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 Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:08 am
It was only a week after the end of Searan's vacation and already the skies were darkening once more. There was a large number of former hosts who backed out of their desire to continue working for him; they were too blissfully happy at the job their customers offered them. There was a drop in the members since, even in this economy, a man can go from millions to mothballed in the course of a year. The man was even having difficulties with his own relationship again after just patching things up with his beloved. He wasn't sure of the details, but Viran wanted his space so Searan reluctantly agreed to it. At this rate I'll die of celibacy before anything else. To add insult to injury, he found his first gray hair and his ulcer that was finally healing, started to bleed again. There wasn't much more the usually optimistic Searan could do besides wait it out and hope for the best...although even the weather was against him. "Raining again, huh? Why don't you just drown us all?"
Searan leaned his palms on the window and pressed his forehead to the cool, slightly damp surface. His breath was clouding a small area with a opaque fog that was almost as dense as his internal haze. Unfortunately, it's not as easy to wipe away that cloud as it is to draw little hearts and squiggles on the window. It was a very common coping technique since he was a teen working in a Gentleman's Club: see a window, fog it up, write your wish. If no one sees the wish before it disappears, then God will grant it. It was worth a shot, right? Searan wasn't expecting Brad for a while, there weren't any other scheduled appointments, and the office still wasn't reopened for walk ins. With that guarantee under his belt, Sear huffed and puffed a huge circle and started writing his wish for Viran to return and the club to be a success.
"Quit being a pessimist, Sear. This is what happens when you take on a younger lover and you know that. Get your a** in gear and restart your club or else Stefan will smite you."
He paused for a moment and stepped back.
"Actually that might not be such a bad deal."
Searan took in a harsh breath and shook his head; this wasn't like him. This was not how Searan behaved. This was NOT the way an almost 30 year old adult with dozens of employees to support should act. He learned at a very young age that personal agendas and emotions must be stuffed away and hidden when there is business to be done. The customer is always right, and you need to look out for your family of underlings first. There was a time and place for everything, but this was neither the time nor the place for a grown man to throw an emotional hissy fit like his daughter used to do when she was 10. "Pull up your bootstraps, Searan, and get to work. Viran wouldn't want you like this anyway so quit being stupid. You have Brad coming in a half hour to discuss his retirement so get the papers ready...and stop talking like that."
With a harsh slap to the cheeks, which reddened at impact, Searan returned to his office chair and started pulling out the necessary forms. There was the old contract, a new contract, a stack of resumes and pictures, and..."And the set of earrings I forgot to give Viran when we got back." With just a single glance at the fuzzy blue box, Searan's enthusiasm went out the door and into the gutter and straight down to the deepest, darkest depths imaginable. Dramatic? Yes, but the young boss was never the type to have his feet on the ground. He let out a sigh and finished pulling out the necessary papers and piling them neatly before resting his head down on the desk for a nap. "Hurry up and come, Brad, so I'm distracted."
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:22 am
The stoic Italian wasn't one to grant wishes, but in Searan's case, he was fit to do so. Twenty minutes early to his appointment, the gentle giant of a man slipped into the familiar space of Searan's Host Club. With the door to his back, closed and secure against dirty New York rain, a large hand unzipped his simple black jacket and drew the plain grey hood off his head. Brad shook out his short black hair, removing his jacket and hanging it up before he actually said anything.
"Searan?" Indigo eyes didn't have to search far for the man he once called boss, a smile curving his lips. Unlike the last time they met, this one was more genuine, the trauma of time and circumstance mostly erased from his youthful features. Rolling his shirt-sleeves up and adjusting his open collar, he strode across the floor of the main room that he knew so well. Even after all the time that had passed, Brad bet he could still waltz through there with his eyes closed. Somethings...the heart simply didn't forget.
He clapped the younger man on his back good-naturedly, offering his other hand to shake and not in the least bit concerned that he might have awakened Searan from a nap. They had a meeting, after all, and the sooner it was over, the sooner the tired man could find a bed to properly dream the day away in. "Hey, Sear. Been a while, my friend, and you're looking like it's been a lifetime," he greeted his once-employer in a gentle, albeit observational manner, his gaze sweeping over Searan's face.
The more things change, he told himself with a bite of irony, offering up another light smile. He was glad that it seemed some things did stay the same.
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:51 am
Searan was too wrapped up in headdesking and fondling the earrings case that he didn't notice at all when the tall man opened the door and came in. He didn't notice when the zipper broke the silence. He didn't notice when the noisy rain jacket was pulled off and hung up. He didn't notice his name being called. He didn't notice anything until the pat on his back jerked him back to reality. His head shot up faster than a hammer on a carnival game and his hand nearly flung the earrings back into his desk drawer. The smaller redhead let out a small, strained chuckle and stood up. His tie was adjusted, collar flattened, coat brushed down, and hand extended in a shake all in a matter of seconds. "B-Brad, you're here early! Did you, uh, are you enjoying the weather?" Very eloquent there, Sear. He TOTALLY won't notice that you're off your game tonight.
It didn't hurt to hope that maybe, just maybe, Brad didn't notice the slight trembling of his body and his slightly red eyes. Searan put on his sunglasses and flipped on the light switch. "Sorry it was dark, I was resting my eyes since I wasn't expecting you for another," he took a glance at his Rolex, "fifteen minutes. No big deal, though! Come on and make yourself comfortable." He tried to ignore the lifetime comment and swiftly pulled up a chair and patted it for Brad. "This meeting shouldn't take long depending on how picky you are with your replacement candidate. We will be going over your old contract to see what went down and whether I need to make up for any forgotten promises or anything. After that, I will introduce you to a new contract that guarantees you a housing allowance and unemployment until you get a new job. The third part involves finding your replacement and, last but not least...maybe another job at the club?"
The last contract was for a position as secretary, something he was originally planning to give to his younger lover. It was typically a just-for-show job, but with Searan's life being stored in a pressure cooker, he felt that he needed a legitimate secretary. One that did not and could not tempt him in any way shape or form, to be precise. Brad was the perfect candidate for that since he got himself a lover, something even the usually promiscuous man wouldn't mess with. Hey, if someone could be happy...let 'em. "We'll discuss that later, though. Let's start with this," he pushed forward the old contract. "Under the rules on dating, your contract was terminated and your retirement implemented when you started a serious relationship. When did it start? I want to be accurate with the accounting this time." Sear offered a small smile that carried a twinge of jealousy and barely managed to get out "I'm happy for you" before his voice was lost.
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:08 am
A dark brow lofted at the inquiry to the weather, followed by a quirk of his lips into a grin, showing some teeth. "Actually, I am. It means staying in and no working on site," he replied amicably, using both hands to shake Searan's one. He was positive that in all the time he'd spent in the Club and the few times he'd spoken with Searan, the man had never once stuttered. If the question wasn't off-color enough, his demeanor was; the Italian was both cautious and concerned at once, although he kept it to himself for the moment.
"You can keep the lights off you want, Sear, I'm not entirely blind yet in my old age." The joking was to keep the situation light, but that became slightly more difficult to do when the jovial man unleashed more words in one minute than Brad had ever heard him say in their time together. Not that Searan was chatty, but he was often to the point - at least with the ex-Host - and it seemed unusual. Then again, the raven-haired man used to be one of privacy and solitude, so he possibly wasn't the easiest man to approach. The age-old saying about change returned to him, only able to offer up a smile at the other man's words. "Alright. One thing at a time, then."
Brad wasn't exactly the most observant man, but the strange way Searan was smiling at him was setting off all sorts of red flags and alarms. Having not taken a seat yet, he dragged his chair next to his ex-boss and sat down, shamelessly putting an arm around the shorter man and leaning over to give him a partial embrace. "It's just me, Searan," he murmured softly in the auburn locks, "breathe, will you? Tell me where you've been, what happened." His off-blue eyes ticked towards the papers on the desk, putting his free hand over the documents and tapping them with his fingers. "I can listen while I read and sign."
He didn't mention that Searan didn't owe him anything, now. He lived in a beautiful condo with a man who both complimented and completed him; while he was on top of the world, it seemed that the one who had everything had taken a small topple. Or, at least, Brad hoped it was small. He pulled back from Searan enough to look the man in his sunglass-covered eyes, his expression curious but not pushing. The Italian truthfully didn't know Searan enough to push, which in that moment, he was regretting.
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:44 am
Searan was already half way into explaining what will happen when the first contract when he started to slow down. He was running out of breath (shockingly enough) and he got a little woozy, but none of it showed on his face or frame. He was a lot of things, but the man wasn't one to show when he's pushed himself too far in front of anyone other than his closest of friends. And even then he struggled with showing his true self because even he didn't like his true self. Sear wanted to be everyone's best friend, optimistic, and all but flawless in as many eyes as possible. It could be damaging to his business if he was anything but, especially now. If there was one hint that he was not back on his game, SHC's investors would pull so far out of the deal that even the reserves of Stefan's inheritance that was given to Searan couldn't make up for it.
It appeared that mind wanderlust was out in full force this season. He hadn't realized that he had stopped talking all together and his body wasn't budging. It wasn't until he felt the warm embrace from the other man that his mind returned to the present situation. It had felt like ages since he was last touched, last hugged, by someone. Viran, according to Searan, had forced himself to allow the couple to be close together and touching during the last bit of their vacation. That was over a week ago, which was almost a year in Sear-time, and Brad's touch almost seemed foreign. Well, it was foreign. Unlike his relationship with Stefan, Searan did not once sleep with someone else when he was with Viran. This was the first time he had been gently hugged by another man in a long, long time.
Again, the man didn't realize he had stopped talking while he was getting even more lost in his scatterbrained head. His ears were barely listening, but he did manage to catch the jist of what Brad was saying. He shook his head, "I know it's just you and I am breathing. It just hurts a little, not bad~ I don't disclose my medical problems to my staff but I guess it doesn't hurt when a friend is worrying, right?" His golden (fake) smile beamed, "It's nothing more than some minor indigestion. I had a lunch that is trying to fight back against my tummy. Very~ minor, only a slight case of wooziness and ADD. I apologize for rambling on without making sure you were understanding what I was saying. Would you like me to start from the beginning or would you prefer to---oh, read. You said that already, silly me!"
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