Sins of Spring

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A Total-E-Bound Publication

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Sins of Spring Anthology
ISBN # 978-0-85715-969-4
Takeover ©Copyright D.J. Manly 2012
The Kaupe ©Copyright A.J. Llewellyn 2012
Spring Discovery ©Copyright Serena Yates 2012
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright May 2012
Edited by Stacey Birkel
Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination
and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or
places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form,
whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of
the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound
Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil
proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs
and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator
of the artwork.

Published in 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL,
United Kingdom.

Warning:

This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This
story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 2.

This story contains 221 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book
containing 6 pages.

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SINS OF SPRING ANTHOLOGY

Takeover

D.J. Manly

The Kaupe

A.J. Llewellyn

Spring Discovery

Serena Yates

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Book four in The Seven Deadly Sins Collection of Anthologies

The seven deadly sins: lust, wrath, greed, gluttony, envy, pride and sloth.

The Sins of Spring weaves a general thread of expectation loosely tying these tales together.
Pride, Lust and Envy are exposed in these hot M/M tales involving action, explosive sex and
paranormal experiences that will get you hot and wanting more…in no time!

‘Takeover’ by D.J. Manly

DJ Manly looks at the Sin of Greed in ‘Takeover’.

Clive is sent to take over Frost Trucking…Seth intends to protect his grandfather from
corporate greed…and desire has plans of its own.

Corporate greed is in abundance in today’s economy, and Seth Frost is about to come face to
face with it in the person of Clive Roberts.

Clive Roberts comes to Port Credit as a representative of a large trucking corporation—there
to take over Frost Trucking, a company on the verge of bankruptcy. Seth Frost had taken
time off from his job in the city to visit his grandfather in the hospital. He resents the fact that
Roberts is there in Port Credit like a circling piranha, watching his ailing grandfather…just
biding his time till he’s able to take over a company his grandfather built from scratch.

But there’s more to Roberts than meets the eye. In spite of his reason for being there, Seth
feels a little off balance when he looks into his eyes. Forced to work together to get the best
deal for Seth’s grandfather, the attraction between the two men grows. Clive may well be
there to take over the trucking company, but can Seth stop Clive from also taking over his
heart?

‘The Kaupe’ by A.J. Llewellyn

A.J. Llewellyn tackles the Sin of Pride in ‘The Kaupe’.

Dino Perez is a super-hot Hollywood makeup artist who is used to dating the most gorgeous
men in town. When he meets the dynamic and sexy—but not very handsome—art dealer
Alek Briatore, pride stops him from accepting him as a suitor.

Alek, not one to be easily discouraged, pursues Dino, following him and his three friends on
their vacation in Honolulu. Then, while on a hike in a remote, mountainous bamboo forest,
Dina is seduced by a wicked-handsome suitor, leaving him feeling faintly slutty. Their
scorching sexual encounter is one he can never forget.

He doesn’t tell his friends what happened, particularly since Alek has become a well-liked
part of their group. Obsessed with his mountain man, Dino sneaks back to the forest, hoping
for another wild encounter. He gets it…in more ways than one. He discovers his lusty forest

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friend is a supernatural being—a kaupe—and soon learns that pride makes even the smartest
man make extremely foolish choices…

‘Spring Discovery’ by Serena Yates

Serena Yates examines the Sin of Envy in ‘Spring Discovery’.

Shawn Adens is out for blood—an ex-tabloid journalist with a new mission to unveil the
dark and illegal machinations of powerful bankers and businesspeople. His new career with
the Philadelphia Herald depends on finding a scandal! When he discovers that the man who
used to be his best friend still lives a life of privilege, envy fuels his determination to expose
every sordid detail.

Gerald VanBrunt, CEO of one of his family’s companies, is delighted that Shawn is back in
his life. They had lost contact when Shawn’s father risked and destroyed the Aden family
fortune. For Gerald, none of that is important and he welcomes Shawn back into his life with
open arms—quite literally. But the deception cannot last. Circumstances and a mysterious
enemy reveal Shawn’s underhanded plot. What will Gerald do when he discovers their
renewed relationship is only a ruse?

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Dedication

To small businesses everywhere.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following
wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Hilton: Hilton Worldwide
Lysol: Reckitt Benckiser
Fiat: Fiat S.p.A.
Frankenstein: Mary Shelley

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

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Chapter One

The CEO of Simpson and Associates Inc. stood up in front of the podium and looked

out at the members of the business community. Only the elite were present in the huge room

at the downtown Hilton Hotel.

The president of the local Chamber of Commerce, as well as managers of several

Toronto banking institutions, sat in the front row. They’d all come to applaud Trevor

Simpson and Associates for gaining a near monopoly in the transport industry.

Clive Roberts sat at a table next to the VIP crowd. Several terminal managers and their

wives sat at the table with him. He was the only one unaccompanied but that was all right.

He had no time for romance and all the hassle that came along with it.

Mark had left him a year ago, and he’d done him a favour, really. When he’d lost his

job, Clive had been stuck paying the bills for months. As soon as Mark had found another, he

had written Clive a cheque for a few hundred dollars and packed his bags. Mark had accused

him of being unable to share.

“What do you mean, unable to share?” Clive had protested. “I’ve been footing the bills

for months.”

“Yeah, and you’ve never let me forget it,” Mark had countered. “You could never share

your life with anyone. One day, you just may discover that there’s more to life than money.”

Okay, so Clive had to admit he had felt a little let down when Mark had left him. He

had loved him in his own way. It wasn’t his fault he had a hard time with this sharing

business. It was the way he’d grown up. His mother had died when he was six, and his

father couldn’t seem to hold a job after that. He drank. Clive had done what he could to

make sure his little sister and he had something to eat. As a result, he was a hoarder. He

hoarded everything from food to money. And it was never enough. There was always this

fear that he’d come up short.

He’d worked his way through college doing any job he could find, and, with a degree

in computers and business, had landed the job with Simpson and Associates. Even today,

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

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with a big salary and an expense account, Clive felt insecure. At Mark’s insistence, he’d tried

counselling. It had worked for a while then he’d gone back to his old self again.

Luckily, Simpson and Associates had soon discovered that Clive had a talent for more

than just solving computer problems. He was good at finding cost-saving solutions. Already,

he’d saved the company millions of dollars.

Simpson and Associates had been going through a period of restructuring when he’d

been hired on. They’d wanted to improve their efficiency, cut the fat, and increase their

market share. Clive had offered them some ideas, and they’d told him to run with them.

Within three years, Clive had increased efficiency and made the company more

competitive. Mass firings, undercutting the competition, and rerouting the trucks had saved

the company a fortune. Turning a profit, amassing money, and swallowing up the smaller

trucking companies was the bottom line, and Clive instinctively understood how to do that.

When Trevor Simpson began his presentation, a projection screen appeared behind the

silver-haired man. Statistical charts and graphs explained the rationalisation and

restructuring the company had undergone. The word ‘profit’ was mentioned often when he

talked about undercutting the competition.

Clive noticed that when Simpson said, “We have almost won a total monopoly in the

industry,” he looked directly at Clive. Clive knew what he meant. Frost Trucking was the

‘almost’—Clive’s last mountain to climb. Clive had made it his mission to know everything

about Frost. And they should have been easy to break, but, for some reason, they kept

hanging on. What stumped Clive about Frost Trucking was that it was no more than a little

Mom and Pop outfit with some sentimental hogwash philosophy about putting customers

first. Sure, every company spouted stuff like that, but Frost meant it. That philosophy, along

with the old man who adhered to it, had put the company in a very vulnerable position.

Frost was the thorn in his side. He was obsessed with it and he vowed that, before this

year was through, Frost was going to be his.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Simpson called out suddenly, “let me introduce to you my top

efficiency expert, Mr Clive Roberts.”

Clive stood up and took a bow. There was applause, which was decidedly less

animated coming from the terminal managers. They resented the power he had to point out

their shortcomings and to terminate their jobs tomorrow if he decided the company could

operate just fine without them.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

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But Clive didn’t care. He knew they feared him—hated him, even—but there was

jealousy, too. He was successful, ambitious and earning the kind of salary at the age of

twenty-seven that some men don’t even earn in their fifties. He was doing a job, and, like all

jobs, he couldn’t afford to be sentimental about it.

The applause died. Clive sat back down. There would be a question period and drinks

in the lobby. He checked his watch. It looked like he wouldn’t be home before midnight.

* * * *

“How is he?” Seth tucked the receiver under his chin, and motioned to his assistant to

close his office door.

“Not good,” his mother replied. “He’s in Intensive Care. The heart attack was severe

this time.”

Seth sighed. “I’m sorry, Mom. Is he on life support?”

“No, he’s breathing on his own. But he’s weak.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. It’s all the damn stress lately that’s caused this. I knew it would end up like

this. I told him to slow down. He should have sold when that jackass Roberts came ‘round. I

suppose he’ll be slithering around here again soon.”

“Who’s Roberts?” Seth asked.

“Works for Simpson Transport. He was up here around Christmas from Toronto,

harassing your grandfather to sell the company. They tried to drive him out of business, you

know… Steal his customers right out from under his nose.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“Your grandfather didn’t want me to. He thought you had enough on your plate, what

with the poor people and stuff.”

“Jesus, Mom. You still should have told me.”

“The customers love your grandfather. They told that Roberts guy where to stick it.

Didn’t matter what that big outfit was offering.”

“He’s proud of Frost. He built it from scratch. He’d never sell.”

“He was disappointed when your father took no interest in the company, but you know

construction was his first love.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

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“Yes, I know. Grandpa knew that, too.”

“Neither one of you boys wanted to work in the company, either, although Adam took

his two-week vacation from the construction company and has been helping Grandpa out.”

“That’s good.” He felt guilty. Damn, why was he so out of the loop? “So, look, I’ll drive

down tonight to see Grandpa, okay? We’ll talk more then.”

“Okay. Come directly to the hospital.”

Seth was in the middle of saying goodbye when his assistant came back in. “Sorry to

interrupt, Seth, but—”

He put down the phone. “I know. We’re out of a lot of the basics. The donations have

been down lately. It’s a good thing the grocery stores in the area donated all those hams. At

least we can put together an Easter dinner of sorts.”

“We need potatoes and frozen veggies. We have all those pies for dessert. They’re in the

freezer downstairs. I think we’ll be okay. Not much milk, though.”

“Okay, I’ll authorise a cheque. The account is low but we can spring for potatoes and

vegetables. Send some of the volunteers for what you need. Next week, we’ll have to get

people on the phones to try to drum up some money. We might not make it until next

month.”

“I called the city today. They say the cheque is on its way.”

“Hope so.”

“Everything all right, sweetie?”

Seth leant back in his chair. “My grandfather is very sick.”

“I’m sorry,” she replied.

“He’s in his seventies, still running his company. I can’t believe someone would harass

an old man to that extent to put him into cardiac arrest.”

“Who did that?” Sandra gasped and walked closer to the desk.

“My grandfather owns a small transport company. Simpson Transport has been down

there trying to steal his customers.”

“Simpson Transport! Don’t talk to me about those corporate goons—laid off my uncle

last year, three weeks before Christmas. He was a dock man—gave them fourteen years of

his life and suddenly he wasn’t good enough. Three kids. They don’t care. Everything comes

down to profit with those types.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“It’s the problem with the world, right in this very city, what with the rent these

landlords are charging for their run-down dumps.” Seth replied. “The rich get richer, and the

poor get poorer. It’s greed—pure and simple. How much is really enough?”

She touched his shoulder, nodding. “I hope your grandfather gets well, Seth.”

“Thanks,” he replied. “I’ll take off tonight. I’ll take tomorrow and the weekend, and try

to get back on Monday. That report I have to do for the ministry is due Tuesday. I’ll let you

know what’s happening, anyway.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry about things here.”

Seth wrote a cheque and handed it to her. Two years ago, it had got so bad that he and

Sandra had paid for food out of their own pockets. The city had promised the cheque would

be on time this year. Let’s hope.

When the door closed, Seth stood up and went to the window. His office looked out on

to St Dennis Drive in the area of Flemingdon Park. The dirt-poor high-rises cast a shadow

across the Don Mills area of Toronto.

On one side of the street, the lobbies of the white brick apartment buildings were clean

and hung with chandeliers. On the other, litter and debris covered the ground. The back

doors stood open to the cold, the floors and walls grimy and full of holes. The lights in the

entries were burned out.

The rents varied only slightly from one side of the street to the other, but, in this vertical

mosaic, only the dirtiest, most run-down buildings along St Dennis would let in poor people

whose skin wasn’t white.

The St Dennis Community Centre had opened its doors five years ago. It supplied food,

clothing, lodging and counselling services to all in need. The city, as well as the provincial

and federal governments, partially funded it. But demand had grown while payments had

stayed the same.

Seth had done a work placement there when he’d been finishing up his degree in urban

planning at the University of Toronto. He’d slowly developed a commitment to the place and

the people who used its services. He’d already had a job waiting for him with the city for

much more pay and far better conditions when he’d graduated. He’d had no idea he’d end

up running this place after the former director had declared that she was burnt out.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

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“Seth,” she had explained, “you are just what the Centre needs—new blood, young,

and you have the background. You’re good with people. You can get things done. Please, say

you’ll take over the Centre.”

Three years later, here he was. Owing to a lack of affordable housing and decent paying

jobs, new arrivals to the city—especially those people who were visibly minorities—were

relying more and more on the services the Centre could provide. Donations had been down

since Christmas, which was typical, and money was in short supply.

Still, the poor kept coming.

Companies like Simpson and Associates really pissed him off. They didn’t seem to have

any commitment to the community in which they lived. He knew, for example, that their

head office was in downtown Toronto. But never once had he ever seen them sponsor any

charity. And to harass his grandfather, who ran a modest business, was not right. It wasn’t

right at all.

* * * *

When his cell phone rang around three in the afternoon, Clive was ready to call it a day.

That conference at the hotel had lasted longer than he’d expected. He hadn’t got home until

after two and he was beat. He glanced at the caller ID and picked up. “Yeah, what is it?” he

said.

“No ‘Hello, Danny? How are you, Danny?’”

“Hello, Danny. What is it?”

“Got some news you might be interested in.”

“Go ahead.”

“Mr Frost was taken to the hospital. He’s in bad shape, massive heart attack. You might

want to get up here and talk to his daughter-in-law.”

He gripped the phone. “Um, okay, get me a room at the Inn again. I’ll drive up to Port

Credit tonight.”

“So, am I going to see any money in my bank account?”

“I’ll give you some when I get out there.”

“And you promised me a job when this is all over. You haven’t forgotten?”

“I said I’d give you one, didn’t I? Don’t worry. I’m a man of my word.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“So, ah…what about tonight? Should I get a…double bed?”

Clive pondered that for a minute. He could use a bit of company. “Sure, go ahead.”

“You Romeo, you,” he muttered. “See you soon.”

“Right.” Clive hung up. He sat back and closed his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, the time

had come to pull that thorn out of his side. It was too bad that the old guy was sick. In fact,

he’d kind of liked him. The last time he’d seen him just before Christmas, the old man had

served him hot chocolate and offered him Christmas cookies.

However, when it came to allowing Clive to talk any sense into him about the state of

his business, he wouldn’t hear of it. Yep, he was a nice old fellow, but he couldn’t let that get

in the way of doing what he’d come here to do.

He picked up his phone and dialled Trevor Simpson.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Chapter Two

Seth had driven directly to the hospital in Port Credit as soon as he’d gone home and

packed a few things. He found his mother sitting outside the Intensive Care Unit, nodding

off in a chair.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and Rita Frost opened her eyes. “Hey baby,” she

greeted.

He leant down and hugged her. “How is he?”

“The same,” she murmured. “He’s hanging on. He’s in a foul mood, not happy to be flat

on his back. He’s still breathing on his own.”

“That’s good news.” He took a seat beside her. “You look tired. Why don’t I run in to

see Grandpa, and then take you home? I can come back.”

“It’s okay. I have Grandpa’s car. I’ll drive it back.”

“Has Adam been?”

“Yes, he and Susan came by earlier. Your brother has been taking care of things at the

company.”

“You told me. I feel guilty.”

“Honey, you’re not here. You work fifty, sixty hours a week, running that place. Adam

can take time off from the construction company. He’s got William as foreman.”

Seth nodded.

His mother looked at him for a minute. “William is still free.”

“Mom, it’s over between William and me. It’s been over for a long time.”

“I know. But he’s such a nice young man and I worry about you. I don’t want you to

grow old alone.”

He stood. He really didn’t want to talk about that. “I’ll go in for a few minutes.”

“I’ll wait until you come out,” his mother told him.

The nurse at the desk glanced at him as he walked into Intensive Care. “Hi, I’m Mr

Frost’s grandson, Seth Frost. I’d like to see him for a few minutes.”

“He’s sleeping, I think,” she commented.

“I won’t stay long.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

She smiled. “He’s in bed number one.”

Seth walked over to his grandfather’s bed. He watched the readout of the machine

beeping quietly beside him for a few seconds. He was so still. He looked old, frail. But he was

a strong man. Seth covered his grandfather’s hand with his. “You’re going to get through

this, Gramps,” he said. He leaned over and kissed his forehead. His grandfather didn’t stir.

Seth sat down in the chair beside him for a minute. He didn’t want to wake him. He

was thinking back to when his father had been killed in that construction accident. His

grandfather had been there for him and his brother. Seth had been only six—Adam, eight. He

and Adam had spent a lot of time with their grandfather at the house and at the trucking

company. He’d encouraged them to be independent, encouraged them to care about others,

and always had time to make them laugh.

All those memories still weighed heavily on him as Seth walked back out to the

hallway. He was careful to dry his eyes before his mother saw him. If she saw him crying,

she would burst into tears herself.

He encouraged her to go home. “I’ll stay for a while.”

“Adam said he’d come by later.” His mother picked up her sweater and purse.

Seth hugged her and saw her to the elevator. “I’ll be there soon. If you want to go to

bed, go ahead. I have my key. Maybe Adam and I will go for a beer later.”

She nodded. “Okay, dear.” She lifted a hand and got on the elevator. Seth walked back

down the hallway and took a seat.

* * * *

The Waterside Inn was actually a nice place overlooking the sea in Port Credit. Clive

settled into the room then decided to go downstairs to the restaurant to eat something.

As soon as he sat down at the table and began studying the menu, Danny arrived. He

was dressed in jeans and a blue corduroy shirt. He wasn’t wearing a jacket and his brown

hair was windblown. He was good-looking enough and convenient, but not really his type.

Danny pulled out a chair. “Hey,” he said with a smile.

“Aren’t you cold? It’s freezing here near the water.”

“It was plus fourteen today. Spring is here, buddy. Flowers are springing.”

“Right. And maybe we shouldn’t be seen together.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

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“Why? Everyone knows what you’re here for. Haven’t you noticed the dirty looks?”

“Yeah, they’ll probably spit in my soup.”

Danny sat back, laughing. “Wouldn’t doubt it. Anyway, you invited me to supper

and…” He glanced at the ceiling.

“Don’t remember saying anything about supper.”

“Come on, Clive, give me a break. I feel like shit. That old man was good to me, good to

everybody in this town.”

Clive lowered the menu. “If he’s dying, I’m doing his family a favour, don’t you think?

I’m going to give them a way out.”

“I don’t know about that,” Danny drawled. “Adam’s been taking quite an interest in the

company lately, ever since the factory closed here. He might have a mind to take it over

himself.”

“Thought he ran the construction company?”

“He does. It belonged to his dad years back. Dad died and the mother sold it. Adam

bought the guy out last year. Mortgaged his house.”

“Um, well then, I doubt he’d want to take on a company on the verge of bankruptcy.”

“You don’t understand tradition and loyalty.”

“Ha—look who’s talking.” He smiled.

Danny looked down at his hands.

“Everyone has a price.”

Danny lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t know the Frost boys. Adam and Seth are real

good people. Their mother works as a librarian and is a do-gooder…charitable to everyone.

This is a small town—they stick together.”

“Are you trying to intimidate me, Danny?” He fixed him with his gaze.

“No,” he grinned, leaning forward, “I’ll leave that for the bedroom.”

The waitress approached the table now, pad in hand. “What can I get you, Mr Roberts?”

There was no smile.

“I’ll have the chicken and rice, ah…no soup.” He handed her the menu.

She walked away.

Danny sniggered.

* * * *

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

His home town had changed since he was a boy, but a lot of the people were the same.

The pharmacist, the couple who owned the hardware store and the French fry trailer that

opened only in the summers… But a lot of the younger generation had moved on to find

work in Toronto.

“I found Grandpa on the floor, gasping for breath,” Adam told him after they sat

downstairs in the cafeteria with their vending machine coffee.

“That must have been awful.”

Adam nodded. “I thought he was dead.”

“He’s tough.”

“I know but he’s been under a lot of pressure.”

“Simpson Transport.”

“Mom told you.”

“Some guy named Roberts.”

“Clive Roberts, some big shot from the company. Nice enough guy on the outside, but

devious as a fox. Came up here around Christmas. He’s also been emailing and calling,

encouraging Gramps to sell.”

“So you’re not going to give up the construction company for trucking, are you?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Construction business is booming. I got…my foreman…”

“You can say his name, you know. I won’t fall apart or anything.”

“Well, you know who. You going to see him?”

“If I have time.”

“I noticed Gramps was going downhill, so I’ve been going back and forth. Susan has

been picking up the slack at home.”

“How’s Graham?”

“Playing soccer now, just like his uncle used to do.”

“Is he any good?”

“Better than you,” Adam teased.

Seth punched him in the arm. “Can’t believe he’s ten years old already.”

“Time flies.” Adam finished his coffee and squished up the cup in his hand.

“How’s Susan’s job going?”

“Okay. She loves it, although I couldn’t stick my hand in people’s mouths all day.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Seth laughed. “You always say that.” He sobered. “I really am sorry for not being

around a lot. You’ve been here, running the company Dad started, helping Grandpa and—”

Adam reached over and touched his hand. “And your calling is in the city, helping

those people who need you.”

He nodded.

“Anyway,” he withdrew his hand, “you’re here now.”

Seth smiled.

“And I’m glad.”

“Me too. Let’s get drunk,” Seth suggested.

Adam laughed. “Good idea.”

* * * *

Danny seemed anxious to go upstairs. Clive was in desperate need of a walk. He

needed to clear his head. “Let’s walk down by the dock. It’s a nice night.”

“Thought you said it was cold.” Danny sniffed.

“I’ll wear a coat.” Clive threw his short black leather coat over his jeans and hiked down

to the port.

They didn’t talk. That was good. He didn’t have much to say really. Tomorrow, he’d go

and see Mrs Frost, find out the news. He’d tried talking to Adam once but he was a bit of a

hothead. If Mrs Frost was in agreement and the old man was coherent, he could have the

papers drawn up in a jiff.

He looked out on the water and watched the boats bobbing up and down. The moon

was bright overhead but, for some reason, it made him feel a little sad.

“Clive?”

He glanced around at Danny. “Yeah?”

“They won’t have to know it was me, will they? I mean, I live in this town. My girl’s

from here.”

“Girl?” His eyes widened.

“Yeah, I’m getting hitched in the summer.”

Clive laughed.

“What? She doesn’t have to know about my little, ah…recreational sidelines.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Is that what you call it?”

“Good enough name.”

“As for anyone having to know, they probably do already. I wouldn’t worry about it.

You won’t be living here much longer anyway.”

Danny nodded, looking around. “Can we go in now or…?”

“Sure, why not.” Clive shrugged. They turned and began to walk back to the hotel.

Suddenly, Danny placed a hand on his arm. “Shit, it’s Adam and Seth.”

“The Frost boys.”

“Fuck, they’re coming this way.”

Suddenly, Danny was gone. He just left Clive standing there. “Bloody coward,” Clive

muttered under his breath.

Adam Frost was looking right at him from across the street and his expression didn’t

seem friendly, but then it hadn’t been last time, either.

Adam said something to the man beside him, who grabbed his arm as if to hold him

back. Ah, Seth Frost, perhaps the more rational of the two…perhaps the one I can reach.

Clive walked up to them. “Good evening.” He nodded at the other brother. Dark hair

and eyes, tall, well-built…very nice-looking man.

“What in fuck are you doing here, Roberts?” Adam demanded. “Man, my grandfather

hasn’t been in the hospital more than twelve hours. My, but how the vultures circle!”

Clive sighed. “I came to offer my support.”

“Bullshit!” Adam muttered.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” He turned to Seth. “You are Seth Frost, I assume. Maybe

you’re the one with the cooler head.” He held out his hand. “Clive Roberts, Simpson

Transport.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here,” Seth Frost said. “How did you know?”

“Oh, he has his spies in town,” Adam sneered.

“I came to help you. There are things I can do.”

“Yeah? Let me tell you what you can do!” Adam shouted.

Seth grabbed hold of him again. “Adam, he’s not worth it,” Seth told him.

“I’m staying at the hotel,” Clive said, looking at Seth. “If I were you, I’d check your

grandfather’s books. He’s in a lot of debt. I can help your family.” He held out his card.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Yeah, we know how you want to help.” Seth ignored the card as Adam swore under

his breath. “Forget it.”

Seth pulled Adam up the street. Adam was still sputtering when they got to the bar.

“That prick!” Adam shook his head. “I can’t believe he’s here.”

“Don’t worry about him, Adam.” Seth waved over the bartender. “Have a drink.”

A few minutes later, they sat drinking their beer. Seth was glad to see Adam had

calmed down. He’d always had one hell of a temper.

As he said hello to some of the locals he knew, he thought about that Clive Roberts. He

had to admit, he was one cool customer… One handsome son of a bitch, too. Yeah, he’d

noticed. And he was a little ashamed of himself.

There are things I can do… I’d check your grandfathers’ books… He’s in a lot of debt.

Those things kept filtering through his mind as he sipped his beer. He didn’t doubt for

one minute the reason Roberts was here in Port Credit, but could there be a grain of truth in

what he was saying?

Adam was on his third beer before Seth really noticed that his baby brother was talking

a whole lot louder than before. He was about to lean over and suggest he drive him home

when William walked in, dressed in jeans and a jean jacket. He still wore his construction

boots.

Seth sucked in some breath. He’d grown a beard. He was in bad need of a haircut, but

those blue eyes still got to him every time.

When he saw Seth, he walked over. Seth looked at Adam, as if Adam could possibly

rescue him, but his brother was arguing with some older man about who had really lost the

hockey game the night before.

“Hello, Seth.” William nodded.

Seth smiled. “Hey. How are you, William?”

“Fine, and you?”

William hadn’t broken eye contact once. Seth felt a little overwhelmed. He backed up

into the bar. “Busy.”

“Sorry to hear about your grandfather. How’s he doing?”

“He’s holding on.”

Silence. The dreaded silence.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

William was a nice guy…as if he didn’t know. Everyone reminded him, too. They’d

been together since junior high—the token gay couple in town. They’d become as much a

part of the town fabric as the light posts downtown—everyone’s opportunity to look tolerant

and modern.

“I missed you last time you came down.”

More guilt. “Sorry, I wasn’t here long.”

“How’s the job going?”

“Great…busy. Stressful but I enjoy it.” He glanced at his brother. “He’s a little worked

up, think I’ll take him—”

Adam spotted William now. He turned and clamped a hand on his back, practically

knocking William over. “Hey, Will! How you doing, buddy? You and Seth getting

reacquainted? I’ll spring for a room at the Inn if you want.” He winked.

Seth could have kicked his ass. William looked embarrassed.

“Adam, let’s get you home to Susan.”

“Ah, she’s working,” he protested.

“I don’t think she’s cleaning anyone’s teeth at”—Seth checked his watch—“half past

twelve. Let’s go.”

“I’ll…ah…see you around, I guess,” William said.

“Sure.” Seth pulled Adam by the arm. “Nice talking to you.”

Outside, Adam began to laugh. “Why you pulling on me again? You embarrassed

about seeing your old beau?”

“Stop it, Adam… Damn it, you get stupid when you get drunk.” He pulled him down

the street to where his car was.

Adam started to fish his keys out of his pocket.

Seth snatched them. “Forget it. You’re smashed.” He opened his car door. “Get in.” He

pushed Adam into the passenger seat and closed the door.

Adam was laughing again when Seth got behind the wheel. “Did you see the puppy

dog looks William was giving you?”

Seth started the engine. “Will you please give it a rest?”

“I don’t understand why you dumped him. Guy’s got it bad for you, brother.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Seth looked in his rear-view mirror and drove out onto the road. “Look, we were the

only two guys who came out in high school. It was natural that we hooked up. I outgrew

William. He’s a nice guy, but he’s not for me.”

“You had to run off… Leave everyone.”

Seth glanced at his brother. There was some bitterness. They’d always been really close.

He missed him too, but his life was not here in this town. And William was not the man he

was meant to be with. No matter how frigging nice he is!

Seth got Adam safely inside his house. Susan came downstairs and said hello but she

didn’t seem happy to see Adam blubbering away.

“How much did he drink?” she asked Seth.

“Too much.” He sighed and pecked her on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”

His brother’s house was in the same neighbourhood as the one they’d grown up in.

Adam had built the house himself two years ago, and it was beautiful—two storeys with a

loft and an indoor swimming pool.

Seth drove slowly past the houses of the people they knew, or once had. They used to

go door to door for candy on Halloween to all these places. The school was on the other side

of the park.

The house he’d grown up in was modest compared with Adam and Susan’s, but it had

its charm. Red brick with green awnings, it was old but sturdy and could probably use a coat

of paint. As he got out of the car, he came around the side. The tree he used to climb down

was still there in front of the window of his and Adam’s old room. Funny how things like

that brought a smile. Every time he came home now, he stood and looked at it as if it was

some precious family treasure or something.

Quietly, he slipped the key in the lock and stepped inside. The house always smelt of

furniture polish and Lysol. His mother was a clean freak.

He climbed the stairs and opened the door to his old room. It didn’t take him long to

remember that he’d left his bag in the car but he was too lazy to go back outside to get it.

He stripped off his clothes and climbed into his old, single bed. He laid his head on the

pillow and smiled. He was home.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Chapter Three

Danny was still in his bed, eating muffins and slugging down coffee. Clive had hoped

he’d have been out of there when he came out of the shower.

Instead, Danny patted the place beside him. “Hungry?”

“No, I’m, ah…fine. Don’t you have to get to work?” He glanced at him.

“Yeah”—he let his gaze wander over him a moment—“but I didn’t expect you to come

out of the bathroom in a towel.”

“Yes, you did,” Clive replied. “That’s why you’re still here.”

Danny smiled, stuffed the rest of the muffin in his mouth and jumped out of bed. “You

got me.” He glanced at the alarm on the side table. “I am running late. Adam isn’t as

forgiving as the old man. Last year,” he said, pulling on his jeans, “Adam took over when his

grandfather was sick with the flu, and, well… Let’s just say he wasn’t impressed if we

showed up late.” He zipped his jeans and looked around for his T-shirt.

Clive picked it up off the floor and tossed it to him. He went back to the bathroom and

took out his razor. He was shaving when Danny’s face appeared in the mirror. “It was great

last night. You’re real good. I won’t be sitting down much but I got a smile on my face. You

want me to listen for anything particular today?”

“No. I’m on it.”

Danny took a second look at him then left the bathroom. “See you tonight?”

Clive heard him jangling keys.

“I’ll let you know.”

Danny didn’t reply. The door opened and closed.

Clive finished his shave and debated over what he should wear. If he wore the suit,

he’d look stiff and executive-like and that wasn’t a good thing in this town. No, he needed

casual. He opened his suitcase and took out a pair of jeans and a red corduroy shirt. That

would do.

He sat down to put on his shoes and picked up his cell phone. He pressed ‘1’ on the

speed dial.

“Clive? How’s it going out there in the fair town of Port Credit?”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“I just woke up. I briefly met Adam Frost’s brother last night. I’m going to try to speak

to him today. He seems intelligent…less volatile than his brother. Might be the water in this

town.”

Trevor Simpson laughed. “Perhaps. Hold on, Clive, I have to speak to the masseuse,

delay my massage today.”

Clive put on his shoes while waiting.

Trevor was back a few minutes later. “And Frost? How is he?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know.”

“I have complete and utter faith in you, Clive. Talk to you later.” The line went dead.

Clive stood and shoved the phone and his keys in his pocket. He grabbed the last

muffin from the basket he’d ordered and left.

He got some coffee from the coffee shop and walked down to the port. It was so quiet

there. The sun was shining this morning and he actually felt warm. He sipped his coffee and

took out his phone. He searched the directory, selected the number and let it dial.

The voice that answered was definitely male and sleepy. He hoped it was Adam Frost.

He’d just hang up on him. “Ah, hello.”

“Hello?” Seth said.

He smiled. He liked the sound of that voice. “How are you this morning?”

There was some hesitation. “Who, ah…is this?”

“You have a nice voice. It’s Seth, isn’t it?”

“Right.”

“It’s Clive Roberts… Look, don’t hang up. I just called to find out how your grandfather

is?”

“You want to know if he’s dead yet?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it? Your recent harassment is responsible for this.”

“No, it’s not. Seth, listen—”

“Mr Frost to you.”

“You can call me Clive.”

“I don’t want to call you, period. Just say what you got to say and hang up.”

“Go and look at the books today then we can talk.”

“What’s up with the books?”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Just go and take a look. Then call me back. My number should be showing up on your

phone. If not, you’ll find it on your grandfather’s desk.”

Seth stared at the phone. It was dead air. “Shit!”

His mother came out into the hallway. “What are you ‘shitting’ about, dear? Who was

that?”

“Nobody.”

“Did you have a nice time with Adam last night?” She took his arm and pulled him into

the kitchen.

“If you call hauling his drunken ass home fun.”

His mother released his arm. “Waffles?”

Seth rolled his eyes. Same old Mom. “Yeah, waffles are all right.” He sat at the table.

She poured his coffee.

“I can get it, Mom.”

“I know.”

“Did you call the hospital yet?”

“An hour ago. He’s doing pretty well. The nurse said he was flirting with her today.”

Seth laughed a little. “That’s good.”

“You know he won’t be able to run the company anymore?” She paused, pan in hand.

“I know, Mom. One thing at a time.”

“You see Will?”

He sighed. “Yep.”

“He’s such a—”

“I know, I know…a nice young man?”

“You shouldn’t mock your mother.”

“Mom”—he hugged her around the shoulders for a moment, making her smile—“I’m

not in love with William, so get over it.”

“He’s in love with you.” She pushed him off.

“No, he’s not. Make the waffles, will you? You could starve a boy to death here.”

She chuckled and put the pan on the stove.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Seth took his mother to see his grandfather after they had finished breakfast. Lorne

Frost actually opened his eyes and greeted him when they came up to his bed.

“Grandpa, how are you doing?”

“I’ve been better. Long time, no see. You come down here to watch me bite the bullet?”

His eyes twinkled.

“Stop that. You won’t be biting any bullet. You hang in there.”

“I got nothing to hang on to since your grandmother died. What about you, kiddo?”

“Never mind me. We’ll find you something,” Seth teased.

“Some of those nurses around here are mighty pretty. Wouldn’t do for you.”

Seth smiled. “Aren’t you lucky? There’s more for you that way.”

He nodded. His grandfather had always accepted him for who he was. He’d told him

when Seth was a teenager, “You do what you need to do to make you happy. Isn’t anyone’s business

but your own.”

He tried to say something to Seth’s mother now, but he was getting tired.

A few minutes later, his eyes had closed. Seth left his mother sitting by his grandfather’s

bed and headed over to the trucking depot.

Adam was on the locking dock when he arrived. Seth waved at him and walked into

the office. Marian, who’d been his grandfather’s secretary since he was a kid, jumped up

from the desk when she saw him. She threw her arms around him. She was like family. Hell,

she practically ran the place. “Adam said you were in town, sweetie. How you doing, kid?”

He hugged her back. “Fine. You?” It tickled him to be called kid.

“Roger bought a big trailer last year,” Marian explained, pouring them both a cup of

coffee. “We went down to the States for our holiday. New York, in the mountains, is

something. You ever been there, Seth?”

“A couple of times but only to the city.” He thanked her for the coffee. “How are Kerry

and Joan?” He’d gone to school with Marian’s twin daughters.

“Doing fine. Doing fine. Kerry still has a crush on you by the way.” She laughed.

“Never got over the fact that you like boys.”

He grinned. Boys. “I actually prefer men now, Marian,” he told her.

She punched him. “Oh, you. Okay, men then. Speaking of men, have you seen

William?”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Yes,” he replied, quickly changing the subject. “Anyway, Kerry did well picking Fred.

He’s a much better choice, even if I am better looking.”

She laughed.

“Hey, ah…Marian, I got some papers I need to take a look at in Grandpa’s office. Is it

unlocked?”

“Always is. You go ahead, dear,” she said. “Adam is down at the dock if you need him.

He’s been a godsend.”

“I know.”

The phone rang. Marian walked over to answer it.

Seth went into Grandpa’s cramped little office and closed the door.

* * * *

It was so peaceful by the dock with the boats lapping in the water that Clive almost fell

asleep. It was rare he had time just to sit and do nothing. It was very relaxing.

He didn’t notice how much time had gone by until his phone rang. His eyes widened a

little when he noticed the time on his cell phone. It was almost eleven. Where had the

morning gone? “Roberts.”

“Mr Roberts. It’s Seth Frost.”

Clive straightened up on the bench. Frost’s voice sounded subdued. “Mr Frost. What

can I do for you?”

“We need to talk. Someplace private. I don’t want to be seen with you.”

“Should I be insulted?” Clive watched a bird land on the dock, one of those white

seagull-type birds.

“Probably.”

“Um, we could meet in my room at the Inn.”

“Fine, in half an hour?”

“Sounds fine.”

“What room?”

“Ten.”

Seth Frost hung up.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Clive rose from his sitting position and stretched. He smiled. The bird flew off. He

watched it go, disappearing in the blue horizon. It was going to be a great day after all.

* * * *

Seth hesitated before knocking on the hotel room door. After he’d hung up, he regretted

agreeing to meet Clive Roberts here. It was just a little too intimate. He hardly knew the man,

and what he did know of him he didn’t like much.

He convinced himself on the way up that his reservations were stupid. It wasn’t like he

was going there to fuck him or anything. Rather, that’s what Roberts seemed to want to do to

his family. It was stupid, but then, when Clive Roberts opened the door, Seth understood

why he’d had those reservations about the setting.

The guy was an absolute asshole but, damn it, there was something about the man that

made Seth feel a little lightheaded. And that feeling hit him in the gut the minute he saw him

again.

It might have been those eyes—a shade of green he couldn’t quite pin a description

on—or the jaw… It was perfectly square. No, it was probably much more primal than that. It

was most likely the way those damn jeans hugged the man’s ass and thighs and made the

discernible bulge in the front seem oh so prominent. Damn. The man could only be described

as drool-worthy.

“Mr Frost?” Clive Roberts lifted an eyebrow. “Do you want to talk in the hallway or are

you coming in?” He left the door open and walked into the room.

Seth entered and closed the door behind him. There was the bed in the middle of the

room. Across from it were a small sofa and a coffee table.

“Can I get you something?” he asked.

Seth tried not to focus on the bed. He cleared his throat. “No, thank you.”

“Please, sit down.” Roberts perched on the side of the bed, leaving Seth free to sit on the

sofa.

“I went to my grandfather’s office.”

“So, you saw the books, such as they are?”

“The question is—how did you see the books?” Seth met his gaze.

“Your grandfather showed them to me.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Why in the hell would he do something stupid like that? He knew you were trying to

steal his company.”

“I asked myself the same question.” He shrugged. “Like with many things the man has

done, it doesn’t make much sense. And I’d like to clear up something, Seth, before we go on.

I did not come here to steal anything.”

“What do you call going to his clients and making offers then?” Seth leant forwards.

“Business. I call it business.”

“You can call it anything you want, Mr Roberts, but we both know what it is—perfectly

legal but not entirely ethical. I know who you are, and who you work for.”

“I never hid my identity. Look,” he added, standing, “your grandfather confided in me,

told me he was in trouble. There were times he borrowed money to make payroll. Several

times he used his line of credit to pay some of his creditors, who refused to supply him if he

didn’t pay up. He is thousands and thousands of dollars in debt, Mr Frost. All I did was offer

him a solution.”

“You offered to rob him of his company.” Seth closed his eyes. Nothing Roberts said

was a lie.

“Again,” Clive Roberts began, “I think that’s a little unfair.”

Seth sighed. “I should have been here. I could have prevented this.”

“I doubt that.” He sat back down. “Your grandfather never raised his rates. That’s why

the clients love him so much. His costs went up and up over the years but he never kept

pace. He would deliver three packages to some remote community. His truck would be half

empty and the fuel would cost three times what the packages paid, not to mention the salary

of the driver. He had drivers working who didn’t need to be.”

Seth swallowed. “Just come out and say it. My grandfather is a terrible businessman,

right? That’s what you’re saying.”

“No, I’m saying that dear Mr Frost let his heart rule his head. Times have changed,

Seth.”

“He’s going to have to declare bankruptcy.”

“Not if Simpson makes an offer. We can assume his debt, pay off the creditors and buy

his company as well. He won’t want for anything the rest of his days. We’ll make sure he’s

well compensated.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Why is it that the idea of making a deal with the likes of you makes me think

Grandfather would be making a deal with the devil?” Seth shook his head and stood up.

He’d heard enough.

Roberts stood as well and moved closer. “I’m not the devil. I’m offering him a way out,

that’s all.” He put a hand on Seth’s forearm.

Seth looked into those unreadable eyes. He felt caught in his gaze suddenly. Roberts

didn’t look away either. Seconds ticked past.

It was the ringing of Robert’s cell phone that broke the spell. He dug his hand in his

pocket. “Excuse me, I have to take this.”

Seth moved to the door as Clive Roberts said, “Hello,” then, “Hold on.” He covered the

receiver. “Seth?”

Seth turned to him.

“Let’s talk again soon. I’m not the enemy.”

“Could have fooled me,” Seth muttered and left the room.

Clive watched the door close behind Seth Frost, not sure what to make of their

conversation. Perhaps the man would come to see his point of view. He’d just have to keep

working on him.

Trevor seemed impatient on the phone. “Where were you?” he demanded.

“Sorry, I was in a meeting with one of the grandsons.”

“The hothead?”

“No, his brother, Seth.”

“More inclined to see it our way?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Clive muttered.

“You can change his mind. Use everything at your disposal.”

“I’ll try.”

“Old man still alive?”

Clive squeezed the receiver. “He’s a human being.”

“What?”

“Nothing”—Clive shook his head—“forget it. I hope he gets better so that I can

negotiate with him directly. As long as he’s alive, only he can sign the papers.”

“But his family can do the persuading.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Um, I might be down here a while from the looks of it.”

“As long as it takes, Clive.”

The phone went dead.

* * * *

All the way home, Seth replayed the conversation he’d had with Clive Roberts in his

mind. Roberts intended to take over Frost Trucking. What would that mean to the people of

this town, to his grandfather? Damn, Grandpa, how could you have let this happen?

But he knew how. He knew Grandpa had kept on drivers even when he didn’t have

enough work for them because they had families to support. He knew that Grandpa hadn’t

raised his rates because he knew the woman down the street only had so much in her budget

to ship her homemade crafts and her mother was frail and needed care. He knew that there

was a child waiting on a country road somewhere for his brand new bicycle to arrive, or a

farmer in desperate need of a new tractor so he could get his crops in.

Grandpa might not have been the ideal businessman but he had heart—unlike Clive

Roberts, who, as far as Seth could see, had none.

There had to be a way out…one that didn’t involve selling out to Simpson Transport.

When Seth pulled into the driveway of his family home, he took out his phone and

called Sandra at the office.

“How are things?” she asked. “How is your grandfather?”

“Better. I think he’ll pull through. Mom is supposed to have some news from the doctor

today. How are you managing?”

“The funds came in from the city. I deposited the money this morning. Oh, and

Lillianna got the job at the hospital.”

“That’s good news.”

“We have enough people to start a language class. Mike will come and teach it for us

again.”

“Perfect.”

“We’re doing fine, Seth, but we miss you.”

“I miss you too, but… Sandra, I’m going to have to stay down here for a while. I have

three weeks of vacation and I know it’s short notice but—”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“You go ahead,” Sandra interrupted. “You take all the time you need. I’ll hold down the

fort. No worries.”

“I know you will. Love you. Thanks. If you need something, phone me or email me. I

have my laptop.”

She said that she would, and Seth hung up.

He leaned his head back against the seat. Adam had been doing more than his share for

far too long. It was his turn. He was going to do everything in his power to hang on to Frost

Trucking. First thing was to hire an accountant and try to take care of some of the bills.

And if it did turn out that they had to sell to someone, Simpson would be the absolute

last one the list.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Chapter Four

“Where were you?” Adam poked his head into the driver’s side when Seth pulled up in

front of the trucking office at around three o’clock.

“Want to go for a beer?” Seth asked.

“You buying, brother?”

“Don’t I always?”

He chuckled. “Just let me run in, wash my hands. I’ll be right there. Susan wants you to

come for supper.”

“Tonight? What’s she cooking?”

He laughed, calling out over his shoulder as he climbed the steps to the office, “Want

me to ask her?”

“To be safe,” Seth joked.

Adam was still laughing as he went into the office. Susan’s cooking had always been

the brunt of jokes, although it wasn’t that bad anymore. They just liked to make fun of it

because the first meal she’d cooked for the family was burnt pot roast.

Seth sat back in his seat while he waited for his brother. He’d been to see Edgar Mott,

the local accountant. He’d talked to him about the situation then went to see Jacky Cross. She

was a specialist in commercial law. The news wasn’t good. He needed to tell Adam.

A few minutes later, Adam was sitting in the front seat, asking Seth about his car. “It’s a

Fiat. How old?”

“Three years.”

“It looks like you drive the hell out of it.”

Seth stopped at the light. “I do. Lots of miles already, and it’s tough in all the traffic.”

“Did you buy it new?”

“Are you kidding? On my salary? It was a year ago and I’m still paying it off.”

“Why don’t you come home, work for me?”

“No way.” Seth laughed.

“What? I pay well.”

“Don’t know anything about construction.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Yes, you do. More than you let on. I could build you a house, and you could—”

“Marry William.” He looked at Adam and batted his eyes. “Would we have a picket

fence and a baby in the bassinet?”

“Ha, ha, very cute.”

Seth was laughing. He needed a laugh. He didn’t sober until they’d parked outside the

bar. “Adam…” He turned off the engine and looked at him.

“What?”

“I saw Roberts today. Now”—he noted his brother’s reaction—“before you get all

worked up”—he put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and Adam’s expression calmed—“we

discussed some facts. I went to look at Grandpa’s books.” He sighed.

“He owes a bit of money.”

“No, he owes a lot of money. More than he can pay back on his own. I spoke to a few

people today.”

“So…what? We’re going to let that bastard Roberts take Gramp’s company?”

“It’s not him alone, you know. He works for Simpson. It’s his job.”

“Now you’re defending him?”

“No, I’m not defending him. I’m just saying that Simpson is the one we need to focus

on. They are too big to compete with, and Grandpa’s health is not what it once was.”

“I can’t believe you!”

“I didn’t say Grandpa should sell to Simpson. I don’t want that. But we have to do

something. Do you want to buy it?”

“Are you kidding? Why would I buy a company going bust?”

“So you agree?”

“If Simpson buys Frost, they’re going to close it down. Do you know how many people

will be out of work?”

Seth met his brother’s gaze. “Maybe they won’t. Anyway, we need to talk to Grandpa,

when he’s able to face this.”

Adam got out of the car. Seth followed.

“We have time,” Adam replied.

Seth touched his arm. “No, we don’t, not really. I saw a letter—a notice from a bailiff.

We have thirty days before they take everything.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

* * * *

Clive drove by Rita Frost’s house at about eight o’clock. The porch light was on, and the

driveway was empty. There was no one home. He’d thought maybe he could see Mrs Frost,

talk to her. He’d heard nothing from Seth since their meeting. He needed to know how his

grandfather was doing. If he was alert enough, maybe he could pay him a visit at the

hospital.

He headed back to the hotel. His phone rang just as he was parking. When he

answered, the line was dead. He checked the caller ID—one of his employees. Something

must have happened.

There had been an accident with one of their semi-trailers on the highway. Clive ran

down the procedure then told the caller to phone him back if he had any more questions and

to email him the report.

It was nine o’clock when he got back to his room. For some reason, he was tired. “Must

be all the unpolluted air,” he muttered. Clive stripped off his clothes and got into bed. There

had been several calls from Danny but Clive didn’t call back. The guy was getting married,

for fuck’s sake. The last thing he should be doing was screwing around with him in a hotel

room.

He tossed and turned a little and settled into an uneasy sleep.

A tousled-haired little girl of around five years old looked at him with big eyes. “I’m hungry,

Clive.”

Clive held her hand in his. She started to cry.

“Don’t. Daddy will hear you. I’ve got some chocolate.”
The little girl crawled into bed with him. He put the chocolate in her hand.

“Daddy’s in the shed. Daddy’s drunk again. He’s mean when he’s drunk, Clive.”

“Don’t cry, Angela. Please, don’t cry.” He looked down into her face and suddenly she wasn’t

moving anymore. “Angela. Please. Please don’t. Don’t… Don’t!”

Clive woke up in a cold sweat. He sat up, tears drying on his face. He hadn’t dreamt of

his sister in years. He looked around him and shivered even though it wasn’t cold. For a

minute, he thought she was there with him in the room. But she couldn’t be. His sister lay in

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D.J. Manly

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a grave in Kingston—a small tombstone marked the place. ‘Beloved daughter and

sister…Angela Roberts’.

Not far away was his father, sitting in a cell in Kingston Pen. When Clive was

seventeen, his father had struck and killed a woman standing on the sidewalk with her baby.

His blood alcohol level had been way over the legal limit. He could rot there for all Clive

cared. If it wasn’t for his father, Angela wouldn’t have died.

Already suffering from malnutrition, Angela had caught pneumonia when she was

seven. She’d been far too weak to fight it off. She died three weeks later. Afterwards, his

father had sobered up some. He’d put on a good show for the social service people, who

came a few times to check up on everything. As the months went by, the social workers

stopped coming, and his father gradually went back to his old habits.

Alone…on his own, always. He missed his sister so much. At least she had given him a

reason, someone to look after, to love. After she died, he’d had nothing—nothing except his

job, the will to survive and always the fear…that he’d have to scrounge for food again, or be

at someone’s mercy.

Clive walked to the window. Sometimes he missed Mark so much it hurt. But Mark was

gone, like everyone else. He sighed, walked over to the bar and stared at the small bottles of

liquor. He picked one up and stared at the smoky liquid through the glass. A second later, he

hurled it across the room.

* * * *

Seth was wrestling around with his nephew in the living room. “Okay,” he laughed,

pretending to be defeated as he lay on the floor, Graham on top, “I surrender.” He winked at

his brother who was curled up on the sofa.

“What a wimp!” Adam teased. “I tell you…Uncle Seth? He’s a wimp!”

“Oh yeah, I’ll show you wimp,” Seth threatened and yanked his brother onto the carpet

by the leg.

Graham was laughing. “Ha, ha, Dad!”

When their mother and Susan came into the room, they stood there, shaking their

heads. “Just like when they were boys,” their mother said.

“Yeah,” Seth called out. He had Adam in a headlock. “And I can still take him!”

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D.J. Manly

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“That’s enough,” Rita chuckled, trying to separate them as Adam gave Seth a noogie.

“How old are you two again?”

“I think it’s time for bed, Graham.” Susan gave him that look.

Graham protested but gave in when Seth said he’d take him.

“Piggy back!” Graham yelled.

Seth got up off the floor as Graham gave hugs to everyone in the living room. “You

trying to kill me or what?”

“You can’t do it,” Graham teased. “You’re too old!”

“Oh yeah?” Seth went chasing him through the house and there was some giggling as

he leant down and let his nephew hop up on his back. When they got upstairs, Seth fell on

the bed as if exhausted and Graham was giggling again as he got tickled. “Okay, buster, into

that bed.” Seth gave him a serious look, and Graham got under the covers.

Seth leant down and hugged his nephew, giving him a kiss on top of the head. “Night,

slugger.”

Graham held on to his neck for a few seconds. “Night, Uncle Seth. I wished you lived

around here.”

“Me too.” He smiled and turned off the light. “Sweet dreams.”

“You’d be a good dad,” Susan told him when Seth returned to the living room and

slumped down on the sofa beside his brother.

“Got to find him a husband first.” Adam grinned.

Seth threw a cushion at him. Everyone laughed.

They were all feeling optimistic. The doctor had said they were moving Gramps out of

Intensive Care. He was improving. If only his company was in as good health.

All through dinner, it had been in the back of Seth’s mind. He knew he should discuss it

with Grandpa, find out what he wanted to do, but he had to be sure Grandpa was up to it.

He decided not to bring it up again that evening. Everyone seemed to be feeling calm

and he didn’t want to disturb that. Yet the date loomed in his head. Thirty days…and Gramps

had received the summons almost a week before he’d had the heart attack.

On the way back to his mother’s, he fell quiet. She reached over and placed a hand on

his when they pulled into the driveway. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I’m a little tired.”

“Me too. I’m going straight to bed.”

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D.J. Manly

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Inside, she pecked his cheek and headed upstairs. He stood downstairs and looked out

of the window. It was so peaceful here, not like the hustle and bustle of Toronto, and his

family was here. He did miss them, but his life was back there…such as it was. Sure, he had a

job he loved, but he was lonely. He yearned to have someone in his life, strong arms to hold.

Shit, he hadn’t had sex in six months.

He went upstairs to his old room and took off his clothes. He sat down on the edge of

his old bed. An image of Clive Roberts came to his mind. What in fuck is wrong with me? There

was something about him, something…almost sad. Yes, Roberts was sad and pathetic, but

maybe he was the only one in the end who could help him. Yet could he do it without

destroying this town? Why should he? He had nothing invested here.

Seth tossed and turned a little. He couldn’t seem to get the image of Clive Roberts’

damn haunting eyes out of his mind.

* * * *

“Why don’t you answer your phone?” Danny demanded, having woken Clive up

knocking at six-thirty in the morning.

Clive hid a yawn. “What are you doing here?”

Danny walked in. “I thought I’d catch you before I went to work.”

“Well, come in,” he muttered, “and what’s so all-fired important that you have to wake

me at this hour?”

“You usually sleep in your clothes?” Danny gave him a look.

“No. I got up and went for a ride last night.”

“No male hookers in this town.” He smirked.

“I wasn’t looking for male hookers. Danny, what do you want?” he groaned.

“I have news.” Danny walked over and sprawled on Clive’s bed.

“Get off my bed, Danny!” Clive pulled on him. “Say what you got to say.”

“Well”—Danny sat up—“Frost is doing better. He’s out of Intensive Care.”

“Okay,” he sighed. “That’s good.”

“So…” He stood and came closer. “I’ve got some time.”

“You’ve got a fiancée.”

“When did you get all noble?” He folded his arms across his chest.

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D.J. Manly

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“Danny, let’s not do this, okay?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Fine.” Danny walked to the door. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“Yeah, I do, remember?” He gave him a tight smile.

“I’ll be examining my bank account.”

“Here…” Clive walked over and grabbed his chequebook. He wrote a cheque for an

amount a little higher than had been agreed upon and handed it to him. “Now you won’t

have to check your bank account. Buy your girl a nice present.” He met his gaze.

Danny took the payment and left.

Clive looked at the time and groaned. He couldn’t go back to bed now. Instead he

showered, changed and went down for breakfast. He read the paper then hung out near the

water. At eight, he got into his car and headed to the hospital.

Lorne Frost was sitting up when Clive walked into his hospital room. He lifted a

spoonful of oatmeal and let it drip off his spoon. “What do you think of this slop they’re

feeding me, Clive?”

Clive hid a smile. “Pretty awful.”

“Hm.” He eyed him. “I knew you’d be around. What did you do, drive up here as soon

as you heard?”

Clive sat down in a chair nearby. “Can’t fool you.”

Lorne laughed and pushed the oatmeal away. “It’s a wonder somebody hasn’t beaten

the crap out of you yet.”

“I’ve been keeping a low profile.”

“So, you met Seth?”

“Yeah. He’s a little more…ah…diplomatic than Adam.”

“You boys hit it off?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Not exactly. He knows about your situation.”

“And you told him you were here to help?”

Clive sighed. “I tried.”

Lorne reached for his water glass. Clive jumped up to hand it to him.

“Thanks, kid.”

Clive hid a smile. “How are you really feeling, Mr Frost?”

“I’m alive, that’s the good news.”

“Simpson and Associates are prepared to—”

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D.J. Manly

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“Take care of all my problems and close the place down.”

“I…” Clive shook his head. “I don’t know what will happen with the…” He trailed off.

“Yes you do,” Lorne Frost scolded him. “They don’t want my company. It’s in the red.

They just want the territory. They won’t need a station here at all. They will cover this area

out of Toronto, cut the routes that no longer make money, and leave some of my clients high

and dry. Not to mention how many people will lose their jobs.”

“It will happen anyway, Lorne. They’re going to take it all.”

He waved his hand. “We can talk about that another day.” He grunted. “Let’s talk

about you, young man.”

Clive sat back in the chair, shaking his head. “It’s not the time to—”

“How come a nice-looking young guy like you has become so jaded?”

“I’m not—”

“Yeah, you are. Under that expensive suit beats the heart of a man—a lonely man, with

quite a sizeable chip on his shoulder.”

Clive stood. “I don’t think you know me well enough—”

“You know the intimate nitty-gritty of my life just by looking at the figures on my

company. Now, I shared that with you. Do me the courtesy of giving me something in

exchange…especially since we both know how this is going to turn out, don’t we, kid?”

He shrugged. “I don’t get it, but… What do you want to know?”

“Sit down. I got lots of time. Where did you grow up?”

“Kingston.”

“Nice enough town. What did your father do?”

Drink. “He was a chef.”

“Chef, eh. Where did he work?”

“At one of the hotels. I forget.”

“Brothers and sisters?”

“One sister.”

“Where is she?”

Dead. “Kingston.”

“You see them, your dad and your sister?”

“No.”

“What happened to your mother?”

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D.J. Manly

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“Died when I was… Listen, Lorne…” He sucked in some breath. “I don’t see that this is

leading us anywhere, really, and…”

“What in hell are you doing here?”

Clive turned to see Seth in the doorway.

“Don’t be rude, Seth,” his grandfather chastised. “Clive and I were just getting to know

each other better.”

“Right,” Seth sneered, meeting Clive’s gaze, “and how’s that working out?”

“Unfortunately,” Lorne Frost said, “not very well.”

Clive looked at the old man.

“Although he’s answering my questions, he’s keeping a lot back. And I just can’t

negotiate with a man who keeps that much inside of him.”

Clive’s mouth opened. What in hell is this old man playing at?

“We’ll talk again, Clive…soon.” Lorne smiled. “Maybe you’ll be a little more prepared

to show me what’s underneath.”

Seth walked over to his grandfather’s bed. “Why you bothering with this guy,

Grandpa?”

Lorne Frost looked over at Clive who was about to leave. “Because he’s worth it. In the

end, he’ll do the right thing. He just hasn’t figured it all out yet… Right, Clive?”

“I, ah… I’ll stop by tomorrow,” he told him and left.

Seth shook his head. “He actually looked upset.”

“He is.”

“What did you say to him exactly?”

“Not much.”

“I went to see an accountant and an attorney and—”

“They can’t help me. Clive is the only one.” His grandfather glanced at him. “You

should discuss things with him. He’s a smart young man.”

“Grandfather, he’s here to swindle you.”

“Now”—Lorne Frost shook his head, laughing—“he wouldn’t do that.”

“Damn it, Gramps, it’s this naïve optimism that everyone is a good soul that’s gotten

you into this mess in the first place!” Seth hadn’t meant to snap. It had just come out. “I’m

sorry, Grandpa. I had no right to say that.”

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D.J. Manly

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“But it’s true.” He nodded. “You are a hundred per cent right, and you know”—he

looked at him—“I wouldn’t change a thing. Go and work it out with Clive.”

Seth stayed a little longer then left the room. Maybe his grandfather was getting senile.

When he walked out of the hospital, he sat in his car a while. He had no idea what was going

on between Clive Roberts and his grandfather, but whatever it was, it wasn’t going to make

the situation go away.

On the way back through town, Seth spotted Clive sitting down by the dock on a bench.

He pulled the car over and walked down to where he sat. “Hey.” He raised a hand.

Clive glanced up at him.

“Can I sit?”

“Free country.” He scanned the water again.

“What was going on with my grandfather back at the hospital?”

“I have no idea.”

Seth settled back on the bench. “Grandfather wants me to negotiate things with you, on

his behalf.”

Clive looked at him. “All right. Should we go somewhere hidden again? Someone

might see you talking to the enemy.”

“It’s okay. I’ll deal with the aftermath.”

Clive laughed a little. “Like mobs with lit torches, rocks and stuff?”

Seth grinned. “I think that’s Frankenstein.” He sobered. “So how does this work?”

“I show you the proposal from the company, and you see what you think.” Clive

picked up a stone and tossed it in the water.

“Okay.” Seth sighed. “Seems sad.”

“What does?”

“The end of Frost in this town.”

“Everything ends.”

“Do you hear yourself? Haven’t you ever lost anything?”

Clive nodded silently. “Yeah. I suppose it feels like a death.”

“In a way.”

Clive stood up. “May not happen.”

“Can you guarantee that?” Seth looked up at him.

Clive shook his head. “No. I can’t.”

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D.J. Manly

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“When do we do this?”

“You want to do this now?”

Seth shrugged. “Okay.” He stood too. “I should stop by my grandfather’s office for—”

“I have everything. Come on.”

“Roberts, I’m only going to look it over. I’m not going to agree to anything until I go

over it with my grandfather.”

“Of course. Are you going to tell the rest of the family?”

“Not just yet.” Seth walked to his car and made sure it was locked.

“Upstairs again?” Clive inclined his head towards the hotel.

Seth nodded, following him. “So, who died?”

“What?” He turned to glance at him.

“I just got the feeling someone close to you died… I’m not sure why.”

“My little sister.”

“I’m so sorry. What happened to her?” They paused in the lobby of the hotel.

“I… I’d rather not…” He stopped.

Seth wasn’t sure what to say. “You don’t have to say anything about…”

“She died when she was a kid,” he said softly.

Seth placed a hand on his shoulder. Clive Roberts looked as if he was suddenly frozen

in time.

“Come on, the elevator is coming down.”

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D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Chapter Five

Seth stood watching as Clive took papers out of his briefcase and placed them on the

bed. He put the briefcase aside and perched on the edge of the bed. Seth approached

hesitantly and sat on the other side.

Clive’s dark head was bent as he started to put some of the papers in order. Seth

noticed that his hair was thick and glossy. It looked silky and soft. It would be nice to touch.

Clive glanced up suddenly and Seth looked away. He might have blushed. “I think I

can show you now,” he said.

Seth nodded. “Go ahead.” What in the hell is wrong with me? Is it just because it’s been a

long time…or have I lost my mind?

“The offer would include, of course, the payment of all the debts your grandfather

owes.” Clive was speaking.

Focus, Seth.

“We would also make a reasonable offer on all equipment, including the trucks. They

would have to be appraised, of course.” Clive paused, glanced at him again.

“Of course.”

“Above and beyond that, we would determine the projected value of the company,

adjusted for the payment of past due accounts. This would take into consideration the city

evaluation of the lot and the building… Am I rambling?”

Those eyes. When Clive’s gaze met his this time, Seth caught his breath. They were the

colour of the sea—deep and intelligent and filled with meaning.

“Seth?”

Seth blinked. “Right, I heard you. Ah, I can probably hunt down that information for

you.”

He shrugged. “It’s readily available. What are your thoughts?”

Seth got off the bed. “I’m thinking that this is a bad place to do business.” He turned

and looked out of the window. “I’m sure you don’t negotiate deals in your bedroom in

Toronto for—”

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D.J. Manly

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Strong hands gripped his shoulders and turned him around. They were practically the

same height, though Clive was perhaps half an inch taller.

“Depends on the deal.” He smiled. He reached out and caressed Seth’s hair.

“Jesus”—Seth took a step back—“what…are we…doing?”

“I’m not sure,” Clive whispered. Slowly, he brought his mouth closer to Seth’s. Seth

couldn’t move. He felt Clive’s lips brush his, a hesitant kiss at first. Then when Seth closed

his eyes, and his lips parted slightly, the pressure on his mouth increased. One tongue sought

the other and hesitation gave way to something a little more carnal.

Clive shifted one of his hands to the small of Seth’s back—the other one reaching up to

his hair. He yanked Seth forwards into his arms and the kiss deepened. Seth’s bruised mouth

craved more. He threaded his fingers through that thick, silky hair of Clive’s and moaned

softly.

It was so damn good, his mind went on automatic. The stiffening in his cock loomed

large in his psyche as he slipped his free hand between their bodies and reached for the

zipper on Clive’s pants. Their mouths still glued together, Seth undid the zip and dipped his

fingers inside the elastic band of Clive’s briefs. When his fingertips touched skin, his mouth

moved down Clive’s jaw and he undid his shirt.

Clive watched Seth as he opened his shirt and laid firm kisses across his chest. The

man’s hand curled around his cock and liberated it. The air hit his cock and Seth sank to his

knees. He reached one hand back to the writing desk to steady himself as he pulled down

Clive’s pants and briefs and licked around the circumference of his cock.

What in hell is this? Clive had never even contemplated this happening when he’d asked

Seth up to his room, and he doubted Seth had, either. If he had any more questions about

what was happening, they escaped him at the moment. His head fell back and he moaned

obscenely as his cock was swallowed by Seth’s rather experienced mouth.

Tongue and lips suckled and stimulated every nerve as Seth reached under to fondle

Clive’s ball sac then flirted up between his ass cheeks. Clive shuffled from one leg to the

other as Seth pushed his thighs apart aggressively and drove a finger up inside him.

“Jesus… Holy… God!”

Clive could have sworn he heard the man on his knees in front of him make a sound in

his throat. It might have been a laugh but he couldn’t really tell since Seth’s mouth was full of

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D.J. Manly

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Clive’s cock. The finger began to fuck him slowly, and Clive could no longer get his breath.

His mouth stood open, his throat closed. He wanted to scream Mercy and Please…don’t…stop!

His cock hit the back of Seth’s throat. It was over. His cock pulsed and he sank his

fingers into Seth’s hair. Every muscle in his body tightened and clenched for a moment then

released.

“Whoa…yes…um… Fuck!” His chest heaved as Seth came off his cock and Clive’s ass

hit the edge of the desk. He grabbed his cock, feeling the release, cum running between his

fingers.

It took a few minutes to come down off his high, to feel grounded again. When he did,

he found himself looking at Seth, who was now sitting on the floor.

Seth wiped his mouth with his hand. He seemed a little confused. Clive pulled on his

clothes and did up his pants. Then he extended his hand.

Seth took it and Clive pulled him to his feet. Clive looked at him.

“Clive, I… I… Well…”

“It’s okay.” Clive walked over to the bar and took out some bottled water. “You don’t

have to say anything.” He slugged down the water. “Want some?”

“No, I think I better leave.” Seth cleared his throat.

“I didn’t do anything for you.” He shook his head.

Seth smiled but he didn’t say anything about that. “Listen…” He cleared his throat,

running a hand through his ruffled hair. “I think you should come for dinner.”

Clive almost choked on the water. “Beg your pardon?”

“You need to run all this by my brother and my mother. It’s not just me. And you need

to talk to your boss, find out what plans Simpson Transport has for the company here.”

He nodded. “When do you want me to come?”

“I’ll talk to the family and get back to you.”

Clive watched Seth walk across the floor to the door. “Thanks.”

Seth glanced at him and opened the door. “It was my pleasure.”

When the door closed, Clive sank down on the bed. He smiled for a long time.

* * * *

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“You got to be kidding!” Adam was being unreasonable, as he was prone to. “I can’t

believe you want that asshole to come here.” Adam looked at his mother. “Mom, tell him.

You don’t want that—”

“Don’t try and manipulate her, Adam.” Seth shook his head. “Mom can make up her

own mind.”

“I don’t want him in this house!”

“This isn’t your house!” Seth hollered.

Adam made a threatening move towards him.

Their mother got in between them. “Stop this, you two! What are you, ten years old?”

She looked at her eldest. “We need to get to the bottom of this for Grandpa’s sake, and he’s in

no condition to do it himself.”

Adam backed off, sputtering.

“There’s no harm in inviting Mr Roberts for dinner.” She eyed her younger son. “We

need to find out what his company is proposing and see if we can get the best deal possible

for your grandfather. Now, we can’t deny that Grandpa has been overly generous, and

maybe in these last years, his…well…his business sense has been off. Adam…” Rita looked

at him. “You remember how his memory has been these last few years?”

Adam nodded quietly. “I blame myself,” he said. “I should have—”

“No,” Seth sighed. “Gramps wouldn’t have let us interfere. You know how

independent he is. And you have your own company, and the family. You are not to blame,

Adam.”

Adam walked over and hugged Seth. “I love you, brother.”

“I love you back, stupid.”

Adam laughed and pulled away.

“Good.” Rita clapped her hands. “That’s my boys. Now, we will invite Mr Roberts and

have a nice family meal. Adam…you’ll behave?” She lifted an eyebrow.

He nodded.

“Susan and Graham are invited, too. What do I make?”

It was Seth’s responsibility to call Clive and invite him. He put it off to the last minute.

He sat on the bed he’d occupied as a boy and stared at the phone. It wasn’t that he was

embarrassed about what had happened. Rather, he was mystified. He wasn’t sure what had

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prompted it. Sure, Roberts was an attractive man but Seth didn’t feel compelled to blow

every attractive man he saw, thank heavens. He was the last man he should want to be

intimate with…and maybe that was why. Maybe he was tired of being so good all the

time…wanted the forbidden, the naughty…an impromptu adventure.

God, what Roberts must think of him! Maybe Clive thought he was deranged.

Obviously he hadn’t wanted to go any further because Seth had watched him, waited.

Nothing. Clive had looked so beautiful, the expression on his face so peaceful, his

body…mmm…nice body…hard and muscular…great cock… But Clive had just pulled his

pants up and—

Fuck, what had come over him? He hoped to God Clive never brought it up again, that

he pretended like it never happened.

Seth picked up the phone.

* * * *

Clive watched the boats moving around on the water. There was a chill in the air today

even if the flowers had started to bloom. Port Credit. Ironically, the place had once been a

trading post where things had been traded and bought on credit. Agriculture, fishing,

grain—this town had seen it all. In the distance, looking across Credit River, Clive could see

the lighthouse. It seemed to call to him, somehow.

When his cell phone rang, Clive took it out of his pocket and glanced at the number. It

was his boss. He let it ring. He had nothing to say to him…yet.

It stopped then the little message flag came up. He’d been left a message. He’d check it

later. He was just about to put the phone back into his pocket when it rang again. Shit. Must

be important. “Hello, boss.”

There was a silence then he heard a man laugh. “Well, if you insist on calling me ‘boss’,

I suppose it’s okay.”

“Seth?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry, I thought you were Simpson. What’s up?” Ouch, poor choice of words.

“Ah, you’re invited to dinner…tonight?”

“Sure, no problem. What time?”

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D.J. Manly

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“Six.”

“Would you like me to bring anything?”

“No. You don’t have to.”

“A bottle of wine?”

“Well…sure.”

“What does your mother like?”

“White.”

“And you?”

“Red.”

“I’ll bring both.”

“Adam will be here, too, with his wife and son.”

“Your brother is fine with me coming?”

“He is now.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

“Bye.”

Clive put the phone down beside him. What had happened between them yesterday

had been intense. He’d been so shocked by his own reaction that he hadn’t really known

what to do. He’d never felt like that before, even with Mark. What would have happened if

he’d pulled him into his arms again instead of…

Didn’t matter. Frost had seemed embarrassed about the whole thing after. Just one of

those things. Best to forget about it, Clive… Damn. It had kept him awake half the night. He’d

dreamt that Seth wanted him, really wanted him. That he’d heard a knock on the door, and,

when he’d opened it, Seth had stood there. Seth hadn’t wasted any time. He’d walked in,

shut the door, and ordered, “Take off your clothes. I want you.” Clive had seen them lying

on the bed together naked, touching each other all over. Seth had straddled his hips and

taken his cock inside him. It had seemed so real that Clive had smelt the sweat, tasted it as it

dripped off Seth’s skin and touched his lips. The image had left him breathless and hard.

He’d taken his cock in hand and stroked it until he’d felt the release in his fist. It had done

little to calm his itch.

He stared out at the lighthouse again. The only vacation his father had ever taken him

and his sister on had been down East. His father had won some money on the horses, and

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

he’d wanted to go home. They’d visited estranged aunts and cousins. And nearby the little

town was a lighthouse. There’d been a nice man there and he’d let them go inside.

Angela had squealed with delight as she’d climbed the winding, narrow steps. “Clive!

It’s so wonderful. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could live here in this lighthouse forever, just the

two of us?” She’d looked up at him with their mother’s blue eyes and taken his hand when

they’d reached the top.

Clive had squeezed her small hand in his and nodded. Their father had been happy

seeing his family, and, although he drank, it hadn’t mattered because he hadn’t been sad or

angry. There had been plenty of food and the people had coddled them and given them

things. They hadn’t been hungry and their father had actually been kind to them.

When they’d got on the train to go home, Angela had cried. She hadn’t wanted to go

home, and neither had Clive. It had taken days to get home, but it had seemed to go by so

fast. Clive hadn’t wanted to go home again at all, back to the hunger and pain.

But they had. And it had been worse than before. His father had seemed to forget about

them altogether. Angela had got sick…

Clive swallowed. He missed her still. After she’d died, he’d been really alone, and he

still felt that way. He stood and tore his gaze away from the lighthouse. He had to make this

deal and get back. He needed that promotion, that salary increase. The cost of everything

was going up all the time. He couldn’t be left short of money.

* * * *

“So, what did he say?” Gramps asked Seth.

Seth plumped his grandfather’s pillow. “He’s coming for dinner tonight.”

“Adam isn’t going to plug him one, is he?” Grandfather chuckled.

“No.” Seth laughed. “He’ll behave.”

“What’s today, anyway? Isn’t it your birthday?”

“My birthday is in the winter, Gramps, remember? You always used to take me skating

and then for pizza on my birthday?”

“Um, it’s Adam’s birthday.”

“Not yet.” Seth placed his hand over his grandfather’s for a few minutes.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

It was true that the old man was becoming a little forgetful. He even seemed a little

confused sometimes but he was no longer young. It made him sad to think of his grandfather

aging but it was a fact of life. All he could do was make sure he was protected and the town

didn’t lose more jobs.

His grandfather was looking at him now. He squeezed Seth’s hand. “Son, I was always

proud of you. I never blamed you for wanting something else.”

Seth nodded. “But I’m your grandson,” he reminded him gently.

“Always remember to look underneath, son.”

“What are you talking about, Gramps?” He smiled.

“Men like that hide most of who they are. They just need someone to really see them.”

“Right, okay.” Seth went along with him, although he really wasn’t sure what he was

referring to.

His mother arrived a little while later. They went out into the hallway to talk.

“He’s more confused than I remember,” Seth said.

His mother nodded. “He’s tired, and the medication doesn’t help. Don’t look so sad.”

She hugged him. “He’s getting old.”

Seth swallowed. “He thought I was Dad.”

“You resemble your father. He was a handsome brute, too.” She laughed.

Seth grinned. “Soft soap. What’s for dinner?”

“You mean, what are we going to serve the enigmatic Mr Roberts? How about roast

beef?”

“Fine.”

“He’s not a vegetarian, is he?”

“I have no idea. Let’s hope not. Look, I’ll let you visit Gramps. I’m going back to his

office to poke through some stuff.” He pecked her cheek. “See you later?”

It was lunchtime and Seth stopped in at the diner before going on to the trucking

company. He was eating his burger when William walked in.

When William approached his booth, all Seth could do was invite him to join him.

“How are you doing?” William asked, slipping into the seat across from him.

“Great. You?”

He shrugged. “Been better. Was sure I’d get to see more of you.”

“I’ve been busy, what with Gramps being sick and all.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

The waitress came over, a sweet little dark-haired girl with a pink ribbon in her hair.

“Hey, Will.” She grinned. “The regular?”

“Give me what he’s having.” He indicated Seth’s burger.

She nodded and walked off.

The place began to fill up suddenly.

William leaned across the table. “What happened to us, Seth?”

“Us?” He looked up, put the burger down. “We were kids, William.”

William sat back. “I was in love.” He looked away.

Shit.

“Oh, and there he is…Mr Big Shot,” William offered casually.

“Who? Where?” Seth turned and glanced over his shoulder.

Sure enough, there was Clive. He wasn’t alone. Danny? Yeah. He’d been with that

Danny Clarke guy the first time Seth had seen him, but Danny had run off.

“Kind of fishy, isn’t it?” William was saying. “Danny works for Frost Trucking and

there he is with that bastard Roberts.”

Seth concentrated on his burger but he didn’t taste it. Clive and Danny had taken a

booth just vacated by two older ladies, and it was right across from them. “Don’t stare over

there, William.”

William was about to say something when the waitress brought his burger.

“I’m not staring. So, what’s going to happen anyway?” He began to salt his fries.

“Simpson wants to buy Frost.”

“And close it down.”

“We don’t know yet.” Seth picked up his head and risked a glance over at the booth.

Clive was sitting back in his seat. He was dressed casually in jeans and a navy T-shirt. He

had a red windbreaker flung over the back of his seat. His hair was kind of windblown.

Danny was hunkered over the table, reading the menu. They weren’t talking.

“Why do you keep looking at him?” William asked.

Seth glanced up sharply. “I’m not looking at him.”

“Yes. You are.”

“I’m curious like you about their relationship, that’s all.”

“Is he gay?”

“How in hell should I know?” Seth pushed his plate back.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

The waitress came and filled his coffee cup. He could still taste Clive in his mouth. This

was insane. He shifted a little in his seat, his cock straining against his pants. He had no idea

that seeing Clive again would do this to him. He wanted out of here. He was feeling

claustrophobic.

He’d wait until Clive was busy with the waitress then…what? Sneak out? What for? He

was going to see him tonight, anyway.

William was saying something but Seth couldn’t hear him. Clive was looking right at

him.

Seth nodded then turned away. “I, ah…excuse me,” he said to William, “I need to use

the washroom.”

Once he reached the bathroom, he closed his eyes and splashed some cold water on his

face. When the door opened, he jumped and turned around to come face to face with Clive.

“Hi.” Clive smiled.

Seth wiped his face, nodded. “Well, hello.”

“Thought I’d try someplace different today.”

“How’d you like it?”

“Haven’t gotten served yet. They take their time when they see it’s me.”

“Sorry.”

“I find it kind of admirable, actually. It’s nice to think that people have your back.”

Seth nodded. “Well…so…guess I’ll…”

“Wait, I wanted to ask you something.”

Clive didn’t seem to be in any hurry to use the facilities. He leaned against the wall.

“Clive, I’m not going to your hotel room this afternoon.”

He kind of laughed. “Ah, I wasn’t going to ask you to come to my hotel room.”

“Oh.” Seth lowered his head. What in hell was wrong with him?

“I was wondering if you’d take me to the lighthouse?”

“Take you to the lighthouse?”

“Um…I’d like to see it close up, with someone who maybe knows something about the

history. I like lighthouses. My father’s people come from Nova Scotia. There are a lot of

lighthouses down there.”

Seth wasn’t quite sure what to say. The guy had a thing for lighthouses. Go figure. “Ah,

okay.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Great. Danny has to go back to work. I assume William does, too?”

“How do you know his name?”

“Danny told me. He’s your ex, apparently.”

“Yeah… Anyway… You and Danny know each other from somewhere else?”

“No.”

“He’s getting married, you know.”

“I know.” Clive met his gaze. “It’s not like that.”

“Oh, okay. You make friends fast.”

Clive smiled faintly.

“I’ll finish my lunch,” Seth said.

William was almost finished when Seth returned to the table.

“You were gone a long time,” he said. “What were you doing in the can with Roberts?”

“None of your business.”

“Danny looks anxious.”

“Danny can kiss my…” He stopped. “Danny has no reason to. He’s engaged.”

William made a face and stared down at his plate.

Seth’s eyes widened. “You fucked him?”

William grimaced. “Say it louder.”

“Sorry.” Seth lowered his voice. “You and Danny?”

“We had a thing. Guy is gay. He’s just a closet jockey. I told him, if he didn’t ‘fess up, to

fuck off. Now he’s bedding that cut-throat glamour boy.”

“Clive says it’s not like that.”

“Clive, now? Who are you trying to fool?” William pushed his plate away.

“You in love with him?”

William tightened his lips.

“Will? Shit, now I know why you knew I was looking over there. So were you. Only

you were looking at Danny.”

William sighed. “He’s never coming out. I’ve given up.”

“Doesn’t seem like it. So, I’d be rebound then?”

“You’re the first guy I ever slept with, Seth. Give me a break. I have memories.” He

sighed. “And Danny and I haven’t been together in months.”

“I’m sorry, Will.” Seth touched his hand.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

William nodded. “Me too.” He threw some bills on the table and got up. “It’s on me.

See you later.”

Seth noticed Danny watching Will as he left. He was obviously still carrying a torch.

The question was, what was he doing with Clive?

A few minutes later, Danny left. Seth knew Clive was looking at him and suddenly he

was standing there in front of him.

“May I?” He slipped into William’s seat before Seth could answer. “Can I buy you

another cup of coffee?”

“No.” Seth met his gaze. “Are you really serious about going to the lighthouse?”

“Unless you’d prefer to…” Clive raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t say it,” Seth muttered. After a few seconds, he actually laughed.

Clive laughed too.

It was a nice laugh and for a second Seth forgot who Clive was.

A few minutes later, they walked outside together into the sunshine.

“I see you finally got served?” Seth mentioned.

“Grudgingly.”

He smiled. “We can walk. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

“So, what’s the deal with lighthouses?” Seth asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

“I just like them. They light up the dark.”

“Are you afraid of the dark?” Seth laughed, glancing at him.

“No. Not really. I’m afraid of the unknown sometimes.”

Seth sobered.

“Tell me about the lighthouse,” Clive coaxed.

“It was built in 1863, destroyed by a fire in ‘36. The present lighthouse was rebuilt in

1991. It’s the home of the Port Credit Business Improvement Association.”

“Does it work?”

“It sure does. It’s visible from fifteen miles out on Lake Ontario. We can go up on the

deck. It has a great view of the Credit River, as well as the harbour and the village.”

“What was it like growing up here?” Clive asked.

“Boring, especially for a gay boy.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“What about that other gay boy you were sitting with in the diner? Was it boring for

him, too?”

Seth stopped. “William?”

“Yeah, William.”

“How do you know he’s gay?”

“Danny told me.”

“Danny is supposed to be straight, isn’t he?” Seth meant to be coy but it sounded

sarcastic.

“Yeah, right.” Clive laughed. “And so am I. This is a beautiful little town.”

“Yeah.” Seth looked at Clive. He’s beautiful.

They stopped in front of the lighthouse. Clive climbed the stairs to the observation

deck. Seth came to stand beside him.

“Danny is in love with William,” Clive commented, admiring the view. His fair hair

blew around his face.

“It seems that William loves him back, but Danny’s in the closet.”

“Um, getting married I hear.” Clive glanced at him.

Seth nodded. “Doesn’t look like he has any intention of coming out soon, then?”

“I doubt it. He’s jealous of you.”

“Doesn’t need to be,” Seth said. “I have no interest in William.”

“Oh?” Clive was looking at him again.

“You can stop doing that.” Seth moved away.

“I can stop doing what?” Clive shook his head.

“Are you fucking Danny?” It had been at the back of his mind.

“Would that bother you if I was?” Clive asked. He hadn’t moved from that place at the

railing.

“Why would it? You know, Clive… What happened in the hotel… Well, it was just a

fluke. Didn’t mean that—”

“You know,” Clive cut him off, “my sister once told me she’d like to live in a

lighthouse. Think I could live in this one?”

Seth shook himself. “No. You’d freeze. Clive, I thought it might be best to pretend it

never happened but I’m not so sure anymore. It seems you don’t want to talk about it.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Clive walked over to him. “I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen, and apparently

neither do you because you can’t stop thinking about it.” He met his gaze.

“You are arrogant as hell.”

“No,” he shook his head, “you misread me, Seth. It’s not arrogance. I said that because I

can’t stop thinking about it, either. So”—he smiled faintly—“that’s pretty—I don’t know

what you’d call it—pathetic?”

“Might just be human.”

Clive was staring at him again and Seth couldn’t look away. He wanted to kiss him. He

wanted to go back to that room and rip his clothes off. He wanted…wanted…

He wanted him. Now.

He tore his gaze away. “So”—he took a breath—“what do you think? You like it here,

eh?”

“Yeah, it’s great. Peaceful. Tell me about you. What do you do in the city?”

“I want to laugh thinking about what your reaction will be. We’re as different as…” He

trailed off.

“I won’t laugh. Tell me.”

“I run a centre for the poor. We give shelter and food and free medicine. People can

take courses and we help them fill out forms, especially new arrivals to Canada.”

Clive didn’t say anything for a few minutes.

“You disapprove?”

“No, I…don’t. I’m sure you do good work. I just wish that…”

“You wish what?” Seth searched his face.

“Nothing. Are you a social worker, then?”

“No. We have them at the Centre but I’m an urban planner, really. I did a stage there

and ended up running the place.”

“Do you like it?”

“I did. Now I’m feeling burnt out some. It’s normal. Not many people do this job all

their life.”

“What would you like to do?”

“I don’t know. I miss this town. I’d like to come home maybe…and…well…help

Grandpa run the trucking company.” Seth fell quiet for a second. Had he said that? It was the

first time he’d even thought such a thing, but, even as he said it, he realised it was true.

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D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Why? Why would you give up a good job in the city to take over a losing venture?”

“I gave up a cushy job with the city to run the Centre.” He shrugged, laughed. “I’m a

little weird.”

Clive placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, you’re not weird at all. I think you’re quite

wonderful.”

Seth’s mouth fell open a bit. He smiled and mumbled, “Thank you.”

They stood there a while, just soaking in the scene—the lapping of the water, the

multitude of boats, people and cars far away. Seth felt peaceful, even comfortable, with Clive

standing beside him. It was like he’d known him forever, like they were already lovers. But

none of that was true. There was so much going on inside the man. He was a mystery, filled

with emotion buried deep inside him.

“Why would your sister have wanted to live in a lighthouse, anyway?” Finally, Seth

made an attempt at conversation because the silence had become tense and it both shocked

and frightened him.

“It would’ve been better than living at home, I guess,” Clive replied.

Seth studied him.

Clive was looking away.

“That’s an odd thing to say. Was it horrible at home?”

“Yes. Unbearable.”

“You told me your sister died. Were you and your sister close?”

“Yes.” Clive’s lips tightened. “She died needlessly. It was neglect.”

Seth narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“It was a long time ago.” Clive shook his head. “We need to go. I feel rain in the air,

don’t you?”

They started down the steps. Clive walked quickly on the way back to the hotel. He

didn’t talk at all. When they got to the front of the hotel, Seth touched his arm. He seemed

deep in thought.

“Clive, did I say something wrong? I didn’t mean to…”

Clive shook his head. “No. It’s me. I’ll see you at six.” He walked up to the front door of

the hotel.

Seth stood there, waiting…for what, exactly, he dared not put into words. Clive turned

once and looked at him a second then pushed open the door and disappeared inside.

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D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Did he want him to follow? If he did, he didn’t say. Seth forced one foot in front of the

other and headed to his car.

On the way back to his mom’s, Seth thought about their conversation. He wondered

what would have happened if he’d followed Clive up to his room. He told himself it wasn’t a

good idea. Clive Roberts was a complicated man, perhaps too complicated for him, and he

had to remember what his goals were.

His mother was fretting over supper when Seth walked into the kitchen. “Can I help

you with something, Mom?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Where have you been all afternoon?”

“All afternoon?” Had he been gone that long?

“It’s after four.”

“Am I on curfew?” He laughed.

“Ha ha, go get changed.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“We need to make an impression on Mr Roberts, show him we are not just small-town

hicks.”

“I don’t think he thinks we’re hicks, Mom.” He glanced at the roast on top of the stove.

“That looks great.”

“Did you ask him if he eats meat?”

“Ah, no. I can call him now if you like.”

“Too late. Go and change.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Chapter Six

Clive finally called his boss.

“Where have you been? I’ve left three messages.”

“I’m sorry.” He’d turned off his phone. “Was there something you needed?”

“Just an update. How’s it going out there?”

“I’m invited for dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“Yes, we’re going to talk more.”

“Great, talk, but get the papers signed. And I’ll need you to stay out there for a while, to

close the place down. We need to transfer routes, find out which ones we can handle and

cancel the clients who are not profitable. I want you to—”

“So…there’s no way to salvage the company? That’s a lot of jobs lost for a town this

size.”

“Clive, don’t go all soft on me. This means a big bonus and promotion for you. Get this

done and that position we talked about is yours.”

What are all these people going to do? “There are over eighty employees, not to mention

the contractors and other businesses that would be hurt by—”

“It’s business, Clive. That’s all. Nothing personal.”

“The family won’t sign if they know what it will do to this town, Trevor.”

“Then don’t tell them. Once we have control, it’s none of their business.”

“That’s dishonest.”

“Jesus, Clive. There’s nothing illegal in that. The family will sign if the price is high

enough. Start low and keep going up, and give them minimum detail about the aftermath.

No one reads the fine print. Call me tonight when you get back, even if it’s late. I’m relying

on you.”

Clive stood there with the dial tone in his ear. He closed his eyes.

At six o’clock, he was pulling up outside the Frost house. There was a truck out front

with ‘Frost Construction’ written in big white letters on it, and Seth’s car in the driveway.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Clive got out and walked up to the door, a bottle each of white and red in his hands—

Pinot and Chardonnay. He’d cringed at the checkout when he’d handed over his credit card.

He’d put it on his expense account. He’d never have bought wine this expensive for himself.

Rita Frost greeted him at the door. She gave him a cordial smile. “Mr Roberts.

Welcome.” She opened the door wider.

Clive handed her the wine. “Clive, please. And thanks for the invitation.” It was a

modest house but homey. As he followed her down the hallway to the living room, he

couldn’t help but notice all the pictures of the family on the wall. Where did I put that picture of

Angela and I? He regretted packing it in his trunk. Maybe he should take it out and…

Adam Frost and a pretty woman in her late twenties sat in the living room, side by side.

Adam didn’t bother getting up. He merely raised a hand and mouthed, “Hi.”

The woman, however, rose and walked over to meet him. “Mr Roberts”—she held out

her hand—“I’m Adam’s wife, Susan.”

Clive shook her hand then glanced up as a decided thump then giggling came from

upstairs.

Susan laughed. “Oh”—she pointed to the ceiling—“and that would be the terror—our

ten-year-old, Graham—and his uncle.”

Clive turned to hear masculine laughter now. A young boy came tearing into the living

room, with Seth on his heels. They were both laughing and out of breath.

“Okay!” Rita’s voice went up a decibel. “That’s quite enough, you two. We have

company.” She smirked at Seth.

Seth looked rather sheepish as he met Clive’s gaze. “Hey, Clive.”

“Hey.” Clive nodded.

“This is my completely naughty nephew.” Seth grabbed the boy by the scruff of the

neck playfully and pulled him upright in front of Clive. “Say hello, you cheeky brat.”

“Hello, you cheeky brat,” Graham muttered then burst into laughter.

“Okay, total war is declared!” Seth cried, and Graham ran off.

Seth gave chase. Clive hid his desire to burst out laughing when he saw the look of

dismay on Rita’s face.

“They’re not always like this.”

“Yes, they are,” Adam mumbled from the sofa.

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D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Okay, well…you two play host. Adam”—Rita glanced at her son—“get Mr Roberts a

drink.”

“Clive, please, and I don’t drink,” he added.

“Not even beer?” Adam stared at him.

“No. Thanks anyway.”

“Can we get you a soft drink, then?” Rita offered.

“Club soda with ice and lime, if you have it.”

Adam got up off the sofa. “Sure,” he replied, “whatever.”

“Excuse me,” Rita said, the wine bottles still in her hands, “I’ll go and tend to the

dinner. Seth should be…oh, there he is.” She looked at Seth as he walked into the living

room.

Seth nodded at Clive. “Have a seat. Sorry about that. Graham is a handful.”

“You’re the handful,” Susan teased. “He works him all up,” Susan regarded Clive.

“They’re two peas in a pod.”

Clive wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was all foreign to him, this family stuff.

Adam came back with the club soda as Clive took a seat in one of the chairs. It was a

living room made for comfort and interaction. The seats faced one another, and on the far

wall was a forty-inch television screen. Over one of the sofas was a family picture, quite

recent. Rita was in the middle, with Seth and Adam on either side. Graham, perhaps two

years younger, stood beside his uncle, and Susan stood in back of Adam, a hand on his

shoulder. Clive had no idea why the picture made a lump form in his throat. He sipped his

club soda.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” Seth said.

“Thank God,” Adam muttered and got up off the sofa. “I’m going out for some air.”

“Don’t mind him,” Seth said after he’d left.

“My husband tends to be a bit hotheaded at times,” Susan offered.

“It’s okay,” Clive replied. “I know this is difficult.”

“I think once he hears the details”—Seth rubbed his chin—“he’ll see that it’s for the

best.”

“Provided we don’t lose Frost Trucking,” Susan piped in. “Simpson is taking it over?”

She waited.

Clive took another sip of his club soda.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“We won’t advise Gramps to sign if that’s the case, Clive.” Seth met his gaze.

“The company is in bankruptcy,” Clive pointed out.

“But it could be saved,” Seth protested, “with some new investment and a change in

business strategy. Right?”

“Perhaps.”

“So what did Simpson say? Did they agree not to close it if Gramps sells?” Susan

persisted.

What are we going to eat, Clive? What if Daddy doesn’t buy any food again this week?
Don’t worry, Angela. I’ll get us some food.

I’m hungry, Clive. My tummy is…

“I haven’t heard that they intend to do that,” Clive said. He swallowed again. A lie.

He’d told a lie. And once the papers were signed, it wouldn’t matter. Sure, Seth would never

speak to him again, but… Damn, maybe he could talk Simpson out of it? No—it was not in

the company’s interest to keep it going, and it was not in his interest to play hero.

He needed that promotion. What if Simpson decided to get rid of him? What if he was

out in the streets and couldn’t afford to pay his bills, or put food on the table? An image of

Angela pale and weak came to mind.

She’s dying, you bastard!

His father had knelt at the bedside, sobbing. He’d held out his hand and Clive had

turned away. He’d had no sympathy to give.

“Clive?” Seth was looking right at him.

“Yes? Did you say something?”

“Dinner is ready.”

“Oh, perfect.” He stood and followed Seth into the dining room.

Adam, Susan and Graham were already at the table. Rita had put on all the dishes with

serving spoons. Clive was directed to sit beside Seth. It felt strange, alien to him. He’d never

had this. Everyone talked at once as they passed the food back and forth. There was laughter

and teasing, and a sense of togetherness—people who knew each other so well and felt

connected.

“Clive,” Seth asked, “is the food okay?”

He hadn’t eaten a bite. He was just so fascinated by it all. “I’m sorry.” He picked up his

fork and ate some roast beef. “Delicious.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

The dessert was chocolate cake and equally as good. They opened the wine and, again,

he declined. He’d never drunk. He’d seen enough of what alcohol could do to sicken him for

a lifetime.

They lingered over coffee, talking about the town, the people. “This is a place where

people come together and help one another.” Adam looked at him. “I suppose you wouldn’t

understand that, would you, Roberts?”

“Adam,” Rita chastised. “That’s not polite.”

“Actually,” Clive agreed, “you’re right. I don’t have any experience with that. Quite the

opposite. I’m in awe of it, really.”

Seth placed a hand on his forearm. “We need more of that kind of thing.”

Clive smiled. “How is your grandfather today?”

“Better,” Seth said.

“Not dead yet, if that’s what you mean,” Adam sneered.

“I don’t wish any harm to your grandfather, Adam.”

“Of course you don’t, Clive,” Susan said. “Adam, apologise.”

“Why in hell should I? That’s what he was sent here for. He was here the minute they

heard about Gramps, waiting to pounce.”

“We won’t get anywhere this way,” Seth protested. “Adam, you need to hear what

Clive has to say. The company is really in debt, and Gramps can’t run it anymore. He needs

some security in his old age… and he could lose everything.”

Adam sighed and sat back on his chair. “There are others out there who might buy it.”

“Who?” Seth demanded. “No one wants to take over a company in the red.”

“At least hear our proposal,” Clive begged Adam. “You can decide to recommend it to

your grandfather, or not. There is no obligation.”

Adam nodded. “Fine.”

“He’s just doing his job, Adam,” Susan reminded.

“Hope you sleep well at night,” Adam muttered.

“Let’s clear off the table so that Mr Roberts will have some room to spread out his

papers.”

“I’ll just go to the car to get my briefcase,” Clive told them, noting that he was now Mr

Roberts again.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Seth waited until the front door closed and then he went to find Adam. He was back in

the living room, sprawled on the sofa. “Do you have to be so rude to him?”

“Why? You got a thing for him?” He lifted his brow.

“What?”

“Seth, I saw you at the lighthouse with him today when I drove by. And everyone in

town knows Danny has been to his hotel room, twice.”

“So? Danny is getting married to—”

“Danny and William had an affair then Danny got scared and decided to hook up with

a girl before his religious daddy found out. I know all about it. This is a small town. Are you

fucking him, too?”

“No, God damn it, I’m not fucking him.”

“I wouldn’t put it by him to stoop that low,” Adam said. “Don’t sell Gramps out for a

fuck!”

Seth took a step. He raised his fist then he heard someone yell, “Stop that!”

He turned to see his mother standing there.

“What’s going on? Rita demanded.

Seth lowered his hand. “Fuck you, Adam,” he muttered under his breath, and left the

living room. He met Clive on the way up the path, carrying his briefcase.

“Forget it.” Seth threw up his hand. “Adam won’t listen. He thinks you’ve put me

under some spell or something.”

“Spell?” Clive echoed.

“He thinks you’ve seduced me into accepting your proposal.”

Clive just looked at him.

“Listen,” Seth said, “I think Grandpa is well enough to listen to this himself. Let’s go

and see him together tomorrow. Maybe I can talk to the doctor first, see what he says.”

“Okay, if you prefer.”

“I do.”

“So, I guess I’ll say goodbye to your mother and be on my way then.”

Seth watched him go inside the house. A few minutes later, he came out again.

“I spoke to your mother. She thinks it’s a good idea that we go to see your grandfather.”

“Okay, tomorrow at eleven?” Clive asked.

“I’ll meet you there.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

* * * *

That night, Clive dreamt about sitting around that table at Rita’s house. The table was

filled with food. He was smiling and laughing. Seth was at his side. Seth laid his hand over

Clive’s, kissed him gently on the mouth. They talked as if they were a couple, just like Adam

and Susan. Rita looked at him and announced, “I have three sons now. Welcome, Clive. You

and Seth are a wonderful couple.”

Clive moaned and rolled onto his back, his eyes open. What a stupid, idiotic dream.

He got out of bed and paced a little. He’d lied. He’d lied for the company. Seth would

hate him. He sank down on the end and put his face in his hands.

When the knock came on his door at ten, he expected it to be Danny. He had a habit of

interrupting him any old time he felt like it. He was really surprised to see the man Seth had

been having lunch with standing there. “William?”

“Yes, that’s my name. We need to talk.”

“We do? What about?”

“Can I come in?”

“I was about to leave soon.”

“You can spare a few minutes.” He walked in.

“You’re not leaving me much of a choice. What can I do for you?”

“You think you can come here with your fancy suits, and slick manners, and take

Danny from me?”

“Danny?” Clive narrowed his eyes. “I have no interest in Danny.”

“You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”

“It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just sex.” Clive shrugged. “And I put a stop to it.”

“And Seth?”

“Seth is… Well… There’s nothing going on between us. And you have no claim on Seth.

That was over long ago.”

“So, you know about us then?”

“Yes.”

“Seth told you?”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“No, Danny told me. And Danny is in love with you, you know?”

“He…he said that?”

“Not in so many words, but, if anyone is going to save him from a loveless marriage,

it’s you. If you love him, fight for him.”

William glanced down at the carpet.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I have to meet Seth at the hospital.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I worry about Seth. He’s a good man. He deserves to be happy.

Don’t hurt him.”

Clive shook his head. “Like I said, I—”

“I see the way he looks at you.” William headed to the door. “Why don’t you take your

casual feelings and your casual sex and go home, Mr Roberts?”

Clive stood at the door for a few minutes after William left. I see the way he looks at you…

Really? Did Seth look at him in a way that suggested he might… No. Sure, they’d had a brief

encounter…couldn’t even call it sex, really. Seth was under stress, that’s all.

* * * *

Seth was sitting beside his grandfather when Clive walked in.

“Mr Roberts.” Lorne Frost smiled when he saw him. He motioned with his hand.

“Come over here, young man.”

Seth’s heart beat a little faster as Clive moved closer. Damn it all. That man could rile

him up.

“How are you, sir?”

“I’m being sprung from prison tomorrow.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Clive laughed.

“Seth and I have been talking about your proposal. I’d like you to drop a copy over to

my lawyer, Jackie. Can you do that, Clive?”

“Of course.”

“She can read between them lines like there’s no tomorrow.” He paused. “So, what’s

this I hear, Seth, about you and your brother coming to blows?”

“We had a little argument, that’s all.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“That’s not what I hear. Make up with your brother. Family is important.” He looked at

Clive. “What’s your advice, Clive?”

“You’re right, of course. When someone has that, it’s precious.”

“See, Clive appreciates that. Now the two of you get on out of here. It’s a nice day. Do

something.”

Seth glanced Clive from his chair. “Well…ah… I’m sure Clive has stuff to do.”

“Not really. We could get some lunch,” Clive suggested.

Seth nodded. “Okay.”

Clive looked at Seth’s grandfather. “Are there any questions, Mr Frost, about what Seth

told you?”

“Nope, I trust my grandson, and Jackie, of course. You young fellows go on now. Seth,

show Clive the sights.”

“What sights?”

“Where you went to school, and stuff like that.”

“He’s not interested in that.”

“Yes, I am,” Clive said. “That would be nice.”

Seth made a face. “Okay, but I warn you, it’s not that exciting.”

Outside, Seth told him he was sorry. “Gramps was full of questions and we got started

without you.”

“No problem.”

“You don’t have to take the tour if you don’t want to, you know.”

“I want to but, first, can you show me where the lawyer’s office is?”

* * * *

After dropping off the papers to Gramps’ lawyer, Seth drove Clive around town. He

showed him the town hall and the community centre, and finally the school.

“I have no idea why Gramps wanted me to do this.” Seth laughed as he pulled up

across from his old high school. “Anyway, this is it. This is where I went to school.”

“It’s nice,” Clive said. “I went to a bigger place where everyone was kind of

anonymous. Did you like school?”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“It was okay, I guess. I got into a few fights, got bullied some for being gay, but, overall,

it wasn’t so bad.”

“The same town protected you.”

“In some ways. What about you?”

“School was okay.”

“That’s it?” Seth asked, looking at him. “You don’t like to talk about yourself, do you?”

“No. Guess you figured that out, eh?” He seemed so sad suddenly.

“Why is that?”

He shrugged. “Nothing much to say, I guess.”

“I think you have a lot to say, keep a lot inside. Where are your folks?”

“Dead.” He glanced out of the window.

“I’m sorry.”

Clive looked at him and smiled. “Stop being sorry. It’s okay, really.”

“How’d they die?”

“Mom died in a car accident when I was really young. My father…well…” He sighed.

“He’s not dead yet…just dead to me.”

Seth reached over and touched his cheek. He was overcome with emotion and he

wasn’t sure why. “You remind me of a hurt little boy who just needs someone to hold him.”

Clive didn’t speak for a moment then he moved his face closer. “I’m not a little boy,

Seth.” He looked into Seth’s eyes.

Seth swallowed. “Yeah, I realise that.” He slid his hand to the back of Clive’s neck,

pulling him closer still. “I think you need to kiss me.”

“Um. Right.” Clive smiled, pressing his forehead against Seth’s.

“I need proof,” Seth said softly, placing one hand possessively on Clive’s thigh.

“Here?” He reared back, looking around. He grinned. “In a school zone?”

Seth chuckled. “Not a good idea?”

“Not unless you want to get arrested.”

Seth laughed. “A couple of perverts getting it on outside a school—how would that

read in the morning headlines?”

Clive laughed too.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Chapter Seven

Seth parked the car around the corner. Clive got out and waited. He reached out and

took Seth’s hand for a moment. Their gazes locked together.

“Are you sure?” Clive asked softly.

“Are you?”

“Yes.” He dropped his hand. “Surer than I’ve ever been about anything. Come on.”

Clive turned around a few times to make sure Seth was still with him. It was like a

dream. This guy, this wonderful guy, wanted to be with him?

On the elevator, he couldn’t stop looking at him, but Seth seemed a little shy so he

stopped. When he got to his room, he stuck in the card several times before he could get the

door open. They were both laughing by the time they got into the room and closed the door.

Clive didn’t wait…maybe because he couldn’t wait anymore. “I’ve dreamt of this,” he

whispered, pulling Seth into his arms.

Seth began to open Clive’s shirt. He smiled faintly. “Since when? Since you saw the

preview?” He pushed Clive’s shirt off and manoeuvred him towards the bed.

Clive pulled Seth’s T-shirt off. “Could be.” He caressed his hair and lowered his mouth

to Seth’s. With their naked chests pressed together, and hands exploring each other’s

shoulders and backs, the need felt even more urgent. Clive told himself to slow down. This

was like sex in the back room of some bar. This was…was… He heard himself moan as Seth’s

tongue explored his mouth.

His zipper was being pulled down, his jeans pushed halfway off one hip, along with his

briefs. He toed off his shoes as Seth lowered him to the bed.

Seth’s hands pinned his wrists to the side and for a moment he looked down at him,

into his eyes. “You turn me on so hard, I can’t get my breath.”

“Good.” Clive grinned.

Seth knelt between Clive’s open legs and pulled his jeans and briefs off. Clive grabbed

him and flipped him onto his back. He began to slowly kiss Seth’s chest as he undid his

pants.

“You’re so hard.” He moved his knuckles over the material guarding Seth’s cock.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Mm, you too.” Seth took hold of Clive’s cock and stroked it.

Clive bit into his lower lip and yanked at Seth’s pants. He pulled them off then began to

kiss Seth’s chest. Seth responded with moans and sighs. It drove Clive crazy. He wanted to

make him happy.

When his mouth came in contact with Seth’s balls, Seth yanked at Clive’s hair. Clive

captured his cock into his mouth, and Seth cried out his name. Clive’s passion grew with

every sound and soon he’d swallowed half of Seth’s delectable cock. Seth rose to a sitting

position and grabbed Clive’s face between his hands. Their gazes met and locked and Clive

marvelled at Seth’s expression. Pleasure. Pure pleasure.

Seth cried out with a shout and Clive backed off his cock as Seth’s body reacted to a

powerful orgasm. Clive watched him come then grabbed him up into his arms to kiss him

passionately. They rolled on the bed, Seth looking down at him, his hand again stroking

Clive.

“I want you,” Clive told him. “I want to be inside you.”

Seth lowered his head to Clive’s chest. He bestowed tiny kisses there. He glanced up

again. “Got a condom?”

“Yeah, in the drawer.” He watched Seth reach across for the rubber. “I found lube.”

Clive took the rubber and the lube and tossed them aside. He pushed Seth on to his

back and lifted his legs. “Look at me.”

“I’m looking.”

“Do you want me? Do you want me, Seth?” He could hardly breathe.

“Oh yeah.” He nodded. “I want you.”

Clive squirted some lube on his hand. He reached up under Seth and found his

entrance. He rimmed it with the lube, teasing, then he pushed one finger up inside him, then

two, finding the prostate.

Seth’s hips pushed up. “Oh yeah,” he moaned, his tongue wetting his lips.

“You are the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.” Clive pressed upwards and hooked his

fingers.

Seth cried out and Clive paused to kiss his mouth tenderly. “I want to be inside you.”

Seth nodded, closing his eyes. “God…that feels… Shit… Shit, Clive… Fuck me!”

Clive lifted Seth’s legs over his shoulders and positioned his cock. Seth was looking

directly at him, into his eyes, and Clive couldn’t look away. “Oh…fuckkkkk!” His cock began

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

to enter Seth and he felt like he was his completely. He pushed deeper. They both moaned

and Seth bucked his hips.

“Shit, Clive…um…you’re huge. God…you feel…so…fucking… Yeah!”

Clive pumped harder, stopped…deeper, faster, then stopped again. He was breathing

hard—they both were—their sweat-drenched bodies sliding together as if they were two

parts of a well-greased machine. Clive pumped, in and out, in and out of his ass, until the

tension was so high he felt it in his teeth. Faster, harder, faster… Clive lifted one of Seth’s legs

in the air and ground into his ass from side to side.

Seth shouted…prayed…called his name. “Clive. Please…shit…I’m commmm-ing…!”

They were both coming. Clive felt his entire body tighten then release as his cock went

into spasms, then weakness. He dropped onto his back and looked at the ceiling, his body

drained. He closed his eyes. Heaven. Fucking heaven. He’d never felt this good after sex

before.

He opened his eyes. Seth was on his side, looking down at him, smiling. “Holy shit,” he

breathed.

Clive grinned, pulling Seth down into his arms. “Is that a good ‘holy shit’?”

“Holy…shit.” Seth kissed Clive’s chest. “You fuck like a champ.”

Clive chuckled. “I think you just called me a prostitute.”

Seth laughed, touched his hair. Then he got quiet and lay back on the pillow.

“What’s wrong?” Clive turned to him. He took his hand.

“I suppose you got some great-looking hunk waiting for you back in Toronto.”

“No.”

“Come on, Clive, you’re not single?”

“Yeah, I am. My boyfriend left a while back.”

“Why?” Seth shook his head, propping up his head on his elbow. “Couldn’t be because

of the sex!”

Clive smiled. “No.”

“What then?”

“I’m not relationship material.”

“Why?”

“Seth,” Clive sighed, “let’s not ruin it.”

Seth sat up. “So, this is it?”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“You wouldn’t want to be with me.”

“Look at us, Clive. What do you think I’m doing here?” He sat up, too. “And don’t say

it’s just sex.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Why did he leave you?”

“I’m a selfish prick.”

Seth shook his head. “I don’t see that.”

“You don’t know me.” Clive swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I even tried

therapy. It’s the way I grew up. I live in constant fear of going without.”

“You can change.” Seth touched his shoulder. “I want to take care of you.”

Clive glanced at him. Seth was sitting behind him and wrapped his arms around his

shoulders. “I don’t need anyone to do that.” Clive tensed, tried to move, but Seth held on to

him. “I’ve always done it for myself.”

“Well then you’re due, right?” Seth tightened his hold even more. He kissed his ear.

Clive relaxed. “Maybe.” He smiled at him. “Let’s go find food. I’m starved.”

Seth held on to him. “No wonder you’re hungry, you animal!” Seth pulled him down

onto the bed again and started to kiss him. “Let’s do room service,” he moaned.

Clive laughed as Seth rolled on top of him. “Suits me.”

* * * *

Seth didn’t want to leave and by early evening it didn’t look like he was going

anywhere. They ate pizza in bed and then lay in each other’s arms and watched television.

Around eight, they took a shower, and made love again, in the shower, out of the shower.

They fell asleep out of exhaustion, only to wake around four and take care of each other’s

erection.

Clive’s mouth on his cock drove him out of his mind. He covered every inch of his cock

with his lips and tongue before taking it into his mouth. Seth felt as though Clive was

devouring his cock—all consuming, all encompassing—in a vacuum of pure pleasure. It

compelled him to thrash and groan, eventually crying out his release as if it were pain rather

than ecstasy that gripped him.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Clive seemed amused by his reaction and smiled as he lay back and folded his arms

across his chest.

“What are you looking all smug about?” Seth eyed him, his chest still heaving.

“Nothing.”

“Um, you seem pretty pleased with your performance.”

“As do you.” He lifted an eyebrow.

They both laughed, Seth cuddling against him. “I give you a B plus.”

“Only that?”

“You need to keep striving if you want an A. It means practice, practice, practice…”

Clive turned on his side and began to tickle him. “Does it now?”

Several more kisses led to Clive getting hard.

“Promising…” Seth commented, fondling his erection.

“What do you intend to do with that?”

Seth kissed his chin then his lips. “Mmm, fuck me.”

Clive didn’t seem to object. He pushed Seth over onto his stomach and popped the cap

on the lube. He took his time preparing his ass then possessed it, nice and slow to start, then

fast and furious until they were both breathless and in the throes of orgasm.

Clive fell back to sleep soon after. Seth lay awake and watched him sleeping. This was

what he needed. This was exactly what he was missing in his life. If Clive told him this was

just ‘a thing’ it might just kill him.

When Clive did open his eyes, Seth greeted him with coffee and muffins. He crawled

back into bed and fed him pieces of muffin with jam.

“There’s more muffin on me”—Clive grinned—“than in me.”

Seth laughed. “Give me that.” He grabbed the half-empty coffee and began to lick the

crumbs off Clive’s chest. “Good muffin,” he murmured, glancing up at him.

Clive ruffled his hair. “I, ah…think I got some further down.”

“Do you now?” Seth shook his head. “Where?”

“Right…there!” Clive insisted, pressing Seth’s head down between his thighs. “Did you

find it?”

“Oh yeah, baby, I found it.” After some tickling and horsing around, Seth wrapped his

lips around Clive’s hard shaft.

Much better than muffins.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Seth took his cock deep into his throat and gave it his all, tongue and lips toiling to

bring him to the brink. When he tasted Clive on his tongue, his sweet elixir, he sat back and

watched him come. Absolutely, mind-blowingly beautiful!

* * * *

Seth didn’t want to leave him. He was afraid it had all been a dream, or that Clive

would be different the next time they met. They walked down by the dock and sat together

watching the boats for a long while. Clive seemed to like that but he suddenly looked to be

far away.

“Where are you?” Seth asked him.

“Wallowing,” he replied, placing an arm around his shoulders for a moment.

“Sometimes I look at you and you seem so…sad. Why all that sadness from a guy who

just rocked my world in bed?”

Clive squeezed Seth’s hand. “I do that. Doesn’t make me much fun to be around.”

“Tell me about your sister.”

“Why?”

“Because you loved her so much.”

Clive glanced at him. “How do you know?”

“‘Cause I do. How did she die?”

“Pneumonia. She was malnourished. She couldn’t fight it. She was too small. I tried to

make sure she ate but…” He sighed.

“Who looked after you?”

“Me. I looked after both of us. After my mom died, my father picked up the bottle and

didn’t stop. He forgot he had children.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, sweetie,” he said, hugging him, “I know you are. You don’t have to be. It’s just

seeing your family, what you have… I’ve never had that.”

“You can”—Seth looked into his eyes—“with me.”

Clive smiled. “You mean Adam will make me his brother?”

Seth laughed. “May have to work on Adam.” He sobered. “I’m falling in love with

you.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Clive sucked in some breath.

“What? You don’t feel it?” Seth felt physical pain when Clive looked away. “Clive?”

He looked back, tears bright in his eyes. “Oh, I feel it.” He nodded. “I felt it the first

time I saw you.”

Seth leant forward and kissed him tenderly on the lips. “Don’t let go. You promise?”

Clive smiled. “Yeah. Let’s go back to the hotel and I’ll seal it with a kiss.”

“Better be more than that,” Seth teased.

It was more than that—much, much more—so good, in fact, that Seth could hardly tear

himself away. They made love and talked until almost midnight then Seth decided he

needed to leave.

“Why?” Clive asked.

The way he looked—lying naked on the bed—made it hell for Seth as he pulled on his

pants. “Because she’ll be worried. I didn’t even call her last night. She’ll have the OPP out

after me.”

Clive laughed and lay back on the pillow. “Not the entire police force.”

“You don’t know my mother.” Seth walked over and leant down to kiss him. “I’ll miss

you.”

“Me too.”

“Promise I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Clive said with a smile.

Seth drove slowly on the way to his mother’s. Clive hadn’t said he loved him. Seth

hadn’t said it either but deep down, he knew. Clive was the one. It was mind-blowing, earth-

shattering and the most frightening thing in the world. Now that he’d found him, how could

he bear to lose him?

There was no reason he had to. They both lived in Toronto. They’d see each other in the

city. It was going to be all right.

The first thing he did when he got in the house was call him. Clive picked up right

away. He must have known it was Seth. “Hey, what took you so long?”

“I have to tell you something.” Seth gripped the phone.

“What?”

“You’ll think I’ve lost my mind.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Tell me.”

“I love you.”

There was this long silence.

“Clive, damn it, say something.”

“I love you.”

Seth closed his eyes.

“Goodnight, baby.”

Seth sighed. “Good night, Clive. See you tomorrow.”

“Sweet dreams.”

“You too.”

* * * *

His mother didn’t say anything the next morning when Seth walked into the kitchen.

She just looked up at him and sipped her coffee.

“Hey.” He smiled.

“Hey yourself.”

Seth poured some coffee into his cup from the pot on the counter. “Aren’t you going to

say something?”

“You’re twenty-eight years old.”

“You weren’t worried.”

“Why should I be? You were less than four miles away at the hotel.”

“How did you know?” He eyed her.

“Someone saw your car.”

“Adam?”

“No, thank God, the neighbour. So, is it serious?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, smiling. “It is.”

“I wanted to tell you that Grandpa is home. He wants us to go over this

afternoon…Clive Roberts, too.”

“So what did he say?”

“He said he’d tell us when we went over.”

“What do you think?”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“I think poor Grandpa hasn’t got a choice. It’s a good way out of poverty. And at least

the town has a chance to keep those jobs.”

“Yeah. It’s good all around.”

“Is Roberts going to run it?”

“I doubt it. I suppose the company will appoint a manager.”

“There will be a lot of changes,” Rita said, standing up.

“Life marches on.”

His mother walked over and placed a hand on his cheek. “Does he make you happy,

baby?”

Seth took her hand and kissed it. “Deliriously.”

“Then I say, welcome to the family.”

He hugged her. “Thanks, Mom.”

* * * *

Clive picked up his cell phone just before the voicemail clicked on. It was Doug

Montgomery, one of the CEOs from Simpson. He was Trevor’s nephew, and rumoured to be

the next in line to take Trevor’s place as Trevor had never had any children. Frankly, Clive

couldn’t stand the little puke.

“Hello, Doug, how are you?”

“Not bad, yourself?”

“Fine.”

“How’s it going in our fine little town?”

“I have a meeting this afternoon with the Frosts. Looks like we’re ready to make a

deal.”

“You must be relieved. Must be boring for you down there, Clive.”

“I’m surviving.”

“Anyway, nice talking. I’ll pass the news on to Trevor.”

“Ah, Doug, since I have you on the phone, there’s a little matter of the fate of Frost

Trucking. I mean, I see some potential here in terms of routes and…”

“Get to the point, Clive.”

Clive stifled a curse. “I don’t think we should close it. It might be a little hasty to—”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“It’s not profitable, Clive. Should I give you a refresher course on what constitutes

feasible—?”

“No,” Clive said coldly. “I don’t need any lessons.”

“Once the papers are signed, fax them. Handle things. We’ll send a demolition crew

down there asap.”

“Demolition crew?”

“Yes, the office is worthless. Land is valuable. We already have an offer from some

company that treats toxic waste or something.”

“Toxic waste? The land is not more than a few miles out of town and you’re…well…”

“Well what, Clive? Do the job, or we’ll find someone who can. Have a great day!”

Clive stared at the phone.

* * * *

Lorne Frost’s house was modest but very warm and inviting. It was nice to see him

walking around. Adam was invited but had made excuses not to attend, so only Rita and

Seth sat with Clive and Lorne in the living room.

They drank tea and the old man seemed in no hurry to bring up the papers he had

sitting on the end table.

Finally, Seth asked, “Gramps, what did you decide?”

Lorne Frost looked directly at Clive. “I’ll sign but only on one condition—people don’t

lose their jobs. The company is not going to shut Frost Trucking down, are they?”

Clive cleared his throat. Seth and Rita were studying him now, too.

A big promotion, a salary raise… Don’t worry, Angela, I’ll find us something… Don’t get

caught… Run fast… Don’t get caught… Don’t ever run out of food…

“No,” he said, “Frost Trucking will be all right.”

Back at Clive’s hotel room, Clive kept staring at Lorne’s signature on the contract. Seth

was talking to him but he wasn’t really hearing him.

“Babe”—Seth placed a hand on his shoulder—“don’t feel bad. Gramps is happy to be

out of the red, and he’s ready to retire. I bet he’ll pass by from time to time to check on

things.” Seth laughed.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Right,” Clive murmured, but that signature seemed so large…too large for the line it

was scrawled on.

“Don’t you have to sign? It says ‘Representative’s Signature’ there,” Seth pointed out.

“Yeah, I know. I will. I have to send it out to the company for Simpson to sign before it’s

really legal. It’s not really a done deal yet.”

Seth took the contract and put it aside. “Stop worrying. It will be.” He pushed Clive

down on the bed and straddled his hips. “You can do that later, baby. You have more

pressing business right now.”

Clive smiled. I love you so much, Seth. I need to tell you what I’ve done. Maybe it’s not too late.

God, don’t hate me because I love you so much. Clive grabbed Seth and began kissing him

frantically.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Chapter Eight

You can’t be more than twelve! You should be in school, not selling your ass on the street. Come

on, kid, I’ll give you a place to sleep tonight. Why don’t you go home? Why don’t you go home? Why
don’t you…

Home. My father’s drunk. He gets real mean when he’s drunk. He killed my sister, you know.

How much for a blow job? How much for a bowl of soup? I can only stay an hour…have to do

my homework. Got to tell Seth what I’ve done… Please…I can’t be out there…

“Clive? Baby? Wake up, sweetie. You’re having a dream.”

Clive bolted upright. His hair was damp with sweat, his heart was pounding. “Jesus,”

he whispered.

“What was it?” Seth was rubbing his back.

“Nothing. I…just had… Nothing. Go back to sleep.” Clive kissed Seth’s temple and

then lay back down. What if I lose my job? What if I have to wash dishes for a living and can’t pay

my rent? Sleep, Clive. Don’t think. Just sleep.

Seth hated the thought of leaving and going back to Toronto. He’d spent most of his

time with Clive, and it was going to be hard sleeping without him. Clive had asked Seth’s

grandfather if he could go in and get started with the paperwork. It seemed that the final

contracts had not been signed yet. When Seth asked about it, Clive told him it took time. That

made sense, given the size of the Simpson corporation.

“You have another week yet,” Clive pointed out when Seth came into the office at Frost

to ask Clive to lunch. He was staring at the computer screen on his laptop.

Seth came and stood behind him. He hugged him. “It’s going fast. Did you put stuff on

the computer?”

“I’m trying to.”

“Gramps did things the old way.” Seth kissed Clive’s hair.

“Sure did.”

“Want to skip lunch? You look busy.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“No, I’ll be right with you.” He looked up. “Give me ten minutes.”

“Okay.” Seth walked out of the office. “I’ll be outside,” he called out.

Seth spoke to Marian for a few minutes, who again expressed her relief at not losing her

job. “So how is he as a boss?” Seth smirked.

“He’s very nice and very good-looking”—she giggled—“not that you haven’t noticed.”

Seth winked then went to sit on the stoop. As he glanced around at the trucks and

listened to the voices of the workers calling out to each other, he had a flashback. Such fond

memories of this place filled his mind—the big trucks, sitting in them when he was just a

small boy, hearing the blaring horns. He’d watched them come in, one after another, the men

with their strong arms loading the trailers. All the summers he’d worked here. Grandfather.

All the little jokes he used to play on Adam and him. He made them laugh, took them for ice

cream. Seth was so happy that Frost Trucking would remain. It was an icon in this town, part

of his heritage. In a way, he regretted not running it with his grandfather. But you can’t

change the past. In a few years, like the former director of the Centre, he too would have to

find another job. It would have been nice to come back to trucking again.

A blue sedan driving up in front of the door shook him from his daydream. A tall, red-

haired man in his mid-forties got out of the car.

“Hello,” he said. “I’m looking for Clive Roberts?”

“Oh, sure.” Seth stood up. “Clive is inside.” He held out his hand. “I’m Seth Frost.”

“How do you do, Mr Frost?” The man shook Seth’s hand. “David White.”

“I’ll take you to him. Come on.”

Seth led the man inside. Marian wasn’t at her desk. She must have slipped out the back

door to have her lunch. There were picnic tables there.

Clive was just coming out of the office in the back. He stopped dead when he saw the

man with Seth.

“Who are you?”

“Mr Roberts?” David White nodded at him.

“Yes, I’m Mr Roberts.”

Seth noticed that Clive took a step back. He stiffened, didn’t smile.

“I’m David White from White and Barlow Construction. Simpson Transport sent me to

survey the situation up here. My crew will follow end of the week and we’ll get started—”

Seth looked at Clive. “Started doing what?”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Clive acted like he didn’t hear Seth. “The contract isn’t final yet. You can’t do

anything.”

“I spoke to a man called Doug Montgomery, and he led me to believe that it was a done

deal.”

“The contract is in the mail. You can’t do anything until it’s signed.”

“Like I said, I’m here just to do the—”

“Right.” Clive answered coldly. “Fine. Are you booked at the hotel?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We’ll talk later. I’ll call you.”

“So, can I look around and—?”

“No!”

Seth was taken aback. Clive was being downright rude.

“Good day, Mr White.” Clive met the man’s eyes.

David White nodded. Then he nodded to Seth. “Mr Frost.”

“Mr White.” As soon as he was out of the door, Seth turned to Clive. “What in hell was

that?”

“What was what?”

“Who is he? Why did you act so rude?”

Clive sank down in Marian’s chair. He put his face in his hands for a second. Then he

glanced up at Seth. “Don’t hate me.”

* * * *

Seth was in shock. For the longest time, he didn’t move. He didn’t speak. Clive walked

over to the window and looked out. He kept his back turned.

Finally, his voice shaking, Seth said, “You lied to me. You lied to all of us.” The tears

sprang to his eyes. He couldn’t believe it. He’d put all his faith in Clive, given him his heart,

and Clive had betrayed him. “It’s all been a lie.”

“No.” Clive shook his head. “That’s not true.”

“You can’t even look at me!” Seth accused. “Can you?”

“No, I can’t.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“You fucking bastard,” he whispered. “I loved you. I wanted… I thought… You

fucking… I never want to see your face again, you hear me?”

“I hear you.”

“Jesus.” Seth sighed. “I’ve been seduced into betraying my entire family, Clive, the

whole fucking town!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry, that’s it? That’s all. Sorry. Sorry isn’t good enough. You’re one pathetic

bastard!” Seth hollered and walked out.

Clive didn’t move. He couldn’t move. His face streaked with tears, he lowered his head

and sobbed like he had the day they’d buried his sister. “I love you, Seth. I don’t think I’ve

ever loved anyone this much. God, what have I done? What have I done?”

* * * *

The Frost family stood looking at Seth, waiting for him to say what he’d brought them

all together for. He had to tell them what he’d done, what Clive had done.

He couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever felt worse. Not only had he fallen in love

with the wrong man, but that man was about to destroy the lives of so many people.

Adam had been right all along.

Seth’s mother placed a hand on his shoulder suddenly. Seth hadn’t realised that he was

shaking or that tears were streaming down his face again until she’d touched him.

“What is it, baby? Are you all right?”

“What’s all this about now?” his grandfather asked.

“Adam,” Seth grunted, “you were right all along. I thought I’d found love, but I found

only deceit.”

“What do you mean?” Adam moved closer.

Seth sighed and regarded the three members of his family. “I’m so sorry. Simpson

Transport is closing Frost. They’re going to tear down the building next week.”

There was silence.

Adam sputtered. “That fuck! I’ll kill him.”

Rita grabbed Adam. “No. That won’t solve anything.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Adam went to say something to Seth but Lorne looked at him. “Can’t you see your

brother is suffering enough?”

Adam studied the floor. “I’m sorry.” He looked at Seth. “I’m sorry, little brother.” He

grabbed Seth and hugged him. “I know you’re in pain.”

Seth cried a little on Adam’s shoulder then wiped his tears. “I’m leaving. I’m going back

to Toronto. I can’t chance running into Clive. I don’t think I could take it. I need to put some

distance between us.”

“We understand, honey,” Rita cooed. “And we don’t blame you. We were all taken in.”

“Seth,” his grandfather said, “stay for a few minutes. I’d like to talk to you.”

After his mother and brother left, Seth stood facing his grandfather. “Everything you

built will disappear.”

“Never mind that.” He shook his grey head. “I’m worried about you. You really love

this man.”

“I did.”

“Oh, love doesn’t just go away like that, son. I still love your grandmother after all these

years.”

“She didn’t betray you.”

“I thought she did when she died. I was angry at her for leaving me, just like you’re

angry at Clive. He’s not a bad man.”

“What? How can you say that? He used me to—”

“No. I don’t believe that. I think he genuinely cared for you. I saw the way he looked at

you. That must have been some mighty fine acting.”

“Doesn’t matter. He lied.”

“He’ll do the right thing in the end.”

“It’s too late.”

“Maybe. Seth, sometimes you got to probe deeper. There’s a lot going on with Clive that

has nothing to do with his job. He has to find a way to finish with the past, to take a chance

on the future. You might be his only hope.”

“Gramps, I don’t… I don’t follow.”

He smiled and gave him a hug. “Just an old man jabbering. When you leaving?”

“Today.”

“I’ll miss you. Call me when you get to Toronto.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“What are all the people at Frost going to do?”

“They’ll be just fine. Go on now, or you’ll hit rush hour in that busy city of yours.”

* * * *

Clive walked down by the port and looked out onto the water. It was a clear night, the

stars twinkling silver in the sky. It had been a hell of a day. Seth had gone yesterday. Clive

had left several messages on Seth’s cell to say he was sorry. When he didn’t get called back,

he had driven out to Rita Frost’s house.

“You got a nerve,” she’d told him when she opened the door.

Clive couldn’t speak.

“He’s gone,” Rita had said. “I can’t believe what you did to my boy.”

When the tears had again streamed down his face, she’d paused then tightened her lips.

“Well, looks like you’ve done the same to yourself, Mr Roberts. You deserve your suffering.”

“I’m…so…sorry,” he’d managed and had hurried back to the car.

Emptiness. His bed was empty and this town felt empty. When he’d got up this

morning, he’d wondered what for. The pain was still intense, and he wasn’t sure he could go

on. Tonight, as he examined the sky, he knew what he had to do. Seth. I know I’ve lost you and

there will never be another for me. You were the love of my life. But, still, I have to do this. I have to do

this.

“You never sent the contract?”

Clive sat back in his chair. “No.”

“I don’t understand.” Jackie Polanski narrowed her keen dark eyes.

“I told the company there was a delay.”

“But Lorne signed, didn’t he?”

“They were going to close it down, and I just couldn’t bear to… I intended to, but I just

never got around to it.”

“They were going to close it? Lorne gave me the impression—”

“I gave everyone that impression. Jackie”—he leant forward—“I want to buy it.”

“What?”

“I want to buy Frost Trucking.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“Are you serious?”

He nodded.

“This will cost a fortune.”

“I want to negotiate with Lorne again. I have a considerable amount of savings. I’ve

invested some, made some money on the market. If Lorne will allow me to spread out his

share over three years, I can do it. I can keep the workers on, maybe even expand. I think I

can make Frost profitable again.”

Jackie smiled. “Okay.” She picked up the phone. “Let’s talk to Lorne.”

“I’ll get working on the financing.”

“You want to what?” Clive’s financial advisor asked for the third time on the phone.

“You heard me.”

“That’s everything you have. No, I can’t advise it, Clive. It’s too much of a risk.”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“You could be left with nothing.”

Clive took a breath. He’d already lost Seth. That was everything. “So be it. Let’s get the

ball rolling.”

* * * *

Twenty-four hours later, Clive was on the phone to the CEO of Simpson and Associates.

He’d been calling several times a day, demanding to know where the contract was. When he

heard his voice, his immediate response was anger. “Where in hell have you been? David

White called me and said you were not cooperating and—”

“You might as well tell them to go home.”

“What?”

“No one is tearing down Frost. And it’s no longer for sale…to you.”

“Clive, have you taken leave of your senses?”

“No, I’ve found them finally. I quit.”

“Now, I know something is wrong. You can’t quit.”

“I just did.” Clive put the phone down.

Suddenly, he heard clapping coming from the doorway. Lorne Frost stood there.

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Clive nodded at him. “Hello, sir.”

“Hello, young man. So, you want to buy my company, eh?”

“If you would sell to me.”

“There are a couple of conditions.”

“Name them.”

“First, you allow me to pop by occasionally and sit in my chair.”

“Done.”

“And you bring Seth back home where he belongs.”

Clive swallowed. “I can’t promise that.”

“He loves you.”

“He did.”

“He still does, you idiot. When he sees the real man underneath all those good looks of

yours, he’ll come back.”

Clive smiled. “You think so? Because there’s nothing I want more. I love your grandson

so much.”

“I know that, son. Think I’d sell my company to a fancy urbanite like you, otherwise?”

Clive laughed. “No, sir.”

“And I also know that, whatever pain you have from the past, you’ve mustered up a lot

of courage and made room for love. That’s a big step.”

Clive half laughed, half cried. “I’ll have nothing except this company. I’ve never felt so

terrified in my whole life.”

Lorne came and stood beside him. He placed an arm around him. “Then you better

make this work, kid. Show me what you got in mind.”

“Will you suggest some things?” Clive wiped at his eyes.

Lorne smiled. “If I can be of some help, I will.”

“You’re the expert.”

Lorne grinned. “I think you just found a way to this old guy’s heart. Let’s get started.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Chapter Nine

“You should go home, Seth,” Sandra advised. “You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine. I have a meeting this afternoon to approve the new courses for summer. I’m

late already.”

“Are you all right?”

“Stop asking me that. I’m fine. I need to get the budget approved and…” He ran a hand

through his hair. He’d been back almost three weeks. He couldn’t sleep. He hardly ate. He

missed Clive so badly he ached all over, and yet he wanted to strangle him.

His job had lost its appeal. Everything had lost appeal. He hadn’t called home since

he’d left. And, although he’d had several messages on his machine, he’d erased them all

without listening to them. He didn’t want to know that the company his grandfather had put

his heart and soul into was nothing but rubble.

He got through the day and went home. When he got in, he had more messages on his

machine. It was a new number from a cell phone, and it wasn’t Clive.

Seth picked up the phone and listened. “Seth, it’s William. I have some news. I want you to

be the first to know. Call me back.”

Curious, he listened to the message again, jotted down the number and called him back.

“Seth?”

“Hey, Will, can’t hear you well. Got your message. What’s up?”

“Sorry, wait, I’ll go outside… Okay, hear me better?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“We’re building a new house.”

“That’s good.”

“And I called you to invite you to a wedding.”

“Whose wedding?”

“Mine…mine and Danny’s.”

Seth almost fell through the floor. “No shit!” He was surprised then just sad for some

reason. “I’m, ah…happy for you. Didn’t think he’d come around.”

“Me neither, but he loves me.”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“I’m happy for you. When is it?”

“June, of course.”

Seth smiled. “Of course.”

“How are you?”

“I’m okay.” The entire town probably knew by now.

“So what happened between you and Roberts?”

Seth sucked in some breath. He didn’t want to talk about Clive. “It’s over.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure. He’s been really busy at Frost lately.”

“I’m sure,” Seth replied bitterly. Takes time to destroy people’s lives. “I guess you know

Simpson is closing Frost. Hope Danny can find another job. Maybe Adam—”

“That’s weird.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah, Danny just got promoted to dock foreman.”

“Who promoted him?”

“Your ex.”

“Clive gave Danny a promotion? Has he lost his mind? What about the demolition

crew?”

“What demolition crew?”

“White and Barlow?”

“Never heard of them.”

“Really, Will, Frost is closing. They’re going to tear it down.”

“Never heard that. Anyway, you’ll be my best man?”

“Sure. Tell me when. Congratulations, Will.”

“Got to go, your brother is barking at me.” He laughed.

“Say hi.”

“Sure, bye.”

Seth stood there for a few minutes then called his grandfather. There was no answer. He

called his mother instead. “Mom, Seth. What in hell is going on?”

“What do you mean? And where in the world have you been? I’ve left several

messages, at home and at work. Sandra said you were okay but—”

“Mom, never mind. Will called me and—”

“Never mind? I haven’t been able to get in touch with you for three weeks!”

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t bear to hear.”

“Will and Danny are getting hitched. Isn’t that cute?”

“Yeah, Mom, cute…but Frost. What is going on with Frost? Will said Danny got

promoted. That doesn’t make sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. Danny is a good worker.”

“Maybe so but it’s going to be torn down.”

“Dear, if you’d listen to your messages, you’d know that things have changed. Grandpa

tried to call, too.”

“What things?”

“He’s been busy with Clive—he hasn’t had time to try again.”

“Mom, what things, and what do you mean he’s busy with Clive?”

“He’s been helping Clive. Personally, I think Clive does it to be nice but Gramps is

tickled that he’s still of some use.”

“Of use? Tearing down his own company?”

“Dear, listen… Clive bought the company. He bought Frost Trucking.”

Seth pulled a stool over and plunked down on it. “Say again?”

“Clive quit his job at Simpson, told them where they could stick it, so to speak, and

bought Frost Trucking. He thinks he can save it, make it profitable again. And Gramps is

giving him a hand. They are like two peas in a pod, those two.”

Seth closed his eyes. “Why didn’t Clive tell me?”

“Even if he did try, you don’t answer your phone. Seth, Clive loves you. He loves you

very much. He told me. He tells everyone, in fact”—she laughed—“who will listen. And the

only thing keeping him from being a mess is Frost right now. Why don’t you come home?

You do love that boy, don’t you?”

Seth smiled. “Mom, Clive’s not a boy.”

“I know, I know…young man. Everyone under thirty is a boy to me. So, you love him

or not?”

“Yes, I love him.”

“Then get home here and tell him.”

“I will. I will.”

* * * *

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

Seth got into his car and drove up to Port Credit. It was after eight when he got there

and the lights were on at the Frost Trucking office. There was a new neon sign outside. It said

‘Frost Transport Inc’.

Clive had kept the name.

Seth got out of his car and walked up the steps to the front door. It was locked. He

pushed the intercom. No answer. He pushed it again, over and over.

Finally, a voice came though the intercom. It belonged to the man he loved, the man he

wanted to spend the rest of his life with. “Stop playing with the damn buzzer! We’re closed.”

Seth grinned. He put his lips close to the speaker. “Even to me?”

A few minutes later, the door opened. Clive stood there. His hair was a bit longer and in

disarray. He had a few days’ growth of beard. Seth had never seen anything more beautiful

in his life.

Clive didn’t speak. He just looked at him.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in, or have you got a man in there?”

Clive smiled. “Come in.”

Seth stepped into the office. He wanted to hold him, kiss him, but he was too overcome

with emotion.

“What are you doing here?” Clive asked.

“I work here.”

Clive narrowed his eyes.

“Or I will be working here, as soon as you offer me a job.”

Seth saw Clive swallow hard.

“I know what you did. You risked everything. It must have been hard for you to—”

“No, wasn’t hard.” He moved closer. “What was hard was losing you. This”—he

waved his hand around—“felt damn easy in comparison.”

Seth blinked away the tears in his eyes. He could hardly speak. “I missed you.”

“I missed you.” He moved closer. “Forgive me. Forgive me, baby.”

Seth put his arms around him. It was like coming home. Clive kissed the top of Seth’s

head and they stood there like that for the longest time.

* * * *

TAKEOVER

D.J. Manly

www.total-e-bound.com

An hour later, they were back at his hotel. Clive felt almost shy when Seth began to

undo his shirt. The man made him feel weak and vulnerable, a little like jumping out of a

plane without a parachute.

“Do you know how much I love you?” Seth looked into his eyes.

“If it’s half as much as I love you,” he said softly, “then it’s a lot.”

Seth kissed his chest.

“I need a shower,” Clive laughed.

“Can I help?” Seth suggested.

“Of course.” Clive kissed his mouth. “Like candy.”

“Mm, get those clothes off.” Seth followed him to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, they were in the shower. Clive leant back in Seth’s arms as he ran

soapy hands over him. He closed his eyes.

“Why did you do it?” Seth asked, kissing his ear. “I hope it wasn’t just for me.”

“No, it was for me. All my life, I’ve been afraid, but you…you gave me courage. I’m not

afraid anymore.” Clive glanced at him. “You really going to come and work with me?”

“Sure. On one condition…” Seth took Clive’s erection in hand and stroked it slowly.

“Um, I’m likely to agree to just about anything right now.”

Seth chuckled. “Well, agree to getting out of this hotel room, and living with me

somewhere else?”

“How about a house…ooh…yeah… Seth…a little faster.”

Seth moved his soapy hand faster, his lips fastened on Clive’s shoulder. The other hand

snaked up over his stomach and chest. “What house?”

“The house your brother…is building for us?”

Seth stopped stroking. “What?”

“Don’t stop, and I’ll tell you.”

Seth resumed the stroking. “Spill it.”

Clive laughed then grunted a little. “I told Adam to build a house in the hopes that

you’d come back once you saw I wasn’t such a monster.” His hips slammed into Seth’s groin,

his cock pulsing, ready to erupt. “Seth, shit…yeah… Oh, baby…yeah… Please say…say…

Aahhhhhhh!”

www.total-e-bound.com

About the Author

I write not only for my own pleasure, but for the pleasure of my readers. I can’t
remember a time in my life when I haven’t written and told stories. When I’m not
writing, I’m dreaming about writing. Eroticism between consenting adults, in all its
many forms, is the icing on the cake of life but one does not live by sex alone. The
story of how two people find love in spite of the odds is what really turns me on.

Email:

DJ@djmanlyfiction.com

D.J. Manly love to hear from readers. You can find D.J.’s contact information, website
and author biography at

http://www.total-e-bound.com

Also by D.J. Manly

Schism

Gladiators: House of Simeon

Gladiators: House of Phineas

Gladiators: House of Nicolaus

Gladiators: The Next Generation

Sins of Summer: Mayze

Sins of Autumn: Hail Storm

Sins of Winter: Toppling Pedestals

www.total-e-bound.com

Dedication

To Goddess Pele, and to Uncle Joe who first told me about the legend of the kaupe.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following
wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

National Car Rental: Enterprise Holdings
Big Yellow Taxi: Joni Mitchell
United Air Lines: United Air Lines, Inc.
AAA: American Automobile Association
Hawaiian Airlines: Hawaiian Airlines, Inc.
Duke’s: TS Restaurants
Google: Google, Inc.
American Express: American Express Company
Ford Explorer: Ford Motor Company
Hotwire: Expedia, Inc.
Visa: Visa, Inc.
Nissan Versa: Nissan Motor Company Ltd.
Waikiki Sunset: Aston Hotels and Resorts LLC
Met: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
I Love Lucy: Paramount Television
Law and Order: Dick Wolf
Styrofoam: The Dow Chemical Company
Tarzan: Edgar Rice Burroughs
Secret: Madonna, Dallas Austin, Shep Pettibone
ABC Stores: ABC Stores
Moana Surfrider Hotel: Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Shore Bird: Shore Bird Restaurant and Beach Bar
Outrigger Reef Hotel: Outrigger Hotels Hawaii
A&F: Abercrombie & Fitch Company
Baywatch: Baywatch Production Company
War and Peace: Leo Tolstoy
Turtle Bay Ocean Resort: Credit Suisse Group AG
Starbucks: Starbucks Corporation
Puppy Love: Paul Anka
Hawaii Five-O: CBS Productions
Groupon: ThePoint, Inc.
iPad: Apple, Inc.

THE KAUPE

A.J. Llewellyn

100

Chapter One

“Aloha! Aloha!” Dino waved, blinking into the morning’s bright glare as he spotted his

friends standing in front of a row of tiny, fake grass shacks, with pristine thatched roofs. The

shack with the emerald green signs marked National Car Rental, their designated meeting

place. They’d all arrived!

He was madly pleased to see everybody had made it. He was already in tropical idyll

mode thanks to the lei greeting he’d received at his arrival gate via his package deal through

Pleasant Holidays. The fact that one now had to pay an extra twenty-five dollars for the

traditional Hawaiian welcome didn’t bother him too much.

What did bother him was that he hadn’t spotted a single hot guy on the plane and now

none of his friends seemed very happy or excited to see him. As he dragged his suitcase on

wheels across the sweltering parking lot, nobody moved a muscle or returned his cheery

greeting.

“Can you believe we were having drinks in Los Angeles last night and here we are two

thousand miles away…together again at lunchtime?” he called out.

Nobody said a word. Dino Perez didn’t think a thing like flying safely from one place to

another was small potatoes this day and age. To him, it was nothing short of miraculous. This

trip is meant to be!

His friends stood in a small semicircle, preoccupied with apparent mini-dramas,

judging by their long faces. His heart sank.

“There’s a line.” Jay pointed. His tone suggested it was the end of the world.

Dino shrugged and dug into his laptop bag for his sunglasses. Man, it was hot. He

couldn’t remember Oahu ever being this humid. What the hell had happened to the island’s

gently wafting trade winds? It was spring. It was supposed to be perfect temperatures. Not

stifling. He glanced around him. Construction going on everywhere. More and more cars

were jammed into the gigantic multi-car rental agency lot at Honolulu Airport than he’d ever

seen. More and more office buildings blocking out the wind…and the perennial palm trees.

The classic line from Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi reverberated in his mind…

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They paved paradise and put up a parking lot…

Gone were the days when half-clad men and women rowed to visiting ships in small

canoes, brandishing sweet-smelling leis and the promise of so much more.

Ah…those must have been fine, glorious times. Nowadays you clicked a link for the

privilege of a factory-produced, scentless, cheerless greeting.

Stop it. You’re here. Your heart’s home.

Dino eyed his three friends as they all glowered in the stifling heat. Flávia, his forty-

year-old friend who dreamt of being a cougar, was going to be his roommate. She wore jeans

and a T-shirt, which surprised but delighted him. She always wore suits and heels back

home. He hoped she’d left every last strand of pearls she owned with them. She was very

cool towards him. Oh, great. This is a spiffing start to our holiday.

Jay and Colin, the fiftyish gay married couple who’d tagged along for the vacation,

seemed to be arguing with each other over something stupid.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, wishing for the answer no.

“Colin pocketed the complimentary headphones from the flight. Who does that?” Jay

griped. Dino privately agreed it was ludicrous but said nothing as Jay went on and on.

“You’re so cheap and besides, they give us another pair on the way home!” Jay shouted

at his husband. All of which was true.

Jay and Colin—who rarely left their home to buy groceries let alone fly two thousand

miles to Honolulu—seemed more suitably attired for an Arctic expedition than an island

getaway. Colin—who was, to be fair, a bit of a fuddy-duddy—wore corduroy pants, a flannel

shirt and a thin tie. His only hint of relaxing his academic rules was a pair of brown leather

sandals. Dino stared down at them.

“Why are you wearing socks with those?”

Colin gave him an incredulous look. “Because sand might get in my toes. I hate when

that happens.”

Oh, boy.

Dino caught Flávia’s cutting glance and looked away again. This was supposed to have

been Dino and Flávia’s trip, until one drunken Sunday, over lunch, she’d mentioned it to Jay

and Colin. Dino hadn’t known the men very long but they were two of Flávia’s closest

friends and Dino—who, at thirty, was younger than all of them—had instantly liked the

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older couple. They were the most interesting people he’d met in LA in years. Both artists,

they had eclectic tastes in books and movies but were inclined to isolate.

They had mistakenly assumed that Flávia was encouraging them to crash the vacation

party. They’d called Dino, who hadn’t discouraged them from the notion. He had liked the

idea of sharing the artistic side of paradise with Jay and Colin.

Flávia had gone berserk when she’d discovered that Jay and Colin had snagged last-

minute tickets on United Air Lines.

“I thought we were going to go man-hunting,” she’d fumed.

“We can still do that,” Dino had pointed out, but she had been a total witch ever since

her best friends had invited themselves to join them in sunny Waikiki.

Dino hadn’t minded. To him, the more the merrier. To Flávia, it was a catastrophe

waiting to happen. She’d bitched and moaned for weeks leading up to the trip and now…they

were here.

Jay Bendix was one of Flávia’s top-selling artists at the art gallery she owned, while

Colin was a big name as a sculptor…when he could muster the inclination to work. He

survived from one huge commission to another without having to do much. With a little

more honey and a lot less vinegar, Dino was certain Flávia could coax a new and lucrative

piece out of Colin, who ignored the celebrity waiting list for his work with the same disdain

Dino reserved for dust bunnies in his apartment.

Must be nice not having to work, Dino thought, but without rancour. He worked so hard

himself as a makeup artist on movies and TV shows that a week’s break from sixteen-hour

days seemed like total luxury. It was about as long as he could handle the lost art of being

what his father liked to call a ‘gent at large’.

“Aloha,” Jay finally said to Dino, apparently running out of steam. He grinned. It was

probably the most exotic thing he’d ever said. Not only that, he had good reason to smile.

Flávia had just sold Jay’s latest painting to the art dealer of a billionaire businessman from

Jeddah who’d visited her gallery as they’d squeezed in a farewell drink the previous night.

The man had zeroed in on Jay’s work, which was an unusual blend of several mediums.

The art dealer had claimed the piece before Flávia had even hung it on the wall. He’d also

zoned in on Dino. Dino had been flattered, but the guy—though obviously rich and

successful—was not particularly handsome. He hated to be shallow, but it was how he felt.

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Being around hot young actors all day long had given Dino a taste…no…a raw, gnawing

hunger for beautiful men.

He sighed. He and Flávia both had high hopes for some scorching, erotic encounters in

Honolulu. The week stretched out before him like a gauzy welcome mat littered with

condoms. He fantasised about a life of little work and endless sex…but didn’t really think it

was his style. A week in paradise was perfect. If he could somehow snag a sweet, hot chilli

pepper of an island guy to go home with him, it would be total nirvana.

“Look who’s talking about being cheap!” Colin suddenly huffed. He had an armful of

AAA travel guides he’d hauled all the way from LA in spite of Dino telling him it wasn’t

necessary. “You wouldn’t let me order breakfast because it was five bucks. I’m starving!”

Colin glared at Jay, who in turn, glanced at Dino again.

“Did you eat breakfast?” Jay asked him.

“Sure. It was free on Hawaiian Airlines.”

“I bought a bagel at the airport cafe this morning,” Flávia said.

“So you’re not hungry?” Jay’s gaze flicked between them. “Only Dino suggested lunch

and a Mai Tai at Duke’s and I’m jonesing for it now. I’ve never set foot on this island and I’m

dreaming of a place I’ve been Googling for days.”

Dino was enthusiastic, but Flávia became furious.

“I am not hungry,” she snapped. “I ate already.”

They’d all flown in on separate airlines since Dino and Flávia had different frequent

flyer packages and Jay and Colin had purchased last-minute tickets. Dino had thought things

would be fine once they arrived in the land of rainbows and tropical flowers. Now that

they’d all hooked up at National, where they’d booked two vehicles, it was obvious that

Flávia was beyond pissed.

She looked too damned cranky for a woman who was embarking on a long-overdue

vacation.

“They’re idiots,” she added.

For one frightening moment Dino was afraid she was talking about Jay and Colin. He

realised instead she was referring to the rental agency.

“They wouldn’t let me change the reservation into my name.”

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“I was right on time,” he said. “What’s the problem? You didn’t have to wait long,

surely?”

She shot him a look that could have fried a family-size bucket of chicken.

“There wasn’t a line when I got here.” She shot him another accusatory glance. Any

moment now, he wouldn’t be surprised if she breathed actual fire and his hair went up in

flames. He knew what the problem was. She’d wanted to grab the car, scoop him up and be

on their way. She didn’t want to do a single thing with Jay and Colin and had made that

clear, but he didn’t see how they could avoid the couple for a whole week. Besides, it seemed

unnecessarily cruel. And nasty. There was also the fact that he wanted to spend time with

them.

They joined the long line for car rentals. Dino was the only one of their group who’d

been to Honolulu before—several times, in fact—and he was keen to show his friends the

island he loved.

Flávia stood beside him talking loudly about how she didn’t like the fact that the car

she’d be sharing with Dino was in his name and under his credit card. She had fought with

the kiosk clerk who wouldn’t let her take over the reservation. Flávia glowered like a prom

queen in the wrong shoes. It was so weird. If Jay and Colin had any idea they were the cause

of her wrath, they didn’t show it.

He started to wonder if their happily married status had anything to do with her anger.

Flávia couldn’t hang on to a man longer than two months and they usually belonged to

somebody else. Lately she seemed to resent anybody in a committed relationship.

They shuffled their luggage closer to the little shack. Colin was now wearing a gigantic

sombrero that Dino recognised as a gag gift he’d picked up for him on a TV shoot in Tijuana

a few months before. The line wasn’t moving fast and the day wasn’t getting any cooler.

Neither was Flávia, who kept fussing at him. As they lumbered up the rickety wooden stairs

with their bags, Dino eventually discovered why the line lagged.

Things sure had become a lot more difficult since his last trip to Honolulu. Island car

rental agencies had lost a fortune to insurance claims—or, rather, fake claims of insurance

from drivers visiting from the mainland. Gone were the days when visitors could rent a car

in Hawaii without purchasing local insurance. Some drivers in line baulked. Two customers

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stood at the counter as Colin and Flávia moved off to the side, guarding their collective

baggage.

Dino and Jay were next in line, waiting to tackle their reservations.

“Sir, your credit card has been declined. Do you have another?” the desk clerk asked in

a bored tone. Her National green holoku-style dress was an unflattering shade. She wore a

fake hibiscus behind her left ear. Dino couldn’t remember if that meant that she was single or

married. Not that he cared. He liked men, and he had his sights set on the hot guy hovering

over her shoulder behind the counter. He was a tall, handsome Hawaiian in an Aloha shirt.

Somehow he’d managed to escape the hideous green shirts the other men running around

outside wore.

His name tag read ‘Kimo’.

Kimo. Of course. Dino had a sudden, delicious image of a naked Kimo blowing a conch

shell outside a grass shack, before bringing in a huge tropical drink in a coconut shell to

Dino, who lay waiting in rumpled sheets for him. Palm trees swayed outside their little

thatched love nest, invisible ukulele players strumming a languid melody. Kimo held the

drink to Dino’s lips but couldn’t wait. Not while Dino was stroking Kimo’s huge, honey-

coloured cock. In Dino’s mind, Kimo tossed the drink aside so he could roll around naked in

bed with him. Kimo’s muscular brown arms were strong. He had big hands. They always

said big hands meant a big—

“I’m a doctor,” the customer at the counter suddenly shrieked, wrecking his daydream.

Farther along the counter, another pair of tired-looking travellers were experiencing similar

problems.

“We need to be able to hold three-hundred dollars on one card,” Kimo informed the

passenger. The man alleging to be a doctor turned and saw the waiting audience and quickly

produced a black granite American Express card. He was soon out of the door with a slip of

paper entitling him to a Ford Explorer.

“I can’t believe my staff,” Flávia huffed from the sidelines. Jay took advantage of Dino’s

momentary distraction to step into the vacant spot at the counter. Next to him, a sobbing

woman ponied up a hundred dollars cash as a deposit for her rental car.

“But I already paid for it online,” she kept muttering. “And I pre-paid for full

insurance!”

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Dino could hear Flávia hurling abuse down her cell phone at her hapless secretary.

Dino’s invisible ukuleles stopped strumming completely.

“Just because I’m out of town doesn’t give you a snow day, Lucy!” she snarled.

The weeping woman left the counter and Dino stepped into her place. The surface was

awash with tears. Kimo did not make eye contact with him as he peered at Dino’s

paperwork. He kept his gaze on the computer where the woman in the green holoku was

staring.

I hope he doesn’t frown like that when I’m sucking his cock…

Dino willed the man to glance up at him.

“You need to call me back right now!” Flávia suddenly yelled.

Dino looked over his shoulder. He watched her end the call and press redial. A few

seconds later, her tirade began again.

By now, everybody in the tiny rental office was agitated.

“Flávia,” Dino called over to her. “It’s a public holiday. Your staff has the day off.”

Her eyes widened. She looked mortified. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph.” She began

apologising profusely into the phone.

Dino turned and found Kimo’s gaze on his face, but the man’s demeanour was chilly.

“Tell your girlfriend to take it outside.”

Flávia must have heard, because she soon took off, leaving their suitcases behind.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Dino felt lame even saying the words. They had no impact.

He tried hard to win the attention of Kimo, silently willing the hot islander to look at him. He

was about the most handsome man Dino had seen in months. Dino only liked super-hot

men, especially moody ones, but Kimo didn’t even give him a hint of a smile. He kept

badgering the poor woman at the computer.

“You keyed in the wrong code. Try it again. Okay, that’s it. Now the discount code for

Hotwire.” He flicked a disdainful gaze at Dino who read right into it. Yeah, I’m a cheap fucker.

For a handsome man, Kimo was a bit of a jerk. Dino handed over his Visa card so they

could run a credit check on him. The staff must have been used to tears and trauma because

the woman twice asked him nervously if she had his permission to run a credit check.

“Yes,” he said.

Boy, they must have a bunch of deadbeats flying into the islands these days…

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He knew he had reasonably good credit and a sufficient balance on his card but the

tense atmosphere in the office made him edgy. Seconds later, Kimo handed him back his Visa

card and Hibiscus Girl tore a stream of paperwork off the archaic-looking printer. He

initialled and signed each page.

“You have a Nissan Versa waiting for you in G32, which is directly behind the kiosk,”

she said. “Mahalo.”

He returned the friendly thank you and turned around to grab his and Flávia’s

baggage. He lumbered down the stairs with everything. Outside, two men hosed off a long

line of vehicles that had just been returned. He made a sharp left and began counting aisles.

G32. There it was. A subdued Flávia followed him.

“I can’t believe I forgot it was a holiday. I’ll be lucky if Lucy doesn’t quit.”

Yeah, you will. Aloud he said, “I want to check for dings before we take the car out of

here.”

“It stinks of cigarettes,” she griped.

She was right but he didn’t feel like going back in for another round with Kimo and

Hibiscus Girl. He was surprised to see Kimo coming towards them.

“I’ve just been informed your vehicle hasn’t been cleaned yet. I can give you a slight

upgrade to this…” He indicated another, larger sedan a few feet away. “It just got cleaned.”

The car was still dripping wet, but Dino liked the bright, sunny smile on Flávia’s face and

agreed to the switch.

Kimo changed the car information in the contract with hardly a glance at either of them.

He went over the car, making notations of two dings he found on a couple of doors.

“Enjoy your vacation.” Kimo eyed his watch as he raced off again.

“He’s a barrel of laughs,” Flávia said.

Yeah, so are you. Dino hefted their bags into the trunk as Flávia ran to the passenger seat

and jumped into it, cell phone in hand again.

“There’s happy hour at six at the Golden Monkey,” she said. “I read it’s the best spot to

pick up a man.”

“For you or for me?”

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“Me, stupid.” She started pressing numbers on her phone again. Dino already wanted

to fling the damned thing out the window. When would she quit acting like she was still on

the mainland?

She left her assistant yet another message and sighed. He heard a slight honk as he

slammed the trunk shut and turned to see Colin and Jay in their rental, a small Ford. Jay had

the wheel, Colin and the sombrero taking up the rest of the car.

Jay opened his window and Dino walked over to him. “We’ll follow you, shall we?”

Dino stared at him. Colin’s cheeks looked flushed. He had so many guidebooks and

maps, but still wouldn’t be able to navigate them out of the parking lot. They were all staying

at the same condo complex, the Waikiki Sunset, though the two units they were occupying

had many floors between them.

“No problem. I’ll lead the way.” Dino smiled. He hoped that, when Flávia saw how nice

the condo was and after he let her have the best room, she’d relax and go for the idea of

lunch and a cocktail by the beach. It was what he wanted to do more than anything right

then. As he got into the car, his cell phone chirped in his pocket. He didn’t recognise the

number and feared an actor client having a makeup emergency. He couldn’t do a thing about

it so far away and didn’t want any more drama. He let the call go to voicemail. He hadn’t left

an outgoing message saying he was on vacation but had let his most important clients know

that he was going away. He had specifically arranged his trip around the manic award show

season in Hollywood, as well as his usual work schedule.

Hollywood crew workers knew better than to advertise holidays, even a week-long

break. If his hair and makeup union, Local 706, called with a day job for him and heard the

words I’m on vacation, his name would plummet to the bottom of the list. The film and TV

industry was strange that way. Still, as he negotiated the very narrow exit to Nimitz

Highway, he nursed twin worries that Jay wouldn’t keep up with him and that some other

makeup artist would snap up one of his clients.

He tried not to give in to either concern. A glance in the rear-view mirror showed that

Colin was rabbiting on about something, and that Jay was ignoring him, his face almost

pressed up to the windshield as he focused on following Dino. Man, he looked stressed out.

We all need this vacation…

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Beside him, Flávia kept pressing numbers on her cell phone in an agitated manner. She

left a message for her daughter. By the sounds of things, the two women were feudin’ again.

At a red light, he glanced into the rear-view mirror again.

Jay and Colin were gone.

He turned. What the…

The driver behind him honked.

“What’s the matter?” Flávia asked.

“They’ve disappeared.”

“How is that possible?” she asked in a chilly tone. “You’ve been driving like an old

lady. How the hell could you lose them?”

“It wasn’t easy,” he cracked, pulling over when he could. The flood of traffic made it

impossible to stop very long since he was on a highway. Spotting the two men’s vehicle was

difficult as almost every car pouring out of the airport looked identical.

“Can you call Colin?” he asked Flávia.

“Okay.” She said this in an aggrieved tone.

He inched forward, right near the entrance to Magic Island, and his spirits lifted. It was

one of his favourite beaches.

“Colin?” A pause. “Surely you’re joking. He wasn’t speeding. Where are you?”

Dino counted the seconds.

“Oh, I see you. Now try and keep up. Okay?”

She was in a mood all right. They made the rest of the journey in silence, both of them

checking over their shoulders to make sure Jay and Colin were still with them. As they

entered the outskirts of Waikiki and Nimitz morphed into Kalakaua Avenue, Flávia griped

about everything.

“This traffic is a nightmare. Is it always like this?”

He found himself getting defensive. “I suggested staying on the North Shore, on the

other side of the island, but you wanted to be close to everything in case you feel like

walking.”

“Jesus,” she spat. “It’s just like bloody Santa Monica Beach!”

He held his tongue.

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“Oh, my God!” she squawked. “Are those homeless people lounging about on the

sidewalks?”

“Yes.”

“Santa Monica ten years ago!” she shouted.

They made slow progress down the admittedly congested heart of Waikiki until they

passed the International Marketplace. Once the palace grounds of an ancient king, it was

now the home of cheap but not very good quality items. The traffic thinned out as they

cruised to the far east end of Waikiki Beach near Diamond Head. He made a left on

Paoakalani Avenue and almost overshot the parking garage entrance for the Waikiki Sunset.

Jay slammed on his brakes a few inches behind him.

No matter. They were here now. Getting into the subterranean garage was easy. He

took a ticket from the attendant, who said he’d have to bring proof of holiday residency

when he came back down again or cough up twenty bucks a day for parking. One of the

reasons he’d chosen this condo building—well, two—were the free parking and

complimentary Wi-Fi.

He found two spaces next to each other way up on the fourth floor. They were all

excited as they unpacked their cars and raced for the elevators. On the tenth floor, Jay and

Colin stepped out, gave them a wave and said they’d call as soon as they’d unpacked. On the

thirty-fourth floor, Dino and Flávia found their unit at the end of a long corridor.

“It’s so far,” she moaned.

He stopped himself from snapping out a mean response. Her mood changed as soon as

they got inside and she saw the sweeping, majestic view of Diamond Head right in front of

them.

“Oh, boy!” she breathed.

They moved forward. The condo’s living room looked nice. The furnishings were just as

he’d hoped. Tropical and relaxing, and for that he was relieved. The online photos hadn’t

lied. He moved towards the patio to admire the view. Flávia rushed off to pick her bedroom.

Dino stood on the patio, drinking in the view. The Honolulu Zoo and Black Point—the

ritziest neighbourhood in Honolulu—were below, with Waikiki Beach and Queen’s Surf to

the right.

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He heard Flávia’s squeal of joy and went inside to investigate his own bedroom. His

heart fell thirty-four floors to the street when he saw that he had no bed. His ‘bedroom’ was a

tiny sitting room with a small loveseat. He walked into the room in disbelief. He stood

staring at the dinky loveseat. Oh, no. This wouldn’t do.

Flávia was in the doorway grinning. She’d seen his room and had evidently raced to

take the bigger…nay, the only bedroom.

“I don’t have a bed.” He was so upset he couldn’t believe it.

“We’ll switch off,” she lied. “I’ll take the bedroom for now. You can sleep here.

Tomorrow, we’ll swap.”

He took a breath. “Flávia, you know you’ll never swap. I’m a big guy. I won’t even fit

on this stupid thing!” How the hell am I gonna get laid?

“I need the bed,” she said, ready for battle. “You can always sleep on the sofa.”

“Flávia, I did not spend a lot of money to fly all this way to sleep on a damned sofa!”

Who’s gonna wanna fool around with me on a sofa? I haven’t fucked on a sofa since high school!

“Sorry, Dino. You found this place.”

“You checked it over, too.”

“You found it,” she said again. The argument might have ended there had she not

noticed that he had a giant plasma TV in his room. She flipped out.

“How come you get the gorgeous TV?” she fumed.

“Fuck the TV. I don’t have a bed in our supposedly two-bedroom condo!”

“I want a TV. I don’t even have a TV!”

He stared at her. Was she this big an ass back home? Or had she unrolled this part of

her personality along with her duffle bag?

“I can’t believe they spend money on a TV but can’t stick a bed in here,” he said.

Flávia ignored him. All she wanted was the TV.

“Take it,” he said. He really couldn’t afford to get another room at this point and a

miserable week on the living room sofa loomed ahead of him.

Flávia grabbed the TV but soon learned it was bolted to the wall. She lugged and pulled

at the damned thing.

“Right. That’s it. I’m complaining to the management company.” She stood, hands on

hips, feet apart, glaring at the TV. In one swift movement, she went to her room, emerging

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with her cell phone, and began pressing numbers. He let her handle things, liking the way

she tore into the person on the other end of the line.

“What?” she squawked into the phone. As she paced the living room, he took the

opportunity to peek into her room. Nice, roomy. Huge bed.

Flávia let out the kind of yell that would make any man jump. She came into the room,

shoved him aside and lifted up the bedspread. They stared, dumbfounded as they took in the

two single beds that had been pushed together to make one bed.

“I don’t even have a double bed!” She screamed into the phone. “You pushed two

singles together? I haven’t slept in a single bed since I was in college!” She began to pace

again. She repeated everything the booking manager was saying on the other end of the line.

“She’s offered us two singles. They don’t have any two-bedroom condos,” Flávia said to

Dino.

“Take it.” Frankly, at this point, he thought their friendship would do much better if

they had separate rooms. As she waited on hold, she shot a glance at him.

“I want to stay here. I want a full refund. If we take separate rooms we won’t get it.

Hello?” she snarled into the phone. “A partial refund?” She narrowed her eyes. “How much

are we talking about?” He saw her cheeks colour a little. She was enjoying this. “Three-

hundred-and-fifty dollars? We’ll take it. And you’ll send somebody up here with a proper

bed?” She nodded, as if the person on the other end could see her. “Very good.” She ended

the call, giving Dino a smug look.

She leant back against the sofa. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

A knock at the door saved Dino from responding. That was fast. He opened it,

expecting workmen, only to find Jay and Colin grinning, ready for action.

“Say…” Jay brushed past him. He was the one wearing the sombrero now. “Your view

is so much better than ours. Any thoughts about lunch?”

“I’m getting peckish,” Flávia announced, “but I can’t do anything. I have to wait for the

new bed. Just look at my room!” She flounced off the sofa and led the two men into the

sitting room. She’d obviously assigned it to herself now because of the TV.

“If you were a gentleman, you’d give her the other one,” Colin said to Dino.

“She had the bigger one but she wants the TV,” Dino shot back.

Flávia couldn’t dispute this so she said nothing.

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“Her bags are in the big room,” Jay pointed out. Both men cut sympathetic glances in

Dino’s direction.

“You three go and have some lunch and bring me something back,” Flávia said.

“I thought we’d just grab some groceries and make sandwiches in our room,” Colin

responded.

“On our first day here?” Jay shook his head. “I still want to go to Duke’s.”

“Why don’t we go to Duke’s, grab something quick and bring back food for Flávia, and

then we can all go buy some groceries at Foodland,” Dino suggested.

“You’re going to go to lunch without me?” Flávia huffed. Dino wanted to bang his head

against the wall. Her cell phone rang and she took the call, muttering a lot of uh-huhs into it.

“Well, the management company said they have us on their list of units to service but

we could be waiting for over an hour. If we’re not here when they come, they can’t get back

until tomorrow. Go to Duke’s.” She sniffed, her tone taking on a tinge of the martyr. “Don’t

worry about me. Just bring me back something, Dino. You know what I like.”

“I still think we should make sandwiches. We could make them up here. Your view is

so much prettier,” Colin insisted. “We have the parking lot.”

The dangerous look in Flávia’s eye convinced Dino to shepherd the men out of the

condo. “Let’s go to Duke’s. Mai Tais on me.” He kept his tone breezy but he was already

feeling depressed.

Outside the unit, the couple began to argue about who should wear the sombrero.

“We’ll have lunch and then I want a nap. That flight tuckered me out,” Colin said.

Jeez…it was only five hours. Dino stabbed the elevator button.

As Colin and Jay argued all the way to Duke’s, he thought his head would explode.

They seemed oblivious to the wonderful restaurant and their perfect, oceanfront table.

Their discussion turned to past arguments and which of them could never apologise. Dino

ate his mahi-mahi sandwich in silence, reflecting that he’d never seen this side of Jay and

Colin. He owed Flávia an apology. Maybe this was why she hadn’t wanted to travel with

them.

His cell phone rang again. He thought he’d turned the damned thing off. He checked

the readout. It was that strange number again. He took the call.

“Hey, Dino, it’s Alek Briatore.”

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“Who?” Dino knew who it was but he wasn’t interested in this guy. It was the mystery

man who’d shown up at the gallery and bought Jay’s painting the previous night.

“Alek Briatore. I met you last night at the Gascoine Gallery. I bought Jay’s painting.”

“Right. Of course. Sorry. I’m in Honololu and—”

“Yes, and so am I. I just called Flávia and she said you were having lunch with the guys

at Duke’s. I’m right out front. Can I crash your party?”

Jay and Colin had stopped arguing.

“Is that Alek?” Jay was wide-eyed.

“Yes.” Dino felt sudden springs of sweat beading at his forehead and nape. Where was

a sombrero when you needed one?

“Cool,” Alek said, evidently thinking that Dino had been talking to him. “I’m at the

valet. Be there in a minute.”

Jesus. The guy was all over me last night. He’s nice, he’s just not…cute. He picked up his Mai

Tai. Jay and Colin were staring at him.

“What?”

“Somebody has a new boyfriend,” Jay said, a huge grin spreading across his face. Colin

nodded vigorously.

“No, I don’t!” Dino’s voice came out in a squeak. “He’s—”

“He likes you. He was supposed to be in Jeddah today and instead he’s on the beach at

Waikiki! To be with you! How romantic!” Jay’s expression turned dreamy.

“Romantic!” Colin echoed.

No, it wasn’t. This was going to be a disaster. Dino wasn’t interested in Alek Briatore.

At all.

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Chapter Two

Dino waited in a kind of mute, unpleasant limbo borne of anxiety and doubt. A

Hawaiian mele kicked into high gear on the restaurant’s sound system. It was a happy little

ditty that played so fast it reminded him of the times he’d put his father’s old thirty-three

records on forty-five that accidentally speeded them up. It was the Keystone Kops of music.

The manic ukulele music seemed to mock his fears. What was Alek doing in Honolulu?

Hadn’t he purchased Jay’s painting to take on a trip to Jeddah?

A trip he said was imminent? Jee-zus. He took a sip of his now watery Mai Tai. I’m being

paranoid. I know I’m a good-looking guy but there’s no way he put off his trip to come and see me…

Jay and Colin, however, were overjoyed. “He is so sexy!” Jay kept saying, earning

hooded looks from Colin.

Dino only became aware of Alek’s actual arrival by the slight pressure from the man’s

hand on his shoulder. Dino glanced up. Alek did have a sexiness to him…a certain wary,

male charm. He also, however, seemed tired.

“You’re exhausted!” Jay exclaimed. “Do you want a coffee or would you prefer a

cocktail?” Dino had never seen Jay so…feverish. His cheeks and eyes glowed.

Alek took the empty seat beside Dino and glanced at the remnants of his Mai Tai.

“Are you going to have another one, Dino?”

Dino shook his head, but Jay stepped in with, “Of course he is. I’ll order a round for all

of us.”

Alek grinned and Dino took in his appearance. He had dark, almost jet-black hair cut

very short. It was a great cut that offset his angular cheekbones, dark brown eyes and the

longest eyelashes he’d ever seen on a man. He just wasn’t…handsome. And Dino really went

for super-handsome men. Alek had something, though. A kind of exotic spice that kicked up

his looks a touch.

Yeah, but just a touch.

He had a great body and wore his grey suit well. It was obviously expensive and the

white shirt was pristine.

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Alek must have been aware of his stare because he turned and gave him a quizzical

glance, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

“I thought you were flying to Jeddah,” Dino said, trying to cover up his apparent

rudeness.

Alek shrugged. The waitress appeared and took their orders, including a takeout salad

for Flávia, her gaze lingering on Alek for a moment. Yeah, he had something. She was

obviously already fishing for a big tip. Dino chastised himself for thinking such mean things.

Maybe she was attracted to the guy. He did stand out in the sea of Aloha shirts and flip-flops.

As soon as the waitress left, Alek responded to Dino. “My boss changed his mind.”

There was a moment of silence. Jay’s dismay was obvious.

“He changed his mind about my painting?”

“Oh, no.” Alek shook his head. “He’s a big fan, but there is a local artist he wants me to

meet here in Oahu. He has two of his paintings and has heard of a third. He wants it.” Alek

reached for the glass of iced water the waitress had put in front of him and sipped it.

She put down their cocktails and the order of sashimi she’d brought for Alek. He

thanked her.

“I’ll bring out the salad when you’re ready to leave,” she told Dino, her gaze falling on

Alek again. She might as well have said, ‘Please don’t take him with you’.

“Who is the artist?” Colin asked. “Can you tell us?”

“No. Sorry. There’s a bidding war right now. But I’ll be happy to tell you when I win.”

“And you’ll win?” Colin looked intrigued.

“I hope so.” Alek glanced at Dino.

“We’re going to Shangri-La tomorrow,” Jay said, clearly desperate to turn the

conversation back to himself. “Dino’s taking us.”

Dino felt his cheeks flame. “It’s a free tour. I just arranged a private viewing. I—”

“You have to come with us,” Jay said as if it were a matter of life or death.

Jee-zus. It’s just a museum.

“I’ve never been,” Alek said. “I’d enjoy that.” He gave Dino one of his disarming grins.

“Mind if I tag along?”

“No. Of course not. You’re most welcome.”

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“I must say…I’m dying to know about this artist,” Jay said, elbows on the table now.

His sudden movement almost toppled his drink, but Alek caught it just in time. “I’m amazed

there is a Hawaiian artist who would make you fly all the way over here.”

His gaze on Alek’s face was intense. Alek’s face remained neutral. Clearly, he wasn’t

going to discuss this artist with the others.

“I like this Mai Tai,” he said, sipping his drink. He glanced back at Dino. “How’s your

drink?”

“Lovely. Thanks.” Dino felt the need to cover the awkward silence that had descended

over the table. So far this trip was turning out to be a disaster. “How long will you be in

Honolulu, Alek?”

“Just a few days. My boss is very keen to have his new collection installed in his house

as soon as possible.”

Jay opened his mouth and Dino quickly overrode him with another question. “Your

boss is a very…wealthy man, I take it?”

“Yes. He’s part of the Al Nahayan family, one of the most important ruling tribes in

Jeddah.”

“And he loves art, or just collects it?” Dino couldn’t resist the question. He knew so

many rich people who just collected and didn’t really appreciate their acquisitions.

“That’s an astute question.” Alek smiled. “Adnan is a great lover of art. I’ve picked up

some interesting pieces for him.”

“What are the best ones you’ve found for him recently?”

Alek sipped his drink. “Well, I found a wonderful Jay Bendix painting last night.”

Jay beamed. All was right with his world again. “I can’t believe my painting of the wild

pony is going to be in a house in Jeddah.” He did look awed. “How did he even find out

about me?”

Alek must have told him the story at least five times in Flávia’s gallery the previous

night. “He made a trip to Houston when you had a show. He purchased the huge one…the

painted-over photo. He loves that pony. Flávia emailed him a jpeg of the new piece and the

next thing I knew I was on a plane to LAX.”

“You live in Jeddah?” Dino was genuinely curious now.

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“No. I live in LA but I’ve been flying around buying Adnan some pieces. I flew in from

Buenos Aires yesterday.”

Jay’s brows flew to his hairline. “What on earth did you find there?”

Alek waited until the waitress had deposited a plate of ahi sashimi before responding.

He broke apart his pack of chopsticks, rubbing the sides together to erase any shadow of a

splinter and deftly picked up a piece of dark red-hued tuna. Dino could tell it was a choice

piece of the ahi and watched Alek chew it, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“It was a beautiful piece by Benito Quinquela Martín,” he finally said.

“Wow. That must have set him back a few shekels.” Jay glanced at his husband. “We

saw one of his paintings at the Met a few years ago. Your boss must be loaded.”

“Martín’s work is very interesting.” Colin’s tone suggested otherwise. “He’s best

known for his paintings of seaports, but I personally prefer his portraits of ship graveyards.”

His eyes took on a fervour Dino had never seen before. “Those images haunt me.”

Alek seemed riveted by this statement. Colin’s cheeks flamed and he picked up his

drink as if to stop himself from talking.

“I know you’re a sculptor,” Alek said. “Señor Martín once worked with an amazing

sculptor in New York.”

“Yes.” Colin’s eyes reflected pure desire. “Georgette Blandi. She was a gallery owner

and a very talented artist in her own right. She knows what goes into a piece. What it takes to

create a work of art. Not like some people I know.”

Dino was astonished by this apparent reference to Flávia. Dino had a sudden flash that

Colin felt Alek should have been made to pay a lot more money for Jay’s new painting. The

truth was, for all her faults, Flávia worked hard for her clients and had evidently succeeded

in cultivating her relationship with the wealthy Adnan.

He heard crickets. The interesting conversation had turned chilly. Once again Dino

stepped in.

“You have such a fascinating job. Are you an art dealer?”

“Exactly. And, yes, it beats some of the things I’ve done in the past.”

“Oh, do tell.” Dino drained the last of his cocktail. “What’s the worst job you’ve ever

had?”

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Alek’s smile was warm and wonderful. “I worked as a jelly doughnut filler in high

school.”

The three men around him laughed.

“That sounds like my idea of heaven,” Dino admitted.

“Not me.” Alek almost shuddered. “I could never get the pressure right with the jelly

tubing and jelly would always come out both sides of the doughnut. We’d get into serious

trouble if we were found making a mistake like that. So, I often ate the evidence.”

Dino laughed. Alek was a character. “Just like I Love Lucy in the chocolate factory.”

“Exactly!” Alek looked pained. “But I could never see Bavarian cream again and not

want to throw up.”

The three men roared with laughter. Alek shot Dino an appreciative look and snatched

the cheque.

“Dino’s taking us on a hike to this ancient castle up in the mountains,” Jay announced.

“You want to come too?” There was no escaping the hope in those words.

Dino was a bit surprised since the hike to the ruins of King Kamehameha III’s Summer

Palace wasn’t on their agenda until the following day.

“I can’t,” Alek said, a rueful twist to his lips. “I’d like that, but I have an appointment.

I’d love to catch up with you tonight over dinner and I’ll definitely be coming to Shangri-La.”

“Where is the painting?” Colin suddenly blurted.

“Jay’s painting?”

“No. The Benito Quinquela Martín.”

Alek smiled. “They’re both on the plane.”

“You have a private plane?” Dino asked.

“No, my boss does.”

Jay let out a whistle. “Wow. What a way to travel.”

Alek handed his credit card to the waitress. “It beats riding a camel, but don’t tell my

boss I said so.”

* * * *

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The lunch ended on a high note of laughter that seemed to carry over until Dino

returned to the condo with Flávia’s salad. She was in such a bad mood that any shred of

good feeling he’d had about the meal he’d shared with Jay, Colin and Alek evaporated.

“You left me here! I had to deal with the smelliest workmen ever.”

“I’m sorry.” He found it hard to work up genuine remorse. It wasn’t like they’d been

gone long and she’d known where they were. Besides, the rooms were settled now and

actually looked pretty good.

“Thank you for taking care of this,” he told her.

She sniffed. “No problem.” The way she stabbed at her salad with a fork she’d found in

the cutlery drawer said otherwise.

“The guys want to take a hike up to the castle ruins,” he said. “Do you feel like going

today?”

“No. I don’t.” She frowned. “And the salad is soggy. You go. There’s a Law and Order

marathon on TV. I’ll stay home and watch that.” She dumped the Styrofoam box into the

trash, raced over to the TV and powered up the remote.

Welcome to paradise…

Jay and Colin didn’t seem in the least perturbed that Flávia wasn’t joining them. Colin

sat beside him, wielding an archaic topographical map of Oahu, trying to pinpoint the

location of the ruins as Dino fought to negotiate the afternoon traffic.

“If it exists, how come it’s not on this map or any of the guide books we got?” he

demanded. Dino had already explained all of this and had pointed to the precise spot on the

map, but Colin’s OCD had kicked into high gear. In the back seat, Jay was enjoying the view

of the Pali Highway as they veered up towards the mountains.

“Like I said, this is a sacred site and the Hawaiian government had these removed from

tourist guides a long time ago. What we’re doing is actually not encouraged…but it’s not

illegal. We’re not children and we’re not some teenage tagging crew. We’re going to treat this

place with respect.”

“If it exists,” Colin grumped.

“It does exist. I’ve been there.”

There was silence in the car. Why on earth would I make this up when they’re about to

experience it? He drove on, wishing Alek were here. He wouldn’t mind hearing about the

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finer points of camel riding. Besides, he was the only one around him who wasn’t in a

cantankerous mood. What the hell had got into everybody? He found himself wishing Alek

were just a little more gorgeous. Then he’d be the total package.

He turned off to the Old Pali Road and his heart zinged. This was one of the precious

few places left on the most commercial of the Hawaiian islands that still preserved the

natural history and mysterious heart of the old regime.

“Spooky,” Jay commented.

It was. The Old Pali Road had a creepiness to it even in daylight. He’d once hiked out to

the ruins in the dead of night. It had been terrifying, though he’d never admitted this to the

small group of people he’d been with. He found the old electrical substation that marked the

entrance to the trail through a thick patch of bamboo trees, and parked.

Jay shivered as they crossed the road. The entrance to the hidden trail was more

overgrown now than it had been on his last visit and the three men had to crawl to get

through it.

“This can’t be right,” Colin kept saying. Dino ignored him. He was too busy watching

the ground. The old bamboo forest was filled with gigantic tree roots that were easy to

stumble on. The trees grew so thickly, they obliterated the sunlight as they progressed.

“Eerie.” Jay sounded a bit frightened.

The place had also had that effect on Dino the first time he came, so he understood.

There mustn’t have been any rain recently as the ground was dry. That helped speed their

progress.

“How far?” Colin sounded nervous.

“Three-quarters of a mile.” Dino hoped he didn’t lose his way. He’d never hear the end

of it.

They walked through the silent gloom. Not even bird cry penetrated the clustered trees

around the increasingly narrow trail. He kept brushing leaves aside with his shoes looking

for…ah! There it was. Right under his foot. The powdery, white debris of dead bamboo hid

the giant root he’d been looking for.

“We turn right here.”

“Are you sure?” Colin gestured. “There’s another trail there to the left.”

“We turn right.”

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The others followed him. He could feel Colin’s hot breath on his neck. Garlic fumes

wafted past Dino’s nose as he spotted the oak tree ahead and walked around it. Light

suddenly popped and the three men tumbled out into the clearing. They all stopped.

“Holy shit,” Jay breathed. “It’s gorgeous.”

“I don’t fucking believe it.” Colin stepped forward. “It’s okay for me to take photos?”

“Of course.”

Jay and Colin walked to the right. “Is it okay for us to walk around the walls?”

“Yes. Just don’t take anything.” Dino said a silent prayer he’d been taught, asking the

old island spirits for permission to enter a kapu place. He began to enjoy the old palace all

over again, seeing it through his friends’ eyes. The palace was only a few hundred years old

but neglect had caused it to fall apart. He couldn’t imagine the days-long luaus he’d read that

the third ruling King Kamehameha had enjoyed in the summer months. He frowned. Maybe

the humidity had always been here since he’d built his retreat so high up in the mountains.

He gazed around him at the huge expanse of crumbling palace walls and broken, half-

buried foundations. There had once been an outdoor kitchen and heiau—a sacrificial altar—

on the left. He fancied he could feel a chill up his spine as he walked around the property.

The green grass sprouting through the old stone on the ground seemed especially rich and

luxurious.

Jay and Colin sounded far away as he walked behind the palace walls and peered out of

the remnants of an old window. A prickle shot up his neck. He felt a hot breath at his

hairline. Fuck…he hoped it wasn’t Jay or Colin. He was hornier than he’d ever been in his

life but he wasn’t attracted to either man and sure didn’t want to come between anybody’s

marriage. He turned to chide whoever was now dropping hot kisses on his neck, but the man

had wrapped his arms around him from behind, his tongue lapping a trail along the collar of

Dino’s T-shirt.

Dino glanced down. Huge, muscular brown arms. The man’s skin glistened in the sun.

He humped Dino from behind, his hard—and, by the feel of it, huge—cock rubbing at Dino’s

ass.

Dino longed to see the man’s face. He had to see that face. The man held him tightly to

his body, then roamed his hands down to Dino’s cock, making sure he was hard in his jeans.

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Oh, he was, he was. As the man rubbed Dino’s thickening shaft with one hand, he flipped

open the buttons on his fly, slipping a hand into Dino’s pants. Dino’s head began to spin.

I gotta see him. God, I am such a slut!

He pressed himself back against the hard body behind him. For one brief moment the

man stopped rubbing his cock and sliding his hand down Dino’s fly. His hands moved to

Dino’s hips, holding him tight and hard, thrusting against him.

Dino got a flash. Dear God…he’s a fucking tiger. He’s gonna fuck the life outta me…

The man reached one hand under Dino’s T-shirt and fondled his nipples. Dino’s cock

went bonkers. The man’s other hand moved down into his open fly again and stopped as his

fingertips reached Dino’s pubic hairline. The man grunted, letting his fingers stroll across the

treasure trail. Suddenly both hands were in Dino’s pants, the man reaching for Dino’s cock.

He shoved down Dino’s underpants and jeans with impatient fingers.

Dino gasped when he felt the bare cock rubbing along his ass crack.

He’s naked!

Dino felt the dreamy way the man ran his cock against him. Dino turned.

Holy fuck, he’s gorgeous!

His cock sprang to life in the man’s hands, twitching and jerking as the man grinned

and swallowed Dino’s mouth in a kiss that took his breath away. The man’s tongue roamed

his lips in a possessive way. He kept Dino close to him as he ran his tongue over Dino’s,

claiming him again and again in gigantic, hungry kisses. His hands moved from Dino’s cock

to his ass. He pushed Dino forwards so he was forced to brace himself against the ancient

stone walls.

The man behind him knelt, that urgent breath now at his ass. Dino thrust towards the

tongue that ran insistently along his crack.

Lick me. Take me. Fuck!

The man held Dino’s ass cheeks in his hands as his tongue delved into his ass, finding

his hole and beginning to lick and suck with the same fervour he’d kissed Dino’s mouth

with.

Dino listened for his friends as the man’s fingers followed his tongue stabs. He’d never

been with a man who’d moved so fast in his life, but he didn’t care about anything now

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except what this lovely, starving man was doing to him. He felt a finger, then another, slip

deeply into him, the man reaching around with his free hand to stroke Dino’s cock.

This is amazing. It’s better than the daydream I had!

He glanced around but Jay and Colin must have still been walking. He hoped they

weren’t lost.

I bet they are.

I don’t give a fuck. I need this man’s cock. I want him to do it to me. Hard and deep and—

The man pushed Dino to the ground on his hands and knees and began assaulting his

ass with hot kisses and licks again. Dino felt like howling into the sun. The man’s hands were

on his ass, nowhere near Dino’s cock but his mouth ignited a fire in Dino’s belly that

wouldn’t quit. His mouth fell open and he came.

Moving swiftly underneath him, the man captured his erupting cock and swallowed

everything he had to give. The man sucked and sucked until Dino didn’t think he’d ever stop

coming. The man moved from his cock and back to Dino’s ass. The way he licked and

fingered him, Dino was certain the guy was about to fuck him.

“What’s your name?” he suddenly asked.

The man just chuckled, his cock jutting at Dino’s hole as he sought entry. Dino braced

himself, remembering to say “Rubbers?” just as that hot cock tore into him, giving him the

relief he’d craved for weeks.

They fucked with total abandon, the man thrusting with serious intent deep into Dino’s

body. He pushed Dino’s head to the soft, damp grass, leaving his ass open and more

accessible, driving deeper and deeper into Dino.

He gave Dino his fingers to suck, moaning as Dino worked on the mini cocks plumbing

his lips. He hadn’t had a man come inside him without a condom since high school and now

he would have begun to panic except that his passionate lover had started to tighten his

fingers around Dino’s cock. He bore down on Dino, his body slick and hard behind him.

He’d never had such ferocious sex in his life…and then he was coming again, the man

making satisfied sounds as Dino shot all over his hand. The man slammed into him, his balls

slapping against Dino’s ass.

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They came together—hot, sweaty, salt and pepper supper sex. Dino could feel the surge

blasting through him. That sensation was usually missing with rubbers. He closed his eyes as

the man thrust into him again then fell on top of him kissing his neck.

“What is your name?” Dino asked.

“I’ll tell you if you come back to see me.”

“But—”

Dino could feel the man rising from him. He shuddered as the man licked his ass and

dropped a kiss on his tailbone.

“Sweet. Juicy. Very juicy.”

Dino could hear him standing. The man was moving away from him.

“Please, don’t go!” Dino urged, but when he turned around to look at him, the man had

gone.

“Look at you!” a voice said.

Dino turned around again, shocked to find Jay and Colin standing over him.

Jay fumed. “We’ve been calling for you for the last half hour. We were lost and you’re

lying here—”

“This is communing with nature on a whole different level,” Colin murmured.

What the hell must they think? I’m lying here with my pants around my ankles…holy shit. I had

unprotected sex! With a demi-god!

“Sorry,” he muttered, fumbling for his pants.

“Honestly,” Jay spat. “What a place to sunbathe!”

The two men walked off. Dino got to his feet and pulled up his pants. His legs and ass

felt shaky but he otherwise felt damned good and didn’t care at all that the two men argued

all the way back to the car and griped about his lack of concern as he drove back to Waikiki.

“You have to park beside our car,” Colin insisted when they reached the parking lot.

“You have to park next to us so our cars won’t be lonely.”

Dino laughed.

Jay shook his head. “Were you smoking wacky-tobaccy out there?” he asked.

“No.” Colin eyed Dino through the rear-view mirror. “I just got a bad feeling on that

mountain.”

“A bad feeling?” Jay asked.

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Dino couldn’t find parking beside Colin and Jay’s car and slid into another space.

“That’s not good,” Colin fretted. “Not good at all. I have a bad feeling we’re gonna have

something terrible happen on this trip.”

“Oh, don’t start.” Jay sounded exasperated.

They went upstairs, the two men bantering until they met up with Alek and Flávia,

sharing drinks around the kitchen island of Flávia and Dino’s condo.

“There he is.” Alek looked so happy to see him. “Can I mix you a Mai Tai?”

“Sure.” Dino didn’t even care that Colin and Jay were repeating how they’d found him

lying half naked on the ground outside the palace walls.

He grinned as they all laughed at him. Let them think what they wanted…

They wandered off to supper, a new argument ensuing over which restaurant they

would have dinner in.

Dino didn’t particularly groove to their choice of a rooftop buffet at a hotel on Kalakaua

Avenue. He was insanely hungry, though, and a few more Mai Tais kept a smile on his face.

“Are you all right?” Alek asked him a couple of times.

“Absolutely.”

They walked to the beach to listen to a group of ukulele players entertaining a growing

crowd of tourists. If their music wasn’t as mellow and haunting as the ukuleles in his sex

dream, so what? He’d just had incredible, mind-blowing sex that still had him out

there…somewhere. He was in orbit, his body and soul aching to return to the ruins of the old

Summer Palace.

He put up with all the inane chatter around him, no longer caring about the petty

complaints of his fellow voyagers. In his mind, the mountain man was sucking him off. It felt

so good. He could feel the man’s cock in his ass, which still twinged a little thanks to the

righteous fucking he’d just had.

“I wish you’d tell me what’s going on,” Alek said suddenly as they walked along the

beach, shoes in hand.

Dino couldn’t remember taking off his shoes, or getting this far down Waikiki Beach to

Queen’s Surf, the gay portion of the beach.

“I’ve come a long way to see you. I could have begged off making this trip, but you

took my breath away. I had to see you again. Now you’re acting like I’m the invisible man.”

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Alek looked hurt.

Dino didn’t understand why until he realised Alek really liked him. He felt…sorry for

the man. He wanted to like him. He wanted to be attracted to him. He knew, just knew, Alek

would be good to him. He would probably treat his heart kindly.

He sensed all this, just he suspected something else. The man on the mountain was

dangerous and bad. He was a bad boy…but, jeez, weren’t they fun?

Dino stepped forward and kissed Alek. The kiss was surprisingly good. The man knew

what he was doing. Dino moved away again.

“What’s wrong?” Alek asked.

“Nothing. It’s not you. It’s me. I just need a little time.”

Alek gave him a shaky smile. “Okay. I can understand that.”

A piece of Dino’s heart went out to Alek.

“Come on. Give me your shoes. You keep dropping them.”

I do?

Dino’s head was spinning a little.

Alek touched his face then took his hand in his free one, leading them back towards the

boardwalk.

“I’ll have to watch your Mai Tai intake tomorrow.”

Dino laughed. He felt safe with Alek. He liked him…but all he could think about was

how to shake him off…and the others, too. He had to go back to the old Pali. He had to see

his hot, hung island man.

He had to get that cock back inside him again.

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Chapter Three

Dino wafted on a cloud of lust all night. At some moments during dinner with the

others at the rooftop Tiki Terrace restaurant, he almost believed he’d dreamt the whole

sexual escapade in the woods. But then the slight pain in his ass and belly told him he hadn’t.

It had been so long since he’d been fucked by a guy that he began to dream about many more

such encounters with his own, personal Tarzan.

Alek worked so hard to be attentive to him that Dino began to feel guilty that he’d

given in to instant sex with a total stranger. The next moment, he rationalised that it had been

the most incredible, indescribably intense, erotic encounter of his whole life.

As the evening meal progressed, the others talked, apparently oblivious to his minimal

input. He had begun to worry. What if he’d caught a disease? He chastised himself. He’d

deal with that if he had to. Plenty of people had illnesses they lived with. Besides, it was just

one fuck. Surely God wouldn’t punish him for just one lousy lay?

“Are you okay?” Alek leaned closer to him. They’d somehow paid the cheque and he

was leading the way to the gay bar, Fusion, on Kuhio Avenue. His favourite drag show, The

Gender-Bender LipGloss Revue, had just begun and Dino could hear the opening strains of a

Diana Ross song pounding out of the club as they crossed the street. They climbed the stairs

to the second-floor venue.

“I’m fine,” Dino said, a little out of breath. In his mind he was on his belly in the

fragrant grass up in the Pali, his lover fucking the life out of him. He had a sudden flash that

he might find what he’d begun to think of as his jungle lover lurking by the bar in the dimly

lit club. The man seemed to have seeped into his DNA. Now that he’d had a couple of drinks,

Dino could feel the man’s hands on his body, his cock driving into him. His body tingled

with desire.

He shook his head.

“You’re fine or not fine? You’re shaking your head,” Alek shouted over the sound of the

music as they entered the bar.

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Fusion was the last bastion of gay pride on this corner of Kuhio. There’d once been

three mighty gay bars all in a row. Fusion had stood side by side with Angles, which had

closed down and reopened as LoJax, only now it tried to be a gay sports bar with mixed

results. The venerable Hula’s Lei Stand and Bar had moved farther down to Kapahulu

Avenue. At least Fusion hadn’t changed much.

Dino grinned at Alek trying to reassure him. He glanced across the bar to his friends,

who seemed to be having a fantastic time. Jay and Colin were busy trading twenty-dollar

bills into singles. Jay was already inserting a dollar into the white, sequined G-string of a go-

go dancer kneeling on the slick bar top. Jay licked his lips as the dancer’s crotch rubbed

momentarily at his nose.

Flávia giggled into Jay’s shoulder. She ventured a tentative hand up to another dancer.

She glanced up at him, mischief in her eyes as she moved her dollar bill from the already

overcrowded string at the dancer’s hip into his actual crotch. Her fingers toyed with the

treasure trail that disappeared into his crimson-coloured codpiece. The dancer shimmied his

hips and moved along the bar.

Dino’s gaze fell on the small stage to his right, where eight beautiful men in black,

glittery dresses lip-synced to a muddy version of Secret over the archaic sound system as

Diana Ross morphed into Madonna. They were each so stunning and feminine it was hard to

believe they weren’t women. Alek seemed to watch the show out of politeness.

“Would you like to go someplace quieter for coffee? Maybe back to my hotel? The

banyan garden has fantastic desserts,” Alek suggested loudly in his ear.

Dino adored desserts and decided that, since his jungle bunny wasn’t around, he’d opt

for gooey sweets instead.

“I’m coming, too,” Flávia insisted. Alek’s face fell.

They waved goodbye to Jay and Colin, who had become quite popular with some of the

go-go dancers. Dino knew that their interest would fall by the wayside as soon as their star-

struck fans’ cash evaporated. Outside the bar, tourists poured in and out of some of the

mediocre tourist-type restaurants on Kuhio. A homeless man pawed through a garbage bin

on the corner of Seaside as they crossed the street. Dino noticed Alek hand the guy a folded

note. Twenty dollars. The homeless man stared at it. He seemed so stunned he forgot to

thank Alek.

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At Kalakaua Avenue, Alek, ever the gentleman, took Flávia by the elbow and put his

arm around Dino as they crossed the road.

Dino quite liked the protective way Alek’s hand touched his lower back. They walked

along Kalakaua Avenue in amiable silence. Dino tried not to think about his jungle lover. In

reality, he was wondering how soon he could make it back up to the Pali in search of him.

Flávia darted in and out of the ubiquitous ABC Stores. “I don’t care what anybody says.

Each is slightly different!” she insisted, rummaging through racks of necklaces and key rings

in search of gifts for her office staff. Flávia was turning out to be one of those people who

armed themselves with a shopping list on the first day of vacation and tortured their

companions with it.

Alek kept a smile on his face. Dino felt bad for the guy. It had to be hard being an

attentive prospective boyfriend with Flávia’s cock-blocking in action.

“What time are we going to Shangri-La tomorrow morning?” Alek asked him as they

waited for Flávia outside yet another store.

I don’t know about you, but I’m fixing to get me to Shangri-La as soon as my eyes open. “We

have a reservation for eleven o’clock,” Dino said aloud.

Alek nodded. “I’m quite keen to see the collection. I know none of the works are for sale

but Doris Duke did put together the most formidable selection of Islamic art in the entire

world.”

“You’ll be impressed,” Dino promised.

Flávia emerged from the store, still having not purchased a single thing from her

gargantuan list. “I’m keen to go to your swap meet,” she told Dino. “I bet I find some

bargains there.”

“You will,” he promised.

The swap meet at the Aloha Stadium opened on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays

and had bargains galore. She would undoubtedly drive him even crazier once they got there.

Alek steered them into the graceful entrance of the Moana Surfrider Hotel where they

snapped up a terrace table by the old banyan tree. The ocean loomed, dark and sparkly

beneath a perfect lunar configuration. Seeing stars was so uncommon in the Los Angeles

night sky. It was a delight as he gazed upon the shimmering water.

“What would you like?” Alek asked, perusing the menu.

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Dino started to get lascivious, unhealthy thoughts about driving up to the Pali once he

dropped Flávia back at their room. He gripped the menu, trying to decide if he should do it.

Common sense warred with carnal desire. There were no lights up at the Pali at night and it

was a genuinely creepy place at the best of times. He’d heard that carloads of listless teens

liked to go up there at night and drink. He’d be all alone if things got out of hand… Besides,

what would his jungle lover be doing up there late at night? No…he was being ridiculous.

He would go first thing in the morning before Flávia even awoke.

“I’ll just have tea,” Dino said. “The jasmine phoenix pearls is my favourite.”

Alek ignored him and ordered a giant, very un-Hawaiian chocolate sundae that the

three of them shared.

“Why can’t you be straight?” Flávia whined. “You’re such a gentleman.”

Alek laughed as he picked up the cheque. “I’ll walk you back to your hotel,” he said,

but then his cell phone rang. Dino sensed the man’s disappointment, but felt relieved not to

have to worry about not inviting Alek to his room once they got to the condo.

“Don’t worry. Take your call. It looks like it’s business. We’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks

for a wonderful evening.”

Alek seemed concerned. “Are you sure?” He held the phone away from his mouth for a

moment. “Can we have dinner alone tomorrow night?”

“Sure.” Dino reasoned that he could always cancel if he hooked up with his jungle lover

for more than a romp in the grass.

He and Flávia waved Alek goodnight and left the hotel. Dino was sad that he wouldn’t

be staying in such lush digs but maybe he would tomorrow…

Cut that out. You are being a total slut with two men on the boil.

Well, why not? I’m single and I’m here to have fun!

Flávia seemed dejected as they walked down Kalakaua Avenue. The street was

hopping. Tourists packed the sidewalks.

“What do you think of that new Japanese makeup?” She nudged him as they passed a

window display at the Galleria, a ritzy accessory store that catered exclusively to Japanese

tourists. The staff didn’t even speak English there. He had to admit that he didn’t know

much about the line and Flávia looked crushed.

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“I just spent a fortune on it with one of those Groupon deals. I’m sure I wasted my

money.” She shot him a glance that begged him to reassure her of her youthful appearance.

Flávia had nothing to worry about. She was an attractive woman, but she was like everybody

else in Hollywood. One glimpse of a wrinkle or laugh line and they fell apart.

“You’re gorgeous,” he assured her.

“Then what the hell is wrong with me?” She stamped her foot. “You have Alek drooling

all over you and I can’t even get a second glance from a single guy here!”

“We just got here,” he reminded her. “Give it a day before you start to panic.”

“I answered a personal ad,” she blurted, her fingers covering her mouth as if she’d said

something very naughty.

“A personal ad?” He stared at her. “Where? Here?”

She nodded. “Some guy who’s a short-order cook at a restaurant here. He only wants to

meet tourists.” She pulled out her cell phone, scrolled through her messages and flashed him

a photo. He stared, shocked to see a naked, very buff man standing in all his glory from the

neck down.

“And I thought gay men left nothing to the imagination,” Dino said, flabbergasted.

“I sent him a photo of myself. He wrote back. He wants to see me…naked. Then he

asked if I had kids, only he spelled kids with a C.”

“So he’s no rocket scientist but he sure has a big salami.” Dino stared at the gargantuan

member on the photo.

“I don’t want to send him a nude of myself…or should I?” She flicked her fingers across

her cell phone screen and showed him a soft-core naked pic of herself, just her face and bare

breasts.

“Nice boobies, baby.”

“Thanks. They cost me a fucking fortune. Should I send the girls over to him?”

Before he could advise her against it, she sent them, a smug expression on her face.

“But he only wants to bonk a tourist, right?”

“Right. And I’m a tourist, am I not?”

Dino withheld comment. Flávia was the type of woman to become attached to a man

over a cup of tea. Actual physical contact might be lethal in her current emotional condition.

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Her cell phone chirped. Her initial excitement slid into disappointment. “He wants to

see more.” She frowned. “Should I insist on meeting him?”

“Sure. Why not? The girls should be enough to convince him. Why would you send full

frontal nudity?”

“I have one.” She flashed him the photo. He didn’t know what to say. Her body wasn’t

bad but the completely bald pussy of a woman a little past her prime was…weird. “I’m just

gonna send it.”

Dino waited. He had never in his life exchanged nude pics with a man he’d never met

and he didn’t think Flávia needed to act so desperate. They walked another block and had

almost reached home when her cell phone rang.

“He wants to meet me!” She glanced at Dino. “He works at the Shore Bird. Want to

come with?”

“No,” he said.

“I want to drive there. It would be a hellishly long walk.”

He reconsidered. “I’ll go with you. I’m sure you’ll be going home with him and I can

drive myself back.” He already knew he wanted to leave first thing in the morning for the

Pali and would definitely need the car for that.

Flávia beamed at him. “Perfect!”

They retrieved the car. Flávia worked at her makeup in the passenger seat, offering her

face to Dino for scrutiny as he wielded the car down Kalia Road right on the beachfront at

the Outrigger Reef Hotel.

She looked great, but, to make her feel extra special, he took hold of her powder puff

and added a bit more powder to her forehead and cheeks, drawing attention to her lips. She

had one of the prettiest mouths he’d ever seen…when she wasn’t using it to bawl out

maintenance guys and her beleaguered staff.

Inside the bar, she spotted her online man. Dino could see now why he hadn’t posted a

photo of his face. He was not handsome.

He spotted Flávia, gave Dino a quizzical look and came over to them at the bar.

Introducing himself as Phil, he juggled several platters of raw meat he was shepherding to

waiting patrons. The Shore Bird was a mid-range restaurant and bar that offered people the

chance to barbecue their own meals. To Dino that seemed like a lot of work when he was

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supposed to be on vacation. He was exhausted and really wanted to get back to his room so

he wasn’t too upset when Flávia urged him to leave.

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted.

Good. If she was happy, then Dino was happy.

He drove home, a smile on his face at the prospect of seeing his jungle lover again. He

showered and slipped into bed around midnight. He slept fitfully, waking almost every

hour, sex seared into his brain. At five, he gave up trying to rest. His body was still on LA

time and, by his standards, he’d wildly overslept. He leapt out of bed, donned underpants,

shorts, a T-shirt and flip-flops and ran a comb through his hair. He left a note for Flávia

letting her know he was going for a hike but would be back in plenty of time to meet her and

the others for their visit to Shangri-La.

He went to the parking garage and was aghast when he couldn’t find the car. He was

sure of where he’d left it, but covered all six floors looking for it. He still couldn’t find it and

didn’t even know the licence number to report its theft to the local police. He’d left all the

paperwork for it in the glove compartment.

Dino returned to the condo. It was only as he was unlocking the door that he realised

the car key was no longer attached to his key ring with the condo key on it.

Flávia.

He called her cell phone and she answered it, her voice a whisper.

“Do you have the car?” he barked into the phone.

“Yes. Phil made me come and get it in the middle of the night. Sorry. Were you

worried?”

“Hell, yeah, I was worried. I wanted to go for a hike. I’m stranded here!”

“Sorry.” She dropped her voice. “I have to leave soon anyway. I’ll come home and you

can go for your hike while I’m in the shower.” When Dino didn’t respond, she apologised

again. “I should have left you a note.”

“Yeah, you should have.”

He ended the call and paced the condo, furious when she returned two hours later.

She clearly wanted to talk about her sexual encounter, which she described as

‘confusing’. He had no interest in hearing the sordid details but it would have been rude not

to listen.

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Flávia brewed two cups of coffee and, as they sipped them, gave him the long version

of what boiled down to, “He was nice and the sex was great but he didn’t mention anything

about seeing me again.”

Dino suspected she probably wouldn’t hear from the guy again. He’d even made sure

she retrieved the car in the middle of the night so he wouldn’t have to drop her to her condo

in the morning.

“Think I’ll hear from him?” she asked hopefully.

“I’m sure you will,” he lied. “If the sex was great, there’s no question he’ll call.”

“Oh, it was, it was,” she agreed. She eyed the clock on the oven. “I think I’ll nap for a

couple of hours. I can be ready to leave by ten-fifteen. Will you still be able to take your

hike?”

“Absolutely.” He carried their cups to the sink. “Where did you park?” he turned to ask

her but she’d already left the kitchen. He could hear the shower running. Snatching up the

car key, he hooked it back onto his room key and left the condo. He’d have just enough time

to hit the Pali and make a quick run through the bamboo forest and hunt for his jungle lover.

He found the car on the second floor of the parking lot thanks to the licence number

written on the key tag. He drove as fast as he could to the freeway, but morning peak-hour

traffic was heavy until he got to the Pali Highway turnoff. He edged up the mountain road as

rain began to spit on the windshield. Rain was typical in Hawaii’s high country, no matter

the season, and was considered a good omen in the islands. He gritted his teeth during the

stop-start voyage, relieved when he finally reached the top of the Pali and took the turn onto

the Old Pali Road. His heart skipped a beat. He had a good feeling about this. He’d see the

man who’d taken him by surprise the day before.

Condoms. Damn! He’d forgotten to bring some and he had a box of them in his

suitcase. What was the matter with him? He’d come too far to back out now, though, so he

kept driving along the old road where the branches of trees on either side met in the middle.

Rain bowed the branches lower. What had seemed like a drizzle farther down the Pali had

turned into a heavy, steady downpour, but he didn’t care.

He found the old electric substation and parked in the little alcove in front of it, locked

the car and ran across to the entrance for the trail to the old Summer Palace. Except he

couldn’t find it.

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Dino scratched his head and walked back to the car. He stood looking across the road.

The entrance was gone!

He shook his head. Nonsense. It had been slightly more overgrown than he’d

remembered when he’d visited the day before. He told himself to relax and he would find it,

but the entrance eluded him. He walked up and down the Old Pali Road, frustration

gnawing at him. He came back to where he thought the entrance was and hesitated before

thrusting aside a thick stand of bamboo. There was a slight drop and the area looked like it

had been undisturbed for some time, covered in a fine layer of white powder. The remnants

of dead bamboo.

Well, he wasn’t too far from the trail, he was certain. He jumped into the powdery fray

and plunged forth, searching for familiar landmarks. He hunted for the thick roots of the

massive banyan, but didn’t find it. The trail remained dark, the trees feeling as if they were

closing in on him. He kept glancing upwards, but saw no trace of sunlight.

He walked on, his heart racing. It was so dark in this part of the forest it might as well

have been night. He took his cell phone from his pocket, using it to light his path. He saw

ahead of him a huge, ropy tree root and he ran to it. A pair of feet emerged from the

darkness.

Dino scanned from the naked thighs up. Dang. Completely starkers, it was him.

“Thought I might see you.” The man gave him a disarming smile. “Sure you want to be

here?”

Before Dino could respond, the man reached for him by the scruff of his neck, drew

Dino’s face to his and began to kiss him. Not so much kiss him as invade his mouth with

teeth and tongue. He plumbed Dino’s mouth so ardently, he even bit his tongue, but gently.

It was the most erotic embrace of Dino’s life. His jungle lover stripped him of his clothing,

Dino’s cock swinging free and landing right in the man’s waiting hand.

“You’re already hard.” The man’s fingers roamed over Dino’s cock head, tracing the

pearl of cum that seeped to the tip over the crown. “You’re not afraid of me.”

It was a statement, not a question, and Dino wondered why the hell his jungle lover

thought he should be afraid of him. One more face-sucking session and the man pushed him

to the ground. Seconds later, he mounted him roughly from behind. Dino was so shocked

when his jungle lover began poking at his ass with his cock that he begged for more time.

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“I want you,” he assured the man humping his ass, “but I want to use

protection…and…and…I want to see you again.”

The man laughed, gripped Dino’s hips and drove right into him.

“You’ll see me again.” He growled as he plunged in and out of Dino. “Don’t worry

about that.”

Dino gasped. The relentless force of the man’s thrusts deep inside him actually began to

hurt him.

“Slow down,” he begged. “Take your time.”

The man ignored him. Dino began to feel frightened. It wasn’t exactly rape, but it was

scary nonetheless. He tried to pull away but his aggressive lover held him and suddenly

pulled away, flipping Dino onto his back. He slowed his pace a little, one hand reaching

between their bodies, now slick with the return of the rain seeping in through the dense

foliage, and the other man’s sweat. He grabbed Dino’s cock with surprisingly gentle fingers,

fucking him in a more pleasurable way as he leaned on top of him. Dino responded, relaxing

into the rhythmic fucking, but it was still strange.

“What’s your name?”

The man smiled. “I am going to come. Deep inside you,” he intoned, his voice deep

and…weird. He shot, guiding Dino to a raging orgasm, and looked down at him.

“Ah yes,” he murmured, “you feel me in you. You feel what’s happening, don’t you,

what I’m doing to you?”

Feel you in me? Nobody has ever fucked me this hard…or deep. Dino was so stunned by his

rocketing explosion that he held on to his jungle lover with his legs and arms. He was

worried the man would pull out of him before he stopped coming. He’d never had such an

intense encounter. When he did stop riding the amazing wave of pleasure, he fell back

against the carpet of disintegrating bamboo, utterly spent. His eyes drifted shut, his head

spinning. The rain suddenly stopped and his lover withdrew from him.

Though Dino could hardly speak, he uttered one word. “Stay.”

His jungle lover retreated, Dino once again ignored.

Fuck.

When he finally opened his eyes he was all alone and his clothes were in tatters. He

donned them, fear gripping his heart. Okay. Twice now he’d engaged in full-throttle, crazy,

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unprotected sex with this wild man. Both times he had ignored Dino's requests for his

name…and to see him again. It was weird. Too weird. He seemed to be coming to his senses

finally. He couldn’t do this again. It was dangerous. The man was violent. He checked his

torn shorts for his keys and wallet. Both there…phew.

Dino knew there was something wrong but couldn’t put his finger on it. He felt danger.

A swift and terrible danger. It was inexplicable but real. Some inner instinct took hold,

warning him, urging him to flee. He turned in all directions but couldn’t find his way out.

Damn!

He looked all around him, shocked when he heard a growling sound low in the bamboo

stand. It sounded like a dog. He wasn’t afraid of dogs, but this one came across as

vicious…savage. As if the dog were feral.

Dino began to move forward, every intuition telling him not to show fear or to turn

around. He kept up a steady pace, his gaze on his feet to prevent himself tripping and falling

over an unseen tree root, then lifting his head a little to look farther afield to gauge his

progress. He seemed to be walking forever. Circles. He was moving in circles. He wasn’t

getting anywhere and fear began to morph into panic as the growling persisted, getting

closer and closer.

He heard a car, joy almost making him whoop with relief. He could see the road up

ahead, just a glimpse of bitumen through a final stand of thick bamboo.

Then…

“Dino.” The voice that spoke his name was so low and scary-sounding it chilled him.

“Turn around.”

Something told him not to. He felt the temperature drop dramatically. He shivered. He

could feel a hot surge of breath at his nape and he held his breath.

How the hell does he know my name?

Dino couldn’t remember if he’d told him, but didn’t think so. He had no idea what he

was afraid of exactly, but knew somehow turning around could mean death. He couldn’t

explain it—he just knew he had little time. He had to get out of here. Why oh why had his

foolish pride allowed him to pursue this unknown stranger and provoke him into random

sex…twice?

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He ran for the bamboo, the growling sound coupled with running, pounding feet and

the man’s voice booming, “Dino!”

Dino made it to the bamboo, struggling to get through it. He glimpsed the dog behind

him rearing high, like a horse. He was certain he saw human feet.

No…that was impossible.

He pushed himself through the bamboo, the pain of squeezing through the small space

making him grimace. He fell out onto the road and heard the roar of indignation behind him.

Dino almost screamed when he reached the road and a paw with enormous, seemingly

bloody claws lunged from the bamboo, just missing him.

He spotted the rental car up ahead in the distance. Jesus. It was about half a mile away.

Would he make it? The wild dog was attacking the bamboo now.

Dino ran like the wind, reaching the car as the rain fell in thick sheets from the skies.

Holy shit! He grabbed the keys in his pocket. Only the condo key was there. Where the hell

was his car key? His fingers closed around his wallet, which was thankfully still in his

pocket. His heart sank. He glanced back down the road. No dog on his tail. Thank God.

The key lay on the ground in the distance and he panicked when he saw a car hurtling

towards him along the Old Pali Road. The car ran over the key and the driver honked him

since he was standing in the middle of the road, but Dino ignored it. He ran for the key and

grabbed it, his hands shaking.

From inside the thicket of bamboo, he could see a creature pacing. He caught glimpses

of a dog. He was huge. As big as a man. He gulped. What he saw was a man in what looked

like a dog mask. The man didn’t venture out of the forest but he sure made a hell of a racket,

screaming Dino’s name.

Petrified, Dino charged to the car, opened the door and started the engine with one foot

still on the ground. It took a moment for the car to start. He could feel his heart lurching in

his chest. He slammed and locked the door, his whole body trembling with fear.

He glanced into the rear-view mirror at his pale face, terror leaching the colour from his

cheeks. He knew now that the jungle man wasn’t wearing a mask. He was some kind

of…supernatural being. Something that meant him harm. Not good. That explained the drop

in temperature and why the creature was confined to the forest.

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Dino ran his hands over his face and neck. No bite marks. He turned up the heat,

driving off with the windshield wipers working furiously. He tried to convince himself he

was deluded, but he’d heard of a calling ghost. There was an island legend about a

malevolent spirit that called your name from behind…and could bring you death.

What was it the man had said to him? “You feel what’s happening, don’t you, what I’m

doing to you?”

His hands shook all the way to Waikiki and when he got to the condo he must have

looked bad, because, even though Flávia was pissed that he was so late and they had only

fifteen minutes to get to Shangri-La, she didn’t yell at him…much.

“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. “It’s like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She didn’t know the half of it. He showered quickly and changed and when he came

out of his bedroom she had a strange expression on her face.

“What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing.” He couldn’t explain things to her. He kept feeling that dreadful chill in the

forest with the hot breath at his neck. He had to call his friend Richard as soon as he was

alone and ask him about the legend. It had been at least three years since Richard had

mentioned the story of the evil man-dog spirit. Maybe he was being fanciful…maybe the

jungle man was just a deranged hustler who lived in the forest and got his jollies terrifying

other men.

The only thing he did know was that he wouldn’t go back searching for him, even as his

body cried out for that rough, yet spectacular sex.

Jesus. I’ve become a sex pig.

Alek met them in the lobby, fresh and elegant in his A&F jeans and a crisp white T-

shirt. Jay and Colin arrived last, looking ridiculous with their layers of clothing and their

socks and sandals. Alek noticed their weird get-ups, Dino could tell, but the man said

nothing.

“I have a limousine here,” was all he said.

His driver took them all to Shangri-La as they sipped mimosas. Dino drank two and

started to feel better. Whenever he thought about his forest encounter, his whole body

trembled.

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High on the mountaintop overlooking Diamond Head, the others enthused over the

view as the estate’s docent came to meet them. As a favour to Dino, his pal Richard had

organised this rare, private tour. Alek seemed taken into another realm the moment they

crossed the long courtyard with its lush foliage but decidedly Arabic architecture.

They viewed the long benches where the secretive tobacco heiress had once played the

guitar and read books during long stretches of solitude. The docent, who’d lived and worked

at Shangri-La during Duke’s final years there, spoke fondly of the heiress who had been the

first white woman to come to Honolulu in the thirties and learned how to surf from Duke

Kahanamoku.

“They were friends to the end and he lived in a cottage with his wife on the estate until

he died,” the docent said. She pointed out architectural detail from Turkey, Morocco, Syria,

Egypt, and India. They passed from one stunning room to another, all of them speechless as

they took in the exotic treasures the world’s wealthiest woman had amassed. One bedroom

had been inspired by Duke’s obsession with the Taj Mahal.

An entire passageway had the exact same design, scaled down, as an Egyptian palace,

and her Persian Garden, where she had enjoyed holding garden parties and pool side events,

was a small-scale version of the seventeenth-century palace Chehel Sotoun in Isfahal, Iran.

Its columns lent a gentle grace to the tropical foliage all around it.

“I could paint all day here,” Jay said, with a sigh.

“I’d work nonstop,” Colin agreed.

Dino grinned at the way Flávia perked at the suggestion. He could see the wheels

turning in her mind. He caught Alek’s gaze and they exchanged grins.

For the next three hours, they combed the property, the docent explaining everything.

She was patient and knowledgeable. She also loved the place. That much was evident.

The exterior and interior of the house blended beautifully with the drop-dead gorgeous

view of Diamond Head and the Pacific Ocean. Gilt and painted ceilings from Morocco,

fascinating mosaics rescued from fifteenth-century Islamic tombs, and intricate, pierced

metalwork from Spain were surprising details that took everyone’s breath away each time

they turned a corner.

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Rich tapestries adorned the walls, painted glass pictures appearing in unusual corners,

giving prisms of light to each and every room. It was both relaxing and stimulating. Dino’s

head popped with information.

“I have no idea what prompted her passion, but it is to our benefit that she left us this

stunning legacy,” the docent said.

Alek had grown quiet. “My boss would love this…respite from the world.”

“If he ever wants a private tour, I’ll arrange it,” Dino promised.

Alek covered his hand with a squeeze of gentle fingers. “That would be wonderful, but

what I would really like is to kidnap you and spend the rest of the day alone with you. Do

you think we might be able to arrange that?”

“Kidnapping won’t be necessary. I can’t wait to spend the day with you.” Dino meant

it. He liked Alek and thanked God the man liked him. He couldn’t wait to be alone with him.

He took a deep breath.

I like him. I really like him. And…his looks are really starting to grow on me.

He chastised himself for his petty, shallow thoughts. Pride got me into trouble. He

shuddered at the thought. He was terrified now of going anywhere near the bamboo forest.

He would be okay. He would.

He had to be.

“Are you all right?” Alek asked him.

Dino nodded. He was better than all right. He was fine. He closed his mind to the

events of that morning. He felt chilled at the memory of the creature’s nasty, hot breath on

his neck but kept a smile on his face.

I have Alek now. Look forward. Not back.

Involuntarily, his hands began to shake.

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Chapter Four

Flávia was pleased that Dino was spending the day with Alek. It gave her free use of

the car, for one thing.

“I’m going back to the Shore Bird,” she said. “I have to see Phil.”

“Don’t do that,” he urged her. “Play it cool.”

“Do you know me at all?” she cracked. “I don’t do cool.”

No, she did not. Which perhaps explained why she was still single…

She also had other motives. She was hoping Alek was planning to visit the artist he’d

mentioned. She drew Dino aside and asked him to be her official spy.

“If his work is any good and you think I should represent him back in the States, put a

good word in for me, will you?”

He mentally shook his head. It was no use telling her they were in the States. Hawaii just

wasn’t on the mainland.

Alek’s limo dropped the others back at the condo building.

“I need a nap,” Colin said. Dino was in shock. The visit to Shangri-La hadn’t been

exhausting. Far from it. It had been invigorating.

“Do you get the idea that a nap is code for having a quick fuck?” Alek asked him as

soon as they were alone.

Dino laughed. “I hope so. I really hope he isn’t going back to his room to nap.”

Alek grinned at him. “I know we’ve missed lunch but I have an appointment with the

artist I told you about. I’d love you to meet him. I think you’ll really enjoy his work. I figured

we might drive out to Sunset Beach where he lives, check out his art and then have a late

lunch out by the water.”

“Sounds wonderful to me.” Dino meant it. He leant back in his seat, enjoying the glass

of champagne Alek had handed him. They talked about the magnificent house they’d just

experienced then their conversation turned to the Middle East and Alek’s experiences there.

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“My boss is very liberal when he comes to the US. He lets his wife buy all the latest

fashions, all the latest magazines, but when they reach home he makes her leave all her

American magazines on board the jet.”

He grinned as he recalled his boss’s son purchasing a DVD of the TV series Baywatch

and how he’d been the envy of his friends for owning moving images of all those hot women

in their infamous red swimsuits.

“I thought Jeddah was more progressive than some other Saudi cities,” Dino said.

Alek shrugged. “Not really. I think there are aspects to it that seem that way because so

many foreign embassies used to be there.”

“I worked with an actress who was dating a Saudi prince and when she went there to

visit him she stayed in an American compound,” Dino recalled. “She had to buy a special

burqa that she had to make sure covered her feet. She told me her ankles were not allowed to

be exposed.”

“That’s right. Women aren’t allowed to walk around alone there, especially foreign

women. They have to have a male accompanying them at all times.”

Dino remembered something. “She also told me that she needed to go to the bank and

that women had a separate entrance in the back of the building.”

“True.” Alek grinned at him. “I have a feeling this puts you off even thinking of visiting

me there.”

Dino was stumped for a response. The idea hadn’t even crossed his mind. “No. On the

contrary, I’d love to visit you there.”

He’s thinking ahead. He’s talking about the future. I feel like Sally Field. ‘He likes me. He really

likes me!’

Aloud he said, “With all the restrictions you mention, what was it like for you visiting

Shangri-La? I mean, a white woman created the home. Did it feel weird…sacrilegious

maybe?”

“Funny you should ask that. There was a moment when I viewed some of the mosaics. I

recognised one in particular as having come from the Christian cemetery in Jeddah. The

place is a kind of big, open secret. There hasn’t been a Christian burial there since 1950 and it

is tended by whichever Western ambassadors happen to be in residence…” His voice trailed

away.

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“Go on,” Dino prompted when Alek stopped speaking altogether.

Alek topped up their glasses. The driver kept his gaze on the road as they headed north

on the freeway. Congested Waikiki fell away behind them and they headed into the wide

open spaces of the North Shore.

“Well…” Alek sipped his drink and seemed to weigh his words. “It felt actually like a

celebration. I think Doris Duke truly appreciated Islamic art for its intricacy and yet also

understood its delicacy. I think she saw beauty in tiny things. A piece of glass…a clay tile.

She…” He heaved a sigh. “I wish I could have met her. I have a thousand and one questions

for her.”

He reached across the seat. Dino instinctively knew Alek wanted to hold his hand.

Their fingers met and held. It felt really nice. Dino began to feel horrible about his untamed

sexual encounter. Enough. He brushed the thought from his mind. Alek was a gentleman. A

total gentleman. Maybe the wild beast had been necessary in order for him to appreciate the

true beauty of a man like Alek Briatore.

At Sunset Beach, their driver caught Alek’s gaze in the rear-view mirror. Alek dropped

Dino’s hand as if suddenly remembering where he was.

“Sir, should I park outside the property?”

Alek leant forwards and they all looked. The space outside the house in question was

filled with a broken-down tractor, a plethora of old cars and a goat grazing at the only grassy

patch beside these.

“Er…he said the driveway,” Alek responded.

As they made their way inside the entrance, the goat followed the vehicle. Once they

were out of the limo, Dino reached out and petted the animal’s head. The front yard was

filled with chickens and goats and a huge dog, curled up sleeping in the sun.

Alek led the way between two houses to what looked like a converted garage. Canvases

lay stacked against the walls, the place smelling of paint and some kind of chemical. Dino

saw a man in a wheelchair working on a painting, wielding his paintbrush with his mouth.

“Aloha!” the artist called out around the implement gritted between his teeth. Though

much of his body appeared atrophied, his eyes gleamed with happiness. He deftly dropped

his brush onto his palette and wheeled towards them, beaming at Dino.

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“Are you Alek’s friend, the makeup artist?” The man’s head tilted at an inquisitive

angle.

“Yes, I am.” Dino wasn’t sure if he should offer his hand to the artist, but the awkward

moment passed.

“My daughter got a whole makeup kit for her birthday. She would be so thrilled if you

could show her a few tricks.” His voice dropped. “She’s just completed chemo and she’s very

self-conscious about having lost all her hair and eyebrows.”

Dino’s heart gave a lurch in his chest. How much tragedy could one family stand?

“I would love to help her,” he said. He couldn’t take his gaze away from the exquisite

paintings around him. He felt humbled by the artist’s talent.

“Your work is gorgeous. I love the mermaid in the hammock. What is she reading?”

Dino caught a glimpse of the title of the book in her tapered fingers. War and Peace. It was

funny, considering the many elements in the piece. She had found solace on dry land. Behind

her a fishing trawler and a war ship vied for space in the ocean.

“You know, that’s one of my favourites, too,” Alek remarked. “Dino, let me introduce

you. This is Neo Mailani. Neo, meet Dino Perez.”

They heard the sound of running feet and a little girl dashed into the studio. She must

have been about six or seven and she was stick-thin. It was heartbreaking to see a child so

obviously ill.

“Daddy, Daddy, is he here yet?” She stood, staring up at Dino.

Alek laughed. “This is my friend, Dino. Dino Perez, I want you to meet my favourite

little girl in all the world, Alina Mailani.”

Dino shook the little girl’s hand. He’d volunteered many hours to hospitals and

hospices. He loved to make women look and feel better, but, when he saw the sorry excuse

for a makeup kit that Alina presented to him, he wished now that he’d brought his own

makeup box to the islands. She sat beside him, her bald head gleaming. She had such a

lovely, delicate beauty he hated to use such inferior products on her face.

“They’re hypo-allergenic,” she told him, “on account of the fact that I just had

leukaemia.”

He wanted to wrap his arms around the child and protect her from all harm.

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“I am so happy for you,” Dino told her. “When I get back to the mainland I’m going to

send you some of my favourite makeup and some brushes.”

“Wow, cool!” She fidgeted with excitement as Dino applied colour to her eyes and lips.

She chattered about her favourite singers and songs. Dino listened with a practiced ear,

responding when appropriate as he always did with his client, but he was fully engaged in

eavesdropping on the conversation Alek was having with Neo.

“You painted the incident?” he heard Alek ask. “It’s certainly a lovely place. Is that the

Summer Palace in the background?”

Dino couldn’t resist looking. He turned his head to find Alek studying a large canvas

depicting an expanse of impossibly green grass and—to Dino’s horror—a man’s face peering

around the edge of a crumbled stone wall.

He swallowed. It was him. The jungle man from the forest.

His heart twisted in his chest. “Who-who is that?” He could hear the quavering note to

his voice and hated it.

Neo swivelled around in his wheelchair and gave Dino an odd look but didn’t respond.

“Who is that man?” Dino asked again.

Neo glanced at his daughter who had started to grow restless. Kids in the makeup chair

were notorious for wanting to get things over with so they could get on camera. Little hams.

This child, however, belonged to the land. She wanted to run out and play with her

animals.

“Can I feed the piglets? Can I ride my pony, Daddy?”

“You look so pretty, Alina,” her father enthused. “You can ride Fairy, if you want, baby.

Don’t forget your helmet.”

“Okay, Daddy! Thank you,” Alina said to Dino and skipped out, to the cacophony of

chickens clucking and the dog barking.

Neo gazed at Dino. “I don’t talk about my work in front of Alina. It upsets her.” He

tilted his head towards his canvas. “The man in these paintings… Well, he’s not a man…

He’s a kaupe.” He pronounced it cow-pay.

Dino stared at Neo. “Did you say kaupe? What’s that?” He’d just remembered the name

Richard had mentioned to him. Kaupe. He’d talked of a spirit dog, a malevolent force…

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“It’s an old legend but I learned the hard way that it’s a true one,” Neo responded. “I

went up to the Old Pali. I was painting the ruins of King Kamehameha’s Summer Palace

when the man approached me.” Neo’s cheeks coloured. “My wife died many years ago and

I’ve raised Alina as a single father. I have always had…leanings towards…other men. Since

the kaupe attacked me, my body is shrivelled and nobody wants me, man or woman.”

His tone was matter-of-fact, laced only with regret—it seemed to Dino—not bitterness.

“He attacked you?”

Neo’s eyes widened and he nodded. “Yes, he did. Well, at first, he sort of…made fun of

me. He challenged me to paint him. I thought he was so handsome that I should paint him,

but then…” Neo’s words fell away. “I don’t know when I first realised something about him

was off… I mean, really wrong. Next thing I knew, he was turning into a dog.” His

expression turned bleak. “It was the most horrifying moment of my life.”

Outside, it was as if the sun could hear him. A huge cloud seemed to pass across it. The

day turned dark. Dino could hear the patter of rain.

“I tried to pack up my materials, but he lunged at me. I ran and he chased me. We ran

for…oh…miles, it seemed. I had no idea there was so much forest right here on Oahu.” He

frowned at the memory. Dino glanced at Alek, who looked riveted by the tale.

Neo continued. “I know we were a long way from the road. I could hear him gaining on

me. I remember we came to a clearing. It felt dreadful… I was certain the coldness I felt was a

kapu. I knew this was a very bad place. I felt I didn’t belong there but I couldn’t run back. He

was right behind me.”

He swallowed and Dino knew that the man was afraid just remembering his ordeal.

“I fell down, over a tree log I didn’t see. I wound up in this place and I saw…” Tears

sprang into his eyes. “My whole body went numb. I didn’t know then that I’d broken my

neck. I should have died. Instead, I wound up in this twilight world. For a day and a half I

lay there until some tourists hiking for the waterfall found me.

“In the time I lay there, I saw the ancient spirits of the land. I saw how much ghostly

activity is going on up there. The kaupe…he is nothing in comparison with what evil I saw. I

didn’t know at the time that he couldn’t come into the clearing because it is not his natural

habitat.”

“What is his natural habitat?” Alek asked. “And what did you see?”

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Neo licked his lips. His mouth was dry, that much was obvious. He wheeled himself to

his work table and put his lips to a straw poking out of a travel mug. He took a long draught

of the liquid inside it. When he raised his face again, tears streamed down his cheeks.

“That clearing is a place known as The Hanging Tree. Some people also call it the

Jackass Ginger Pool and what I saw devastated me. I’d never seen a ghost before in my life,

but when I told the doctors at Queen’s Hospital what I’d seen they called a kahuna. He

listened to my story and verified what I’d experienced.”

He glanced at Alek. “I saw the ghosts of ancient warriors, King Kamehameha’s men,

chasing women and children into the clearing. I don’t know how much you know of the

history of our island but when King Kamehameha the Great conquered Oahu, he forced all

the vanquished warriors of the island to jump to their death off Nu’uanu Pali. The warriors’

wives and children ran for their lives. It is not our…shiniest moment in history. And what I

saw shocked me.

“I saw the king’s men hanging the women from the tree and beheading the children

against a large rock that the kahuna told me is called the Stone of Sacrifice. It was…horrible.”

For a long moment, the three men were silent.

“What a terrible experience,” Alek said, finally. “I am so sorry, Neo.”

“Thank you.” Neo gave him a tremulous smile. “I should be grateful. After what I saw,

the man-dog spirit, Kaupe, seems like…I don’t know, a bad dream. His human form is

beautiful and that’s what I paint. He’s given me a career and, for that, I should be grateful.”

Indeed, as Dino examined the collected works of the artist, it struck him how the kaupe

looked so magnificent in many paintings. Sometimes he appeared as a dog, scrounging for

food.

Neo observed Dino studying his work. The painting Alek coveted on behalf of his boss

was a stunning piece in which ghosts of warriors lined the crumbled walls of King

Kamehameha III’s Summer Palace watching the naked kaupe frolicking in the pool just

beyond the damaged walls.

Dino had seen the pool on a previous trip and had always thought it looked inviting.

“You’ve really captured it,” he told Neo. “It makes me want to jump right in.”

“Oh no,” Neo said. “I wouldn’t advise that. There could be bacteria in those waters.”

Dino did a double-take when Neo said under his breath, “Didn’t he tell you that?”

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He was so stunned he convinced himself he’d imagined Neo’s words. Not that he had a

chance to ask. He sure didn’t want to discuss the kaupe with Neo in front of Alek.

“Neo,” Alek suddenly said, “this is a new painting.”

“The beginnings of it.” Neo wheeled himself over to a half-shrouded piece. The kaupe

had a man up against the wall and they were kissing.

Holy shit…that’s me! Dino couldn’t breathe. He had to get out of here.

“You have such an imagination,” Alek said as the room began to spin for Dino. He

stepped outside. The rain had stopped. The sky was a beautiful colour of grey. It almost

made him smile except he was too agitated. The colour was one of his favourites for his older

makeup clients. It gave their eyes a softness they liked. It removed years from them.

He took a couple of deep breaths. He glimpsed a barefoot Alina picking an apple from a

tree branch high above her as she rode her pony bareback in the distance. Such innocence…

“You feeling okay?” a voice asked from behind him.

Dino closed his eyes for a moment as Neo wheeled himself a little closer.

“I recognised you straight away.”

Dino felt sick. He couldn’t turn around. He didn’t want to look at Neo in his moment of

shame. “You were there?”

“Yes. I went up to the Pali for the first time in a long time. I must say you seemed to be

enjoying yourself.” He gave a low chuckle. “Was it as hot as it looked?”

Dino didn’t want to discuss this. He was petrified of Alek finding out what a slut he’d

been.

He turned to find Neo’s bright gaze fixed on him. It was as if he wanted to entrap

Dino’s expression for a painting.

“At first.” Dino glanced away again. “Then he tried to attack me, too.”

Neo looked shocked. “Really? How did you survive? I mean…he was fucking you!”

Before Dino could respond, Alek came out of the studio. “Congratulations,” he said,

reaching a hand out to Neo. “Good news. I just talked to my boss. He’s agreed to your price.”

He lifted Neo’s hand off the control panel on his wheelchair and shook his fingers.

Neo grinned. “Well, that’s just swell. I’m so pleased.” They went back inside, Alek

filling out paperwork and handing Neo a credit card. The man did everything on an iPad,

even the payment. He did everything with his teeth, including printing out an invoice.

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“I look forward to seeing you again,” Neo said. He shot a meaningful look at Dino.

“And you, Dino. Call me, please. I’d love to finish our conversation.” He picked up a business

card with his teeth. Dino took it. He fretted about ever talking to Neo again…and also not

talking to him. Would Neo say something to Alek?

Thoughts collided in Dino’s addled mind. Should he come clean with Alek? What if

Alek thought he was crazy? Maybe he should just wait… He could always deny it if Neo

chose to say something. I mean…how ridiculous was it in the light of day? A man and a

malevolent dog spirit having sex?

Alek and Dino carried the painting to the limo. Dino’s mind was in turmoil as he

climbed into the vehicle beside Alek. The painting lay across the seat in front of them as the

driver pulled out into the open road.

It was hard to look at the lifelike image of the kaupe knowing that the spirit had

ravaged…then tried to kill him.

“You feel what’s happening, don’t you, what I’m doing to you?”

Dino shook the words from his thoughts. Stop it.

“Are we going to Ola, sir?” the driver asked.

“Yes, Rodney. Thank you.” Alek checked his watch. “Wow, it’s four o’clock. I guess

we’ll be having an early dinner. I hope you’re hungry.”

He reached for the ice bucket. “Champagne?” he asked Dino, who nodded, unable to

speak. Dread had started seeping into his very soul. What had the kaupe meant by those

words? Alarm bells screamed in his mind but he worked hard to appear nonchalant. He

sipped the cool liquid. Nothing. He meant nothing. He thought he had me…but I got away.

A flash memory of the long claws lunging for him between thick bamboo stems made

him shudder.

“Are you cold?” Alek asked, putting his arm around him.

“A little.”

Alek raised their privacy window, removing the glass from Dino’s hand. In one deft

move, he pushed Dino down onto the leather seat, his body half covering Dino’s.

“This’ll warm you up.” He began kissing Dino with such passion it took Dino’s breath

away. It was nothing like the kaupe’s…possession of him. Alek kissed with reverence. He

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moved his body a little more, Dino spreading his legs so that Alek knelt between his open

thighs. Their hard cocks collided, the two men staring into each other’s eyes.

Dino felt his heartbeat quicken as Alek’s mouth stopped moving over his for a moment.

Alek then began kissing him again. Dino opened his lips to accept the other man’s tongue

and he thought he would come right there in his pants.

“Sir.” The driver’s soft voice intruded on their heated embrace. “We are here.”

Alek raised himself with difficulty. “Thank you, Rodney.” He pulled Dino up beside

him, giving him a swift kiss. “I’ve never made out in front of Rodney before,” Alek

whispered in his ear.

Dino grinned. He suddenly felt good. Good and safe. There was something

so…protective and reassuring about Alek. He was gentle, yet strong.

He smiled at Alek who said, “I think Neo likes you. Some people think he’s a bit of a

weirdo but I can see you were quite taken by his story. Do you believe it?”

“Yes,” Dino said simply.

Rain returned, a slight splatter on the windshield as they drove down a long, well-

manicured path to the Turtle Bay Ocean Resort. Dino had never been here before. A few

years ago he’d been part of the protest movement trying to stop the development of the wild,

exotic North Shore coastline. He felt a little…disloyal coming here for a meal.

“I do, too,” Alek said.

Dino gazed at him. “You believe the story of the kaupe?”

“Sure. I don’t think we can always explain everything…and, besides, if he believes it,

something must have happened. Right?”

“Right.” Dino felt a weight lift from his shoulders. In time, he would tell Alek what had

happened. He hoped he would have the chance. He hoped this wasn’t just a vacation fling

but the start of something more.

The attentive way in which Alek treated him the moment they stepped out of the limo

again made him certain that Alek really did like him. He led Dino to a sheltered table at the

outdoor restaurant called Ola. He held out a Hawaiian quilt-covered chair for him, picking

out the one with the best view for Dino. The restaurant was built into the side of a low-lying

black lava flow overlooking the ocean. Waves crashed over pristine black sand, dolphins

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playing in the distance. The restaurant seemed to complement the stunning natural beauty,

not detract from it.

“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” Alek asked. He held up a menu. “I can recommend everything on

the menu. I particularly love the poke. Especially the beef poke.”

Dino had never tried flash-seared beef before but loved the strong flavours when they

shared one of the appetisers. It arrived with a fragrant garlic and chilli jelly and sea

asparagus, generously seasoned. Dino loved it. They sipped crisp white wine as they ate ahi

poke in lettuce cups and then turned their attention to shared dishes of steak and seared

butterfish. Dino loved the purple Japanese sweet potatoes that came with the steak and ate

every last bite of the two-inch thick slab of beef.

“Wow, you are hungry,” Alek said.

They ordered dessert even though Dino didn’t think he could eat another thing. Rain

fell again as they shared a glass of cupcake pinot noir and demolished a chunk of chocolate

lava cake together.

Dino wasn’t too surprised when Alek suggested they get a room, but the hotel was

booked solid.

“We’ll fool around on the way back to Waikiki,” Alek said, as they climbed back into

the limo.

Alek was a man of his word. For the entire drive back, he kissed Dino with such ardour

it made his senses reel. He had never been with such a sophisticated, yet sensuous man. They

made out all the way back to the Moana Surfrider. Dino could hardly walk straight by the

time they were ready to climb up the white marble stairs of the grand old hotel.

“Thank you, Rodney,” Alek told the driver. “Please take the painting back to the plane.

I won’t be needing you again until tomorrow morning’s meeting.”

“Very good, sir.” Rodney gave him a slight bow.

Alek led Dino up the stairs, both men covering their crotches with their hands. The

hotel was buzzing with a fresh wave of well-heeled guests checking in and out of the lavish

establishment. There was even a massive Japanese wedding procession making its way from

the banyan lanai into the lobby. Dino was relieved that so much was going on. He felt he and

Alek had drawn no attention at all.

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He couldn’t wait to be naked and alone with the man. As Alek led him to his quarters

along the east wing of the building, Dino’s cell phone rang, bringing him back to earth again.

He checked the readout. Flávia. He had to take the call. As soon as he heard her voice he was

sorry he’d answered.

“What’s the matter?” he asked her as Alek unlocked the door to his lavish, amazing

suite overlooking the ocean. Torn between the exotic splendour of sunset about to kiss the

horizon, he tried to focus on her slurred words.

“Phil won’t sleep with me again.”

“Are you drunk?”

Alek’s head turned quickly in his direction as he closed the door behind Dino, giving

him an appraising look.

“I should be. I’ve been in Jay and Colin’s room for the last two hours getting

hammered. Lemme tell you, they’ve perfected the art of a rather wunnnnerful cocktail.” She

dragged the word out then giggled.

“Really.” He so did not want to have this conversation.

“Yes, it’s called a Monkey’s Lunch and it has banana liqueur and coconut…” She

hiccupped. “Oh, ‘scuse me.”

Dino wanted to wrap up the conversation, especially now that Alek was standing in

front of him, kissing him again. He’d unbuttoned the fly of Dino’s jeans and his hand was

slipping into the top of his boxer briefs. His breath caught in his throat.

“Um…ah… Er…what happened with Phil?” he asked.

“He says he never sleeps with a woman more than once. I have a good mind to go back

to the Shore Bird, buy a cocktail and throw it in his face.”

“Don’t do that.” Dino gasped.

Alek was on his knees now, liberating Dino’s cock with insistent fingers. His tongue

circled the head in an alluring way. Dino couldn’t take much more of this maddening

conversation.

“Why not?” Flávia asked.

“And waste a perfectly good drink? Listen, you’ll find somebody else.”

“I’m gonna take a nap,” she said, sounding grumpy. “You coming back soon?”

“Not…yet.”

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Alek’s tongue worked up and down Dino’s rigid shaft.

“Well, how about I wake you… I mean”—she giggled again—“I’ll call you when I wake

up and we can meet for a drink.”

“Sounds good.” He had a feeling she was about to pass out. She blew him some kisses

and ended the call.

Alek lifted his mouth from Dino’s cock for a moment. “I have all your attention at last.”

He growled as he went back to work, sucking Dino’s cock in one gulp.

Dino’s nipples hardened under his shirt. He kicked off his shoes and started shucking

down his jeans and underpants.

Alek stood, his cock looking very hard, wedged tightly in his pants. They undressed

one another. Dino sighed with contentment as he wrestled Alek free from his designer

clothes and glimpsed the huge cock springing from the man’s muscular thighs.

Now this had been worth waiting for.

They fell on the bed—lips, hands, tongues and cocks askew. Dino loved the way Alek

worked his body with his hot mouth, as if savouring every small crevice of Dino’s body.

Even the crooks of his elbows and knees got lavish treatment.

Dino pushed Alek back so he could sample the uncut cock waiting for him. He sensed

Alek’s pleasure when Dino began sucking on his foreskin, edging it back over his glistening

shaft with lips and tongue.

Alek let Dino play with him for a couple of minutes before pushing him away. He

pressed Dino back against the luxurious bedding—what a far cry it all was from Dino’s

rough and tumble jungle encounter—and began kissing Dino’s chest. Alek sucked Dino’s

nipples, his teeth gently grazing the nubs. Dino felt his cock grow even harder.

“Beautiful,” Alek murmured, taking him in hand.

Dino was in orbit when Alek moved down the bed, sucking his cock again. He closed

his eyes, delighting at how ecstatic Alek seemed to be as he serviced him. He lay on his back,

astonished at how effortless giving him pleasure seemed for Alek.

Alek was in no rush, the journey more important than their destination. Dino liked that.

There was nothing wrong with a quick, hot fuck, but Alek knew how to draw out pleasure

for a man, how to coax Dino to the brink. As soon as Dino started to feel the familiar tingle of

eruption, Alek eased back, focusing on another part of Dino’s body. It took him by surprise

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when Alek scooted all the way down his body and picked up his foot, kissing his toes and

under the ball, pressing his fingers into what Dino suspected were acupressure points.

Alek moved back up, his fingers playing with Dino’s ass cheeks as he sucked Dino back

into his mouth, Dino was so stunned he could no longer hold out and he came so hard, deep

in Alek’s throat. He was still floating when Alek started rubbing and licking at his asshole.

Dino moaned, reeling from his almost blinding orgasm when Alek reached across the

bed for a square foil. He tore it open with his teeth. He knelt between Dino’s legs, pushed his

thighs up and dipped between them to lick Dino’s asshole. Dino’s hands flew to Alek’s head.

Oh, how he loved having his ass sucked. Alek kissed and licked him, smearing a little

lube on him. Dino bucked. The gel was so cool. Alek leant back, rolling a condom over his

cock. It was sheer, but Dino didn’t give a fuck. It was better than nothing. Alek entered him

slowly but for Dino it was like being sliced inside with little steak knives. He was tender

from two unexpected sexual encounters with the kaupe and pain tore through his entire body.

He worked hard to hide his anguish and then…pain subsided finally to pleasure. It had

always been like this for him. When he had first started sleeping with men, anal sex had been

alluring, yet frightening, too. It always hurt him at first, but Alek was tender with him. As he

began to realise Dino was enjoying himself, Alek’s strokes grew more confident

and…demanding. Dino tried hard to ignore the little jolts of pain with each thrust but Alek

never got out of control. He made love to Dino in a way that surprised and thrilled him.

Alek came, Dino feeling the aftershocks inside his body. Alek kissed him, staying inside

him, covering his face with his warm, wet mouth.

“I have to leave tomorrow night,” Alek said, still imbedded inside Dino. “I don’t want

to leave you. I’d love it if you came with me. If not… I know you just got here, but tell me we

can keep seeing each other back in LA. Please.”

“Of course.” Dino’s slid his hands up and down Alek’s body. “I can’t wait to see you

back in LA. If I was on my own here, I wouldn’t hesitate to come with you to Jeddah.”

Alek gave him a lovely smile. “I’m glad to know it.”

He pulled out of Dino, their mouths meeting in a searing kiss.

When Alek lay beside him, taking Dino into his arms, he kissed his eyes and nose. “Is

Flávia okay?”

Dino snuggled into him. “A bit drunk, I think.”

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Alek said nothing. He just kept touching and stroking Dino’s body. He captured Dino’s

cock with his hand and gently squeezed it. “I want you to come with my cock inside you next

time.”

“I will,” Dino said. “Don’t suck me and I’ll be good to go.”

Alek treated him to an extra-long foreplay session that almost drove Dino out of his

mind. He came almost as soon as Alek entered him for the second time. It was after ten when

they collapsed in each other’s arms.

“You want some water?” Alek asked, against his lips.

“I’d love it, thanks.” He rolled over, watching his sexy new lover opening the fridge in

the well-stocked bar, bringing over a bottle of spring water and two glasses.

Dino was suddenly starving but didn’t want to say so. Then his stomach growled.

“Are you hungry?” Alek looked surprised. “Would you like me to order some room

service?”

“Yes, please.” Dino wanted a steak, thick and rare.

It arrived twenty minutes later. Alek had ordered strawberries and cream for them to

share, but Dino wanted only the meat, leaving the side order of salad and fries for Alek.

He was still hungry. He had no idea what was the matter with him.

“Are you okay?” Alek asked him. “You look…I don’t know. Feverish.” He put a hand

to Dino’s brow. “You’re burning up. Do you feel all right?”

“I feel fine.”

But he didn’t. The truth was, Dino felt weird. He didn’t know what the hell was going

on, but his whole body felt chilled.

“I might just take a shower.”

“Well, I’d join you, but you wore me out.” Alek grinned at him. “You’ll find me waiting

in bed for you, if that’s okay.”

Dino nodded. “I can’t wait.”

He raced to the bathroom, where he took a quick, hot shower under a four-head shower

system. He didn’t feel much better when he came out. His body felt weird. Achy. Maybe he

was getting a cold?

He dried off, borrowed some of Alek’s deodorant and returned to the bedroom. The

lights were off, but a faint light glowed in the room from the night stars shining through the

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unadorned windows. He stood for a moment, admiring the moon’s spectacular shimmer on

the dark ocean. Blackened palm trees swayed in the night sky. He felt even stranger…he was

panting. What the hell was wrong with him?

Dino longed to be outside. He longed to be part of nature. He wanted to run…to be free.

Don’t be weird, asshole. Get some rest. It’s been a long, really strange day.

He got into bed beside a sleeping Alek, who snuggled next to him but never really

woke up.

Dino couldn’t get warm and shivered and shook all night, dozing on and off. He

expected to start sneezing or coughing, but he didn’t. He fell asleep finally around dawn.

“Mmmm,” he heard Alek suddenly say. “There’s a naked, gorgeous man in my bed.”

Dino grinned, turning over to look at him. Just as things started turning frisky, Alek’s

cell phone rang.

“Gotta take this.” He grimaced. “My boss.”

The conversation was brief, and Dino could tell their hot, raunchy moment had passed.

“I have to fly out this morning.” Alek sat up, swung his feet over the edge of the bed

and put a call through to his driver.

“Rodney, we have to leave this morning… Oh, he called you already?” There was a

pause.

Dino got out of bed and threw on his clothes. He’d travelled enough to know that the

last thing Alek needed was his bed buddy lingering when he had to get out of there.

He hated leaving Alek this way but the man was already charging around the room,

tossing things into his suitcase.

“Want me to help?” he asked when Alek ended the call.

“No. What I want you to do is stay in bed with me all day, but I know I can’t have that.”

He leaned across the armful of shirts he held and kissed him. “When are you back in LA?”

“Four days.” Man, it was goofy to feel so bereft over the guy leaving when they still

hardly knew each other. Dino watched Alek nodding in a distracted way.

“I have all your numbers,” he said, chucking his shirts into the suitcase with abandon.

Dino longed to pack them properly. He helped his clients pack all the time. They found

it soothing, but Alek seemed tense. What could he do to stop their momentum from petering

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out? He’d dated enough to know that what they’d shared, though sexy and memorable,

wouldn’t guarantee Alek calling him again.

“Can I have your number, too?” he asked.

“I’ll text it to you.” Alek sounded exasperated now.

Dino was mortified. “Travel safe,” he said, earning a tight smile in response. Dino was a

little surprised to see Alek so…stressed. He was normally in total control.

Dino let himself out of the room and stood outside for a moment. He checked his cell

phone for the time. Six a.m. He waited a few minutes for the elevator and, when it arrived, it

was chock-full of people. It was easy to tell the ones who were leaving from the ones heading

downstairs for a swim at the beach. It wasn’t the bulging suitcases that were the big

giveaway. The ones leaving wore leis and full Hawaiian garb, misery etched in their faces.

That’ll be me in a few days…

He arrived on the ground floor, surprised by all the activity at such an early hour.

Waikiki was a bit like Las Vegas. It woke up late and went to bed late. He walked past the

plethora of expensive boutiques filled with things Dino thought nobody could find enticing

such as baby dolls in Hawaiian outfits and lurid Aloha shirts that gave him a headache.

Outside, the sun was already shining. He walked all the way back to the condo. Inside,

it was dark, quiet and the air was frigid. Flávia had set the thermostat to fifty-seven degrees.

The place felt depressing and he had to get out of here. Her bedroom door was closed. He

could hear the faint sounds of the TV but had no idea if she was awake or if she’d slept with

it on.

He scrawled a note that he was going out for coffee. He asked her to call him and

headed down to Starbucks on the corner. Pushing past the cluster of homeless people that

congregated out front, he bought coffee and a muffin and walked across the road to sit on the

breakfront wall.

It was hard to believe that this had all been swampland once upon a time. This end of

the beach was the gay end, known as Queen’s Surf—named for a restaurant long since

gone—but it didn’t feel particularly happy right now. Dino had no idea why he was so

restless. He longed to walk…to move. But he wasn’t going anywhere near the bamboo trail.

No more dog-men for him. His cell phone rang a little after seven.

“Where are you?” a grumpy Flávia asked.

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“Down at the beach by the volleyball nets.”

“I have no idea where that is. Meet me at Starbucks?”

He wandered back over and she arrived quickly enough.

“Did you have fun last night?” she asked, a waspish expression on her face. He treated

her to coffee and a bagel and they walked back down to the beach.

“I had a great time, except he’s leaving this morning.”

“Drat the luck,” she said, her bright expression belying her words.

“What happened with the Shore Bird guy?” He knew she was dying to talk about him.

“I can’t believe what an ass he is. A total ass!” Words exploded from her. Dino recoiled

slightly from the physical force of her anger. “I went to the Shore Bird last night and bought a

few drinks. I bought dinner. He seemed pleased to see me, but he was on his cell phone the

whole damned night. I discovered he had three different women placed in strategic corners.

He was playing us. All three of us! He went home with a different woman. Man, and he’s not

even smart.”

“He spells kids with a C,” he reminded her.

“Don’t try and make me feel better.” She grinned suddenly and they both laughed.

“Good to see you smiling,” he said and meant it.

“You seem down.” Flávia slipped her arm around his shoulders.

“I am, sorta. I like Alek. He took me by surprise.”

“Cheer up. The man flew all the way over here to see you.”

“That’s true.” He perked at the thought. “Do you have his number?”

“I do, but you shouldn’t call. Wait for him to call.”

“Why? I’m a guy. I don’t play those kinds of games.”

She shrugged. “I just think you should wait.”

Whatever. Alek had said he’d call with his number. Text. He said text. Wait…was that a bad

sign? Didn’t people say they’d text because they didn’t want to speak to you? His head began to

spin. Here he was, the relationship advice king…fresh out of advice for himself. He probably

had Alek’s number in his cell phone, now that he thought about it. He scrolled through his

messages. There it was, from an earlier text.

“Are you calling him?” Flávia looked surprised.

“I can wish him bon voyage.”

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“Next you’ll be driving to the airport to wave him goodbye.”

“I will not!” The thought only briefly crossed my mind…

He called Alek, got his voicemail and left a message. He kept it short and friendly since

Flávia was sitting beside him making faces. He felt like a total romantic fool by the time he

got off the phone.

Flávia began singing Puppy Love until Dino shook his head.

“We’re a pair, aren’t we?” He pulled a face.

She tightened her hold on his shoulders and kissed his cheek. “Come on, let’s take a

walk.”

They walked all along the boardwalk past the fancy hotels. After two miles of this they

came to Beachwalk—a narrow, tiny street filled with big hotels jostling for space with die-

hard flophouses and the best breakfast place he knew. Except it was closed.

“You made me walk all this way for nothing?” Flávia fumed.

“No, there’s another place around the corner. The Wailana Coffee House. It’s practically

an institution.”

“Well, all right then,” she said, mollified. “Why didn’t we go there first?”

Boy, she was a grumpy gal when she was denied a man’s cock. Dino’s cell phone rang.

Hope soon gave way to worry. It was Jay.

“We want to go to that coffee shop…you told us about…Wa—something?”

Dino cringed. He could hardly pretend he didn’t know which coffee shop they were

talking about but he worried that Flávia would go off the deep end if he invited them.

“Wailana,” he said, ready to incur her wrath.

Flávia stared at him. “Is that Jay and Colin?”

He nodded, giving their friends directions. He ended the call and Flávia stomped her

feet on the pavement.

“This vacation is going to hell,” she yelled. “I’m going back to the condo. I’d rather

watch the Law and Order marathon than hang out with all of you.”

Dino watched her walking down the street. It was now nine o’clock and he was

starving. “Ya gotta eat!” he called out but she ignored him.

He walked past Magic Island where their trip had begun and crossed the long

intersection to the coffee shop. It was packed, but the jolly atmosphere lifted his spirits.

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Jay and Colin arrived a few minutes later. They’d driven and had parked in the hotel

parking lot.

“They gave us an hour for free,” Colin said. “Let’s eat fast.”

The waitress gave them the last booth and all three men enjoyed the orange pleather

upholstery.

“Great menu,” Colin said, emptying the sugar and artificial sweetener packets into his

messenger bag.

“Will you quit?” Jay hissed at him. “It’s ridiculous.”

The waitress arrived with three coffees without even being asked. Her eyes popped

when she saw the empty sugar containers. “I musta forgot these,” she muttered and ran off.

A few seconds later, Flávia arrived and nudged Dino across the booth. Their breakfast

ensued without any tears or drama.

Jay and Colin wanted to visit ‘Iolani Palace and, for once, Flávia didn’t have a knee-jerk

reaction. They drove to the only palace on American soil, Dino’s three companions excited to

see what few treasures had been restored to the once-ransacked building.

He pointed out the window where the imprisoned Queen Lili’uokalani had lived for

nine months.

“When Jack Lord did the Hawaii Five-O TV series, he used that top room as his office

and it’s in all the opening credits,” he told them.

They joined the next available tour and shuffled through the magnificent palace with its

highly polished koa wood floors. He tried to imagine what the mostly empty rooms once

looked like filled to the brim. Large black and white photos were a good indication but were

not the same as the actual, amazing items must have been. The few things that were there

were astonishing, the highlight of which was the Gold Room. Newly decorated and

refurbished, its rich gold velvets and sumptuous displays of royal treasures kept even Dino,

who had taken the tour numerous times, riveted.

The palace was a stark contrast with Shangri-La, but no less impressive.

Outside the palace, when the tour was over, they discovered the royal band playing in

the grounds. People converged from everywhere, sitting on chairs assembled on the grass,

listening to the music. Dino and his companions joined the throng until Colin got restless.

“We have ten minutes left on the parking metre. Let’s go.”

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He and Jay began to argue over whether they should just put more coins in the metre.

People were staring at them so Dino and Flávia got up to leave. Dino couldn’t believe Colin

could be so cheap.

“I really want to go for a walk,” Flávia insisted. “I want to go up to the bamboo forest.”

“So do I,” the others echoed.

Dino did not.

“Come on,” Jay said. “It’ll be fun.”

“No. I can’t. I don’t feel well.” And suddenly Dino didn’t.

The others tried to persuade him. Flávia even became belligerent.

“Making me go on my own with them is cruel to me,” she said, an inch from his face

before throwing herself in the back seat.

They drove off without him. Dino walked all the way to Magic Island, where he took off

his shoes and socks. He sat on the empty beach for a while, wondering why people crammed

themselves onto Waikiki Beach when Magic Island sat here empty.

He stared across the small expanse of grass that separated the two beaches. He made

his way back to Waikiki, exhausted by the time he reached the condo. He showered, his

thoughts shaking him. Should I have told Alek about the kaupe? What if Neo told him? Is that why

he doesn’t call me? He tortured himself with the same thoughts over and over. He dried off,

walking into his room, and dropped his towel on the only chair in there. He slipped naked

into his bed, the ambient street sounds outside unfamiliar since his own bedroom at home

was so quiet. And yet it was comforting. He could hardly keep his eyes open and realised

that he’d left the door ajar. He fell asleep, too tired to even get up and close it.

His dreams were right there waiting for him. Hunted, haunted by the kaupe, he twisted

in his sheets, willing himself to awaken. He kept trying to get away from the man-beast but

his mouth crushed Dino’s and then…he realised the dream was real. The kaupe was on top of

him. But how?

Dino fought the evil spirit until he heard the words, “Dino! It’s me!”

“Alek?” Tears streamed down his cheeks. It was Alek. Thank God!

“Bad dream?” the sexiest, most wonderful man he’d ever met asked.

Dino nodded and would have responded except that Alek was kissing him again. This

time Dino responded the right way, his cock hardening at Alek’s touch.

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“I thought you were leaving?” he asked, between kisses.

“Yes, I am.” Alek kept kissing him. “But I can’t leave without you. I called my boss and

told him I’ve met a wonderful man and he Googled you. His youngest daughter wants to be

an actress and, now that I’m dating the hottest makeup artist in Hollywood, he wants me to

bring you there.”

“When?”

“Now! You’ve got no idea. I couldn’t find you. I called Flávia and she gave me her keys.

I had to meet her up on the Pali. I tried to call you but you must have been asleep. Say…your

cock is so hard.”

He slid down the sheet, Dino suddenly shy about the way Alek was examining him.

“I know I just met you but when you know, you know—don’t you think?” Alek’s gaze

burned into his.

“Yes, I think so.” Dino wanted more kisses but Alek had moved down his body and

taken possession of his cock. Dino threaded his hands in the man’s hair. There was plenty of

time for kisses and more. He closed his eyes, the image of the kaupe retreating. He actually

saw the man walking away from him. He no longer had any power.

And the king of relationship advice was no longer afraid of the paranormal being. He

was grateful for the kaupe’s gifts, for teaching him the difference between pride and love. As

Alek sucked him, gripping his balls in a possessive way, he sent a silent prayer up to the

heavens that he would have a lifetime to show Alek the results of his lessons learned.

www.total-e-bound.com

About the Author

A.J. Llewellyn lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all
the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of Hawaiian
records keep this writer refuelled. A.J. never lacks inspiration for male/male erotic
romances and on the rare occasions this happens, A.J. pursues other passions such as
collecting books on Hawaiiana, surfing and spending time with friends and animal
companions. A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.

Email:

AJ@AJLlewellyn.com

A.J. Llewellyn loves to hear from readers. You can find A.J.’s contact information,
website and author biography at

http://www.total-e-bound.com

Also by A.J. Llewellyn

The Bouncer

The Mediator

Paper Valentine

Pearl Harbor: Vagabond Heart

Pearl Harbor: Gypsy Heart

Pearl Harbor: Abiding Heart

Pearl Harbor: Avenging Heart

Cloaks and Daggers: Stavros

Sins of Summer: Burnt Island

Sins of Autumn: Full

Sins of Winter: If Come

www.total-e-bound.com

Dedication

To all those who have let Envy cloud their judgement—may you find the empathy,

friendship, and trust in your lives that will help you fight and overcome it.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following
wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Ford: Ford Motor Company
Google: Google, Inc.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn Corporation
Cheshire cat: Lewis Carroll
The New Tavern: The New Tavern Restaurant and Bar
Greyhound: Greyhound Lines, Inc.
Morimoto: Stephen Star and Masaharu Morimoto

SPRING DISCOVERY

Serena Yates

168

Chapter One

“This is it. My life is officially over.” Shawn Adens made sure his mouth didn’t move

and no sound louder than the softest whisper escaped his dry, cracked lips. The need to say

the words out loud in the face of total despair was overwhelming. What he said, at least to

himself, was the last remaining area of his life that he truly controlled.

“Get on with it, boy, you’re holding everyone up.” Uncle Bryson stood right behind

him, breathing down his neck and far too close for comfort. His bony hand was suddenly on

Shawn’s shoulder, squeezing painfully. It was a reminder of who was in charge now.

Shawn tightened his grip on the small shovel the priest had handed him until his

knuckles turned white. He scooped up the requisite amount of earth, took one last look at the

casket containing the man who had ruined his life, and threw the dirt into the grave with

enough force to make a hollow sound before the small clumps bounced back several times.

“Thanks for nothing, Dad.” He spoke loud enough for his uncle to hear, not caring

about the consequences.

“Shawn!” Uncle Bryson added more earth before turning his attention to Shawn. “Your

father was a godless man, leading you astray into a sinful life of temporary wealth, but he

still deserves your respect. Especially now that he’s been punished for his numerous sins.”

Shawn took one last look into the grave, shrugged and turned away. He didn’t think of

his father as godless or sinful, but their wealth sure had been temporary. Money made in the

stock market was what had enabled his father to move to Philadelphia, taking Shawn with

him right after his mother had vanished when he was only five. Working for a major

investment firm had kept them wealthy and Shawn had gone to all the best schools, never

looking back.

Now that his father had lost everything and killed himself in a fit of what Shawn

assumed was shame, Uncle Bryson had marched back into his life and taken over. Being only

sixteen and with living relatives who were happy to take care of him, or so they said, he had

little choice in the matter. The authorities were glad he wasn’t going to be their responsibility

and had sanctioned Uncle Bryson’s guardianship. His uncle had made it quite clear that

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Shawn was coming back to Franklin, Tennessee, to live with him and Aunt Jennifer and learn

to atone for his presumed sins committed while in ‘the big city’.

“Come on, time to take you home to Franklin.” Uncle Bryson motioned towards the

battered Ford he called his own. “No need to stick around.”

Shawn followed quietly. There would be no wake, since there was no money left for

Shawn or anyone else. The banks and debtors had taken what little was left, and his uncle

had made it clear he wasn’t willing to pay for even the smallest get-together. Shawn snorted

as he got into the back of the car. Not that there was anyone here. A few reporters had

attended, a couple of men he presumed to be ex-colleagues of his father, and two of their

neighbours had shown their faces, but that had been it. For a man who’d been one of the

most popular party throwers in the city, that was an extremely poor turnout.

But then, nobody wanted to be associated with failure.

And that was what his father would always be remembered as. Unfortunately, this

label, by association, now also applied to Shawn. It was the only thing he’d inherited and the

one attribute he could have done without. His previous plans of becoming a novelist were as

obsolete and nonexistent as his country club membership. Uncle Bryson owned a farm and

had told him he needed help, so that had become Shawn’s future as well.

For now, there was nothing he could do.

He settled back into the uncomfortable seat, wiggling to find the spot where the least

number of broken springs would poke him in the ass, and closed his eyes. They’d be on the

road a while, and the best thing he could do was switch off his mind and rest. He suspected

that was pretty much his lot for the next two years. Once he turned eighteen, though, the

rules would change.

Nothing could keep him in Franklin then. He’d come back to Philly and build a life of

his own, if it took him years to do it. Just because his father had been an idiot didn’t mean he

was going to suffer for the rest of his life.

No way!

* * * *

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Two years later he was shocked to find out it wasn’t as easy as he’d thought. His uncle

was adamant he stay and help him take care of his farm. All the cousins were female, and

Uncle Bryson was too much of a traditionalist to let any of them take over, married or not.

It took Shawn almost a year to plan and execute his ‘escape’, and once he’d succeeded,

having paid for a Greyhound ticket back to Philadelphia, he was close to penniless. Nothing

could stop him, though. Just the thought of having to return to the bigoted, restricted life that

had been forced on him for almost three years brought him close to throwing up every time.

He got a job washing dishes then waiting tables, because he didn’t care what he had to do.

Anything to become financially independent.

“Hey, you?” James Fitzsimmons may have been somewhat of a local celebrity, had

more money than Midas and looked way younger than his fifty years, but manners sure were

in short supply with him. “Maybe you should get some sleep at night instead of getting

drunk or whatever else it is you do for entertainment.”

Raucous laughter from the four cronies he’d brought along made Shawn want to

scream at them. He already had a headache from staying up late because he was trying to get

his college applications finished in time for next semester’s deadline. This taunting really

didn’t help. He plastered a polite smile on his face and stepped closer.

“I’m sorry, sir. Is there something I can get you?” Shawn held on to his notepad for

support.

“Yeah, we’d like some coffee.” The frown on the man’s face made him look a lot less

attractive. “Today, if possible?”

“Certainly, sir. Five coffees coming up right away.” Shawn clenched his teeth and

turned on his heel, glad he could vanish into the kitchen for two minutes. He needed a break,

but wasn’t due another one before closing. And that was two whole hours away.

When he served the coffee a few minutes later there wasn’t a thank you in sight. They

didn’t even acknowledge him. Not that they were an exception. A lot of the rich people who

came to this restaurant were exactly the same. It seemed as if they didn’t even see him as a

fellow human being. And all because they had money and he didn’t. Who gave them the

right?

“This coffee isn’t even hot!”

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The complaint was ridiculous—he could see the steam coming off the dark liquid’s

surface. The customer was always right, though, and his boss didn’t want to lose any

customers, so Shawn would have to bite the bullet and apologise.

“I am sorry, sir.” He took the coffees back.” I’ll get you a fresh set.”

“Never mind.” James Fitzsimmons huffed, looking bored. “We’ve stayed here long

enough as it is. Just get us the cheque.”

“Certainly, sir.” Shawn bit his tongue. The coffee was good and he could have really

used some, but he was required to pour it down the drain. What a waste! And from the looks

of it he wasn’t going to get a worthwhile tip either.

He sighed as he got the paperwork together. He should be just as wealthy as they were.

It was his birthright. His dad had thrown it all away by being stupid, overestimating his

financial prowess. But Shawn was going to make up for it and get his own back. Just as soon

as he could get an education and a job, he was going to show them.

* * * *

“Excuse me, who did you say was calling?” Shawn glanced around him to make sure

nobody was listening in. His small temporary cubicle in the huge open plan office of the

Philly Daily, a tabloid of some renown but with no concept of personal space for employees,

wasn’t exactly the place to be having this discussion.

“My name is Kathy Lasalle and I work for the Philadelphia Herald.” The sigh was long-

suffering, as if the woman was tired of making these calls. “My boss would like to set up a

meeting with you—outside office hours, of course—to discuss an opportunity for you.”

“A job opportunity.” With the fucking Philadelphia Herald. Only the most respected

newspaper in all of Pennsylvania and several leagues above his current employer in renown.

“Yes, that is what I said.” The woman sighed again. “Are you interested?”

Am I? Was that even a question? He started to furiously Google the name Kathy had

given him to see if he could confirm the woman was for real.

“Or should I tell my boss that she should be looking for someone else to fill the

position?” The woman rustled some papers, the sound of what he was sure were his

competitors’ resumes making him sit up straight. “There are several more candidates we’re

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considering, so it would really help me if you could make up your mind sooner rather than

later.”

“N-no. That won’t be necessary.” There! Danielle Stevens was indeed a real person, from

the looks of it, and she did have a position at the prestigious newspaper. He took a deep

breath. “I’ll meet her for coffee, as you suggested.”

Time and place were quickly agreed upon. He only had to wait until the next evening,

but he knew it was going to seem more like a week. Meanwhile, his newest ‘revealing’ article

about some local celebrity’s recent diet—or boyfriend or change in hair colour—was

supposed to keep him busy.

Yeah, right!

Getting through the rest of the day was pure agony. He’d considered not going to the

afternoon staff meeting, but at least it would relieve his boredom. As soon as the meeting

started, with the chief editor droning on and on about the need for more excitement, more

dirt and more…everything, he knew he’d made a mistake. The meeting wasn’t going to

relieve anything.

“This not interesting enough for you?” The editor’s voice was sharp, cutting through his

thoughts without any effort.

“Um, sorry, no?” What the fuck is going on? A quick glance around the table revealed

downturned faces and the odd grin. Shit, his colleagues all seemed happy to let him be the

focus of the old man’s anger today.

“What? No, this isn’t interesting?” The man cleared his throat. “Because I can always

put you on patrol in the red light district. That usually gets some interesting little tidbits of

information.”

Shawn barely refrained from rolling his eyes. How low could you sink?

“And then there’s the always fascinating area of searching through certain people’s

trash. That should keep you interested.” The editor grinned.

“Thank you, sir, but this meeting is plenty fascinating for me.” God forbid he be sent

back into the field like that.

“Then pay attention, will you, Shawn?” The boss frowned before returning to his list of

assignments. “Now, where was I?”

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Luckily the man was rather forgetful so Shawn was safe for now. He’d been working

for a string of tabloids over the last five years, and the problem was that none of the stories

ever seemed to change. What some people called ‘news’ was an endless repeat of the same

kind of information, tarted up to look different, new and more scandalous than the last time.

He wanted real exposure.

He used to simply be envious of super rich people like his childhood friend Gerald and

his other privileged ex-classmates from his life before his father’s death. The longer he’d

watched their lives continue, though, the more resentful he’d become. Why did they have to

have it so easy while he had such a hard time? He should be where Gerald and consorts

were—in a cushy management job after having had four years of fun at college. Going to a

different party every night, with houses normal people could only dream of and a personal

trainer who made sure you stayed in shape.

Instead, he’d had to work his way through college, fight his way up from freelance

journalist to semi-permanent staff member at a newspaper that wasn’t even thought of with

respect, and where had it got him? He was still chasing the same stupid stories he’d thought

so exciting a few years ago.

The call from the Philadelphia Herald was his first ray of hope in a long time. At least

he’d be able to do a real journalist’s work there. Investigative reporting was his dream, and,

once he had a chance, he’d go after the real dirt these people were surely hiding. Corruption,

murky deals, illegal activities…he didn’t care what. A stupid personal indiscretion or eating

disorder wasn’t going to do real harm, wasn’t going to expose anyone.

What he needed was some actual filth, and that took time to dig out. Time and money

that a position at a quality newspaper would give him. He had no idea if he even stood a

chance, but they must have seen something in him to call. Right?

By the time he made it to afternoon coffee the next day, under the guise of interviewing

someone, his nerves were shot. The cafe was a nice establishment on Walnut Street, with a

wooden exterior, no more than seven tables inside, and an eclectic selection of art deco prints

on the walls. He recognised Danielle from her picture on LinkedIn—she was even wearing

the same type of dark grey business suit—and joined her at her table in the back corner after

a brief greeting.

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“Thank you for agreeing to see me.” She waved at a waiter and ordered coffee with a

selection of cakes for both of them.

“No problem. I must admit I’m intrigued.” Wow, she was pulling out all the stops. Not

having had lunch, he’d have to be careful not to devour all the cakes upon their arrival. He

needed to make a good impression.

“I thought you might be.” She smiled and leant back in her chair, smoothing her skirt

over her knee after crossing her legs. “The thing is, with the recent increase in scandals in the

financial world, what with all those bankers misbehaving, we’re looking to broaden our

coverage of the business world. And I don’t mean the publication of stock market analyses or

the reporting of business deals. We’ve got that covered quite well.”

“Okay.” He nodded to indicate he was still listening. No way was he qualified to do

any real business-based coverage and he’d be scared to try. His career at the Philadelphia

Herald would be extremely short if he did try to bluff his way in.

The coffees arrived and they were both briefly distracted taking care of preparing them

the way they wanted them.

“Please, don’t hesitate to try some of these mini-doughnuts, they are exquisite.”

Danielle helped herself to two, added a mini-muffin and had a sip of her coffee before she

continued.

“So, getting back to our discussion… What we’ve been thinking about is adding a

human interest angle to our business reporting.” She glanced at him as she bit into her first

piece of pastry.

“Oh?” The doughnuts were indeed perfect and he didn’t want to stop eating. Besides,

he had no clue what she was getting at.

“What I mean is that there must be plenty of scandals and dirty little details in the

business world. The personal part of the bankers’ lives, their worries and machinations

behind the scenes. Things like what do they spend the absurd amounts of bonus money on,

and how often do they think they need to redo their entire interior decoration scheme? You

know—things that would put the abuse and mismanagement into an entirely new light.

Make it easier for people like you and me to understand and relate to. Details like that come

out here and there, of course, but we want to have an entire section dedicated to ‘business

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celebrities’, if you see what I’m getting at.” She leant back again, turning her entire attention

to Shawn and his reaction.

“I know what you mean.” Boy, do I ever! He was ready to jump up and down with

enthusiasm. This was exactly what he was looking for. Not just the big break in terms of his

career, but in an area where he could so some good. Force some of those rich guys off their

high horses. “And I agree that it is a useful and fruitful area for a newspaper to get into.”

“Good.” She smiled, her lips turning into a triumphant display of satisfaction. “In

which case, I’d like to discuss you coming on board with us. I’ve been watching your career

and am impressed with the level of snarkiness in your writing. You’ve developed your own

style, and I believe if you applied it to somewhat—let’s say—more serious subjects, you’d be

just the right person to make our new section a success.”

He wanted to hug the woman, but such a lack of professional behaviour was not a good

idea, so he held back. Barely.

“We have several potential targets in mind, but we can discuss details once you’re on

board. I’d like you to have some say in the final decision about our first target.” She tilted her

head. “Do you have any questions?”

Only about a million. How the hell is this going to work?

“Well?” She indicated her need for a cheque to the waiter, but kept looking at Shawn.

“How do you see this working, I mean, in terms of practicalities?” Could he sound any

more like a beginner? At least he wasn’t stuttering. It was damned hard to contain his

excitement and remain cool.

“Simple.” She gave the waiter her credit card. “I like to keep things simple. I’ll have my

secretary overnight you the contract, you take a look, ask any questions, and sign. You then

quit your current job, work your two-week notice period and come into the office the day

you’re available.”

“Right.” He nodded. She sure didn’t waste any time.

“Good.” She got up, took her coat and extended a hand. “Glad we agree. It was nice

meeting you and I hope to see you in my office in two weeks.”

“Thanks.” He shook her hand and stood, dumbstruck, as he watched her leave the cafe.

She was quite the force of nature! Was he going to survive working for someone like that?

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Compared to his current boss, who moved like treacle on a cold day, she was fast enough to

make his head spin.

He grinned. It looked like his life was about to become a lot more interesting.

* * * *

Exactly two weeks later to the day, Shawn marched into the big, shiny office of the

Philadelphia Herald. Chrome and glass greeted him. The elevator was quiet and fast as it

whisked him up to human resources for the requisite paperwork and an induction meeting.

They issued him with an employee ID, a password for accessing the internal information

systems, a company manual and instructions on the initial training he was required to follow

while they were at it, and didn’t let him go until lunchtime.

He was impressed with their thoroughness but hurried up to the seventh floor where

he’d been told his new boss was waiting for him. The woman outside Danielle’s office smiled

at him when he approached.

“I’m Kathy. We spoke on the phone a while ago.” Kathy pointed at the big wooden

door behind her. “She’s waiting for you.”

He nodded and walked into a fairly luxurious office, compared to what he was used to.

Carpeted floors instead of linoleum, a wooden desk, colourful artwork on the walls. And

even a window.

“Welcome to the Philadelphia Herald.” Danielle pointedly looked at her watch, clearly

unimpressed.

“Thank you.” What the hell would she have wanted him to do? Refuse to cooperate

with the HR guys? He sat quietly where she pointed and awaited her next move.

“You went through all the admin details?”

“Yes, I did.”

“No issues?”

He shook his head no.

“All right. Ready to get started, I like that.” She pulled a file from one of her desk

drawers and handed it over. “I have compiled a list of potential targets that I can see. Have a

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look, get some basic research done and get back to me with a shortlist of five by the end of

business tomorrow.”

It was a good thing she wasn’t a doctor. Her bedside manner was likely to kill people,

rather than support their healing process.

“Any questions, let me know. Kathy will show you to your cubicle.” She grinned. “It is

temporary. If I’m happy with your work one month from now—or after your first big article

breaks, whichever comes first—I’ll assign you an office. Clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He rose, figuring there was no point in drawing out the torture. Her

sentences had felt like bullets as they’d hit him. What the hell had he got himself into?

His cubicle was a lot bigger than his old one, and he settled at his desk quite quickly.

The list was long and he’d barely gone through it once when the sounds around him

indicated everyone was leaving. He checked his watch, discovering it was already seven. He

groaned, stuck the list into his messenger bag, got his coat and made his way to the elevators.

There was more work in his immediate future. Not having an ironclad list and at least some

basic ideas and angles of attack by tomorrow evening was not an option.

A quick pizza and a can of beer later he made himself comfortable on the sofa and

continued going through the list. He was half asleep by the time he reached the final page.

The name at the top made him sit up straight and rub his eyes to make sure he was

awake. He pinched himself for good measure. Yep, he was awake.

“Fuck!” He blinked. The name hadn’t moved. “Gerald fucking VanBrunt, what the hell

are you still doing in Philadelphia?”

Shawn stared at his ex-friend’s name a little longer, but it didn’t reveal anything more

to him than the fact that Gerald was apparently alive and well, still part of the high society

here in Philly, and probably guilty of all kinds of stuff by now. He’d had eleven years or so to

work on his ‘resume’, after all, so there must be some dirt he could dig up.

For one, the rest of his family had moved to Washington DC a few years back, amidst

much fanfare, to enable VanBrunt Senior to follow up on his political ambitions. Why was

Junior still here?

Then there was the fact there didn’t seem to be a girlfriend. What was up with that?

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Last, but not least, Gerald was listed as the CEO of one of the bigger local

pharmaceutical companies, Apollo Laboratories. He also held board member positions in

several other businesses. There was sure to be some dirt to find there.

Shawn sat back and rubbed his hands. He had his target now. All he needed to do was

find some good reasons to go after this man, make a list like his boss had asked but convince

her to let him go with his personal preference. He’d bring Gerald down a few pegs if it was

the last thing he did.

After making some notes so he could get and organise the needed information quickly

tomorrow once he had returned to the office, he lay back, closed his eyes and started

brainstorming. He’d have to plan this carefully. Going in as a reporter might be one

approach and he could probably get an interview then pretend to be surprised if Gerald even

recognised him.

Or he could figure out a way to meet Gerald socially, become his new best friend and

start digging that way. He grinned as he rubbed his tired eyes. That was far more likely to

get him what he wanted, but he’d need to go undercover, so to speak. Hopefully Danielle

would see the benefit of that approach.

It would be so much more fun—um…effective, yes, that was what he was aiming for—

if he could sneak in under the man’s radar and take him by surprise. If being the key word.

He had zero experience with undercover work, other than from watching TV and movies.

This would be both fascinating and exciting, just what he was looking for.

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Chapter Two

“Why don’t you fucking listen to me?” Gerald VanBrunt closed his eyes, put his elbow

on his desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose to try to dispel the headache. “I’ve told you

before, and I’m telling you again, that I’m not interested in your political ambitions, schemes

to increase your popularity or any of the shady business deals you keep trying to pull me

into. Which part of no is it that you don’t understand, Father?”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that!” His father took a deep breath.

“Or what?” Gerald kept rubbing his nose, hoping it would help. He wanted a drink, but

his office bar was too far away for him to reach. “Your threat of cutting me off doesn’t work

anymore, remember?”

It hadn’t worked for several years. Gerald may have lost the right to billions of his

father’s money since their big falling out over his dad’s attempt to make him seem engaged

to a well-off airhead of a woman three years ago, but his own millions were more than

enough for him. At least he’d earned them through hard, honest work and a few clever

investments. Why wouldn’t his father get that trying to blackmail him was useless? Maybe

because everybody else in the man’s environment had a price and always did whatever he

demanded of them?

“Are you even listening to me?” Charles VanBrunt was not a patient man.

“Sorry, Father, what did you say?” Gerald sighed inwardly and got ready for another

barrage of insults.

“I said that this party is crucial for you to attend. We need a show of family unity. It’s

what people want to see in Senatorial candidates these days.” His father actually believed he

stood a chance of getting elected. Well, schmoozing the political elite in Washington, or

whatever he was doing there, wasn’t going to help. “It’s bad enough I’m divorced and your

mother remarried. In fact, I’m going to have to fix that. Meanwhile, now that your younger

sister is married, it is time for you to settle as well.”

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“Melanie, her name is Melanie.” Gerald sighed. Position was always more important to

his father than the individual, and it drove him nuts. “And she married a man she loved,

which I was very happy about.”

“Love! What utter tripe,” his father scoffed. “She should have married the guy I had

picked out for her—that would have been far more useful. At least he had political

connections that could have come in very handy. But, no, the girl had to do it her way. At

least Peter is from a good family and has a decent job as a surgeon, so he’s not a total loss.”

“Will you listen to yourself?” He couldn’t stand the fact that people, even his own

family, were like pawns to his father. No wonder his mother had divorced him. Gerald was

happy she got away and was now happily remarried in Australia. He’d been to see his

stepfather and two half-brothers a few times and felt far closer to them than he did to what

was left of his birth family.

“What? I’m just trying to do the best I can to make this family a success.” His father

cleared his throat. “Now, back to the matter at hand. What will it take for you to attend this

party? What do you want me to do?”

And here it was—the attempt to buy his favours now that emotional blackmail hadn’t

worked. He shook his head, not sure what to say.

“Gerald? Are you still there?” His father was beginning to sound impatient, the little

hitch in his voice giving him away.

“Yes, Father, I’m here.”

“So? What is it you want from me?” His father sounded so convinced it was up to him

to make things happen his way.

“Nothing, Father. There’s absolutely nothing I want from you.” Other than leaving me the

hell alone, but that isn’t going to happen this millennium, is it?

“Don’t be stupid, boy. I’m offering you anything you want.” The loud bang in the

background was probably his father hitting the desk with a fist.

“I. Am. Not. Going. No matter what you offer.” He’d rather face a firing squad than the

hordes of socialites his father was likely to throw at him. Women were not his thing and he’d

told the man so. Several times. Not that his father had ever believed him.

“You need to find a woman and settle down.” His father drew a deep breath, as if he

was shocked. “You’re not still in your stupid rebellious phase, are you?”

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“It isn’t a phase.” It was hard not to yell. But speaking louder did not mean

communication would improve, so he controlled his voice. “I’m gay, and no, it is not a

choice, and I’m not going to grow out of it. How many times do I have to tell you for you to

believe me?”

“Can’t you at least pretend to grow out of it?” His father sounded ridiculously hopeful.

“No!” This was getting old. “Look, you’re not a member of the Tea Party—you can be

liberal and have a gay son. I’m sure most voters will forgive you.”

“You may think being gay is acceptable, but I still need to make sure nobody has a

reason to attack me.” His father sighed. “I can’t afford to annoy anyone by being seen as

liberal.”

“Gay voters will get annoyed.” This was going nowhere. Time to start thinking about

inventing a meeting or something he needed to attend so he could end the call.

“Don’t you get it? There aren’t enough of them around to make a difference. Hell, they

can’t even motivate a significant number of sympathisers to vote with them.” His father

barked out a short laugh. “I can’t believe I’m even discussing this with you.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not really discussing it, so don’t worry.” Time to end this week’s

excuse for a father-son talk. “And I’m very sorry, but I have a meeting and need to go.”

“Right. Well. I’ll talk to you soon.” His father ended the call without waiting for a

response.

Yeah, the man was all about getting his own interests taken care if. When he couldn’t,

he didn’t even bother to be polite…until his next scheme came along. Then he’d get back to

falling all over himself trying to be friendly.

Gerald put down the receiver and leant back in his comfortable leather chair. He was all

riled up now with nervous energy that had nowhere to go. He so needed to blow off some

steam. Time to visit his favourite gay club—incognito, of course. One could never be too

careful.

* * * *

Gerald had managed to snag his usual table. With his back to the wall in the second-

floor dance bar of The Warehouse, he had a good view of the dance floor and all the action.

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Not one to join in this early on, he was watching the more extrovert types avidly. There were

several men of his preferred body type, but none of them seemed likely to be inclined to let

go of the hot musclemen they’d attached themselves to. Some of them looked quite literally

stuck to their ‘dates’.

He grinned. He wouldn’t mind having one of those cute men plastered to his body,

rubbing himself against his front, touching in all the right places. Having almost-sex in

public while being fully dressed did have its appeal, especially for those, like him, who liked

to watch. Actually, he’d prefer a man in his arms in the privacy of his bedroom, but since that

was highly unlikely to happen—he never took his tricks home—he’d have to be satisfied

with observing others. He licked his lips, focusing on the hottest pair of the night.

The taller man was the picture of macho masculinity, could have served as a poster boy

for the Marines. Broad shoulders, a trim waist and thighs bulging with muscles were covered

by tight leather pants and a T-shirt that looked three sizes too small. His arms were around a

slightly smaller man in a muscle shirt, who was just as muscular, if less massive, and seemed

to be having the best time humping Macho’s thigh in rhythm with the music. The smaller

guy swayed his ass enticingly as he rubbed himself off, making the most of Macho’s

powerful hands gripping and massaging his ass cheeks through his tiny shorts.

Gerald sighed, sneaking his hand under the table to readjust himself. He was harder

than he’d been in a long time. The visual of those writhing dancers, added to the sounds and

scents of excited men all around him, had him totally riled up. Almost better than porn. He

couldn’t tear his gaze away, was sure the smaller man was about to come. The telltale

shaking in his thighs combined with his increasingly frantic movements, the way he gripped

Macho’s T-shirt, were sure signs that he was about to blow.

Macho shook his head and the smaller man stilled for a moment. Macho didn’t stop

massaging his ass, all still very much in time with the rhythm of the dance music. A quick

slap to the smaller guy’s ass and he stilled completely. Macho bent down and kissed him, full

on the mouth, and the smaller man shook through a very powerful orgasm. Macho held him

through it, lifting his head and grinning at him like a loon when the smaller guy was done.

What a show!

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Gerald took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging erection. He watched the happy

couple walk off the dance floor, eyes only on each other, and make their way to the exit. It

looked like they were heading home for some private fun. Lucky them!

“Is this seat taken?” The smooth voice to his right startled him.

He turned his head to check who wanted to join him and his eyes widened in surprise.

One of the most good-looking men he’d seen in a while stood right there, not three feet away

from him. He seemed to be about Gerald’s age, a couple of inches under six feet tall, and was

slender enough to break any minute now, but with an underlying strength in his body

language that demanded respect. His hair was short and a very light brown, his eyes a

radiant blue, and his face had an elfin quality that made Gerald want to protect him.

“Sorry to have disturbed you.” The gorgeous man smiled shyly, making Gerald’s heart

beat faster, and he seemed about to turn away, clearly not expecting a reaction other than

Gerald’s continued stare.

“God, I’m sorry. Please, have a seat. I’d love it if you’d join me.” Gerald smiled back

and pointed at the free chair to his right. “I’m Edmund.” He always used his middle name

when he gave men a name at all during his forays.

“Thanks.” The man frowned for a moment then sat down, looking uncertain as he

scanned the room, clearly checking if anyone was watching.

The movement reminded Gerald of someone he knew and he tilted his head, squinting

his eyes to get a better impression. There was definitely something familiar about the man.

And why hadn’t he introduced himself?

“What?” The guy fidgeted in his seat.

“You’re going to think this is a pickup line, but you look awfully familiar.” He felt

recognition tickle the back of his brain, but couldn’t quite figure it out. God, how annoying.

“Well, technically it isn’t a pickup line since I’m already sharing a table with you.” The

guy grinned mischievously, and that brought back a whole flood of memories.

“Shawn!” He leant forwards. Yep, it was definitely his old buddy Shawn Adens who

had vanished so completely after his father’s disgrace and death—what?—eight or nine years

ago?

“You remember me?” Something like panic flickered across Shawn’s face only to be

firmly shut down and replaced with surprise.

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“Of course I remember you.” He’d lusted after him for at least a year before the

‘vanishing act’. Shawn had confirmed, in Gerald’s mind, that he was gay. What was the man

doing here now? But first things first. “Do you remember me?”

“Yes, I do.” Shawn narrowed his eyes. “But your name was Gerald back then.”

There goes my cover. “Yes, well, it’s complicated. Basically I use my middle name when I

go to places like this.”

“You’re not out?” Shawn’s eyes went wide.

“I’m out, that’s not the problem. My father is…” He sighed. “He has political ambitions

so I have to be extra careful not to be seen and recognised anywhere ‘incriminating’—can

you believe it?”

“Shit.” Shawn shook his head. “That sucks.”

“Yeah. Nothing I can do about it.” Not in the immediate future, at least. “So, what the

hell happened to you? Where did you go? And when did you get back?”

“It’s a long story.” Shawn seemed uncomfortable, eyes still flitting around the room

occasionally, checking things out.

“We have time.” Gerald leant back, making sure he didn’t look threatening. “Let’s get

some drinks and you can tell me all about it.”

“You’re actually interested?” Shawn’s eyebrows rose.

“Hell yes, I’m interested.” Why would Shawn have trouble believing that? What had

happened to his self-confidence? He had never been the tallest guy in their year, but that

hadn’t stopped him from standing up for himself. He seemed more withdrawn now.

“Okay.” Shawn smiled, looking much younger as he relaxed slightly. The small dimple

appearing in one cheek was too cute.

Half an hour later they’d finished their beers and Gerald had heard what he believed to

be the short version of what had happened to Shawn. Coming back as soon as he was able

because he’d wanted to be home made sense. It was amazing they’d never run into each

other, but they didn’t exactly move in the same circles.

“So, what is it you do now?” He debated getting another beer versus trying to get out of

here. This place was much too public and people were beginning to notice them. Talking

couples were rare here—most came for the dancing.

“I’m a writer.” Shawn blushed.

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“So you made your dream come true? That’s great.” He smiled, trying to reassure the

man. “Have any of your books been published?”

“Not yet.” Shawn shook his head and glanced away.

“They will be.” And he had enough contacts in a few of the bigger publishing houses to

be of help, if Shawn wanted it. Not that he’d offer now—they had to get to know each other

better first. Shawn didn’t strike him as a man who’d easily accept help, never mind from a

virtual stranger. And that was what they were…for now. He planned on changing it as soon

as possible.

“Thanks.” Shawn fiddled with his coaster and the empty glass instead. He visibly

pulled himself together after a while and looked up. “So, what is it you do these days?”

“Oh, boring stuff.” The adventure of running a company no longer existed. He needed

a challenge, and, now that he’d reorganised them, he was bored. “I run a pharmaceutical

company.”

“How can that be boring? I bet you have lots of challenges every day.” Shawn had

stopped fiddling with his stuff.

“Well, yes, small ones, but I need more difficult situations to keep me busy.” He

laughed. “Maybe I shouldn’t tempt fate like this. It’s almost like asking for trouble.”

Shawn shrugged and was about to say more. Gerald wanted to move on to other topics,

so he changed the subject.

“Would you like to dance?” He held his breath.

“What?” Shawn reared back in shock, eyebrows trying to climb onto the top of his head.

“You want to dance with me?”

“Yeah, I’d like that. Unless you came here just for the sights.” He grinned. “They can be

quite interesting as well, but I’d love to get closer to you.”

“You would?” Shawn’s eyebrows were getting a lot of exercise tonight.

“Of course. I’ve been wondering what you’d feel like in my arms since high school.” It

was true, but hearing it spoken out loud made him wonder if it wasn’t too dorky. Hell, he

wanted to impress the man, not chase him away.

“Oh.” Shawn swallowed and just stared at him.

Gerald tried not to blink.

“Okay.” Shawn nodded.

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“Yes!” He wanted to jump up and do a victory dance but managed to restrain himself.

Only just. He got up and held out his hand. “Come on, then.”

Shawn put his smaller hand into his and he closed his fingers around Shawn’s. Tingles

of awareness raced up his arm and straight to his groin. Man, this felt better than he’d

imagined, and they were only holding hands. Am I going to survive Shawn in my arms?

When he embraced Shawn for the first slow dance, the feelings were very different from

the few times he’d done this before. He had always been careful about letting men close to

him, mostly indulging in quick blow or hand jobs in bathroom stalls and dark alleys. The few

times he’d danced with another man certainly hadn’t excited him to this degree.

His whole body suddenly came alive. Shawn moving against him, swaying slowly as

they basically stayed in the same spot, had his cock hard as a rock in record time. Their

groins rubbed together, the only problem too much fabric between them. Their stomachs and

chests pressed up against each other and Shawn’s hot breath on his neck as he put his head

on Gerald’s shoulder had him shaking with arousal.

He wanted a lot more touch—in private, so he could explore the slender body in his

arms. The need for naked skin made him moan and Shawn lifted his head.

“You okay?” Shawn’s eyes were glazed with lust and he ground their groins together as

if to make sure the answer was yes.

“Far better than okay.” He dropped his head and kissed Shawn briefly.

Shawn went on his tiptoes and kissed him back, pressing their lips together but not yet

asking for more. Problem was, Gerald wanted more.

“You want…you want to take this somewhere more private?” Was that too fast?

“Yeah.” Shawn slowly sank back onto his feet and nodded, looking a little dazed.

“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

“Come here.” He stepped back, took Shawn’s hand and pulled him towards the exit.

Gerald only started thinking again when they got their coats. Early March in

Philadelphia was no time to go outside without extra protection, especially not with how

cold the winter had been this year. Spring may have been around the corner, but you

wouldn’t have thought so looking at the temperatures. Shit, he was rambling. He needed to

focus, but that wasn’t easy. He was too nervous about finally getting into Shawn’s pants after

all these years. Fuck, he should be thinking about where to take him.

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Home to his apartment was the first instinct, but was that safe? He frowned. Why did

he even hesitate? Shawn wasn’t a stranger, or one of his tricks. He wasn’t trying to worm his

way into Gerald’s life like one of those obnoxious reporters who came up with all sorts of

schemes to get close to him. Shawn was an old friend, and would be, with any luck, a very

close new friend—or more—very soon.

“Where are we going?” Shawn stopped walking in the middle of the badly lit parking

lot.

“Sorry.” He’d been so deep in thought that he’d forgotten his manners. “I thought we

could go to my apartment.”

“Oh.” Shawn swallowed.

“What did you think? That I was going to push you up against the wall around the

corner and ‘attack’ you right here?” He was tempted, now that he thought of it. That could be

a very hot scenario. But it wasn’t what he wanted with Shawn. Not this time.

“I…I didn’t think anything at all.” A hesitant smile made Shawn look very young all of

a sudden.

“Are you okay with going to my place?” Shit, he probably should have asked. He

wasn’t in the boardroom where he could tell people what to do…well, pretty much. If he

didn’t get his act together, he’d lose Shawn before they’d ever had a chance.

“Yeah.” Shawn pressed closer. “Beats the alley, I have to admit. Might be fun to have

more time, explore a little.”

“Uh-huh.” His groin tightened at the thought. He focused on getting them into the car

and heading towards home. It wasn’t a long drive since he lived right in the city centre, but

long enough for Shawn’s longing glances and wandering hands on his thigh to have an

effect. He was harder than ever when they finally made it into the underground garage. He’d

never run to the elevator, but he did this time. They started kissing before the doors were

closed and he had trouble pulling away when the soft ‘ding’ announced their arrival at the

penthouse floor. The hallway had lengthened in his absence, he was sure, and he pulled a

laughing Shawn behind him as he marched towards his place—one of only four apartments,

instead of the usual eight, on this level.

As soon as he’d closed and locked the front door, Shawn pushed him to the wall next to

it. He had his hands in Gerald’s hair, holding him still, and their mouths pressed together

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before he could blink. Gerald’s eyes widened as he felt Shawn’s tongue lick a long, hot path

across his lips, clearly demanding entry.

Who was he to object?

He opened up and lost himself in the most arousing kiss of his life. Shawn’s tongue was

everywhere—exploring, caressing, tangling playfully with his. He started bucking into

Shawn’s groin, as shamelessly as the guy he’d watched on the dance floor earlier. His arousal

rose, making him pant for breath. His cock pressed against the zipper with enough force to

make it hurt. He slid his hands up Shawn’s back, gripped his head and pulled them apart.

“What?” Shawn opened his eyes.

“Bedroom.” He took a deep breath and pushed off the wall, taking a perplexed Shawn

with him. “Naked.”

Luckily, Shawn had the same agenda and didn’t seem to mind the orders. Gerald had

very little patience at this point—he was far too keyed up. The need to find release had

become almost overpowering. Exploration could come later—that was what round two

would be for.

Shawn won the race to be naked and fell onto the bed, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Gerald wasn’t far behind and pounced on him, catching his larger body on his arms and

knees at the last moment. He didn’t want to crush Shawn.

The man wouldn’t have it, though, and pulled him down by placing one hand on his

ass, the other behind his neck. Gerald slid between Shawn’s spread legs and settled in like he

was supposed to be there. He wiggled a little to make sure their cocks were aligned.

Shawn groaned.

He grinned and took Shawn’s head between his hands, supporting himself on his

elbows.

“Very effective.” Shawn nibbled on his lower lip before launching into another long kiss

that made his toes curl. The man slid his hands down his back and grabbed his ass, kneading

and massaging his quivering muscles, driving his need even higher.

“Ungh.” He was already reduced to incoherency, and it was downhill from there.

He ground down, sliding from side to side until his balls hurt. Then he started to rock

in a slow rhythm designed to make sure all their pre-cum was distributed across sensitive

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skin prior to the real action. He enjoyed a little pain with his pleasure, but chafing skin so

wasn’t on his list of things he wanted to experience.

Shawn pushed up against him, never breaking their kiss. He couldn’t resist and started

moving faster. The friction was so good, he knew it wouldn’t take long. Shawn kept up with

him as they raced towards completion, kissing and licking and moaning into his mouth as

the tension grew. Just a little more…there… He shook with the first spasm of release as he let

go and gave in to the ecstasy racing though his veins.

His cock erupted, spraying heat between their shaking bodies. Shawn was right there

with him and they groaned through their orgasms. He’d stopped kissing his lover when he

came, instead nuzzling his shoulder, trying his best not to bite too hard.

“Shit.” Shawn was panting for breath.

“Yeah.” He rolled onto his side, taking Shawn with him. He’d never been a cuddler, but

this was Shawn!—the man he had longed for since high school.

Shawn didn’t seem to mind, and he let himself drift off to sleep. A short nap would do

them good. Hell, who was he kidding? He needed a nap simply to try to recharge his

batteries. He’d never had sex that was this intense and he felt exhausted.

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Chapter Three

Shawn awoke in the middle of the night in a bed that was a lot larger, and softer, than

his own. A heavy arm was thrown across his middle and soft snoring noises from his right

confirmed he wasn’t alone. He frowned, slowly remembering what had happened before he

had fallen asleep in what looked and felt like a stranger’s bedroom.

Oh, shit. He’d somehow let this plan of his to infiltrate Gerald’s life go a lot farther than

he’d originally intended. Having Gerald followed to see what establishments he frequented

so he could ‘accidentally’ run into him had proven a very fruitful idea. Confirming that

Gerald was gay, based on the clubs and bars he liked to visit, albeit discreetly, was a nice

bonus. He’d suspected—or rather, hoped—as much in high school, when most of his

fantasies and wet dreams had starred Gerald. The absence of women in his life, except for

that one weird episode of a widely published and mysteriously broken off engagement, had

been a big hint but not conclusive evidence.

Finding the man’s favourite club had been easy, but, once he’d run into him, Shawn had

been completely distracted and totally floored by his old attraction flaring back to life. He’d

been extremely nervous about this whole undercover thing, certain Gerald would notice

something was off. Nothing had happened, though, and all his lies about what he was doing

had been accepted. Gerald’s trust had temporarily blown his envy of Gerald’s privileged

position out of the water and derailed his initial plan completely.

Now, everything came crashing back with a vengeance. How the fuck is sleeping with the

man going to help me discover his dirty business dealings? Getting close to the man was all well

and good, but this was a little too close.

Panicking, he tried to scoot out of bed, but Gerald’s arm tightened as he mumbled

something in his sleep and pulled Shawn even closer. How cute…

Fuck!

He was sticky from their previous encounter, feeling the panic rise in him, and knew he

had to get away…and his first thought was ‘cute’ when Gerald wouldn’t let him go? He must

be in more trouble than he’d realised.

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“Want you to stay.” Gerald’s voice was soft and slightly slurred with sleep.

Shit!

“Shawn?” Gerald raised his head and blinked in the soft moonlight that was streaming

in through a small slit of the not-quite-closed curtains. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” He took a deep breath. He couldn’t risk discovery and would have to figure out

how to make this ‘personal angle’ work for his plan. No use making the man suspicious by

displaying weird behaviour. “Just a little sticky and itchy.”

“Oh, sorry. Forgot the cleanup.” Gerald raised himself up on one elbow, suddenly a

whole lot more awake. “Want to take a shower?”

“Please.” It would solve at least one of his problems.

“Sure thing.” Gerald rose and pulled him up, pointing towards a door in the wall

opposite the bed. “Bathroom’s there.”

Shawn chuckled as they wobbled towards their goal, both still more than a little drowsy

from their nap. He managed to do his business while Gerald fiddled with the shower

controls until he nodded and stepped back from the separate shower cubicle. He motioned

Shawn inside then made his way to the toilet.

Shawn stepped into the steamed-up space and moved right under the water. Perfection!

He put his hand on the tile, closed his eyes and leaned into the spray. The warm water fell

onto his head, ran down his neck, then his back and down along his legs. The heat relaxed

him. He sighed gratefully when Gerald joined him, closed the glass door behind them and

put his hands on Shawn’s shoulders. Gerald started kneading his tense muscles and Shawn

sighed again.

“Better?” Gerald moved closer and Shawn felt his hard cock bump his ass.

“Much better, thank you.” He was slowly waking up and his cock was starting to take a

definite interest.

“Let me get you clean.” Gerald’s hands moved away, but only briefly.

They came back feeling soapy and slippery, and Shawn leaned into the touches. Gerald

cleaned his back with long, slow strokes then went down his legs. By the time Gerald turned

him around, he was tingling all over and his cock was half hard. Gerald did his front with

just as much care, leaving out his genitals at first. Shawn opened his eyes to a mischievous

smile on the man’s face.

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An extra handful of lather later, Gerald moved his hands to where Shawn wanted them

most, lovingly cleaning his cock and balls, lifting them and sliding between his legs, all the

way to his hole. Shawn bit his lips as his lover started stroking his pucker, ensuring he was

clean there as well. Tendrils of lust raced from the sensitive skin right into his balls, making

him wish the man would push his finger in. But that didn’t seem to happen and he wasn’t

willing to beg, not yet. When he couldn’t take any more without saying something or at least

moaning, he pulled back.

“Let me return the favour.” He held his hand out for the soap and Gerald handed it

over. “Hands on the wall and spread ‘em.”

Gerald raised an eyebrow, but smiled and did as he was told.

“Good man.” Shawn grinned as he started to clean Gerald’s back. Then he reached

around to do his front, playing briefly with his nipples.

“Gah!” Gerald pushed into his hands. “More.”

Shawn gave them a little more care and attention then walked his fingers down the

washboard abs, making sure all traces of sticky cum from their previous activity were

removed. Then he cleaned the top of Gerald’s thighs, slowly sliding his hands towards the

groin area and the crease where thigh met hip. Raking the neatly trimmed pubic hair with his

fingers made Gerald moan. When he took the rock-hard cock into one hand and cupped the

large balls with the other, Gerald rocked his hips.

The noises that came out of his mouth were inspiring, and Shawn went from mostly

hard to a full erection that bumped Gerald’s ass cheeks every time the man moved back

towards him. It was maddening and very, very arousing.

He made a fist around Gerald’s leaking cock to give him a tight tunnel to push into.

Gerald groaned and began to thrust, throwing his head back to rest it on Shawn’s shoulder. It

was just the right height now that he’d spread his legs. He shamelessly fucked Shawn’s hand,

going on his toes when Shawn tightened his grip on his balls.

“Yes!” Gerald started shaking and heat sprayed from his throbbing cock, splashing the

dark tiles.

The water washed them clean immediately, but the scent hit Shawn hard, reminding

him of his own need. Gerald panted through the aftershocks as Shawn did his best to hold

him, then turned around in Shawn’s arms and pulled him closer. Sliding one hand down to

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enclose his cock, he used the other to part his ass cheeks and push a finger down towards

Shawn’s hole.

“Please.” He no longer cared whether this man reduced him to begging. He was so hot,

desperate for release, and the one finger pushing inside him combined with the hard and fast

jerks of his cock was all he needed. “Fuck!”

He came in spasms of pleasure that made him see stars and he collapsed against Gerald

as soon as he was done. His legs were still shaking when Gerald slid a soapy hand between

their bodies to get rid of the spunk then rinsed them off. Shawn tightened his grip around

Gerald when the man pulled him out of the shower and dried them off.

“Need sleep.” It was embarrassing, but he was exhausted now.

“That was the plan.” Gerald half carried him back to the bed then made him slip

between the sheets.

“Hmm.” He was already mostly asleep.

Gerald’s weight dipped the bed when he followed, and, before he knew what was

happening, Gerald spooned him, pulling him into his arms as if he belonged there. He was

too tired to fight. It was actually quite nice, so he smiled and let himself drift off to sleep.

He’d figure out the rest tomorrow.

Could get used to this…

* * * *

“I’m working on it.” Shawn bit back the impatient ‘all right’ and ‘hang on to your horses’

he’d wanted to add. He’d had no idea that doing serious research for an article could be this

nerve-racking. Being called into his boss’s office to report on his progress had come as a bit of

a shock to him. His colleagues had grinned and said it was normal, but still. He was used to

his independence.

“It’s been a couple of weeks, and I was hoping you’d have something by now.” Danielle

sat back in her expensive leather chair and sighed, clearly trying to stay calm and patient.

“Look, if the change from tabloid reporting to serious investigative work is too much for you,

just let me know. I’ll get you some support, an assistant or something.”

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“I want to do this right.” And that was at least a half-lie. Spending time with Gerald,

even if it was just sneaking around, was great fun and good for his libido, but it was messing

with his professional ambitions. Against his better knowledge he was beginning to like the

guy, and doubts about what he was doing weren’t few and far between anymore. He didn’t

think it was influencing the way he did his job yet, but he was apparently moving too slowly

for Danielle’s liking.

“Okay, I get that. I also get that you have a learning curve to deal with, but I’m serious.”

Danielle leant forwards and pointed at his interim report, a very thin four pages that lay

forlornly on her huge desk. “This isn’t enough and it may very well be that there isn’t much

dirt to find with this guy. So far, all you’ve got is a couple of disgruntled employees and

some iffy deals and research policies, but nothing big. What if the guy is clean?”

“It’s possible.” God, was he actually relieved at that thought?

“But you don’t think so?” Danielle tilted her head.

“I just have this feeling that something is going on there.” And that was the honest

truth. While he now hoped Gerald wasn’t involved, there was something fishy about the

financial stuff his paid contact in accounting had talked to him about. He just couldn’t quite

put his finger on it yet. The copies he had obtained were burning a hole in his pocket and he

urgently needed a specialist to have a look at them.

“Okay, we’ll follow your gut for now.” She nodded as she filed away the report in a

desk drawer. “But—and this is important—I want you to do two things for me.”

Here we go. He nodded anyway.

“One, I want you to widen the search. With Mr VanBrunt Senior’s political ambitions,

he may or may not be the bigger target. Have you thought of that?” She stared at him as if

she could make him agree just by force of will.

“Yes, I have.” Thank God he was way ahead of her on that one. He just hadn’t said

anything, wanting to seem competent, independent, and able to run his own show. Maybe he

should have shared more? Reassured her? He was still very new, after all. Shit, this reporting

to superiors stuff was proving harder to figure out than he’d expected.

“Good.” She nodded and sat back, slightly more relaxed now that he wasn’t resisting

her ‘suggestions’. “Second, I want you to pick another target and start researching them.”

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“What? Why? That will only reduce my focus.” No way could he handle two

investigations like that simultaneously.

“It’s only sound reporting practice to have at least two irons in the fire at all times,

Shawn.” She shook her head and smiled. “Should have told you that before, but I keep

forgetting how new you are at this way of doing things. You seem so competent most of the

time.”

Most of the time? Hah! He’d give her most of the time!

“So, do you agree?” She wasn’t going to let this one go, he could tell by the stubborn set

of her mouth.

“I hear you and I’ll follow your suggestion.” He was damned if he was going to accept

the fact that she was basically giving him orders.

“Good enough.” She grinned and pointed at the door. “Now, go and get them.”

* * * *

“So, what can you tell me?” Shawn sat opposite the Herald’s accountant, waiting for the

man’s verdict on the papers he’d given him to analyse. Gerald’s company’s accounts were

public, but he’d supplemented them with some internal information he’d been able to get

from one of their finance guys. The man had a bad gambling addiction and was grateful for

the extra money Shawn had pushed his way. Maybe not the most ethical thing to do, but it

had got him what he wanted. And nobody had complained when he’d expensed the amount,

so his new employer seemed to be at least accepting.

“There’s something really odd about these numbers.” The round man with the thick

glasses looked so much like an accountant it was almost comical.

No shit, Sherlock! Even he could see that, which was why he’d decided to talk to the

finance specialist—to see if he could figure out what it was that seemed off. Freddy Pinto had

taken two whole days for his analysis, and Shawn was glad he didn’t bite his nails. They’d all

be gone by now. If he’d had to wait another day, he might have taken up the habit out of

sheer desperation.

“I’ve put it all in my report.” Freddy pointed at a thick, neatly spiral-bound booklet.

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“Can you just give me the highlights, please?” He wasn’t too keen on wading through

pages and pages of probably undecipherable gobbledygook. He had a hot date with Gerald

in under two hours and still needed to go back home and shower.

“But the report is very clear.” Freddy didn’t seem too comfortable.

“Humour me, please?” Shawn leant forwards and took the report, just to appease the

nervous-looking man.

It had been the right move. Freddy took a deep breath, nodded and launched into a

longwinded explanation of why he thought money was being skimmed from the company,

as well as the several sources it was potentially coming from. Shawn’s head was hurting with

the impact of what he’d heard within minutes.

“Wait…wait. Hold on one second.” He held up his hand to stem the man’s flow of

words and rubbed his temples while he closed his eyes for a moment. He needed a break!

Finally, he glanced back at the slightly flushed and clearly excited Freddy. God, the man was

enjoying this. “You’re saying someone is taking money out of several company accounts?

And weird expenses have shown up? Who is doing this? And why? How come nobody ever

saw this before?”

“I can’t tell you who is doing it from the information at my disposal. All I can see is that

some unexplained ‘investments’ are going to an account in the Caribbean. It would take

much more work, and probably a criminal investigation, to find out who is behind it. The

other thing I noticed is that payments to a small PR company have almost tripled in the last

year, but I could find no references to corresponding services having been performed. It’s

just very odd.” Freddy seemed crushed, as if it was his fault that he couldn’t help Shawn

more. “As to the why, that depends on the who, doesn’t it? And, clearly, nobody was

searching for this information, or they would have found it. I mean, it was well hidden, but

not impossible to find. Any competent auditor would have stumbled across it in no time.”

“So, we don’t know who’s stealing the money. How much is it, by the way?” He had a

horrible suspicion they weren’t talking about small change.

“Millions.” Freddy looked horrified, as if the magnitude of the crime was just now

sinking in.

“Millions.” He swallowed and sat back. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

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Freddy nodded, pulled a handkerchief from his pants pocket and wiped the sweat from

his forehead.

“Okay, so someone is taking millions from several of Apollo Lab’s accounts for

unknown reasons. What about the auditing company? Could they be in on it?” He vaguely

remembered reading about quite a few accounting scandals where auditors had been

implicated.

“They could.” Freddy nodded.

“Who hires them? Could they be paying the auditors to look the other way?” This was

beginning to be very interesting.

“Generally, that is a board decision. However, they normally follow industry practice,

since some audit firms specialise in certain industries, and sometimes they are appointed by

a parent company.” Freddy frowned. “I’m not sure how it works at Apollo Laboratories, so

you may need to do some additional digging.”

“Oh, I will, don’t worry.” He was going to dig a hole straight through the Earth’s core,

if needed. One way or the other he would get to the bottom of this. He prayed Gerald had

nothing to do with it—he was beginning to really like the man, despite all his efforts to keep

his distance. But if he did? He needed to know sooner rather than later.

* * * *

“Hi.” Shawn stared at Gerald in open surprise. Man, the guy looked good in a suit.

“Hey, come on in.” Gerald winked at him and stepped aside.

Shawn walked into the luxurious penthouse apartment that was beginning to feel like a

second home. He was totally confused. Gerald was no slob, always dressed carefully even

though they almost never went out. Well, other than their weekly visit to The Warehouse,

they’d only been to a restaurant once. And that had been out of town, where nobody was

likely to recognise them. Gerald had too much to lose, and Shawn had too much to hide—not

that Gerald was aware of that.

He turned around and stared at his lover who looked like a million dollars tonight.

“What… What’s going on?” Shawn tried hard to hide how nervous he was.

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“I’d like to take you to dinner.” Gerald sat down on the big couch and pulled Shawn

down next to him. “We’ve never really dated, and I don’t like that. I was talking to my sister

Melanie earlier and she was complaining about the fact that my dad’s ideas of what she

should and should not do were still ruining her life, even though she’s married and lives

over four hundred miles away from him, in Boston.”

“What does he want from her?” Shawn was elated to find out something more about

the man he suspected was behind the embezzlement at Gerald’s company.

“He told her in no uncertain terms that she needs to have children. Now.” Gerald shook

his head. “She’s in the middle of getting her doctorate in philosophy and does not want

children yet. Her husband supports her, thank God, but apparently Dad is making their life

hell.”

“And they’re letting him?” He’d walked away from his uncle, after all. Why couldn’t

they do the same?

“You don’t know my father.” Gerald sighed. “I’ve only just understood how controlling

he really is, if you let him. I thought building my own life was enough but he’s been

hounding me about finding a woman again, and I’ve decided one embarrassing engagement

episode is enough.”

“The publicly broken one?” He held his breath. It had been all over the news, so it was

safe to ask, but this was the first time Gerald was about to tell him something really personal.

The trust required was not insignificant and it made him feel kind of special. If only he could

afford to be as honest in return. But it wasn’t time yet. He needed that final bit of information

about who was behind the embezzlement first.

“Yes.” Gerald stopped smiling and ground his teeth. “He’d set the whole thing up,

‘inventing’ the engagement to a woman who’d been my friend. He figured I wouldn’t do

anything to publicly embarrass him or myself, never mind the woman.”

“But he was wrong.” Shawn was beginning to see where this was going.

“Very. I found my balls, we had a huge fight and it’s been fairly quiet ever since. Except

it’s a false peace because I am still ‘hiding’ the fact that I’m gay.” Gerald smiled, looking

predatory. “Now that I’ve found you and have a reason to come out, I’ve decided that

enough is enough.”

“You have?” Shit, what was he supposed to say?

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“Yes.” Gerald took his hand. “I have my own life now, I’m not ashamed of you, and I

think it’s time for us to come out in the open, so to speak.”

“You do?” Shawn sounded like an idiot but he was too overwhelmed to come up with a

clever reply.

“Definitely.” Gerald kissed his knuckles. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Where are we going?” Shawn saw no way out of this, not without making Gerald

suspicious. Shit. Not now. He was so close!

“We’ve got a reservation at Morimoto in”—Gerald checked his watch—“exactly forty

minutes.”

“Morimoto?” That was only one of the most fashionable, high-end Japanese restaurants

in all of Philadelphia, right on Washington Square West. It was also a prime spot for business

dinners, so they were most likely safe from anyone speculating about what they meant to

each other. He was more worried about one of his former tabloid buddies showing up. But

very few celebrities, if any, frequented that place, so it should be okay.

He could only hope, because Gerald was certainly determined.

“Have you been?” Gerald rose and pulled him up along his muscled body, making him

groan. Gerald grinned as he grabbed his ass and winked. “Later.”

“No. But I’m curious what the place is like.” He followed Gerald into the hallway, out

of the door and into the elevator. “You know, for research purposes.”

“You are such a writer.” Gerald smiled as he pressed the button for the garage in the

basement. “Always on the lookout for information and ideas. Which reminds me, you still

haven’t shown me your work. When can I see it?”

Oh, fuck! He wished he’d never made up that story about writing novels.

“Don’t worry.” Gerald led the way to the car. “I’m just joking. You show me when

you’re ready, don’t let me spook you.”

“It’s just…” God, Gerald was being so nice and he was planning his demise. Well, not

necessarily his, not anymore. The father was probably the guilty party. But still. He’d lied to

Gerald, had asked questions and dug for information behind his back. Even their friendship

had started out as a cover for him to get close.

The drive was short and quiet. Apparently Gerald wasn’t in the mood to talk any more

than he was. He looked as thoughtful as Shawn felt. How the fuck was he going to get out of

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this? Was he going to confess the truth and hope for the best? What about when his article

broke and Gerald would find out he was behind it all? He’d used a pseudonym when he was

writing for the tabloids the few times he’d been given credit, just as an extra layer of

protection in case one of his ‘subjects’ got upset and wanted to go after him. But this one

would be fully credited to him. How was he going to explain that?

Walking into the restaurant made him temporarily forget all his problems. He’d seen

pictures of the breathtaking decor, but the reality was far better. The basic theme was

nautical, but it came executed in an ultramodern version. Tables and lamps were curved and

that alone gave the place an exotic flare. But the colours—from the red sofas to the colourful

art on the walls to the golden lamps—were something else. Their table was in a quiet corner,

which was reassuring since nobody was likely to see them there, but he still had a great view

of the entire place.

The menu was extensive, and covered everything from sushi and vegetarian rolls, hot

and cold appetisers, salads and soups, to a full selection of sushi and sashimi as well as

entrées. Where to even start?

“What do you think about taking the Morimoto Omakase?” Gerald’s eyes twinkled as

he put down the menu. “I’ve always wanted to try the taster menu here, and it saves us from

making all the choices. It is ten courses, but I’m sure we can manage if we pace ourselves.”

“Brilliant.” He was trying hard not to look too relieved. “That’s a perfect suggestion.”

They’d barely finished giving the waiter their order when two men walked by their

table, one of whom stopped short when he saw Shawn. His mouth fell open in shock as he

looked from Shawn to Gerald and back.

“What the fuck is a low-life tabloid reporter like you doing eating here?” Ted Fender,

the owner of the Philly Metro News and the man who’d fired him over an alleged inaccuracy

in one of his articles, couldn’t have picked a worse time to have one of his fact-finding

meetings.

Gerald’s eyes widened as he turned around to stare at Shawn.

Oh, fuck!

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Chapter Four

“You’re a reporter?” Gerald started shaking with the impact of the revelation. Hell, he’d

suspected something was off when his questions about the progress of Shawn’s novel had

been ignored, circumvented or provided with very evasive answers. The man also had no

public profile to speak of, and that was weird if he was trying to sell his books. He’d put it

down to shyness, maybe an artistic quirk, but now?

This man he had started to really like, even trust—a fucking tabloid reporter?

Shawn had turned whiter than the tablecloth and closed his eyes as he sank against the

back of his chair.

“You didn’t know?” The slimy-looking stranger in the expensive suit sported an

equally pricey haircut, but his aftershave smelt decidedly cheap and nasty. “Oh, that’s

precious.”

Shawn raised his hands and covered his face. He shook his head in small, helpless

movements, as though he might go into shock if things got any worse.

Gerald almost felt sorry for him. Almost. His need to find out what the hell was going

on was bigger than his compassion at this point. What was Shawn after? Why had he got

involved with Gerald? He was going to get to the bottom of this and then dump the lying

bastard faster than he’d be able to plead for mercy.

“What, you trying to work undercover now? You should know better, you’re not cut

out for that sort of work. It requires a brain.” The stranger snickered.

“That’s enough.” Gerald rose from his chair and stared at the obnoxious little man.

Physical intimidation usually worked on bullies like him. “You’re done here. I’d like you to

leave us alone.”

“Are you trying to protect him? Aren’t you aware of the damage he could do to you

and your company? Your entire family? You are Gerald VanBrunt, right? You should know

better.” The stranger had taken a step back, though, just in case.

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“This is none of your business.” Gerald frowned. The idiot’s nasty comments had

turned his world upside down with just a few sentences, and that was getting to him. But, be

that as it may, this was Shawn’s story to tell and the man just needed to go.

“Oh, isn’t it?” He tilted his head as if in thought, his lips twisting into a nasty sneer.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Too bad, I love a bit of drama.”

Gerald just stared, willing the idiot to get the message.

“Oh, well, nice meeting you in person, VanBrunt, and good luck with your boy toy.”

The stranger laughed triumphantly as he walked away.

What an asshole!

Gerald sat and took a few large sips of his wine while he watched Shawn. The guy was

still shaking, almost as if he was crying. What was he thinking? What was going on? Did he

have a reason to sneak into Gerald’s life? Was he after information? Or was he genuinely

interested in Gerald as a lover? He hoped to God it was the latter. He really didn’t want to

lose Shawn, but he couldn’t let himself think that way. It was too risky. The ‘let’s get personal

to get some juicy information’ scenario was far more likely, and he’d better be ready for a

major disappointment.

He cleared his throat and straightened his spine. Time to find out the truth.

“Is he gone?” Shawn’s voice was shaky and soft.

“The idiot who exposed you? Yeah, he’s gone.” Gerald finished his wine, determined

this was his last alcoholic drink for the night. He needed a clear head to understand what

was going on and handle the fallout. “Who was he, anyway?

“Ted Fender.” Shawn rubbed his face but didn’t withdraw his hands. “He owns the

Philly Metro News and I used to work for him.”

“So it’s true.” He hadn’t been sure. But that rag was one of the biggest tabloids in Philly,

extremely sensationalistic and out for blood on a good day. You didn’t want to be on the

receiving end of their lies on a bad day.

“Yes and no.” Shawn finally glanced up. He looked ten years older, and his eyes were

red-rimmed. “I don’t work for him anymore.”

“Oh, good, so at least it’s not the worst tabloid in this city, possibly this state, that’s after

me.” Gerald sneered. “So, whom do you work for? And what do you want from me?”

“It’s not like that.” Shawn sounded defeated.

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“Oh, really?” He raised an eyebrow, anger beginning to tighten his stomach. Was

Shawn going to lie after all? Had he been this wrong about the man and who he was deep

down? “Please do tell me what it is like, then. I’m curious.”

“Okay. I owe you nothing less than the truth.” Shawn took his wineglass with shaking

hands and emptied it in one go.

This should be good.

“When I returned to Philadelphia I had no money, so I washed dishes and waited

tables, lived in a crappy apartment and saved up so I could afford the registration fees for

college. Just like I told you.” Shawn glanced up as if to gauge his reaction. “But my degree is

in journalism, not literature. The job market was tough, so I worked as a freelance journalist

for a year or so, before I got hired by the Philly Metro News. A few years later I switched to

the Philadelphia Daily because the PMN’s methods were getting more than unscrupulous.”

Gerald raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, believe it or not, I do have principles. I just couldn’t afford them at first.”

Shawn’s smile was forced. “A few weeks back I was recruited by the Philadelphia Herald to

expose sinister business deals.”

“That’s a newspaper with a good name.” He frowned. “What made you change?”

“I don’t like digging up dirt about people anymore.” Shawn shrugged. “You may or

may not believe me, and you have every reason not to, but I much prefer working with facts

and piecing a story together, like a jigsaw puzzle.”

“Okay, I believe you.” Gerald’s gut had never been that wrong about someone, and

from what he’d seen of Shawn, how he approached discussions and analysed situations, the

part about liking puzzles was probably true.

“So, when they offered me the opportunity to pick a target and start researching and

your name came up, I decided to go for it.” Shawn looked down at the table.

“Why me?” There was more behind that statement.

“I envied you and the other guys who had it easy, okay?” Shawn’s eyes glittered with

intensity. “I’ve had to fight so hard, just because my dad was an idiot, and all of you,

everyone in my year, had it so easy. So I was going to get back at you.”

“And you picked me because…” God, if this was some sort of a personal vendetta and

Shawn had lied about liking him, he would kill the man.

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“You and your family were the biggest target on my list.” Shawn still didn’t look up.

“So there wasn’t some sort of personal vendetta against me?” Gerald held his breath.

This was damned important. If it wasn’t personal, he could probably live with it. The minute

he realised what he was thinking he stopped short. What the fuck was he doing? Trying to

make excuses? Did he want Shawn that badly?

“No! Never!” Shawn’s head flew up and his eyes were wide.

The relief that flooded his veins made his knees weak. And there was his answer,

wasn’t it? He fucking wanted Shawn so much he was actually contemplating forgiving him

for infiltrating his life. Well, there were a few more questions he needed answers to, as to

exactly what Shawn was planning, but, basically, Gerald was ready to forgive and forget.

Fuck, it must be love. And wasn’t that a scary thought?

“Please, you have to believe me!” Shawn’s eyes were pleading with him. “I was looking

for information, and actually finally found some fascinating stuff today, but I’ve felt bad

about lying to you ever since our first meeting.”

“Oh, well, at least you regretted leading me on.” The snide remark was out before he

could stop himself and the effect on Shawn was crushing. The man basically crumpled into a

heap of unhappiness right before his eyes.

“I didn’t.” Shawn dropped his head, hopelessness exuding from every pore in his body.

“Not that I expect you to believe me.”

“So, what did you find?” Gerald wanted all of this stuff out of the way first then he’d

work on restoring Shawn’s confidence as far as the two of them were concerned. The man’s

reaction was very telling. Their relationship, such as it was, obviously really meant

something to Shawn. Or he was a damned good actor!

“I’m not supposed to tell you this, so I’m going out on a limb here. If you are involved

in the embezzlement scheme, this will blow my story because it’ll give you time to hide what

you did.” Shawn sighed. “But I kinda don’t think it was you anyway, and I owe you the

chance to figure out what’s going on.”

“Embezzlement?” He barely stopped himself from yelling.

Of course, the waiter chose that moment to bring their first course—miso soup in clear

crystal bowls that made the soup shine and sparkle. It looked wonderful but his mind was

elsewhere. Too bad he wasn’t going to be able to enjoy this dinner.

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“Yeah. I have, um…obtained some internal financial information and had a specialist

look at it.” Shawn finished his soup quickly.

“You ‘obtained’ the information?” This was beginning to sound like some sort of

thriller. “Do I want to know how?”

Shawn shook his head.

“Okay.” He suppressed a grin. He was going to find out at some point—he was much

too curious to let this go. “What did your specialist say?”

“He found two places the company is losing unexplained sums of money to.” Shawn

sat back and raked his hair. “One is a set of accounts in the Caribbean—we have no idea who

owns those yet.”

“Fuck! Someone is stealing from me?” He leant forwards. “What about the other flow of

money that’s leaving my company?”

“Mysterious payments to one of your smaller PR firms for which we could find no

record of services having been performed.” Shawn shook his head. “I can only speculate that

there is a person or persons being paid off for something they’re doing for whoever is

siphoning off money to the Caribbean.”

“Unbelievable.” His entire world had collapsed for sure.

“Yeah. I’m very glad it wasn’t you, though.” Shawn smiled hesitantly.

“How do you know?” Gerald wiggled his eyebrows.

Shawn laughed.

Better! Now maybe they could focus on coming up with a plan to find the asshole or

assholes who were stealing from him.

“You do realise you’re in this with me now, right?” He wasn’t going to accept anything

less than Shawn’s full cooperation. The man had a talent for getting to the bottom of things,

he had the determination to match and Gerald suspected he’d need all the help he could get.

“With you?” Shawn’s eyes seemed to be stuck on the ‘wide’ setting.

“Yeah, I need you to help me find the perpetrator.” He could be just as stubborn.

“But…but my boss won’t like that!” Shawn looked horrified. “She’ll kill me.”

“I’m sure she won’t.” He grinned. “She’ll see things my way when she realises she can

either let you help me or have her ass sued off before she can say boo.”

“You would do that?” Shawn’s eyes shone with hope.

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“In a heartbeat.” These people hadn’t seen him in action yet.

* * * *

Gerald groaned as he closed the accountant’s report Shawn had given him. It was

extremely extensive and very damning. There was more than enough material inside to hang

him several times over.

“You okay?” Shawn returned from his tiny kitchen with coffee refills for both of them in

his hands. Thank God they had finally stopped shaking.

Going to Shawn’s place—a first—had been necessary since that’s where the report was.

But Gerald missed his own four walls, the comfort of a little luxury. Shawn’s apartment was

clean, but small and extremely basic in its furnishings. Books everywhere in the living

room—he hadn’t seen the bedroom yet—was the most distinctive feature. God, listen to me.

Am I turning into a snob or what?

“Gerald?” Shawn’s little frown between his eyes was a dead giveaway, as he placed the

mugs on the dining table between them. “What do you think?”

“I think whoever is behind this is damned clever. They’ve not only covered their tracks

really well, but they’ve managed to make it look like I’m behind it.” He took a sip of the

scalding hot liquid and sighed. Better! It had been late when they’d left the restaurant, and it

hadn’t been getting earlier while he’d worked his way through the report. Several pages of

notes attested to the fact that he’d been paying very close attention.

“I know!” Gerald put his mug back on the table without taking a sip. “Had me totally

fooled at first.”

“What made you change your mind?” He certainly hadn’t seen anything that had made

him doubt what was there. Not on this first read-through, at least.

“It was a sixth sense…” Shawn’s eyes defocused as he looked somewhere off into the

distance before his gaze retuned to Gerald. “And it was all too perfect, too neat.”

“Too perfect?” He almost choked on his coffee.

“Yeah, you know, it all fit just right—no loose ends, no forgotten details. You only

really get that with a cover-up job.” Shawn shrugged as he took a sip from his coffee.

“You do, huh?” He grinned. “And you know this because…”

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“I’ve seen a few attempted cover-up jobs in my time.” Shawn dropped his gaze. “You

get to see a lot when you work for a tabloid.”

“Hey, look at me.” Gerald wasn’t going to let Shawn beat himself up.

“What?” Shawn glanced at him, fear of rejection written all over his face.

“Don’t blame yourself, okay? It was good experience, in a way, and you’ve put it

behind you. You’re working for a decent newspaper now, so don’t let anyone get you

down.” He watched Shawn until the man nodded, a small smile appearing on his face.

“Okay, better.”

“Do you really mean that?” Shawn seemed so hopeful.

“Absolutely.” He nodded for emphasis and took Shawn’s hand in his. “That’s

something you may have noticed about me already, and, if not, you’ll learn it over the next

few years. I never say anything I don’t mean.”

“The…the next few years?” Shawn’s eyes were back to the ‘wide’ setting.

“I’d like to give us a go, Shawn.” Gerald smiled. “I’ve liked you from the very first

meeting. Hell, I started liking you in high school. And now that I know you’re not holding

back from me anymore, and have seen what kind of man you are underneath it all, I’d like to

get to know you a hell of a lot better. And I imagine it will take a few years to discover the

rest of you.”

“If not longer.” Shawn’s eyes turned misty and he blinked a few times until he had

himself under control again. “Yes, please.”

Gerald felt an undeniable tightness in his groin area. He pulled Shawn up as he rose

and embraced him, moving their bodies close enough so they touched in all the right places.

Shawn was as excited as he, and his lips were parted as if in invitation for a kiss. Who was he

to try to resist?

He bent his head and slanted his lips across Shawn’s. The heat and flavour of the man

hit him in the best way and made him dizzy with lust. Their tongues met and danced around

each other, stroking and caressing in an effort to get to know each and every area in the

other’s mouth. He gripped Shawn more tightly, sliding a hand down to his ass so he could

push their groins even closer together. Soon, their whole bodies—hands and all—were

involved in the kiss. Only when he felt as if he was about to faint due to lack of oxygen did

he finally manage to pull back.

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“I want to make love to you.” His voice sounded a lot deeper than usual, almost

gravelly. They still hadn’t fucked, but he felt it was time now.

“Please.” Shawn pulled back, took his hand and started walking towards the hallway. A

sudden stop made him almost run into his lover.

“What?” He hoped the holdup wasn’t because Shawn had suddenly remembered a lack

of supplies or some other obstacle that would stop them.

Shawn turned around.

“What about the report and everything?” Shawn looked at the table where they’d left it

and his notes.

“We’ll deal with that in the morning.” He already had a few ideas of where to start,

and, anyway, there was nothing they could do about it in the middle of the night.

“If you’re sure?” Shawn threw a longing glance towards the bedroom. “I’m stupid to

bring it up, but I don’t want either of us to regret this.”

“I promise you, I won’t regret it.” He took a deep breath. Was this Shawn’s way of

pulling back? Was he hesitant because he was still not ready?

“Okay, just wanted to check.” Shawn walked them the rest of the way into a decent

sized bedroom. “The last thing we need is for our personal relationship to mess things up.

Things are messy enough as it is.”

“As far as I’m concerned, our personal relationship and how well we work together is

going to make or break this case.” He sat on the bed and pulled Shawn into his lap so the

man’s legs were straddling his thighs. “It’ll be like the proverbial ace up our sleeves and

something that whoever is behind this will not expect. I’m not sure how we’ll do it, but there

must be a way of using it to our advantage.”

“I like the way you think.” Shawn wriggled closer, making sure their hard erections

touched. “I like the way you feel even better.”

“Oh yeah?” He slid a hand behind Shawn’s neck and kissed him. The passion between

them flared high and he was soon desperate for skin. “Naked.”

“I like how you focus on the most important things.” Shawn grinned and pulled back,

starting a sexy striptease even as he rose from Gerald’s legs.

Clothes flew every which way as Gerald joined his lover in the race towards full nudity.

Each patch of skin that Shawn revealed made his arousal rise even higher. When they were

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finally done, cocks at the ready, and Shawn stepped away, Gerald almost yelled in protest.

But when Shawn grinned and grabbed a bottle of lube and some condom wrappers into the

open before he deposited them on the bed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Your focus isn’t bad either.” Gerald took the lube, opening it with a click that made his

cock twitch in anticipation. “How do you want to do this?”

“I want you in me this time.” Shawn blushed as he stepped closer.

“This time?” He coated his fingers, not looking away from his lover for a second.

“I figure we have enough condoms for a few rounds.” Shawn shrugged. “I don’t know

about you, but I like variety.”

“Same here.” What a relief!

He liked sex any which way he could get it, and with Shawn he was determined to get

it a lot. And from the looks of the beautiful erection his lover was sporting as he lay back on

the bed, there would be a lot of ‘getting’ to be done at some point not too far in the future.

But first things first.

Gerald crawled on the bed, positioning himself between Shawn’s spread legs. He

pushed a pillow under his ass with his clean hand and caressed Shawn’s inner thighs for a

while. His lover’s eyes glazed over when he started touching and cupping his balls, ran a

finger up the erection that lay on his flat belly and bent down to kiss the tip of his cock. He

licked around the crown and finally took the very tip into his mouth.

The slightly salty flavour of Shawn’s copious pre-cum spurred him on to do more

licking, and he explored the cock head in great detail. Shawn moaned and his thighs started

trembling with the effort of holding himself back from thrusting.

Time for stage two.

He moved his lube-covered fingers to Shawn’s exposed hole and started circling the

little pucker, making sure the lube was all over the sensitive skin. At the same time he began

bobbing his head and applying suction to Shawn’s cock.

“Fuck!” Shawn thrust up into his mouth.

Gerald was ready, relaxed his throat muscles and let Shawn’s cock slide in. At the same

time he pushed a finger into his lover’s hole, making him scream his name and come down

his throat in pulsing streams of hot semen.

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“Mhmm.” He pulled back slightly to get as much of the flavour as possible as he

inserted a second digit and started finger-fucking Shawn through his orgasm.

“Shit, that was embarrassingly fast.” Shawn was panting for breath, still trembling with

the occasional aftershock.

“It was also hot as hell.” He finished cleaning Shawn off then got more lube. “Are you

up for the next one?”

“It might kill me, but yeah.” Shawn pointed at his still mostly hard cock. “Unbelievably

it looks like I’m just waiting for it.”

“Lucky for me.” He’d never hurt Shawn or do anything the man didn’t want, but

getting inside his lover and fucking him into the mattress was high on his ‘to do in the next

few minutes’ list right now.

“Not to mention me.” Shawn grinned and spread his legs even farther.

Gerald swallowed at the sight of that tempting little hole, and slipped on a condom

before dribbling more lube onto his fingers. He pushed in three digits this time, going ultra-

slow to spread his lover slowly. He knew Shawn liked the slow burn. As expected, Shawn

was totally into it and helped by pushing back. His erection soon returned to its full glory.

“Please. Now.” Shawn grasped his cock and started jacking himself off. “Need you.”

“No touching yourself.” He slapped Shawn’s hand away, replacing it with his own, just

holding on to the hot member.

Shawn’s eyebrows rose, but he nodded, trying to hold still as Gerald moved close

enough to poke the well-lubed hole with the top of his sheathed cock. He pushed inside and

Shawn howled. Shocked, Gerald stopped moving, ready to withdraw.

“More!” Shawn tried to get more of him inside. “Need more. Don’t stop!”

Gerald took a deep breath and thrust all the way inside. Fuck, Shawn was tight. He was

about ready to come and only thinking extremely unsexy thoughts kept him from

embarrassing himself completely.

“Yes!” Shawn arched his back and tightened his ass muscles further. “Fuck me like you

mean it!”

“Love that you’re so vocal.” He retreated and pushed back in, angling his cock to look

for the magical spot.

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Two long, deep thrusts later Shawn was clawing the sheets when he apparently made

contact. Gerald sank down on his hands and started thrusting as fast, hard and deep as he

could. Shawn whimpered, clenching his muscles and countering his movements perfectly.

They slapped together with enough force to make the bed shake. Sweat pearled on Gerald’s

forehead as he sank to his elbows and moved one hand between their sweaty bodies to

enclose Shawn’s leaking cock.

“Shit.” Shawn thrashed under him, trying to pushed up into his fist while attempting to

impale himself on Gerald’s cock.

Seconds later his lover stiffened and came all over his chest and abs, finally covering

Gerald’s hand in hot semen before he collapsed with a final grunt. The sight and scent of his

lover’s orgasm catapulted him over the edge. Slivers of ecstasy raced up and down his spine

as his balls contracted and he filled the condom in long pulses that made his entire body

shake.

He collapsed, rolling to his side at the last moment so he wouldn’t crush Shawn. After

dealing with the condom and doing a perfunctory cleanup with a handy small towel he

found in the nightstand, he pulled a half-asleep Shawn into his arms.

“Fuck, that was good.” Shawn yawned and moved closer.

“Better than.” He grinned and nuzzled his lover’s neck, more than halfway towards his

own nap.

“Can’t wait for the next round.” Shawn kissed his chin.

“You’re insatiable.” He sure wasn’t complaining, though. To him, there were few things

sexier than a partner who wanted him to the same degree as he did him.

“Just wait.” Shawn took a deep breath and relaxed the rest of the way into sleep.

Gerald grinned. He’d bet last month’s paycheque that he wouldn’t have to wait long.

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Chapter Five

Shawn had watched Gerald in his element all morning. After a night of the most

incredibly good sex he’d ever had, they’d made their way to Gerald’s office, using the secret

elevator that took them from the underground parking area straight into Gerald’s office.

He’d never known those things existed outside fiction and maybe high-budget movies.

Gerald’s proud smile as he showed off his secret ‘toy’ was priceless.

Not even the secretary knew he was here. He’d hidden in the executive bathroom every

time she came in to bring more coffee. Gerald and he pored over the report, looked at online

information, and Gerald had made a few phone calls to his banking contacts. All very

discreetly, of course—they didn’t want to alarm the person who was behind this.

“Well, I guess we’re done here.” Gerald dropped his pen, leant back in his chair and

stretched his gorgeous body. “I can’t believe my own father would do this to me, but the

proof is pretty convincing.”

“He is one of the few people who has access to a lot of your accounts, just because the

companies are so interconnected.” Shawn was less surprised because he’d been more

suspicious from the start.

“Yeah, he’s also mean enough to try to pin something like this on someone else, just to

hide the fact he’s been stealing what I’m sure he sees as his in the first place.” Gerald sat back

up and shook his head. “I still wonder how he was able to cover his tracks.”

“Someone from the auditing company must be in on it.” There was no other way.

“They are in such trouble.” Gerald chuckled. “I never liked them anyway, but they

audit the whole group’s accounts on my father’s recommendation, so there was no way of

rejecting them. Well, not without some sort of reason.”

“So, what do we do now?” Shawn admired his lover’s powerful stance behind the

executive desk of his dreams. What they wouldn’t be able to do with, or rather on, that desk,

given a few uninterrupted hours… He shook himself when Gerald cleared his throat.

“Are you with me again?” Gerald’s amused smile spoke volumes.

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His lover’s brief glance at the desk, followed by a wink confirmed Shawn’s suspicions.

Gerald knew exactly what he’d been thinking. His cock hardened and he squirmed in his

seat, trying to find a comfortable position. Gerald’s smile widened.

Busted! He cleared his throat, a little lost for words.

“Okay, so what we need to do next is lay a trap for my father, get him to confess his

sins—ideally on tape or camera—and make him back off.” Gerald tilted his head. “Then we

leave him to the authorities, who I am sure will take appropriate measures where he and that

auditing firm are concerned.”

“You make it sound so easy.” He frowned. “How the hell are we going to get your

father to come to a location where we’re ready for him? I agree it’s a better choice than wiring

you when you go after him, but I’m not sure he can be lured into an environment that’s not

controlled by him.”

“Oh, I’ve got a few ideas.” Gerald’s smile was positively evil.

* * * *

Two days later they were ready. Shawn was nervous as hell, hidden away in his usual

hangout—the executive bathroom. The door was ajar and he had a good view of the office,

but the key to making this work were the hidden security cameras Gerald had had installed.

The phone rang with his secretary’s distinctive ringtone and Gerald put it on

loudspeaker before picking it up.

“Yes, Trisha?” Gerald looked calm and collected.

How the hell did he do that?

“Charles VanBrunt is here to see you, sir.” Trisha’s voice sounded a little tinny, but he

could hear her well enough.

“Very well, please show him in.” Gerald ended the call, took a deep breath and leant

back in his chair. Not even a glance towards him, or the direction of the security cameras.

Amazing.

The door burst open with enough energy for it to bounce against the wall. Had Gerald’s

father been walking more slowly, it would have hit him. Since he was already halfway across

the office, the door harmlessly banged shut.

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“What the hell are you thinking?” VanBrunt Senior stepped up to the desk, put his fists

on the surface and straightened his arms.

“Hello, Father, nice to see you, too.” Gerald didn’t even blink. He’d clearly taken the

same intimidation classes as his dad and wasn’t letting the tactics get to him.

“Don’t give me that politeness crap!” Senior shook with suppressed rage, his face

getting redder by the minute. “We both know why I’m here, so let’s get to the point.”

“Actually, I’m not sure why you’re here, Father.” Gerald’s look of innocent surprise

was frighteningly real. “I sent you the information about the board meeting I called, and the

topic I intend to cover, as a gesture of goodwill so you have time to prepare a defence, should

there be one. But the meeting isn’t until tomorrow, so what are you doing here now?”

“You wouldn’t dare discuss your suspicions publicly like that! I will ruin you if you do

that.” Senior banged a fist on the desk. “I forbid it.”

“They’re far more than suspicions, Father, and you know it. I have written evidence of

the amounts you embezzled as well as the accounts the money went to. Now, I’ll admit that I

can’t prove what happened after that but, since you’re the main account holder for all of

them, you’re the one who is going to have to explain everything to the authorities. If you’re

innocent, I’m sure you’ll be happy to help them find the real perpetrator.” Gerald had a great

poker face—none of his emotions showed.

Shawn was so proud of his lover. It must be hard to stand up to his father, but he was

handling it like a pro. Now that the preliminaries were over, it would be interesting to see if

Gerald could get his father to divulge some of the information they needed on tape and for

the SEC agents listening in.

“You little fuck!” Senior looked as if he was about to have a heart attack. “I’m trying to

create a real family legacy, and all you can think of is sabotage.”

“Whatever it is you’re trying to do with the money can’t be as important as keeping our

family’s integrity intact.” Gerald’s voice was icy and carried a clear warning.

At least, it was clear to Shawn. He was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of his lover’s

stare. Senior, on the other hand, was cold enough not to care, or maybe he was self-centred

enough not to notice how upset his son was.

“You have no idea, do you?” Senior stood to his full height.

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“No, why don’t you enlighten me?” Gerald was using just the right balance of careful

curiosity and open challenge to goad his father.

“You’re not going to give up this stupid idea of making everything public until you

know the details, are you?” Senior frowned.

Gerald shook his head, the best way not to promise to shut up once he knew the details.

Shawn was sure that’s what Senior was after, but Gerald wasn’t playing. Good for him!

“You know that I’m running for office, right? You also know that requires a lot of

funding.” Senior sighed. “In the current climate, being rich and funding your own campaign

is not a good thing. So, I diverted money from various sources into a set of accounts in the

Caribbean, where all of it conveniently went ‘incognito’.”

“Ingenious.” Gerald managed to look and sound impressed.

Shawn had to work hard at suppressing his laughter. His lover really should be an

actor. He had quite the talent for pretence! The idea that more companies had been duped

out of their funds did not sit well with him, and he’d bet good money that Gerald was

seething about that at this very minute.

“It worked, until you stuck your nose into matters that are none of your business.”

Senior snorted.

“How isn’t it my business when you steal money from my company?” Gerald leant

forwards, letting some of his anger show. “You’re defrauding shareholders of their earnings,

Father—that’s a crime! And I’m supposed to sit back and applaud you?”

“I’m doing it for the family, you idiot!”

“Don’t make me laugh.” Gerald pointed a finger at his father. “You’re doing it for you,

and nobody else. You’ve never gotten over the fact that Uncle Lassiter made more money

than you by the time you were thirty, despite the fact he was your younger brother. I bet

you’re doing all this to get back at him.”

“So what if I am? Everyone will see that I’m the better man once I get elected.” Senior

took a step back. “And you’re not going to stop me. She said the plan was perfect.”

“She said?” Gerald laughed. “How could she know?”

Very clever of Gerald. They hadn’t found any trace of who was behind this, who was

covering up the whole mess. It sounded like they were about to find out.

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“Nina does know—she’s an auditor and she made sure our tracks are covered.” Senior

looked triumphant for about five seconds.

“Well, she’s not that clever, because I found out, didn’t I?” Gerald grinned. “And she’s

not a very honest auditor, either. Not just because she’s helping you cover up a crime, which

makes her an accessory, but even more so because she’s fleecing you while she’s at it.”

“What?” Senior’s smile was gone in no time.

“You heard me—she’s stealing you blind.” Gerald pulled their second report, the one

they had written together, from his drawer. “It’s all in here, documented in great detail.”

“That’s total crap. She has no need to steal anything. I pay her well. That’s what the PR

company account is for.” Senior didn’t look too sure of that, but he was making a brave face.

The tic in his jaw was a dead giveaway of his extreme discomfort.

Aha! Shawn grinned. He’d been right, the ‘service fees’ went via the doctored PR

invoices.

“Well, she seems to disagree with her salary. She’s been adding a few million to it via

the Caribbean accounts. Significantly more money has been going in than has come out, and

what’s left isn’t enough.” Gerald rose from his chair.

His father took a step back, mouth hanging open

“So, you see, Father, you cannot trust anyone these days.” Gerald smiled at his shaking

father and turned towards the hidden camera above the office door. “I trust you have

everything you need, ladies and gentlemen?”

“What the fuck?” Senior followed his son’s gaze towards the camera. “You didn’t…”

“I did.” Gerald chuckled.

The door opened and three plainclothes SEC agents walked in. The first one had

handcuffs at the ready and made his way towards Senior.

“You’re under arrest for fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion, which our colleagues

from the IRS will be dealing with.” The agent handcuffed Senior with efficient movements.

“You’ll pay for this!” Senior had lost all colour and stared at his son.

“I doubt it. You’ll be in prison long enough for me not to ever have to worry again.”

Gerald lifted his hand and did a finger wave. “Bye, Dad.”

* * * *

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Several weeks later…

Spring was definitely in the air. Winter’s freezing hold had finally made way for

warmer weather. The flowers were out in force, the grass looked much greener than it had

even a week ago and everyone had a smile on their face.

Shawn was no exception as he slowly wandered along the park’s main path on the way

to picking up Gerald from his new office just west of Fairmont Park. The small consultancy

his lover had set up—to ‘escape the boredom of corporate life’, as he’d put it—was doing

exceptionally well.

Shawn wasn’t surprised. Gerald had the brains, the charisma and the intelligence to do

well, whatever situation his clients presented him with. He also had the connections that had

made a quick start-up possible. Shawn worked there as a subcontracted analyst on some

days. Gerald had insisted he put his abilities to better use than working for a newspaper.

Shawn had come to admit, grudgingly, that it was fun.

Today was not one of his office days.

He’d spent the morning working on his novel, a story about office intrigues and

embezzlement. Gerald had laughed when he’d told him, but had understood that Shawn had

wanted to put his experience with Apollo Laboratories to good use. He’d also agreed that

people were probably interested to read stories that covered some of their current concerns

about corporate and financial issues.

After a quick lunch he’d taken the subway to Vine, where he’d done research into the

major US accounting scandals of this century in the business sciences branch of the

Philadelphia Library. He’d found some fascinating details and was beginning to think there

was potential for at least one sequel to his book. The available material was considerable.

A short cab ride later he got out at the south end of Fairmont Park and walked the rest

of the way. Exercise like this was great for relaxing his mind and coming up with new ideas

for his books. The digital voice recorder was always in his hand, and he’d spoken idea after

idea into it during the last hour.

Now it was time to stop working and focus on his lover.

Speaking of whom…

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The stunning man was already standing in front of his office building, briefcase in hand

and with a wide smile appearing on his face as soon as he saw Shawn.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Gerald took his hand and squeezed, never mind what anyone might

have to say. “Thanks for coming to pick me up.”

“It’s my pleasure, and you know it.” Shawn squeezed back.

“I do, but I’m not going to take you for granted. Ever.” Gerald smiled. “So, where are

you taking me tonight?”

It had become their favourite hobby to find new restaurants and surprise one another

with a new and different place to go once a week. It wasn’t helping their waistlines, but then

what did they have a home gym for? And it did wonders for keeping the romance alive, so

he wasn’t going to complain about the odd pound here or there that he ended up having to

work off again on the treadmill or rower.

“The New Tavern.” Shawn got in position to wave down a cab. “It’s been around since

1933 and has a great dining room with a hardwood floor. The food is supposed to be fresh

and comes in large quantities, so I hope you’re hungry.”

“I’m always hungry at the end of the day, you know that.” Gerald followed him into

the cab and waited for him to give the driver the restaurant’s address. “And not just for food,

you know?”

“Gerald!” He was glad his lover had whispered that last statement, but the sudden flow

of blood to his groin was still disconcerting. One of these days he was going to faint from the

sudden lack of it in his brain, he was sure. Nobody had ever made him want like Gerald. His

lover could get him going with just a few words. Sometimes a glance was enough.

“What?” Gerald’s ‘innocent’ face only served to make Shawn even harder.

And now he had to wait several hours until they could do something about it. He liked

a bit of tension, having to wait for his pleasure, but this was going to push his limits.

The food was excellent, as promised by the online reviews, but the hot glances Gerald

kept sending his way kept him distracted from enjoying his appetiser, a very tasty arugula

salad with candied walnuts. By the time their main course arrived—veal and shrimp

Pavarotti for him, and veal Parmesan for Gerald—his lover had upped the ante and was

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sliding his foot up and down Shawn’s leg under the table in a slow and very arousing

rhythm.

It was absolutely maddening!

He was ready to leave without dessert, sure he was way too horny to even taste it. But

Gerald insisted, an evil twinkle in his eyes. He couldn’t deny the man, so he gave in and

ordered some ice cream while Gerald asked for the apple pie.

The minute the food arrived, Gerald’s foot was back on his leg, sliding all the way up

until it reached his groin. The soft rubbing against his already straining erection made him

want to scream in frustration. He was ready to come right here, in the middle of a restaurant.

Fuck, the man drove him crazy.

“Please!” His voice was hoarse.

“You want me to make you come?” Gerald ate his pie as if he was innocent.

Shawn was torn between needing relief and needing to keep his composure, and it was

hotter than hell. He pushed back against Gerald’s foot, loving the friction, but knowing he

had to stop if he didn’t want to completely embarrass both of them. Gerald’s eyes widened,

but he increased the pressure for a few moments before finally pulling back. The bastard!

Gerald grinned.

Shawn asked for the cheque, telling the waitress he’d double the tip if they were out of

the restaurant within five minutes.

Gerald’s grin widened.

Shawn paid, tipped and dragged them into a cab in a haze of lust so thick that he had

trouble breathing. As soon as he sat in the back of the cab he wanted to jump back up. The

pain of his erection being confined at that angle was excruciating.

“Let me help you.” Gerald put his hand on the button of his dress slacks as though

making a promise, before he leant forwards to tell the cab driver to refrain from looking back

if he was interested in receiving double the fare.

“Sure man, no problem. Where’d you want to go?”

Gerald told him then turned his attention back to Shawn. He opened buttons and

zipper quickly, freed Shawn’s cock and swallowed it all the way to the back of his throat

before Shawn could blink.

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“God!” He pressed his fist to his mouth to stop the sounds from escaping and

embarrassing them further.

He was so aroused, it took only seconds of suction for him to be really close. He put his

hand on Gerald’s shoulder as a warning, like they always did, but there was nothing that

could have stopped his orgasm. It hit him with the force of a tsunami and made his whole

body shake. Pulse after pulse of cum shot from his cock and Gerald drank it all down as if he

hadn’t eaten all day.

Shawn dropped his head onto the back of the seat and tried to return his breath to

normal. Gerald calmly cleaned him, closed his pants and sat up.

“Better?” Gerald licked his lips for good measure and winked.

“Much.” He smiled and took Gerald’s hand. “Thank you for ‘torturing’ me all night.”

“Oh, I’m not done yet.” Gerald twined their fingers.

“I sure hope not!” He laughed as they made their way to what was now their

apartment. He’d moved in only last week, but had practically lived there ever since Gerald’s

father, and a few hours later his fraudulent auditor, had been arrested. Both were safely

under house arrest, awaiting their trial.

“Race you to the bedroom.” Gerald locked the front door and tore off.

Shawn followed at a much slower pace. It was time for revenge. He entered the

bedroom to the sight of Gerald spread out on their bed, butt-naked and stroking himself.

“Hands off. That’s my job.” Shawn quickly undressed as he watched Gerald withdraw

his hand and fight his need to return it to his cock.

Gerald lost the battle a few seconds later, but before he could actually touch himself,

Shawn stepped next to the bed and pointed at the headboard.

“Hands over your head. You can hold on to the slats if you have to.” He watched

Gerald’s eyes widen before he obeyed. “Good man.”

Shawn moved into position between Gerald’s legs, admiring his lover’s thick erection as

it slowly leaked pre-cum onto his stomach. He was in for such a treat. Slowly, he counted to

one hundred, watching Gerald squirm more under his gaze the longer he had to wait. When

the tension had reached record levels, he reached for Gerald’s swollen cock, slowly moved it

into a vertical position and bent his head so he could lick around the glans.

“Fuck!” Gerald thrust his hips up.

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Shawn pulled back, shaking his head.

Gerald moaned but moved back into position.

Shawn returned to licking and teasing Gerald to the best of his ability. Gerald was

pleading for relief within minutes. Shawn held out for a while longer, bringing him to the

edge before letting him go twice more. Finally, the pressure in his own groin was about to

kill him and he swallowed Gerald’s cock all the way, constricting his throat muscles around

the sensitive tip until Gerald bucked up once and came in shuddering spasms of release.

He grabbed his own cock, gave it two strokes and followed Gerald into orgasm. When

they were done and had caught their breath, he crawled up into his lover’s arms, burying his

face in Gerald’s neck.

“Love you.” Gerald’s voice was quiet.

It was the first time he’d spoken the words, and it made Shawn shiver a little as his

heart leapt in joy. This was serious and had been for a while.

“Love you too.” He snuggled closer and closed his eyes.

The day he’d decided to go after Gerald to discover some dirt he could use for an article

had been the best day of his life. He may not have ended up writing what he’d been hired

for, but he’d discovered the love of his life.

That was so much better, he couldn’t even find the words for how it made him feel. All

he knew was that it was more than a spring discovery—they’d turned their initial meeting

into a lifelong commitment to making each other happy.

He wasn’t going to complain, that was for sure!

About the Author

I’m a night owl who starts writing when everyone else in my time zone is asleep. I’ve
loved reading all my life and spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a
book. Although I always wanted to be a writer, financial independence came first.
Twenty-some years and a successful business career later I took some online writing
classes and never looked back.

Living and working in seven countries has taught me that there’s more than one way
to get things done. It has instilled tremendous respect for the many different cultures,
beliefs, attitudes and preferences that exist on our planet.

I like exploring those differences in my stories, most of which happen to be romances.
My characters have a tendency to want to do their own thing, so I often have to rein
them back in. The one thing we all agree on is the desire for a happy ending.

I currently live in the United Kingdom, sharing my house with a vast collection of
books. I like reading, travelling, spending time with my nieces and listening to
classical music. I have a passion for science and learning new languages.

Email:

serenayates09@googlemail.com

Serena loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and
author biography at

http://www.total-e-bound.com

Also by Serena Yates

Men of Riverside: Finding Elliot

Men of Riverside: Rediscovering Adrian

Men of Riverside: Understanding Mark

Men of Riverside: Saving Zeke

Men of Riverside: Forgiving Jason

Men of Riverside: Loving Vicente

Men of Riverside: Convincing Landon

Men of Riverside: Helping Harry

Scrolls of Vengeance: The Magic Thieves

New Horizons: Rescuing the Librarian

New Horizons: Discovering the Actor

New Horizons: Encouraging the Writer

New Horizons: Supporting the Director

New Horizons: Saving the Bodyguard

New Horizons: Noticing the Finance Manager

New Horizons: Developing the Counsellor

New Horizons: Liberating the Security Specialist

Also available from Total-E-Bound Publishing:

Sins of Winter

D.J. Manly, A.J. Llewellyn and Serena Yates

Excerpt

Toppling Pedestals by D.J.Manly

Everyone slips. Everyone makes mistakes in their lives, but the difference between

those who are true failures and those who rise above seems to come down to one thing—

humility. To admit you’ve made a mistake means swallowing your pride. That’s not an easy

thing to do even when the stakes are high, especially when you risk losing the love of your

life.

* * * *

The Beginning

The kids at school used to call us the three musketeers—Samuel, Casey, and Tristan—

Tristan being me. The three of us had been inseparable from grade one onwards. I was the

leader, full of cocky self-confidence, the daredevil who led the other two astray…or so they

claimed.

It was a wonder we even became friends at all, because we were all so different. I

tended to look for trouble, mostly out of boredom. Meanwhile, Sam was simply at odds with

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everything, a born rebel. He’d earned the bad boy rep early, and unlike me, he couldn’t seem

to get away with anything.

Casey was an only child. His mom had died when he was a baby and his dad was a

doctor. Casey was the ‘good boy’—at least, everyone assumed he was. He was the teacher’s

pet every year and always said the right things. I think Sam and I enjoyed leading Casey into

trouble and watching him stress about getting discovered. He and the doc lived in a big

white house near the school. Casey was all about style, even as a kid with his expensive,

brand-name running shoes. It got worse when he hit puberty. Sam and I often teased him

about being a snob, which he’d always vigorously deny, of course, just before showing off

his designer jeans. We loved Casey in spite of his quirks. He was generous and funny, even if

he sometimes got on our nerves.

Sam, on the other hand, didn’t give a damn about status. He came from the wrong side

of the tracks, so to speak, and was a little rough around the edges. He wore his background

with a mix of pride and disdain. He was a great-looking kid but his clothes never seemed to

quite fit, and his hair was either too long or had been hacked at by one of his sisters. He was

the only one of us who had siblings—two elder sisters—who, besides giving Sam the

occasional crooked haircut, weren’t what one would call doting. Basically they spent their

time riding around in muscle cars with boys while their mother worked nights as the janitor

in the town bank. Casey and I rarely went over to the two bedroom apartment where Sam

lived because his mom slept during the day.

It was rumoured that Sam’s father was in jail. When we were kids, Sam said his father

was a pirate who navigated the high seas, finding treasure on mysterious deserted islands.

We all knew it wasn’t true. Nevertheless, it made for entertaining stories when we’d sleep in

the tent in Casey’s back yard on warm summer nights.

My parents owned the local hardware store so we had a nice house near the school not

far from Casey. Like my two friends, I had to fend for myself much of the time. My parents

worked long hours at the store, including weekends. And when it was closed, they did

inventory and the accounting. It was tough. It wasn’t until I turned sixteen that my parents

could actually afford to take on more staff.

Given that we were all pretty independent, we looked out for one another.

We had a freedom other kids didn’t have and that was a plus, of course. Our lives

weren’t structured in the same way as other kids’, what with our parents all working crazy

hours. But since we lived in a small town where everyone knew one another, our parents

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didn’t worry too much. The town of Milton Corners was our baby sitter, with people telling

us to ‘get on home’ when they thought we were out too late. It was never hard to find a

trusted adult if we needed one in a pinch.

I knew I was gay by the time I hit twelve, but I kept it to myself. The three of us always

confessed everything to each other. We’d made a pact when we were eight. That was the first

time I’d broke it. Frankly, I wasn’t sure how Casey and Sam would take the news that I liked

boys. I thought they’d freak out, not want to hang out with me. Their friendship was the

most important thing in my life. So I kept it all inside.

If Come by A.J.Llewellyn

Zam Carmarthen entered the lobby of Longshore Films, immediately enchanted by the

huge black and white photos on the wall of long-ago shipping days. He took in the close-up

images of handsome, rugged stevedores unloading massive pallets on weathered-looking

docks. He felt the strong pull of attraction to a couple of the men, shirtsleeves rolled high on

their arms. He studied them as he adjusted his messenger bag from one shoulder to the

other.

Man, I gotta be hard-up, fantasising about men who’ve probably been dead for years…

He tore his gaze from the images on the walls and sauntered over to the row of

youthful-looking assistants manning a shiny bank of desks against the far wall. They all wore

black and had this season’s de rigueur hairstyle. Gamine. Even for the men. He felt

hopelessly unfashionable with his dark, curly hair, well-worn jeans, vintage plaid shirt and

the suit jacket that had seemed like such a groovy idea at the thrift store. Nevertheless, he

swallowed over the lump in his throat and pressed forwards.

Business must have been slow or else the three assistants just didn’t give a toss. Each

held a portable device in their hands. One man was playing Bookworm, the other was

playing Diner Dash. The third and only female assistant, God help them all, was rapidly

exchanging text messages with somebody. Zam jumped in between her manic rounds with

dangerously hyperactive thumbs and kept his tone breezy.

“Good morning. I’m Zam Carmarthen, in to see Jack Kilgrove.”

She ignored him, fired off a quick text response and then looked up at him, faint

annoyance etched into her features.

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“Sorry. What was that?”

He repeated himself. “My appointment’s at ten,” he added. It was now five after. She

glanced at a huge nautical clock on the wall and seemed about to gripe at him for being late.

Zam sensed an immediate problem. He glanced down at the assistant’s desk. He had a

horrible feeling Jack Kilgrove wasn’t even here. He had heard every excuse for executives not

showing up to meetings, but this usually happened after lunch, not at ten a.m.—the

Hollywood equivalent of the crack of dawn.

Executives cancelling meetings happened to him a lot more than he cared to admit to

his friends and family. Being a struggling screenwriter in Hollywood sucked. After turning

out a screenplay that had become a mildly successful comedy, he’d been ecstatic to find he

was inside the business of Hollywood. It got him meetings, a few extra Facebook

friends…but not much more. He was sinking into a depression. Fast.

The assistant flicked another glance at the wall clock. He could almost read her mind.

She couldn’t use lunch as an excuse. “I don’t have you down here,” she said, finally.

“Yes, you do. You called me at eight-fifteen this morning. You’re Sophia, aren’t you?”

She blinked a few times, as if trying to remember.

“Ah, um…yes.” Her head tilted at an odd angle. “Wait. I called you?” She seemed

reluctant to put her cell phone down on her desk. God forbid she should miss a text message.

She swivelled her chair towards an obsolete desktop computer. She pecked away with her

free hand at the keyboard.

Without turning to look at him she said, “I didn’t call you. I called Cam Cameron.”

“Zam Carmarthen. That’s me.”

“Are you sure?” She looked flustered. For the first time, her cohorts glanced up, both

men looking appalled.

“Yeah, I’m quite sure. I’ve had a few decades to absorb the shock of having such an

unusual name.”

“Zam Carmarthen.”

“Yes, that’s me. You asked me to come in at ten. And here I am.”

“Wait,” she said, using both hands to fan herself as her cell phone rang. “I remember

now.” She looked so pleased with herself.

How lucky for both of us. He smiled, willing himself to remain in the zone. Pitching had

been the last thing he’d expected as a writer. Nobody had told him that being a writer in

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Hollywood involved acting. It took a lot of rehearsal to perform a story pitch. He’d timed it to

the required eight minutes. If he began to fret or cave into self-pity he’d forget his rhythm.

Man, this is so not how I thought it would be once I sold a screenplay.

Winter Challenge by Serena Yates

“Oh my God.” Noah Goldwin felt his stomach plummet. He gripped the well-padded

armrests of his leather office chair tightly as he closed his eyes to help him absorb the

shocking news. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you, sweetie.” Aunt Miryam, the only member of

his family still speaking to him, sounded years older than her usual bubbly self. “I’m even

sorrier that your useless excuse of a brother didn’t bother to pick up the phone to let you

know. He has no right to keep this from you.”

“It’s not your fault.” None of it was. Not the accident and not the fact that Preston was

an asshole. He always had been ever since Noah could remember, and it certainly wouldn’t

get any better now.

“I know that. I still feel sorry. Actually, I’m beginning to lean towards anger now.”

Aunt Miryam had a vicious temper. Once something or someone upset her, she was not

easily appeased. And the way Noah had been treated had never sat easy with her. “I mean,

this isn’t some minor bit of family news—it’s pretty big.”

Yeah, he’d call his father dying in a head-on collision ‘pretty big’. Noah leant back in his

chair and closed his eyes. He only had minutes until his next patient would demand his

attention, so he had to get himself together. There had been no love lost between him and his

father for a long time. Noah’s recent decision to go into paediatrics instead of becoming a

surgeon, which would at least have given him some status in his father’s eyes, had been the

last straw in breaking up a relationship that had never been easy.

Noah’s father had thought Noah was too ‘soft’ and had never hesitated to tell him.

Business was the only acceptable career in his father’s eyes, yet Noah had put his foot down

and had gone into medicine. His elder brother, Preston, seven years Noah’s senior, was more

than capable of handling the family empire. Noah didn’t want to think about ways to make

more money—he was interested in helping people. Neither his father nor his brother would

ever understand that.

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Despite all that, his father’s death was still hitting him hard, and not just because it had

been sudden and totally unexpected. After all, the man was his father, and had sort of raised

Noah and provided for him, at least financially, for many years. Noah sighed. He’d have to

make arrangements for a trip back to Miami for the funeral on Friday, had to let his superiors

know so he could get time off work and ask one of his colleagues to take over until he’d get

back. Not the best thing to have to do just after starting his three-year residency as a future

paediatric doctor at the prestigious Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. He pinched the

bridge of his nose with his free hand to try to stave off the encroaching headache. They had

to realise he hadn’t planned for this to happen, didn’t they?

“Are you still there?” Aunt Miryam sounded as if she’d already asked a couple of

times. Right…he was still on the phone.

“Yeah, sorry, just trying to figure out what to do.” He’d better make a list before he

forgot all the details.

“You’ll manage, I’m sure.” She was always so supportive, something she had in

common with her sister, Noah’s mother.

“I’ll do my best.” Noah had been only ten when she’d drowned in a freak diving

accident, the cause of which remained unknown to this day. His father had been with her,

but was tight-lipped about what had happened. Noah still missed her horribly. At least she

had understood and accepted him.

Snap out of it, there’s no point in dwelling on ancient history.

“That’ll be more than enough.” Her smile came through loud and clear. “Will you come

see me when you’re here? I do miss you!”

“Of course I’ll visit. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” It sucked that he wouldn’t be able

to acknowledge her at the funeral, but there was no point in causing a scandal. Noah’s father

and brother hated Aunt Miryam with a vengeance. Noah wasn’t sure why, and it had made

his life a lot lonelier until he was eighteen and had become his own man, but there was no

point in bringing it up in the current situation.

“Good. I look forward to it.” She cleared her throat. “Now, get your stuff together and

come over here as soon as you can. Love you.”

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