Page 12 of Corporate Bondage

He gave in because I promised him I would leave when Bryan got there. I didn’t want him to be on his own. We drove over in our separate cars, me following him. At the cemetery, we leaned against his car and chatted. He mostly chatted while I listened to him reminiscing about Rachel and Kathleen. He was killing time for Bryan to get to the cemetery so they could go on to the gravesites together, but Bryan didn’t show up.

“I guess he didn’t get relieved,” he finally said with a sigh. “I won’t wait any longer.”

“I’ll walk with you,” I told him.

He shook his head. “No, I need to do this alone.”

I didn’t push but waited while he went to be with his family. I watched him from a distance, my heart aching. I wished he would allow me to be fully there for him the way I wanted to be. Bryan had disappointed him. Didn’t he see the other man only was around when it was convenient?

Tate took a while at the tombstones, but I waited patiently. I knew if Bryan showed up late, seeing me here with Tate would upset him. It was even better. He didn’t show up any at all. When Tate returned to his car, the disappointment was on his face. He seemed in a worse mood than when we arrived. I almost felt bad Bryan had let him down.

“I can’t believe he didn’t show up,” he remarked. “He promised he would be here. I didn’t tell him what today represented though, so I guess it was my fault.”

I hated him letting Bryan off the hook. “No, he should have been here because you asked,” I said. “I know you Tate, and you barely ask for anything for yourself. That’s why I try to be there for you when you need me because there’s rarely ever an opportunity to do for you what you do for others around you.”

One corner of his lips upturned in a smile. “Thanks for that. I’m going to get home. You coming?”

I shook my head. “I’m going to hang around here for a bit. I didn’t get a chance to say a few words to them.”

He clasped me in a hug and squeezed my shoulder. “Thanks, man. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

I watched as he drove away, and only then did I approach Rachel and Kathleen’s graves.

“You left a good man behind, Rachel,” I said, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I didn’t say anything else but thought about the day Tate had told me he was going to ask Rachel to marry him. He’d been so excited, as he popped the velvet box to show me the expensive ring he’d bought her, and asked my opinion on it. I’d asked him if he was sure Rachel was the one, terrified at the thought of losing him.

I heard a car but didn’t look up. The cemetery was private and small, but there were several tombstones here. I suspected that they had regular visitors here.

I wished I could have spared Tate at least Kathleen’s death. That little tyke had been his world. Her laughter had been so pure and vibrant. She would jump from furniture and yell, “catch me, uncle Gio!” I had been devastated at her death. She was too young to leave us. It was at that moment I wasn’t sure I believed there was a god.

“Tate! I’m here! I made it.”

Hearing Bryan's voice angered me. “You’re too late,” I said loudly without looking back at me. I had apologized to him before, but now I didn’t feel like I owed him any. He had hurt the man I cared about by not showing up like he was supposed to.

“Where’s Tate?” he asked, approaching me.

“Why would I know?” I turned to address him then, glaring at him. “You’re the one he’s fucking. You should at least make it your point of duty to know these things. Hmm, I wonder what else you don’t know about the man you supposedly love?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His tone turned frosty, his brows knitted. Good, he was standing his ground. Maybe we would get into a fight so I would be able to mess up his pretty face and send him home to pack his bags and disappear.

“I’m talking about you letting him down on a day that mattered.” I stabbed a finger at him. “He expected you to be here. He wanted your support, not mine.”

His hands clenched into fists, and I swore he was going to swing. That was all I needed, for him to swing first so Tate wouldn’t blame this whole mess on me. It was imperative that whatever went on between the two that I didn’t appear to have meddled. That was the reason I had tried to enlist Keith’s help.

“I would have been here earlier if work didn’t get in the way,” he said.

“So he said, but he waited and waited.” I started to tick off all the things he was doing wrong. “You stood him up. You don’t even know what day is today. Why the hell would he choose you over me? At least I stopped by to pick up the pieces you left behind.”

His face turned red with anger. “I get it. You’ve known him longer than me, so you might as well tell me. What am I missing?”

“Perhaps ask him when you see him,” I said. “He had all the time in the world to visit but he chose this day. You and I know he is a private man, and the fact that he invited you here shows this meant a lot to him. Thank you for blowing it. You’ve just made it easier for Tate to see what I’ve been telling him all along. You’re unsuitable for him.”

To be fair, I started to walk away even though I wanted to smack him. He grabbed me by the arm and jerked me to a stop. “You stay the hell away from Tate!” he said through clenched teeth. “You’ve known him for what? Over ten years? Not once has he looked at you the way he looks at me. That’s what bothers you, isn’t it? Tate will never love you the way he loves me.”

I wouldn’t have touched him. If only he had let me go without trying to get physical. At his words, coupled with his actions, I snapped and grabbed him by the shirt front, hauling him up against me. His eyes blazed with anger and fear. “Make no mistake, dishwasher boy. Tate’s a businessman. You really think a guy who can only earn a living washing dishes will be enough for him? You’ll be an embarrassment for him to introduce to his associates. I don’t mind that he’s fucking you now. What matters is who he will ultimately choose. I plan to be that guy.”

I pushed him away from me then turned away and hurried to my car before I gave in to the urge and slammed my fist into his face. This was hardly the place to get physical with him. I wouldn’t desecrate Rachel and Kathleen’s memory like that.

By the time I got into my car and drove out of the cemetery parking lot, I had come to the conclusion that I was going to need Keith’s help after all. I needed to teach that smug bastard a lesson. Tate was worth it.

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