by Jake Biondi
On command, Rachel resumed sucking as Marco placed his hand on the back of her head and pushed her further down on him. Then his cell phone rang and he picked it up from the top of the dresser.
“Hello, Father. Happy new year.”
“Buon anno,” Carlo replied. “How’s my son?”
Marco looked down at Rachel. “Couldn’t be better.”
“Excellent,” Carlo replied. “Have you heard from your brother? I haven’t been able to reach him.”
“Don’t worry, Father,” Marco said. “I’m sure he’s just busy ringing in the new year in his own way.” Marco then let out a soft moan.
“Am I interrupting something?”
“No, Father. You’re fine.”
“How are the Mancinis tonight?”
Marco laughed. “Scrambling.”
“What do you mean ‘scrambling’?”
“Let’s just say their new year came in with a bang.”
“A bang?” Carlo paused a moment. “What did you do?”
Marco adjusted his stance and ran his hand along Rachel’s face. “Just reminded them whom they are dealing with.”
“Without consulting with me first?”
“Trust me, Father. It was necessary and will move our plan along a bit more quickly.”
“Don’t go rogue on me, my son. There is too much at stake. I haven’t come this close to have everything wrecked because you wanted to flex some of your proverbial muscle.”
“Relax, Father,” Marco said as he spread his legs further apart and Rachel’s fingers explored his chest. “I have everything under control.”
“You better.” Carlo paused again. “When are you returning home? I have another important matter that I need you to attend to here.”
“I can be home tomorrow, if you’d like.”
“Good. This new project cannot wait.”
“I’m on it, Father.” Marco smiled down at Rachel.
“Okay. Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” Carlo said. “And Marco? Dispose of whatever girl you’re with right away. You don’t need any distractions right now.” Marco laughed as Carlo ended the call.
“Everything okay?” Rachel asked.
“Just perfect,” Marco said, reaching down and pulling Rachel up from her knees. He wrapped his big arms around Rachel’s naked body. Her firm breasts pressed against him as he slapped her butt.
Pushing her backwards on the hotel room bed, Marco grabbed Rachel’s ankles and pulled them over his shoulders. Then he knelt forward and pressed his hard cock between her legs as his mouth kissed her neck. Rachel reached over to the night stand and grabbed yet another sabotaged condom, handing it to Marco. Wasting no time pulling it on, Marco forcefully thrust himself into Rachel, who smiled and let out a loud moan.
At the same time, Derek was meeting with Dr. MacMahon outside of Joyelle’s hospital room. Bruised from the explosion, Derek’s face grew pale and expressionless as he listened as the doctor explained the situation.
“We did all we could to save them,” Dr. MacMahon said empathetically.
“My God,” Derek mumbled, tears forming in his eyes.
“The good news is that Joyelle is going to be completely fine. That boy Cole shielded her from a great deal of additional harm. Her bruises are minimal -- no worse than your own -- and she will make a full recovery.”
Derek sighed. “Cole…”
“That’s right. That guy’s got a very good reputation around here. I recall him recently taking a bullet for you.”
Derek nodded in silence. Then he asked, “Will she be able to have more children?”
Dr. MacMahon smiled. “Of course. The miscarriage was a result of the trauma from the explosion, but there is nothing to indicate she will have any difficulties in the future.” Dr. MacMahon added, “You can begin trying again very soon, if that’s what you two decide.”
“Thank God,” Derek said. “Does she know?”
“She does,” the doctor replied. “She was conscious when it happened.”
“Can I see her now?”
“Of course,” Dr. MacMahon replied. “Mr. Mancini, you both have suffered a significant loss today. Be open with each other and help each other through it.”
“We will,” Derek replied, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Everything will be fine.”
“She’s been asking for you,” the doctor added.
“I’m ready to see her,” Derek said.
As Derek entered Joyelle’s room, Jesse entered Logan Pryce’s condominium. The place was dark and Jesse fumbled for a light switch. As the room illuminated with the flick of the switch, Jesse saw Logan sitting on the couch hovered over a bottle of wine. The light startled Logan for a moment as he turned to see Jesse.
“There you are,” Jesse said, walking over to Logan and taking a seat next to him on the sofa. “You’re still in your costume.”
“Yup,” Logan mumbled as he finished the glass of wine on the coffee table in front of him and refilled the glass with what was left in the bottle.
“Logan, I am so sorry,” Jesse said. He placed his arm around Logan, who immediately shrugged it off of him.
“Don’t touch me,” Logan said, his words slurring together.
“Please,” Jesse said. “I can explain.”
“Explain fucking your mother’s husband? I don’t think so.”
“I can--”
“No!” Logan said, quickly jumping up from his seated position. “And if you can, I don’t want you to. Just go.”
“Logan, please,” Jesse pleaded. “Sit down and let’s talk.”
“I want you out of here,” Logan said. “Now.”
“You’ve been drinking, babe…”
“It’s New Year’s Eve. Everyone’s drinking.”
“Let’s go to bed and we can talk in the morning.”
“Get out!” Logan yelled. “I don’t want to be around you anymore.”
“Anymore?”
Logan grew angrier. “Ever!” He raised the empty wine bottle above his head as if he were going to hit Jesse with it. “Get out!”
“Okay, okay,” Jesse said, standing up. “I’ll go…for now.”
“Good,” Logan said, returning the bottle to the table. Then he picked his ring up off the table and threw it at Jesse. “And take that with you. I don’t want it anymore.”
Jesse knelt down to pick the ring up off the floor. “No, Logan. It’s yours. I love you.”
“Get out.”
Jesse tucked the ring into his pocket. “I’ll hold it for you.” Jesse turned toward the door, then turned back toward Logan. “Do you know where my mother is?”
“I dropped her at her hotel a while ago.” Logan took another gulp of wine. “She wants nothing to do with you, either. You disgust us.”
Jesse started for the door. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“No, we won’t…” Logan mumbled.
“Logan?”
“Go!”
Jesse nodded and left the condo. Logan collapsed back onto the sofa and drank what remained in his wine glass. After a moment, he began to cry. Tears poured down his cheeks and his whole body shook. With one quick swipe of his arm, he knocked the wine bottle and glass off the coffee table, sending them across the room. He put his face in his hands and continued to sob.
Jesse made his way back home, while Michael and Keith arrived at Michael’s apartment. Once inside, Michael threw his keys onto the kitchen counter and opened the refrigerator.
“Want a beer?” Michael asked Keith. “Or something stronger?”
“What I want,” Keith started as he walked up behind Michael, “is for you to sit down and relax. You could have been killed tonight.”
Michael smiled. “But I wasn’t. Why are you always so serious? You’re like a storm cloud.”
“A storm cloud?”
“I think that’s what I’m going to call you from now on. ‘Stormy.’”
“I’m being serious,” Keith said.
“So am I.” Michael wrappe
d his arms around Keith and pulled him close to him. “Stormy, if you’re going to continue to be my other half, you have to understand that this is my career. This is my life. Tonight’s explosion pales in comparison to some of the situations I’ve been in. This is Chicago. Anything can happen on any given night.”
“I know,” Keith said. “But I don’t have to like it.”
“No, you don’t. But you do have to accept it. It’s my reality. Our reality.”
Keith smirked. “Our reality, eh?”
“Well, there’s a bit of a smile,” Michael said. “I’ll settle for that, Stormy.”
“It took a lot for us to finally be together. I don’t want anything to change that.”
“Nothing’s going to change that,” Michael replied. “I promise.”
“In your line of work, that’s a promise you can’t make.”
Michael laughed. “It’s me, remember? Your knight in shining armor.”
“But--”
“Shh,” Michael said, putting his index finger across Keith’s lips. “Just kiss me.”
Keith leaned in to kiss Michael, who pulled Keith even closer to him. Running his hands up and down Keith’s back, Michael kissed Keith more deeply. Keith tugged at Michael’s costume shirt, eventually pulling it off.
Keith stepped back a moment to stare at Michael -- his handsome face, his hard body. Michael took Keith by the hand and led him out of the kitchen area and into the bedroom. They stood for a moment at the foot of the bed, Michael slowly pulling Keith’s scrub shirt off of him.
“I love you, Stormy,” Michael whispered.
“I love you, too, Michael,” Keith replied.
Michael kissed Keith passionately, his tongue darting in and out of Keith’s mouth. Then he began to work his way down Keith’s body by kissing his neck, his shoulders, his chest, and his stomach. On his knees in front of his boyfriend, Michael untied Keith’s scrub pants and let them fall to the ground.
Running his hands up and down Keith’s legs, Michael sucked Keith, who put his hands on Michael’s shoulders. Michael opened his own pants and slipped out of them. Then he stood up in front of Keith and wrapped his arms around him, their erect dicks touching.
Michael gently pushed Keith back onto the bed and crawled up on top of him. Keith wrapped his legs around Michael and ran his feet up and down the backs of Michael’s calves.
Michael looked down at his boyfriend, running his fingers over Keith’s body as if they were exploring it for the first time. As his fingers caressed Keith, Michael worked his hard cock up the inside of Keith’s thigh toward his ass. Keith shifted his position beneath Michael and spread his legs apart, inviting Michael in.
As Michael and Keith made love, Tyler returned to the hospital waiting area. He entered the room, and Emmett and Max turned to greet him.
“What did you find out about my brother?” Emmett asked, standing up from his chair.
“And Joyelle?” Max asked.
Tyler raised his hand in effort to slow down the questions. “Just a sec, guys. Just a sec.” Tyler looked around the room. “Where are the others?”
“Keith took Michael home,” Max replied. “We told them we’d let them know if we found anything out.”
“Okay,” Tyler said. “Come on, let’s sit down.” Tyler extended him arm to urge Max and Emmett to take seats as he did the same.
Emmett sighed as he sat. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“I just spoke with Dr. MacMahon and your brother Derek. I have his permission to tell you what’s going on.”
“Thank you,” Max said.
“Derek and Joyelle are going to be fine,” Tyler explained. “Just a few scrapes and bruises. So that’s the good news.”
“And the bad news?” Emmett asked.
“Joyelle lost the babies.”
“Oh, no,” Max said, putting his arm around Emmett, whose eyes filled with tears.
“The miscarriage was caused by the trauma of the explosion.”
“How are they handling this?” Max asked.
“They are together in Joyelle’s room now. They are doing as well as can be expected.” Tyler paused a moment. “The other good news is that Joyelle will be able to have more children. There shouldn’t be any issues with future pregnancies from today’s events.”
“Well, thank God for that,” Max said, relieved.
“I need to tell you that things could have been much worse for Joyelle if it weren’t for Cole.”
“Cole?” Emmett asked.
“Yes. Apparently, Cole jumped on top of her to protect her from the explosion. He risked his life, but, luckily, he is fine, too.”
Max sighed. “Wow.”
“Cole saved Joyelle?” Emmett asked. “Incredible.”
“He took a bullet for Derek and now this?” Max asked. “That guy’s got guts.”
“What about that video?” Emmett asked.
“That’s another issue,” Max said. “Right now, we have to appreciate what he did. Things could have been a lot worse.
“You’re right,” Emmett replied, turning his attention back to Tyler. “And what about Justin? What did you find out about him?”
Tyler shook his head. “Unfortunately, nothing. He was never brought here.”
“Well, then where is he?” Emmett asked.
“I have no idea. I can start checking the other hospitals in the area, if you’d like.”
“That would be great,” Emmett said. “We need to find him.”
“Sure thing,” Tyler said, standing up from his chair.
“Thanks, Tyler. For everything,” Max said. “We appreciate it.”
“It’s the least I can do.” Tyler smiled at them and then walked out of the room.
Emmett turned to face Max. “I can’t believe she lost the twins.”
“I know, babe,” Max said, hugging Emmett tightly. “But Derek and she are okay and they can have more children.”
“How are they going to get past that video?”
“They will have to deal with that together, I guess,” Max said. “We can help in any way they’ll allow us.”
Emmett smiled. “You’re such a good man.”
“I love you,” Max said.
Emmett kissed Max. “I love you, too.”
“You know, I had a big surprise that I was going to share with you after the party tonight. But things went a bit off track.” Max paused a moment, realizing that Emmett was not entirely paying attention to him. “You okay?”
“I feel horrible for Derek and Joyelle.” Emmett paused, then added, “And where is Justin? We have to find him.”
“You think he’s responsible for all of this somehow, don’t you?”
“Right now, I just want to find him and make sure he’s okay. Where the hell could he be?” Max shook his head and wrapped his arms around Emmett.
Meanwhile, in a medical clinic across town, Gino Ciancio was standing near Justin Mancini, who was lying in a hospital bed. Justin was covered in sheets up to his waist and Gino, still in his bloody costume from the New Year’s Eve party and wearing a small bandage on his forehead, was holding his hand.
“Where are we?” Justin asked, his eyes looking toward the ceiling.
“We are at a private clinic,” Gino said softly. “I pulled some strings and had you brought here. It’s much less public and it’s safer for you.”
“Thank you,” Justin said, his mouth dry.
“You’re going to be fine, Justin. I promise.”
“Fine? I can’t see.”
Gino leaned forward and put his hand on Justin’s chest. “I know. But everything will be okay.”
“I’m blind, Gino. Nothing will ever be fine.”
“A specialist friend of mine will see you tomorrow. He’s the best in the country. He’ll help you.”
“Thanks...”
Gino turned and poured Justin a cup of water. “Here. Drink this.” Justin fumbled to take the cup from Gino and then put it to his lips to drink. Whe
n Justin finished, Gino took the cup and put it on the counter behind him.
“How are the others?”
“I don’t know,” Gino said. “I’ve been here with you the entire time.”
Justin forced a smile. “You saved my life. You knocked me over and jumped on me.”
“I did what needed to be done. That’s all.”
“Thank you.”
“I would never let anything happen to you, Justin. You know that.”
“The explosion. How did it happen?”
“You need to rest. We can talk about all that later.” Gino ran his fingers through Justin’s hair. “Just relax and rest.” Justin closed his eyes. “Everything is going to be fine.”
As Justin fell asleep, the restaurant building that Max had purchased as a surprise for Emmett stood quietly in the night air. A large bow that Max had placed on the front door remained proudly in place, even though the chaos of the evening had prevented Max from showing Emmett the building as he had intended.
In the alley behind the building, a young, red-headed boy approached the back door of the restaurant. Looking in both directions to make sure no one was around, the boy reached up and unscrewed the light bulb above the door. In the darkness that followed, the boy wrapped his hand in his scarf, quickly punched out a small pane of glass in the door, and reached through to unlock it.
With the door open, the boy quietly entered the building. He pulled the door closed behind him and headed further inside. Arriving in the kitchen area of the old restaurant, the boy looked around. He ran his fingers over the scruff along his jaw line that had resulted from two days of not shaving.
“Perfect,” the boy said, as he rubbed his hands together to warm them.
At the same time, David and Cole were leaving the hospital. They passed through the corridor toward the hospital’s main exit and David put his arm around Cole.
“You haven’t heard from your roommate at all?” David asked.
“Jesse? Nothing. But my phone is dead; it got smashed in all the chaos at the hotel.”
“Well, I’m sure he’s at home waiting for you. He probably has no idea what happened tonight.”