Let's Make a Scene Ch. 03

I have to take a deep breath, and then I barely get out, "I was fired."

He looks shocked. "What? Why?"

The whole conversation with my father replays in my head. I debate telling David about the pictures, but decide it is best not to at this time. I rub my face with my hands to try and wake myself from this nightmare. "It doesn't matter. They are allowed to let people go for any reason."

David says loud enough to make me flinch, "Fuck that!"

With my head in my hands, I sigh out, "Yeah."

"Well, what are you going to do? Are you going to just stop practicing law?"

That makes me pause. I look up at David curiously. He's smiling at me. I know he is teasing me to distract from my predicament. I tilt my head and say dryly, "Obviously I'm not going to give up law."

David's smile widens. "Good. Do you have a plan?"

I think about it. I'd built really good relationships with my clients over the years. When they find out I'm not there anymore, I would like to think they will be upset. I'm pretty sure I could convince them to follow me. "Kind of? I could try to go to another firm, but most practices won't hire an associate at my level. They would rather promote from within or start from scratch. It's cheaper."

David nods and turns to get the coffee poured. He takes his and my cup to the table and sits down after handing me mine. I take a sip, not really wanting it, but it is something to do. I say, "Garret told me you had stopped drinking coffee."

David sighs. "That lasted about a month. I was trying to get him off caffeine for his health because he's been stressed and it can make your anxiety worse. So, I convinced him it would make him last longer."

I say lightly, "He told me it was for stamina, but... I was curious how. I mean, I guess you didn't really care about that."

David looks at me over the rim of his cup with an amused expression. "No. Our sex life is just fine. And since I know you don't want to talk about that... stop deflecting."

I shake my head and say, "You should have been a lawyer."

"Nah, I'm good with the whole saving lives thing. Makes it easier to sleep."

I smile at that and look down at my mug of coffee. I take a sip and start talking. "I will try to look around to see if someone is willing to take me without a pay cut. I'm okay for a couple of months, maybe longer just with what I have in the bank. Not even including what Mom left me when she passed."

I laugh bitter-sweetly as I remember the day they read the will. "My father just loved that she left me that nest egg."

David smiles. "Small blessings."

I shake my head and say, "Huge blessings."

David finishes his cup and gets up for another, "Do you want me to top yours off?"

I shake my head. "No, I'm good."

The sound of birds singing outside causes me to look out the window. I take a deep breath before asking, "You said Garret is stressed at work?"

With his fresh cup of coffee in hand, David sits back down and nods. "Yeah, a little. I don't think it's anything bad, he's just overworked."

I think for a couple of seconds then say, "I could help him out with his case load now that I'm free."

By the expression on his face, I know what David is going to say before he does. "He's stubborn. But, you can ask. Thank you."

He is stubborn. Like a freaking mule. One of many reasons why we get along. "I could see if his firm is hiring. Even if it is just part-time."

"Yes. I hope they are. Garret always wanted to work with you."

A stab of guilt hits me in the chest at that. Another reason to hate my father. I sigh, and take another sip of coffee.

I hear David get up again and scoot his chair under the table. "Let's go sit in the living room. I have a feeling you have more to tell me, and the couch is comfier."

We get settled in on the couch and I stare at my coffee cup. David puts his hand on my thigh and says, "You are going to be okay. You've established that."

My attempt at a half smile quickly turns down into a deep frown. A tear falls down my cheek. I wipe it off and clear my throat. "That part is fine... I'm not really worried. I have my work cut out for me, but it should be good."

David squeezes my thigh. "But?"

I close my eyes and breathe deeply for a minute, trying to control my emotions, then open them. "I went to Alex's house after being fired."

David asks cautiously, "Was he home?"

I think, I wish he wasn't. Instead I say, "He was. And so was another man."

David inhales loudly and whispers, "Fuck."

"He told me he doesn't bring clients home with him." I think about it for a minute then whisper rhetorically, "Was he lying to me, thinking that's what I wanted to hear?"

The barely concealed rage on David's face kind of scares me. I've never seen him get this upset. He asks, "Were you two exclusive?"

The memory of our conversation at his house two weeks ago makes me grimace, "Yes."

David shakes his head. "I'm so sorry, Nate. Did you at least get to slap him, or throw water in his face?"

I turn to look at David with a smile. "No. He says he will call me tonight. I can tell him off then."

David looks at me for a few seconds then asks, "Would you like to watch some mindless home-makeover shows?"

Thankful for the subtle way David changes the subject, I give him a grin and say, "Please?"

With a wink, he says, "I got you," and grabs the remote to flick on the television.

It takes about fifteen minutes of me trying to focus on the interior designer and the clients before I give up, lay my head on the back of the couch and close my eyes.

My now cold cup of coffee is taken from me by David, and placed on the table in front of us. I try to wake up, but I feel too drained to fully do so.

I can feel him taking my shoes off of my feet, and guiding me sideways onto the couch until my head is resting on his thigh. I let out a shaky sigh when David starts massaging the back of my neck. The tension I had been holding onto since this morning finally breaks, and I'm fast asleep in less than sixty seconds.

There is a persistent buzzing against my thigh that seems to be getting more intense the longer I try to ignore it. I wake up with a start and fish my phone out of my pocket. I answer immediately without even checking who it is. "Hello?"

"Nate, are you busy? I have been trying to reach you for..."

My brain is still a little foggy when I cut him off. "Alex? I was taking a nap."

There is a long pause and then his voice sounds concerned when he says, "Are you alright? It's half past six."

I glance over at the clock on Garret and David's wall to confirm. Wow. I don't want to talk about that, though. "Who was the guy at your house when I came over?"

I can hear Alex's brain whirring, the little hamster running at full speed in the wheel. When he finally answers, he sounds cautious. "He is my brother."

Fatigue and anger are bubbling up when I ask, "You have an American brother?"

"Yes. Half brother. I told you my father had another family here..."

Oh. I do remember that, but I can't quite believe him. I say with a hint of sarcasm, "Does he just come over to use your shower randomly?"

That must have struck a nerve. His voice sounds annoyed when he says, "What is this, Nate? Are you interrogating me? Why? Why would I lie to you about this?"

His angry tone is making me feel more bold. "You told him I was nobody." I pause for a second, letting that sink in. "Are you embarrassed of me?"

I can hear Alex take in a deep breath. It sounds like he is trying to calm down. His voice is impassive when he says, "I think we are done."

My anger vanishes, and I'm left feeling a cold desperation that I hate hearing in my voice when I ask, "Done? Done with this conversation?"

I wait for a few seconds that feel like hours. He finally says, "You don't trust me. If we can't trust each other, how can we be together?"

My anger starts to bubble back to the surface. All of the events of the day are taking a toll and I'm tired of just sitting back and taking it. "That's right... you don't do jealousy. Well, I don't do lying. You could have just told me you were seeing clients at your house. Goodbye, Alex."

I hang up the phone just to have the final word. Not that he would have said anything anyway. He established he was done. No. We were done.

Whatever rest I got from my nap is lost. I feel like I've just been hit with a ton of bricks.

I'm not sure how long I sit staring at the blank screen of my phone. It starts to look blurry as my eyes fill with tears and when I blink they fall on the screen. I wipe at them with the sleeve of my shirt and look up to see Garrett walking towards me.-

"How much did you hear?" My voice sounds hollow to my ears.

He sits down next to me and grabs the back of my neck to guide my head against his shoulder. I breathe in his cologne. It is grounding in it's familiarity. He kisses the top of my head and whispers. "Enough. David filled me in."

"I honestly didn't think this day could get any worse." My breath hitches when I add, "F-uck. I thought he was the one."

Garret hums gently in acknowledgment. "I'm so sorry, babe."

My eyes close for a second. I'm enjoying the comfort of his embrace, but I have to get to work. I lean back and look him in the eye. "Can your firm hire me part-time? I just need something to do... I could even just help you."

Garret thinks about it for a second and says, "I'll ask. It won't be very rewarding though..."

I tilt my head and say, "I'll be the judge of that."

He smiles at me. "Okay. Now, do you want to eat? David is ordering Thai."

My stomach growls and reminds me that I haven't eaten all day. "Yes. Thank you."

Garret squeezes my waist and gets up. I put my phone back in my pocket and follow him into the kitchen.

I see David looking at a menu. He looks up at me and smiles. "You're up I see." He waves the menu. "My treat."

I smile. "Thank you. I'm starving."

David nods and says, "Good! Their portions are huge."

I sit at the table and watch Garrett and David fight over what they are going to share and what they don't want to share. I'm overcome with a feeling of loneliness, but I try to brush it off. I will have a chance to wallow in self-pity later at home. For now I'm going to eat, laugh, and enjoy the company of my two closest friends.

Life goes on for the next two months uneventfully. Garret's firm was able to hire me part-time. I hardly show up at the office more than twice a week, but I do a lot of work at home.

I have begged Garret to give me more work off the clock, but he told me off after the sixth time. It's easy, sometimes menial, but at least it is something to do and for that I am grateful.

I wrote an email to my clients explaining that I wouldn't be working at Dixon and Young anymore and that I would let them know where I would be moving to. Most of them didn't respond, but I did have a few concerned people call me back saying they hated to see me go.

One of those people was Ben. He was more than just concerned. He was... incensed, for lack of a better word. He called me within fifteen minutes of me sending the email.

"What the fuck is going on, Nate?"

I clear my throat and say lightly, "I don't really want to talk about it right now but... I'm working things out. As soon as I'm settled at a firm I will let you know. I promise."

"Well, I'm not going to stay with Dixon and Young. I only hired them because of your remarkable skills."

I say self-deprecatingly, "Are you sure about that?"

Ben sighs loudly over the phone. "Your work ethic compares to none. You treat me with respect and care. I'm not going to find anyone else who will make me their top priority."

I'm flattered by that. I say sincerely, "Thank you, Ben. That means a lot."

"I'm serious." He pauses for a few seconds. I almost say goodbye before he adds: "Have you thought about opening up your own firm?"

I have. "It's a lot of work. I would need to buy a building, hire lawyers, make sure I have enough clients to support everything. It's quite an undertaking."

Ben says sarcastically, "So?"

I laugh. "It's easier said than done, Ben. My old clients, with the exception of you and a handful of people, have ignored me. Also, I'm pretty sure my father has black-listed me to everyone in town."

Ben says with an edge to his voice, "And you want me to stay with him?"

"They know you and will have your best interests at heart; trust me. They have lawyers who can help you 24/7. Right now, It's just me. And that's not enough."

After thinking for a minute, I add, "And before you offer to help pay for anything, no. I won't accept a dime from you."

"What about a loan? With interest?

I say firmly, "No."

The line goes silent again, then: "I want to ask you something... personal. Now, might not be the best time."

I hold my breath. Knowing what is coming. I barely get out a curt, "Yes?"

I hear Ben say with concern, "Alex said you two weren't together anymore."

Fuck, fuck, fuck... "That is true." I pride myself in keeping a neutral tone.-

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I close my eyes and start to say, 'no' but I have a question for him. "What did Alex tell you?"

He responds quickly, "Just that you two weren't an item. Nothing more. Why?"

I swallow down my slight disappointment that Alex didn't want to elaborate on our breakup. It's so stupid that I expected him to be petty or angry. I say with a neutral tone, "No reason."

"Why don't I believe you?" Ben sounds slightly amused.

I laugh halfheartedly and say, "You don't have to believe me. I'm just not going to talk about it right now."

I'm relieved when he says, "Fair enough. I understand."

"Thank you."

"Would you let me take you out? As a friend... to clear your head?"

I bite my lip and look at my calendar. "When?"

"Tonight?"

I try not to laugh at how soon he wants to go out. "Where?"

It takes a minute for him to answer. "Brimstone."

I sober up quickly. "No."

"Why? Did Alex ban you?"

I'm quick to say, "No! I just can't go back after..."

"Ah. So, you aren't over him yet."

Fuck that. I try to hide my anger at that statement. "I just don't want to see him."

"You don't have to see him at all. Most of the time he is in a back room with a client."

The thought of him giving someone else his services makes me sad and angry. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I let it out slowly then ask, "What would I do when I get there?"

"Watch? Join in? Have fun?"

"And what if I want to be flogged. Would Alex be the only one to do that?"

"Oh, well... I could help you with that."

And there it is. "As a friend?"

Ben's voice is dripping with sarcasm. "Of course."

I secretly want to see Alex. See if he is also depressed, has lost weight, is sleep deprived... or if he looks just as perfect as he always does, completely unaffected by my absence.-

"I don't have anything to wear."

"You don't have to wear anything..."

I laugh at the playful insinuation. "Pretty sure I do."

Ben takes a few seconds to ask, "So... do you want to make a scene?"

I think about it. If Alex is there, I wouldn't mind making him sweat a little. "I want to look... good."

"We are about the same size... Why don't you stop by my place around 6? I'll let you raid my closet for a couple hours..."

Honestly, I don't know what I am thinking. I chalk it up to loneliness and desperation. I whisper into the phone, "Am I going to regret this?"

Ben's voice sounds sincere to my ears. "I'll make sure you don't. I promise."

After I hang up, I stare up at the ceiling. What the hell did I just agree to?

It is 7:20 according to the screen on my phone when I glance down to check. I have been here a little over an hour going through several different outfits Ben has let me try on.

I'm standing in his walk-in closet that is the size of my apartment living room, and staring at myself in front of a three-panel, full-length mirror.-

I am shocked by the person I see.

The black-leather shirt Ben insisted I try on, fits me perfectly. It showcases the muscles I've been working on in the gym. The short sleeves have cutout strips like a ladder along my shoulders. The neck is rounded; scooped just low enough to show my collarbone. It is tight across my chest and stomach, showing off my tapered waist. I decided to pair it with matching black-leather pants that fit like a second skin.-

On the hangers, they looked pretty plain, nothing stood out. But on me, I feel like they were tailored to my body. They make me feel sexy, and I really need the confidence boost.

A loud whistle makes me turn around to see Ben staring at me. He says with a chuckle, "That outfit never looked that good on me."

I turn back around and stare at my reflection. "You really think this is the best I can do?"

"Since you won't go naked, yes."

I smirk and turn back around to face Ben. I glance back behind me to see how my ass looks. The pants look like they were painted on. "I'm glad I decided to go commando."

I look up to see Ben's reflection in the mirror. He breathes in deep and swallows. He looks at me in the eye and says, "You are a fucking tease. Also, keep the clothes. I won't be able to wear them now that I know how they are supposed to look."

I turn to face him with a smile. "Thank you, for tonight."

"Pleasure is all mine. Alex won't be able to take his eyes off you."

I sober up a little at the mention of Alex. "Maybe... I don't want him to want me back just because I look good. I want him to want me back because..."

"He respects you. And, I think he is a little in love with you. I mean... how could he not be. He knows your worth. He would be stupid not to."

I swallow down the tears that are threatening to surface. I clear my throat. "That was... exactly what I needed to hear."

Ben walks up to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "It's the truth."

I smile and say, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Let's go."

Of course Alex is on stage the night I decide to show. He is wearing an outfit that I haven't seen before.

Chaps hug his thighs and expose bits of skin around his leather clad crotch. He has silver chains around his waist and draping on either hip. On his chest there is a leather harness that has silver chains attached that loop across his skin.-

I don't realize I am holding my breath until Ben hands me a club soda. "How are you doing?"

I let out my breath slowly, trying to will myself to calm the fuck down. "I'm... okay."

Ben looks at me for a few seconds and says, "We can leave anytime."

I take a sip of my drink and turn away from the stage. "I know. I don't want to leave yet."

I put my focus into the people who are in the club. There are a few more people here than usual. Mostly couples. I have to force myself to look back on the stage when I see two guys making out.

I don't now why that is bothering me, but it is. My nerves are on edge. I need to find a way to relax...

Ben leans in and whispers in my ear, "I can take over for Alex so you two can talk. I know the guy up there. I've flogged him before."

I look over at Ben and see he is serious. "You don't have to do that."

He shrugs, looking over at the stage. "It wouldn't be a hardship. He is very receptive..."

I look at he sub who is positioned on a spanking bench. He is wearing the black pair of shorts every man gets when on stage. His hair is the same color as mine. He seems to be a little shorter than me but it is hard to tell because of the way he is positioned. Also, it is hard to tell if he is 21 or 39. Somewhere in between probably.