“Elliot, I would like you to meet my nephew.” Jethro came out from behind the counter and went to greet Draven.
Chapter 9
Draven
“This is Elliot, you’re gonna be working together,” Jethro said, throwing his thick arms around Draven. They briefly embraced each other.
Draven smiled, feeling a happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time. But then he looked over and saw Elliot, and took a step back.
The guy from the bar.
There was an awkward pause between the two men as they locked eyes. Draven stepped forward and extended his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Elliot,” he said.
“Likewise,” Elliot said.
Draven broke eye contact after realizing that he was staring too long. He turned his attention back to Jethro.
“Okay, I'm leaving this place to you boys. I’ve never had to do anything like this before, so I don’t know how it will go. I need to get ready for the hospital.” He walked away and left them alone.
Draven opened his mouth to speak and for once he found himself dumbfounded. He closed his mouth and smiled. He wasn't sure if his smile was coming off as a grimace.
“I’ll give you the tour then,” Elliot said, who was clearly blushing.
They walked around the store floor and Elliot explained the various devices and some of what they had to do, which involved explaining to customers about the candy prices and how to use the devices.
“It looks pretty straightforward,” Draven said after the tour. At this Elliot just shrugged. “Okay, this should be a breeze.”
“Have you ever done anything like this before?” Elliot asked.
Realizing that the question was a real one, Draven shook his head. If his club members saw him working in a candy store, they’d all poke fun at him, but the chances were that they already knew what he’d be doing.
“Have you worked here long?” Draven asked.
“Since June,” Elliot replied. “I started here in the summer and I loved it so much. I have no intention of leaving anytime.”
“Wow, it seems really quiet,” Draven said.
“Oh, it gets really noisy here at times. Trust me. Sometimes you’ll be so swept off your feet with customers that you’ll be begging to have a little quiet and a chance to sit and relax.”
They stared at each other for a minute and then smiled. Draven smirked at the other man’s sense of humor. So, the place was quiet, it sounded like a nice change from what he was used to.
“Well, I can really do with some quiet in my life right about now,” Draven said.
“Oh, you don’t look like a guy who would want to live around here and work in a candy store for too long. I bet it would drive you crazy,” Elliot said.
“What makes you say that?”
Elliot shrugged as if he either didn't know what to say or how to phrase what was on his mind in a way that wouldn’t offend Draven.
“I should be able to hack this life,” Draven said.
“What sort of life were you living before?” Elliot asked.
“You do ask a lot of questions,” Draven said, feeling as if he were in an interrogation.
“Sorry,” Elliot said. The apology came out so suddenly, catching Draven off guard.
“I never meant,” Draven began, but stopped immediately as Jethro came out from the back of the store.
“You sure you want to come with me, Elliot?” Jethro said. “I mean, it’s not like I don’t know my way to the hospital now.”
“I’m coming, you know me, anything to take time off work,” Elliot said with a grin.
“Don’t say that in front of the new employee, you're supposed to be setting an example now,” Jethro said and he gave a single laugh.
They walked out of the store and Draven watched them leave. Then Jethro turned to him.
“I’ll give you a lift back to my place,” he said, but when he saw the look on Draven’s face, he frowned. “You are staying at my place, aren’t you?”
“Skull said it would be best if I stayed at a hotel,” Draven said, unable to meet his uncle's eyes.
“He can’t be serious. I’m going to have a word with him,” Jethro said,
“Maybe he was worried that I’d be too much to handle with your operation,” Draven tried to add helpfully. But he knew that wasn’t the case.
“Bullshit,” Jethro said. “I’m gonna have a word with him, you’re family. There’s no need for you to be in a hotel.”
Draven knew the real reason was that Jethro was a former club member who stepped away from the club to live a normal life. It really offended Draven’s dad and the two brothers stopped speaking to each other for years. Eventually, they settled their disagreement and started communications again, but Jethro was never let in on the club secrets or activities. He was considered an outsider when it came to business, but family when it came to matters that involved their blood relations.
All three men walked out of the store. Elliot closed the store and followed them to Jethro’s car.
“I’ll follow you from behind,” Draven said.
“Fine, here’s the key to the house. Move in as soon as you like. Get Ellie to help you.” Jethro handed him the keys.
“But, I’ll have to get back here to open up,” Elliot said.
“Never mind. Take the day off, I want the two of you to get to know each other. Helping Draven would be a start.”
Elliot and Draven looked at each other. Last night’s meeting was clearly on both of their minds. Draven wondered if it was going to come up at any point. He had no reason to be embarrassed about what happened, he saw what he liked and he was ready to take it. That was how it had been for most of his life. He pursued whatever attracted him, whether it was danger, excitement and especially guys.
At first, Skull had been worried that the other club members would not have accepted Draven because he was gay, but the few members who knew about him never seemed to mind. When Draven came out of the closet to Skull, his big brother embraced him, which was a big surprise. All throughout their childhood, Skull had kicked his butt and played the typical big brother role. As they matured into men, however, Skull watched Draven’s back until he was able to defend himself and win the fight. He taught Draven what it meant to be strong.
The car took off and Draven followed behind. He thought about his Uncle Jethro and wondered if the old man was content with how his life had turned out since he left the club. He used to be one of its most fearsome members, but now spent most of his days in a candy store. Surely it must have sucked to go from having all that power and all the fear to be stuck behind a counter in a candy store.
Draven hated to admit it, but his uncle was weak. Well, weak according to the definition of his dad and brother, who basically redefined what it was to be weak and made sure that no club member displayed those qualities. Weakness was being too afraid to go for what you want.
They arrived at Jethro’s place. It was a large terrace house with a driveway, and it was surprising to see his uncle’s house surrounded by all the other houses.
“Wow, this is not the place you and dad lived in before,” Draven said. “You moved up.”
“Yeah, that area has changed, there are too many punk kids trying to be the next silly MC club.”
Draven flinched. “If it’s what they want to do. They’ll either end up looking for the real deal and trying to get themselves - “
“Dead or in prison,” Jethro said as he walked up toward the house.
“I was going to say recruited,” Draven said, but either his uncle was too far to hear him or didn’t want to respond. Draven turned and caught Elliot sneak a glance before he rushed after Jethro. Draven’s eyes fell to the other man’s butt. His figure was shapely, feminine and delicate. Blowing out a lungful of air, he followed them up toward the house.
It made sense that he followed them to the hospital, and he insisted, even though Elliot said he’d take Jethro’s car back and follow Draven t
o the hotel. Draven didn’t have much bag to carry to his uncle’s house, but he couldn’t be tempted by the older man’s suggestion that it would be a great time for them to get to know each other.
They waited in the waiting room. Draven caught the occasional curious eye that lingered on him a little too long after getting his attention. It was like people, ordinary people, could sense the type of man he was, and either they were drawn to him or repelled by him. He wondered which group Elliot belonged to.
“You want a coffee?” Draven turned to Elliot and asked.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Uncle?”
“Really?”
“Oh, shit, my bad,” Draven said. He got up and walked to the coffee machine, only to see a note that said it was out of service. Draven returned to the guys and told them that the machine was broken.
“Is there someplace else I can grab a coffee?” he asked the receptionist.
“Sure, there’s a coffee shop down the hall and on the right,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“What’s the matter?” Jethro asked.
“Look, I'm gonna go and find another machine,” he said to Jethro and Elliot.
“Why don’t you both go?” Jethro said. “Elliot knows this place, don’t you?” he asked Elliot.
“Yeah, I’ve been here once or twice.”
They walked down the corridor in silence. Draven didn’t know what to say. He was sure that Elliot was intimidated by him and he didn’t want to make things more complicated than they already were. Aside from earlier, when he caught Elliot checking him out, Draven couldn’t see any signs that the other man was into him. Could it be that Elliot wasn’t checking him out, but was curious about the tattoos? Was Elliot even gay? And that night at the bar, Elliot might have been drunk, and maybe there wasn’t much else to it.
They reached the coffee shop and Draven left Elliot at the front and ordered their coffee. He got back to the table and noticed the pensive look on the other man’s face.
“What’s up? You’re looking distant.”
“I was just thinking about Jethro. I know everything should go okay with the operation, but I’m concerned that if he has a problem, he won’t reach out to me. He’s a proud man and likes to be independent. I know he looks after me like a son and that’s the only reason he’s taken me under his wing.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll go smoothly, I'm sure of it,” Draven said. He smiled, it was nice to see that his uncle had someone like Elliot watching his back.
“Hey, what’s that smile for?” Elliot asked.
“Okay, I was just thinking that my uncle is in great hands.”
“Well, he’s got you now too.” Elliot said.
“True,” Draven agreed. The barista brought their coffees. “Listen, about the other night...don’t you think it’s ironic that we're working together? Of all the guys I wanted to get off with in the bar, you caught my eye.”
Elliot looked down, picked up his coffee and took a sip as if it was going to hide his expression. “Well, it wasn’t as if the bar was jam-packed. You look confident enough to approach any guy who catches your eye.”
“But I was correct, you are gay?” Draven said.
“Yes,” Elliot replied.
“You seeing anyone?”
“Why?” Elliot said.
His question surprised Draven. “Because I want to date you, you’re hot...really hot,” he replied, bluntly.
“I don’t know. You are Jethro’s nephew. We’ll be working together.” Elliot lifted his cup to his thin pink lips and sipped. “What if we get in a predicament?”
“So, I’ll get to see your gorgeous face every day, I could ask for a better predicament.”
“You look like a model and a bad boy,” Elliot said. “I find it hard to believe that you’ll be interested in me, and besides you’re gonna be gone in a few months.”
Draven threw his hands up and laughed. “Hey, hey, don’t overthink it. I’m just asking you out for maybe coffee, you know, to spend some time to get to know you better outside of the work setting. What do you say?”
“I’ll think about it,” Elliot said.
Draven was used to guys fighting over him. Even when he was with Michael, he couldn’t ignore the number of guys who secretly contacted him for hookups. But he never cheated. Once he was in a relationship, Draven was committed. His older brother said it was his one flaw.
“I like the tattoos,” Elliot said. “I’ve always thought about getting one myself, but I don’t have the guts. I heard they can be quite painful.”
“Not really, after the first one the rest were painless,” Draven said. “What have you thought about getting?”
“Just a rose with my grandma’s birthday. She died when I was fifteen and she was the closest person to me. She practically raised me, really.”
Draven’s tattoos meant a lot to him, so he understood what Elliot wanted. “See this one here?” He pointed to the tattoo on his forearm.
“Rick?” Elliot said, looking at it.
“Yeah. That was my best friend. He was killed when I was a kid. I wanted to get this to remember him by. After I lost him, I thought I would never be able to remember him again. Looking back, it was silly because there was no way I was going to forget him. We spent most of our time together and he was the first person I came out to. Just like with everything else in our lives, the day that I told him I was gay was the same day that he came out to me.” Draven stopped, feeling a sudden stab in his chest he wondered why he was telling Elliot this, it was far too emotional. He wanted to get into the guy’s pants, not make him cry.
“Synchronicity,” Elliot said. He just threw the word out and left Draven confused.
“What the hell does that mean...hold up,” he huffed. “Is that like some sort of bull like coincidences and astrology or something?”
“Well, not exactly, but you’re kind of right. I’ve spent a lot of time looking up the subject and I've gotten lost in it myself. But yeah, without going into too much detail, it’s like coincidences.” He waved a hand as if he wished to dismiss the topic. “It’s not really important, just mumbo jumbo, really. It’s pretty silly.”
Draven cocked his head to the side. “It got your interest. So, it can’t be that silly.”
“You are charming.” Elliot flashed a teasing grin. “Well, if you’re interested in it then you’ll be hearing a lot more about it.”
“Great. So our meeting, is that synchronicity?” Draven asked, bobbing his eyebrows.
“I know you’re playing around with me now,” Elliot said. “Most guys don’t believe in that stuff. I don’t think you’re any different.”
“Hey, don’t paint me as your typical guy. I’m more than what meets the eye,” Draven said.
“I’ll bet.” Elliot’s eyes ran down Draven’s body, and when he saw Draven had noticed, he looked away. “We should get going. We need to see Jethro before he goes in.”
Chapter 10
Elliot
It was hard leaving while Jethro went into surgery, but the older man insisted that they go and reluctantly agreed when Elliot said he would return later to check up on him.
He followed Draven to his hotel and they went to collect a few boxes. He found that he was even more nervous that Jethro wasn’t around and he was left with Draven. There was no doubt the guy was sexy. He had something dark and absorbing about him that Elliot couldn’t help feeling drawn to. And despite his appearance, Draven was easy to talk to. He wasn’t arrogant or full of himself. At the same time, he exuded confidence and masculinity.
When they parked outside of the hotel, Elliot sat in the car and watched as the other man got off his motorcycle and swaggered toward him. He told himself that he would wait in the car. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Draven, but he found the more time he spent with the man, the more flirtatious he became.
“I won’t be a minute,” Draven said.
“Okay, cool. I’ll help,” Elliot said, ho
pping out of the car.
“You sure?” Draven gazed up and down Elliot’s body.
Elliot should have been insulted that Draven thought he would struggle with a few boxes, but his mind was occupied with other thoughts, carnal thoughts. The way Draven looked at him. It was like the other man wanted to strip him naked right there.
“I can handle a few boxes, big guy,” Elliot said with a laugh, but he walked over as he started to feel hot under Draven’s sultry gaze.
He noticed something as he walked toward Draven, and wondered if the other man noticed. It was the looks that people gave him. Draven was stunning. So stunning, in fact, that staring too hard could have done damage to his eyes or anyone’s eyes for that matter. The thing was, he never carried himself in a way that matched his appearance, which surprised Elliot. He never bothered to check to see if anyone was looking at him. But Elliot saw them look. They all looked.
When they went up to Draven’s room, Elliot found himself feeling strange. His eyes immediately landed on the bed. Dirty thoughts worked their way into his mind, questions such as - had Draven broken in the bed? Or what would happen now that they were behind closed doors? - surfaced to the top of his thoughts and made him instantly hard.
But Draven never made things difficult, he packed and handed Elliot a box, which felt as if weighed a ton.
“You okay? It looks like you’re struggling. Maybe I should take the duffel and you just carry the clothes?” he said. It wasn’t in a mocking tone, he was being serious.
“Nah, it’s cool. I can manage.” Elliot tried to keep the strain out of his voice.
Draven carried a large backpack. The plan was to go back for the rest as soon as they loaded them into the car. They moved fast. Draven went and collected the last box and he asked Elliot to grab his smaller box filled with clothes.
Elliot was alone in the room when he picked up the box and saw the leather arm of a jacket hanging out. Neat, he thought. The leather looked so smooth, and curiosity got the better of him. Pulling it out, he saw the patch on the arm and the devil's horns surrounded by a ring of fire. It baffled him for a few minutes and then his stomach twisted. It felt odd.
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