by Smith,T. M.
Beau explained the creation of New Horizons as he gave William a tour through the building. There were two living rooms on either side of the hallway when they first entered the building. A hodgepodge of furniture covered each room. William counted six couches in all, three loveseats, and several chairs. Only one of the two rooms had a coffee table, though both had large, flat-screen televisions mounted to the walls. “Dat’s the office…” Beau pointed to a room on his left with a sign on the door that read, Enter at your own risk. “…and dat’s the room for exams and such, we keep any medicines, first aid, all dat kinda stuff in dere.” Beau pointed to the room on the right.
“Kitchen, dining room, study and den, the bedrooms is upstairs; girls on the second floor, boys on the third wit Terry.” Beau pointed out each place from where they stood in the middle of the main hallway in building.
“Wow, this is amazing, Beau. How do you do this and the bar, though?” William asked once they were inside the tiny office that held two desks facing each other, four tall file cabinets along one wall and several mismatched book shelves stuffed full of books along the other. The room seemed immensely small with both their large frames squeezed in.
“That would be me.” A skinny guy, about five foot seven with dark wavy hair and glasses took up the last couple of inches of space in the room, smiling up at William and holding his hand out to him. “You must be William; I’m Terry, part-time manager, full-time housemother, cook, maid, wrangler and mediator. I can stretch a dollar until it screams, too.” Terry laughed at his own joke, moving over to the desk opposite Beau’s and grabbing a stack of folders, tossing them onto Beau’s desk.
“Nurse Ratched stopped by yesterday for annual physicals; everything looked good except for Tommy. Apparently his vision has gotten worse and he needs new glasses and contacts.” Terry told Beau. William stood quietly, looking over the books on the shelf while Beau and Terry talked about glasses, groceries, a transgender kid that had locked himself in his room because he started his period and someone they called Mr. Tight Ass that was meeting with Beau today to discuss funding for something.
“Beau, hey!” A tall kid with long black hair pushed past William, grabbing at Beau and pulling him down for a hug.
“Tommy, dis is William.” When the kid turned around and William finally got a good look, he saw that the kid wasn’t a kid at all but a young man, at least eighteen. He was tall and thin with long black hair that fell on his shoulders in waves. He was gorgeous is what he was, olive toned skin with thick dark eyebrows and deep brown eyes.
Tommy smiled, knocking William’s hand out of the way and pulling him in for a hug, whispering in his ear, “Nice to meet you, Connor.”
Beau grabbed a fistful of Tommy’s hoodie, jerking him away and pushing him toward the door. “Out wit ya, you f’n perv!” If the words were meant to be chastising, Beau definitely needed to work on the tone. He sounded positively cheerful.
Tommy laughed, waving a hand at Beau and telling him to be quiet. “Hush up old man; some of us are still young enough to appreciate a fine-ass specimen of a man when we see one.”
William didn’t know if he should be flattered or freaked out. Beau standing with his arms crossed over his chest, one eyebrow cocked, glaring at Tommy with a half-assed grin made him want to laugh. But then the kid managed to find enough space in the tiny office full of desks, books and four bodies, to walk a circle around William all while leering at him then whistling low. “Damn, he is sex-y, Beau. I want one.”
“Jesus lord save us all from dis here boy and his hormones. Away wit ya!” Beau swatted Tommy’s hand when he reached for William, turning the kid and pushing him out of the office with a hard slap on the ass for good measure. Tommy hollered something about child abuse, eyes going wide when Beau stepped toward him. He turned and darted up the stairs, out of reach, bending over the top railing and yelling down again.
“Nice to meet you Connor, I’ll be seeing you later on tonight!” His foot falls could be heard above their heads, loud cackling, then a door slamming.
“Dat dere boy gonna be the death a me,” Beau barked, dropping into the creaky chair at his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“You’ll have to excuse Tommy, he’s in heat, has been since the day he turned thirteen, his balls dropped and he figured out how to jack off,” Terry told William.
William shook them off. “It’s all good, guys. I remember being his age, he’s what, eighteen?”
“Twenty,” Beau and Terry said in unison, sighing as if it were the end of the world.
“Oh damn, he’ll be old enough to drink soon, lord help you then.” William laughed, garnering a glare from Beau, ducking so the book Terry tossed at him flew past and hit the door frame. “Wait, if he’s twenty, why is he still here at the Center?”
“I ask him the same ting, he say he wants to stay here wit the only family he has left.” Beau shrugged. William nodded; it made perfect sense.
Mr. Tight Ass arrived a few minutes later, he and Beau absconding to the tiny office while William went with Terry to the kitchen to start lunch. Having worked in a fast food restaurant all through high school, William was familiar with the standard set-up of the kitchen and how to properly work the industrial sized stove. Hot dogs were tossed into a couple of pots of water while two large trays of French fries were pushed into the oven. Terry disappeared into the pantry, returning with a cart that carried ketchup, mustard and relish, a warehouse-sized can of chili and several packages of hot dog buns.
“What else can I do?” William asked.
“Pantry, all the way in the back, bottom right are paper plates, can you grab a sleeve of those?”
William did as asked, helping Terry get everything set out on one of the long metal tables in the kitchen, buffet style. “One meal each day is something quick and easy on paper plates so there is minimal clean-up after. Since I made oatmeal this morning we used bowls and spoons plus glasses for juice or milk, so there had to be a clean-up crew.”
“How many kids do you have here?” William asked while he opened the bun packages and placed the buns in a large metal tray.
“Well, we can house fifteen at any given time: eight girls and seven boys. But right now we only have fourteen in the house.” Terry grabbed another large metal tray and a pair of tongs to pull the hot dogs out of the boiling water.
“Why could you have eight girls but only seven boys?”
Terry handed the tray of hot dogs off to William. “There are eight rooms on each floor, but I stay in one of the rooms on the third floor, so we can only house seven instead of eight. There have been times over the years when we put two to a room—not often because Beau wants this to feel like a home for them, not a shelter. He’s adamant that everyone here have their own space to feel comfortable and safe.”
“Makes sense,” William nodded. “And you live here full time?”
Terry nodded. “Yeah, I was one of the first kids Beau brought into the home and, well, I just never left.” He paused, staring out the kitchen window, a small smile telling William that whatever he was remembering was at least a happy memory. “I was seventeen when Father O’Corvi brought me here to Beau. That was eight years ago.”
Terry didn’t elaborate from there and William didn’t feel it was his place to pry. Hopefully he’d be around long enough to get to know Terry better; only time would tell. Eventually Beau and the suit wandered out of the office, joining Terry, William and thirteen rowdy teenagers for chili-cheese dogs in the kitchen. William had thought for certain he’d be bombarded with questions, being the new face and all, but most of them walked right by as if William stood serving them hot dogs every day.
Once all the kids were fed, William and Beau made a plate, Terry making one for Jay and taking it up to him since he was still locked in his room. “Do you have a counselor for issues like this?” William asked Beau.
“Yeah, it’s hard enough for dese kids being gay, lesbian or bi, being wit’out dere family. B
ut, it always seems to be harder for the trans teens, the hormones don’t fit the personality, ya know? Den to have to deal wit everyting else on top a dat.” Beau shook his head. “I wish I could do more.”
William laid his hand on top of Beau’s, leaning close and keeping his voice low. “I think you do a hell of a lot for them Beau. This, what you’ve done here, I can’t even come up with words to explain to you the impact your kindness must have had on the kids that have come through those doors.”
Beau starred down at William’s hand on top of his, nodding and turning his hand over to where their palms touched. “Tank you Will, dat means a lot to me.”
William squeezed Beau’s hand then waited for him to look him in the eyes once again. “I have led a charmed life Mr. Boudreaux, with a family that could care less that I was gay and still supported me. I’ve always had friends, a job, money—hell, the guys that I work with are like family. I have had so much given to me without expectation and it breaks my heart what these kids here have had to endure, still have to endure, such goddamn misery simply because they don’t fit the mold that society thinks they should confine themselves to.”
They sat and ate in silence after that, listening to the random conversations being held down the length of the long table. After lunch, William helped Beau straighten up the kitchen then went outside to toss a football with a couple of the younger boys while Beau worked on some things in the office. Of course, he let them win, falling to the ground with two rambunctious thirteen year olds dogpiling him while, unbeknownst to him, Beau stood watching from the back door, smiling.
The drive back to BB’s was quiet, and William didn’t press for meaningless conversation. His head was spinning, but in a good way. He had been introduced to an entirely different side of Beau today, a kinder, gentler side. The common thread between the Beau he already knew and the Beau he met today was the sadness that was always lurking in the shadows in the depths of his eyes. William was confident that the reason behind the Center was also the reason for the sadness, and he was determined to know what it was.
Chapter 7 | Jealousy and Confusion
It really didn’t seem like a month had passed since Andrew had shared over breakfast their plan to completely separate the business aspect of their lives from their home life. And yet William found himself driving a large rental truck full of furniture and boxes full of stuff that pertained to the business from the house in Mamaroneck to the office in the city. Jacob was riding shotgun with Victor, Andrew, Kory and Jon in the SUV in front of them. Mattie had ridden into the city a couple hours prior with Gabe. They were all going to meet up at the office to unload.
“I’m exhausted; wake me when we get there.” Jacob slid down in the passenger seat, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back.
“It was that last beer, my friend,” William joked. They’d stayed up late the night before playing Cards against Humanity with their three bosses and drinking.
“It was the last ten beers, my friend.” Jacob snorted.
They fell into a companionable silence until Jacob started snoring softly. William side eyed him, reaching and flipping the radio on to drown him out. “Close” by Nick Jonas and Tove Lo came on and he found himself listening intently to every word of the song. It made him think of Beau and how he continued to open up, just a little, then shut down and push back even harder. The man was one big, tall sex-on-a-stick mystery that William was determined to crack. He hadn’t ever wanted anyone in his life the way he wanted Beau.
There was a pull he felt anytime he was around Beau, an invisible rope stringing them together. Something the long-haired man had lived through haunted him. It was evident in the way he maintained a safe distance from any type of attachment, not standoffish per se, but guarded and wary. The few times he’d let that guard down though, William got a small glimpse of the man Beau could be if he were to just let him in.
The hour drive to the city flew by, William’s mind pre-occupied with thoughts of tall, cranky and dreamy while Jacob napped beside him. Pulling up behind the large building that now belonged solely to All Cocks INC, William couldn’t stop from smiling when he saw two very familiar figures standing next to the open doors waiting to help unload the truck. Tristan and Beau stood talking, Tristan’s hands waving dramatically, Beau laughing at whatever he was sharing.
William took every passing second he had to admire the view. Beau wore a pair of loose fitting jeans, hiking boots, a black hoodie with a leather coat over it and his long hair was sitting on the back of his head in a bun. Lord God Almighty, the man was so fucking sexy and didn’t even know it. William was not a fan of the manbun, usually, but on Beau? Very alluring. His long beard that sported just the right amount of grey was literally, the icing on the get over here, bend me over the hood of this truck and fuck me until I can’t walk straight, cake.
Jacob snorted, rolling over and sliding further down in his seat. William laughed, reaching over and shoving him against the passenger door. “Huh, what?” Jacob jerked awake.
“Get up ya lazy ass.” William opened his door and climbed out of the truck, grinning when Beau looked up and saw him, immediately coming his way with a genuine smile on his face. His steps faltered and the smile fell away when he saw Jacob dragging his still half-asleep ass out of the other side of the truck cab.
William cocked his head, brow furrowing while he tossed that around in his mind. Is he…jealous? He ducked his head so Beau wouldn’t see his cocky grin, slowly walking to the back of the truck and lifting the door. With Tristan and Beau’s help it didn’t take them long to get everything unloaded. The empty side of the building that had transferred over to All Cocks INC now held all of the furniture, decorations and files from the house.
“Just shut the door, we are setting everything apart later. Come, before Matthew eats all the pizza,” Victor joked.
Tristan and Jacob followed Dracula back to the other side of the building. William hung back, reaching for Beau’s hand to stop him from following. Someone hit the light switch on their way down the hall, the light from the other side of the building the only thing stopping them from standing there in complete darkness. When Beau turned, looking down at his hand in William’s, he took the time to examine Beau’s face up close. The small amount of light they were afforded cast a shadow on his features; when he raised his head and their eyes met, William sucked in a breath. For the first time, he saw a familiar want and need in Beau’s eyes and he reached for him before he could second guess himself.
Beau placed both hands on the wall on either side of him, not fighting when William wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him closer, anxious to take a taste of his lips. It started as a soft graze, Beau gently brushing his lips against William’s. A tentative lick over his bottom lip drew a gasp from William, Beau taking full advantage and sliding home, one hand finding its way down William’s body to his hip, holding him still. Beau’s tongue danced with William’s, soft and gentle, while his fingers dug into his hip almost to the point of pain.
Beau moved to pull away and William bit down softly on his bottom lip, not ready for the skin to skin contact to end. He was caught off guard when Beau jerked away and covered his mouth, his eyes wide with… was that… fear? He mumbled something William couldn’t decipher, probably one of those fucking languages only Beau could understand, turning and all but sprinting down the hall to other side of the building.
“Fuck!” William cursed, banging his head against the wall. What the fuck was that all about? And why was he so afraid? Those and about a dozen more questions catapulted back and forth in William’s confused head. It took a few minutes for him to catch his breath and composure, before he went to find everyone else. His eyes darted around the room as soon as he walked in, but he didn’t see Beau anywhere. Trying to play it cool, he grabbed a slice and a beer, taking the empty seat next to Gabe on the smaller couch in Victor’s office.
He stole glances at the door while he ate and sipped his beer,
waiting for Beau, assuming he’d just gone to the bathroom or something. “Who you looking for, Willie?” Gabe finally asked.
“Beau, thought maybe he might need a ride,” William responded, his gaze still on the door.
“You’ll be waiting a while.” Gabe chuckled. “He left about ten minutes ago, said something about needing to get back to the bar and rushed out of here. Must have been an emergency, I could have sworn he told Tris he had the bar covered for the night.”
William sat back, sighing. And here we go again.
***
They had to pass BB’s bar on the way to Jacob’s apartment; William scoped out the parking lot just long enough to see only a couple of vehicles parked outside. Once he dropped Jacob off he immediately turned the truck around and drove right back the way he came. There was only one car left in the parking lot by the time he made it back, but all the lights were still on. William was frustrated enough that he would have figured out where the outside entrance to Beau’s apartment above the bar was if the place had closed in the thirty minutes that had passed since he drove by earlier.