“What about we go back to my house and talk about it more?” Jeb grinned and started the car.
“I think that would be best,” Kevin said. As they drove he slipped one hand between Jeb’s heavy thighs relishing in the heat there.
By the time they reached Jeb’s house both of them were breathing hard and Jeb had pulled Kevin’s hand away, holding it in his own.
“You really like hand holding, huh?” Kevin asked as they hurried from the car to the front door.
“Is there a problem with that?” Jeb smiled down at Kevin and squeezed his hand. “I like holding onto you.”
“I think I really like that as well.” Kevin turned and leaned against the wall while Jeb unlocked the door. He smiled when Jeb pushed the door open and waved grandly for Kevin to go inside.
“Can I get you something?”
“Yeah,” Kevin stepped close, peeling Jeb’s tie off. “Hell, yeah.” He kissed Jeb while at the same time unbuttoning his shirt. “If I’m your boyfriend I think it’s time we did more than holding hands and a bit of jacking each other off.”
“You do?” Jeb’s arm was around Kevin in no time. He was guiding Kevin down the hall to the bedroom. Stroking one hand through Kevin’s hair and down his back he slipped his fingers down the back of Kevin’s pants.
Shivering, Kevin ground his hips against Jeb as Jeb’s fingers found his hole, circled it over and over. Kevin’s body melted against Jeb and he groaned. Jeb pulled him closer to the bed and fumbled in a drawer of his night table for a second, Jeb finally produced a bottle. He set it on the bed and let go of Kevin.
“Take your clothes off for me,” Jeb said softly. He flipped open the cap poured some of the thick, clean smelling gel onto his hands and rubbed it between them. “I love watching you undress. You’re so damn sexy.”
Kevin undressed slowly, keeping his gaze fixed to the growing bulge between Jeb’s legs. When he was completely naked and he still stood watching Jeb, waiting to see what would happen next. Closing the distance between them, Jeb guided Kevin to the bed and nudged him to his back. Starting at Kevin’s shoulders, Jeb worked Kevin’s muscles and kneaded his flesh. The massage smeared the gel, which grew hot when it was on his skin for a few seconds, all over Kevin’s back, relaxing him and setting his body on fire at the same time.
Leaning over Kevin, Jeb used his tongue and lips over Kevin’s shoulders and down his back. Squirming and wiggling, Kevin couldn’t take it anymore. He was more turned on than he’d ever been his entire life. Jeb was gentle and patient and that extended to his love making. Kevin was turned into a warm, pile of want and need. His whole world narrowed down to Jeb. Kind, wonderful, outrageously sexy Jeb. This man was his whole world, and Kevin knew now Jeb was everything he’d ever wanted.
The days wore on, turning to weeks and months. Eventually Kevin moved into Jeb’s home. It was then that they began telling more and more people Kevin and Jeb were now a very in love, devoted couple. Managing the gym and training for fights was challenging and difficult at times, but Kevin was happy. He felt useful, productive and finally like his life was going somewhere. He and Jeb had a rule: they never worked every day together. All couples needed time apart and they were no different. For Kevin it made it so he wanted all that much more to be with Jeb. Every second apart was one he missed his partner that much more.
Today was one of those days. Jeb had left work at lunch time, leaving Kevin in charge until the facility closed later than evening. Kevin was tired, it had been a long day and he was looking forward to some relaxing one on one time with Jeb. The minute he walked into the house he was met with delicious smells, soft music and candle light.
“What’s all this?” Kevin asked. He kicked his shoes off and unbuttoned his shirt.
“Well, your first pro fight is in a month and today is sort of an anniversary for us.” Jeb handed Kevin a glass of sparkling water.
“Yeah?” Kevin sipped the water, eyeing up the table set with crystal, china and silver.
“So, I had some new recipes I wanted to try and thought this would be a perfect time. It was a year ago we went to my family reunion and I told everyone you were my boyfriend. I thought for sure it would piss you off and you’d correct me right away.”
“I was surprised, but in a good way.”
“A bit sneaky on my part, I’ll admit.” He shrugged. “What can I say, when I see something I want, I go after it with gusto.”
Kevin snorted and leaned closer to Jeb for a kiss. “I can’t argue with that or say I was disappointed.”
“Well, there’s something else I want,” Jeb announced. “And I intend to do all I need to so I can have that too.”
Raising his eyebrows Kevin sipped his water but didn’t say anything. Jeb took his hand and pulled him to the table, pulling out a chair. Kevin sat and looked over the table. There were wine glasses, even though neither of them drank wine. Jeb had bought some of the non-alcoholic champagne Kevin liked and there was a small pile of strawberries on his plate.
“So, I thought we’d start off with some fruit.” Jeb took one of the large, red berries and held it to Kevin’s lips. “I made chicken parmesan, but tried a new recipe and completely different spices. I hope you like it.”
Kevin pulled the fruit into his mouth, chewing slowly and swallowing in a way that he knew would make his Adam’s apple slide slowly up and down. He watched Jeb’s gaze follow the motion, knowing how much that turned his lover on.
“I always love it when you get the bug up your butt to do some cooking. It’s one of your more appealing qualities,” Kevin joked.
Jeb shrugged. “Cooking relaxes me.” He filled Kevin’s plate with the chicken, nicely toasted bread with garlic butter and cheese smeared over top, homemade cranberry sauce and grilled mixed vegetables.
It was during dessert - chocolate soufflé - that Jeb started fidgeting and finally he set his napkin on the table beside his plate. “Hang on, I have something to go with this, a new coffee I thought we’d try.”
Kevin could only nod, his mouth was too full of food to speak. Jeb vanished into the kitchen, back a few minutes later with two mugs of steamy coffee. It smelled like the coffee they always had, but Kevin didn’t say anything.
Jeb set the mugs down and dug something out of his pocket. He moved around to Kevin’s side of the table and knelt down. Kevin coughed and choked on his mouthful of food.
“What are you—?” Kevin started to ask.
Jeb reached up and put one finger over Kevin’s lips, silencing him. “You are everything to me. I want to share my whole life with you for the rest of my life.” He opened the small box he held and showed Kevin the contents.
It was a set of rings. Simple and elegant, very tasteful, but Kevin had come to know that was Jeb’s style. They were brushed silver tone with one small inset diamond. Kevin’s fingers trembled as he reached in and took one of the rings out, examining it. Their names were engraved on the inside.
“Kevin. Say something. Please.”
“I… I never expected this. Jeb these are….” Kevin met Jeb’s gaze. Jeb looked terrified. Kevin could never image the big man being afraid of anything. His face felt like it was going to split in two, the smile that broke out was so big. He slid off the chair and threw both arms around Jeb’s neck. “You want to get married! Can we even do that here?”
“We can. I went out and bought these the day the law passed. I love you more than anything. We’re business partners, I want to be whole life partners too.” Jeb kissed the side of Kevin’s head, working his way to his cheek then found his mouth. He stood up, pulling Kevin with him. “Let’s go get a start on the wedding night.”
Kevin pulled Jeb down the hall to their bedroom, murmuring “I love you.”
Jeb always took care of him and tonight was no different.
--THE END--
The Mail Order Bride: An Orphan Heads West to the Bustling City of Denver
The next morning Courtney woke up at the crack of dawn. She wa
s usually still tired in the mornings but on that day things were different. There was a new energy and excitement coursing through her veins. She was hoping desperately that this day would be the beginning of a new life for her, a life that would take her far away from this hopeless town and far away from her miserable life of cleaning dishes and floors.
****
Chapter 1
Rochester, New York 1878
“Courtney Reynolds get in here right now!”
Courtney’s whole body shook as she heard her name being called. She had no idea what she could have done. All of her clothes were completely soaked. She had been washing dishes for the past two hours. The only thing she wanted to do was go back to the room she shared with four other girls and go to sleep.
But things were never easy for her. And they never had been.
She quickly dried off her hands and prepared to walk out of the kitchen. Her boss Mr. McFarlane was waiting for her outside. He was big fat man who always melled like onions. He loved to pick on the young girls, especially the one who wouldn't immediately obey the orders that he gave them.
Courtney pushed her way through the kitchen doors and walked into the dining hall.
“Could you walk any slower?” A voice boomed from the other side of the hall. Courtney could feel fear and nervousness shooting throughout her body. This wasn't the first time she had faced he boss’s wrath. But it was getting harder and harder for her to endure such treatment.
As she got closer to where her boss was standing the smell of fried onions began to tickle her nose. She hated that smell. A wave of nausea passed over her. She stopped walking for a moment to get her balance and calm herself down. If she threw up, right here in the dining hall, there was no telling what would happen to her.
Mr. MacFarlane had one hand on his hip and in the other he held a broom. His huge belly bulged out of a grey shirt stained with grease.
“How many times do I have to tell you to sweep underneath all of the tables?”
“I'm sorry I just—“
“I don't want to hear any of your excuses! I just want you to do what I tell you to.”
Courtney lowered her head and stared at the ground. She could feel her cheeks turning red. The anger slowly spread throughout her body. This man acted like he was doing her some great favor by employing her at his road stop restaurant.
“I don't want any more rats,” he said. “How hard is that for you to understand.”
“I understand, Mr. Macfarlane. I won't let it happen again.”
“You better not, he said. What would you be able to do for yourself without this job? You have no real skills. No parents. No one wants you.”
The anger began rising in Courtney's body. She hated to be reminded that essentially she had no one in the world. She hated feeling that people were doing some kind of charity for her. That went against everything she stood for. It made her feel weak and worthless.
“Now, get back in that kitchen. And make sure everything is spotless. I'm docking your pay this month.”
When Courtney heard that she looked up in despair.
“Docking my pay? But what—”
“And don't you go thinking about not showing up. If you do, I will have you put out of the boarding house.”
Courtney wanted to say something. She wanted to scream. This wasn't right. Mr. Macfarlane was already a month late in paying her. And now he was saying that he was docking her pay. She barely made enough to afford her dingy room and the most meager of foods.
Now she would basically have to starve. And if she couldn't pay the monthly rent she might soon be forced into the streets.
She couldn't continue living like this. She just couldn't.
With her head lowered and tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, the distraught young woman made her way back into the kitchen.
For the next hour she washed and dried dishes. It was close to 10pm by the time she finally completed all of the work. She took off her gloves and looked at her hands in despair. How would she ever be able to find a man if she couldn't keep her hands dainty and feminine? But what does that matter anyway, she told herself. What man would want a poor dishwasher with no parents or possessions to her name?
When Courtney got back to boarding room that she shared with four other girls, she was completely exhausted. She felt like she could have slept for days. But she knew that she would only be able to get a few hours of restless sleep before she would have to be back at work for the morning crowd. She took off her shoes and tip toed into the cold dark room. She had to be careful not to step on the other girls. There were no beds in the room so the girls were forced to sleep on the floor.
But it didn't really matter to them because most of the time they arrived home from work so tired that they fell asleep very quickly.
Courtney had been lying on the floor in the dark room shivering, unable to get to sleep. But it wasn't just the cold that was bothering her. It was everything about her life. She felt that she would be trapped in this run down Northern town forever. Is this all she could expect from life?
She sighed deeply and tried to hold back her tears. She was also fighting to keep control of her emotions. But she could feel them building up inside of her. She feared that one day she would no longer be able to control herself and she would just have to let everything come rushing out.
“What's wrong Courtney? Why can't you sleep?”
Courtney was startled by the voice she heard to her left. She had assumed that all of the girls were sleeping.
“I hope I didn't wake up,” Courtney said.
The other girl's name was Melanie. She was a housekeeper in her twenties. Courtney was a few years older than her and would sometimes give her advice. But maybe tonight the younger woman would be able to help see her through a problem.
Melanie reached out and touched Courtney's arm. “No, you didn't wake me, she said. But I heard your teeth clattering and then I looked up and saw your eyes open.”
Courtney sighed. She wasn't one to complain about her problems. All of the girls had it rough. Everyone in town had it rough. She didn't want people to pity her. She had dealt with that for most of her life. When people found out that her parents had died in a carriage accident when she was just a child and that she had been raised in an orphanage, they made a point of showing her how sorry they felt. She hated that. What she wanted more than anything was to have a normal life. Sleeping in this cold, dark room just couldn't be normal. There has to be another way to live, she thought. A better way.
“How long do you think that you can live like this?” Courtney asked. “Because I don't think that I can do it much longer.”
The other girl sighed as her mind seemed to drift off into dreams of a much better future. Courtney waited for her response. She really needed to find out how the other girls felt about their situation.
“A couple weeks ago I started working for this family called the Jensens,” Melanie said. “They have a son that's been out west for the last five years. He's always sending money back home and postcards that tell of strange adventures.”
Even through the darkness, Courtney could see the other girl's eyes light up as she spoke.
“But isn't it all farms and ranches out there?”
“Yes, I reckon there's lots of that. But this young man that I'm telling you about. This Jensen, you see, he didn’t go to one of the farms. No, you see, he went to this place called Denver. It's a real city. Like a real one with big city things and people. Every time I think of it I can't help but get excited.
Courtney was beginning to get excited as well. She rolled the word around on her tongue a few times. Denver. Denver. She had never been to a big city before, and she had only been to smaller sized cities a couple of times.
“Well, this is the point I was trying to make,” Melanie said. “This Jensen boy is now looking for a wife. His family said that there are hardly any women out there. So the men hire the services of mail order bride companies
in order to find wives.”
Courtney had heard of mail order brides before. But for some reason it never seemed real to her. Men would really place an ad for a woman? And a few weeks later that woman would be delivered to their door?
There was something about that that just didn't seem right. She doubted that she would be capable of doing something so bold. No, there was no way that she would ever be able to do anything like that. But she had to admit that she did find the idea very intriguing.
And Melanie wasn't done. “So what I was thinking was that maybe you should go talk to Mrs. Robinson.”
“Mrs. Robinson?” Courtney said.
“Yes, she runs a Mail Order Bride Agency. It's the building next to the doctor's clinic.”
“And what will I say to her? What if she says I'm not pretty enough? Or I am not smart enough. Or what if the man doesn't want a woman who has no parents.”
Courtney could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and tried to regain her composure. But it was no use and within seconds the tears were flowing from her eyes.
Melanie did her best to comfort her friend and eventually Courtney was able to stop crying. A new life, and possibly happiness, finally seemed within reach. At the same time it all seemed so far away.
“Don't worry,” Melanie said. “I'll take you there first thing in the morning.”
“In the morning?” Courtney said with look of fear in her eyes. “But Mr. McFarlane will kill me if I'm even a minute late.”
“But if this works out you will never have to see him again.”
Courtney stared at her friend with her mouth open. Never see him again? That possibility was too precious to pass up. She would definitely go with Melanie in the morning to the Mail Order Bride Agency.
Chapter 2
The next morning Courtney woke up at the crack of dawn. She was usually still tired in the mornings but on that day things were different. There was a new energy and excitement coursing through her veins. She was hoping desperately that this day would be the beginning of a new life for her, a life that would take her far away from this hopeless town and far away from her miserable life of cleaning dishes and floors. But when she looked around the room, she noticed that Melanie had already gotten up for the day.
Interracial Romance: Gay Romance: Bound By His Own Desires (MMM Endowed Black Men Bondage Threesome Romance) (A Billionaire's Freedom Book 3) Page 136