A/N: Some reviews for our sweet men? Hmm?-Dl
Chapter 9
The car was amazing. The lawyer, Randall Kane, gave Scott a drink from the mini-bar built into the seat in front of them, and also some sandwiches from a hamper sitting on the seat. After Scott was eating and drinking, he began to talk. "Mr. Mazinar directed me to lease you an apartment where you'll be staying until he is released from prison. He instructed me to pay the lease for a year in advance, so you'll have no worries about paying rent. Actually, you'll have no financial worries whatsoever, as he also instructed me to open up a bank account in your name and to deposit a generous amount of money for you to live on while you're waiting for his release."
"Oh, he shouldn't have done that!" Scott protested unhappily.
The lawyer raised his brows slightly. "Why not? Mr. Mazinar is a wealthy man. He can afford to keep his lover in style, so why shouldn't he?"
'Because I'm not a prostitute or a concubine,' Scott thought mutinously. He felt as though Antonio had bought him, and he didn't care for that sensation at all. Seeing his face, Randall Kane pointed out: "If your positions were reversed, Mr. Dresdell, don't you think that you'd generously see to the needs of your lover, not even thinking of it as 'charity' or as some other monetary transaction?"
"I suppose so," Scott said reluctantly. It was true that if he'd been rich, he would have wanted to take care of Antonio. Especially if he was just getting out of prison. "But I don't know...it just seems...wrong, somehow. It's his money, not mine. And I'm not some gold-digger or something."
"I am absolutely sure that he doesn't consider you to be a gold-digger, Mr. Dresdell," the lawyer assured him calmly. "But if this situation really distresses you so much, you can look for work and make enough money to pay Mr. Mazinar back when he gets out of prison. If he'll take your money, that is; something I highly doubt," he added dryly.
Scott perked up at this suggestion, ignoring the last part of the statement. He'd find a way to make Antonio take the money when he got out of prison. In the meantime, he'd start looking for a job right away. He didn't want to feel beholden to anyone, not even Antonio. Well, ESPECIALLY Antonio, actually. He was Scott's lover, not his sugar daddy. He didn't want to be taken care of like a little kid, not when he could work and take care of himself.
The car arrived in at an apartment building an hour later. Scott gaped at it as he got out of the back. It was a huge stone building with all kinds of fancy stonework on the front. He had no idea what any of it was called, but it was lovely! People who lived in places like this were rich. "I-I'm going to live HERE?" he said timidly, disbelief and dismay fighting with a certain amount of wistfulness inside of him. He'd always liked beautiful things; though he'd never been able to afford many of them before this...
"That’s correct. I have already paid for a year's lease for an apartment in this building. Please come with me," Randall Kane said, taking his arm.
A dazed Scott let himself be towed docilely into a large, fancy foyer paneled in carved woods, with brass accents and a huge Persian rug on the floor. Furniture that had to be antiques were set on this carpet, and some of the residents of the building were sitting on couches and in deep leather chairs. A few glanced up at Scott and the lawyer, but soon looked away. Scott felt like a grubby little boy, seeing how well-dressed they all were. He just didn't belong in a place like this!
Randall Kane took him to the bank of elevators and pushed the button to summon one of them. "Don't look so nervous, Mr. Dresdell," he said over his shoulder to Scott. "This place will be your home for the next year. I'm sure that you'll adjust to it very soon."
'I doubt it,' Scott thought, but kept that to himself. There was nothing he could do about it anyway right now; he had nowhere else to go at the moment. So he rode up in the elevator to the third floor, and followed the lawyers to a door a third of the way down a plush hallway. The door was made of a heavy, dark-polished wood, and had a brass number plate on the front. The lawyer opened the door with a key, and escorted Scott into his new home.
The apartment beyond the door was spacious, with hardwood floors, cream-colored walls, and crown molding. Gauzy curtains hung over the large windows in one wall. To his surprise, the place was fully-furnished already. That was a relief; he didn't want to even imagine his old furniture in this beautiful room, and it boggled his mind how much of Antonio’s money he would have had to spend to get furniture like this. "As you can see, the apartment is fully-furnished," Randall Kane remarked, echoing his thoughts so perfectly that it made him jump a little. "And also fully stocked with food. You'll even find toiletries in the bathroom. Mr. Mazinar wanted to make sure that you didn't have to worry about anything on your first day here."
Scott felt tears prickle in his eyes at this further evidence of how very thoughtful his lover was. he sniffled a little as the lawyer continued: "Tomorrow morning, a chauffeured car will arrive at ten o'clock to take you shopping for clothes and other essentials that you'll need. You'll be provided with a vehicle of your own very soon, but for now you'll be driven around. Here is the pass book for your bank," he said, taking it out of his coat and passing it to Scott. "And your debit card for the account. The pin number is 7643 for now, but you can change it whenever you wish. Also, a cell phone for you to use," he went on, producing yet another thing from the capacious inner pockets of the expensive coat he was wearing. "A year's calling plan has already been paid for, so you won't be receiving any bills for it. There is a computer with internet access over there," he pointed to a lovely little desk sitting against one wall of the living room, with a closed lap top computer on it, and the television," his finger moved on to a large, flat-screen TV hung on the opposite wall in front of a luxurious couch, "Has cable. Mr. Mazinar instructed me to see to all of your needs, so if there is anything else that you require please don't hesitate to call me. My number is already in your phone's contact list."
"Okay," Scott said helplessly, since he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
The lawyer favored him with a cool smile. "I'll just be going now. I have a busy schedule. Give me a call if you need anything, Mr. Dresdell. I’ll most likely come to see you again Tuesday," he swept out of the apartment with a careless wave of his hand, leaving a stunned Scott standing in the middle of his new living room and trying not to panic a little.
After awhile he finally moved. Slowly he made his way into the kitchen, which was huge and chock full of gleaming appliances. The refrigerator was, indeed, full of food. And the cupboards had glasses, plates, cups, bowls, you name it...there was a set of expensive cooking pots and pans hung on a copper rack above the island, and a high-end microwave on the counter.
Still dazed, he moved on. There were two bedrooms in the apartment, a large master bedroom and a smaller guest bedroom. The master bedroom's bed was already made up for him, though the armoire and dresser were both empty. The huge bathroom attached to the master bedroom had a sunken tub, and there was every kind of toiletry imaginable lined up in a cupboard to one side for him to take his pick. There was a smaller bathroom in the guest room, and a tiny room for doing laundry at the back. There was even a study, with book-lined shelves and a large, carved-oak desk.
Jesus. He was supposed to live HERE?! His last apartment had been a Saltine box compared to this! He was going to rattle around in this much space like one pea in a huge pod. Already he felt like the apartment was too empty, an echoing space. He turned on the flat-screen TV and turned the sound up a bit, just to have some other noise besides his own footsteps.
Just as he was starting to feel rather depressed and sorry for himself, the phone rang. He whirled around to stare at it, wondering who was calling him. Who knew that he was here besides Antonio and the lawyer?! But maybe it was the lawyer. Maybe he'd forgotten Scott’s cell phone number. He hurried over to answer it, picking up the handset and putting it to his ear.
"Hello?" he asked tentatively.
"Hello, Scott. How do you like your new home?"
"ANTONIO?!" he shrieked in disbelief and joy.
"Not so loud, Scott. You nearly ruptured my eardrum," Antonio chided him in gentle amusement.
"Sorry," he said in more normal tones. "But...how?"
"The warden has given me telephone privileges. He was pleased to do so, now that I have someone other than my lawyer to speak to. I can only talk for an hour, but..."
'That’s enough," a nearly giddy Scott assured him. "Man, Antonio, did you have to get me an apartment like this? It's so fancy and huge. I feel lost in the place." he said, looking around.
“I'm sorry to hear that. I thought you might enjoy living in such a beautiful apartment. I chose it myself, on-line, after Randall called me about your release."
He blinked. "You chose it...yourself? For me?" he said, feeling choked up.
"Of course. I wanted someplace I thought that you'd love, to live in while you wait for me to be released. But if you don't like it, we can find someplace else."
"No, I love it!" he cried. "I do! It's just so overwhelming...but I'll get used to it. Thank you for finding it for me, Antonio, though it's so expensive..."
"Money is no object for me, Scott," Antonio assured him. "And I wanted you to live in comfort and luxury. To pamper you a bit, after having to live in this gruesome place for two months. Please say that you'll let me pamper you, Scott." he said hopefully.
He sighed. He was no match for Antonio, and he knew it. "All right," he said reluctantly.
"Thank you, Scott. You are my treasure," Antonio said. "I wish to keep my treasure in a beautiful setting. Can you blame me?"
He felt warmth and embarrassment alike heat his cheeks. He'd never been called anyone’s 'treasure' before. "I love you, Antonio," he husked.
"And I love you, Scott. I will be counting the days until I am released from this horrible place."
"Me, too," he replied fervently.
"In the meantime, you may come and visit me here, and the warden has been gracious enough to permit me to have a once-a-week conjugal visitation from you..."
"Conjugal? Don't we have to be married or something?" Scott blurted out in joy mixed with disbelief.
"Normally, yes. But the warden is bending the rules for me. He is going to 'look the other way', discreetly, and pretend that you're my wife on the official forms."
"That's wonderful!" Scott enthused happily.
"Yes," Antonio agreed, his voice vibrant and full of warmth. "It most definitely is."
Go to Next Chapter
Chapter 9
The car was amazing. The lawyer, Randall Kane, gave Scott a drink from the mini-bar built into the seat in front of them, and also some sandwiches from a hamper sitting on the seat. After Scott was eating and drinking, he began to talk. "Mr. Mazinar directed me to lease you an apartment where you'll be staying until he is released from prison. He instructed me to pay the lease for a year in advance, so you'll have no worries about paying rent. Actually, you'll have no financial worries whatsoever, as he also instructed me to open up a bank account in your name and to deposit a generous amount of money for you to live on while you're waiting for his release."
"Oh, he shouldn't have done that!" Scott protested unhappily.
The lawyer raised his brows slightly. "Why not? Mr. Mazinar is a wealthy man. He can afford to keep his lover in style, so why shouldn't he?"
'Because I'm not a prostitute or a concubine,' Scott thought mutinously. He felt as though Antonio had bought him, and he didn't care for that sensation at all. Seeing his face, Randall Kane pointed out: "If your positions were reversed, Mr. Dresdell, don't you think that you'd generously see to the needs of your lover, not even thinking of it as 'charity' or as some other monetary transaction?"
"I suppose so," Scott said reluctantly. It was true that if he'd been rich, he would have wanted to take care of Antonio. Especially if he was just getting out of prison. "But I don't know...it just seems...wrong, somehow. It's his money, not mine. And I'm not some gold-digger or something."
"I am absolutely sure that he doesn't consider you to be a gold-digger, Mr. Dresdell," the lawyer assured him calmly. "But if this situation really distresses you so much, you can look for work and make enough money to pay Mr. Mazinar back when he gets out of prison. If he'll take your money, that is; something I highly doubt," he added dryly.
Scott perked up at this suggestion, ignoring the last part of the statement. He'd find a way to make Antonio take the money when he got out of prison. In the meantime, he'd start looking for a job right away. He didn't want to feel beholden to anyone, not even Antonio. Well, ESPECIALLY Antonio, actually. He was Scott's lover, not his sugar daddy. He didn't want to be taken care of like a little kid, not when he could work and take care of himself.
The car arrived in at an apartment building an hour later. Scott gaped at it as he got out of the back. It was a huge stone building with all kinds of fancy stonework on the front. He had no idea what any of it was called, but it was lovely! People who lived in places like this were rich. "I-I'm going to live HERE?" he said timidly, disbelief and dismay fighting with a certain amount of wistfulness inside of him. He'd always liked beautiful things; though he'd never been able to afford many of them before this...
"That’s correct. I have already paid for a year's lease for an apartment in this building. Please come with me," Randall Kane said, taking his arm.
A dazed Scott let himself be towed docilely into a large, fancy foyer paneled in carved woods, with brass accents and a huge Persian rug on the floor. Furniture that had to be antiques were set on this carpet, and some of the residents of the building were sitting on couches and in deep leather chairs. A few glanced up at Scott and the lawyer, but soon looked away. Scott felt like a grubby little boy, seeing how well-dressed they all were. He just didn't belong in a place like this!
Randall Kane took him to the bank of elevators and pushed the button to summon one of them. "Don't look so nervous, Mr. Dresdell," he said over his shoulder to Scott. "This place will be your home for the next year. I'm sure that you'll adjust to it very soon."
'I doubt it,' Scott thought, but kept that to himself. There was nothing he could do about it anyway right now; he had nowhere else to go at the moment. So he rode up in the elevator to the third floor, and followed the lawyers to a door a third of the way down a plush hallway. The door was made of a heavy, dark-polished wood, and had a brass number plate on the front. The lawyer opened the door with a key, and escorted Scott into his new home.
The apartment beyond the door was spacious, with hardwood floors, cream-colored walls, and crown molding. Gauzy curtains hung over the large windows in one wall. To his surprise, the place was fully-furnished already. That was a relief; he didn't want to even imagine his old furniture in this beautiful room, and it boggled his mind how much of Antonio’s money he would have had to spend to get furniture like this. "As you can see, the apartment is fully-furnished," Randall Kane remarked, echoing his thoughts so perfectly that it made him jump a little. "And also fully stocked with food. You'll even find toiletries in the bathroom. Mr. Mazinar wanted to make sure that you didn't have to worry about anything on your first day here."
Scott felt tears prickle in his eyes at this further evidence of how very thoughtful his lover was. he sniffled a little as the lawyer continued: "Tomorrow morning, a chauffeured car will arrive at ten o'clock to take you shopping for clothes and other essentials that you'll need. You'll be provided with a vehicle of your own very soon, but for now you'll be driven around. Here is the pass book for your bank," he said, taking it out of his coat and passing it to Scott. "And your debit card for the account. The pin number is 7643 for now, but you can change it whenever you wish. Also, a cell phone for you to use," he went on, producing yet another thing from the capacious inner pockets of the expensive coat he was wearing. "A year's calling plan has already been paid for, so you won't be receiving any bills for it. There is a computer with internet access over there," he pointed to a lovely little desk sitting against one wall of the living room, with a closed lap top computer on it, and the television," his finger moved on to a large, flat-screen TV hung on the opposite wall in front of a luxurious couch, "Has cable. Mr. Mazinar instructed me to see to all of your needs, so if there is anything else that you require please don't hesitate to call me. My number is already in your phone's contact list."
"Okay," Scott said helplessly, since he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
The lawyer favored him with a cool smile. "I'll just be going now. I have a busy schedule. Give me a call if you need anything, Mr. Dresdell. I’ll most likely come to see you again Tuesday," he swept out of the apartment with a careless wave of his hand, leaving a stunned Scott standing in the middle of his new living room and trying not to panic a little.
After awhile he finally moved. Slowly he made his way into the kitchen, which was huge and chock full of gleaming appliances. The refrigerator was, indeed, full of food. And the cupboards had glasses, plates, cups, bowls, you name it...there was a set of expensive cooking pots and pans hung on a copper rack above the island, and a high-end microwave on the counter.
Still dazed, he moved on. There were two bedrooms in the apartment, a large master bedroom and a smaller guest bedroom. The master bedroom's bed was already made up for him, though the armoire and dresser were both empty. The huge bathroom attached to the master bedroom had a sunken tub, and there was every kind of toiletry imaginable lined up in a cupboard to one side for him to take his pick. There was a smaller bathroom in the guest room, and a tiny room for doing laundry at the back. There was even a study, with book-lined shelves and a large, carved-oak desk.
Jesus. He was supposed to live HERE?! His last apartment had been a Saltine box compared to this! He was going to rattle around in this much space like one pea in a huge pod. Already he felt like the apartment was too empty, an echoing space. He turned on the flat-screen TV and turned the sound up a bit, just to have some other noise besides his own footsteps.
Just as he was starting to feel rather depressed and sorry for himself, the phone rang. He whirled around to stare at it, wondering who was calling him. Who knew that he was here besides Antonio and the lawyer?! But maybe it was the lawyer. Maybe he'd forgotten Scott’s cell phone number. He hurried over to answer it, picking up the handset and putting it to his ear.
"Hello?" he asked tentatively.
"Hello, Scott. How do you like your new home?"
"ANTONIO?!" he shrieked in disbelief and joy.
"Not so loud, Scott. You nearly ruptured my eardrum," Antonio chided him in gentle amusement.
"Sorry," he said in more normal tones. "But...how?"
"The warden has given me telephone privileges. He was pleased to do so, now that I have someone other than my lawyer to speak to. I can only talk for an hour, but..."
'That’s enough," a nearly giddy Scott assured him. "Man, Antonio, did you have to get me an apartment like this? It's so fancy and huge. I feel lost in the place." he said, looking around.
“I'm sorry to hear that. I thought you might enjoy living in such a beautiful apartment. I chose it myself, on-line, after Randall called me about your release."
He blinked. "You chose it...yourself? For me?" he said, feeling choked up.
"Of course. I wanted someplace I thought that you'd love, to live in while you wait for me to be released. But if you don't like it, we can find someplace else."
"No, I love it!" he cried. "I do! It's just so overwhelming...but I'll get used to it. Thank you for finding it for me, Antonio, though it's so expensive..."
"Money is no object for me, Scott," Antonio assured him. "And I wanted you to live in comfort and luxury. To pamper you a bit, after having to live in this gruesome place for two months. Please say that you'll let me pamper you, Scott." he said hopefully.
He sighed. He was no match for Antonio, and he knew it. "All right," he said reluctantly.
"Thank you, Scott. You are my treasure," Antonio said. "I wish to keep my treasure in a beautiful setting. Can you blame me?"
He felt warmth and embarrassment alike heat his cheeks. He'd never been called anyone’s 'treasure' before. "I love you, Antonio," he husked.
"And I love you, Scott. I will be counting the days until I am released from this horrible place."
"Me, too," he replied fervently.
"In the meantime, you may come and visit me here, and the warden has been gracious enough to permit me to have a once-a-week conjugal visitation from you..."
"Conjugal? Don't we have to be married or something?" Scott blurted out in joy mixed with disbelief.
"Normally, yes. But the warden is bending the rules for me. He is going to 'look the other way', discreetly, and pretend that you're my wife on the official forms."
"That's wonderful!" Scott enthused happily.
"Yes," Antonio agreed, his voice vibrant and full of warmth. "It most definitely is."
Go to Next Chapter