Manchester Ménage 01 - Saving Samuel

by Nicole Colville

  When he felt Daniel shift off the bed, he didn’t want to let him go, but the sound of someone else moving on the landing made him keep silent. He recognised the policeman’s voice, and felt bad for keeping them both awake for so long into the night talking about him and his problems.

  It was only six when he checked the clock on the DVD player, but he was wide awake. He sneaked quietly across the landing to the bathroom. He peed and had a quick wash, brushing his teeth and checking his face for hair, but finding none. Daniel had sweetly put together his own little bag of bathroom stuff, including some nice smelling aftershave which he was sure Daniel would never wear because it was far too light and sweet. Daniel wore a musky scent which comforted Samuel when he caught a whiff of it around in the air.

  He crept down the stairs, being careful not to wake Daniel, and made his way into the kitchen. He stopped breathing when he saw the handsome police officer from the day before stood drinking a strong smelling cup of coffee and looking at yesterday’s paper spread out on the table before him. Samuel was backing away when the big man spoke without looking at him.

  “Morning, Samuel. There’s coffee in the machine if you want it.” He didn’t look up from his paper, and he didn’t sound like he really wanted Samuel’s company, so he kept slowly stepping backwards, keeping his eyes on the tall figure in front of him all the time. Even out of his uniform, he had this stern, controlled air around him, like you knew he meant what he said and shouldn’t disagree with it. “Don’t you like coffee?” The dark eyes met Samuel’s and he froze. “There’s tea too, of course. I have no idea if Danny has food in the fridge. He doesn’t usually.”

  He leaned his back against the counter behind him and lifted one of his dark brows. “I’m not here to take you away. I’m not even here to question you. Danny and I spoke a lot last night about you. I just needed coffee before I set off for work.” Samuel watched a slightly irritated look pass over his handsome face. “I also wanted food, but…” He shook his head. “Danny’s not that organised.”

  “I could make you something.”

  Samuel played with the hem of the t-shirt Danny had given him last night. It hung around him and reached his knees, but it helped him sleep just having something of Daniel’s against him all night. He had a pair of old sweatpants on, which Daniel said he had for years and had outgrown them ages ago, but they still slipped over Samuel’s hips. He was sure he looked like a clown this morning and the way those big brown eyes ran over him from head to foot made him even more nervous.

  “Cook what exactly?”

  “An omelet. If you like eggs, that is.”

  “Knock yourself out.” The dark-haired police officer smiled thinly, running his fingers though the wavy locks of black hair hanging on his shoulders before he sat down at the table and motioned for Samuel to come into the room. “I'm presuming you have to actually be in the room to cook anything.” A small smile touched the corners of his full mouth and Samuel stepped into the room, the cold tiles under his feet making him shudder more than he was doing already.

  He turned his gaze from the imposing figure and concentrated on cooking. He grabbed everything he could see in the fridge and busied himself with beating the eggs and warming the frying pan. Samuel chopped up half an onion he found and added some leftover chicken from the roast Daniel bought yesterday. It only took him fifteen minutes and he was sliding it onto a plate and turning to see his silent, mysterious, dark-haired guest smiling quizzically at him.

  Samuel slid the plate in front of him and stepped back, playing with the tips of his hair and watching as thick fingers took hold of the fork and sliced a piece off. Samuel bit his bottom lip and waited. There was a moment where the guy just held the food in his mouth before chewing and Samuel felt his heart take a dive into his feet. Then he breathed out when he heard a low moan.

  “This is good, and all from leftovers. Thank you.” Those big eyes met Samuel’s and he smiled softly at the man who just yesterday made him so afraid he’d wanted to leave Manchester. “Don’t you want any?”

  Samuel shook his head, watching him eat another mouthful.

  “Well, at least have a drink.”

  Samuel poured a cup of coffee from the machine and added milk and sugar, keeping his back turned and his mind busy so he wouldn’t panic.

  “I'm Milo.”

  Samuel nodded as he closed the fridge.

  “I’m Daniel’s friend.”

  Samuel sipped his coffee and glanced at Milo through the curtain of hair hiding him.

  “Don’t talk much, huh? I quite like that. Especially in the morning. Sit down.” Milo pointed to the chair opposite him. “Daniel had a late night. I’ll call round to the local shop and get some food for you both. If you get dressed, you can come with me. I’m not really into food shopping. My sisters generally stock up my house while I'm at work.”

  Samuel’s eyes opened wider as he sat down. He wanted to get out of the house, and he wanted to choose lots of nice food so he could cook things for Daniel, but the thought of being alone and out of the house with Milo frightened him.

  “We can walk. You’ll be able to run if you feel the need, but I would hope you’d stay with me so I can look after you. Daniel would have me skinned alive if anything happened to you.” Milo smiled a little then sighed. “I know I'm not Daniel, I know I'm not easy to get along with, and the fact I'm a police officer really bothers you, but I swear I'm a good guy and I'm not going to take you away from here.”

  Samuel held the cup in his hands, looking into the deep brown eyes holding his gaze. He didn’t have the natural easy nature Daniel did, but Samuel could see he wasn’t a bad person. He was stern and not very comfortable talking with him, but he was trying hard to keep Samuel calm.

  “I’d like to go with you. And the car will be okay. I know you’re pressed for time.”

  “Good. Get changed. I have to set off for work in an hour.”

  Samuel left his coffee and quietly got dressed upstairs. The only clothes that really looked nice were the jeans and sweater Daniel bought him, so he slipped them on and pulled on his socks and trainers.

  When he got downstairs, Milo had his coat on and was rinsing his plate in the sink. He cast a quick glance at him, looking over his body again as he switched the tap off. “Let’s go.” Milo placed his hand on the small of his back, gently encouraging him out of the house. Samuel tensed and stopped walking. “I'm sorry.” Milo stood back, removing his hand.

  “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. If you’re uncomfortable with someone touching you, it’s perfectly alright to ask them to stop.”

  “Thank you.”

  Milo’s car was so clean inside, it looked brand new and Samuel sat in the leather seat, gently running his fingertip over the metal head of the gearstick as Milo clicked his seatbelt closed.

  “I love this car.”

  Samuel smiled softly, taking his finger off the stick and holding his hands tightly in his lap. “It’s very nice. Very clean.”

  “I like clean.”

  Samuel sneaked a look at Milo’s profile, studying him quietly. He was very handsome. He looked different. His skin was like soft hazelnuts, and his eyes were a wide oval shape with black long lashes and perfectly shaped eyebrows, his nose strong and straight. He made Samuel think of a rich Arab prince. He was still staring at him when Milo turned to look at him.

  “My mum’s Indian and my dad’s black, but both of them were born in the UK. That’s why I look the way I do. Thought I’d save you the time and just get that out of the way. I confuse people.” Milo laughed softly.

  “I know the feeling.” Samuel smiled. “You look lovely.”

  Milo opened his mouth but shut it again and tapped his fingers on the wheel as he steered the car out of the street. “Thank you. So do you.”

  “Did you get picked on at school for being different?”

  “When I was really young, I’d get asked all kinds of things. Especially about why my p
arents married, like they couldn’t believe it happened.” Milo smiled. “They’ve been together for nearly forty years, so they did something right. By the age of thirteen I was too big to really get bothered much. They soon learned I knew how to use my weight and fists, and stopped being pricks. They stayed away from me and I got on with my own business.” Milo tucked a strand of Samuel’s hair behind his ear, so they could see each other easily. “What about you?”

  “I moved around a lot, so I never really got to the stage where people knew me and accepted me. I went to a lot of schools. I liked going there to learn, but I hated the looks I got. It was easier to be a girl. At one school I convinced everyone I was one and things were better.” Samuel smiled at Milo. “I didn’t like lying though, and then I moved anyway.”

  “Don’t hide who you are, Princess. If anyone has a problem with you and how you look, that’s their fucking issue, not yours. You just be you.”

  Samuel grinned. He’d never been called princess before. It should bother him because it was a female term, but it didn’t, it just made him smile more.

  “That just slipped out. Sorry.” Milo ran his fingers through his dark hair and parked the car up outside the supermarket.

  “It’s okay. I didn’t mind. You know, not in front of people is okay.”

  “I’ll bear that in mind for next time.” Milo winked quickly then stepped out of the car, waiting for Samuel to close his door before he locked it. “Let’s stock those empty shelves up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Daniel’s cupboards hold food before. This will be interesting. Just get what you want. Anything you need. They have clothes in there. Pick out a few outfits.” Samuel was about to shake his head, but the stern look in Milo’s eyes made him stop and he just nodded. “Good.”

  Samuel and Milo had the same idea about food. Everything Milo picked up was organic and fresh. Samuel filled up half the trolley with fruit and vegetables and Milo slipped in lots of creamy full-fat stuff and fruit smoothies, saying Samuel needed to put some weight on. While Milo took a call, he motioned for Samuel to head to the clothes, looking even firmer when Samuel paused for a moment. A slow tilt of his head and a lifted brow had Samuel rushing off down the aisle.

  There were so many to choose from. Samuel had hoped he would just be able to grab something and run, but he found himself getting confused and unable to decide what he should buy. He’d never been clothes shopping before, so he didn’t really know which size to buy. Everything had always just appeared before him and he had worn them, not caring what they looked like.

  Milo was beside him ten minutes later and checking his watch. “Problems?”

  “I don’t … I’ve never done this before.” Samuel felt his lip wobble and just grabbed something from the rail in front of him.

  “Do you like that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Look at it.”

  Samuel sighed and put it back. “Can you choose for me?”

  Milo rolled his eyes, but nodded. He slipped his finger down the back of Samuel’s sweater, the contact making him shudder. “I'm just checking the size. Okay, let’s go. You like this?”

  Samuel nodded and Milo held it up against him. “You could pretty much wear anything and make it look good.” Milo grabbed another pair of jeans, four t-shirts, another sweater, some loose slacks and a button down shirt. He glanced over Samuel again then grabbed a waistcoat and some sort of big woolen cardigan and threw them all in the trolley. “Okay, go try some shoes on and grab some underwear. I’ll be putting this through at the till.”

  Samuel grabbed a few more things, tried on a pair of new trainers and some pumps, then headed back to Milo.

  “You need anything else while we’re here?”

  “Do you like pineapple?”

  Milo nodded, still placing items on the belt.

  “I won’t be a minute.” Samuel picked up a pineapple, brown sugar and some other ingredients then raced back. Milo glanced at the pile of stuff in his arms and met his gaze. “Pineapple upside down cake.”

  “Oh right.” Milo chuckled. “God, Daniel is so lucky to have you living with him.”

  “You’ll be coming to eat too though. I thought you would be.”

  Milo thought about it while they stared at each other. “Yeah, sure. Thank you. I’d like that.”

  Chapter 12

  Milo had just enough time to carry the shopping bags inside and down another cup of coffee before he left for work. All the way there, his mind drifted back to the sight of Samuel and how he moved around the room, how his arse looked in those tight jeans. Generally Milo never looked twice at slim built men. He liked them heavier set, less fragile, but Samuel wasn’t really your average man.

  Twice while shopping he’d heard people refer to him as a girl, or the pretty lady over there with long hair. It irritated Milo that he was attracted to him. If he wanted to be with someone who was feminine, he’d be with a bloody woman. His body had other ideas around Samuel though, and it obviously knew something he didn’t because it reacted to him every time he glanced at Samuel.

  By the time he’d changed into his uniform at the station and was sipping another cup of coffee, he was wound up with himself. He’d just spent all night convincing Daniel he was the only one for him, and then spent all morning checking out the only witness to his case. Those two were super big reasons to stop his body from acting stupid around Samuel.

  Milo flicked his PC on, waiting for it blink into life while he dazed in and out. Last night had been a long one. After the first bout of sex and Milo confessing how he felt, they’d talked more, gone to bed and had more wild sex. He’d just begun drifting off when they were out of bed and running to Samuel’s room to see why he was screaming for help.

  The memory of how petrified and confused Samuel looked, still half asleep and stuck in his nightmare, made Milo aware just how traumatized the young lad was. He promised himself he’d make an effort to be nicer, and it seemed to have worked this morning.

  Samuel needed to be able to talk to him if he was going to get anywhere. It was no good getting secondhand information from Daniel. He logged into his email account and began looking through it, but his mind was on Daniel and Samuel. It was jealousy which burned him up—he could see the attraction to Samuel. He just didn’t have to like how his boyfriend looked at him, or wanted him. He trusted Daniel when he said he wouldn’t act on those feelings, but they were living together and seeing how sexy Samuel looked first thing in the morning, wearing Daniel’s clothes—his cock stirred in his pants again. He had to keep sitting down to hide how the sight of Samuel affected him. He’d been hard as hell watching him make that omelet.

  An email from missing persons got his attention and he clicked on it. There he was, Samuel Tate. His picture from the file was younger. It was taken when he was fourteen, and was the last picture they had before he went missing.

  He’d been reported as a missing person the day he didn’t return home from school, a week after his fifteenth birthday. There had been a brief investigation which turned up with zero evidence. They’d obviously thought he was just another runaway and left his file open. Because he’d passed the age of eighteen, it had been switched over to another department.

  Milo spent a good hour reading through everything they sent, following a few leads and talking to Social Services. By the afternoon, he’d spoken to a lot of the foster parents who he’d stayed with, and got a good idea of what his life had been like. He was just waiting for the hard copies from Social Services when he decided to check up on his parents. His mother’s name didn’t bring up much, only that she passed away from cancer when Samuel was a child. His father on the other hand…

  Milo sat on the edge of his seat when his details came up. Neil Tate, CIA detective. Dealing mainly with undercover work in high profile drugs and arms gangs. His name flagged up loads of stuff and Milo’s access was restricted to a lot of it, but from what he could see, the guy was fucking good and he’d gone missing during
one of the biggest cases of his career.

  After speaking to a few other people in CIA and getting the okay to delve deeper into the accident which took his life, Milo was convinced, as were the police at the time, that Neil had been killed by the gang he was investigating. His cover had been blown and he and his brother, along with Samuel, had been moved across the country into a safe house. Three weeks later, Neil disappeared. Three months later, his body was discovered.

  Milo had to stop reading when he read the autopsy report. They’d really tortured him. His last days on Earth would have been spent in agony. Milo stood up, stretching his arms above his head and headed to the coffee machine.

  Did his father’s death have anything to do with Samuel’s kidnapping years later? It was possible, but far-fetched too. He checked his watch and saw it was almost one. He’d not even looked at the arson case. He frowned at the PC when he sat down, nursing his cup in his palms. He needed to find out just what happened at that warehouse. He had a feeling he was looking for two men, and he needed to know what they looked like so he could attempt to jog the memories of the other homeless people who were in the building before it was set on fire.

  Dalton hovered near his desk and Milo leaned back, staring at him as he shoved a jam tart in his mouth. “What? I’m hungry.”

  “You’re always hungry. You won’t be able to move next year if you keep stuffing your face with those things.” Every time Milo saw him, he was eating recently. “What’s the problem? You’ve put on about thirty pounds in the last two months.”

  Dalton licked his fingers and shrugged. “Kelly’s having an affair.”

  Milo paused then spun his chair around and folded his arms over his chest. “You found out a couple of months ago your wife was fucking around and you haven’t said anything to me? That’s a big deal, Dalton. We’re friends, you know, you can talk to me.”

  Dalton sat down and shook his head. “I don’t want to bring my personal problems to work. You never talk about your life at home. Only reason I know shit about you is from Danny. And that’s only because I know most of the guys he works with.”