Nicholas Callahan slowly checked over the list of names on his clipboard, making
sure that he added every person. He only had eight, so he knew that he was forgetting someone...but who?
"Oh, what is that kid's name...?" Nicholas muttered, tapping the pen against his
chin in irritation. "David....David....Benohit or something? Yes, that's it." He scribbled the last name
on the clipboard right as Pierce burst into the office.
"You wanted to see me?" Nicholas' son asked blandly. As usual, he looked
perfect - even if it was 7:00 in the morning. He was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater with gray dress
pants, although the turtleneck had touches of red at the wrists since he was wearing a red cotton shirt underneath.
"Yes, Pierce....I see here on the clipboard that those nine new guests from
yesterday signed up to take a tour of the facility, so would you go take care of that?"
Pierce frowned a bit, his tanned brow crinkling in confusion. He took
the clipboard from his father and stared at it for a moment.
"Dad, they didn't sign up. You just added their names now - "
"So? Like they would mind if a handsome young man woke them up and
showed them the breathtaking beauty that is Sugarbrush Resort and Spa," Nicholas scoffed. "I'm sure those four girls
would appreciate it, at least."
"I'm not interested in impressing those girls - "
"Shut up!" Nicholas tossed the clipboard across the room and grabbed Pierce
by the collar of his shirt. He slammed him up against the closed door and glared at him through squinted eyes while
still holding on to his shirt. "Don't you ever disobey me, boy. I told you that you have a job to do
to this morning, so you better god-damn well do it!"
"What if I don't?!" Pierce seized his father's wrists and shoved him off - hard.
Nicholas went stumbling backward and knocked into the desk. The blow took him by surprise, and Pierce swiftly grabbed
a sharp letter opener and pressed it against his father's jugular vein. "....What if I don't?" he repeated,
his dark brown eyes flashing angrily.
Instead of being intimidated, Nicholas just let out a cold, huffy little laugh.
He quickly snatched the letter opener from Pierce and gripped him by the collar of his shirt with the other hand.
Nicholas growled and pushed his son up against the wall, so hard that the office knickknacks rattled on the shelves.
It was now his turn to press the sharp letter opener against Pierce's neck, although he pressed it just a little bit closer
to the skin.
"Dad, stop it - " Pierce began, fear now coming over his face.
"Oh, so you think that you can be the one to order me
around?" Nicholas sneered, his grip on the letter opener tightening. "Because I don't believe that you are the one who
owns this resort. And if you don't stop acting like such a whiny, snot-nosed brat then you're never going to
own it either!"
"You're going to take me out of the will?" Pierce asked, trying to
remain calm. "I can't believe you would do that to me - after all the work I did here!"
"No, I'll leave you in the will...." Nicholas smiled coolly and pressed
the blade further against his son's neck. "But I'll just kill you now."
"You wouldn't kill me," Pierce stated boldly. "You wouldn't kill your
own son."
"How do I know that you're really my son?" Nicholas gritted his
teeth and peered closely at Pierce's face. "My ex-wife was a whore. She was cheating on me...I know it!
Maybe you're some other asshole's kid - "
"Dad, you know that's not true! You're just being paranoid!"
"Am I?" He gently slid the tip of the blade down Pierce's neck
with a feather-like touch. "Your eyes are brown, Pierce. Mine are blue."
"That's because my MOTHER had brown eyes!" Pierce yelled, flailing his arms
about and knocking the letter opener out of his father's hands. "You know, the mother that I know next to nothing about!"
With an intense anger, he grabbed his father's shirt and brutally shoved him across the room, sending him flying into the
opposite wall. The knickknacks all teetered and then fell down, some of them breaking and shattering into tiny pieces.
Nicholas quickly got up and charged towards his son, but Pierce saw it coming and was ready with a right jab to
the mouth. Nicholas put his hand up to his lip in shock, and when he took his hand away, the end of his
finger was covered in blood.
"Don't you ever threaten me again!" Pierce snarled, getting right in his father's
face. He grabbed the collar of his shirt again as the strong muscles flexed on his arm. With an angry growl,
Pierce slammed Nicholas into the wall once more. Then, he bent down and snatched the clipboard off of the
ground, where it had become buried underneath scattered paperwork and other various articles.
"Have a nice time," Nicholas called from the floor, the blood now trickling
down his chin.
"Fuck you!" Pierce snapped as he jerked the door open and slammed it shut behind
him.
He stomped outside and into the cool, crisp morning air. A light snow had
fallen overnight and blanketed the ground in a sheet of white powder, but Pierce was too upset to appreciate the simple beauty
of it. Usually he liked looking at fresh snow, but the confrontation he had with his father had rattled him. Nicholas
was becoming more and more surly as the days passed, and Pierce didn't know what was bothering him. They often
had their share of arguments, usually about how to run the resort, but never had an argument turned so violent before.
Lately, it seemed as if anything could set Nicholas off.
As he walked through the snow, Pierce reached his hand into his pocket and drew
out his wallet. He stopped for a second and opened it up, revealing the picture that he knew his father would have
his head for if he realized that Pierce had taken it. It was a picture of his mother, and he had stolen it
out of his father's dresser drawer when he was in the office doing paperwork. As far as Pierce knew, it was the only
picture his father had of her, but since it was buried in the depths of his junk drawer, he doubted that Nicholas would miss
it.
He gazed at the black and white photo, noticing the way his mother's
hair fell around her face in soft waves. A few strands looked windblown, and one or two wisps fell down
to perfectly accentuate her large eyes and dark eyebrows. Her lips were full, and her jaw was curved in the same way
that his was. He had stared at that picture for hours at a time, and that was the only trait they both shared -
besides their eyes, which were a deep, dark brown. She must have been young when that photo was taken, probably about
twenty or so - the age that he was now. If he could have one wish, he would definitely want to get to know his mother,
despite all of the horrible stories that Nicholas had shared about her. How could someone so beautiful really
be that bad? He knew her name was Lorelei, but that was it. Now, all he had was an old, worn black
and white photo - and a wish that he could someday meet her.
Sighing heavily, Pierce put the picture back into his wallet and trudged
up to Cabin 620. He had a job to do, and he had to be "on" his game at all times. No sense in standing around
and being sappy when there was work to be done.
Twenty minutes later, Pierce was happily greeting four unenthusiastic guests, and five
love-struck guests - mostly girls, except for one very interesting fellow named Ryan Seaquest, who was no doubt a homosexual.
Pierce was fascinated by him and his interesting wit, but he tried to keep his focus on the girls - it was what his father
would have wanted, no doubt.
"Honey, this place better have solid gold toilets seats and the Holy Grail for
you to get my ass up at 7:00 am," Ryan cracked, running his fingers through his hair, which was perfectly styled. "And
you didn't even bring me breakfast, either," he added. "Unless, of course...I can have you for breakfast."
Pierce let out a shocked little laugh, which sounded more like a gasp of surprise.
He was used to being hit on, sure...but never like that. Usually, he was able to stay calm and handle
the flirtations like a pro, but with Ryan he was never sure what to say.
"Stop it, Seaquest!" Kim hissed, elbowing him in the ribs. "Leave some
for me, alright?!"
"Get in line," Ryan muttered under his breath.
"Well, um...allow me to start the tour," Pierce started, regaining composure.
"I'd like a tour...of his bedroom!" Kim whispered to Ryan, who rolled
his eyes. "Haha, good one, huh?"
"First of all, welcome again to the Sugarbrush Ski Resort and Spa," Pierce began
grandly. "Here we offer the perfect blend of modern comfort and classic elegance in 105 unique guest rooms, luxury suites
and village townhouses. Guests enjoy many on-site amenities, such as two acclaimed restaurants, specialty shops, a year-round
heated outdoor pool, game room, complimentary afternoon tea and cookies, and use of a fully equipped health club offering
a large Jacuzzi, sauna and massage services. The resort also specializes in hosting corporate retreats, meetings, weddings,
and events of all kinds."
"Afternoon tea and cookies, huh?" David said, raising an eyebrow. "Well,
that sounds like a jolly good time! Simply smashing!"
"Right this way..." Pierce turned around and began walking, and all of the
girls automatically rushed forward so that they could check out the goods from behind.
"This...is a nightmare," Scott grumbled to Richard, who was walking next
to him in the back, with the group of boys who didn't want to tap Pierce's ass. "If I would have known that the son
of the resort owner was such a lady-killer, I never would have gone along with this."
"I know what you mean," Richard replied, nodding his head. "Who can compete
with someone like him?"
"I wouldn't worry about it, fellows," David put in as he slowed his pace to walk
by them while the girls chatted up the handsome resort worker in the front of the group. "I don't think our friend Pierce
is interested in banging any of your girlfriends."
"What?" Scott asked confusedly. "Why not?"
"Jodie and Jenn are weally hot!" William insisted. "I would totawwy bang
dem."
"Watch it, William!" Scott threatened. "Lay a hand on my girlfriend and I'll
rip you apart like a badly-wrapped Christmas gift."
"Well, that's not what I meant," David continued with a laugh. "Yeah,
they're both hot...but Pierce seems to be a little...hmm...more interested in Ryan."
"In Seaquest?!" Scott hissed. "Are you insane? Seaquest is...well,
you know."
"Nothing gets by you, does it?"
"Wait, so what are you saying?" Richard wondered. He grabbed David's arm
and held him back for a moment. "Are you saying that Pierce...is gay?"
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of!" Scott scoffed, resisting the urge
to burst into hysterical laughter. "Do you know how many women that guy has banged? We've only been here
a day, and already I've heard all of the old ladies talking about how their friends' sisters granddaughters were fucked
by Pierce Callahan."
"Doesn't matter," David stated matter-of-factly. "Those are just rumors started
by women who wished that they were screwed by Pierce Callahan. He may be charming to the ladies, but I guarantee
that he's never with them."
"How exactly do you know for sure?" Richard demanded.
"I was watching you all check in yesterday. The look he gave Ryan was a lot
more interesting than the way he pretended to be all into kissing the girls' hands."
"That still doesn't mean anything." Richard looked ahead and watched the gaggle
of girls surround Pierce as they all babbled incoherently and asked him stupid questions. He seemed to be handling the
attention well, and didn't act as if he disliked it at all.
"Maybe if Pierce wikes boys, den I might still have a chance with Kim!" William
said excitedly.
"Wills, get a quarter and buy a clue," Scott replied rudely. "Kim's not interested
in you, so move on."
"Weawwy? But - but - "
"No, seriously. Your puppy love act is pathetic. Ugh." Scott
thrust his hand into his pocket and unearthed a package of cigarettes. "Guys, form a shield around
me so Jodie doesn't see me smoking." He quickly lit a cigarette and took a long drag, exhaling the smoke and watching
it curl into the air.
"She won't see it - she'll smell it," Richard said. "I thought
you quit smoking anyway."
"Yeah, well...shit happens," Scott mumbled, knocking some ashes off of the
end. "Besides, she's too busy coming on to Mr. Male Model up there to even notice. The one who is not
gay."
"Whatever, man." David shrugged in response. "But I'm right -
and I know that I'm right. So prepare to feel like a dumb-ass in the coming days."
They reached the "Spa" portion of the Sugarbrush Ski Resort and Spa, and
Pierce led them to the first stop...the year-round heated pool.
"Okay, so here we have the perfect place to cool off from the summer heat
or to warm-up 'aprés ski,'" he informed them with a French accent.
"Wow, Pierce...you know French?" Kim asked in awe. "That's
amazing."
"Yeah, amazing," David repeated sarcastically. "I've only been speaking
French since I could talk, you know. It's not like 'Benoit' is an Arabic name."
"I thought your last name was Benwhoit," Kim said with a smirk.
"Ha, ha." David laughed dryly. "Clever, aren't you?"
"Hey, you guys...check it out!" Jenn broke in, pointing to the center of the pool.
"Doesn't that guy look sort of...familiar?"
They all turned to look at a dark-haired man who was lazily doing laps back and
forth in the inviting blue waters. He did look sort of familiar, but after a moment, Richard looked away -
and that's when he saw it.
While everyone was busy staring at the man in the water, Pierce took the
opportunity to avert his gaze to somewhere more interesting. Then, very slowly, his dark eyes traveled up and down
the length of Ryan's body and the look on his face signaled that he approved of what he saw. Richard nearly had a heart
attack right then, and he quickly shook Scott's arm.
"What?!" he hissed with irritation. "What's your problem?"
"Oh God, he is gay!"
"Who?!"
"Pierce, you idiot!" Richard whispered exasperatedly. "I just
saw him check out Ryan - and I mean really check out."
"Uh...ew..." Scott shuddered. "Wait, were you checking out Pierce?
Are you gay too, Forkiedough? Something you want to tell us?"
"Absolutely not!" Richard replied with a horrified look on his face.
"Now would you focus, please?! What are we going to tell the girls?"
"I'm thinking...nothing. It'd be fun to watch them fawn over a gay guy."
Before Richard could say anything else, Jenn cupped her hands in front of her mouth
and shouted,
"Oh my God, it's Mr. Cain! Hey, Mr. Cain!"
"Is that really Mr. Cain?" Kim wondered, squinting to get a better
view. "Well, slap my ass and call me Sally - it is Mr. Cain!"
The man in question looked up in surprise, nearly getting a mouthful of water
while he was in the middle of a butterfly stroke. He immediately began making his way over to the edge of the pool,
and once he reached the steps he climbed out and walked over to the group.
"Errr, hello there....everyone," Dean said cautiously. "Fancy, uh....fancy
meeting you here?"
"Mr. Cain, what brings you to this resort?" Jenn asked, smiling broadly at
him. "We're here because Scott's mother and Richard's father are getting married - isn't that cute?"
"Or more like nauseating," Scott interjected.
"Well, then! Congratulations!" Dean responded as a grin broke out across
his face. "I'm just here, uh...getting my little morning work-out in. I find that it's always important to keep
in shape, even when on vacation."
"So you're on vacation then?" Kim glanced over Dean's shoulder and noticed
a woman approaching. "That's pretty cool. Even teachers need a break to get away from it all, I guess."
"Errr, right..." Dean seemed a little nervous, but he attempted to keep cool.
"Well, it was nice talking to you - "
The woman got closer and closer, and when she reached the group she put a
hand on Dean's shoulder and said, "Hon, are you done swimming laps yet? I was thinking that we'd take a dip in
that lovely 10-person Jacuzzi that we saw the other day."
"Mrs. Prescott?!" The entire group of former Dullridge High students blurted
out. That's when they realized that, yes, Mr. Cain was on vacation - but he was just on vacation with the married
biology teacher.
"Oh, uh...hello!" she answered joyfully, but with a touch of anxiousness
to her voice. "It's, um...it's a whole bunch of students from last year! How, uh...how amusing."
"Wow...this is awkward," Kim stated in her usual non-tactful way. "Gee,
look at the time! We really should continue the tour! Thanks for showing us the pool, Pierce! And, um...have
a nice time, Mr. Cain."
They quickly high-tailed it out of the pool area, running past the full-service
health club and massage station. No one really wanted to think about Mr. Cain and Mrs. Prescott being on vacation
together, so they tried to forget about what they had just seen.
"Well, now on to the game room!" Pierce said cheerfully. "Hopefully
your teacher won't be in there."
"Hopefully not," Jodie echoed as her and Kim fell into step right beside
Pierce. Jenn hung back so that she could walk by Richard, and Angie remained quiet...as usual. She hadn't
spoken more than two words during the entire tour, and she definitely seemed to be angry about something. But then again,
such was usual for her.
"Hey," Jenn said to Richard as she took his hand and smiled up at him.
"Are you having a good time so far?"
"Yes, I suppose - how about you? Having fun undressing Pierce with your eyes?"
"I am not," she replied defensively. "I'm only undressing you
with my eyes, silly."
"Yeah, right - "
"Did you tell her yet?" William butted in. "Hee hee! Dis is funny,
Jenn...wait until you hear dis!"
"What?" Jenn looked at William, and then back to Richard. "What's so
funny?"
"Pierce is gay," Richard stated simply. Instead of freaking out, Jenn just
glanced at him bizarrely, as if he had two heads. "What? You don't believe me?"
"What are you TALKING about?!" Jenn cried, but then lowered her voice. "Are
you delusional? He's not gay! He's like...well...yeah....not gay!"
"Jenn, I saw him checking out Ryan. He's not interested in Kim
or Jodie or any other woman since Eve. He likes men."
"What do you mean you saw him 'checking out' Ryan?" Jenn asked suspiciously.
"He probably just glanced at him because he had dried toothpaste on his mouth or something."
"That wasn't a glance. You want to talk about undressing someone with
your eyes? Well, that's what he was doing. And he seemed to like what he imagined."
"Wow...hmmm. I guess I better tell Kim so she doesn't waste any more
energy hitting on him - "
"Tell her later," Scott advised. "It's fun to watch them make idiots
of themselves. I find it rather amusing."
"So anyway, Pierce..." Jodie said as she looped her arm through his.
"I just think that this whole resort is gorgeous. I mean, wow! You and your father must have like, the
perfect life running this place."
"Yeah!" Kim quickened her pace and took Pierce's other arm. "Have you
lived here all of your life?"
"Yep, all of my life," he responded with a smile. "I go to school at St.
Joseph's College here in Vermont, and I'm majoring in Resort and Recreation Management, so I'll take over the place after
I inherit it from my father."
"Doesn't that make you nervous though?" Jodie wondered. "Having all
of that responsibility? And all of that pressure?"
"Not really. I was born and raised for it, so I'm used to it.
I've never lived anywhere but on this ski resort."
"Dude, I know that I'm under enough pressure from my parents," Kim
stated, shaking her head. "But for you - wow. They must have high expectations of you."
"Actually, it's just my dad," Pierce responded. "I've never met
my mother."
"Aw, you poor thing," Jodie said sympathetically, patting his arm lightly.
"But yet - you handle it all so well. Your girlfriend must be really proud of you."
"Actually..." Pierce smiled to himself. "I don't have a girlfriend."
"Really?" Kim tried to sound casual, but inside she was screaming like an
overexcited teenage fan of the Backstreet Boys. "Well...that's a shame. Although I wouldn't worry about it.
You just haven't met the right girl yet."
"No, and I probably never will."
"Don't say that! You totally will," Kim insisted. "So tell me...what
sort of qualities do you look for in a girl?"
"Oh, I don't know - "
"Hey, Bitches of Eastwick - get lost," Ryan said witheringly as he pushed his way
in between them. "Quit bugging this poor man and give him room to breathe."
"No, it's fine," Pierce replied reassuringly. "I usually don't get to talk
to guests who are close to my age, so it's nice to hang out with a younger crowd."
"Yeah, Ryan....why don't you get lost." Kim stuck her tongue out
at him, but he just made a face at her in response. "Anyway - "
She was interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing from somewhere in
the group. It was to the tune of "Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting," so they could immediately deduce that it was William's.
"Hewwo?" He answered the phone, sounding frustrated. "Oh, hey mom..."
Even the people in the front of the group could hear her loud, shrill
voice through the receiver. Whatever she was saying to William, it definitely couldn't be a good thing.
"I'm sowwy dat I didn't call you this morning, mom," William apologized sheepishly.
"But we got woken up earwy to go on dis tour thing and - "
"Oh, for God's sakes!" Angie whispered loudly. It was one of the few
times that she had spoken up the whole morning. "Just tell her to buzz off, man. We're not doing anything
bad."
"I can't," William whimpered, placing his hand over the mouthpiece while
his mother still babbled on. "She'll yell at me."
"Let me see that thing." Angie held out her hand, and William reluctantly
gave her the phone. "This is what you do next time when she calls..." With a dramatic gesture, she pressed the
'Exit' button - cutting off William's mom in mid-sentence. She handed the phone back to him with a smirk. He took
it, his mouth agape and his eyes wide with shock.
"I can't bewieve you just did dat," he said in awe. "You wike, hung
up on her!"
"Uhhh....yeah?" Angie replied as if it was no big deal. "That's what
you need to do, William. You're eighteen years old - it's about time you stood up for yourself. She has
no control over you now, especially when you're supposed to be away on vacation."
"But what if she calls back and I get in twouble?"
"You won't get in trouble. Just say that the connection was bad, so
you got cut off."
"But dat would be a WIE!" William gasped, as if the notion of lying had never
even occurred to him.
"So who hasn't lied to their parents?" Angie asked. "This
isn't the 1950's. You can be bad and have an edge. You don't need to be this perfect little son all of the time,
you know."
"I don't?"
"No," she answered pointedly. "Do you think I act perfect
all of the time? Please. Half of the time my mother can't keep track of all the shit I've pulled. And although
I may be reckless and have a dark side, I'm not stupid about it. I still get my shit taken care of, you know what I'm
saying?"
"Well...no..." William answered honestly. "But can you, wike...teach
me?"
"Teach you?" Angie snorted doubtfully, but then a devious smile crept across
her face. "Hmmm...yeah, I suppose I could teach you. But I take this sort of thing very seriously, William.
If I'm going to teach you, you're going to have to be willing to learn."
"I'm willing to wearn," William said boldly. "Um....I'm totawwy weady to
wearn...so yeah."
"Alright then. So what are you going to say to your mom next time she
calls?"
"I'm going to say....uh...I don't know. What am I going to
say?"
"Trick question." Angie rolled her eyes behind the six tons of black
liner. "You don't say anything. You know why? Because from now on, your cell phone will be turned
off." She stuffed the now-silent phone into one of the many pockets of her black coat. "You'll get this back later...after
you've earned it."
"What do I have to do to eawn it?" William asked cautiously.
"Oh, William." She chuckled slightly as she trudged along through the snow
next to him. "Don't ask me that now. We still have a long way to go for that, my friend."
Later that night, Ryan was restless with insomnia. He tried counting
sheep, counting backwards from 100, and he even attempted to recite as many vice-presidents as he could remember,
but it was to no avail. It was 2:00 in the morning, and he was sure that the rest of the group was asleep. Well,
except for Angie, who sat up in her bed and sketched by the light of the moon, which shone in through the window.
She apparently was an insomniac as well.
"Good God, woman. Don't you ever sleep?" Ryan grumbled as he flopped
on his side and smashed his pillow over his head.
"Sleep is for wussies," she responded darkly. He tried to tune out
the sound of the scritch-scritch that her pencil made against the paper, but it seemed to be amplified by a thousand
the more he tried to ignore it. Although, he had to admit to himself that Angie's sketching wasn't really what
was keeping him awake. All day, he couldn't stop thinking about Pierce - which worried him. It had been awhile
since a crush had actually robbed him of sleep. Ryan was always one for maintaining an excellent complexion and avoiding
bags under the eyes, and plus - it was usually the other way around. They were the ones who were supposed to
fall head over heels for him. However, the presence of Pierce was enough to send all of his biological defenses
whirling out of whack. It was nice, but yet...odd. His instincts were telling him that Pierce was definitely gay,
although Ryan had to admit that he hid it very well. He probably wasn't even out of the closet yet. Pierce
seemed to be slightly interested in him too, although he was probably hesitant to be overly obvious about it.
Ryan wondered if he would ever know the truth, but then again...only one way to find out.
"Where the hell are you going?" Angie sneered as she watched Ryan get up
out of bed and throw a coat over his pink and white striped pajamas.
"To see Pierce," Ryan replied simply.
"Pierce? Pierce Callahan?"
"No, the other incredibly hot hunk of a man named Pierce,"
Ryan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Of course Pierce Callahan."
"Is he even awake now?"
"Honey, do I look like Miss Cleo?"
"A little around the eyes," Angie answered teasingly.
"Very funny. Well, I plan to just mosey on down to the lobby and see
if he's in the office. Someone as studious and intelligent as him doesn't need sleep. I bet that he's a real
workaholic."
"Have fun." Angie bent her head and went back to her drawing, not even
giving him a second glance as he opened the door and disappeared into the cold night air.
Ryan quietly crept into the main lobby, being careful not to slam the door
behind him. The entire room was dark, and the fire that had so brightly burned in the fireplace when they first arrived
was now snuffed out. The only sounds were the slight ticking of an antique clock which sat atop the wooden mantel, and
the dull roaring of the wind from outside the window. He looked around for any signs of life, but it was so dark
it was hard to see anything at all. However, right as he gave the place a once-over, he was able to notice a faint
light coming from a room in the back of the lobby.
"Bingo," Ryan muttered under his breath as he slowly made his way towards
the light. The door was shut, although not all of the way. He tentatively rested one hand on the door and pushed
it open, listening to the loud creaking noise that it made. The open door revealed a busy-looking Pierce, who was
occupied with scribbling figures on paper and punching numbers in on a calculator. He looked even more handsome than
before, what with his slightly tousled hair and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses.
"Hey," Ryan said into the dead air, breaking the silence. The sound
of a male voice startled Pierce, and he jumped slightly. When he noticed Ryan in the doorway, a look of surprise flickered
across his face, but then he pursed his pouted lips into a thin line and frowned.
"What are you doing here?" he asked with an edge to his voice. "It's 2:15
in the morning."
"Yeah, okay, so I kind of realized that..." Ryan began, placing one hand
on his hip and leaning against the door frame. "But, you see...I needed more towels."
"You needed more towels," Pierce repeated doubtfully. He leaned back
in his chair and folded his hands across his lap, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow high in the air. "And...why exactly
would I care about you needing more towels?"
"No, the appropriate question would be..." Ryan trailed off, trying to
think of the appropriate question. "It would be...why exactly do men have nipples?"
Pierce wasn't sure whether to start laughing or kick the crazy
loon out of his office. He decided to do neither, but instead just attempted to appear as if he was un-amused by this
witty visitor.
"I see." He picked up his pen and tapped it against the desk. "Well,
Ryan...I really don't have an answer for you. I also don't have any towels for you, because my name is not Norma and
I'm not the maid."
"Well, a fat lot of help you are, honey." Ryan pretended to be offended as
he prepared to make a dramatic exit. He turned around and started to walk off, but then came back two seconds later
and poked his head through the doorway. "Aren't you going to say, 'Wait, don't go!' and invite me in?" Pierce
just stared back at him with that same un-amused expression plastered on his face. "Hmmm...I guess I'll take that as
a no then."
"Do you want to come in?" he finally asked, smirking slightly as he took
off his glasses. "Nice jammies, by the way."
"Oh my God, how sweet of you to offer!" Ryan skipped into the room
and plopped himself down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "And thanks for the compliment about my jammies.
I bought them on sale. Nice place you got here," he added as he glanced around the messy office.
"Gee, thanks." Pierce rummaged around in one of the desk drawers and
procured a bottle of red wine and a glass. "Drink?" he offered to Ryan.
"No, thanks. I'm not really a big wine drinker. I don't suppose
you have the right ingredients for a Sex on the Beach back there, do you?" he asked jokingly.
"Can't say that I do," Pierce replied as he poured himself half a glass
of wine. "I only keep this bottle here to help get me through the nights when I'm stuck doing all of the paperwork."
"But if you get drunk, wouldn't that screw everything up? Like, ' Oh,
I forgot to carry the two! Whoopsie! There goes the budget!'"
"I never get drunk," Pierce informed him. "Trust me, I can't afford
to screw anything up."
"Well, you ever have Sex on the Beach?"
"Excuse me?" Pierce laughed slightly and looked at him reproachfully.
"Sex on the Beach....you know...the drink..." Ryan said, pretending to be
shocked that Pierce had taken him literally. "What did you think I meant?"
"You're an interesting one, you know that?"
"I know. I get told that a lot, as well as a few other choice words
that I won't repeat."
"But to answer your question...I've had neither," Pierce replied, taking
a slight sip of wine. "Such a sad life I lead, what can I say."
"That's okay. I imagine that getting a mouthful of sand wouldn't be
the best thing ever," Ryan said matter-of-factly.
"I...imagine not." Pierce pushed aside his paperwork and leaned
back in his chair again. "So Ryan...tell me all about yourself. What is it that you do exactly?"
"Well, I'm a musical theater major at SUNY," he responded promptly.
"That's the State University of New York, for future reference. I'm a Capricorn, I enjoy Brad Pitt movies, shopping,
singing and hanging out with friends. And I recently won the role of Roger in our school's production of Rent,
although it means that I'll have to make out with girls onstage. Such a pity."
"And why is that a pity, exactly?" Pierce stared at him intently through
his deep brown eyes.
"Because, I mean...ew!" Ryan shuddered, trying not to have flashbacks of the
one and only time he had kissed a girl - at prom last year. "That's just icky. Although it'll be a testament to
my mad acting skills if I can pretend like I enjoy it."
"You've never been with a woman, have you?" Pierce asked, in an almost mocking tone.
"Um...NO!" The thought was clearly appalling to Ryan. "Why the hell would
I do that? How gross. You mean to tell me that you've been with women?"
Pierce looked at him for a moment, as if he was debating whether or not to
answer the question. How he answered would reveal his sexuality, and it was a question that could go either way.
He decided to just tell the truth and keep having the conversation, as if it already had been established that he was gay.
"I've been with two," he finally said casually. "Trust me, you're not missing
much."
"But why? I mean...yeah. I guess I do mean...why?"
"It's complicated. But when you're seventeen years old, confused
about your sexuality, and you've got your father breathing down your neck and practically throwing beautiful ski bunnies at
you to convince you that there's no way that you could be gay, you sort of feel obligated to believe him."
"So...your dad knows then?" Ryan asked.
"I've never stated it directly to him, but he has an idea. It's basically
just another reason for him to hate me and find more faults. But I didn't fully realize that I was gay until about two
years ago, even though I've sort of had a feeling my entire life." Pierce uncorked the bottle of wine and poured himself
another half of a glass. He shifted positions in his chair, leaning forward this time. "And what about you?
A big, huge coming out party, I assume?"
"How ever did you guess?" Ryan grinned at the young man sitting across
from him. "My parents were just like, 'Oh, our son is queer - big freaking surprise. Coffee, anyone?'"
"Must be nice."
"I guess I sort of struck it lucky. They were always really supportive,
and so were my friends. I did have a brief instance of doubt, when I had a flash of insanity and thought that I
might be bi. But that quickly disappeared after I French kissed a girl - my best friend, actually - and nearly threw
up afterwards." Ryan smiled sweetly as he grabbed Pierce's glass of wine and took a sip. "Oooh, now this is good
stuff. Did you crush these grapes yourself or something?"
"I've never met anyone like you before," Pierce said, shaking his head and
smiling slightly. "You're definitely...hmm...one-of-a-kind."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"I'd say good." He took the glass back from Ryan and placed it out
of his reach. "But you really shouldn't be drinking. If you get plastered, I won't know what to do with you."
"I never get drunk," Ryan replied in the same tone of voice that Pierce had
used earlier. He reached across the desk and gently slid the glass back towards him. "So now that I've babbled
about myself, talk about you."
"I can't just randomly talk about myself. I might end up saying something
that I'd regret later."
"I'll quiz you then," Ryan offered. "If you could have anything in
the world, anything at all...what would that be?"
"I'd want to meet my mother," Pierce answered immediately. "I've gone
twenty years without a mother, and I think I'm owed one."
"How come you've never met your mother?"
"Her and my father divorced when I was just a baby," Pierce explained.
"According to my dad, she's a simple-minded, vicious, backstabbing bitch who left us when we needed her the most. But
after they divorced, she moved away and my dad stayed here at the ski resort with me."
"Do you know anything about her?" Ryan asked softly.
"All I have is an old photo of her that I stole from my dad's room." He paused,
then tentatively added, "....Do you want to see it?"
"Of course."
Pierce smiled and reached into his wallet for his mother's photo.
He had never shown it to anyone before because having friends at the resort was not something that he usually encountered,
but he felt this incredible connection with Ryan. It was like he actually cared about him and his life, and like
he could possibly understand him and all of the frustrations that he had bottled up inside. No doubt that Ryan
understood what it was like to be gay, but it was more than that. He had the ability to understand Pierce
as a person, and not just as a pretty face.
"Here she is," he said, handing Ryan the worn black and white picture.
"She was probably about my age when it was taken."
"Wow, Pierce. She's..." Ryan took the photo and glanced at it,
but then he did a double take as his green eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Oh, holy mother of Streisand
- she was RICHARD'S mom! She was definitely younger in that photo, but there was no doubt about it - the eyes and bone
structure was a definite match for Lorelei Forkiedough. He managed to choke out a gasp, but tried to pull himself
together when he saw Pierce looking at him curiously.
"She's...she's...." Should he tell Pierce that his mother was a college
professor back home and that his own half-brother was one of the guests at the resort? Usually, Ryan had a snappy comeback
or a smart remark for every situation, but now the words just didn't seem to form. "...She's beautiful," he
finally finished, handing the photo back to Pierce. "Just like her son."
"Thanks," Pierce replied, almost shyly, as he refolded his wallet and stuck it
back into his pocket.
There was a silence in the air, as they waited for the other person to speak up
next. But at that moment, Ryan didn't want to be the one to utter the next word. All he wanted to do was lean
across the desk, run his fingers through Pierce's wind-blown, slightly messy brown hair and then kiss his full, pink lips
- the ones that were taunting him like they were two pieces of the forbidden fruit. Well, screw that whole "forbidden"
thing. He wanted to touch his hair and see if his skin was really as soft as it looked. He wanted to get a better
whiff of the subtle-yet-spicy cologne that wafted into his nostrils. He wanted to kiss him...badly.
And so that was exactly what he did.
After the initial shock of Ryan lunging across the desk and attacking
his lips wore off, Pierce slowly fluttered his eyelashes and found himself swimming in a pair of large green eyes.
What had just happened? It had been so long since he had been kissed by someone...he really did live a sheltered
life. And it had been an even longer time since he had felt that familiar chill run through him whenever someone's
warm lips were pressed against his own.
"Say something," Ryan demanded quietly. "Something...anything.
Tell me that I need Chapstick...hell, even tell me that the gestational period for an elephant is twenty-two months.
Just say something."
"I'm dangerous," Pierce breathed, closing his eyes again. "You shouldn't
have done that."
"Why not?"
"Because...because...I don't know. I just...you should go now."
"If you don't think that I can handle you, trust me...I can," Ryan said with
a cocky smile. "But okay. I'll go then." He turned to leave.
"Wait..." Pierce stood up behind the desk and leaned in slightly. "Why
did you come here tonight? And don't say because you wanted towels."
"To see you, of course." Ryan felt that the answer was obvious - how
could he not know? Could someone as gorgeous and perfect as Pierce even have the slightest shred of self-doubt?
"But...why?"
"I think the more appropriate question would be...why not?"
Ryan smiled knowingly at Pierce, and he looked astounded for a moment. But then, his face relaxed and he gradually
smiled back. "Goodnight, Pierce. Get some sleep, would you?"
"Goodnight, Ryan." He walked to the doorway and watched him leave,
but he still felt very much affected by his presence.
