“How was work?” Jeb handed Kevin a bottle of juice.
Shrugging, Kevin said, “It was work. Nothing special.”
“Hey, I have a favor to ask. It’s completely fine if you don’t want to, so no pressure.” He took a sip from his own juice.
“Okay. You know I’ll do it if I can, whatever it is,” Kevin said and twisted the bottle cap off.
Jeb rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve got a family thing this weekend. And you know how it is, it’s been over two years since Ethan and I split up, they’ll be asking me when I’m going to start dating again, yadda, yadda, blah, blah.”
Kevin’s eyebrows went up. “You want me to be your date?” he asked.
“Well, yeah, sort of. Not a real date, but—dear lord, save me from them, please. You’ve met a lot of my family and they like you. I can’t face them alone one more time. There will be food, a ton of food and you know my mother, no one leaves without left overs.”
Kevin shrugged and smiled. “Okay. It’ll be fun.”
Jeb play punched him in the shoulder. “Thank you. Jeremy died this month too, so, well, I’d rather not face them alone. I can pick you up around noon on Sunday, would that be all right?”
“Sure.” Kevin pointed to the laundry room. “I’d better….” Kevin went about his general cleaning and maintained chores for the day. He whistled and hummed to himself as he went about his business. Periodically he’d stop and watch the training sessions and classes going on that day. The more he thought about spending Sunday with Jeb at his family function the more excited he became. He decided the day couldn’t arrive fast enough.
He was secretly thrilled with Jeb’s request. Jeb was gay, that wasn’t a secret. His former partner, Ethan was an investment banker and had helped Jeb set up the financing to open this gym. Kevin wasn’t sure about all the details of their breakup but the fact Jeb on occasion referred to Ethan as a lying, cheating scumbag might have had something to do with it.
Jeremy was someone Kevin knew much more about. He’d died about twelve years ago, when he and Jeb were in their late twenties. Jeremy was—had been—Jeb’s brother. He’d died as a result of a gay bashing incident. The ironic thing was, Jeremy hadn’t been gay, only Jeb was.
Kevin went about his day, happy to be around Jeb, even if he couldn’t interact with him as much as when he was training. It was nice because when they were together they talked about something other than Kevin’s fighting style, or lack thereof as the case might be. As far as his workout routines went, Jeb was the boss and if Kevin was told to take a day off, that’s exactly what he did. It felt good to have someone care for him enough to want to look after him.
Kevin knew his parents loved him, but they were always so busy working to keep a roof over the family’s heads to really take care of the little things. Illness and injury was dealt with right away, and of course there was someone watching to be sure homework was done. However, Jeb did little things to show he cared, like checking every day to see if Kevin’s car was running. Kevin had learned a long time ago, Jeb liked to care for others.
For the second time that day Jeb pulled Kevin aside. “Let me see your hands.”
Kevin rested his hands in Jeb’s palms. He turned Kevin’s hands over, lightly rubbing his thumbs over Kevin’s skin. A slight tingle ran from Kevin’s hands to spread through his chest. Jeb was a hulking brute of a man who could be so gentle, it was pretty amazing.
“How does this feel?” Jeb asked and pressed on Kevin’s hand in a few places.
Kevin smiled. “Good. It… uh… feels good—really good.”
Jeb smiled, it was warm and comforting and almost flirtatious. He gave Kevin’s hands a gentle squeeze and nodded. “Excellent.”
“I’d better get going or I’ll be late for work,” Kevin said. He and Jeb stood looking at one another for a minute more before Jeb released Kevin.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jeb said softly. Kevin could only nod before he turned to leave. Jeb’s hand came to rest on Kevin’s shoulder for a few seconds before sliding away. The gesture sent a fresh wave of good feelings through Kevin and kept him smiling all the way home.
He had to work that night, but then he wouldn’t be expected back at the warehouse for three more nights. Kevin took another of the packets of food from the freezer and packed a few boxes of juice in a bag for his night meal. He headed down the stairs to his car. The vehicle didn’t want to start right away but at last the engine turned over and sounded normal. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kevin head off to work.
He was about halfway to the street leading to the warehouse when his car began making an odd chugging noise that unfortunately Kevin had heard before. The needle on the heat indicator inched up, not quite hitting that overheated mark.
“Come on, come on. Just a few more blocks. Half a mile, that’s all,” Kevin grumbled. “Then you can cool off for the night.” Once he was at work he could get a ride home and deal with his car in the morning. Twenty more feet and the car shuddered, emitted a loud bang then blew out a different sound, rattled and died. Steam rose from under the hood, it seemed fitting when Kevin hit the steering wheel with both hands repeatedly. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Grabbing his stuff Kevin got out of the car and pushed it to the side of the road. It was dark, cold and if he didn’t hustle he was going to be late for work. He couldn’t afford to have his pay docked or worse yet lose his job.
There was a steady drizzle of sleet that made Kevin shiver as he jogged down the street. He made sure to make eye contact with anyone he passed, particularly the guys in dark clothing slouched in doorways in small groups. If any of them were thinking of mugging Kevin they would be badly disappointed, but they could probably tell that from Kevin’s dress and mannerisms. So he was left alone.
The warehouse was in a rough neighborhood, it was true. The people who haunted the streets here knew when someone wasn’t worth their effort despite what Jeb thought. Kevin had nothing of worth to take from him. The likelihood of Kevin being mugged was much less than the possibility of him getting sick.
He’d gone a few blocks when a car pulled up beside him and honked. Kevin stopped jogging and shook his head.
Leaning down, he talked through the passenger side window. “How did you know?”
“Oh, I didn’t. I know the route you take and I also know you’d never call me for a ride, so I drive by here every night you work. That’s the only way I can make sure you get to work safely.” Jeb smiled and unlocked the car door. “Get in.”
From Jeb’s remark a few days ago about him seeing Kevin walking to work, Kevin should have known Jeb was doing something like this. Normally, Kevin would have argued, but the drizzle had turned to a harder downfall that was more steady and verging on freezing rain. The simple fact was he was cold and going to be late for work. Shaking his head, Kevin opened the car door and got into the car. “Thanks,” he said gratefully. “This car will get stolen right out from under you in this neighborhood.”
Jeb reached over and patted Kevin’s knee, giving a slight squeeze. “That’s what insurance is for. No car is worth a person’s safety.” They drove the remaining distance to the warehouse in silence. When Jeb pulled around to the back of the building and stopped at the employee entrance he asked, “What time do you get done?”
“I don’t—”
Jeb held up one finger. “I asked what time you are finished with your shift and can leave.”
“Eleven-thirty,” Kevin said.
“I’ll see you then.” Jeb gave Kevin’s shoulder a squeeze. “No arguing and I’d better not see you jogging down the street again.”
Kevin’s shift seemed to drag, even though he was happy and whistled through his duties. He wanted it over so he could spend a little extra time with Jeb during the ride to Kevin’s home. As he had earlier he let his mind wander to thoughts of spending a whole day with Jeb that was purely a social function. No punching bags, or bandaged aching hands and feet. He put some consideration into how co
nversations might go and Kevin played them over and over in his head. He could imagine Jeb occasionally putting an arm around him and Kevin returning the affectionate gesture, all for the sake of Jeb’s family of course.
That brought him back to the fact there was the added bonus of the prospect of a drive home with Jeb. That lifted Kevin’s spirits to new heights. He spent a lot of time that night wondering if a man like Jeb would be interested in someone like Kevin. What was the saying? Love was blind. Kevin decided the amount of time he spent thinking about Jeb might possibly mean that his feelings were much more than friendship. He was even ready to admit his interest in Jeb’s body.
About halfway through his shift Kevin realized that Jeb really could be interested in someone like him. Jeb was always stocking the refrigerator in his office with the types of juice Kevin liked as well as bottled water. Those items were offered freely every day Kevin was at the gym. Whenever Jeb cooked he had packages of frozen left overs for Kevin. Then there was all the touching, it wasn’t entirely necessary. Jeb seemed particularly fond of finding a reason to hold Kevin’s hands and examine them. Maybe the signs had been there for a while that Jeb was definitely interested. Kevin could understand why Jeb wouldn’t say anything or be more overt in his actions since Kevin was straight. Too much too soon might have been misconstrued and Jeb probably realized Kevin needed time to adjust to the idea of being with a man. Kevin had to come to these conclusions by himself, with no real help from Jeb.
There was about an hour left before quitting time when there was a crash from the back of the warehouse, where the break room was. The lights flickered then went out. For a few minutes they were drenched in darkness. The generator must have kicked in, because the emergency lights flashed to life. That respite was very brief. Thick, black smoke began rolling through the building, dousing the meager light they had and causing the shadows inside the building to distort to something long and eerie.
In seconds there were fire alarms and sprinklers, but it wasn’t enough. White tipped orange and red flames spread faster than the sprinklers could work. There was too much in the warehouse that was flammable. The whole place was an inferno in minutes.
The dim light was replaced with flashed from the flames. The noise was deafening and didn’t seem to come from any one point. It was everywhere, crashing and cracking relentlessly. The acrid odor of whatever was burning permeated the air and made Kevin gag. Everyone was panicked, trying to push their way outside to safety and freedom. Twice Kevin tripped and stumbled into one of his coworkers. Even more times he was the one being fallen into, holding someone up and helping them along. His gagging turned into sharp, painful ragged coughing.
The harsh, desperate breathing of the people around him mixed with the noise of the fire and filled his ears. Kevin could feel the hair on his body raise, his skin itched and shivers ran along his spine. No matter how his brain said stay calm, don’t panic, don’t trample others the more his body screamed for him to flee. There was a crush of people bottlenecked at the exits and despite having the intense urge to run, Kevin could barely move forward for a few minutes. His breath came in short bursts, sweat covered his hands and his vision narrowed to a tunnel in front of him.
Finally the blockage broke and people poured out the building, Kevin shoved along with them. They congregated in the parking lot, staying out of the way and taking a head count to be sure everyone was outside and safe. The whole scene was surreal. It was more like watching a bad movie than living through an event.
Fire trucks, ambulances and police cars converged, but not in time to stop the flames from spreading and the building from being consumed in flames. Kevin sat on the ground, surrounded by pandemonium, shivering despite the intense heat from the fire. People and vehicles moved around him, but Kevin didn’t seem able to concentrate on what any of them were doing for long. He tried not to think of the fact that he’d been in there a short time ago. What would it be like to be overcome with smoke and to burn to death? Those thoughts made Kevin squeeze his eyes shut against the sight of flames and smoke from the building. All the images his brain conjured up were compounded a hundred-fold as he replayed the scene in his mind’s eye. He saw the flames reaching for him, a gaping maw of a mouth trying to swallow him whole.
A blanket was draped around Kevin’s shoulders and warm, strong hands rested on either side of his neck. Kevin jerked away from the touch, but the hands held fast and wouldn’t let him get away. Turning, Kevin looked up not into a fire monster intent on consuming him but Jeb’s face. His expression was grief stricken and Kevin saw a mixture of fear and relief in his features.
Jeb sat on the ground beside him. Putting one arm around Kevin, and pulled him in tight, rubbing Kevin’s arm, asking, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” It was impossible to keep the tremor out of his voice.
“Everyone else got out, no one hurt?”
“No, I don’t think anyone was hurt. The fire spread fast, but the alarms worked so we had warning and everyone got out. I think it started in the break room and no one was in there, we’d all gone back on shift. The breaker box kept tripping.” Kevin shrugged. “I don’t know what started it. There was a big bang and the next thing smoke and fire and alarms. I do know I have no job.”
“Don’t worry about that now,” Jeb said softly. He leaned his forehead against Kevin’s still holding him securely. “Shit, I saw the flames blocks away and knew it was this building. The thought of you being in there….” His voice broke and cracked.
Kevin couldn’t talk around the lump in his throat, so he simply nudged closer to Jeb’s side. The appreciation for the warmth and strength Jeb offered was something more than he couldn’t put into words.
Jeb let go with one hand and wiped it over his mouth then took a deep breath. “Did you get checked out by the medics?” When Kevin shook his head, Jeb took his arm, stood up and took Kevin with him. “Let’s do that. Better safe than sorry. Don’t argue with me”
Kevin was shaken and numb, and doing what Jeb told him to was much easier than figuring it out on his own or not doing anything at all. He sat quietly while the paramedic gave him an exam, but declined the hospital trip.
“Look, Kevin don’t worry—”
Kevin cut Jeb off. “It’s not the money. Well it is, but really I only want to get out of here and go home while I have one.” All of a sudden his legs felt weak and his feet were almost too heavy for his own body to lift.
Jeb nodded and put one arm around Kevin’s shoulders, guiding him along the sidewalk and supporting part of Kevin’s weight as they walked. When they came to Jeb’s car, which by some miracle was still in one piece and sitting where Jeb said it was parked Kevin leaned against the side while Jeb unlocked the door He guided Kevin into the car and rewrapped the blanket around Kevin’s shoulders. Jeb was so kind and he was grateful for that care and compassion. A wave of love and warmth spread through Kevin when he thought of Jeb’s kindness. Particularly touching was the way he took over and helped Kevin settle in the car.
Jeb slipped behind the steering wheel and started the car, guiding it through fire trucks and police cars to the main street. Kevin leaned back and shut his eyes, the motion of the car lulling him and making him drowsy. When they hit a bump in the road, Kevin opened his eyes and pushed himself straighter. He glanced at his watch then took a better look at the scenery flashing by.
“I don’t live anywhere near here,” Kevin said.
Jeb glanced over him, signaled a turn then drove the car down a side street. “I know, but I do.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, come on Kevin. You were in a fire, no you weren’t hurt, but it’s still traumatic and scary as hell. It scared the crap out of me and I wasn’t in that building. I was in a school once that caught fire, and it shook me up for weeks even though I was nowhere near the fire at the time. I thought you were going to pass out on me a few times. You shouldn’t be alone right now.” Jeb pulled in a driveway, turned off the engine and smil
ed at Kevin. “It’s late, I’m tired, I know you’re tired and I’m not driving back to your apartment building tonight. There is plenty of room here. I want—need—you here so I know you’re safe.”
Kevin couldn’t really think of a decent argument and wasn’t even sure he wanted to offer one so he got out of the car and quietly followed Jeb into the house. Jeb’s words touched him to the core. He followed Jeb through the house thinking how nice it must be to live here.
He’d been in Jeb’s home many times over the years, but never as a houseguest. It wasn’t a huge house, but it was comfortable. He instantly remembered how the big windows made it bright and sunny in the daytime. Kevin had always liked Jeb’s home and dreamed of having one like it of his own someday. Maybe he could even live in this neighborhood, near Jeb’s home.
“Can I take a shower? I stink like smoke,” Kevin asked once they were inside. He watched as Jeb pulled some extra blankets and a pillow from a closet.
“Sure thing. Hungry? I can whip us up a snack.” Jeb pointed down the hall off the living room. “You remember where the bathroom is. There is a closet between the bathroom and bedroom with plenty of towels. I’ll see if I can find you some clean clothes to wear.”
Kevin nodded and went for his shower. He stood under the spray of water for a few minutes, listening to Jeb move around the house. The muscles of his back and legs began to ache, probably from all the shivering while he was sitting outside and the delayed reaction to an adrenaline rush. His brain felt like mush and his body seemed to be completing tasks without real instructions from his mind.
When he stepped out of the shower there was a clean t-shirt and sweatpants laying on the counter next to the sink. His own clothes were nowhere to be seen and a few seconds later he heard the sound of the washing machine starting. Kevin dried off slowly. He was stiffening up in a way that never happened even after a particularly difficult workout so it took a little longer than normal to pull the fresh clothes on. Jeb was bigger than he was, so the shirt hung past his hips and fortunately the legs of the pants had elastic at the bottom so he could scrunch them up a bit.
Interracial Romance: Gay Romance: Bound By His Own Desires (MMM Endowed Black Men Bondage Threesome Romance) (A Billionaire's Freedom Book 3) Page 134