by Jake Biondi
“You’ll be fine. You always were the strong one, Max. I was the one whose hands needed holding.”
“You look good, Logan. I’m glad. We all are.”
“Thanks,” Logan said. “Things are looking up.”
Both Logan and Max were startled by the sound of someone else entering the space. They turned around to see a handsome Asian man step into the restaurant. He had beautiful, black hair, a muscled build clearly visible under the tank top he was wearing, and jeans that hugged his firm legs and ass. He removed the sunglasses from his face and then smiled widely at both Logan and Max.
“Can I help you?” Max asked.
“I hope so,” he said as he stepped closer to Max and Logan. “My name is Adam Miranda. I was hoping to talk to you about a job.”
Max extended his hand and shook Adam’s. “I’m Max Taylor, one of the owners of this place. And this is Logan Pryce.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Adam said.
“Same,” Logan said. “I’m going to excuse myself so you two can talk.”
“Thanks for stopping by,” Max told Logan.
Logan walked to the door, turned around to face Max one final time, and said, “Goodbye, Max.”
“See you in a few days,” Max said as Logan left the area. He turned to Adam. “Welcome to The Boys and the Booze. Looks a little sketchy right now, I’m sure. But we are rising quickly from the ashes. Do you have restaurant or night club experience?”
While Adam explained his previous work experience to Max, Carlo Ciancio was having lunch at the Skyline Club with David Young and Tyler Bennett. Their table was in the corner of the club, providing them with views of the city in every direction. Their waiter refilled their water glasses and then walked away from the table.
“Thank you again for joining me for lunch today,” Carlo said. “I really appreciate it.”
“We’re the appreciative ones,” David said. “Thank you for inviting us to lunch, for providing our travel to California tomorrow, and for hosting the wedding and us at your home. You have been so generous.”
“My sons are the most important parts of my life. Gino is so happy and I want to make sure his wedding is the celebration he deserves. All family history and feuding aside.”
“That’s great.”
“And you both are an important part of that.”
“How so?” Tyler asked.
“Well, you’re the best men, are you not?” Carlo asked. “But it’s more than that. Even though you may not be related to me by blood, you are still my wife’s sons. You are Ciancios.”
“And Mancinis,” Tyler added.
Carlo laughed. “The best of both worlds, eh?”
“Depends on your perspective, I guess,” David said.
The waiter returned to the table with a multi-tiered, silver tray of oysters, shrimp, and crab legs on ice. He carefully placed it in the center of the table and stepped out of the way so a second server was able to place a glass of champagne in front of each of the men. Then the two waiters walked away.
“Wow,” David said. “Nice spread.”
Carlo smiled. “Enjoy, my boys.”
“Thank you,” Tyler said, sipping his champagne.
“I want you both to know that, although the circumstances of your births were less than ideal, I have no ill will toward either of you...or my beloved wife. As I said, as far as I am concerned, I am a second father to you both, especially because neither of you knew your real father.”
“We appreciate that,” David stated.
“And in order to officially welcome you into the Ciancio family, I have made some special arrangements for you, which I can share with each of you when we arrive in California.”
“Arrangements?” Tyler asked.
“Perhaps that’s not the best word,” Carlo said. “Let’s just say that I have taken some steps to secure your place in my family.”
“That’s not necessary,” David said. “You have done so much already.”
“Oh, no. I insist.”
“Well, thank you, ahead of time, for whatever it is,” Tyler said.
“You are most welcome.” Carlo sipped his champagne. “Now...about your names...”
“Our names?”
“You are part of the Mancini and Ciancio families now. Two large dynasties. Surely, you’ll want to update your current surnames?”
David and Tyler exchanged looks. “With all due respect, Carlo, we haven’t even thought about that yet,” Tyler said. “This whole situation has been so difficult for the two of us to comprehend that--”
“I understand,” Carlo said. “But in time that turmoil in your heads will settle and then you’ll want to choose a name. I invite you to choose the name Ciancio.”
“That’s very generous,” David said. “How do you think Gino and Marco would react if we did? Don’t you think they’d be upset? They are your sons after all, not us.”
“Nonsense. You are all my sons now, as you will see once we arrive at the estate.”
“Well, thank you but--”
David put his hand on Tyler’s arm and interrupted him. “We will certainly think about it, Carlo. It’s a very generous offer.”
“Excellent.”
“Do you know what might be nice?” David asked. “Gino and Marco have already told us their memories of our mother. Why don’t you tell us yours? What was she like? We want to know all about her.”
Carlo smiled and eagerly began to tell David and Tyler stories of their mother.
At the same time, Joyelle Mancini was seated in Mateo’s office. Mateo was seated at his desk and Dr. MacMahon stood beside him.
“You both didn’t need to be here,” Joyelle said. “I know a paternity test isn’t that big a procedure.”
“I insisted on being here,” Mateo said, “because I want to once again apologize for the predicament I have placed you in by revealing your pregnancy to Derek and Tyler. It was highly unprofessional.”
Joyelle smiled. “You didn’t know it was a secret. How could you have? They would have learned the truth eventually anyway.”
“I’m sorry.”
“In a way, you did me a favor. If you hadn’t said anything, I would probably have prolonged and drawn things out which would have only made matters worse.”
“You know how the test works,” Dr. MacMahon explained. “We simply compare your sample with Tyler’s. If it’s a match, the baby is his. If it’s not, the baby is Derek’s.”
“As a courtesy, we are going to have the test results back as soon as possible, probably tomorrow.”
“Wow,” Joyelle said with a sigh.
Dr. MacMahon smiled. “There’s really no reason to worry, Joyelle. They’re both good men. Things will work out, regardless of the results.”
“Thank you for saying that,” Joyelle said. “But no one appreciates the impact of these test results better than I do.”
“Then let’s get it done,” Mateo said, rising from his chair.
Joyelle also stood up as Dr. MacMahon left the room. “Mateo,” Joyelle said, grabbing his arm.
Mateo turned to face her. “Yes?”
“Do me a favor, please. Compare my sample with both Tyler’s and Derek’s, please. Just to be sure. I need to be certain about this.”
“Of course,” Mateo reassured her. “Whatever you want.”
Mateo held the door open for Joyelle and then followed her out of the office and down the hallway.
Later that evening, Boystown Bistro was packed. Every table was filled and there was a significant number of people at the bar waiting for a table. Derek and Cole were seated in the front window, which provided a view down Boystown’s main strip.
“What did you do to get us this table, bribe the hostess?” Cole asked with a smile. “All of Boystown is here tonight.”
“Well, I had to do something to impress you,” Derek replied. “This is like our official first date.”
“Is that what this is?” Cole asked, taking a drin
k of his beer. “I thought it was just payback for you doing me the favor of clarifying things with David for me.”
“You say ‘tomato,’ I say ‘tomato.’”
Cole laughed and held up his beer. Derek raised his as well and touched it to Cole’s. “Cheers.”
Several tables away from Cole and Derek, Hugo and Jensen were having dinner together to celebrate Jensen’s acceptance into Northwestern University. What Jensen didn’t realize was that several tables behind him, Mateo and Rachel were also having dinner. While Jensen couldn’t see them, they sat directly in Hugo’s line of vision, which is why Hugo appeared to Jensen to be a bit distracted.
“So when the call came this morning, I completely freaked out. It never would have happened if it weren’t for Emmett,” Jensen explained, “and Max, too.”
“That’s awesome,” Hugo said, his eyes looking past Jensen to Rachel. “I’m really proud of you.”
“I didn’t think I’d be this excited, but now I really feel like I have a future. Like you feel, I’m sure.”
“I’m going to school to play football, don’t forget.”
“As quarterback at one of the best schools in the country. It’s fucking awesome.”
“I’d be just as happy not playing football and just doing my thing in college like everyone else. But you know my father.”
“But you’ve got to be excited. All the press, the interviews, the fans; it’ll be an incredible experience.”
“I don’t need to be in a spotlight. That’s my dad’s thing, not mine.”
“I’ve never heard you so ‘down’ about this before.”
“I’m sorry,” “Hugo said. “This is supposed to be a celebration for you tonight.”
“It’s okay,” Jensen stated with a smile. “You’re allowed to talk, too.”
“Good,” Hugo said. “Because I just want to say that I am really excited for you. Northwestern will be great.”
“But it won’t be close enough to you.”
“You can’t think like that, Jensen.”
“I know, but I love hanging out with you.”
“I like our time together, too,” Hugo agreed.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Anything,” Hugo said. “You’re the best friend I have.”
“The other night at Rebound...when I got up on the bar and danced...did I embarrass you?”
Hugo laughed. “Embarrass me? Shit, no. You were so freaking hot, it was actually a turn on. Knowing the entire bar was being seduced by the guy I was there with; you had all those boys under your spell. You’re the one who belongs in the spotlight.”
“I don’t think Max liked it. He thinks it’s unprofessional.”
“Depends on what profession he’s talking about.”
“But Dustin thinks I should keep dancing there because I may draw people to Emmett’s new restaurant and club once it opens.”
“He’s right. They should use you in their ads like Gino is with Cole.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.”
Hugo’s cell phone signaled that a text message had arrived and he pulled his phone from his pocket. The message was from Rachel. “Meet me at the bathrooms.” He deleted the message and put his phone away.
“Everything okay?” Jensen asked.
“Of course,” Hugo said. “I’m going to run to the bathroom. Be right back.”
Hugo got up from the table and worked his way through the crowd toward the restrooms. A moment later, Mateo walked over to Hugo’s empty seat and sat down.
“Hello, Jensen,” Mateo said. “I don’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to congratulate you on your acceptance to Northwestern. Hugo told me. It’s very exciting.”
“Thank you,” Jensen replied quietly.
“Your parents must be very proud.”
“They don’t know.”
“They don’t?” Mateo asked. “Well, you have to tell them. They’ll be so proud of you. They deserve to know. Every parent does.”
As Jensen struggled to respond to Mateo’s statement, Rachel and Hugo met just outside of the restaurant’s bathroom doors.
“I got your message,” Hugo said. “What’s going on?”
“It’s Keith. He’s threatening me again.”
“What? That bastard!” Hugo angrily punched the wall next to them.
“Hugo, I’m scared of what he might do to me.”
Hugo put his hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, baby. I have a plan. He’s not going to bother you or anyone else again. I promise.”
“No, Hugo. I don’t want you involved.”
“Baby, I got this. Now get back to the table before my father gets curious.” He touched Rachel’s cheek and then she walked back to her table.
As diners continued their evening at Boystown Bistro, David and Tyler were in their living room sorting through laundry and packing suitcases for their trip to California.
“So she took the test today and we should have the results back tomorrow,” Tyler explained to his twin.
“Are you nervous?”
“Honestly, bro, I feel deep in my heart that the baby is mine.”
“And if it’s not?”
“Then Joyelle and I will figure something out.”
“Could you ever raise Derek’s child as your own?”
“It would be Joyelle’s, too,” Tyler said. “Don’t ever forget that.”
“It’d be your niece or nephew as well.”
“Let’s cross that bridge if we come to it, okay?”
“I’m sorry,” David said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t ask or say anything that I haven’t already thought about myself. I’m just trying to stay positive,” Tyler said. “It’s going to be a tense airplane flight with Derek on board, that’s for sure.”
“He’ll behave. He seems to be really trying.”
“It’s funny, even now he still impacts both of our relationships.”
“Honestly, my situation isn’t his fault; it’s mine. I jumped to conclusions about Cole that were incorrect. If anything, Derek tried to help my situation; he sought me out to tell me the truth.”
Tyler looked up at the painting above the fireplace. “Hard to believe that painting is our closest tie to our mother.”
“Not entirely. We have Gino and Marco and Carlo.”
“I just wish we had the chance to know her ourselves. And him. All we have to go on is what everyone else tells us about them.”
“I know, bro,” David said. “Have you thought about what Carlo said today? About the names?”
“I don’t know, David. I’ve been a Bennett all my life, just like you’ve been a Young. I think it’s best to see how this whole weekend goes first...with all of us together under one roof for several days. If we don’t kill each other, that’s a good sign, right?”
David laughed. “I guess you’re right.”
“Let’s get this stuff packed,” Tyler said, tossing some laundry at David to fold.
While Tyler and David finished packing, Cole and Derek walked up the stairs to the front door of Cole’s apartment building. Reaching the top step, Cole turned around to face Derek.
“Thank you for dinner,” Cole said. “I really had a nice time.”
“I did, too,” Derek said. “It’s funny. Things are so much easier when you don’t have to sneak around. It was great being able to have dinner with you tonight, in public, in the window, for all the world to see.”
“I liked it, too,” Cole said. “Would you like to come up for a drink? Jesse’s at Logan’s tonight.”
Derek smiled widely. “Sure.”
“Just one,” Cole said, reading Derek’s expression. He opened the door to the building and led Derek inside.
When they entered, Cole’s apartment, Cole took Derek’s coat and placed it with his over the back of one of the stools near the breakfast bar. Then he walked around it to get two beers out of his refrigerator. As Cole was looking in the
fridge, Derek walked up behind him. When Cole turned around with the beers in his hand, he stood face to face with Derek as the door closed behind him.
Derek took the beers from Cole’s hand, placed them on the counter, and pressed Cole up against the refrigerator. He put his hand on the side of Cole’s face. “I love you, Cole. I always have.” He leaned in and kissed Cole softly on the lips. Then he pulled back a bit and looked into Cole’s eyes.
“No one said you had to stop,” Cole stated, smiling.
Derek picked up one of the beers from the counter and opened it. “But it’s only our first date, remember?” He took a sip of his beer and walked around the counter into the living room.
Cole grabbed the other beer and followed him. “Since when have you followed the rules?” He placed his beer on the table near the television.
“Since breaking the rules caused me to lose you.”
Cole took the beer from Derek’s hand and put it on the table next to his. Then he wrapped his arms around Derek. “You never lost me, Derek. I’ve been yours since the moment we met in Boston and I’m still yours now, if you want me. But it has to be different this time.”
“I’ve never stopped wanting you.”
“I love you, Derek,” Cole said. “You were just acting like such an ass.”
Derek smiled. “I know. I’m so sorry.”
“Someone tried to kill you, for God’s sake.”
Derek put his index finger on Cole’s lips. “No more talking.” He kissed Cole, slowly at first, then much more passionately.
With his arms still wrapped around Derek, Cole led him into his bedroom. Once inside, he unbuttoned Derek’s shirt, locking himself onto Derek’s lips the entire time. He pulled Derek’s shirt off and ran his hands over his chest and nipples as if he were exploring them for the first time.
Derek kissed Cole’s ears and neck, pulling his shirt off forcefully. Their bare chests crashed against each other as the couple continued to kiss. Derek turned Cole’s back toward the bed and pushed him down onto it.
Cole kicked off his shoes while Derek leaned forward to kiss his chest and stomach, as he removed Cole’s pants and underwear. Cole’s dick immediately became hard, popping up right in front of Derek’s face.