by A. C. Katt
“Kellerman, I’ve heard your father mention that name in association with Garou Industries.” His mother may be disabled by arthritis, but she was still sharp about everything, except Dante.
“Edward is the personal lawyer to the members of the Garou Board of Directors. René is employed by Armand La Marche, Chairman of the Board of Garou. As of the end of the week, I will be, too.”
“You’re leaving your father in the lurch!” His mother seemed to be surprised that he planned on leaving Dante. She willfully ignored everything he had said since he was twelve when she and Dante got engaged.
“Dante is not my father, and I’ve obeyed Dante to the letter. He asked for ten years. It’s been ten years today. I’m taking my vacation for the rest of the week, and Dante can educate his other son to import olive oil.” Frankie sounded bitter, but he had given Dante ten years, and he’d had enough.
René put his arm around Frankie’s shoulders, and a spark traveled through Frankie’s arm from his Mate’s loving touch. He moved closer to the man he had grown to love, yes love in only a day. There must be something to this Mate business. René had said they were together in many lifetimes, and considering the way he felt about his new fiancé in such a short time, it was all true.
“But Dante wanted to retire and leave you the business…” His mother parroted the old argument back to him as if she were a recorded greeting.
“I’ve told you, I’ve told my brother, and I’ve told Dante many times, I don’t want anything to do with the olive oil business. I didn’t ten years ago, and I feel even more strongly about it now. I owed Dante for my education so I worked for him for ten years at half the salary I could have gotten elsewhere. At my new job, I’ll be making a half million a year,” Frankie said with smug satisfaction. His mother thought that he couldn’t get a job with anyone but his father. Now, he was finally able to show her what he could do once removed from Dante’s sphere of influence.
“A half million dollars a year?”
His mother seemed incredulous. He didn’t know whether to be pleased or pissed. René pulled him closer. Frankie became oblivious to everyone in the room but René, as he kissed his fiancé’s neck. René brushed his lips over Frankie’s forehead and moved him away. Frankie’s gaze roamed down to the juncture of his beloved’s thighs. René’s member was outlined underneath his slacks. His fiancé appeared to be liberally endowed. Frankie grinned.
He brought his attention back to his mother. “Yes, a half million dollars a year.”
“Does René make a good salary?” His mother’s tone implied that she thought René planned to live off Frankie’s largesse.
Frankie clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Mother, René inherited family money besides what he earns from Mr. La Marche which, by the way, is much more than I make. He owns a townhouse on Washington Square where we plan to live. It’s two doors down from Mr. La Marche’s home. Martin owns the townhouse next door to Mr. La Marche with his husband. Armand La Marche is a business acquaintance of Dante’s. You might hold Dante indirectly responsible for me meeting René. Dante sent me to do some work for a member of Mr. La Marche’s Board of Directors, Julien. I knew Julien from the clubs. And Dante’s job cemented the friendship. Julien introduced me to René at Julien and Richard’s wedding reception.” Frankie adjusted the position of the phone on his shoulder.
“Oh, Julien is gay, too?”
“Most of my friends are gay. If you come to the wedding, the people on the guest list will all be gay aside from my family if Dante and Junior come with you, the factotum, and their wives. As Dante can tell you, the entire Board of Directors of Garou is gay. Mom, at Garou I will be with people like me. I need you to help me with Dante.”
He could almost hear his mother blush at her own prejudice. She avoided commitment. “How nice that you met at a wedding, dear. Well, you bring your young man over tomorrow afternoon. But you need to tell Dante you intend to leave the business, today. I’m sure he’ll have a hard time replacing you. Why don’t you stay with your father until he can get someone else?”
“First of all, he’s not my father. Second, if I tell Dante that I’ll stay until he finds someone, he never will find someone else for what he pays me. Even so, he doesn’t need to search far. Several of his associates have gone to Columbia, another Ivy League school, and received an MBA just as respectable as mine. One of them could do what I do and, I might add, do it willingly.”
“I give up.” His mother sighed. “But I’ll help. Give your young man my regards and congratulations. I’ll see you tomorrow. Please don’t cancel. I want to meet your future husband.”
“I promise, I’ll come, Mom. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Frankie.” She drew a deep breath. Frankie could picture her lips pursing. “I wish you and Dante could settle whatever it is between you.”
“I’m not going to stop being gay, Mom. Even if we settled everything else, that still remains.” There was silence at the other end of the phone. “René and I will be there at three for coffee. Okay?”
“Yes, dear. I’ll see you and your fiancé at three. I’ll have Carmen make some cake.”
“We’ll bring something sweet. Carmen doesn’t have to bother.”
“Now you stop that right now, Frankie. If I don’t get to help plan my oldest son’s wedding, I should at least be able to provide the cake when I meet his intended.” His mother got huffy.
He didn’t have the heart to tell her that Carmen, along with being lazy, was a terrible cook. That’s why he’d tried to hire Isabel for her. His mother was also horrible in the kitchen, so she didn’t notice how bad Carmen’s cooking was, but Dante did. He admired him for his forbearance. His mother loved Carmen, so Carmen stayed. That was one fact that was never in dispute. Dante loved his mother. He hung up the phone.
Frankie turned to The Alpha. “Alpha, you heard. She’ll help, albeit reluctantly.”
“I’m curious. If Dante loves your mother so much, why were you so dead set against the relationship?” The Alpha sat behind his chair at the library table and leaned back with his hands on his chest, tenting his fingers. “Dante strikes me as a proud man, he might be more willing to let a son who loves him follow his dreams than an ungrateful stepson. After all, he did adopt you.”
“Make no mistake, Alpha. Dante hates what we are, and if he could do so without repercussions to his business and without causing a war with your forces, he’d tell you himself. Because he can’t afford a war with Garou, he may swallow his pride and acquiesce to my leaving, but he’ll make me pay for it. He’ll set the price at an amount I can’t possibly afford.”
René put his arm around Frankie’s shoulders while Frankie broke down and cried for all his lost years and his failing relationship with his mother.
“My dad accepted me the way I was. Dante never could. I knew that as soon as I met him. When I found out he was a criminal, I knew that eventually, no matter how careful he was, he’d go to jail and my mother’s world will collapse.”
René patted him on the back.
“I’ve tried to save every dime. I have only five hundred thousand dollars, even though I bought a condo the size of a cardboard box to live in and have spent very little money. I only had one hundred thousand dollars to invest. I more than tripled it but Dante has been skirting closer and closer to the line lately, and I’ve been beside myself with worry.”
René took out his handkerchief and wiped Frankie’s eyes.
“I can sell the condo for about one million. I owe five hundred thousand. The condo is in a good neighborhood in Chelsea. It’s a shame I can’t rent it out.” Suddenly, Frankie’s eyes widened.
“What, Ma Vie?” René asked him.
“My new salary is twice that of my old one. I’ll have more money to invest, even after I pay the mortgage, maybe I can make enough so that Mom and Junior wouldn’t have to leave their home if Dante gets caught and…”
“Shush, Ma Vie. I have more than enough money to s
upport your mother at a hundred times what she’s spending now, and all of that is now half yours to do with what you wish. We’ll go over the accounts with Edward sometime this week. We’ll stop at your condo to pack some clothing for tonight and tomorrow. In the morning, we’ll hire a moving company, and you can decide what you want to toss, what needs to go into storage and what you want to bring with you to Washington Square.” René kissed his hair.
“I don’t have to worry about Mom anymore?” It finally dawned on Frankie what marrying René would mean.
“I am worth a billion dollars more or less. With your help, it could be more. I’ve been around for one hundred and fifty years. It’s a long time. I’ve accumulated money because I haven’t had anywhere to spend it. I eat at The Alpha’s, and the house is free and clear except for taxes. Occasionally, I go out to eat with Martin and Edward. Now that I have you, I’m going to enjoy spoiling you for the next three hundred years.”
“Why do I get money from Garou when I’m going to work directly for the Alpha on his personal payroll?”
“I’ll explain the Garou stipend at another time, however, know that Garou pays me seven hundred and fifty thousand a year, and The Alpha pays me an additional seven hundred and fifty thousand. I save most of it in case we have an Alpha as a son. The Alphas can only have girls but we can have sons or daughters, and if we have an Alpha, he must have enough money to get on. The Alpha that takes over when Alpha La Marche dies gets half of his fortune and his daughters divide the other half. I’ll explain tomorrow.”
Frankie cocked his head at his Mate, his brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
Sean spoke up, “What René is trying to tell you is that there is a stipend from Garou to all members of the pack. The amount varies according to the service you provide. Because René guards me, he gets seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That’s because I have La Voix as my Omega gift.”
“Why don’t I call for dessert and cognac, and you and René can pack and call his stepfather, as his mother suggested this evening.” The Alpha signaled Pierre who opened the bar and poured cognac for Martin, Edward, and The Alpha and port for René and Frankie.
The Alpha had called an end to the early dinner. The others toasted René and Frankie, and the new couple left together for the evening.
Frankie walked down The Alpha’s stoop, wondering what else in his life would change.
Chapter Seven
Frankie’s Condo
René examined Frankie’s studio, trying not to let the distaste show on his face. Last night they hadn’t tuned but one desk lamp on. Tonight, the whole little box was illuminated. René tried to control his facial expression. He wasn’t good at it.
“You don’t have to keep the disapproval off your face,” Frankie told him. “It’s all IKEA and disposable. I bought furniture for functionality. I invested in this condo because I could afford it and I knew it would accrue equity. Even though it’s on the west side, it’s only a few steps from Fifth Avenue, and ten years ago the neighborhood was just beginning to gentrify. It also served as a place to sleep that didn’t belong to Dante. As I explained, money was at a premium, and I felt I couldn’t justify spending it on myself when I might have to help my mother and brother.” Frankie chuckled. “You have a very expressive face. At least I’ll never be in any doubt as to how you feel about me.”
“Tomorrow after we get the rings, we’ll go to Mr. Abbot’s and order each of us some new suits. We’ll need tuxedos for the wedding.” René opened a closet, took one of the boxes they brought and began packing winter clothing.
“Why do we need tuxedos?” Frankie started packing the pantry. “We should bring all the food to your house. Otherwise, the packers will wrap it, pack it, and we’ll get weevils and maggots in storage.”
“You cook from scratch. I do, too. I like cooking. It’s relaxing. However, the only people I could ever cook for were Martin and Edward. Since they cooked every night, when we had dinner together, they preferred to go out. Most of the time, I just ate in Meg’s kitchen.”
“Tuxedos?” Frankie persisted.
“Did you handle your stepfather’s security?” René didn’t like the answer to the tuxedo question, so he avoided answering. He didn’t want to lie to his Mate.
“Some of it, when he wasn’t doing something illegal. I would handle it if he went to gambling establishments, but not prostitution or drug rings. I must give him credit. He tried to stay away from drugs. He dealt in arms but not in drugs. You were talking about tuxedos.”
Frankie taped up the second box from the small pantry. He unfolded his sofa bed and set the open suitcases on the mattress.
René sighed. He had to answer his Mate. “Tuxedos are a necessary evil since The Alpha is throwing the party. Be happy it’s not morning coats. In recent years, the Alpha has reluctantly agreed that morning coats were a waste of resources, and although it pains him, we don’t regulate a formal tuxedo to after five. With the loup garou, everything is about appearances. The Alpha is worth about eighty billion dollars. Garou is worth, according to the last accounting with Marc’s latest acquisitions, about one trillion, more valuable than Apple and GE. Forbes can only guess our worth as we are privately held. However, it wasn’t always the case. The stipend grows as the company does. You are getting the basic stipend from Garou that all wolves get from the company. If the company is well managed, the stipend grows, if not, everyone gets less, and management gets challenged.” René hoped Frankie would let it drop.
“What do you mean challenged?”
He should have known better. Frankie was like a hound on the scent. He wanted an answer, and by the gods, he was going to get one. “Duels to the death fought in a six-foot-deep by nine-foot square pit. Generally fought in half-wolf form.”
“I thought that was only in the book for dramatic effect.” Frankie raised that infamous eyebrow. He did it to a much better result than René did.
“No, challenges aren’t created drama, they are dead serious in a wolf’s world. Most challenges are fought to the death. The Alpha has outlawed challenges by stating that any wolf that challenges any other wolf for position must go through him first and he’s scary strong. But if their income is threatened, they will challenge him until he drops of exhaustion.”
“What has that got to do with tuxedos?” Frankie regarded him with a deeply furrowed brow.
“Alphas not only have to be prosperous so that the packs know their stipend is safe, but they also have to appear prosperous. The only time you will ever see our Alpha out of his custom-made English suits is behind the locked door of his house and in New Mexico on pack land. The Alpha Mate can dress casually, but not The Alpha. Neither Martin, Pierre, you or I can unless we are at home or in New Mexico. Blazers, dress pants, sweaters always with a tie are about as casual as we can get even on our own time in New York if we’re out of the house.”
“What does that have to do with a tuxedo?” Frankie wasn’t letting this go.
René grimaced. “If The Alpha is going to throw a party, it needs to be very posh. The whole Council must attend, especially if it’s for a mating. When Martin married Edward, things weren’t as settled on the Council as they are now and his wedding was tense.”
“How did that change?” Frankie carefully folded his shirts and rolled his ties.
“It changed when the Alphas all found Mates and all of the Mates became friends. The Council Alphas are all at peace because challenges would upset the Mates. They all love their Mates, so no challenges. Martin’s wedding had taken place before the Council Alphas were mated, and the Alphas spent the whole reception growling and snarling at one another. They snarled at The Alpha Mate’s reception, too. It was there that La Farge thought up his plan to take over the Council.” René sighed. I’m going to have to delve into the ugly side of the loup garou. I was hoping to put this off.
“What happened?” Frankie stopped packing. That wasn’t a good sign.
“The Number Two was jo
ckeying for The Alpha’s position. He was the one who had The Alpha Mate kidnapped by the Russian two years later. He had the Council all revved up because none of them had Mates and Martin did. He said it was the judgment of the gods.”
“And…” Frankie raised his brows.
“The gods spoke and told the assembled group that La Farge couldn’t speak for them. Things calmed down until two years later.”
“Gods? Gods don’t speak. You can’t buy into that religious stuff.” Frankie scoffed.
“Our gods are real. They speak to us in voices that can be heard by everyone. No one needs to interpret what they say. We don’t need a priest. Two years after Martin’s reception, The Alpha met The Alpha Mate who had seen a Russian loup garou murder his friend in an alley.”
“I remember seeing that on television.” Frankie frowned. “Garou made national news when The Alpha married what the media deemed to be a gold digging nobody. No offense, I’m quoting the rags.”
“The Alpha Mate is an Omega who has a gift called La Voix, The Voice in English. In our world, the Omega is the smallest wolf in the pack. The gods give Omegas gifts so that they are cherished rather than bullied. If The Alpha asks, the Alpha Mate can speak for the gods to prevent violence. He brings peace.”
“How is this possible?” Now his Frankie was skeptical.
“Sean can speak with the gods’ voice.”
“I thought you said you don’t need a priest.” Frankie’s tone conveyed sarcasm and disbelief.
“Sean isn’t a priest. Occasionally, he’s a conduit. Their voice comes out of his mouth. But I’ve heard them speak without Sean. As I explained, they spoke at Martin’s reception.” René set his mouth in a stubborn line. He told the truth.
Frankie changed the subject. “So, what does his Voice bring to the loup garou? No challenges?” Frankie had figured out how dangerous René’s job could be.