by Jake Biondi
“So what’s going on with Cole?” Emmett paused. “Are you gay?”
Derek laughed. “Gay? Come on, Emmett. You know me.”
“It’s okay if you are, you know. A lot of gay men have married women.”
“I am not gay, Emmett,” Derek insisted. “And I don’t appreciate you jumping to that conclusion just from some video clip.”
“I’m not jumping to conclusions. I am asking you so I can understand what is going on with you and Cole.”
“Nothing is going on with us. We are friends; that’s all.”
“Derek, you are not just friends. If you were, then Justin’s blackmail threat to you would have had no impact. So tell me what’s going on.”
Derek sat down on the bed next to his brother. “Emmett, I love Joyelle. You know I do.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t love someone else, too,” Emmett replied. “You must be so confused by your feelings.”
“I am not confused. I know exactly what -- and who -- I want.”
“Then why are you going to see Dad tomorrow?”
“I need to see him before he dies. There are some things I need to say.”
“What things? Derek, before the explosion, you said you were interested in the company because you had to provide for your twins. Well, sadly, you aren’t going to be a father any more. So you don’t need to go back to Dad or his business.”
“You’re wrong,” Derek said. “I am going to be a father, just not as soon as we thought. But certainly one day. And if the Ciancios were behind that explosion that killed my kids, I need muscle and power to go after them and make them pay.”
“Make them pay? My God, Derek, do you hear yourself? We both worked really hard to get out of that feud. Why would you voluntarily put yourself back into the middle of it?”
“I have no choice. They killed my children.”
“Then why not stay away from all that? Only more bad things can come from interacting with them.”
“You’d feel differently if the children who died were yours.”
“And what about Cole? What are you going to do about him? Have you even spoken to him since the party?”
“I just told you. Cole is just a friend, who saved my life and tried to save the lives of my children as well. I owe him.”
“But do you love him?”
Derek stood up and continued to stuff clothes into his suitcase. “I really have to finish packing, Emmett.”
“Okay,” Emmett said. “But you know I’m always here for you if you need anything. Even just to talk.”
“I appreciate that,” Derek said, still packing.
“Have a good trip,” Emmett said and then left the room.
Once alone, Derek let out a large sigh and asked himself, “What am I going to do about Cole?”
At the same time, not far from the Mancini condominium, people were enjoying the neighborhood’s newest restaurant, Boystown Bistro. Only open for a few weeks, Boystown Bistro was attracting diners from all over the city who wanted to check out the new place for themselves.
Cole O’Brien and David Young were seated at one of the restaurant’s tables closest to the fireplace. Their waiter, Dustin Alexander, placed drinks on the table in front of them. His blue-green eyes and wide smile sparkled beneath the light hanging above their table.
“Is there anything else I can get you at the moment, gentlemen?” Dustin asked.
“I think we are good for now,” David said. “Thanks, Dustin.”
“Sure. I’ll check back to see how you’re doing in a bit,” Dustin said and then walked away.
“Cheers,” David said. They touched their glasses together and then sipped their cocktails. “I was really surprised to get your call. And excited, too.”
“I thought we should probably get together and talk,” Cole said.
“I’m glad,” David replied. “I like spending time with you. Especially at a great place like this.”
“I enjoy spending time with you, too,” Cole said. “But I wanted to talk about the New Year’s Eve party.”
“Okay.”
“I was very drunk. Obviously.”
David smiled. “You were just having fun like the rest of us.”
“I was having a bit too much fun. I should never have kissed you.”
“It’s okay,” David said. “You don’t need to apologize for that. Besides, it was a hot kiss and I enjoyed it.”
“I appreciate that, David. But I don’t want to lead you on. I shouldn’t have kissed you, especially knowing how you feel about me.”
“Like I said, it’s okay. And after seeing that video, I understand why things are so complicated for you. Now that I know who the ‘boyfriend’ you’ve referred to is.”
“I told you it was complicated. And that we were keeping things quiet.”
David laughed. “Well, I think the cat’s out of the bag now, don’t you?”
“I guess.”
“Have you spoken to Derek at all?”
“Not since that night,” Cole confessed. “He hasn’t taken any of my calls or replied to my texts.”
“Well, he has been through a lot. The loss of his children.”
“I get it. I do. That was a horrible, horrible thing.”
“It’s to your credit that you recognize and understand that. He’s dealing with a lot, I’m sure.”
“I know he is.”
“Tell me something, Cole. When Joyelle gets her memory back, what do you imagine will happen?”
“I have no idea,” Cole admitted. “I have my hopes, of course. But they aren’t necessarily tied to Joyelle getting her memory back.”
“You and Derek together, I assume,” David said as Cole grinned widely. “Well, I hope you get what you want.”
Cole reached across the table and grabbed David’s hand. “I’m sorry if that upsets you. That’s not my intent.”
“Not at all,” David said. “I’m fine.”
“You’ll find the right guy,” Cole said. “You’re a catch.”
“I’m not worried,” David replied. “And I’m not necessarily giving up.” David winked at Cole. “So consider yourself warned.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“My charm is hard to resist,” David said, smiling.
As the bistro hostess was walking Max and Emmett to their table, she led them right past David and Cole’s table. She continued on, but Max and Emmett paused a moment.
“Well, hello,” Max said, smiling at Cole and David. “Nice to see you both.”
“Checking out the competition?” David asked.
Emmett laughed. “Well, I don’t know if this place is our competition, but I guess we are.”
“When do you think you guys will be opening?” David asked.
“It’s going to be a while. Hopefully, summer.”
“How are you, Cole?” Emmett asked.
“I’m good, thanks,” Cole said. “How’s Joyelle?”
“She’s doing okay,” Emmett explained. “They are both coping with their loss.”
“I saw Derek the other day,” David added. “He seemed like he was doing as well as could be expected.”
Emmett addressed Cole directly. “I understand that you tried to protect Joyelle during the explosion, Cole. That was very brave. Thank you.”
“No problem,” Cole said.
“It’s not the first time you have thrown yourself between danger and a member of my family. I appreciate it.” Cole just smiled. “Well, we better get to our table,” Emmett continued. “The hostess is showing her fangs.”
“Good to see you both,” Max said.
“You, too,” David said, as Emmett and Max walked away to their table.
“Well,” Cole said with a loud sigh, “that was awkward.”
David reassured Cole. “You did just fine. Look, Boystown can be a small place and we all know a lot of people in common. You’re going to bump into people.”
“I know.”
; “Besides, Emmett seemed pretty grateful to you. And none of what happened on New Year’s Eve was your fault anyway.”
Cole smiled. “Except kissing you.”
“Except that.”
As David winked at Cole, Emmett and Max got comfortably seated at their table. The hostess placed menus in front of them and walked away.
“You handled that well,” Max told Emmett.
“It was a bit uncomfortable, but I am trying to focus on the good things Cole has done for my family. And he has done a few.”
“You’re smart to stay out of things for now and let Derek figure it all out. He knows you’re available to chat or just listen. And he knows you’ll support him. That’s what matters most.”
“Agreed,” Emmett said, taking a sip from his water glass.
“And you’re doing okay? I wondered if all the talk of Rachel and Nick brought back any bad memories for you.”
“Of the rape? I don’t think I’ll ever totally get over that,” Emmett said. “But I’m okay.”
“Good,” Max replied. “Your HIV tests have all been negative so far; that should help us both put all that behind us.” His phone began to buzz as a text message arrived. He pulled his phone from his coat pocket to check the message. “Oh, wow. It’s from Shawn. He’ll meet us at the restaurant the day after tomorrow.”
“Oh, cool. Guess he’ll be back from wherever he was.”
“It’ll be good to go over the blueprints and renovation plans with him. Get his input before we finalize things with the contractor.”
“We still need a name…”
Max laughed. “We’ll get there. The main thing was to get the concept. The name will follow.”
Dustin arrived at the table. “Good evening, gentlemen. I’m Dustin, welcome to Boystown Bistro.”
“Hello, Dustin,” Max said. “I’m Max and this is Emmett.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Dustin said. “Can I get you a cocktail or glass of wine?”
“Definitely,” Max replied. They placed their drink order with Dustin who brought it to the bartender.
As the night ended and a new day began, Ben Donovan sat in his car outside of his wife’s home. He still hadn’t seen her since New Year’s Eve and had been frequently visiting her home, but she had not returned, as far as he knew.
Carefully situated beyond some bushes on the far end of Jacqueline’s property, Ben watched her property, occasionally checking his phone for a reply from Max. After some time passed, Jacqueline’s car pulled into her driveway. Jacqueline got out of her car and Ben hopped out of his, rushing over to her.
“Jacqueline, wait!” Ben yelled.
Jacqueline turned around to see Ben and then rushed toward her front door. “Leave me alone.”
“Where have you been? We need to talk.”
Jacqueline hurried to open the front door of her house as Ben arrived at her side. “I’ve been staying with my sister. And I have nothing to say to you.”
“I need to explain,” Ben said.
“You can’t explain this one away, Shawn. Or Ben. Whatever your name really is.” Jacqueline walked into her house and Ben extended his arm to prevent the door from closing.
“You’re my wife and I love you.”
“Not for long,” Jacqueline said. “I’ve filed for divorce.”
“No,” Ben said angrily as he forced himself into the house. “We are not getting divorced.”
“The hell we’re not,” Jacqueline said. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“I’m your husband and the father of your child.”
“Well, the second part of what you said is unfortunately true. But the first part is about to be remedied. Now get out of my house.”
Ben took a few steps toward Jacqueline. “Baby, please. Just hear me out.”
“Why? So you can tell me that I didn’t really see what you and I both know I saw.”
“I’m not denying what you saw. But I am providing an explanation.”
“I know what I saw. It doesn’t require a commentary.”
“No,” Ben insisted. “You need to let me explain.” Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a small computer drive. “And I have proof of what I’m saying.”
“You filmed it?” Jacqueline asked. “How sick is that?”
“No, your son filmed it. It was all a set up,” Ben insisted. “He set me up.”
“I don’t believe you,” Jacqueline said. “And I want you out of here.”
“No,” Ben said, kicking the front door closed behind him. “I am not leaving and you are going to watch this.” Ben grabbed Jacqueline’s arm forcefully.
“Let go of me.”
“Sit down. You are going to watch this.”
Jacqueline struggled to get free of Ben’s hold. “You’re hurting me.”
“Sit down.”
“Or what? You’re going to beat me?”
“No,” Ben paused. “Or I’m going to tell Jesse who his father is.”
Jacqueline stopped struggling with Ben and looked into his scowling face. “What are you talking about?”
“Glad to see I finally have your attention.” Ben pushed Jacqueline onto the chair situated behind her. “You’re going to watch this with me and do as I tell you. Or I am going to tell Jesse that Max is his father.”
“How do you know that?” Jacqueline asked quietly.
“And can you imagine what that would do to them? They hate each other. Hell, Max threatened to kill him right in front of us. They’d never forgive you for keeping this secret.”
“You bastard.”
Ben smiled. “Now get your laptop. It’s show time.”
As Jacqueline reluctantly watched the video from the hotel room on New Year’s Eve, Derek and Joyelle were lying in bed holding each other after making love.
“I love you,” Joyelle said, kissing Derek.
“I love you, too, Joy,” Derek replied as his phone on the night stand began to vibrate. He reached over and grabbed it. Yet another text from Cole had just arrived. Derek read it to himself -- “Please, Derek, I need to see you” -- deleted it and returned the phone to the table.
“Who was that?” Joyelle asked.
“Just work calling. Nothing urgent.”
“Good,” Joyelle said, running her hands over her husband’s chest. “I’m going to miss you while you’re gone.”
“It’ll only be a day or two, babe,” Derek said, kissing his wife. “But I do have to get going to make my flight.”
“Okay.”
“Emmett and Max will be here to look after you while I’m gone. If you need anything, they will take care of it.”
“Honestly, Derek, I’m fine. I can take care of myself.”
“I know, but I don’t want you to be alone. They love you and are happy to spend the time with you.” Derek got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. Joyelle closed her eyes and eventually fell back to sleep.
While Derek got dressed and made his way to the airport, Justin was straddling Gino’s hips. Gino’s arms were wrapped around Justin’s body as he pushed his way into Justin. Gino kissed Justin’s neck, shoulders, and chest as he thrust harder.
Then he flipped Justin over onto his back, pinning him down and raising his hands above his head. He kissed Justin deeply as he forced his hips into him, spreading his legs farther apart. Justin dug his toes into the backs of Gino’s calves as Gino kissed his chest. Adjusting his position once again, Gino pressed further into Justin’s tight ass. Justin’s fingers massaged his back, pulling Gino even deeper into him.
Gino pressed his large chest into Justin’s and Justin hugged him tightly. Their tongues wrapped around each other, Gino and Justin kissed and Justin’s large dick hardened between their stomachs.
Justin moaned loudly as Gino caressed him. Without trying to prevent it, Justin shot his load all over their stomachs. Not paying much attention to the gooey mess, Gino continued to pound Justin. Pumping more and more rapidly, Gino himself began to
moan. In one quick motion, he withdrew himself from Justin, tore off his condom, and shot all over Justin.
“Fuck, you’re hot,” Justin said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“You too,” Gino said with a smile. Gino jumped out of bed. “Let me grab a towel.”
“Too late,” Justin said, using the bed sheet to wipe off his body.
“What’s this box?” Gino asked, eyeing a wrapped box sitting on the cabinet next to the television.
“I don’t know. The bellman dropped it off earlier. Said it was a special delivery.” Justin sat up in bed. “Open it.”
“Okay,” Gino said, removing the bow from the box. Gino carefully lifted the box top and looked inside. Wrapped in some tissue paper were two movie tickets, a foldable walking stick, and a small note, which Gino read to himself. “Justin, wishing you a quick recovery. Hope to see you back on your feet in no time. The Ciancios.”
“What is it?” Justin asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Gino said. “Just a tie I had ordered.”
“A tie?”
“Yes,” Gino lied. “I saw it in the hotel galleria downstairs on my way out earlier and had them send it up. I forgot all about it.”
“Sounds nice,” Justin said. “I wish I could see it.”
Gino returned to the bed. “Speaking of which, I hired a trainer for you.”
“A trainer? My body’s not hot enough for you anymore?”
“Not a personal trainer,” Gino explained. “A trainer to help you get around on your own. And help you use a walking stick.”
“You mean to help me be blind better,” Justin said, growing upset.
“No,” Gino said. “But until you get your sight back you have to learn to become self-sufficient.”
“You mean to rely on you less,” Justin said.
“Justin, you know how much I care about you. I’ve been by your side for the past two weeks. But I can’t do it forever. You need to get back on your own two feet. You won’t be happy until you are.”
“Happy? When have I ever been happy?”
“Well, you can be. If you’d let yourself,” Gino said. “Don’t you realize the life we could have together? If you’d just let go of this need you have to be connected to the family business.”