AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I'm sure I'm late again and I have no excuse. I have not at all been paying attention.
Events depicted in the first half of this chapter coincide closely with events in Errors 61.
And speaking of, Errors and Omissions chapter 66 just went up! I love those boys together. And I shall work to catch up the timeline.
Thank you, Sis, for the dusting.
Big hugs to my girls, Maureen, Rebecca, Kate and most especially Pauline.
The FF witch hunt appears to be over. I will continue to post here and move to AO3 as and when I have to. When/if I am forced to complete the relocation you can find me at - archiveofourown ~dot~ org. Then just do a search for Jtrue.
Anyone who has not read the incredible Equal & Opposite, or is not now reading the brilliance that is Errors & Omissions, or Enticements & Obstructions, all by OhJasperMyJasper, should go do so right now. Here is how you find them since the FF witch hunt removed Liz from this site - ohjaspermyjasper ~dot~ blogspot ~dot~ com.
WARNING:
This story is intended for an adult audience! There is crude speech, hate speech and adult sexual subject matter of a homosexual nature. If you are under 18 stop reading now!
AU/AH/OC
All characters from Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just take them out and play with them.
Chapter 37: Enough Already
Emmett woke that Sunday morning on Nasir's chest. His mind drifted slowly into consciousness and he first became aware of the fingers that traced lazy patterns on his shoulder and scalp. Nasir had naturally awakened first, but could not get up or stir with Emmett on top of him, nor did he desire to do so. He loved when Emmett slept on his chest. He didn't want to wake his husband and just gently caressed him. Nasir listened to Emmett breathe and just held him. This was bliss. They still smelled of sex and Nasir liked that too. It was a pleasant reminder of their physical communion. It was mornings like this that Nasir wished they could stay in bed forever.
"Hmm," Emmett moaned his sigh. He didn't open his eyes, but his lips turned up in a smile as he became aware of his husband's body half under his own. He loved the feel of Nasir's chest hair on his face, the feel of Nasir's erection under his thigh, and the way his husband's body fit him so perfectly.
"Is my habibi zawji awake?" Nasir asked softly.
"Rrrah!" Emmett stretched and pressed his morning wood into Nasir's hip as he did so. "Oh my God. I'm still a rag. You are the most incredible top in world, you know that?"
"Many have said it," Nasir repeated his jest from yesterday.
"No they haven't," Emmett argued. "They can't know. Nobody really knows but me. I can tell 'em, but they'll still never really know."
"That is okay," Nasir reasoned. "It only matters what you think."
"Yeah," Emmett ran his hand down Nasir's side to his hairy thigh.
"And how could I do any less when I am making love to you," Nasir ran his fingers lightly over the peaks and valleys of Emmett's muscular back.
"That's it. I'm not going back," Emmett announced. "Eddie will have to fly home without me. I'll just quit my job. I'll stay here and I'll never wear clothes. When you come home from work every day, you can just slip out of your suit and into me."
"Ah, paradise," Nasir sighed.
"Would my sexy top like an Arabic omelette?" Emmett lifted his head and let his chin rest on Nasir's pec.
"If I cannot have more of you," Nasir answered.
"What, this?" Emmett lifted himself off of Nasir and knelt by his head. "You want more of this?" he took hold of his hardness and slapped it down on his husband's mouth. Nasir instantly stuck out his tongue and lapped at the McCarty bone.
"I gotta piss like a racehorse right now," Emmett moved back. "Maybe after breakfast?"
"It is supposed to be warmer today," Nasir leaned up on his elbows. "Perhaps we can lay outside on the chaise together this afternoon, take some sun."
"Ohhh, that sounds great and I know exactly what I'm gonna do," Emmett leaned down over Nasir and took his jaw in one hand. "You made love so slowly to me last night. I'm gonna suck your dick outside so slow, you're gonna beg me to let you come."
"You are going to torture me?" Nasir asked with a sly smile.
"With my mouth," Emmett confirmed. "C'mon," he patted Nasir's thigh and rose from the mattress on the floor. Nasir followed his husband into the bathroom where they pissed and showered together before heading upstairs to eat. Emmett cooked for them and they ate together at the breakfast room table, foot on foot, still naked.
They put on boxers when they got to work on the bedroom. It did not take them too long to empty the room into the long hallways. Nasir held up the new comforter so Emmett could see it next to their paint choices in the light of day. Just as soon as Emmett decided, he immediately called their painter to let him know, as he promised he would. Emmett then wanted to do some cleaning, only to discover there were no cleaning supplies in the house.
"Habibi, I will have someone come in," Nasir protested as he followed Emmett downstairs. "Joel will see to it."
"Your assistant is going to come over here and clean?" Emmett asked.
"No, I mean, he will arrange for someone," Nasir clarified as they walked into the bedroom. He caught up with Emmett in one of the closets. Nasir turned Emmett toward him and put both hands to Emmett's face. "I do not want you spending your time here cleaning."
"Nasi, it's no big deal," Emmett took hold of his husband's wrists. "We can go get stuff and it will only take me a few minutes. We're still together. We don't call someone in at home. We're not going to do it here. Get dressed. Oh, I know what I want you to wear," he headed into the other closet where all of Nasir's clothes were now that the dressers had been emptied. "Here, wear this henley," Emmett handed it to his husband. Nasir obediently pulled it on over his head.
"There," Emmett smiled. "I love the white against your skin tone and unbuttoned I can see this sexy, hairy chest," he bent to give Nasir a kiss in his open shirt.
"You wear one too," Nasir directed.
"Um, okay. I have a blue one," Emmett crossed back into his closet and pulled on a matching shirt in powder blue. It stretched across his massive chest and displayed his nipples.
"And you see why I like it on you?" Nasir gently rubbed his thumbs over Emmett's nipples.
"I do. Put on some nice jeans," Emmett instructed as he dropped his boxers. He pulled on snug jeans and Nasir did the same. They walked upstairs, out the front door, which Nasir locked behind them, stepped into sandals, and then waited for the elevator.
"Hey, you think Duane and Rodney might like any more of that furniture?" Emmett posited.
"They might. I can ask Duane," Nasir offered.
"Can we maybe do it now?" Emmett asked as the elevator arrived. "I would much rather if they are in our house, it's while I'm around."
"Then we will knock on their door right now," Nasir touched the button for their floor. A moment later they stepped off on the 12th floor. They walked to Duane and Rodney's door and Nasir knocked on it. It took long enough for someone to answer that Nasir was about to knock again when the door finally opened. Rodney stood there in only hospital scrub pants tied loosely so that they hung low on his hips. The protrusion in front indicated a yet waning erection and should have been a clear signal to turn around and get back on the elevator.
"Hey, guys!" Rodney's face lit up when he saw who was at his door. "C'mon in," he took a step back.
"Rodney," Nasir made a point of offering his hand. He did not want a hug from this man.
"Nasir," Rodney grasped Nasir's hand with both of his. "Emmett," he shook Emmett's hand as well with only slightly less enthusiasm. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Sorry to disturb you," Emmett offered.
"Not at all," Rodney shook his head as he shut the door and stood there with his hands on his hips. "What's goin on?"
"We have purchased all new furniture for our bedroom," Nasir began. "And the painters come tomorrow. What we have must go."
"And we were wondering if you guys wanted any more of it," Emmett finished.
"Oh, we might," Rodney considered. "That's nice stuff. Let's ask D. He's back in the playroom. Go on back," he gestured.
"The playroom?" Emmett raised his eyebrows and shared a concerned look with his husband as they headed deeper into the apartment.
"Down the hall on the left there," Rodney directed from behind them. "What used to be the spare bedroom."
"Who was at the door, Roddy?" Duane called from within as they approached the open doorway.
They playroom had a big leather sectional that wrapped around three walls. This second bedroom was not small, but nothing like the second master that Nasir and Emmett had in the penthouse. The sectional was the only furniture in the room, apart from the large flat screen TV mounted on the wall and two inch thick gymnastic mats that carpeted the floor. The lithe, toned, naked form of Duane lay draped across the sectional. Equally naked Lenny knelt on the pad before the sofa with Duane's hard cock in his mouth. Lenny had his eyes closed. All the concerns that weighed on his mind went away when he had a dick in his mouth. He massaged Duane's shaft with his lips as he slowly moved his mouth up and down the hard bone. He was not trying to get this hot man off. He wanted to suck on him for as long as possible.
"Ho!" Emmett exclaimed as he and Nasir appeared in the doorway. They did not expect, or desire, to see their attorney naked and getting head from the neighbor kid.
"Hey there, Emmett!" Duane's face lit up. "Nasir. Great timing, man! Get yer asses in here!" he invited.
That Lenny did not so much as pause at the arrival of other men, as he slowly sucked Duane's cock, was even more alarming.
"I don't think so," Emmett held up his hands.
"C'mon, take them jeans off," Duane urged. "Relax. Lenny could use a couple more swords to swallow."
"This was a mistake," Emmett turned to Nasir. "We should go."
"Oh, don't go, guys," Rodney was right behind them. "They came to give us more furniture, D," he called.
"Hell, why didn't cha say so!" Duane rubbed Lenny's cheek. "Stop now," he spoke gently. "Stop now, Baby Boy," Duane repeated when Lenny made no move to stop. Finally Duane had to lift the reluctant Lenny off of his throbbing cock. It was just as well. With Emmett standing there watching him get head, he was ready to blow anyway. Duane rose from the leather sectional and walked toward the door, his mast swinging before him.
Lenny sat on the padded floor with his back to the couch and brought his knees to his chest. He was hard too, but now was not the time to deal with that. He would just sit still and be quiet and wait. Had he bothered to look, Lenny would have seen that these were the same men Duane had introduced him to yesterday. He didn't want to look at them. He didn't want to interact with them. He didn't want them to look at him. But he did want them to take their pants off.
Lenny liked it best when guys pretended that he wasn't even there. He didn't want them to touch him or talk to him. Steven, his best friend in high school, used to let Lenny play with his dick while Steven played video games. He would nuzzle and lick and suck, sometimes for hours, while Steven paid him no attention at all. Then, finally, sometimes without even a grunt, Steven would fill his mouth with semen. Lenny would act like nothing happened and keep right on sucking. Sometimes he would eventually get another reward, or Steven would push him away and tell him to go home. In truth, Steven hadn't always treated Lenny very well. But Steven was all Lenny had and when he went away to college, Lenny had nothing. He had often jacked off watching the men in their shower across 78th Street. His bedroom window was directly across from Duane and Rodney's master bath. They had seen him watching and occasionally put on a show for him. Finding them in an online chat room was just dumb luck. Lenny liked Duane and Rodney. They treated him better than Steven ever did and having the attention of two mature men made him feel like he must have some value. He didn't mind that they stroked his hair or his back while he sucked on them. He didn't even mind that they made him get naked too.
And now they had visitors. Lenny had been sucking on Rodney when they knocked on the door. Rodney lifted his head and pushed him onto Duane's cock, saying he would get it as he was getting too close anyway. Lenny had hoped, if these guys wouldn't take their pants off and lay back, that at least they could have their conversation with Duane while Lenny sucked on him. But no, Duane had to get up. So Lenny would wait.
"What're you fellas freein' up now?" Duane asked, fists on his hips with a smile and a hard on. Emmett couldn't believe the size of the figurative balls on this man.
"The rest of their bedroom furniture," Rodney answered for them.
"Aw, hell yeah, we'd love it!" Duane stated. "I can call my guys again. Sometime this week?"
"We need it out today, actually," Nasir answered.
"Oh, well, in that case...," Duane put his hand on his chin as he thought and his erection began to wane. "We'll just have to do it ourselves. You fellas all right with that? Can the four of us handle it?"
"Easily," Emmett was certain.
"Rod an I'll get dressed and be right with ya," Duane ran a much too friendly hand over Emmett's pec to his shoulder.
"We were actually on our way out," Emmett took a step back. "Can we call you in about an hour?"
"That'll be just fine. We'll wait for your call," Duane gave a grin and a nod.
"We'll see ourselves out," Emmett took Nasir's hand and headed back the way they came. Rodney followed them while Duane turned and headed back to Lenny. He flopped down on the sectional and Lenny was on him in a flash. Lenny swallowed Duane's half hard cock to his balls. Duane put a hand to the back of Lenny's head to hold him in place.
"Just move your tongue, Baby Boy. Ugh. Fuck," Duane let his eyes roll back in his head as Lenny's tongue caressed his cum tube. He returned to full hardness almost instantly. Rodney returned quickly and pulled the tie of his scrub pants. They fell to the floor and he climbed out of them and right up onto Duane. He stuffed his half hard meat into Duane's mouth as Lenny started to suck on Duane again.
"What the fuck was that?!" Emmett expressed as soon as the elevator doors closed them in.
"I know," Nasir nodded.
"Want some furniture? Yeah, love some. Drop your pants. Help us take advantage of the neighbor kid," Emmett shook his head.
"I do not think anyone would believe it if we told them," Nasir thought out loud.
"And then he's just gonna stand there and have a conversation, naked and hard?!" Emmett exclaimed.
"I hope they can behave while we are moving the furniture," Nasir spoke.
"I wouldn't count on it," Emmett shook his head. The elevator arrived at the lobby and they walked out.
It took little time to walk down to Butterfield's and obtain the needed cleaning supplies. Emmett stripped down to clean the kitchen and bathroom. Then they both put on a tank top and shorts when it came time to move the furniture out. Duane and Rodney arrived shirtless in sneakers and basketball shorts. They showed Nasir and Emmett the freight elevator that neither of them had ever seen. It was easy to take the furniture out the 'back' door, through the utility room and service corridor, piece by piece.
Duane and Rodney employed a divide and conquer strategy when Duane suggested Nasir help Rodney move the old furniture out of their bedroom and into the living room, and followed Emmett back upstairs. Nasir helped Rodney pull the existing dresser away from the wall and Nasir just leaned in the doorway while Rodney fetched a screwdriver to remove the mirror.
"Where did Lenny go?" Nasir made conversation. He noted the absence of the emo kid, naked or otherwise.
"We sent him home," Rodney walked back into the bedroom. "He stayed all night actually. He told his mother he was having a sleepover at a friend's house, which wasn't a lie."
"He seems like a needy boy," Nasir evaluated.
"He's a special case, that's for sure," Rodney admitted. "He said he wanted to sleep in the playroom and that we should just call him when we needed him, but D made him sleep with us. Lenny's got some major self esteem issues. But let's talk about you. It's nice that Emmett's here. It must get awful lonely during the week without him though, huh?"
"I miss my husband very much every day I am without him," Nasir confirmed.
"D and I are here for you, Nasir. He works pretty late some nights, but if you wanna come down, grab some beers and watch a movie or whatever, you're welcome anytime," Rodney offered.
"I very much appreciate the time Duane has made to play racquetball with me," Nasir stated. He deliberately avoided the topic of him visiting Rodney while Duane was at work and Emmett was thousands of miles away.
"I hate to think of you sleeping up there all alone during the week," Rodney shook his head.
"If I had a choice, I would be with my Emmett," Nasir did not think he could be any more plain.
"If you ever need some help working the tension of the day out of your muscles, look no further," Rodney spread his arms. "Trust me, I'm a nurse," he smiled. "You wanna hold this for me so it doesn't fall?"
Nasir grabbed the mirror that was still perched atop the dresser, but no longer attached. Rodney walked around the other side and deposited the screws into a drawer. He then came back around the other end and deliberately squeezed himself between Nasir and the dresser, with Nasir's back to the wall and his back to Nasir.
"Thanks, Nasir. I'll just get this and take it out to the living room," he rubbed his butt against Nasir's crotch as he hefted the mirror, and then walked it out of the room. Nasir just shook his head. He was far more concerned about what might be happening upstairs.
Four floors above, Duane and Emmett wrestled the big chest of drawers out of the penthouse. Watching Emmett's muscles move in his back, legs and glutes made Duane salivate.
"Damn, Emmett, that sure is a fine backside," Duane admired. "I hope Nasir gives that the attention it deserves."
"My husband fucked my own name right outta my head last night," Emmett boasted.
"Hoo, wee! I know that's right!" Duane enthused. "Good for him. Good for both y'all. He like to rim that hot ass?"
"Last time I was here, he woke me up that way," Emmett informed.
"Oh, man. Nasir sure does know how to treat you right," Duane licked his lips. His cock began to expand as he thought of doing the same. As they prepared to move the big, heavy chest into the freight elevator, Duane did just one of the many things he longed to do. He ran a hand appreciatively over Emmett's left butt cheek and gripped it.
"No," Emmett took hold of Duane's wrist and moved his hand away.
"C'mon now, Emmett. We friends and neighbors now. What's a little pat on the butt between friends?" Duane protested.
"That wasn't a pat and I think you want more than that anyway," Emmett countered.
"What do I want?" Duane prompted.
"I think you want to stick your tongue up my ass," Emmett was forthright.
"I ain't even gonna lie. I'd fuckin love to stick my tongue up your sweet ass. I'd rim you till the goddamn cows came home," Duane grew ever harder.
"Well, Duane, that's not gonna happen," Emmett leaned on the chest as it was finally wedged into the elevator. Duane was closer and touched the button for his floor.
"I wish y'all would reconsider. We can have a hell of a lot of fun," Duane assured. "I understand why you didn't want Lenny swingin on your dick. You need a real man, am I right?"
"I don't know what you guys are doing with that kid," Emmett shook his head. "He looks like he's fourteen."
"Let me suck your dick," Duane would not be deterred from his train of thought. "I'll curl your goddamn toes. I'll suck you dry right here and now!" he pulled the button to stop the elevator. "Whataya say? You won't regret it."
"Duane," Emmett warned.
"Let me just hold you in my mouth for a quick minute," Duane stepped closer. "You want me to stop, I'll stop," he lied.
Emmett put his fist on Duane's chest to hold him at arm's length. "You know, Duane, I was really prepared to like you guys. It's nice to have another gay couple right here in the building, and it would've been nice if we could be friends, but this constant pressure to sleep with you guys shit has got to stop! I am not going to cheat on my husband and you need to get that through your fucking head. Now start this damn elevator!"
"Okay, I'm sorry, man," Duane held up his hands and stepped back to the front of the elevator. He pushed the stop button back in to start the car moving again. "You wanna be faithful to your guy, I should respect that. Can we let this be water under the bridge?" Duane offered his hand.
"Okay, maybe," Emmett took and gripped Duane's hand tightly. "if this kind of bullshit doesn't happen again. And the same goes for Rodney and Nasi."
"Fair enough," Duane agreed as the elevator door slid open behind him. "I'll talk to Rod."
"Do that. Let's get this into your place," Emmett choreographed as they picked up the heavy piece. He actually felt better now that this had come to a head. It only remained to be seen if Duane and Rodney would abide by their word and respect his and Nasir's relationship.
Rodney made another close pass when Nasir was pressed against a wall, this time facing him. Rodney went slowly, smiled and ran his hands down Nasir's sides to his hips while he squeezed past. Nasir made a point to move after that and not get caught in close quarters again. It took them less time to empty the bedroom than it did for Emmett and Duane to bring the pieces down. Rodney and Nasir were waiting when Emmett and Duane arrived with the big chest.
"Here, let me," Rodney stepped forward to take Duane's place. He and Emmett made easy work of walking it into the bedroom and placing it.
"Oh, you guys painted it," Emmett noticed their old bed. It was his first time in Duane and Rodney's bedroom. "Why didn't we think to do that?!" Emmett laughed.
"It is much better," Nasir agreed.
"Hey, Roddy," Duane put a hand on his husband's shoulder. "We gotta stop with these two. I know they're fuckin hot an all, but they want to be monogamous and we gotta respect that."
"Oh, fuck," Rodney realize something must have happened when Duane and Emmett were alone and he knew he would get the details later. "If we can't have them, I do want their friendship. It's nice to have another gay couple right here in the building."
"That's just what Emmett said," Duane patted Rodney's shoulder. "You big, hot bottoms think alike!"
Rodney offered Emmett his hand and Emmett gave Rodney a friendly handshake. Emmett and Nasir shared a look of relief.
"Sorry, Nasir," Rodney extended his hand to Nasir as well.
"We will put it behind us," Nasir stated as they shook.
"Can we take you boys to dinner to show our appreciation for all this generosity?" Duane asked.
"I'm cooking for Nasi tonight," Emmett declined. "Actually, I'm doing a chicken stir fry if you guys would like to join us."
"I love a good stir fry," Rodney stated.
"Can we bring the wine?" Duane spread his hands. "What do you fellas like?"
"Really anything white would be good," Emmett was easy.
"We'll bring a couple of different things. What time should we be there?" Duane asked.
"Would seven thirty be best?" Nasir suggested.
"Perfect," Emmett nodded.
"We'll be there," Duane assured as they all began to walk to the front door. He sniffed under his arm. "We'll take a shower too, so we don't sit at your table smellin like barnyard animals."
"So will we," Emmett laughed.
"And we'll put on collared shirts for ya," Duane pledged.
"That's not at all necessary," Emmett shook his head. "We're not like that. Be comfortable. Wear a tee shirt and come barefoot."
"Well, okay then. See you at supper," Duane bid and he and Rodney saw them out the door.
"Thanks again, guys," Rodney gave a wave.
"See you in a few hours," Emmett waved back. Duane and Rodney stood in their doorway until Emmett and Nasir disappeared inside the passenger elevator.
"I'm sorry I just invited them like that without talking to you first," Emmett took his husband's hand.
"My zawji is a good and generous man," Nasir admired.
"It's our last night for a while. You don't want me all to yourself?" Emmett gave a grin.
"I always want you all to myself and after they go, I will have you all to myself," Nasir gave his husband a loving kiss on his lips.
"Did Rodney misbehave while Duane and I were up here?" Emmett asked as the elevator doors opened on their floor.
"He pressed himself against me when he picked up the mirror," Nasir revealed as they kicked off their shoes. "What did Duane do?"
"He grabbed my butt and stopped the elevator between floors so he could blow me," Emmett relayed.
"Allah!" Nasir raised his palms heavenward as Emmett shut their front door behind them.
"Which did not happen," Emmett assured.
"I know it did not happen, but that is outrageous!" Nasir grew heated.
"I know," Emmett rubbed his husband's back.
"If I had seen that...," Nasir shook his head. "It makes me very angry," he made fists. "I will buy him a ticket to Abu Dhabi. We have invited them to dinner?!"
"They said they would cool it," Emmett reminded. "I'm okay with giving them a second chance if you are. If you want me to call them and tell them to go fuck themselves, I'll do that too. It's up to you, Nasi. I'll follow your lead."
Nasir considered for a long moment. "We knew they were like that," he reasoned.
"We did," Emmett agreed.
"It is nice to have a racquetball partner here where I cannot have Garrett," Nasir thought it out. "I will not turn my back on him or allow him to be alone with you ever again. I swear to Allah!"
"Fine by me. I don't want to be alone with him," Emmett assured. "We saw what they were like at brunch when we were all together. They'll either behave tonight or they won't, and then we'll know."
"Yes," Nasir nodded at Emmett's sound reasoning.
"Now, I need to take another shower," Emmett took Nasir's hand, "and I can't do that all alone."
"My sweet zawji, I will help you," Nasir held Emmett's hand in both of his.
"Duane said he wanted to rim me too, but I'm not at all sure what he meant," Emmett played innocent as they started down the stairs.
"Do not be concerned, Habibi, I will demonstrate for you," Nasir smiled broadly.
Duane and Rodney arrived early, later that evening, bearing four bottles of chilled wine between them. They were barefoot and wore tee shirts and jeans, just like Emmett and Nasir. Rodney hoped to bond with Emmett the way Duane had with Nasir and immediately offered to help Emmett cook. They all headed into the huge kitchen where Rodney set about chopping vegetables while Emmett seasoned their new wok. Nasir and Duane opened the wine, poured four glasses and sat down at the breakfast room table to watch their spouses cook for them.
Their evening was pleasant and fun as they all cooked, ate, joked and laughed together. None of the sexual tension that had loomed over their every other interaction was present. Duane helped Emmett clean up after dinner and behaved himself perfectly.
Emmett and Nasir needed to make it an early night due to Emmett's exceptionally early flight. Duane and Rodney refused to leave without a promise that they would take Emmett and Nasir to dinner when next Emmett was in town. With friendly hugs all around, Duane and Rodney headed back down to their floor.
As the master bedroom was now completely empty of any furniture, Emmett and Nasir moved into the Thompson Clearwater suite. Emmett slept with his head on Nasir's chest again and Nasir held his husband tightly, until the alarm woke them at the terribly early hour of three AM.
Nasir immediately tightened his arms around the man who was still laying on him. "La!" he moaned.
"I know," Emmett knew the Arabic word for 'no.' He slid his arms beneath Nasir's torso to hold him just as tightly. They listened to Emmett's phone chirp annoyingly for several minutes, neither man willing to let go of the other to shut it off.
"I do not know when I will be back from Italy," Nasir expressed his concern.
"I know, Babe," Emmett lifted his head to rest his chin on his husband's hairy chest. "I hate going more than a week, but we'll figure it out. Either come home from Italy or I'll meet you here."
"I do not like having to be parted from you," Nasir ran the back of his index finger down Emmett's scruffy cheek.
"Me too, Nasi. I love you so much," Emmett expressed.
"I love you, my husband," Nasir lifted his head to give Emmett a soft kiss on his lips.
"Take a shower with me?" Emmett asked with a smile.
"Of course I will," Nasir affirmed. "I would like nothing more."
They rose from bed, shut off the phone alarm finally, and headed down the hall to the master bath. Their shower consisted of more holding each other than it did any washing of each other. All too soon Emmett was ready to go. He wore a tight, striped, crew neck long sleeved shirt under a solid, short sleeved, collared shirt that he wore open, with snug jeans. The tight sleeves of the short sleeved shirt only served to accentuate how much his biceps bulged in the long sleeves of the first shirt. Emmett finished by slinging his messenger bag across his back. Nasir pulled on a heavy and warm, dark brown. wool sweater with his form fitting jeans.
Their limousine was waiting at the curb when they emerged from their building into the chilly wee hours.
"Mr. Qasimi?" a KD Lang look alike driver asked.
"Yes," Nasir showed his ID. "We are going first to the Helmsley Park Lane, as quickly as possible, please."
"Yes, Sir," KD opened the rear door of the car for them. Nasir slid in after Emmett and she shut them in before dashing around the car to take the wheel.
They went up to 79th Street and turned left. Much as Chaiyo had done two days before, their driver crossed 5th Avenue and charged into the park. They took the 79th Street Transverse Road deep into the park, but turned left on West Drive. It was easy to forget where they were without people or other cars around due to the hour. Apart from the streetlamps, they might be driving through the woods to pick Edward up from his mountain, rather than his hotel.
They emerged from winding roads of Central Park onto 59th Street and turned left again. Apart from the occasional taxi, there were very few cars on the streets. They crossed 6th Avenue and finally pulled to the curb before the Park Lane.
"Oh, I'm gonna grab us some coffees," Emmett noted the restaurant right next door as they pulled up. He opened his own door, ran up onto the sidewalk and inside.
Nasir was waiting on the sidewalk when Emmett emerged and only a moment later, Edward and Jasper walked out of the hotel through the revolving brass and glass door.
"Hey, guys," Emmett gave them his dimples.
"Morning," Jasper greeted. He hugged Nasir first.
"Take a coffee, Eddie," Emmett held the tray. "They're all the same, cream and sugar."
"Thanks, Em," Edward took one before Emmett gave him a quick hug.
"Jasper, where are we going?" Nasir asked as he plucked two coffees from Emmett's tray and handed one to Jasper.
"Four oh one West End Avenue, please," Jasper told KD as she loaded his and Edward's bags into the trunk.
This was the address Edward had expected to hear when they first got into their limo at Kennedy the night they arrived in New York. It would have filled him with joy to hear it then. Now it filled him with dread. It meant he had to be parted from the man he loved with all his soul. He pulled Jasper to him and held him in his arms. Jasper rested his head on Edward's shoulder. He understood completely for he felt exactly the same way. Emmett put his arm around his husband as they watched this tender moment between their friends.
"We gotta get goin', guys," Emmett reminded gently.
"Yeah, come on," Jasper took Edward's hand. They climbed into the limo first and Emmett and Nasir followed. KD shut them in again and rushed for the wheel.
"Are you normally up this early, Sugar?" Emmett asked.
"Not quite this early," Jasper admitted.
"None of us should be up this early," Nasir opined. "We should all just go back to bed right now."
"If only," Edward wished aloud.
"You said it, Eddie," Emmett agreed.
"Edward, we must make a reciprocal agreement between us," Nasir suggested.
"Reciprocal agreement about what?" Edward didn't see it coming.
"The men we love are not with us as much as we would like them to be. When my bottom is on the west coast with you, and your bottom is on the east coast with me...," Nasir delivered his punch line.
"Oh, Duane can't have me, but Edward can?" Emmett demanded as the others laughed.
"Edward is my dear friend," Nasir gestured.
"Sorry, Buddy," Edward laughed.
"We're just interchangeable, is that it?" Emmett pressed on. "Any bottom will do?"
"You know I do not think that," Nasir reached for Emmett's hand.
"C'mere," Emmett put his arm around his husband and held him close as Edward was already doing with Jasper. Emmett kissed Nasir's temple. They were deliberately quiet then as the big car raced up Broadway. They knew Edward and Jasper had mere moments left to them.
Jasper laid his head back against Edward's shoulder and raised a hand to Edward's face. Edward put his hand inside Jasper's shirt and let his fingers move lightly through Jasper's sparse happy trail and over his abdomen. He closed his eyes as Jasper lovingly caressed his face. He turned his head to kiss the palm of Jasper's hand.
All too soon they turned left on 79th Street and just one block over pulled to a stop in front of Jasper's building, which sat on the corner. Nasir opened his door and all four men exited the vehicle while KD extracted the bags from the trunk.
"Jasper, I may see you in a few days, depending on when I leave for Italy," Nasir gave him a hug.
"I look forward to it," Jasper hugged him tightly.
"We love you, Sugar," Emmett expressed as he took Jasper in his arms.
"I love you guys too," Jasper relished Emmett's warm embrace.
"It was great seeing you two together," Emmett expressed.
"I can't even tell you," Jasper agreed.
"Okay, we'll leave you to Eddie now," Emmett finally let Jasper go.
KD waited at the open rear door of the long car while Edward stood by with Jasper's bag.
"Give them some privacy," Nasir instructed as he followed Emmett into the backseat. KD shut the back door and returned to the wheel.
"It's even harder on them," Emmett assessed as they watched their friends say goodbye on the sidewalk.
"They do not know when they will see each other again," Nasir could not even imagine how painful such a parting would be. They watched Edward kiss Jasper repeatedly while Jasper conformed himself to Edward. It took several minutes, but Edward finally made Jasper take his bag and go into his building before he turned back to the car.
Nasir touched the button to lower the privacy partition as Edward returned to the rear facing seat. "Kennedy airport, Terminal Eight, please, as fast as you can."
"Yes, Sir," KD pulled away from the curb and Nasir raised the partition again. Emmett could immediately see by the way his friend slouched in the forward seat, that he needed to get Edward talking before he sank into a deep funk.
"What did you guys do yesterday, Eddie?" Emmett asked. Edward just shook his head and did not lift his gaze.
"C'mon," Emmett tapped Edward's foot with his own. "C'mon," he did it again.
"I don't feel much like talking, Em," Edward protested.
"I'll pull your pants down and tickle your balls," Emmett threatened.
"You will not!" Edward exclaimed.
"I won't if you start talking," Emmett smiled. "Jasper said you guys were going to have dinner with his dad. How did that go?" he prompted.
"Well," Edward pulled himself up in the seat. "I have to say, that went really well. He's a great guy. And he loves to tease Jasper, that's for sure," he smiled at the memory.
"Oh, yeah?" Emmett encouraged.
"At one point Charles started to grill me about which of his books was my favorite," Edward relayed.
"That's right, he's an author," Emmett remembered.
"Have you read his books?" Nasir asked.
"No! Not a one. Couldn't even tell you what they're about," Edward confessed. "And of course, Jasper got bent out of shape. Then his father laughed it up. He'd been wanting to play that joke on his son for a long time, he said."
"I like him already," Emmett nodded.
"And he told me that we have his love and support," Edward relayed. "I have to say, I think the thing that meant the very most to me was when he said that he loved the smile that I put on his son's face."
"Oh, wow," Emmett was impressed.
"It is a blessing to have the love of not just your partner, but his family as well," Nasir expressed as he squeezed Emmett's hand. Emmett smiled at his husband. He knew who Nasir meant.
The early hour afforded them an easy drive down into Midtown. They took Broadway all the way to 36th Street, and that straight over to the Queens Midtown Tunnel. They spoke of other members of Jasper's family and how best to deal with those who may be less supportive than Jasper's father, as they flew along the Long Island, Grand Central and Van Wyck expressways. Emmett tried to remain collected, but the closer they drew to JFK, the tighter he held Nasir's hand.
Only too soon they raced into the confusing mess of twisting, curving ramps in the heart of the airport. Their driver deftly steered them on the right path to Terminal 8 and smoothly to a stop at the Departures curb. Edward followed Nasir and Emmett out of the car and met the driver at the trunk to tip her and retrieve his bag.
Emmett faced his husband as he stuck his head through the strap of his messenger bag and let it lay across his chest. He would have to take it off again for security, but he wasn't concerned about that now. "Thanks for seeing me off," Emmett tugged on Nasir's sleeve.
"Habibi," Nasir took Emmett in his arms. "I want every minute I can get with you."
"I should have let you sleep in. I feel bad that you have to get up at three AM with me when I go," Emmett hugged his husband with his whole body.
"No, no. It is so much better to be with you," Nasir dismissed. "Ana b'hebbak, il habibi zawji."
"I love you, my beloved husband," Emmett said the same in English. "Keep me posted on Italy."
"Of course I will," Nasir promised. "I want to stop in London, but if I do, I will come straight home from there."
"You know I would love that. Give all the guys in London a hug from me," Emmett bid.
"I will do that," Nasir pledged.
"Okay," Emmett started to pull back, but then embraced the man he loved even more tightly. "I love you so much," he took Nasir's head in his hands and gave him a long, loving kiss. "Okay. Say goodbye to Eddie," Emmett forced himself to let go of Nasir.
"Edward, take care of my husband," Nasir took Edward in his arms.
"We'll take care of each other," Edward assured. "Don't have too much fun in Italy."
"I will try not to," Nasir promised. Nasir stood on the curb and watching longingly as Emmett had to force himself to walk into the airport. Emmett paused in the open doorway and lifted a hand in what was almost a wave. It was the same thing he had done when he was forced to drive away and leave Nasir standing there in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. That had been terrible and this felt worse. Each time one of them flew away from the other it was worse than the time before. Edward summoned the strength to give Nasir a wave too as he slipped his arm around Emmett to urge him on.
Nasir waited until Emmett and Edward disappeared inside the terminal before he turned back to his waiting car and driver. "Back where you picked me up, please," he instructed as he slipped into the vehicle.
"Yes, Sir," KD shut him in.
Nasir operated on autopilot when he got home. He stood outside on the terrace Emmett so loved and drank another cup of coffee as the sun came up. Manhattan was dead and lifeless. The sun held no warmth without Emmett. Nasir finally called for another car and put on a suit to go to work. For getting up at three and having plenty of time to kill, he might have been to work early or even on time, but it was close to ten when Nasir emerged from the elevator on the 23rd floor of the Loews Corporate Headquarters building at 667 Madison Avenue. He walked into the maze he knew well and headed for his office.
"Oh, Mr. Qasimi," Joel's face lit up when he saw his boss and he rose from behind his desk. Joel was twenty two and Garrett's height with thick, black, naturally curly hair and thick eyebrows to match. He wore a narrow tie with his dress shirt and pants. Joel snatched up some papers from his desk as he moved to open the door to Nasir's office for him.
"Morning, Joel," Nasir greeted as he walked into his spacious, but not overly large office. It never ceased to amaze Nasir that he had scored a corner office. Of course, with nine floors and only one man separating him from the Tisch family, it wasn't that hard to imagine. He did not, unfortunately, have a view of the park.
"How was your weekend with Emmett?" Joel asked as he followed Nasir into his office.
"It was very nice, thank you," Nasir set his Louis Vuitton briefcase down on the credenza behind his desk. Nasir's desk did not face the door of his office as most executives chose to do. The furniture was laid out so that he could most enjoy the view. The credenza and tall hutch that matched his desk were on the same wall as the door. Two guest chairs faced his desk and a low leather sofa and coffee table sat along the glass wall behind Nasir's guest chairs.
"Did you guys do some shopping?" Joel enquired further.
"We did," Nasir confirmed as he sat down in his tall leather chair. He looked at the chair and at his desk. "You know, there is a desk and chair at home that I do not want and I just realized what I should do. I want you to arrange to pick them up from my home and bring them in here," Nasir decided. The chair he had was nice and it was comfortable, but the one at home that his father had picked out when he furnished the place was unquestionably nicer. And the great partner sized slab of a desk at home was was a good bit bigger than the executive style desk he had now, but it would fit in this office just fine. He thought of his best friend's office in Seattle, which was easily twice the size of this one. Garrett did sit with his back to the window, though he had an incredible view of the city and Sound. The difference was that Garrett had very special clients that he received and many people who reported to him. Garrett had people in his office all the time and had a conference style desk with a very large top. Apart from several visits from human resources about his Green Card paperwork, the only person Nasir ever had in his office was the man with him now.
"Okay, I'll do that," Joel agreed. "I'm sure HR can give me something about them being your personal property."
"I do not care about that," Nasir gave a dismissive wave. "One of the many things we did this weekend was get new furniture."
"I'm glad you guys had a good time," Joel was sincere.
"What do you have for me?" Nasir asked. He noted that Joel had papers in his hand. He also liked that Joel stood beside his chair when he came in to talk to him. Nasir appreciated a man who was not intimidated or fearful of another man who happened to be gay.
"Something pretty important this morning," Joel laid the papers down on Nasir's desk. "You're booked on Air France and you leave tonight. You have to change planes at de Gaulle in Paris. I could have booked you on Lufthansa over Munich, but Air France is flying one of those new, three story, giant planes and I figured you would rather do that."
"Oh, yes. I have never flown one," Nasir picked up the top paper. "Where am I sitting?"
"I have you right up front in three A," Joel answered.
Nasir furrowed his brow as he looked over the itinerary. "This is business class?"
"No. I had to promise Sheila in travel a makeover session with my stylist girlfriend to get her to use one of her upgrades to put you up in first, or La Première," Joel clarified. "I'm not allowed to book first on international flights."
"I am in First on British Airways on the way home also?" Nasir asked.
"You are, but I don't have that seat assigned as we don't know exactly what day that'll be yet," Joel explained. "As soon as we know that, I'll confirm you a seat."
"Good. Thank you for being so resourceful. I do not fly business," Nasir stated. "Oh, if I leave tonight, I will be able to have dinner with Micheletto in Positano tomorrow."
"He's already expecting your call. Shall I get him on the phone for you now?" Joel asked.
"Yes. It is getting late there," Nasir agreed.
"I already gave him your flight info. He's sending a car to pick you up in Naples," Joel informed as he headed back out to his desk. "And I booked you a deluxe room at the hotel Buca di Bacco per his suggestion. That's page three there. I'll get him on the line for you."
Nasir leaned back in his chair and smiled. If everything fell into place as he hoped it would, there was even a chance he could actually be home by the weekend.
The day that had threatened to be long and dreadful suddenly flew by. Nasir had planned to put in long hours today doing anything he could to avoid going back to the apartment where Emmett was not. Instead, Nasir couldn't get enough done and the hours seemed to evaporate. At three that afternoon, Joel put his foot down.
"Mr. Qasimi, you have to go now," Joel marched into Nasir's office. Nasir sat facing the hutch where his PC sat on the credenza. He shot off emails as fast as he could type.
"You have to go home and pack, and get to the airport in time to check your bag for an international flight," Joel reminded.
"I will go soon. Call a for a car, please," Nasir bid.
"I already did. It's waiting downstairs," Joel moved to Nasir's desk and gathered up the papers he had given him that morning. "You're already checked in for the flight. Your boarding pass is right here," he picked up Nasir's briefcase and set it on the desk as he slipped the important papers within. "Do you have your passport?"
"It is there in my briefcase," Nasir gestured. "Oh! Do I need a visa to transit France?"
"I checked into that. No, because you have a US Green Card," Joel informed. "Please tell me you have your Green Card with you."
"It is in my wallet. My attorney told me to keep it on my person at all times," Nasir stated.
"Okay, well, that's the kind of thing you should keep in a passport wallet with your passport when you travel, and keep in the hotel safe while you're there," Joel advised. "Sheila sent me up a passport wallet if you don't already have one."
"I have one," Nasir admitted.
"Is it in here?" Joel looked through Nasir's briefcase. "Oh, here we go," he pulled it out and checked that Nasir's passport was safe within. "Okay, now, Green Card?"
"In my wallet," Nasir gestured.
"What does it look like?" Joel asked as he pulled Nasir's wallet out of his briefcase. "I've never actually seen one. Oh. It looks like a green driver's license," he found the card with Nasir's picture over a green Statue of Liberty, with the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and PERMANENT RESIDENT scrolled across the top. "There," Joel tucked it into a slot in the passport wallet and placed that back in Nasir's briefcase.
"Thank you," Nasir was grateful for Joel keeping him organized.
"Now get going, please," Joel urged. "I don't want to owe Sheila another favor for having to rebook you. And you will have the other desk and chair in here by the time you get back."
"Thank you, Joel," Nasir rose and took his briefcase from the younger man. "I will be in close touch," Nasir closed his laptop and removed it from the dock, only to have Joel snatch it out of his hands. Joel slipped it into it's case and that into Nasir's briefcase, followed immediately by Nasir's wireless mouse.
"Thank you," Nasir expressed as Joel handed him his briefcase.
"Absolutely. Safe trip," Joel bid with a wave as he followed his boss out of the inner office and closed Nasir's door behind him.
The fumes hit Nasir in the face the second he opened his front door at home. Until that moment, he had forgotten that the painters were coming today. "Allah," Nasir muttered to himself as he headed to the stairs and down to the bedrooms.
The master bedroom looked better than Nasir had ever seen it, even with great white sheets of drop cloths covering the carpet, paint cans, roller pans, bright blue tape everywhere, and a ladder in one corner.
"Beautiful," Nasir spoke to himself as he walked into the room and admired the color his very wise husband had chosen.
"Oh, Mr. Qasimi," one of the two identical brothers present greeted. "I'm glad you're here."
"So am I," Nasir nodded.
"Did you want us to paint in the little hallway here going into the bathroom," the brother who was not on the ladder and who had greeted Nasir, stepped closer to his client. Both brothers wore white bib overalls and white painters caps. Neither of them wore shirts beneath and Nasir noticed that the brother with whom he spoke had a dusting of hair on his chest not unlike his or Edward's. Nasir looked to the painter on the ladder to check if they were the same and found that they were not.
"I know how to tell you apart now!" Nasir pointed.
"Yes. You noticed that. Antonin and I don't shave ourselves. Andel does," the triplet with Nasir stuck his hands in his pockets. "Antonin and I are straight," Andrej felt no reason not to share that fact with clients they knew to be gay themselves.
"Identical triplets and one of you is gay?" Nasir found that even more unusual.
"Only his boyfriend really knows for sure," Andrej thought he was funny. "We are painting here?" he brought Nasir on topic. "Around the doors here?"
"Oh, yes, please do that," Nasir nodded. "I need to get into one of these closets to pack very quickly. I will try not to be in your way," Nasir opened the door to his closet. He took the big suitcase down the hall to pack in the other bedroom and gathered up his clothes as fast as he could. He not only did not want to be in their way, he did have a flight to catch. It took only a few minutes to pack a few casual and business casual clothes along with suits, dress shirts and ties. Nasir also changed out of the suit he had worn to work and put on another jacket with a dress shirt and jeans, as he figured he might as well be comfortable while he traveled. The Louis Vuitton briefcase was traded for a Louis Vuitton Documents Voyage tote into which Nasir slipped his laptop and a plain white tee shirt, in addition to his business and travel documents.
On the way out he paused to tip the painter brothers and told them what a great job he thought they did and were still doing.
Chaiyo was on shift at this time of day and waited at the curb after bringing his favorite passenger home from work, to take him on to the airport. Chaiyo placed the big suitcase in the trunk of the Town Car while Nasir got into the car, and they were off. It was not quite as easy a drive to JFK as it had been well before dawn that morning, but in spite of the hour it was not nearly as difficult as it could have been.
Chaiyo steered in the opposite direction than Nasir was used to at the airport. He had never been to Terminal 1 before. It was comparatively small, only used by a few international carriers. There were ticket counters for Aeroflot, Air China, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Japan Air, Korean Air, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Meridiana, and Royal Air Maroc. It took only a moment for Nasir to show his boarding pass and passport at the dedicated La Pemière desk and check his suitcase.
"Here you are, Monsieur Qasimi," the pleasant counter agent in the dark blue suit and huge red silk scarf tied about her neck smiled as she handed Nasir back his documents and baggage claim ticket. "Please proceed through security and do be our guest in the lounge."
"Thank you," Nasir took his papers, tucked them all back away and headed for security. A process that was as much fun as ever, though it did not take long. It might easily have taken longer as while there were only nine seats in the first class cabin of this aircraft, it held over five hundred passengers, and theirs was not the only plane departing this evening. Nasir presented himself and his boarding pass to the Air France Salon and was escorted to the private elevator and inside.
This lounge was not unlike a British Airways Galleries lounge. It was comfortable, but understated in muted colors. There was wifi, a business center, showers and restrooms, local, French and other international newspapers, a buffet, a bar, and of course a spacious and comfortable seating area with leather chairs and banquettes grouped around small tables. Nasir headed straight for the bar and poured himself a healthy tumbler of their finest scotch on the rocks. He then found himself a quiet seat among the potted ficus trees and pulled out his cell.
Emmett sat at his desk in his comparatively tiny glass office at work going over the requirements for a set of plans for a new client. The ringtone his cell gave told him who was calling even before he saw his husband's smiling face pop up on the screen.
"Hi, Babe," Emmett greeted warmly. He did not expect to speak with his man until he slipped into bed for the night.
"Habibi, I am at the airport," Nasir informed.
"You are?!" the excitement and joy in Emmett's voice was unmistakable. "Oh, are you flying to Italy?" Emmett asked when he realized where Nasir must be going.
"I am," Nasir confirmed. He closed his eyes. He knew what his husband first thought and he would have loved for that to be true. Were that the case, Nasir would not have called, he would have just shown up.
"Okay. Have a safe trip, Nasi. I'll miss you even more," Emmett expressed.
"I miss you always when we are not together. I will not be able to talk tonight as I will be flying, but I will call you when I get there," Nasir promised. "I should be able to catch you before you go to the gym."
"Okay," Emmett understood. "How many hours difference is it?"
"Nine," Nasir answered.
"How are you getting there? Who are you flying? Are you flying British Airways?" Emmett well remembered the many kinds of great fun they had on British Airways when they flew to the Emirates. "I so wish I was going with you."
"I would love that," Nasir smiled. "I am flying Air France. I would prefer British Airways, but that would require a change of airport in London."
"Oh. That's no good," Emmett agreed. "Not a big deal on the way home though. Do you want me to call or email Greg?"
"I have sent him an email, and Ashok and Rick too," Nasir informed.
"Will you get to see your sister?" Emmett asked.
"I hope so. I will try to do that," Nasir asserted.
"Oh, hey, did you see the painters?" Emmett remembered.
"I am very glad you asked me that. I did see the painters," Nasir confirmed and took a sip.
"I hear ice tinkling. Laphroaig?" Emmett's smile was clear in his voice.
"Talisker. It is not great, but it will do," Nasir assessed. "Our bedroom is beautiful. I cannot wait for you to see it. The color you chose is perfect."
"Is it? Good," Emmett was pleased.
"I had them paint in the area between the bedroom and bath also," Nasir informed.
"Oh, good, yeah, that's what I wanted," Emmett stated.
"Good. Now, back to the painters themselves," Nasir took another sip. "Andel and Andrej were there painting."
"Are you sure? There's three of them," Emmett reminded.
"I am sure and I will tell you how I know," Nasir began. "Andrej is hairy, like Edward and I am. Andel is smooth, like you. He shaves, like you. And he is gay, like us."
"Oh, yeah? They both seem like nice guys," Emmett evaluated.
"I think so too. They wore those farmer type things with no shirts under them," Nasir did not know the proper words.
"Coveralls?" Emmett asked.
"But without arms," Nasir tried to explain.
"Bib overalls?" Emmett tried again.
"Yes, that is it. And they wore nothing beneath them," Nasir finished.
"I can't wait to find out how you know that," Emmett spoke with amusement in his voice.
"I packed and changed, and I wanted to tip them before I left, for doing such a nice job," Nasir explained. "When I went back into the bedroom, Andrej was down on one knee, pouring more paint into a pan for the rolling paint thing. I discovered then that their overalls were quite loose and that at least one of them, more than likely all three, are uncircumcised, like us."
"Too bad Seth wasn't there!" Emmett laughed.
"He would have had a great time with them," Nasir agreed. "When Andrej told me that his brother is gay, he said that he wasn't entirely sure, but that Andel's boyfriend probably was."
"Cute. I wonder if Carson says things like that about us," Emmett mused.
"Your brother is fun and always ready to laugh. He probably does," Nasir surmised.
"He probably does," Emmett chuckled.
"Speaking of my very nearly as as hot as you brother-in-law, since you are stuck in Seattle, I wonder if he is free to join me in Italy," Nasir teased.
"Oh, now I'm torn," Emmett sounded thoughtful.
"About what?" Nasir bit.
"Which one of you to kill first," Emmett delivered his punch line. "If I don't end up in prison, Sonja and I can be widows together. I'll raise Conner like he's my own. He'll end up looking like me anyway, so no one would ever know."
Nasir laughed and it warmed his heart when his husband joked with him. He was with Emmett only this morning, but his very soul longed for him. "I want to hug you right now," he confessed.
"I want to hold you too," Emmett admitted. "In a way, it'll be easier this week. I mean, it's never easy, but you're not just far away, you're on one of your trips. That's something that's always happened."
"Yes," Nasir agreed. "I hope the time flies by."
"Can you be home by this weekend?" Emmett was hopeful, but skeptical. "I don't know how you're going to visit two countries in Europe, get any amount of work done and be home by Friday. That's only four days."
"It is not entirely beyond the realm of possibility," Nasir remained hopeful himself.
"Oh, shit, I hope you can get back in the country okay. You have your Green Card, right?" Emmett worried.
"It is with my passport. Do not worry, my habibi. I will come home to you," Nasir assured. In truth, he was not as confident as he made himself sound. That very worry would nag at him too until the first time his Green Card did get him back into the States without incident.
"Okay, you better, or I'm moving to, wherever," Emmett stated. He had thought about this long and hard. If Nasir were exiled from the United States for good, he would leave himself before he would live without him.
"We know we like London," Nasir smiled.
"It's a nice place to visit. I'm not sure about living there," Emmett clarified.
"Where else might we like to live?" Nasir indulged himself. "Germany? We promised to go with your mother sometime. I would love to see where your roots are from."
"I don't know about Germany either. If I'm surrounded by Germans, I wouldn't be special," Emmett quipped.
"You will always be special to me, Habibi," Nasir stressed.
"How about someplace warm? Maybe a little island in Greece," Emmett romanticised. "One of the gay friendly ones."
"Ah, yes. Then you will not wear much," Nasir envisioned.
"You either. We'll get a place with a pool and we'll be naked in it and around it every day," Emmett fantasized. "Oh, maybe I should shut my door. Actually, what I really should do is get back to work. Thank you for calling me."
"I could not leave without letting you know. Are you having dinner with Garrett and Sethy?" Nasir asked. He did not want to think of Emmett being alone.
"I am," Emmett confirmed. "They're very careful to take care of me when you're gone. I'm taking them out to dinner at McCormick and Schmick's tonight to thank them."
"That is nice. Garrett agreed to this?" Nasir asked. He knew better than anyone how much Garrett liked to get the check.
"Seth agreed. That's all that matters. Garrett is his problem. Or vice-versa," Emmett chuckled.
"Give both of them very big hugs for me," Nasir bid.
"I'll crack a couple of ribs," Emmett promised.
"No! Do not do that," Nasir laughed. "The next time I beat Garrett at racquetball, I do not want him to claim that it was due to his injury."
"Okay, extra gentle," Emmett agreed.
"I am going to call Garrett right now so he can hug you for me," Nasir stated.
"Okay, Babe. I love you, Nasi. Safe and productive trip," Emmett expressed.
"I love you, my Emmett. I will think of you on this plane," Nasir pledged. "Think of me tonight."
"I do every night, Nasi. I do every night," Emmett closed his eyes. Because that was all he could do, were the words he left unspoken. Emmett didn't want to think of Nasir. He wanted to hold him.
"Good night, my habibi zawji. I will speak with you when it is morning for you."
"I love you, Nasi. Good night," Emmett ended the call.
Nasir just held his cell for a long moment and gazed longingly at the dimpled smiling face of his husband on the screen. He drained his glass and decided that he needed another. Nasir slipped his phone back into his pocket and as he rose, happened to glance out the lounge windows.
"Oh!" Nasir was taken aback by the sheer immensity of the thing. The behemoth sat at the end of the concourse. Even without the obvious and enormous AIRFRANCE painted on the side, there was no mistaking the A380's multi story bulk that dwarfed other jumbo jets and even the concourse at which it sat. If Nasir thought a 747 was a large aircraft, and it very much was, this plane was a monster.
Nasir had his laptop out and was on his third Talisker when they came to get him. He wanted to dine on board, but had eaten a croissant to soak up some of the alcohol. Greg and Ashok both had emailed back and were looking as forward to seeing him as he was them. Nasir packed up, drained his glass, and followed the friendly French woman who could not have been more pleasant. She escorted him down the elevator and had a golf cart ready to whisk him down the short concourse.
There were only eleven gates in Terminal 1, one for each airline that used this terminal. Air France was located at gate eight, at the end of the concourse, the only place they could park such a behemoth. Once at the gate, his escort walked him through the lines where it seemed people were being herded like cattle. At the front of one of the lines, Nasir had his boarding pass scanned and was handed over to a gate agent who walked him the rest of the way to the aircraft. There were two jetbridges connected to the A380, one at the front of the plane for La Première and Business, and a second at the door before the wing for Economy. At the forward hatch Nasir was handed off again to a flight attendant. There was a large open area with a stairway upstairs to Business Class and aft of that was the La Première cabin. The flight attendant escorted him to his seat and took his suit jacket to hang it up for him.
Nasir was so far extremely impressed with this plane, but somewhat disappointed in the first class cabin. The seats were like fat, cocooned leather chairs with a broad side table. It felt like a lounge in a modern private club. Which, perhaps, was exactly what it was. They had enough space to give a modicum of privacy, but there was no visual privacy like in the compartments on British Airways. If Emmett were with him now, he would never be able to suck his cock on this plane like he did on their British Airways 747-400 enroute to London.
When they finally got underway, the flight was pleasant enough. Nasir waited until they were airborne to have another scotch. Dinner service began about forty five minutes after take off. Nasir had to admit the multi course Joel Robuchon designed meal was nothing short of superb. It started with a tray of several amuse bouche, followed by a choice of hot or cold soup, a choice of main course, an artisan cheese tray and basket of warm, crusty bread. The meal was rounded off by an incredible desert from Café Lenôtre in Paris. On the whole British Airways was still Nasir's favorite airline, but the food on this flight was unquestionably the best he had ever eaten in the air.
After dinner, Nasir watched part of a movie before his scotch and the wine he had with dinner caught up with him. He changed into the provided lounge pants, but opted for the tee shirt he brought to sleep in. When he returned to his seat, it had been made into a bed for him, complete with down pillow and duvet. Nasir got several hours of pleasant sleep under the circumstances before the sunlight in the cabin woke him. He changed back into his clothes and found his bed was a seat again when he returned. Rather than a heavy breakfast, Nasir opted for a couple cups of the good European coffee and a few exceptional croissants.
Air France made connecting at Charles de Gaulle particularly easy for La Première passengers. The nine of them were escorted off the plane to a private elevator at the bottom of which waited their personal Passport Control Officer. If Paris was their destination or not, they were entering both France and the Schengen Area. Terminal 2E and it's related concourses at Charles de Gaulle, was an International Zone and therefore considered to be outside of France. Air France flights from Terminal 2F, where Nasir was headed, were Schengen flights. The Schengen Agreement created a borderless Europe, with the notable exception of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It also created a universal Visa policy. Italy issued Nasir's Business Visa as Italy was where Nasir was going to do business, but Paris was his port of entry into the borderless Schengen Area.
Cars then waited in a special parking area to drive each of them on the tarmac to their next gate or to the terminal for Baggage Claim and Customs. In Nasir's case he was driven to the end of Terminal 2F's B peninsula where another private elevator took him up into the Air France Salon there. Nasir made himself comfortable for a quick forty five minutes, during which he was able to convert some US currency to Euros, before it was time to board his flight to Naples. An easy walk of just three gates distant, the comparatively tiny A321 had a business cabin not unlike any US domestic first class. Just a little over two hours later, he was in warm and sunny Italy.
With fifteen gates, the Naples International Airport was three times the size of the tiny Rapid City, South Dakota Regional Airport they had flown into when they took Seth and Leah home to their people. Apart from that, this was by far the smallest airport Nasir had ever seen. Something else that took Nasir by surprise was the distinct lack of jetbridges. From his aisle seat, Nasir didn't notice that until he reached the door and found boarding stairs. He felt the Mediterranean air the moment he stepped out onto them.
"Benvenuti," the smiling gate agent waited on the tarmac at the bottom of the stairs and directed them toward the building. After their Schengen flight the passengers needed only claim their bags and stroll through Customs where two officers in smart looking uniforms drank coffee and played cards at a table paying none of them any mind at all.
In the terminal lobby waited a boy with a sign that bore Nasir's last name. He wore a short sleeved dress shirt and black dress pants and looked at least professional, if barely old enough to work.
"Hello. I am Nasir al Qasimi," Nasir walked up to the boy.
"Ah, Signoré Qasimi! Benvenuti a Napoli," the boy enthused. "I am Maurizio. Signoré Fusco has sent me to bring you to Positano," Maurizio took Nasir's suitcase from him and led him out of the building. Nasir was certain the boy had translated wrong. Maurizio looked like he was fifteen.
"Is your first time to Positano e Amalfi?" Maurizio asked as he pulled Nasir's bag along behind him.
"It is," Nasir confirmed. "I am looking very forward to seeing it."
"Is molto bella, very beautiful," Maurizio translated himself. "Most beautiful in all Italia. You will see."
Nasir very much doubted Maurizio had seen all of Italy to make that determination, but admired his enthusiasm. They crossed the street at the Terminal curb and entered a tiny parking lot that did not hold more than fifty cars, all of them small. Maurizio led him across the street on the other side of that into another, only slightly larger parking lot. One of the largest cars in the lot, a small, silver BMW 318D, flashed and chirped as Maurizio unlocked it remotely. What Nasir did not see was a driver. Any international traveller had heard of, if not experienced for himself, the lawlessness of Italian roads. He would need someone skilled to get him to the Amalfi Coast alive.
"Where is my driver?" Nasir asked.
"Signoré, I am your driver!" Maurizio spread his arms.
"Are you old enough to drive?" Nasir enquired with a smile.
"Oh, si!" Maurizio laughed. "I am diciotto. I do not know how to say Inglesé. Come!" he opened the rear door. "Be comfortable. I put your bag now."
Nasir took off his suit jacket and seated himself in the back of the small car while the boy stowed his suitcase in the trunk. He made himself a mental note to find out what 'diciotto' meant.
"You would like air conditioning, Signoré?" Maurizio asked as he slid in behind the wheel and started the car.
"I think the fresh Mediterranean air would be nice," Nasir answered.
"When we are out of Napoli," Maurizio dictated and turned on the air anyway. He backed out of the parking space and zipped them away. Nasir gripped his seat when they flew straight through a busy roundabout without so much as slowing down. Outside the airport, Maurizio deftly merged onto a busy freeway that ran the length of the airfield and then merged onto another, larger one that took them through the heart of Naples.
"That must be Vesuvius," Nasir could not miss the volcano that loomed over the whole city and to which they drew ever nearer.
"Si, Vesuvio," Maurizio confirmed nonchalantly. Nasir noticed that the boy didn't seem to mind being in the shadow of the deadly volcano, but it made him uneasy. Until Nasir remembered that Edward's beloved mountain was also a volcano and he worked on it every day. Indeed, Nasir checked his watch, Edward was probably enroute there now.
When they reached the Naples suburbs, Maurizio turned off the air and opened the windows part way. Nasir enjoyed the fresh sea air. The wealthy area of Torre del Greco was a particularly picturesque town, squeezed between it's yacht basin and the foot of the mountain. The freeway took them through famous and ancient Pompeii before turning inland. The countryside of Campania was beautiful in itself as they drew toward a mountain range that was impressive, but not nearly as tall as Vesuvius.
The freeway climbed and turned south again to traverse the narrow pass between two peaks. Once through they descended through the town of Cava di Tirreni, and finally down to the western most edge of Salerno. Rather than follow the freeway into the city, Maurizio took the exit that appeared to head straight toward the sea. Nasir quickly discovered that it was anything but. The narrow, two lane Strada Statale Amalfitana did not go more than fifty feet without a sharp curve as it hugged the side of the cliff. And thus was the rest of the drive as they wound and twisted their way along the steep coast.
They first passed through the quaint village of Cetara where almost a hundred feet of straight road seemed a great blessing. After that was another enclave so small that Nasir doubted a hundred people lived there. He did not see a single sign for a hotel or restaurant. The view all along the coast was nothing short of incredible, though the journey was nerve wracking.
The Ristorante Capo d'Orso appeared, perched on an outcropping of cliff, miles from any town and without any apparent parking area. Several cars lined the cliff side of the road which, tiny though they were, made the road even more narrow. A few miles further the road went around three sides of the Cimitero di Maiori which, like the restaurant, was miles from anything.
With the cliffside cemetery in the middle of nowhere to their backs, they came next to the beautiful town of Maiori. The road straightened and descended into the town where it ran the length of the beach.
"You would like a bottle of water, Signoré?" Maurizio asked as they drove along the beachfront promenade.
"Oh, yes, that would be nice," Nasir answered. He thought Maurizio had bottles of water ready in the car. Nasir discovered he was wrong when his driver steered them to a sudden stop along the side of the road and jumped out of the car. "Allah," Nasir muttered to himself as he watched the boy run across the road and out onto the beach among the umbrellas, chairs, vendors and beachgoers.
Maurizio was back in only a moment with an ice cold bottle of water for each of them. "Here you are, Signoré," he handed Nasir's back to him.
"Thank you," Nasir expressed as the boy put the little BMW in gear and took off. Beyond Maiori they next encountered Castiglione which was no more than a wide spot in the road. If Nasir had blinked, he might have missed the tiny little beach.
Just beyond the next outcropping was Amalfi itself, the town from which the entire coast garnered it's name. Amalfi was as beautiful as any other town they had passed through, if surprisingly small, and had more yacht basin than beach.
Beyond Amalfi was a long stretch of residential area with homes perched up the face of the cliffs. Several miles after the homes ran out, they came suddenly upon the Grand Hotel Tritone. Much like the Ristorante Capo d'Orso, the hotel was perched on the sea side of the road miles from anything. It extended down to the sea and had parking for two cars if they were smaller than the one in which Nasir rode.
Many sharp twists and turns, and three pristine beaches later, they rounded a cliff and were suddenly in another town.
"Positano, Signoré," Maurizio informed. In truth, Nasir was beginning to question if the drive, a little over an hour and a half so far from the nearest airport, was worth it, until he saw the place. Almost immediately Maurizio left the main road and took the even narrower Via Cristoforo Colombo into the heart of the town. Each foot deeper they traveled into Positano, Nasir grew more and more certain that his instinct had been spot on. He hadn't the opportunity to get out of the car yet and already he could see how much this place was the very embodiment of the romantic seaside, cliffside town of many a novel and movie.
Maurizio at last slowed down as the roads grew almost impossibly narrow, sometimes from parked cars, sometimes from the very old buildings themselves. That cars could get into these little towns that dated to ancient times was amazing in itself. They took the Via Pastiniello to the Via Trara Genoino as they wound through the town. The shops, restaurants and cafés were as if from a postcard or storybook. Maurizio turned on the Via Positanesi d'America and finally the Via Marina Grande which quite literally took them to the very edge of the sea. The widest, deepest, most beautiful beach Nasir had seen yet was right outside his door.
The street turned inland again and only a block further, ended in a tiny parking lot at a shaded and picturesque, fountained square, in front of a very old, but exceptionally well maintained church with a magnificent green mosaic dome. Maurizio parked, opened Nasir's door for him and trotted off to pay the lot attendant. Nasir got out as well and stretched his legs. It wasn't just the sights. It was the sound, smell and feel of the place.
"Where is the hotel?" Nasir asked when Maurizio trotted back. He didn't see one.
"Right on the beach, Signoré," Maurizio popped the trunk and removed Nasir's suitcase. "We must go the rest of the way on foot. You will follow me."
"Ah," Nasir reached into the backseat to retrieve his briefcase and jacket. "Lead on."
Maurizio locked the car, took the luggage by the handle and set off toward the church. Nasir followed through the square and around the inland side of the church. They passed through multiple public gardens that were all beautifully maintained. Around the back of the church they found the main entrance of the hotel. Nasir quickly discovered colorful mosaic tiles were a theme in this town. Not at all Moorish in flavor, the tiles on the floor, stairs and around archways were cheerful and either of blue and yellow, or green and yellow.
"Benvenuti, Signoré," the smiling man at the front desk greeted.
"Signoré Qasimi," Maurizio announced to the front desk agent. "I leave you here, Signoré. I tell Signoré Fusco you are arrived."
"Thank you very much," Nasir tucked a hundred Euro note into the boy's hand.
"Grazie, Signoré! Grazie mille!" Maurizio was not expecting a tip at all. "Can I help you to room?"
"No," Nasir patted the young man on his shoulder. "Thank you."
"Addio, Signoré," Maurizio gave a wave as he stepped back and finally turned to leave. Nasir turned his attention to the front desk and set about checking in.
Nasir reflected, as he was escorted to his corner room on the fourth and top floor, that this place was so romantic that it was almost better that Emmett was not with him, or he might not get anything done. Until, that is, the bellman opened the door to his deluxe corner room and ushered him inside. The bellman put Nasir's suitcase on the stand inside the closet and walked into the room, pointing out the amenities as he went. The room was done in emerald and gold colors with a king sized bed, antique dresser with gilt rococo mirror above it, and a comfortable seating area beyond. It was the French doors to the deep terra cotta tiled terrace the bellman opened that did it. There was a wrought iron table and chairs with a mosaic top, and his and his teak deck chairs. The view beyond the wrought iron railing was directly onto the Tyrrhenian Sea. It hurt Nasir in his soul that he could not share this with Emmett.