,” Dex said with a snicker. “I
probably have said too much.”
“Yeah,
I was watching something happening at the airport. But the reporters couldn’t
figure out what was going down.”
“Stay
tuned. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Jeez, your office is a real hotbed of
activity. First Abraham, and now someone else.”
“I
think it’s the big boss, himself. This may be the end of Biggs and Dasch.”
“Where
does that leave you, buddy?”
“Probably
without a job real soon. I started some interviews last weekend. You want to
get together tonight and I’ll give you what I’m thinking of doing?”
“Dex,
it’s at a point that I’d like to get together with you anytime. How about we
meet at Clyde’s for a burger?”
“Better
still, why don’t you grab a bottle of cheap vino and come to my place for
dinner around seven. I boil great water for spaghetti and make a mean marinara
sauce from Trader Joe’s.”
“You’re
on. I’ll see ya then. You okay with me passing on what you told me to my
boss…no I.D., of course.”
“Sure,
it’ll all be history in a couple of hours. Just keep my name out of it. See ya
at seven?”
“You
got it. Take care.” Kyle turned off his cell and walked back to Mandy’s office.
‘Hmmm, Dex certainly knows a lot for someone who is a bystander on the street,’
Kyle considered. ‘Something’s not kosher, here. Dex and I are going to have a
little heart-to-heart talk tonight.’
“Well,
Mr. Information, what gives? We saw your friend take your call before he walked
away from the picture.” Phil moved his chair around so he could face Kyle.
“Kyle,
did your friend say anything that would be helpful?” Mandy asked as she turned
down the volume on the television set.
“As
a matter of fact, yes. The only thing that he asked is that his name not be
mentioned. Okay?” Kyle looked solemn as he returned to his seat.
“Loose
lips sink battleships,” Phil said with a wink, paraphrasing the famous WW II
slogan.
“Confidentiality
is the name of the game in this office, Kyle,” Mandy added. “Any insight that
can help our planning is appreciated.”
“Okay,
here it goes. Apparently he thinks that the big boss, Haley Biggs, is the
partner going down in his office. He also advised me that we should keep
watching the news coverage of Congressman Lincoln’s actions over at Reagan
National. Apparently Lincoln has been caught red-handed with some cold cash
buried in a salmon shipment he picked up from one of the flights that came in
from Alaska a little while ago. That’s all I know, Mandy. Does it help?”
“Absolutely. Joyce close the door and let’s
plan a little strategy.”
“Right,
Mandy.” Joyce walked over to the doorway, told the secretary to hold all calls
and closed the door.
“Okay,
let’s analyze what we have.” Mandy pulled herself closer to the desktop and
continued, “First, we have our party chairman with his hand caught in Abraham’s
cookie jar 10 days ago and now my colleague from Louisiana is about to be
busted. My first reaction is to lay low and wait for the dust to settle. Joyce,
what do you think?”
“I
think that’s too passive. Two major hits in two weeks don’t look good for you
or the party. I say we be pro-active.”
“In
what way, Joyce?” Phil asked with obvious interest.
“The
minority leader seems to be more interested in derailing the opposition’s
congressional agenda then anything else. But we’ve all got to be in top form
for re-election soon. If what Kyle’s friend says is going to happen, I say that
we call the news desks and tell them that Mandy will issue a statement and be
open for questions at 4:00 p.m. at a press conference on the steps of the
Capitol.” Joyce had an expression of determination on her face.
“Ballsy,
but what about substance?” Phil started jotting down some notes as he waited
for a reply.
“How
about Mandy asks for Lincoln to step down as a member of the Ways and Means
Committee, for openers, and request that the Ethics Committee begin a full
investigation. Then suggest that she will work with the minority leader to find
a suitable replacement. Mandy could just toss out somewhere that she would be
interested in the appointment to help the country. At the same time, she
suggests that it’s time for a new party chairman. Whaduya think about them
apples, mister press guy?”
“I
say that if Mandy agrees, then we all have a lot of apple polishing to do in
the next hour. Mandy, I agree with Joyce but it’s your call.” Phil set down his
legal pad and looked intently at the congresswoman.
Mandy
looked at each of her inner-circle and slowly processed the recommendations for
a few moments before she said, “Okay, guys. Let’s do it. Joyce, you and I can
work up a position paper that the guys will use for the release. Phil, you and
Kyle better get busy calling the news organizations. Also monitor CNN to see if
Kyle’s friend’s info is correct. And, Phil, also call the minority leader’s
office for her chief of staff to call you back. Knowing that arrogant weasel,
he’ll ignore your call. But it will give me cover when he and his boss see the
press conference. All right, troops, battle stations.”
~~~~~
Kyle
was a little tired as he showered and changed clothes before 6:30 p.m. He
decided to watch ABC’s handling of the story and Mandy’s brilliant press
conference over a glass of scotch, poured neat. His boss had completely trumped
the rest of the party in reacting to Congressman Lincoln’s detainment while the
FBI found and seized the contraband. The minority leader wasn’t available for
an interview and only after the fact were CNN and Fox able to trot out a few
senators for comment. Kyle figured that the skirts were dirty on both sides of
the aisle on this issue. Therefore, most were keeping mum. ‘Mandy is going to
piss off a few people in the party,’ Kyle figured. ‘Suggesting two resignations
in one day was pretty dramatic.’
Kyle
had to laugh cynically at Dex’s description of ‘real cold cash’. But he was
definitely disturbed by Dex’s advance knowledge of the FBI confrontation with
Lincoln at the airport. ‘Something doesn’t jive,’ he concluded.
Other
thoughts were racing through his mind as the rest of the newscast droned on.
Kyle was working a mental jigsaw puzzle and some of the pieces didn’t fit or
were missing. ‘Dex is pulling some sort of con on me,’ he thought, as he sipped
the scotch. ‘Why? Lies and half-truths are a helluva way to start a
relationship. What’s he got to hide?’ Kyle became more agitated as he analyzed
the big picture.
As
soon as the newscast was into its last story, always a ‘feel good’ piece, Kyle
flipped off the TV, grabbed a bottle of Chianti and left the apartment. He
walked across the street to Dex’s building, pressed the apartment call button
and the electronic release buzzed him in. He nodded to a few residents coming
out of the elevator and entered for the short ride to the 10th
floor. Mixed emotions flooded over him as he walked to Dex’s apartment. Before
he could knock, the door opened and Kyle was welcomed by a smile from the
handsome man he thought he knew.
“Hey,
babe. Right on time.” Dex stepped aside and waited for Kyle to enter. “I’ll
take the wine bottle as soon as I offer an official welcome.”
“Buddy,
before an official welcome, I think we need to talk,” Kyle said, pulling back.
“Talk?
What about?” Dex appeared baffled as he took the bottle of wine and walked into
the kitchen.
“Something
tells me that there’s a part of Dexter Tate that you’re covering up and we need
to clear the air if a relationship is going to continue. I’ve been an open
book; I can’t say the same thing about you.” Kyle looked at Dex with a mixture
of confusion and irritation.
“Um,
I’m glad I haven’t started the spaghetti yet.” Dex’s eyes darted around the
room and focused on the floor before he turned off the flame under the water
pot.
“Where
there’s smoke, there’s fire?” Kyle asked as irritation ratcheted up to
controlled anger.
Slowly,
Dex brought his eyes up to look at Kyle. “I think we both need a drink and I’ll
tell you some stuff that can’t go beyond these walls. Okay?”
“Trust
is a two-way street. I’ll decide whether I can trust you after you say what you
want to say.” Kyle leaned against the doorway and looked ruminatively at Dex.
“Scotch?”
“Two
fingers.”
_____________________
TO BE CONTINUED