THE GENTLEMEN'S CLUB
Adam

Written by Lady Poetess
egiggles at moose-mail.com
http://www.asstr.org/~bbp

Please do not reproduce on any website without permission. This
story has no resemblance to anyone dead or alive.


ONE

"Promise me you'll never look at another guy while I'm gone,"
Robert Mariano said as he took the right hand of his lover and
kissed the wrist.

Adam Rodriguez laughed. "Shouldn't I be the one paranoid here as
you're the one leaving me?" he teased.

"No, because I am crazy about you, man, and I'm coming back in a
month," Rob replied. He lifted Adam's hand so that they could both
see the ring he had placed on Adam's finger earlier that evening.
"It's a great rock," he murmured. "I like seeing you wear it."

"Well, I like wearing it," Adam said before pressing his lips to
Rob's. "And I'm crazy about you too."

"I like you wearing this too," Rob said with a grin as he allowed
his fingers to dip into the still wet groove between Adam's
thighs.

"I bet you say that to all the boys," Adam said as he lifted his
left leg to give Rob better access to his still burning asshole.

"They're history now," Rob said simply. "We Mariano men have a
tradition. We never treat our family bad. And you're family now,
Adam. Mine." He watched Adam's face as Adam gasped at the
penetration of Rob's long and elegant fingers, three of them, past
Adam's aching pucker up through his sphincter. The slick and thick
male fluids that Rob had spewed deep up Adam's ass in their last
fuck spilled down and along those fingers. Rob couldn't resist
withdrawing his fingers to give them a long lick, enjoying the
tangy taste of his and Adam's most intimate bonding. His cock
hardened further as he savored the exotic blend of cream from both
his cock and Adam's sultry ass. This was the essence of their
love, he thought to himself with a pleased smile, because yeah,
after all these years, the son of a bitch Rob Mariano had finally
fallen in the battlefield of love and he was pleased as hell about
it.

His friends and family members would tease him as payback for his
own mercilessly teasing of them as well as for his own boasts that
he would never be as weak or foolish as those love-struck fools.
Oh, once he thought he was a cool son of a bitch who would be
content to fuck around and play the field. Then he met Adam and he
was a goner from first sight. When he saw Adam coming out of the
sea after a dive, Rob was in lust. A few dinners later, Rob was
intrigue. When they finally fucked three weeks into the most
intense dating and courtship period of both their lives, Rob knew
he wanted to wake up next to Adam for the rest of his life. And
lucky for him, his Mariano charm made it easy for Adam to want him
back as much as he wanted Adam.

Hungered by the promise of a future that could only be bright in
his arrogant presumptions, Rob couldn't hold himself back. Adam
laughed as Rob emitted a playful growl and dived between Adam's
legs, only to groan as Rob began to feast. When Rob kissed him and
Adam savored the taste of their mingled essences on Rob's lips and
tongue, when Rob's cock began to fill Adam's aching depths, Adam
arched his back in pleasure. Rob began to thrust deep and Adam
surrendered to the exquisite pleasure Rob was delivering.



Rob was still kissing Adam as Adam tried to remind him that Rob
would miss the plane back to New York if he didn't get into the
cab.

"I'll just get the next plane," Rob answered as he cupped Adam's
cheeks in his hands and studied the man's face, as if he was
trying to memorize everything about Adam. "I think I'll just stay
here a few days more..."

"No, you have to go back. You will be fired if you stay here any
longer. I don't want an unemployed husband, Rob," Adam teased.
"Seriously, you have to go. I'll call you."

Rob smiled. He paused to say something before he got into the cab,
but Adam made a pointed gesture at his wristwatch. Rob nodded.
"I'll miss you," he said.

"Yeah, me too," Adam confessed. He shut the door for Rob. "Take
care, man. I love you."

Rob poked his head out the window as the cab pulled away. "I love
you too, Adam," he called. "One month, Adam! Don't give up on me!"

"Oh, you ass," Adam said but Rob was already far away down the
road. He couldn't help but to sigh as he stood in front of his
house. With Rob barely ten minutes out of his life, his world
already seemed slower, duller, and less joyful.

He tried to get back to his old rhythm but it wasn't easy. Within
the hour he'd showered, shaved, and switched on his PC in his
office for the start of his workday. He was working on his
Photoshop, editing a photo to be used on a client's website, when
the phone rang.

"He left? I thought you two are solid!"

Adam smiled. As a web designer who worked from home, he didn't
really have the chance to talk to people outside the times when he
got out of the house. "He has to go back and work out a few loose
ends before he comes back here."

"What kind of loose ends?"

"Aren't you the suspicious one, Selena?" Adam chuckled as he
imagined his sister scowling into the phone. His sister, along
with the rest of the Rodriguez clan, was always too concerned in
seeing the only remaining bachelor in the family settle down. The
fact that he was gay didn't deter the women in his family. They'd
just fix him up with any gay guy they knew or pay too much
attention into his private life. One of the reasons Adam suspected
that he enjoyed working at home, alone, was because he was so used
to being surrounded by people that he enjoyed some quiet time his
life afforded him. "He managed to get a transfer here," he told
his sister because he knew she would never quit bugging him
otherwise. "He'll have to close some deals with his clients,
arrange for his things to be moved here," he said, pausing to
smile to himself as he contemplated Rob living here in his house,
singing in the shower... he pressed the shirt Rob left behind on
his bed to his nose and inhaled deeply.

"You're sure that he'll come back?"

"Yes, Selena," Adam said. "He gave me a ring." He lifted his hand
and kissed the ring in question. "A man doesn't give somebody a
ring and then take off like that. Not this ring, especially. He
said he designed it himself and I believe him because he had
engraved inside the very words I said to him when I realized that
I was crazy about him."

"Oh! Wait until I tell mother. She'll tell grandmother and
everyone will be at your front door asking to see that ring. What
does it say, that engraving?"

Yours. Forever. "Please let me keep something to myself, sis!"

"Oh, you spoilsport! I'm married for six years and I could use
some romantic stories. You think it's easy to be romantic when
Roland is working so late every day and the kids are driving us
both crazy? Lucky you, your Robert seemed like a guy who will
never get a big beer belly like Roland. And he's a romantic too
for a construction manager."

"Hey, he also coaches some local teen hockey team. He's a nice
guy." And funny and romantic and one hell of a lover, Adam added.
A discomfiting thought struck him. By transferring here, Rob would
no longer be able to coach the hockey team. Adam knew how much Rob
enjoyed mentoring those kids because the man's eyes glowed with
pride as he bragged to Adam about how well the team did every
year. Rob also talked about how he wanted to show Adam his
favorite places, places that he wouldn't have to chance to do now
unless they made a trip back to Rob's old place. "And he's giving
up his life for mine," he muttered. "It doesn't seem fair that he
has to come here and when I can easily relocate."

"What are you saying?"

Apparently Adam had interrupted something his sister was saying.
"I think I should be the one to move in with him," he said. And
hearing his words aloud, he began to think that this was the right
thing to do. "He is giving up everything he loves to be with me.
It isn't right, when I can move in with him and still do the
things I love while being with the man of my dreams."

"Are you going to move to New York now?" Selena asked in surprise.

"Why not?" It was too early to make concrete plans, but he could
tell Rob of this. He knew that Rob would agree that it was a right
decision. He would call Rob. no, a better idea hit him. He would
get the earliest flight out of Maine and surprise Rob with a
visit. "Drop the news to mom for me, will you? I'll be leaving
tonight or maybe tomorrow to tell him the news and spend some
quality time with my man. With any luck, I'll be what you all
nagged to be all the time - a happily married man - at the end of
the month."

"But you know what mom will say... damn!" Selena laughed. "She'll
act like the drama queen she is, wailing that you are leaving her
alone to die, and then she'll move on to the next available single
man in the family."

Adam laughed with her. "Hey, take it easy on the matchmaking
efforts on Gabriel," he said. "He's only thirteen."

"Good luck with New York, Adam."

"Yeah, and you too with the romance, sis. Send the kids to mom if
you want some quality time with Roland."

Selena snorted. "First I have to get a Stairmaster and make Roland
work that gut off. I go to work and meet all sorts of hard-bodied
hunks" - Selena waited at the health bar of the local gym - "and
then I go home to see my husband. I should have married Terry
Finn. I saw him the other day with his fine ass and red sports
car. Why did I turn him down when he asked me to the prom years
ago?"

"You won't be Terry's type, Selena. Trust your brother on this."

"Oh my God, you and Terry?"

"We went out briefly around last year."

"And you dumped him? He has a sports car!"

Adam grinned. Selena, bless her, never even entertained the notion
that it was Terry who told Adam that they weren't working out.
Adam agreed and he was only mildly irritated that he wasn't the
one who made the first move in their break-up. The sex was pretty
good, but once their lust had been sated, they realized soon that
they had nothing in common. With Rob, Adam wanted more than sex -
he enjoyed talking and even arguing with Rob, looked forward to
just being in Rob's company, and teasing and making Rob laugh. Rob
had the sexiest smile that made Adam melt inside, and when Rob
laughed, Adam couldn't stop his own laughter from escaping.

"New York, here I come," he said, strengthening his resolve.

"I hope he turns out to be a real deal, Adam. I hate to see mother
take dad's old handgun and shoot Rob down if he turns out to be a
lying scumbag."

"No, he's the real deal, Selena," Adam said without hesitation.
"We'll be okay, trust me."





TWO

It was a wild goose chase, a frustrating one too. Adam tried to
call, but got Rob's voice mail instead. He reached the front of
Rob's apartment only to be told by the neighbor that Rob was at
work. Adam was puzzled when she told him that Rob was at the law
firm. He double-checked the address but he was at the correct
place.

Rob was a lawyer? Why did he tell Adam that he was a construction
site manager?

He walked tentatively through the doors of McDermott, Germann, and
Associates, not sure whether he would want to find out what he
would soon discover. A young man in his early twenties paused in
the midst of his talk with a clerk and straightened up as he saw
Adam. "What can I do for you?" he asked after greeting Adam
formally.

"I'm looking for Robert Mariano," Adam said. "Robert Giancarlo
Mariano," he clarified, making sure that there was no confusion
regarding the person he was talking about.

"Oh, he's at the courthouse as usual. He won't be back until later
this afternoon. Can I help you? I'm Justin Timberlake. I'm an
intern, but I'll be making junior associate once I passed my Bar
and I - "

"Timberlake, stop harassing our client," a woman interrupted. She
was a woman of indeterminate age - she could be anything from her
late twenties to early forties. She wasn't conventionally
beautiful, but her striking eyes and strong cheekbones made sure
that she would never be just another face in the crowd. "I'm
Alberta Watson," she said, offering a hand to Adam. "I apologize
for Timberlake's impetuosity. He's young enough to think that it's
charming."

"I object," Justin protested with a grin. "Bertie, he's looking
for Rob. You can drop the formality because he won't be paying us
a cent."

"Rob?" Bertie's smile was almost that of bemusement as she quickly
gave Adam a head-to-toe overlook. "He'll be at the courthouse
until late afternoon. I have to rush there myself, but it won't do
to bring you there and let you wait for hours."

"He can hang around here and enjoy our company," Justin offered.

"Dylan and Greg..."

"Won't be back until later this afternoon as well," Justin
concluded for her. "Come on, the bosses won't mind a guest hanging
around once in a while. Their boyfriends drop by often enough. So
do all our significant others." He smoothly placed an arm over
Adam's shoulder and study Adam. "You are Rob's boyfriend, right?"

Aware that Bertie was watching him in obvious bemusement now, Adam
cleared his throat. "I'll just come back later," he said.

"No, that won't do. Rob has teased us all about 'being shackled',
as he puts it, and I can't wait to see his face when I throw back
everything he's said to me back in his face," Justin told him.

"Well, he can stay around," Bertie conceded. "Just don't tell them
I agreed to it."

"Lawyers honor," Justin said solemnly.

Bertie laughed and sailed out the door, leaving an increasingly
confused Adam alone to confront many curious faces.



"The thing about Rob is that he is just fucking brilliant." Justin
paused in his act of pouring Adam a cup of coffee. "You don't mind
if I swear, do you?"

"No, go ahead," Adam said, dazed. He looked around him. The last
time he had anything to do with lawyers was when his mother
decided to sue his father's employers for negligence. Adam always
believed that his father wouldn't have died if they hadn't tried
to cut costs in work safety measures. But the Madison Corporation
bastards had lawyers that succeeded in throwing the case out of
court. He could recall the sick feeling he felt at the depths of
his stomach as he held his mother while their lawyer told them
that there was nothing he could do. Madison Corporation removed
the evidences, shredded the incriminating paperwork, and hired a
battalion of lawyers who cared more for money than justice.

"He always could spot loopholes and aim straight at it," Justin
chatted pleasantly. "But he doesn't have to; he's so fucking smart
that he had the judges and jury members eating out of his hand.
I've only seen him lose five cases in the two years he worked
here, out of almost a hundred plus cases. He's my hero, and that's
not just because he persuaded Dylan and Greg to take me in. They
didn't like interns because most interns are dumb but ambitious, a
bad combination in their opinion."

"How did you meet Rob?" Adam asked, trying to change the subject.
He was trying very hard not to let his instinctive anger, residues
of his fury at the miscarriage of justice in his father's death,
to overwhelm him. He relaxed his grip on the coffee mug. He
couldn't really taste the coffee - he was feeling sick in his
stomach, just like the day in that office when he realized that
there was nothing he could do for his late father. His poor father
would be known as the careless supervisor whose negligence caused
the collapse of the building. Adam hated everyone in the world at
that moment and his hatred was so strong and overpowering that he
couldn't trust himself to speak or act. Now, the old demons in his
heart were threatening to take over.

"I had to volunteer for some charity work for college credits,"
Justin said. "I met Rob who was coaching some hockey team for
teens from some troubled homes and shelters, mostly troubled gay
and lesbian teenagers - oh hell, I'm sure you know about Rob's
other job! You're his boyfriend, right? But that's how I met Rob.
I didn't know hockey, but I bullshitted my way into being his
assistant. Later he told me that he could see right through my
shit, but he took me on because he thought I had some potential.
He also suggested that I work at this place. It's cool, especially
when I learned that Simon is here too. Simon once helped me...
well, I'll tell you about that when we're good friends. It's one
of the few gay-owned law firms in America and as lawyers go, they
aren't bad."

"They aren't?" Adam asked. Silently he thanked Justin for
reminding him of one reason why he liked Rob - Rob cared about
people even if he was reluctant to prove it, even if he didn't
have to.

"Not that bad. We work for money, Dylan insists, but he has so
much money that he doesn't really need to make more. Don't tell
him, but I suspect that he's into this just for the glory. Greg
told me that he and Dylan were law school friends. Greg can't
speak well and he's a lousy court lawyer because he is always too
nervous while Dylan needed someone to take care of the more boring
side of the work like paperwork and research. Greg just wanted to
run a law firm and Dylan liked the glory and fame that came with
the success.

"Then there's Simon, who isn't too concerned with ethics as long
as he can make sure that the right party wins the case. Brad
follows the rule book and he won't take any case that he feels
violates his personal ethics. Thankfully there aren't that many in
his book. Bertie, like Simon, could be a zealous crusader,
especially for women's rights in the law, but unlike Simon, she
follows the rule book to a tee. That leaves Rob, who takes after
me. We want glory, gospel, and of course, gold."

"So there are only two ambulance chasers in your group?" Adam
tried to keep his tone light.

"Rob doesn't chase ambulances."

"Are you saying that Rob has no scruples?" Adam asked Justin. "Has
he ever abetted some miscarriage of justice just because he's paid
to do so? I can't imagine him in that way. He has always struck me
as a man who always does the right thing"

"We don't take on fucked-up cases," Justin said, slightly
affronted. "We have a reputation, man. Sometimes we take on cases
that don't feel right to some people, but that's how lawyers work.
We don't save the world; we are just doing our job." Justin smiled
sheepishly. "Sorry, Adam, I shouldn't have lectured you like that,
man, but I get so much of people talking shit about lawyers that
it's like a second instinct to me to set people straight."

Adam nodded. "Rob's just a good lawyer."

"A fucking brilliant one, that's for sure," Justin said.

Adam had to smile weakly at the obvious hero worship in the other
man's eyes. He wanted to ask Justin if the man could kindly leave
Adam alone to his thoughts - Adam was still caught off-guard by
Rob turning out to be a lawyer that he needed to think and to sort
out the jumbled thoughts in his head. He opened his mouth to ask,
only to be interrupted by a loud curse from outside the meeting
room. Adam could recognize the thick Bostonian accent anywhere.
Rob was back from his day at the courthouse.

Rob, looking like an entirely different Rob in shirt and neatly
pressed trousers, stood at the doorway, his face ashen with shock
and dismay at the sight of Adam sitting there with Justin.
"Timberlake, leave us alone," he asked. It wasn't a request.
Justin just lifted a brow and quietly left, shutting the door
behind him.

Adam looked up at the face of the man whom he loved, who had lied
to him.

"Why?" he asked.




THREE

"You hated lawyers. You told me about your father. How can I tell
you?" Rob said simply, taking a seat. He was calm, impassive, and
Adam wanted to shout at him, strangle him, because it wasn't fair
that Rob could be so calm when Adam was twisted up with confusion
inside.

"Is anything real?" Adam asked.

"Everything is real, except for one glaring omission," Rob said.
"I was a construction site supervisor before I went into law
school. You know me, my likes and dislikes, my life, I never lied
about anything else. I just don't know how to tell you that I'm
someone you hate, and I'm scared to lose you, Adam."

"Oh, Rob, I don't irrationally hate all lawyers," Adam protested.
"I hate those lawyers that helped those fuckers get away with what
they did to my father. Maybe I do have some prejudices against
lawyers because of that, but you should have told me. I would have
given you a chance."

"Would you really?"

"Yes!" Adam told him. "Give me some credit, Rob. We were getting
along so well even before we told each other what we were doing. I
am listening now to what you have to say. I would listen back then
too."

"I'm sorry," Rob said. A soft, subtle catch in his voice betrayed
the calm he wasn't feeling. "I was going to resign. I will come
live with you, start clean, and we can both pretend that my past
doesn't exist." He looked down at his hands, nervous. Adam had
never seen Rob nervous before. "You deserve a good man, Adam. I'm
not that man, but I will make myself one to win your love."

Adam placed his hand over Rob's clasped hands. "I'm here because
of you, Rob, and you alone. Your past doesn't change who you are
to me."

"Really?" Rob smiled weakly. "Spend the rest of the day with me.
I'll tell you all my secrets. I'll pray that you will still want
me when I'm done."

"Then don't tell me, Rob. They don't matter."

"No, I need to tell you, Adam. You deserve to know." Rob laughed
brokenly. "I want to you know who Robert Mariano is."

Adam nodded. "If that's what you want, Rob, I'm ready to know the
real you."



Rob told Adam of the drugs and alcohol that marked his misspent
youth. He had a temper, he was a first class asshole, and he was
on his way to an early death until he met Greg Germann while
waiting to pick up his boyfriend after the boyfriend's night
class.

Greg taught basic law and economics and had just flunked Rob's
boyfriend. Rob decided to earn some brownie points and hopefully
great sex by trying to persuade Greg to be more lenient with the
grading. Greg asked Rob point blank whether Rob had read his
boyfriend's paper. Rob took one look at the paper, tried to argue
point by point with Greg why his boyfriend could be right, and
Greg asked Rob to join the class next week.

"And so I did," Rob said as he passed Adam the bottle as they sat
on the bench later that night, outside the hockey rink where Rob
had coached his team earlier that day. Now it was late and it was
just the two of them against the world. "I liked the class. I knew
a lot about the law thanks to me always breaking it, and if I'm
going to put my bullshit to good use, I may as well be a lawyer,
you know?"

Adam took a drink of the beer. "That's why you worked with Greg."

"Yeah, I could have worked with any top law firms, but Greg was
the first to believe in me. He didn't laugh at my accent or think
me dumb like everyone else, not that I'm complaining about the way
I speak." Rob shrugged. "I know I make people think that I'm dumb
and lazy. The better for me to surprise them when I beat their
asses in court, I guess."

Adam could see that this man loved his work. "You can't give all
that up for me," he said.

"Why not, Adam? It's for you," Rob stated reasonably.

"You're not as smart as you think you are if you believe that,"
Adam told him. "You shouldn't give up everything you love for me.
That's why I'm here, Rob. I can still design websites here, there,
or anywhere. I can always visit my family. Maine isn't that far
away. But you need to be here. So I'm moving in with you instead
of the other way around."

"Wow," Rob just said. "I've never had anyone who would do all that
for me before." He looked away for a while, and when he turned
back to look at Adam, his eyes were red and a little moist, but he
was smiling again, albeit weakly. "I don't deserve you."

"Well, you don't, not after that idiotic stunt you tried to pull
on me. Lying about your job and then moving in with me, hoping
that nobody will find out?" Adam snapped. He gave Rob's shoulder a
shove. "You're a dumbass, Rob! Don't lie to me again and also
don't act like some fucking martyr just on my account, okay?"

"I won't, I swear," Rob insisted. He leapt off the beach. "Hey,
Adam, cut that out! I was an idiot, okay, but - okay, I won't, I
swear!" He gave a shout of laughter as Adam tackled him onto the
grass and ruthlessly tickled him. And their laughter softened into
a murmur as their lips met.



Dylan McDermott liked Adam, although Adam had a strong suspicion
that his getting Rob to stay with the firm had a lot to do with
Dylan's favor. As a housewarming gift, he allowed Rob to work on
the case and file another lawsuit on behalf of the Rodriguez
family on the firm's time and expense. This gesture warmed Rob
tremendously to Adam's formidable mother and she magnanimously
decided that Rob was an exception to the general rule that lawyers
are scumbags.

Rob of course laughed everything off and said that he was just
doing what's best for Adam. He always laughed and he kept an
upbeat fa‡ade even when he was up all night raking his fingers
through his hair in frustration while studying his cases. In
victory, in defeat, he was always laughing or smiling. As he told
Adam, he didn't know any other way to confront obstacles in his
life headlong. Love was something new, something he had never
encountered until now, but he would learn how to deal with it too,
by laughing and smiling as always. And this time, he would also be
himself.

"I'm glad I met you," he told Adam one day as they cuddle on the
sofa.

"I'm glad I came down here to find you," Adam told him back.

And Rob, always smiling, kissed him on the forehead tenderly
before running his fingers through Adam's hair. "Yeah, I'm glad
about that too."
