The Madmen of Beldon Hall

by K. Sterling

  “Your doctor is coming here?” He asked and Alastair blinked back at him then pressed his hand against the front of his coat as he tilted.

  “I’m sorry, where else would he go?” He appeared genuinely confused and Byron threw his hands up.

  “The clinic? With the other doctors,” he suggested and Alastair’s eyes flared.

  “A clinic? You’d have me go to a clinic?” He replied as if he equated a clinic with a morgue or a landfill.

  “Most people go to the clinic when they need a physical. Because that’s where the doctors are,” Byron explained and Alastair’s lips pursed as he shook his head.

  “I have been to a hospital once, when I had my appendix removed. I’ve never been to a clinic or a field surgery tent or in an ambulance. There are many places to receive medical care but I am tended to here, in my dressing room,” he said and Byron’s face twisted.

  “You have a dressing room?” He said accusatively and Alastair waved it off.

  “It’s where Stapleton shaves me and I see my doctor. I dress in the closet but the dressing room is there because previous earls needed it to dress for formal events and court.”

  “They couldn’t do it in the closet?” Byron asked and Alastair shook his head.

  “The closet used to be the countess’ chambers. I gutted them and took over the space because it was going to waste.”

  “I don’t want to see your doctor in your dressing room,” Byron stated firmly and Alastair shrugged.

  “Would you like to see him in here? I’m sure they could have this room prepared,” he said and Byron realized there was a good chance he’d be kicking Alastair in the balls soon.

  “I’m going to the clinic like I usually do when I get my routine tests done,” he declared and Alastair was perplexed.

  “Why would you prefer that over seeing someone more qualified, here? I know this isn’t your ideal but it has to be better than a dirty, crowded clinic,” he said and Byron snorted as he stood and headed for the door.

  “My clinic isn’t dirty. It’s a bit crowded but I’ve never had any complaints the few times I’ve dropped in to get tested,” he said and Alastair’s nose wrinkled.

  “That’s not the way the news describes our healthcare system,” he muttered then followed Byron into the hall. “He’s going to be here in an hour. Why would you leave and travel across town to wait to see someone you don’t know? That doesn’t make sense,” he said and Byron paused.

  “That’s exactly the point. When I go into a clinic for routine labs, it’s with someone I don’t know who isn’t aware of who or what I’m doing,” he stated. Alastair rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

  “You prefer anonymity and waiting until your number’s called?” He suggested and Byron laughed.

  “Yes!”

  “Why?” Alastair asked and Byron sighed as he reached for his shoulder.

  “I like a bit of mystery, between me and my doctors. When I pop in for samples and swabs, I like looking like a responsible, proactive young gay man. How do I look your doctor in the eye while he’s judging me for all the wild bareback sex I’m planning on having?” He said and Alastair nodded slowly.

  “I see. You worry about being judged,” he said and Byron nodded.

  “Pretty much.”

  “Yeah. I don’t,” Alastair stated and Byron rolled his eyes.

  “It must be nice.”

  “It is, you should try it sometimes. How long will it take for you to get your results back?” Alastair asked and Byron shrugged.

  “If I can get in today? Maybe another two days, three if the lab is really backed up,” he said and Alastair’s brows rose.

  “Really? So…three or four days?” He confirmed and Byron grinned.

  “My busy little clinic isn’t that bad,” he replied and Alastair nodded in agreement then reached for Byron’s shoulder.

  “That isn’t bad. I should have my results this evening but we can hold off on all the wild bareback sex until later in the week if you’re more comfortable with your busy little clinic,” he drawled and Byron froze.

  “The dressing room’s the door across the bathroom?” He asked and Alastair didn’t look at all smug as he turned and waved for him to follow.

  “Why don’t I show you?”

  Chapter 35

  It really was an amazing bed. Byron stretched and hummed blissfully as he rolled onto his side then reached for Alastair. His legs tangled in the sheets and he kicked them away before hooking his knee around Alastair’s thigh and rubbing his cheek against his shoulder. The room brightened and Byron squeezed his eyes shut as he sat up.

  “Why is there so much…?” He grumbled as he forced his eye open. “Ahhhck!” He yelled as a maid hurried around the room pulling the curtains back, filling the room with light. Byron grabbed at the blankets but they were twisted around Alastair’s leg. “What is happ…?” He tugged Alastair’s pillow out from under his head and covered his groin.

  “Byron!” Alastair complained as he sat up then scratched at his hair before he turned and buried his face in another pillow.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” the maid murmured softly as she silently opened the door. “His lordship likes to have the curtains pulled back at 6:00 on weekday mornings,” she explained at the lowest volume humanly possible then stepped into the hall. A moment later she backed into the room with a tray and set it on a table by the window then left without another word. The door closed behind her and Byron blinked in shock at the coffee pot, pitcher of juice, pastries and fruit.

  “Alastair!” He whisper screamed as he hit him with the pillow.

  “Byron, I’m going to murder you with that pillow,” he muffled.

  “Wake! Up!” Byron demanded. While hitting him with the pillow.

  “You know my family. I’ll do it,” Alastair grumbled as he rolled onto his back and blinked at the ceiling. He was naked and gloriously aroused but Byron shook his head dismissively.

  “A woman was in here and she opened the curtains and left food,” Byron hissed as he pointed at the door and Alastair raised his head and looked at the table.

  “Good,” he said as his head fell back on the mattress. “I requested that they add something light to hold you over until breakfast,” he said then yawned loudly. “Can I go back to sleep?” He asked as he rolled and reached for Byron. He tried to wrap his arms around his waist but he slapped them away.

  “You told her to come in here?” He complained and Alastair’s head lifted and he frowned up at Byron.

  “She comes in here every morning. She was in here yesterday but you were sleeping,” he said and Byron’s nose scrunched.

  “Why?” He asked in horrified confusion and Alastair sighed as he pushed his face against Byron’s side.

  “She brings fresh towels, does the curtains and leaves my coffee and the newspaper. It’s winter, so she lights the fire and lays out my robe. She may be responsible for the flowers as well. She probably does other things but I’m never awake” he explained drowsily.

  “Absolutely not!” Byron declared as he slid out of the bed. He darted to the bathroom door and carefully leaned around it. It was empty so he hurried in to find his pajama pants from the night before but they were gone. He spun as he looked for his duffle bag. “Where are my clothes?” He cried as he ran into the bedroom and Alastair made a disgruntled sound as he drug himself out of the bed and trudged into the bathroom.

  “You’re quite upset about this for someone who lacks modesty and grew up without any privacy,” he pointed out as he passed through the bathroom and opened a set of double doors. “Leave us,” he said calmly and Byron pressed his back against the wall. He heard a door click then tiptoed across the room and peeked around the door. It was a closet. Or a small department store. His eyes swung around in their sockets as he slowly turned. There were shelves lined with brightly colored ties and handkerchiefs, a wall of watches and a glass case filled with rings and cufflinks. Su
its and tuxedos hung behind glass doors and there was a hall of shoes. “Your clothes are here,” Alastair said as he threw open a set of doors, revealing a small, well lit room lined with empty shelves and hanging racks. Byron noted several similar sets of doors around the room then pointed.

  “You have a normal person’s walk-in closet, in your closet. How many of these are there? It’s like closet-inception in here,” he said and Alastair gave him a dry look.

  “Your clothes are in here. Would you like a robe?” He asked as he reached for a hanger.

  “No! I don’t want a robe and I don’t want to wake up to a woman standing over me when I’m fucking naked,” he said and Alastair winced.

  “That’s a bit of hyperbole,” he said and Byron snorted.

  “Regardless. It’s one thing to have to share a bathroom with other teenage boys or men in a shelter. It’s an entirely different thing to have a woman seeing me naked, in bed, with another naked man,” he said and Alastair’s brow rose.

  “Really? You never…?” He asked and Byron’s head pulled back.

  “What? Ew. No,” he said then reached in and swiped his boxers off a shelf. “I don’t think I can live like this,” he confessed as he turned and hurried out of Alastair’s ridiculous closet.

  “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…” Alastair called as he jogged after him. “Calm down,” he said soothingly as he caught him then led him back to the bed. “Let’s hold off on these,” he said as he tugged the boxers from Byron’s grasp then draped them on the foot of the bed before he patted the mattress. Byron glared as he sat. “Why don’t we explore some solutions before we get too upset about this?” He held his hands up as he offered him a hopeful smile. Byron gave him a pointed look.

  “You could buy a cheap alarm clock like most people and open your own curtains?” He said slowly. “Then you could find your own robe and go downstairs and drink coffee in the kitchen,” he added and Alastair laughed. Byron jumped to his feet and Alastair became serious.

  “Sorry. You could not begin to fathom how horrified the staff would be if I walked into the kitchen and asked for a cup of coffee. It isn’t done and I’d be very much in the way. And it’s a bloody long walk,” he said and Byron shook his head.

  “I can’t fathom a lot of things at the moment. I really want to be with you Alastair, more than you understand but I can’t be comfortable in this bed if I know someone could walk in at any time or hear us. I haven’t had a lot of privacy but it’s really important to me when I’m with the person I want to open myself up to the most,” he explained and Alastair groaned as his hand curved around Byron’s cheek.

  “If it helps, she’s blind,” he offered and Byron’s eyes flicked to the ceiling.

  “She definitely wasn’t,” he argued and Alastair grinned.

  “My employees are well paid and very well treated. I haven’t been a monk but I’ve always been discreet. They know what I am and there isn’t a single person among my staff who would breathe a word about my personal affairs to anyone outside this house,” he stated and Byron’s eyes narrowed.

  “What are you?” He asked warily and Alastair hummed as he stepped closer.

  “I’m a man who’s utterly and hopelessly infatuated with you and I just want to go to bed and do beautifully dirty things to you and make you very, very happy,” he purred as his head dipped and he nipped at Byron’s lips.

  “And I wanted to do some really dirty things to you but your maid killed the mood,” he said. “Maybe I need more time,” he suggested and Alastair leaned back.

  “For what?” He asked cautiously and Byron’s head dropped and he sighed as a wave of disappointment and frustration swelled within him.

  “I think it would be better if I held off on moving in. Maybe we could start with dinner and hanging out and watching Netflix until I get used to this,” he mused then cleared his throat and offered him a sheepish smile. “We’d still have lots of sex but I’d just go back to my place for the night,” he added and Alastair shook his head quickly.

  “No! I don’t want to go to sleep without you next to me and I don’t want to wake up alone. I need you in the morning,” he said and Byron pressed his hands against his face and screamed into them as he fell back on the bed.

  “Why did you have to say that?” He complained. “Can you live without coffee in bed every morning?” He asked as he rose on his elbows and Alastair swore as he pushed his hand through his hair.

  “I knew we were going to face some challenges but you’re really testing me right out of the gate,” he admitted and Byron couldn’t help but smile. If he had to come second to something, coffee stung a little less. “Fuck, fuck, fuck…” He tapped his lip as he paced then gasped and pointed wildly. “I have other rooms! One of those is a sitting room of some sort, I’ll just sit in there and drink my coffee,” he declared and Byron giggled.

  “I might even join you,” he said and Alastair exhaled loudly as he turned and considered the windows.

  “I like to let the sun wake me up slowly instead of being awaken by my butler,” he murmured to himself.

  “Seriously. I have an alarm clock in my bag. I can teach you how to use it,” Byron said and Alastair swung back to him.

  “You can use it and it open the curtains at 6:00,” he said and Byron felt the tension and concern drain from his body.

  “Can you ask the staff not to enter the bedroom, bathroom or closet until we’re decent?” He asked and Alastair nodded dismissively then waved.

  “We’ve got the bell pull,” he said and Byron’s eyes flared.

  “You still use those?” He asked and Alastair shrugged.

  “Some houses have done away with them but Mrs. Canter likes keeping a certain amount of tradition. She’s acted in place of my countess since I inherited,” he said then hissed. “The two of you aren’t going to butt heads are you?” He asked and Byron’s head cocked forward.

  “Why would we?” He said then held up a finger. “If you think you’re going to keep making jokes about me being your mistress or lady of the manor, you can fuck right off. No cracks about me picking menus or planning dinner parties. I’m not that kind of gay,” he warned and Alastair snorted.

  “Trust me, no one would ever make that assumption about you,” he replied and Byron wasn’t sure if he should take offense. Alastair smiled as he reached for him. “I think we’ve come to a reasonable compromise,” he said as he raised his brows expectantly and Byron went ahead and nodded. Alastair clapped his hands together then paused. “The mornings do get terribly cold, especially this side of the house. The view is spectacular but the wind just slams right against these large windows.” He jerked his head over his shoulder and Byron’s lips pulled tight. While he would never complain about the conditions at Beldon, he didn’t miss waking up with aching hands and feet and a runny nose.

  “I guess we could make an exception in winter but just the fireplace. And she has to knock so I can hide under the covers,” he stipulated and Alastair tilted his head in agreement.

  “I’ll talk to Canter, it’s my first order of business. After this,” he said as he set his knee on the bed and pushed Byron onto his back. “I can only control myself for so long. Do you know how hard it is to focus when you’re naked?” He asked and Byron moaned as Alastair’s tongue flicked at his nipple before he dove for his lips.

  “I think I can relate,” Byron said as he captured Alastair’s face then kissed him urgently. Pure happiness flooded Byron as their lips and tongues swirled and tangled as he realized how much Alastair was willing to compromise for him. He pulled his lips from Alastair’s and warmth and joy washed through him as their eyes clung and their chests heaved. “Thank you for trying so hard to make me comfortable here. I’m going to stop being a pain in the ass and make this work,” he vowed and Alastair hummed as he pecked at his lips.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes, Byron. I’ll have them put in a Tesco downstairs, if it’ll make you happy,�
� he said then winced. “Though I’m not completely certain what a Tesco is,” he admitted and Byron wound his arms around his neck as he laughed against his lips.

  “I can’t wait to show you,” he said and Alastair grinned wickedly.

  “I have something I’d like to show you as well,” he murmured as he slid lower and kissed his way down Byron’s chest.

  “What do you want to show me?” He breathed as heat rushed into his groin and his cock became heavier. Alastair chuckled as his lips swirled around his navel.

  “Nothing, actually. I’m just very keen to get my tongue in your arse and it was a smoother transition than just coming out and saying it,” he said and Byron nodded drunkenly.

  “That works,” he squeaked and Alastair pushed off the bed and sat on his heels.

  “Would you mind getting the lube?” He asked and Byron was on his knees, crawling toward the bedside table before he finished saying “lube”. They’d both received Alastair’s doctor’s blessing and sex without condoms was more wondrous and erotic than Byron dreamed. His nerves sparked a little hotter and brighter as he pulled the drawer open and found the bottle.

  “Got it!” He cheered then grunted as he was pinned to the bed.

  “Excellent,” Alastair murmured as he pushed Byron’s knees to his elbows then locked his hands around his ass. Wet, lush heat washed over his hole as Alastair lapped greedily and Byron moaned into the duvet as a gnawing ache flared in his passage. Alastair’s tongue lashed and drilled at his puckered flesh and Byron whimpered around a mouth full of bedding as his legs began to shake. He loved so, so many things about Alastair and his tongue was definitely at the top of Byron’s list. Alastair could do the most deliciously uncanny things with his tongue. It reached so deep!

  “Oh, fuck, oh, fuck, oh fuck…” Byron panted as he got his elbows beneath him and looked over his shoulder. “Please, Alastair,” he said then hissed as he sucked hard before releasing Byron.