Epilogue

Press conference, the next day . . .

The taxi dropped Mason and Tessler at the Hemingway House a full hour and a half before the museum opened for business so Tessler could come in and use their conference room to do his interview. That was the deal Marcus had offered to Tessler the night before when they’d talked on the phone.  Marcus even made a few calls for Tessler to a couple of network reporters he knew to see if they’d be available to do the interview on such short notice and at the time slot Marcus had allotted. Only one of them was free and had flown into Key West the night before to be there on time.

Tessler checked his phone again as they stepped out of the cab and noticed several new text messages from Barry, each one more threatening than the last. It seemed now that he knew he no longer had the journal in his possession, he was panicking over the fact he’d lost his hold over Tessler, and that only made Tessler feel more powerful.

“More bullshit from Barry?” Mason asked when he saw Tessler looking at his phone.

Tessler nodded. “He’s not going to give this up,” he said.

“If he continues to harass you, then we’ll take legal action after we get back to LA,” Mason replied.

“I just want him to leave me the hell alone,” Tessler grumbled.

Mason held Tessler’s hand as they walked towards the Hemingway estate. “Are you sure you want to do this interview today?” he asked. “If not, we could give it another day and see if the reporter could do the interview then.”

Tessler shook his head. “No, I want to get this over with, like you said, and move forward without having to constantly worry someone is going to out me,” he said. “We’re doing this today before Barry does it for me. My terms. My way.”

Mason smiled broadly at that. He loved the sound of confidence hanging off each of Tessler’s words. The old Tessler was back and fully in charge—the same man he’d met what seemed like a hundred years ago.

“I’m really proud of you for doing this,” Mason said and squeezed Tessler’s hand.

“Save that sentiment until after I actually do the interview, okay?” Tessler said. “There’s still a chance I might run from the room screeching like a little school girl.”

“That’s actually a funny visual,” Mason said and laughed. “Would there be a school girl uniform to go along with that and maybe pigtails, too?” He opened the door to the Hemingway House and allowed Tessler to enter first; he didn’t miss the roll of Tessler’s eyes as he stepped in front of him, either.

A good-looking older man with thick, dark hair and wire-rimmed glasses was there to greet them. He quickly pulled Tessler into a hug which unnerved Mason a little bit. He was about to insert himself between their embrace when he remembered Tessler said Marcus was an old friend who worked here and was instrumental in arranging for this to happen. Fuck buddy was a better description of their relationship, but Mason couldn’t allow himself to go all green-eyed monster right now. This guy had gone above and beyond to get this interview scheduled on such short notice and even offered up his place of work as a location. Mason wasn’t going to give the guy attitude for being nice, but if their hug segued into a kiss then all this guy would be getting was Mason’s bad-ass attitude.

Soon enough, Tessler pulled out of their embrace and turned towards Mason. “Marcus, this is the guy I told you about,” he said and stretched his hand in Mason’s direction. “Mason, this is my old friend, Marcus.”

“It’s so good to finally meet you, Mason,” Marcus said as he leaned closer to shake his hand. “Tessler has told me a lot about you, which is why I knew it was serious long before he was ready to admit it. He never gushes about anyone.”

“That’s always good to hear,” Mason said and smiled back at Marcus.

Marcus turned back to Tessler and touched his forearm. “The reporter is already here and set up with one cameraman doing a two-camera shoot,” Marcus explained. “She asked if you wanted to do a live feed with her network, but I told her I was pretty sure you wanted to go the pre-recorded route and have her upload later. You can change that if you want. There’s still time.”

Marcus talked while he directed them down a hallway, which led to the executive offices for the museum. He stopped next to a set of double glass doors. “We’re set up for you in here,” Marcus said to Tessler.

Mason felt Tessler hesitate before he stepped into the room and pressed a reassuring hand on the small of his back. Then he leaned closer to Tessler’s ear. “You’re in control here, Tess. If you’ve changed your mind, it’s okay. I’ll take you back to the cottage.”

Tessler turned around and faced Mason. His eyes brimmed with tears, and Mason could tell he was fighting to hold on to what little composure he had left. “No, I’m doing this now,” he whispered. “When I leave this place, I am no longer going to be looking over my shoulder. I want that for me, but I also want it for us.”

Mason nodded and pulled Tessler against his chest for a quick embrace. “I’ll wait out here in the hallway,” he said softly.

Tessler’s eyes flew wide. “No way! You promised you’d be with me,” Tessler pleaded.

“You want me in the room?” Mason questioned.

“I can’t do this without you right there beside me.”

“Everything okay?” Marcus asked from behind Tessler.

Tessler’s eyes held Mason’s. “Please. I need you.”

Four simple words that weighed so damn much and meant the world for Mason to hear them. Mason always felt his purpose in life was to help people, which was why it was so difficult for him to ask for help when he needed it himself. It was a role so unfamiliar to him, he navigated the emotional terrain like a blind man. He was whole again, thanks to Tessler’s strength, and now it was Mason’s turn to hold Tessler up and be his rock, his fortress, whatever he needed him to be.

Mason’s eyes darted to movement behind them. A female reporter was adjusting three chairs around to better position them to work with the studio lights her cameraman had brought with him.

“Tessler, you can have a seat here,” Marcus directed and pointed to an empty chair, “and Mason you can sit here beside him.”

“Hi there, Mr. Tessler,” the reporter said. “I’m Mindy Gladstone with Channel 6 News. We’re a CBS affiliate network. I can’t thank you enough for giving me this exclusive.”

“It’s just Tessler,” he corrected the woman.

“Tessler?” Mindy repeated. “Oh, I just assumed that was your last name.”

Tessler shook his head. “It’s a pen name and why I’m here to talk to you today,” he explained while the cameraman clipped a tiny microphone to the collar of his polo shirt, then he did the same for Mason.

“Okay, I’m truly intrigued,” Mindy said. “I’m sure our viewers will be, too.” She sat down in her own chair and turned to address her cameraman. “Give me a five count lead-in, and we’ll get this rolling.”

Tessler reached for Mason’s hand on his thigh and squeezed it; when their gazes met, Mason nodded in hopes his strength would pass through him and straight into Tessler. “You can do this,” Mason silently mouthed the words.

“I think we’re ready to begin, gentlemen,” Mindy said. “I’ll start with a brief introduction and then I’ll ask you a few questions. Marcus said you have a prepared statement. Is that true?”

“I wrote down a few notes,” Tessler answered, “but I’ll probably just speak off the cuff.”

“That works, too,” she said. “Remember, this isn’t live, so if you need a break or want to stop, just say the word and we’ll edit it later.”

“Sounds good,” Tessler said.

“Then, I think we’re ready,” Mindy said. She looked behind her and signaled the cameraman, then pasted a smile onto her face that Mason was less than convinced was genuine. Her eyes lifted to the camera pointed at her as the cameraman did his countdown.

Five . . . four . . . three . . .

A silent two count followed and was done with the cameraman’s fingers in the air, and then they were officially filming. True to her word, Mindy did her introduction and even included Mason, which was a little uncomfortable, but he went with it. This was Tessler’s show, and he was only there for support. All too quickly, the focus turned to Tessler, and Mason held his breath.

“Good morning, my name is Tessler. Just Tessler … no last name,” he said and grinned nervously at the camera. “Some of you might recognize that name because of my books in the science fiction genre, but I’m fairly certain none of you know my face. There’s a reason for that, and I’ve gone out of my way to stay out of the public eye for the last several years. Tessler is one of two pen names I use for my books, and I have a third name—my birth name as well. I’m here today to tell you about all of them, and why I felt the need to have three names.”

“How long have you been writing, Tessler?” Mindy prompted.

“I started writing short stories when I was a kid,” Tessler explained, “but didn’t start earning money doing it until I was in college.”

“I believe I read you were signed with a publishing house at the tender age of nineteen,” Mindy said.

“That’s correct,” Tessler admitted. “It was a dream come true, but that dream came with a burden I hadn’t expected.”

“And what was that?” Mindy asked.

“I had to hide who I was,” Tessler confessed. “Having three different identities has taken its toll, and I no longer want to hide any of my pieces. That being said, I want the world to know that I was born and raised as Gavin Roth. I am also Tessler, an author of several series of books in the science fiction genre, and my other pen name is LJ Mechum, the author of The Black Key Trilogy. The reason for my secrecy and the reclusive existence I established for myself years ago is because of the three books I wrote under the name of LJ Mechum. Up until last night, not even my family knew I was the author of that trilogy. Although they’ve known for years I was gay, this last piece was all new to them, and I’m thrilled and also relieved, that they offered me their full support and love. That meant a lot to me, and it gave me the strength to sit here today and tell the public that I am LJ Mechum.”

Mindy seemed to be shocked into silence but cleared her throat and managed to ask, “I can’t believe I’m sitting here with LJ Mechum,” she said. “That series broke every sales record known in the publishing industry.”

“That series is also based on my experiences as a young gay man at a time in my life when I was simply having fun exploring my sexuality,” Tessler added.

“It’s takes place in a sex club, correct?” Mindy asked with eyes still as wide as saucers. “And movies were made from the trilogy.”

“That’s all true.”

“Why come forward now and not years ago when this trilogy hit it big?” Mindy asked.

“I should have gone public back when the trilogy released, but I was advised by my publisher and agent at the time that the public might have a problem with the dark, erotic content of those books and that could translate into poor sales of my other books which are in a much different genre. I was young and impressionable, so I listened to them. I wasn’t even out to my family as a gay man, so it was a relief that I could hide behind this pen name. I don’t want to hide anymore. I’m in a really good place in my life right now—I’m in love, and ready to own whatever backlash comes from the public knowing who LJ Mechum really is. If it affects my book sales, then so be it. I’ll still continue to write my stories under the Tessler name and trademark.”

“That sounds like a heavy weight you’ve been carrying around all these years,” Mindy said.

“It was, but recent events in my life forced my hand with this,” Tessler stated.

“Do you want to elaborate on that?” Mindy asked.

“Someone who used to work for me admitted to stealing a journal from my house—the stories I based the trilogy on came from that same journal,” Tessler explained. “Then they started threatening to use my journal to expose my three identities to the world. I couldn’t allow that to happen. This is my life and my truth, so I decided to own it and make this announcement myself before they had a chance to do it for me.”

“Well, I’m very glad you decided to share this with us today, Tessler,” the reporter said warmly. “For your fans watching this interview, I have to ask if there will be more books forthcoming under the LJ Mechum name?”

“Definitely not,” Tessler said firmly. “I retired him a long time ago. I guess you could say, he was my alter ego back then, but I am not that same man anymore, which is why I can’t and won’t use the name again. The trilogy will forever remain a three book series.”

“That’s sure to be a disappointment to the millions of readers who loved that series, Tessler, but your explanation makes perfect sense,” Mindy said, then her eyes bounced to Mason. “What role did you play in this big reveal today, Mason?”

“I’m here as his support,” Mason said.

“He’s much more than that,” Tessler added. “He’s here to watch me take back full control of my life and witness the merging of three very different identities into one.”

“Is Tessler the identity closest to who you really are?” Mindy asked Tessler.

“There are pieces of all three inside the real me, but I’m going to continue to use Tessler to author my science fiction books,” he admitted.

“Where do you plan to go from here after today’s interview?” Mindy asked.

Tessler looked at Mason and smiled warmly. “Anywhere this man is going . . . that’s where I want to be. He’s shown me that life is so much more than my words, and from now on, I’m going to live my truth—out in the open. Of course, I’ll keep on writing, too.”

“I think that sums it up perfectly, Tessler,” Mindy smiled again. “I’ll thank you for trusting us to share your news, and we at Channel 6 wish you the very best of luck. I hope you’ll give us a call with future updates as well.”

“I’d be happy to,” Tessler said. He waited for the “all clear” signal from the cameraman and then quickly turned to embrace Mason in the chair beside him. “I did it, I fucking did it.”

“You most certainly did, and I am so damn proud,” Mason whispered. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of here. We’ve got some celebrating to do.”

“Before we get to the fun part of celebrating, I’m really worried about what Barry has in store for me, especially after he sees this interview air,” Tessler said.

“I put a call in to Victor this morning while you were getting ready,” Mason said. “He’s got a couple of our guys going over to have a chat with Barry a little later.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means, we always take care of our own,” Mason explained. “Barry might be desperate for cash, but I don’t think he’s stupid, and our guys are very good at getting people to make the right decision.”

“You really think they’ll be able to convince Barry to drop this?” Tessler asked.

“I’m certain of it,” Mason countered. “We are so smooth with our . . . methods, Barry will think it was all his idea to walk away.”

“It’ll be that easy?”

“Not in the sense you’re thinking, but easy from our end of things,” Mason said. “We’ll get you through this, Tess, I promise. So, let’s go celebrate a whole new chapter of our lives.”

“Naked?” Tessler asked with the lift of one brow.

“Is there a better way?”

“I seriously don’t believe so,” Tessler said and smirked.

“Then, naked it is.”