During a late lunch of sandwiches and soft drinks, Leonard’s phone rang. Although he didn’t recognise the number he told Adrian he would take the call. Adrian suggested they take a break so he could use the opportunity to head outside and call Toni.
“Leonard Day speaking,” said Leonard, perching against the window ledge.
“Hello, Leonard.” He immediately recognised the soft female voice with the Welsh accent. “It’s Pippa here.”
Pippa from Redfern Landscaping. He had been expecting her call, to find when she would start work on the house.
“Look, you mentioned meeting up at the pub, and I wondered if you were doing anything tonight? Completely by chance last night, I bumped into Freya Williams in the car park outside the superstore in Llandrindod Wells. Told her about you renovating the house. Anyway, I said you might like a chat with her, seeing as how she knew Luke and all. So I arranged for us all to meet up in the Manor tonight, early like. Freya’s not a night owl, see? She likes to be in bed by nine. So how does six-thirty sound?”
Leonard checked his watch. Two-thirty.
“Six-thirty sounds perfect. We might be in our work clothes, though.”
“Oh, I’m sure Megan won’t mind. She probably considers you locals by now.”
“Great. And while you’re on, Pippa… My friend, Adrian, is going to be staying on for the week, continuing the internal renovations while I check in with my business back in London. Just in case you were thinking of getting started on the gardens this week. Didn’t want to worry you if you saw someone beavering away inside. And I’m sure he’d be happy to give your guys access to a kettle, in case they need a brew.”
Just then, he noticed another incoming call—Mr Dawson, his father’s solicitor.
“That’s brilliant. I’m hoping we can start work next week. So thanks for the heads-up.”
“Let’s catch up tonight at six-thirty. Got to run. I’ve got another call coming through.”
Pippa signed off and Leonard took the next call. Dawson did not seem his usual calm self, his voice more than a little rattled.
“I am terribly sorry for calling you at the weekend, Leonard. But we have just had formal notification from a solicitor in Bristol that your aunt and cousin are planning on challenging your father’s will.”
“I see.”
Leonard stared out of the window to where Adrian had his phone clamped to his ear. At that moment their eyes met, and both smiled. Leonard savoured the warm feeling the simple contact gave him before dragging his gaze away and bringing his attention back to the call. What was it about the property that had ruffled his aunt’s and cousin’s feathers so badly? Did they really need the house so desperately? Or had his mother said something tactless to them over the phone? He wouldn’t put it past her.
“Honestly, Leonard. I thought I had made it perfectly clear what a bad decision that would be. Both parties will simply end up accruing hefty solicitors’ fees and, unless there are extenuating circumstances in their favour of which we are currently unaware—which I doubt because why would they not have presented them already—they will have no hope of winning. I’m calling to check whether you want me to represent you. But I have to forewarn you. Disputes are not really my area of expertise—”
“No need, Mr Dawson. I appreciate you letting me know, but I’ve dealt with business and property disputes throughout my career. And I have a tried and trusted legal contact who, I’m sure, will be more than happy to take this on. Don you mind if I get them to contact you directly, so you can brief them and pass over any file notes? I’ll provide written authorisation.”
“More than happy.”
Dawson’s call would mean Leonard getting in touch with Helen Wallis, someone he had used for business disputes and for one particular personal case. A hardened lawyer, someone he trusted implicitly, she had been briefed on Kris’ situation following his death as a precaution, in case the Goswami family came after Leonard’s house. She had been brilliant, armed to the teeth legally speaking, and had admitted to being a little disappointed when nothing transpired. Using Helen would mean Leonard driving back early on Sunday morning, and seeing her later that afternoon. Semi-retired, she only maintained a couple of clients and spent most of her time tending the abundant garden of her Richmond house. Helen had her quirks. She didn’t take business calls over the weekend, but he knew her well enough to know she would be too intrigued not to pick up a text message about his dilemma. And for all her insistence on people respecting her self-imposed seclusion, he knew she would welcome hearing about the challenge over a pot of Assam tea and a plate of scones.
“Thank you again, Mr Dawson,” said Leonard, as Adrian came back into the room and winked at him. Leonard pointed to his phone and carried on talking.
“Her name’s Helen Wallis. She works part-time on Mondays and Thursdays, I think. I’ll need to check whether she’s available, but she usually moves any other work she has around for me, if I need urgent help. If everything’s good, I’ll give you a call from her office first thing Monday. And a quick question. We’ve already started renovating the property. In your opinion—and I’m not looking for legal advice here, just an opinion—do you think I should stop work completely until this complication has been resolved?”
“With the way things stand right now, Bryn Bach is legally yours, to do with whatever you wish. But once you receive any formal notification, that situation might change. When that happens, the solicitor acting on your behalf will be able to advise you better than I.”
“Thank you. That’s all I needed to know. I appreciate the call, Mr Dawson. Have a nice weekend.”
“You too, Leonard.”
Adrian stood before Leonard, intrigued, his hands on his hips. Leonard smiled at him before quickly finding Helen’s contact details and composing a brief message.
“What the hell was all that about?” asked Adrian.
Leonard hit the send button and looked back up.
“What do you want first? The good news or the bad?”
“Bad. Always bad. Rip off the plaster.”
Leonard explained the calls he had taken, explaining the aunt and cousin’s legal action before telling him about meeting Pippa and Freya for drinks later.
“I only step out for ten minutes and look what happens. What’s going on with your aunt, Lenny?”
“Heaven only knows. But one thing’s for sure. I’m not about to give this place up without a fight.”
“A battle cry.” Adrian slapped his gloved hands together before placing each of them on Leonard’s shoulder. “That’s what I like to hear. In which case, you can take it for granted that you’ve got me in your corner.”
“Good to know. But I would never take you for granted, Ade.”
Adrian held Leonard’s eye contact, something else going on behind his eyes. For a moment Leonard thought he might say something more, but the moment passed, and he brought his hands away from Leonard’s shoulders.
“Well, more good news is that Toni’s on board and she’s driving down tomorrow. Apparently she’s been climbing the walls at home, driving Jack crazy. They’re both really grateful to get her working. She’s bringing her truck with all the equipment we need to take this wall down. So you’ll get to meet her.”
“Probably not,” said Leonard. “I’m going to need to leave early tomorrow morning if I’m going to see my solicitor back in London. I want her on the case as soon as possible.”
“Oh, okay,” said Adrian, his disappointment evident.
“Ade, I need to deal with this,” said Leonard, squeezing Adrian’s upper arm before moving past him. “And anyway, Toni’s going to be here to keep you company. Not only do I need to go and show my face at work, but I need to brief my legal counsel in person.”
“Sure, I understand,” said Adrian, nodding. “But in the meantime, Mr Day, we’ve both got a lot of stripping to do.”
Leonard had been on his way to the stairs, but stopped in the doorway and turned
to Adrian. Leaning against the door jamb, he gave Adrian a wink.
“We do? Already? Don’t you think we should get some work done first?”
“Okay, funny man. Where do you think you’re going?”
“To use the john, if that’s okay by you.”
“Fine. But after that, you get your cute arse down here and get working. I’m on the clock, remember? And save the dirty talk for later tonight.”
Leonard had been wondering if Adrian would want him again that night. As Adrian approached him, he couldn’t help the smile of pleasure that lit his face.
“Yeah?”
Adrian leant past him to get the broom he had left in the hallway but brushed the back of his hand against Leonard’s groin. When their eyes drew level, Adrian almost growled.
“Hell, yeah.”
Chapter Fourteen
Freya
Maybe he shouldn’t have voiced anything about them having sex later and certainly should not have brushed his gloved hand against Lenny’s cock, because throughout the afternoon, whether purposely or not, Lenny kept breaking Adrian’s concentration, kept finding ways to make him hot under the collar.
And if he planned to keep on giving Adrian that sly, sultry smile every time their eyes met—he had chosen not to wear his mask or goggles after his call—Adrian was going to have to pull him off his feet and haul him upstairs.
They finished stripping paper from the drawing room—the smaller room on the left just inside the front door—and at each end of the long living room, and now began on the wall housing the fireplace. After Adrian had agreed and marked off the area of kitchen wall to be removed—no point wasting effort doing any work there—he started circling patches where the plaster would need replacing. When clump after clump of powdered plaster came away with the wallpaper on the long wall, he gave up. They would need to replaster the whole side. Their proximity, combined with the smell of Lenny’s body and the occasional, supposedly accidental touching, had Adrian’s cock waking up and taking notice. To put some distance between them, Adrian suggested he start dismantling the chunky and, frankly, ugly built-in cupboard beneath the bay window. At least that way they would not be so physically close. Except, every so often, he looked up to find Lenny gazing at him with a playful bordering salacious grin.
“Seriously?” said Adrian, yanking off his mask. “You keep that up, and I’m dragging your arse upstairs.”
“Promises, promises.”
“I mean it, Lenny.”
“But I’m filthy,” said Lenny, pretending to be shocked, his hands on his hips.
“The look you keep giving me certainly is.”
“What look?”
“That one! Don’t play dumb. Just pack it in. Otherwise we’re never going to manage to get upstairs this weekend.”
“Oh, we will get upstairs at some point. That much I promise you.”
Adrian couldn’t help but laugh.
“Lenny!”
“Okay, okay.” Lenny checked his watch while laughing, but then stopped abruptly. “But it’s four-thirty already. And we’ve made amazing progress. We probably need to shower in an hour and get ready to go out. And I’m not going to be here tomorrow. So I just thought—”
Adrian stopped abruptly and eyed Lenny. This sexy man had truly gotten under his skin. Without another word, Lenny dropped his gloves on the floor and had already started moving towards the staircase. After a resigned sigh, Adrian followed him up the stairs and noticed him disappear into Lenny’s bedroom. When he stopped in the doorway, Lenny stood by the bed, his hands on his hips, a mischievous grin on his face. Adrian removed his goggles and gloves, and stepped over the threshold, glancing at the bedspread to see supplies already lying there. Lenny had planned this. Without hesitating, he approached Lenny with only thoughts of getting his fill of the man.
“Hang on a minute, Ade,” said Lenny, holding Adrian’s wrists when he reached for Lenny’s belt. Adrian stared back in confusion. Had Lenny changed his mind?
“No, no,” said Lenny, smiling and shaking his head before bringing the hands to his mouth and kissing each of them in turn. “Of course I want to have you. But I wondered if we could do things more—uh—my way this time?”
Adrian eyed him with amusement.
“Is this about to get kinky?”
“No. Well.” Lenny looked almost uncomfortable and Adrian wanted to tell him not to worry, that nothing could shock him where Lenny was concerned. “Look, I sometimes equate sex—and I know this is going to sound a bit lame—with a rocket firework going off. If you look at things in reverse, the big explosion in the sky is the orgasm, the whizz and fizz as the rocket leaves the ground is the sex leading up to the big bang and the sizzling fuse is the foreplay. Yeah, I know. Not the best analogy. But—and this is the crucial part for me—kissing is like the light, the match, the flame that sets the whole thing in motion.”
“Kissing? Kissing’s never really been my thing.”
“And that’s fair enough.” Adrian couldn’t help but notice Lenny’s disappointment. “I was just testing the water. I would never ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Let’s just forget—”
“No, no. Hang on a minute. I didn’t say I’m exactly adverse to the idea. I just don’t usually—you know—kiss.”
Adrian had felt his previous ardour begin to dwindle at the turn of the conversation, even though, in all fairness, Lenny had piqued his curiosity.
“Which is fine. But let me ask you this. How often have you kissed someone? I mean, really kissed them. And I’m not talking about a peck on the lips or the duelling tongues you see in those ridiculous gay porn movies. Kissing for real is about sensation and connection, not a spectator sport. A passionate kiss is all about what occurs deep inside the people kissing each other.”
Maybe Lenny had a point. On the streets his mates had told him not to kiss any of his johns. Some had wanted to, but he’d never agreed, so got into the habit of avoiding kissing. He had even said so upfront. Pretty much anything else they wanted, as long as they’d played safe and paid well, he would be game. One of his straight mates who’d had a girlfriend had told him that if you didn’t kiss the john before you blew him or fucked him, then it didn’t count, it remained just a job, a way to earn a living. And since then not kissing had become a way of life.
“God, Lenny,” said Adrian, scrubbing a fist in his hair. “You’re making me out to be a sexual novice here.”
Lenny snorted with surprise and shook his head.
“Novice? Ade, if last night was anything to go by, then you’re far more experienced than me when it comes to sex. I just thought we could try something a little more intimate before we get to the main event. Are you up for a bit of experimentation?”
Never in his life had the thought of sex with someone made him feel nervous—until that moment. What if he turned out to be crap at kissing? Would Lenny be put off? Would it ruin what they already had? Fuck, he was almost fifty and he’d never really kissed someone. How lame was that?
“Hey, buddy. Stop overthinking this. You’re in very safe hands. And if you don’t like it, we stop, alright?”
“Okay. I think. So what do you want me to do?”
“I need us both to strip down to our underwear.”
“Now you’re talking my language. I’m liking this already.” Adrian began to remove his clothes, taking a moment to admire Lenny’s body as he did the same.
“Good. Now I want you to get comfortable on the bed, on your back, face up.”
“Shall I drop my underwear?” asked Adrian, his hands on the waistband of his briefs.
“Nope. Just—as you are.”
Adrian did as asked, lying down with his head on the pillow and his arms tucked lazily behind his head. After a moment of appraisal, Lenny climbed onto the bed and straddled Adrian’s waist. The combination of warmth and the hair from Lenny’s thighs, and just the sight of Lenny mounted on top of him, had Adrian’s pulse speeding up and his co
ck taking notice. When Lenny began to lean towards him, Adrian chuckled timidly.
“Not sure if it helps,” he said, his nerves rising. “But I chewed gum after lunch.”
Lenny laughed affectionately then smoothed a thumb across Adrian’s lips.
“You could be chewing garlic for all I care. Close your eyes.”
Lenny began by pressing soft kisses to Adrian’s lips. Adrian just breathed and lay still, not reacting nor feeling the urge to kiss back, but he did feel his body calming. The sensation wasn’t bad, quite pleasant really—just didn’t light any fires. After a couple of minutes, Lenny began to slow down, to press harder, to wet his lips and brush them along Adrian’s, and once he even pulled on Adrian’s bottom lip with his teeth. With the tiny action, the minuscule nip, Adrian breathed deeply, his eyelids almost fluttering open. As one of Lenny’s hands caressed his hair, the other gently smoothed over the chest and down his body. A tiny quiver went through Adrian, something he had never experienced. Maybe Lenny sensed the tremor, but his tongue pushed past Adrian’s lips and, almost by reflex, Adrian opened his mouth. Lenny must have been expecting this because his tongue slipped inside, connecting their tongues.
And that’s the moment the unexpected happened. A regular trick once told Adrian that he had a talented tongue because he could make this guy come just by rimming him. But this was something entirely different. Moist and warm inside his mouth, their tongues wrestled and slithered and snaked around each other, one moment exploring Adrian’s mouth, the next, Lenny’s. Kissing Lenny lit a bonfire inside him. Adrian would freely admit to being the one to take control in any sexual activity, but this time he’d let Lenny take the lead. Which, as it happened, had been a total turn-on. When he heard Lenny’s loud and downright filthy carnal moan, he hiked in a deep breath, he brought his hand up to clamp around the back of Lenny’s head. Needing more, he deepened the kiss. His pulse spiked and his cock strained to get in on the action, just as Lenny’s hand brushed against his erection. Instantly, Adrian rolled them over and pulled his head away, staring hotly down at Lenny’s reddened, moist lips and dilated pupils.
Any Day Page 17