Mr V (Mrs R & Mr V Book 2)

by Jessie Courts

  “We’re home!”

  Jess and Lucy cheered when they heard their mother’s voice from the hallway and scrambled out of the dining room to greet her. Joe was lugging in their cases looking like a bronzed Greek God all tanned and muscly and relaxed and the twins stopped dead swooning dramatically. They soon started taking the piss as was their way with their step-father who they actually adored and the feeling was reciprocal so when he growled; narrowed his eyes at them; dropped the cases and lunged they squealed and took off with him hot on their heels. Of course he caught them easily and pulled them in for a massive bear hug and the three of them ended up collapsing to the floor with laughter. Rachel’s heart soared as she stood over the three people she loved most in the world and chuckled happily.

  “What about me?” she pouted and a long arm shot up and pulled her down to join in the scrum. “The three of you are nuts!” Rachel kissed them all on their cheeks and tried to extract herself from the pile. “Come on get up now and tell me what’s going on in my kitchen.”

  Joe let them go and they all stood and straightened out their clothing while Jess proceeded to explain about the dinner party. Joe slung an arm around Rachel’s shoulder while he listened and played with his beard thoughtfully. Rachel had made him grow it out a bit since he’d trimmed it for their wedding day and it was long enough for her to tug it, which he secretly loved.

  “Wow girls sounds great. Perfect welcome home eh Rach?” Joe nudged her and she eyed him suspicious of his exaggerated happy voice.

  “Lovely. Very glad I won’t have to cook and I can’t wait to see everyone.”

  Joe kissed the side of Rachel’s head; muttered something about having to prepare and left abruptly to take their cases upstairs. Corporate Joe was back in the house and Rachel wondered what he was up to. Sure enough it was only a matter of minutes until she heard his office voice booming down the phone but before she could make out what was going on, the door to his study closed muffling his words.

  “Damn that man!” Rachel sighed and her daughters giggled.

  “Cup of tea Mum?” Jess asked as Lucy pulled Rachel to sit at the kitchen table. “Then you can tell us all about Honeymoon Joe.”

  Rachel blushed then snorted and the three of them dissolved into laughter.

  With everyone seated at their dining room table, Rachel and Joe held court and answered all the questions about their holiday. Joe seemed remarkably relaxed and Rachel was shocked when he stood and asked their guests for quiet so he could speak. She had no idea what he could possibly have to say although she suspected it could have something to do with all the whispered phone calls while they were away. They never did have ‘the talk’ as Joe had promised but Rachel had learnt to have patience with her man and trust that his recent aggressive behaviour was a thing of the past and that he would soon be making amends.

  “Friends; kids; wife.” Joe quirked an eyebrow in Rachel’s direction and everyone laughed. “First of all thanks for being here; we missed all of you and it’s great to be in your company again.”

  Joe paused and seemed to hesitate. He dropped his gaze to the table and inhaled deeply causing his massive chest to heave stretching his tight t-shirt. The silence was palpable as if each person had held their breath unwilling to shatter the suddenly precarious atmosphere. Joe tapped the table then raised his head looking directly at Luc with steely grey eyes full of apology and regret. Luc’s baby blues stared back free of blame and full of expectancy. Joe watched as Olivia took her boyfriend’s hand and laid them on the table top as a gesture of unity, and if required defiance, and his heart grew tight in chest at his daughter’s strength of character. He recognised with pride some of his own traits in her attitude and his natural arrogance preened somewhat at this. Joe shook his head to focus and once again captured Luc’s full attention.

  “Vincent, I know I owe you an apology and that it is a long time coming – however, I don’t have the words to explain the fury and inevitable loss of control when I saw you kiss Olivia. I want to attribute it to some kind of primal paternal protective instinct but that would be a cop out. Knowing you and Rachel were together before I came along has never sat easy with me but I can’t understand why it bothers me so much. That said, I’ve decided it makes no sense to try and analyse it to death when it is no longer relevant. I can only promise you that it won’t happen again.”

  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that soon turned into gasps when Joe added, “Unless you hurt Livvy of course. Then I will hunt you down and hurt you more.” Joe did not smile and was partly gratified to see Luc shudder. Olivia rolled her eyes and tutted and Rachel huffed loudly and Joe gathered he probably shouldn’t have added that last part but it was done now.

  “It’s easier for me to show you how sorry I am than to tell you. Luc - everything I am about to tell you is already signed, sealed and delivered so no matter how many objections you raise; I’m not interested. Olivia the same applies to you too.”

  Olivia frowned and looked at Luc who merely shrugged and grinned. Whatever Joe had in store for him was going to be interesting at the very least and at this point Luc was willing to do pretty much anything to keep Olivia and get into Joe Mason’s good books and so he waited to discover what it was that he’d have to appease Joe with so they could all move on with their lives.

  “Daddy?” Olivia cocked her head at Joe feeling quite daunted by the scheming look in his eyes. She knew her father well and her stomach churned at the prospect of what he had in store.

  “All in good time Livvy. Luc first. So, young man, I’ve had my good friend Ryan here do a bit of investigative work for me and it seems like you’ve been doing fairly well in your job. Earning enough money to rent a flat; bought yourself a fancy car; started to pay off your student loans. In a couple of years you’ll qualify as an accountant and no doubt move away from cooking the books into something a little more commercially challenging – am I right?” Luc shifted in his chair sitting a little more upright and nodded. “Stop chewing on your bottom lip boy – you’re going to have to learn to hide your feelings a bit better if you want to make it in the big leagues.”

  Luc raised his eyebrows at Joe’s chiding but did indeed release his now swollen bottom lip from between his teeth. He cocked his head at Joe as if to urge him on and Joe chuckled. “I like that you challenge me. You’re going to be interesting to work with.” Luc frowned and started to object but Joe held a hand up to silence him. “I’ve made arrangements to have you transferred to Gyles Bishop to our finance department. If you’re to be part of this family, we need to keep it in the family. No point in your talents benefitting someone else, and if you’re as good as they say you are, then it’s a win win for me too. You start next Monday – report to Angela at 8.00 am.”

  Luc stood up abruptly sending his chair flying, his usually laid back expression replaced an extremely annoyed one. “Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t just steam roller your way into my life and manipulate me like I’m some kind of measly minion. Your actions are as controlling as your fists mate.” Luc shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at Joe.

  Joe glared back. It was a scary moment and tension crackled in the air until Joe’s shoulders visibly relaxed and the threat dissipated.

  “Sit down Vincent and hear me out. You wanted acceptance – well this is me accepting you. When I’ve finished speaking you can take it or leave it – your choice.”

  Joe stood firm and sounded every inch the successful lawyer he was. His voice never wavered and neither did his belief that what he was offering was not going to be rejected. Luc sat with a huff. The rest of the room remained silent although George and Leo edged closer to Ryan and placed a hand on each of his thighs in an act of possession. It was a visual warning not to mess with their man and it was cute but Ryan knew that if Joe wanted something from him, his twink boyfriends wouldn’t even figure on the man’s radar. Still, he appreciated the gesture.

  The twins sat rigid in their seats in t
otal awe of their step-father never having seen this side of him and Rachel sat upright with her hands clasped tight on the table in front of her braced for more of Take it or Leave it Joe.

  “Olivia. My baby girl – I’m proud of the way you’ve stood by Luc. It’s plain to see how much you love him and indeed how much he loves you. I expect further to our brief discussion before I went away, that you have decided to remain in England for now.” Livvy nodded. “So I got you a job.”

  “Dad!” Olivia threw her hands up in the air exasperated. “I’m perfectly capable of finding work on my own thank you.”

  Joe continued as if Olivia hadn’t interrupted him. “With a new fashion magazine I’m backing in collaboration with Dana Williams. You’ll be their fashion editor.”

  Rachel, the twins, George, Leo and Olivia all gasped loudly. Dana Williams was the renowned pop star turned fashion designer who was currently the toast of London and New York. Her equally famous sports star husband was loved by the entire country and the couple were always in the media. It would be a dream to work with them; Joe knew it and so did Olivia; this was a golden opportunity.

  “Anyway – think about it.”

  Olivia and Luc both looked overwhelmed and at a loss as to what to say or do. It was too much to take in.

  “You’ll have time to talk about this together when I’ve finished. There’s more.” Olivia groaned and Luc just slumped defeated in his chair. “I’ve bought you a house in St John’s Wood. It’s near to Town but still nicely residential and not too far from the rest of us. I’ll take you to see it tomorrow, as you need to furnish it. Use this.” He chucked an Amex card at them. Luc and Olivia were speechless and just stared at the black credit card lying on the stark white table cloth like it was a living breathing thing about to attack them.

  “George and Leo, I’d like to hire your interior design services to assist Luc and Livvy who will be far too busy in their new jobs to worry about decorating. Do well with this and I may recommend you.” The boys gaped like goldfish and Ryan hugged them chuckling. Their tiny little fledgling business was about to take a huge booster and Ryan thought he would die with gratitude towards Joe.

  “That just leaves you, my friend.”

  Ryan froze. He had assisted Joe with all his plans and hadn’t let one secret out the bag, but he had no inkling he was to be included in Joe’s grand plan. “Joe…I don’t need anything from you man. I’ve already made my plans.” He grabbed George and Leo’s hands and gestured to Joe. “And I won’t thank you for meddling in them; not now that I’ve finally found something worth committing to.” He kissed each of his boys on the knuckles and they sat up straight, the three of them presenting a solid union.

  Joe grinned. It was another scary moment. “I was going to say thank you for your help and that I’m glad you’d decided to stay in the UK.”

  Ryan relaxed relieved at Joe’s words and shook his head.

  “Oh and offer you a job.” Joe snorted and looked very self-satisfied at having the last word. “I’d like you to head up our IT division alongside using our facilities to continue with your specialist contract work. You can also check in with Angela on Monday at 9am – she should be finished with Luc by then.” Joe winked at Angela who had been privy to all his plans including the one regarding Ryan and she threw him an enormous smile back. She was his number one biggest fan after Rachel and the only other woman he took shit from.

  “That’s it.”

  Joe sat down abruptly and the room erupted in the wake of his shit storm. He took a long swallow of his red wine and held out his hand for his wife. Rachel took his hand and kissed his palm in recognition of the gargantuan efforts Joe had taken to make amends. It was his signature style and from anyone else it may have been patronising with strings attached – however she knew her husband. If he had it to share then he would. He didn’t believe in all this ‘make it on your own steam’ business; he’d been in that situation with his own family and all it had done was alienate him from them. In his mind, Joe was keeping everyone he loved safe and fulfilled and offering them opportunities – it was ultimately up to each of them to succeed in their own right; he was only the instigator. Rachel thought her heart would burst and she just prayed that everyone would take his gifts and realise the benefits of having Generous Joe in their lives.

  Dessert was served and the evening drew to a natural close. The twins made their excuses and left first followed by Karen and Rory and Angela. Ryan and Joe disappeared for a private chat and Rachel persuaded George, Leo, Livvy and Luc to relax with her in the lounge. They sank into the comfy couches while Rachel told them all about the Maldives and how Joe had spoiled her rotten for two weeks. She got an update from Luc on his health that was rapidly improving and then lots of gossip from George on his and Leo’s fuck fest with Ryan that was fast developing into a real relationship. Loud throat clearing from the doorway had the two boys jumping to attention and looking terribly guilty when they saw Ryan standing there narrowing his eyes at them.

  “What have I told you two about too much information? What we do is our business and not for general consumption eh?”

  Leo nudged George who grabbed his boyfriend’s hand. “Sorry Ry. But it’s only Auntie Rachel, Livvy and Luc.”

  Ryan still looked miffed but he winked at Rachel who was beginning to get worried and she realised it was all a ruse. Ryan was flexing his dominant muscles and tormenting them a little which would no doubt result in some spectacular display of consensual punishment when they got home. Rachel groaned inwardly wondering what it was about imagining gay men having sex that turned her on so much; she blamed the Cocky Boys and made a mental note to make sure her membership was up to date.

  “Go on home boys. And George please drop the ‘Auntie’ I think it’s about time now and you’re making me feel ancient.” Karen had always insisted that her kids refer to Rachel and Nate as Auntie and Uncle out of respect but George was all grown up now and it was no longer necessary. “But if you want to call Ryan ‘Daddy’ I completely understand.” She shrieked at her own joke and the rest of them cracked up at poor Ryan’s expense. Nevertheless he was a good-natured chap and couldn’t help grinning. He grabbed his boys and they followed him willingly out the house eager to get to their new home in Primrose Hill and do wonderfully dirty things to each other.

  “I guess we should leave too. Leave you to your first night home and all that.”

  Luc winked at Rachel and she couldn’t help it but her tummy fluttered in response. He was such a sexy man; nothing like her Joe but still devastatingly beautiful. She looked at Livvy who was just as stunning and imagined their children to be little blond angels. But she was getting ahead of herself and as much as grandchildren appealed, she wanted them to have a life first.

  A deep voice interrupted. “Stay. I’m sure you have questions. Objections. Whatever. Feel free to say what you want.”

  Joe plonked himself in the single armchair and crossed his long legs at the ankle. He had a tumbler of whiskey but didn’t offer anyone else; he wanted them sober for this discussion. Olivia looked at Luc who smiled back at her and tipped his head towards Joe.

  “We have no questions Daddy. We just want to say thank you and we promise we won’t let you down.”

  Joe bolted upright in shock splashing whiskey all over his jeans and Luc laughed loudly. “Don’t give yourself a heart attack old man. This thing between us has to stop somewhere and Livvy and I would be fools to look a gift horse in the mouth.” Joe narrowed his eyes at Luc quite sure he’d just been called a horse but he chose to ignore the slight. “However, we do have conditions. Whilst we accept the house, we will pay you back for it. We can set up a monthly payment plan. Also – it absolutely has to be in our names.” Luc shrugged and smiled satisfied that he’d got his point across.

  Joe touched his glass to his lips and took a sip of his drink before responding. “The house is already in your names; both of you I hasten to add. You can pay me back if you feel it’
s necessary but it isn’t. It doesn’t make sense – when I die you’re just going to inherit it all anyway so what difference if you get it a little early.”

  “Daddy! Don’t talk like that – you’re not going to die for ages. What a thing to say!” Olivia was mortified and Rachel rolled her eyes at Joe for upsetting his daughter.

  “Of course he’s not dying – that’s not what he meant Livs. Look, darling, you grew up with money so you know that when you have it in abundance it loses its power to control your every motive in life. Your Dad has lots of it – more than most in fact, so why not please him and let him spoil you. You know he’s never going to take your money anyway so why argue”

  “Yeah what she said.” Joe pointed at Rachel. “But, and I really mean this – I do expect you both to work your balls off and prove to me you’re worth it.”

  Luc nodded and it occurred to him that what Rachel said was true. Joe could afford to live in a mansion in the most expensive part of London if he so desired, but he seemed more than happy to be in Rachel’s family home. Sure they had remodelled it and made it their own but it proved to Luc that Joe was a man who placed more importance on being happy and comfortable than living it large and showing off. It was a lesson that success could only truly be measured in terms of love and happiness and not with a big bank balance alone. Already he was learning from Joe and working for him was sure to be immensely educational. Luc ran his hand up and down his belly and stretched his long body. He was tired and horny and his head was so full of Joe Mason he felt giddy. Olivia looked equally done in.

  “Stay here tonight. It’s late and there are several guest rooms. Just, for the love of God, do not let me hear you doing stuff I don’t want to think about. Please.” Joe looked pained and covered his face with his hands. Olivia giggled and wrapped her arms around her father’s broad shoulders.