Chapter 6
Mason
“What do you want now, April?” I asked, squeezed my eyes shut when she sauntered into my office and dropped down in her favorite leather chair.
It was her chosen place to torment me because of the one time she agreed to help me furnish my office after I begged her several times.
Before she had no time for me, but this time she had, and I remembered what a mistake it had been to include her in my professional life.
April never contributed anything to my professional well-being with even simple suggestions, or “how’s your day?
” when I had a shitty day and some over the top clients who felt they were entitled to me day and night and anything in-between, because they paid the law firm which at the time consisted of Halifax, and partners who were too old to do anything or go to court.
When he made me a partner, the money rolled in and that’s when April rolled out of my life and out of my bed, but into someone’s bed at one of the homes I’d owned.
I rarely received a visit from April except to ask for extra money aside from what she got out of her allowance, and that was no small sum.
When we first married and I had become a partner in this law firm, she encouraged me to purchase homes in California and Florida on the pretext we would have to have parties and meet new people who could further my career.
I didn’t know at the time it wasn’t for us or the people we’d socialize with, but to impress her girlfriends, and there were many. I never knew she was into women until I flew in from Europe and discovered she was at our home in Florida, and I walked in on a scene I had yet to remove from my head.
It was then I discovered who was the Dominant in that relationship. Before, I hadn’t taken the time to pay attention to my own life and that April had become a Dominant in this relationship as well. Had I took a breath from working night and day things wouldn’t have remained a secret for that long.
I sat behind my desk close to my checkbook, because whenever she visited me in my office on an upcoming holiday, it was because she needed money for her and her girlfriend to go on a trip to Europe or a ski lodge in Colorado.
“Where is it this time?” I barked. She glanced at me surprised, bit her lip, and behaved as if I was incapable of knowing her not so secrets and not concerned about her intentions or problems. And speaking of problems, after I discovered her extra marital affairs, and I didn’t take the time to divorce her, she came to me with all her insecurities concerning her love life.
I listened, and we came to an understanding—an open marriage.
However, I was never the beneficiary of that arrangement because I had to work to pay for all those homes and expensive trips and cars.
That’s when she thought she could do whatever she wanted to me. Why was she trying to punish me? She got what she wanted and that was a woman, but I never got what I wanted and that was to be free to live my life.
“What no hugs, not even a kiss?” she questioned, raising her arms and extending them out to me as if she thought I would appease her by walking over to her to hug or kiss her.
“It’s not like we don’t know each other and our needs,” she stated, “It’s just that you have chosen to bury your needs for the good of this law firm and your huge salary” I couldn’t take this anymore.
“It’s because I chose this route that you and your little friend, who seems to think I’m made of money and have deep pockets are for want of a better term, chose to extort and blackmail me.”
“What blackmail are you talking about, Christopher? You shouldn’t make that insinuation if you can’t prove it. After all, I’m your wife and it isn’t blackmail to ask your rich husband for spending money for a trip all wives are expecting from their wealthy professional husbands.”
“This isn’t all your doing, April. It’s that girlfriend of yours.” April stood and pranced around my office leaning over my desk as I stood with my hands lodged firmly in my pants pockets waiting for a reply.
April glanced up and over at me with a raised eyebrow. “I wouldn’t say it’s blackmail. I haven’t run to the newspapers, Daily Mail, or Halifax and screamed bloody murder about you being in love with a man, and I didn’t know you were gay.”
“That’s because I’m not involved with any man.” I stood meeting her cold eyes. Halifax knows we are in the process of getting a divorce,” and before she could open her mouth, I said, “He knows I’m bisexual.”
“But does he know you’re not really bisexual? I’d say you are a full-blown gay man. But I haven’t been able to prove that. And when I do—”
“What are you going to do? Get a divorce and ruin your chances of receiving your monthly checks?”
April slanted her head to the side, and quipped, “I could get alimony.”
“Yes, and for how long? You are an able-bodied woman of thirty and can work. I’d say it would be temporary maintenance if at all.
I’m a lawyer remember, and a good one especially in one of the most prestigious and well-connected firms in Manhattan.
Go ahead, I wish you would, because I’m tired of funding you and your girlfriend’s lives when I could have a life of my own.
Your only savior is that I haven’t met a man yet I would do anything for,” I said, thinking about the young man who had just exited my office.
I haven’t met one I’d be willing to give myself to or introduce my employees to yet because once I’ve found that man, I will be devoted and he will be my life partner, and I’ll be done with April and her little plaything once and for all, I thought, staring at April as I reached for my check book and leaned in to sign it.
“So, do you mean give yourself... Are you a bottom? I know something about gay men.”
“Not enough I think, now here, that’s what you came for.
” I threw the check down on my desk after signing it.
She offered a closed smile, picked it up and dropped it into one of those expensive bags that cost four or five figures.
Then she clicked her heels and sauntered in the direction of the door, then turned to face me.
I had hoped she’d just leave because she was working on my tolerance, mind and composure.
“You know you could save us enough time if you just deposited it into my account each month. I don’t relish having to come here.”
And I don’t relish it either, I thought, but for the sake of keeping her here too long or arguing I remained silent.
But not for long. “I know you, April, you’ll spend that money, and still come for an occasional check, and you’re looking for a reason to eye some of the young women we’ve hired.
” She remained silent with a curious smile plastered over her glossy lips, and I knew I was right.
“You could have invited me and my girl to your Christmas party.”
I furrowed my brow and glanced at her, but my emotions got the best of me.
I knew I should have controlled myself, but I had had enough of April.
“Fuck off,” I barked. She saluted, reached for the door, opened it, and closed it behind her.
I breathed a sigh of relief. That could have ruined my night, but I had learned to control myself and my mind to a point.
That may have been the only thing that saved my sanity.
I didn’t know why I allowed April to get under my skin.
Perhaps it was my own fault for marrying her when I knew I’d harbored feelings and had been attracted to men.
I thought it was just a phase I was going through because I wasn’t satisfied with my relationship with April.
I tried to hide my emotions for the same sex, but whenever an attractive man came around me or into my office during business meetings, I had that urge and my cock would twitch. Now I knew why it did.
I guess that was the price I had to pay for staying in the closet for so long. However, it was getting old the way things were going, and especially since I laid eyes on that young man, Clay.
It took a few minutes for me to get myself together. I glanced at a mirror and straightened my tie and wiped the annoyance of April’s visit from my face. I took a deep breath, raised my head, and pretended I had it all together before I stepped in the private elevators.
It appeared David Halifax had the same idea. “How is it going, Mason?” He always called me by my surname.
“The usual, David.” And I greeted him by his first name.
“Is it that bad? I saw April leaving and I knew what that meant. You can’t let her ruin your life.
You need to go out and find that special man.
No one in this firm will judge you. There are several employees who are gay, and if they aren’t, they have someone in their family who is.
Take me for example.” I glanced at David with a raised eyebrow.
“No, it’s not me.” He shook his hands and raised them up as if surrendering to someone or something.
“I’ve been happily married to my wife for over ten years, and we have two small babies. ”
I hoped he didn’t think I meant him because I had been in the closet when I had admitted to him.
It was because I had to decide if I wanted to remain in a place where it wasn’t safe for men to declare their sexual preferences.
I had many offers for my services as a seasoned and accomplished lawyer, but Halifax was small yet powerful.
The Halifax name had been prominent in Manhattan for as long as I could remember.
It had been the Halifax men who made this place a powerhouse.
Most Halifax men had grown old and died, and the rest had retired with their name intact leaving David to run the company on his own. And that’s where I came in.