“Winging It”

By: Pee Jay
(© 2010-2011 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 4

 "An Opportunity to Succeed"

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 in his. It was more than a gesture; it was an affirmation of his feelings.

"Hon, what do you suppose old man Hughes meant by a proposition? If he wants your body, he's going to have to deal with me first." John said smiling at Adam.

"I don't have a clue."

"Ya know what? I've been 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 goes with. There's nothing keeping us here. I'm still considered junior level at work but I can transfer. The only catch is we would have to pay our own relocation expense. Then I'll take the CPA exam where ever we decide to go."

"I'm not sure, John. I've never thought about it. Where are you coming from anyway?"

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

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

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

"I don't want to do anything. A quiet night at home would be nice. Give me a break will ya?

John gave Adam a 'what's wrong with you' kind of look remaining silent. He was basking in that 'fresh' feeling from the previous night. He had given himself to Adam at last and wanted to announce it to the world. He was certain he couldn't feel any stronger 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 John's question. As much as he cared for John, he thought he may need a partial lobotomy then smiled to himself.

John caught the smile and reminded himself not to push it. Adam wasn't in a talkative mood so the two gazed out the windshield as they neared their home field.

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 would give a lesson that afternoon. Adam returned the call and scheduled it for the first thing after lunch. It was almost noon so John left for the nearest fast food restaurant 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 booked another appointment for a lesson following the first one. They ate their lunch and chatted about the weekend. It wasn't hard to see that they were drawn to each other. Adam was eyeing his handsome boy, while John savored the previous night. He had committed himself to Adam, wholly and fully. There was no question in his mind, no second guessing, it was meant to be.

After lunch, John sighed as he resolved to spend the better part of the afternoon at the FBO. He silently lamented about not getting paid for his effort then booted the computer up to kill some time surfing the Internet. Before Adam left with his student, John asked him if he wanted to give lessons the next day, 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 doing something else. He reminded John that he could call Larry and ask him if he felt like giving lessons. Larry was the only other instructor on the payroll.

John decided to book any lessons that came in for Adam since he could use the money. When the last lesson was over, Adam entered the FBO with his student. He booked another lesson for Sunday with the same student. While entering the lesson in the schedule, Adam noticed that John had booked two lessons for him while he was gone. Sunday was shaping up to be a busy day.

When the last student left, Adam locked up and the two of them left for the condo. Entering the kitchen from the garage, they greeted Jim who was seated at the island in the kitchen. They took a seat on either side of him to relate their adventure. They were anxious to tell anyone about the sequence of events and the commitment they had affirmed.

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

"It was great. We had a good time," Adam said with a grin looking at John who was smiling.

"Did you guys get my message?"

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

"Your parents left a message Friday afternoon. I called them back when I got home from work to let them know you wouldn't be back until today. They want to visit next weekend so I told them it was okay with 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 and bath upstairs. "Whatever you decide is fine. It'll be a pain but it won't kill us. Are you going to take the weekend off then? That's gravy time you know," John said honing in on the income side of the equation.

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

With that resolved, they ordered a pizza then 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 though he had 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, he felt good. A colleague by the name of Kay Armstrong stopped by John's cubicle shortly before noon and asked him to go to lunch. John readily accepted without thinking then regretted it.

Kay had been flirtatious on more than one occasion and John made it a point to avoid her. She was 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 next Saturday night. It was the latest blockbuster and a topic of conversation around the office. John politely declined saying he was seeing someone then thanked her for the offer. She appeared crest fallen though she seemed to regain her composure by the time they finished their meal.

After work, John went to the airport to pick up Adam. After Adam finished and locked up, they stopped for Chinese carryout then went home for a quiet evening of television and each other.

The next couple of days went that way until Thursday rolled around. After work that day, John went to the airport to learn Adam was out on a charter run so he settled in for the wait. However unlike any other day, Mr. Hughes didn't go home; he remained at his desk reading the newspaper. It was very unusual for the old man to hang around after John arrived. For the last few month's he had always made a beeline for the door. It made John wonder what was going on and thinking something may be wrong. He didn't know but was relatively sure it wouldn't be long until he found out.

Adam finally returned and escorted his two clients into the FBO. One of the businessmen gave Adam a charge card to pay for the service. When Adam presented the bill, one of them signed it, thanked him, then the two executives left.

"Well that's about it for today," Adam said as he locked the door to the tarmac and turned the lights off; he was ready to go home. He was confused at Mr. Hughes presence. Like John, he couldn't figure out why the old man was still there.

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

"Sure," Adam said then flipped the lights back on.

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

Adam had a look of disbelief overcome him. He couldn't help thinking his job might be in question.

John's interest was piqued as well. He was concerned for Adams sake by the old man's revelation.

The old man sat there for a few moments, quiet and motionless gathering his thoughts.

"Go ahead," John said. The silence was aggravating. He hated the way the old man raised the issue then sat there mute.

"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 glancing at Adam. "And incidentally, have you considered a business broker?"

"I did and I 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 then looked out the window. It was his preferred method of dealing with those kinds of things. He was uncomfortable discussing money matters and the sale of his hard earned business after forty some years, it was a little unsettling.

Unaware of the old man's dilemma, John thought, 'Is the SOB going to spit it out? Or is he trying to give us the dumb as a fox routine?' Theatrics aside, he decided to let the old man proceed at his own pace though it was frustrating as hell.

"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, at a loss as to how to respond. At the very least, the question caught them off guard. Adam was looking at the floor weighing the question at hand while John studied Mr. Hughes. John couldn't put his skeptical nature aside. He wasn't sure why Hughes had singled them out though he found the idea intriguing. The concept of ownership was something that never crossed his mind.

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

"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 then they both cracked up. Was that some kind of joke? 'What kind of name was 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 humorous.

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, nothing more.

"Is she making the move with you?"

"Yes. Her house is up for sale, too. I'll stay with her until the business is sold. When it sells, we'll make the move to Florida. Part of the terms would be for you guys to look after her house if we leave before it's sold. You would have to take care of the lawn, the raking of leaves, shoveling the snow and anything else that requires maintenance. If something needs repairing, the realtor will see to it."

"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, the water heater comes to mind."

"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'm too old to enjoy it. 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, okay?"

Everyone agreed, said their good nights then 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 to that end. The ground lease with the airport authority would require approval for a change in ownership as well. He asked Adam if he could seek Will's advice and Adam agreed.

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 and those things John found so appealing.

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

Adam shook his head smiling, "Go get Jim, dinner's ready."

After dinner they retired to Adam's bedroom and discussed the old man's proposal some more. They were both a little intimidated but decided to pursue the deal. They decided there was nothing to lose and conversation didn't cost anything so why not pursue it? Adam certainly knew how to run the place. He and John were practically doing that as it was. After some time, the topic became a bit numbing so they set it aside for the night.

They were lying on the bed touching, kissing and feeling as they discussed the matter. It was enough intimacy that Adam couldn't resist the sight and feel of John's taut body any longer. He wanted to part those firm cheeks of John's with the dimpled sides something fierce.

For his part, John loved the full, firm mounds of Adam's chest and the way his thighs melded into his buttocks. John thought they were made for screwing so he set out to have his boy. It didn't take much to get Adam worked up either. Full of lust for his handsome boy, he rolled John over on his stomach then they had a passionate session of lovemaking before drifting off to sleep, tangled up with one another.

Friday morning John outlined the offer to Will, insofar as he knew, and then asked for his opinion. Will was more than eager to help; honored that John had asked for his guidance. Will agreed to meet them at the airport Sunday afternoon. He was a religious man so church service was his first priority Sunday morning.

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

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

"Yes. Both buildings have a ground lease with the Capitol City Airport Authority so that will have to be addressed. The five airplanes are included, too. The Aztec and two 172s are owned outright. The two 152's are leased. You will need the insurance company's consent or get your own policy. All the office equipment and furnishing are included as well as the equipment I own in the hangar. Any amount of cash I leave in the bank will be added to the sales price. I think that's about it."

"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 side 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 Fisher at Fisher Aviation for thirty some years."

"I'm not surprised. I've 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, too. He's cocky. 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." Then Hughes rose and made his way toward the door.

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 firm in his pants and loving the thought of it. Hopefully Adam wouldn't be much longer.

Larry was the first to return. When he came in with his student, he scheduled another lesson for Sunday afternoon then the student left.

John wasn't sure how Larry would react when everyone showed up Sunday but decided not to dwell on it.

"Larry, Adam's parents are coming to visit tomorrow. Would you like to cover 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 asked with a smirk eyeing John intently.

"What?" John said trying to formulate an appropriate response. He looked away from Larry lost for words.

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

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

"I guess so," John admitted. "His parents don't know though." The conversation was reminiscent of his session with Will though the repercussions were not. "We were 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 those two, it didn't seem like such a big deal. He actually liked them and he'd known Adam for a couple years. 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 an employee yet he was given the authority. Larry 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 the 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. Larry was raising the issue so he had to face the facts.

Aware that the situation called for a conciliatory approach, John said, "You're right Larry and I apologize. Mr. Hughes mentioned it to me yesterday," John said, which was a bold faced lie. "I promise to be fairer from now on. You're not planning to quit are you?" John knew the answer but wanted to see if Larry would be forthright with him.

"The truth is I put my application in a couple places. Nothing has come of it thus far."

"Larry, I don't think you need to leave. You can count on a more equitable distribution of flying time. I promise."

John knew that Adam would have to spend more time in the office when and if the deal were consummated. John wouldn't quit his job until he was sure the business could support both of them. He wanted Larry to stay. They got along well and knew each other to the point that John was sure he was trustworthy. He was single too and therefore more flexible. Who knew what a new employee would bring to the table. In John's mind, Larry was a known entity and a new employee was a potential wildcard.

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.

To be continued...

Posted: 01/28/11