Episode 006, Season One

Jed layed in bed, his arm thrown over Steve. He thought about the first time he and Steve had made love...nervously and clumsy. It felt as if he still had that tingle - that wonderful throb - in the pit of his stomach. He then knew that he was falling in love, something that hadn't happened in a very long time. He had always felt that life was some thing of a tease: always dangling a few carrots in front of you but never allowing one to have the entire bunch. Now, it seems, he had found some way to grab onto everything; having it all, he guessed. His dream of a magazine is about to be launched, his two best friends are helping him with bringing Blade to life and he was in love. It was almost...perfect. Jed smiled.
The only thing that seemed out of place was his mother's actions the other night during dinner. She seemed, well, okay. Jed didn't seem to want to make a big deal out of whatever was bothering him. It just seemed like his mother was a little, well, off...no, pre-occupied. However that should not be much of a surprise to him since his mother has never been quite the same since the death of his father.
Steve stirred and rolled over to face Jed.
"Morning," Jed said.
"Mmmm, good morning," Steve said his eyes still closed and a sudden smile spread across his face.
"Did you sleep okay?"
"As always with you, I slept beautifully."
Jed smiled, caressed Steve's face and kissed him. "You hungry?"
"Yes, but not for food."
"You're a dirty boy!"
"Nope, not dirty. Maybe a bit nasty..."

There was something that wasn't right, Nick thought. Maybe it was throwing themselves back into something that probably hadn't healed just yet. Sure, two years was probably enough time for he and Ben to heal their differences and even with Ben having something of an affair with Joey must have put some kind of a heal to whatever was going through his mind once Nick decided to leave Port Wayne and move to New York. However, there's still some kind of a spark between he and Ben. Nick knew that it wasn't something he was trying to convince himself of because when he returned to work for Jed and Ben had called him up to ask him out to dinner there was something in the air...something.
Nick looked over at Ben, sleeping peacefully. Maybe there are changes that they both faced over the past two years that is making him feel that something isn't right. Maybe Ben, once an admitted sex addict, wanted to change. He somehow seems a bit different. Still handsome. Still smart. Still...sexy in his own right. Probably not as sexy as Matt Galveston.
Nick blushed a bit. It was good to see Matt and surprising to hear that he decided to move his operations to Port Wayne in order to get away from the nearly brutal crawl of trying to run a business in New York and the shady plastic veneer of Hollywood. It was only a few months ago that they met at a film festival where Matt's new film was featured. During the Q&A after the film, Nick had stood up and asked a question about his subject matter and, later, Matt had caught up with him and asked him to join him for a coffee. They talked long into the night, sharing cultural opinions on film, music and art. They met up again for an interesting dinner where Nick discovered that Matt had come from an upper middle class family but made friends with inner city kids. This blend of suburban boredom and urban thrills mixed with growing angst had given Matt his artistic edge. Nick had become intrigued. They met again for a quick lunch when they both had news of their pending departures from New York: Matt to promote his film and Nick to go write for Blade. It was the last time they had seen one another. Up until the other night...and now they both have the opportunity to become friends.
Ben yawned and stretched. He rolled over and placed a hand on Nick's bare torso, which he began to rub.
"Good morning," Nick said.
"Yeah, morning. What time is it?"
"Uh...a couple of minutes after six."
"Mmmm, I could sleep in a little more or..." Ben moved closer to Nick, bringing their bodies together. "I could show you how I can get rid of this, um, problem."
Maybe some things haven't changed, Nick thought. He remembered that Ben always woke up with the same problem. Nick giggled.

This morning's jog was refreshing, Damien thought as he prepared to take a shower. There was something about the open road on quiet mornings that caused him to think more clearly. Nearly all of his best ideas came to him while he jogged on those free mornings when it was just him and the pavement.
Once he was under the spray of the cool water - which he would slowly heat up over the next few minutes - Damien thought of his dinner with Matt the night before and how they had gotten to know each other. Matt was one sharp guy, but he seemed to enjoy Damien's company. He takes no nonsense and is quite open with his opinion. Damien was nearly offended when Matt told him that he didn't seem like a snobbish and bratty rich kid. Actually, Damien had kind of found it a bit funny, as that was what he was...well, at one time in his life. Damien stood still for a moment. He felt as if he has to change. It seemed that something had snapped inside of him once he saw the raw expression of bliss on Jed's face when he offered Damien a job at his new magazine. Sure, as rich as Jed and his family is he could have easily just walked out, bought a magazine and probably would have been in circulation for years now. However, back in college Jed had stated that he wanted to gain experience and travel through the annals of magazine publishing and journalism before landing his dream of starting up a one-of-a-kind gay periodical. And that is exactly what he did, working first as a pup reporter for some small town rag back in Wisconsin and working himself up to editor-in-chief of Pride Magazine. It wasn't until the owner/publisher disagreed with the direction that Jed wanted to take his magazine that Jed felt that he'd gained enough experience through the years to obtain a fading bar rag and turn it into a major publication.
Damien had to admit, he admired that. And all he - Damien - had done for his entire life was to live off of the money his parent supplied him with until he got his trust fund which could have sent him into early retirement and a very comfortable life for him and his offspring for years to come, if he ever decided to jerk off into a cup and buy some un-maternal lesbian off. However, children were not in his future. Becoming friends with Jed had somehow stirred something inside of him, and seeing how...what...how Nick had somehow clawed his way from humble beginnings had somehow made Damien rethink his directorial undertaking. But, man, how that Nick thought so fucking highly of himself just like some poor misery-loving heroine of some daytime drama. Ick! It made Damien sick just to think of it. But, he and Nick have known each other a long time and Damien did - somewhere inside of him - want to bury the hatchet, and not just in Nick's forehead. Maybe Matt is the thing life is rewarding him with for trying to conform himself into what people think he should be.
Ah! Matt Galveston...just thinking of him made Damien the most excited he'd been in a very long time...

Jed was preparing to leave, looking through his cloth briefcase for the final details on the launch party and the re-check his schedule. Steve had come from upstairs and wrapped his arms around Jed.
"Busy day?" Steve asked.
"I'm launching a magazine here, everyday is a busy day. What have you got planned?"
"I'm going to look through some properties and I've got a couple of chefs to interview. I was thinking of taking your mother's advice and using your step-father help."
Jed froze. He took Steve's arms from around him, turned and placed his hands gently on Steve's shoulders. "Hey, babe, I love you but I want you to get one thing straight: that man has nothing close in relations to being any kind of a father-thing to me. He's the man that my mother chose to marry. To me, he's just Logan Marshall."
A shiver ran down Steve's back while he looked at the serious glance in Jed's eyes. "What's up with you two?"
"I've never liked Logan. There is something about him and I think he used my mother to gain a position in this town..."
"Certainly, owning some hotels and resorts I'm pretty sure he's made his name on his own."
"I can't prove it, but he used her somehow. He only owned two pieces of property when he started to court my mother."
"Jed, don't you think you're over-reacting?"
"No. I think my mother was lonely when my father was killed and I went away to school and took the first punk what walked in front of her. Its a decision she made that I have to respect."
Steve thought for a moment. He couldn't see anything particularly wrong with Logan, except there was a demonic air about him but Steve chalked it up to his freakishly handsome face. He decided right then and there to not interfere with Jed's family connections. "I'm sorry. Hey, did you notice that you said that you love me?"
Jed smiled. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?"
"I love you, too, Jed."
Jed took Steve's face into his hands and leaned down to kiss him.

Ben had to leave the office to meet with the contractor to one of his job over lunch. They met at Parkside Cafe across the street from the Center City Park. Ben felt as if things in his life were pretty good. He and Nick seem to be on a good course, his business was doing really well and several meetings with SAA seemed to have him feeling pretty good about his life.
When the contractor left, Ben decided to stay and have another cup of coffee to reflect on how satisfying his life was turning out to be. He somehow knew that Nick was right for him long ago and could kick himself in the ass for being such a prick. And then there was Joey, sweet kid that he is, Ben somehow felt that Joey was not mature enough to handle such a commitment with him. Especially such a commitment from a recovering sex addict. When Ben and Joey dated, Ben found himself suppressing his sorrow over loosing Nick and reverting back to his old ways of having sex with nearly any guy he could come in contact with...and a couple of girls in the process. No, it would have been too much for Joey to handle.
When he heard that Nick was returning to Port Wayne, Ben cautiously thought about a reunion, albeit one where he could possibly turn things around. That's when he decided to call up a local chapter of Sex Addicts Anonymous.
After the coffee, Ben walked across the street to the park. One of the things he contributed to keep him libido at bay was to take a walk. He strolled through the park while he thought, once again, of the direction his life was taking him. Then he noticed someone taking photographs of a hunky guy with black hair dressed in a loose pair of jeans and a tight wife beater. As Ben got closer he discovered the photographer was Joey. There was a tingle in the pit of his stomach and he froze for a moment. The model looked up at him which caused Joey to take his attentions off of his camera and look towards the direction of his model's eyes.
"Ben! Hey, how's it going?"
"Fine, Joey. Everything is fine."
"Take five, Jon." Joey said to the model.
The model looked familiar to Ben. He was a model so, of course, there would be a fair amount of familiarity. Joey walked over to Ben.
"I thought you'd be working at the magazine at this time of day," Ben said.
"I am allowed some work hours to take pictures. Besides, this is a little work. A favor for a friend of a friend."
Ben and Joey stood looking into each other's eyes. There was a slight tension between them. Ben wanted to say something but he couldn't think of anything. Luckily he saw the model approach them out the corner of his eye. It was a good excuse to force himself to look away.
Joey, too, could not hold the stare. He noticed his model coming up to them. "Ben this is Jon."
Ben and Jon shook hands.
"I should be going," Ben said. "Um, I guess I will see you later. Nice meeting you Jon."
"Yeah, man, likewise."
Ben walked away from Joey and Jon and felt his body become warm. His knees where somewhat weak and his heart began to race. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.
"Hello?" he heard Nick say.
"You working from home today?"
"Of course. Where are you?"
"On my way to your place. And I'd really like it if you're naked when I arrive..."

Episode 005 - Season One

Steve smiled after he answered his cellphone. It was Jed.
"Hey, are we still on for tonight?" Jed asked.
"We sure are!"
"Okay, I'm about to drop something on you; it was supposed to be a surprise but I'd rather not corner you with such a big step."
"What are you talking about?"
"Would you like to meet my mother and her husband?"
Steve thought it strange that instead of Jed asking him to meet his parents, he worded the question as meeting his mother and her husband. But who is he to judge the chocie of words his boyfriend is using? Besides, it's kind of exciting...no one ever asked him to meet the parents before. "Yes, I would like to meet your parents."
"Okay. I will pick you up at six-thirty."

Nick walked into Jed's office just as he hung up.
"There's that goofy grin again," Nick said. "I take it that you just finished talking to Steve?"
"Yeah, and, guess what? I'm taking him to meet my mother over dinner tonight."
"Oh, wow, that's is...wow...you know I think Helene is going to love him."
"You don't even know him yourself."
"And who's fault is that?"
"Why don't we all get together for drinks sometime next week?"
"Now you're talking."
"Okay, what can I do for you, Nick?"
"Uh...you know, I forgot why I came to the loft..."
"Talk about goofy."

Damien sat in his cubicle, working on his own fact checking concerning a movie star's sudden leave of abscene from 'the scene' and found that he could not stop thinking of Matt Galveston. Matt was nice enough to give him his phone number when they had a drink, and Damien had been somewhat smitten since then. He hates to admit it, but maybe Ben was right: maybe he did need a little romance in his life. After all, he was trying to change wasn't he? And if he called Matt he could always use the excuse that he wanted to do an interview with him.
Damien picked up the phone and dialed Matt's number.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Matt, this is Damien."
"Who?"
"Damien Chastain, we met the night before at Nexus."
"Oh, yeah, the entertainment guy. How's it going?"
"I'm doing fine. I wanted to know if maybe you'd be interested in having dinner some night. I mean, being new to Port Wayne, I figured you could probably use a guide."
"Hey, not a bad idea. Sure, why not?"
"How about tonight?"
"Sorry, tonight won't work. I'm busy with my new project."
Damien didn't want to sound desparate, but, damn, Matt does something to him.
"How about tomorrow night?" Matt asked him.
"Okay, that will work. How about Caverns?"
"Uh, no can do...too rich for my blood."
"My treat. I know how you documentary filmmakers live on a tight budget."
Matt gigled. "Turn down a free meal? Me, a documentary filmmaker? Never!"
Damien giggled. Then he thought that he couldn't remember the last time he felt so...giddy.

Steve was a bit nervous about meeting Jed's parents. He composed himself by imagining that it was no big deal and that he and Jed had been together for years and it was just another night with the in-laws. They pulled up to the mansion that sat on the outskirts of town and got out of the car. Steve fumbled with himself and Jed assured him that he looked fine. Jed rang the doorbell and when the door opened, a tall, demonically handsome man answered.
"Jed, its good to see you!" the man said.
Jed was non-chalant, almost vacant."Hello, Logan. This is Steve. Steve, this is my mother's husband Logan Marshall."
"Logan Marshall? Of Chilton Estates?"
"The one and the same. Its very nice to meet you, Steve." Logan said, then eyed him suspiciously.
Jed and Steve stepped into the entrance hall.
"Jed!"
Everyone turned around to see a small and elegant woman with a slight southern accent walk into the entry way..
"Mother!" Jed said and took the woman into his arms. "Its so good to see you."
"You too, my son! And who is this?"
"Mother, I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Steve Lassiter. Steve, this is my mother Helene Langton-Marshall."
Steve nervously shook Helene's hand. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Langton-Marshall."
"It's very nice to meet you, Steve. And, please, call me Helene. Come, welcome to my home..."

The thing about trying to come up with a new project when one has a bit of writer's block is that there are a thousand things to write about, but one can never quite get in tune with a starting point. Even using the tried and true exercise of writing about his surroundings sort of drove Nick nearly out of his mind. He sat inside of a coffee shop, the power in his laptop draining while he sat staring at the screen and thought about maybe searching the internet for anything. He was about to give up but thought that maybe he should give it another try. He got up from the table and went to order another coffee.
Walking up to the cashier he looked around at the patrons. His eyes landed on someone who's face was cast downward, his mind seemed focused on the notebook he was writing in. He looked familiar. Wait a minute!!! Nick walked up to the table the guy was working at.
"Matthew Galveston?"
The guy looked up. "Nick? Nick Fuller...aw shit!!"
Matt sprung up from the table and threw his arms around Nick, bring him into a deep bear hug.
"What in the hell are you doing in Port Wayne?" Nick asked.
"Uh...what are you doing here? I heard that you went to write for some magazine."
"Yes, here, for my friend Jed Langton."
"Oh, that's right. I do remember you speaking of Jed Langton. Hey, why don't you join me and we can catch up?"
"Okay. Just let me order another coffee and grab my computer..."

Jed, Steve, Helene and Logan were sitting in the study conversing over pre-dinner cocktails. The atmosphere was light and friendly. Logan appeared to be charmed, Jed thought, but why wouldn't he be? Steve is a beautiful piece of work.
"Would anyone like a refresher?" Logan asked.
"Yes, I would," Jed said. Logan walked over to the bar.
"You have a very beautiful home, Helene," Steve said.
"Thank you dear. How long have you lived in Port Wayne?"
"Only a few months. I came here from Rome."
"Yeah," Jed pitched in. "Steve is going to open up a new restaurant."
"Have you found a location yet?" Logan asked, handing Jed his scotch on the rocks.
"I have a few locations I'm looking at."
"You should allow Logan to help you," Helene said. "he not only has a talent for location but a very nice network of friends. You two talk about it. Jed, can I see you in private for a moment?"
"Sure, mother."
Jed and Helene walked into the ajoining library.
"What is it, mother?"
"Well, you know Theodora Raines?"
"Of course. What's up with her?"
"Well, she asked if I new of a private investigator. I told her that I didn't but I knew that you could provide some information."
"Okay, that should be no problem. I will just call her up and suggest someone."
"Why don't you give the information to me, dear, I mean, she might be a tad embarrassed."
A puzzled look crossed Jed's face for a second. "Sure, mother..."

"So, Steve, how long did you live in Rome?" Logan asked.
"Oh, since I was about eightteen."
"Rome is a truly beautiful city. I've been once or twice myself."
"Oh, really?'
Just then, Jed and Helene returned to the study.
"I do apologize for the interruption," Helene said. "And I think dinner is just about ready..."