by Serena Yates
“That makes sense.” Kendall pushed his empty plate away, rubbing his now rather full stomach. “So, what have you come up with?”
“Well, I have this idea…” Elliot grinned. “I think we should have some coffee, and I can explain it to you, see what you think.”
“Sure, if I don’t die of curiosity first.” Kendall laughed, helped rinse the dishes so Elliot could put them into the dishwasher, despite his cousin’s protests.
Meanwhile, David took care of the coffee and carried them to the living room when they were prepared. Once they were all settled, Kendall turned his full attention to Elliot.
“Right, now, here’s the thing.” Elliot took a sip of his coffee and his face became serious for the first time in the last hour or so. The man was remarkably happy and let it show.
“From what you told me, it’s clear that you don’t approve of Ambrose & Quinley’s business philosophy. That got me to thinking about you working for AFTE, which would be an easy solution to your immediate need for a job. Luckily, they have an opening, and I’ve put in a good word for you, so they’re willing to see you for an interview on Friday.” Elliot made a ta-da movement with his arms.
Kendall’s jaw dropped and it took a few seconds for him to get himself under control again. That was so much more than he’d hoped for; he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“Wow.” Kendall put a hand on his heart to try and calm it down. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what to say.”
“A simple thank you is enough.” Elliott smiled. “After all, we are family, right?”
“Right. But still…” Kendall smiled right back. Even though he didn’t have a job yet, it was a great opening much sooner than he’d expected it and he’d certainly do his best. “That is such a relief.”
“But that’s not all.” David put down his cup, having finished his coffee. “My clever lover doesn’t believe in doing things halfway. So he’s been pestering me about ideas of what else we can do to help you guys.”
“Well, actually, it’s the disadvantaged people of Riverside that got me thinking. I was just so angry that the city council would consider building a supermarket over a homeless shelter.” Elliott shook his head. “These guys certainly won’t get my vote at the next local elections.”
“Nor mine.” David scowled.
“Anyway, the real problem seems to be that the city council wants money, which, like you said, Promises Kept is doubtful to have at the moment, if ever.” Elliot paused, looking at Kendall as if for confirmation.
“Obviously I don’t know for sure, but with them basically being a charity, I just can’t imagine they’re flush with the kind of money Mr. Easley has put on the table.” Kendall hoped he wasn’t treading on Landon’s feet, but his lover’s first reaction had been so stricken that he couldn’t imagine there to be an easy solution.
“Okay, so that got me thinking about finding a way to get them the money they need. And I think I’ve come up with a solution.” Elliot finished his coffee and put his cup on the low coffee table next to David’s.
“You’re not going to suggest we rob a bank, are you?” It was pretty much the only way Kendall could think of to get their hands on two million dollars practically overnight.
“No, nothing illegal, I promise.” Elliott laughed.
“What then? I’m dying of curiosity here, man.” Kendall was ready to explode from it.
“Right, here’s the thing.” Elliot leant forwards. “If I told you that I know this guy who is looking for something useful to do, possibly in the area of protecting the disadvantaged, and has more money than he knows what to do with, would you be interested in talking to him?”
“Would I ever!” Kendall almost jumped up from his seat.
“I take it that was a yes.” Elliot laughed.
“You can take that as a double yes.” Kendall took a deep breath, this time trying to control his excitement. “So, who is this guy? If you’re right, we need to talk to him pretty quickly. The city council gave us only until tomorrow afternoon. Do you think he’ll even agree to a meeting on such short notice?”
“To answer your first question first, the guy in question is called Zeke Fortin. He’s my friend Rick’s older brother’s partner.” Elliot grinned. “And if you followed that one, you’re cleverer than I am. Basically, David and I went to the same class in high school with Rick. His older brother, Ben, recently got together with Zeke after they figured out they were much more than best friends.”
“You’re right, that is complicated.” Kendall scratched his head. “I was never very good at family and relationships, so you might have to draw me a chart.”
David laughed, a loud booming sound that made Kendall chuckle.
“Never mind how we know him. The fact is that he not only has a huge trust fund—and I mean huge—but he’s also looking for a way to make a difference.” Elliot shrugged. “Apparently, he’s been working in real estate but wants to do something worthwhile now that he’s back in Riverside. He’s been working with and donating to a variety of charities, but hadn’t made up his mind to pick only one of them last time I talked to him. That was earlier this afternoon. ”
“And he’s interested?” Kendall couldn’t believe his luck.
“Very interested. He suggested a meeting later this evening, if both you and Landon can make it.” Elliot smiled.
“I need to call him, of course, but I can’t imagine he’s got anything better to do.” Kendall couldn’t wait to tell Landon. At least now there was hope.
* * * *
Landon was nervous. And excited. He wasn’t sure which was the dominant emotion, but either was better than the beginning of a depression he’d felt earlier. Greg had managed to cheer him up, but once they’d made it home and he still hadn’t heard from Kendall, he’d started to worry.
When Kendall had finally returned his calls, Landon had been so relieved to hear his lover’s voice that he’d forgotten to ask all the questions on his mind. Kendall had been very secretive, only saying that their problems were about to be solved. Landon had no clue how he could pull that off, but was curious enough to jump into his car and drive to the Front Porch in record time. He’d never known that they had a private function room, but apparently that was where Kendall wanted to meet him.
Why in the world did they need a whole room to themselves?
After walking into the function room, which had been pointed out by a helpful member of the wait staff, Landon stopped dead in his tracks when he saw not only Kendall, but eight other men sitting around one of the two large, round tables in the room. The second table seemed to serve as a sort of buffet—offering drinks and snacks, as well as plates, bowls and various drinking glasses.
“Kendall?” Landon stared at his lover, who seemed to be in an animated discussion with three men at once. One of them looked vaguely familiar—the blond quarterback-like guy looked a lot like David, Greg’s assistant coach. What was he doing here?
“Landon!” Kendall jumped up from his chair and ran to him, throwing himself into his arms and hugging him tightly enough to make breathing difficult. “I’m so sorry about the shit Mr. Easeley pulled this afternoon. I swear, I didn’t know what was going to happen. But now that I’ve realised what a horribly greedy firm Ambrose & Quinley is, I stood up to my boss and guess what?”
Landon shook his head, focused on holding Kendall as close to him as possible for as long as he’d let him. It was the best feeling in the world and he never wanted to go without it again. He’d do whatever was necessary to stay in Riverside and build a life with Kendall.
“He fired me!” Kendall looked triumphant.
“And that made you happy?” Landon needed to sit down. Now they were both without a job. Kendall because he’d been fired—quite happily so. Landon because there was no longer a job with Promises Kept in Riverside, and the job they had for him in Houston wasn’t one he was willing to go back to. What the hell were they going to do for money? He couldn’
t live off Greg forever and he wasn’t even sure if Kendall had any family—at least he’d never mentioned anyone.
“Extremely!” Kendall stepped back and took Landon’s hand, pulling him towards the table where the other men sat, chatting and drinking as if they were friends or at least knew each other really well.
“That must be the strangest reaction to someone being fired I ever heard of.” Landon shook his head but dutifully sat where Kendall pointed.
“The reason I’m so happy is that I really couldn’t stand to work for them any longer. I’d had my doubts about their business practices for a while, but today everything came to a head and I decided I was no longer willing to follow their guidelines, if you can call them that.” Kendall moved one of the available chairs closer to Landon’s and sat down.
“Good for you.” Landon was always happy if someone followed their principles. Even if, in this case, it was going to make their lives considerably more difficult.
“No, I think it’s going to be good for us.” Kendall smiled. “Let me introduce these guys to you, since they are all here to help us. Well, not all of them—some of them are just going to be part of the support team.”
“I don’t have to be able to make sense of this right now, do I?” Landon wanted a drink in the worst way, but he knew he needed to stay away from alcohol if he wanted to wrap his head around this situation. Not to mention remember everyone’s name. “Can I get some water first?”
“Sure.” Kendall jumped up and got him one.
“Thanks.” Landon opened the bottle and downed half its contents, just to make sure his throat wouldn’t dry out at a critical moment.
Kendall stood up and got everyone’s attention. “Hey everyone, this is Landon.”
“Hi, Landon.” It was like a chorus at an AA meeting.
By the time they had all introduced themselves, Landon was dizzy. The quarterback he thought he’d recognised was indeed Greg’s assistant coach and former student, David Lear. He was here with his partner, Elliot, who was apparently Kendall’s cousin. Then there were the three Fortin brothers—Zeke, who was looking for a charity to help, William, who was forensic scientist with the county, and Jason, who sold cars for a living. They looked a lot alike with various shades of blond hair and blue eyes…except for Jason, whose grey-green eyes set him apart. They’d each brought their partners as well—Ben, an extremely tall detective, Vicente, an elegant-looking Latino bartender, and Steve, a powerful black man who was a window washer for Ambrose & Quinley.
Landon wasn’t at all sure he’d remember all of their names, but he’d give it a try.
“Right, now that we know who everyone is, let me explain what this is all about.” Kendall took a sip of his juice and launched into the explanation of what Elliot had suggested.
The more Kendall revealed of their plan, the more Landon liked it. Zeke, the eldest Fortin brother, spoke up and explained why he wanted to do this. He sounded a lot like Kendall—disillusioned with the money-grabbing nature of his previous profession, he was now looking for something more worthwhile to spend his time and money on.
Good for them!
The two younger Fortin brothers, while not disillusioned yet, wanted to join the effort because it was a worthy cause and to help out their brother. Jason wasn’t even old enough to control his trust fund, but wanted to contribute as soon as he was able.
With financial backing like this, the city council wouldn’t know what hit them in tomorrow’s meeting!
* * * *
Riverside, Texas
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Landon put the last decorations on their tree and took a step back to check the effect.
“Wow, that looks amazing.” Kendall had sneaked up on him again—his steps muffled by the thick woollen socks they’d taken to wearing when they were in the apartment that was no longer just Kendall’s, but was slowly becoming a home they truly shared.
“You like it?” Landon turned around to take the mug with hot mulled wine Kendall had got for him. He took a sip and moaned. “This is the best recipe ever. I wish your grandmother was still around so I could thank her.”
“It’s good, I agree. I also think the silver and blue colour theme for our tree works really well.” Kendall looked so happy it made Landon’s heart jump for joy. “It’s certainly the most beautiful tree I’ve ever had in this apartment.”
“I’m glad.” Landon sipped more of the wine before putting the mug on the low table. He sat on the soft rug with his back to the sofa, enjoying the view of the tree in the corner between the windows and the fireplace. The stockings on the mantle added splotches of colour, as did the Christmas cards they’d displayed on the mantelpiece. He held out his hand and pulled a very willing Kendall to sit between his spread legs. “We deserve some beauty, not to mention a bit of peace and quiet in our lives.”
“Yeah, the last few weeks have been just a bit too hectic.” Kendall put his head on Landon’s shoulder and leaned into his embrace. They’d discovered they were both fans of cuddling and practiced their new shared hobby at every opportunity.
“Do you regret any of it?” Landon didn’t think Kendall did, but it was always best to check. That was one of the many lessons they’d learnt as they worked on building their relationship.
“No way!” Kendall looked up at him, eyes wide. “It was all worth it anyway, because I’ve ended up with a much better job, working for AFTE. Elliot is a great colleague and I like that both he and David have become good friends. But the best part—the bit that would be worth any sacrifice—was our reunion. I’ll be eternally grateful you took the first step. I’m not sure I could have convinced you, although I’m sure I would have tried.”
“I’m glad I was able to convince myself.” Landon chuckled. “That sounds really odd, but you know what? That’s exactly what it felt like. I just wish I’d done it earlier and not waited until my father’s death made me come back to Riverside for more than a weekend visit with Greg.”
“The job opportunity helped as well, right?” Kendall snuggled more deeply into Landon’s arms.
It seemed as if Kendall made sure his backside was rubbing against Landon’s already half-hard cock. The little tease. Landon grinned. He liked that Kendall seemed to be horny all the time. It was an excellent match for his own libido.
“Of course it did, but in a way, it was just the icing on the cake. The thing that made it easier for me to make a decision I knew deep down I was going to make anyway.” Landon slid his arms around Kendall’s middle and held on, breathing in the scent of mulled wine, Kendall’s cologne and pure Kendall underneath it all.
“I’m very grateful things worked out so well.” Kendall closed his eyes and dozed for a while, as he often would when he was warm and safe in Landon’s arms.
The last three weeks, as hectic as they’d been, had been the best of Landon’s life. The offer they’d made to the city council—with Zeke’s and William’s help—had been accepted. No surprise there. Rather than work everything via Promises Kept, the idea of running their own charity—with Zeke and Landon as its leaders—had been born and accepted by the group. Rick—Ben’s younger brother, who was a lawyer—helped them with setting up a charitable trust, and AFTE was working on designs for a state-of-the-art homeless shelter and counselling centre. Everyone involved had donated their time, and the project was well on track.
It was definitely time to celebrate. They had a ton of guests coming tomorrow, most of them their new friends and helpers, but tonight was Christmas Eve and just for them.
“Are you ready to go to bed?” Landon caressed Kendall’s stomach, making his lover moan and push up his groin to try to reach Landon’s hand.
“It’s a bit early, isn’t it?” Kendall turned around and looked at Landon with a quizzical expression.
“Sleep wasn’t exactly what was on my mind.” Landon winked as he let his hand slide lower on Kendall’s abdomen, still without touching where he knew his lover wanted it. A
nticipation was half the fun.
“Oh. Oh, of course not.” Kendall grinned. “Must have had too much mulled wine.”
“Are you drunk?” Landon widened his eyes in mock horror. “You know it’s not safe to drink and sex.”
“‘Drink and sex’?” Kendall laughed out loud. “Is that a new misdemeanour or something? I think you’ve been spending too much time around Ben.”
“It’s got nothing to do with him. I’ve just got your safety in mind at all times. That spiral staircase leading up to the bedroom in the loft could be lethal if you’re not careful.” Landon really was scared that they’d have an accident one of these days. With the amount of fooling around all over the apartment, it was a miracle nothing had happened so far.
“Well, we’ll just have to be careful then.” Kendall got up but—from the looks of it—he wasn’t too steady on his legs at all.
Landon supported him up the stairs by holding on to his ass, which made Kendall laugh and swerve on purpose so Landon had to tighten his grip. When they were finally upstairs and had closed the bedroom door behind them for warmth, they took their clothes off in record time and quickly jumped between the sheets. Crawling into each other’s arms for warmth got more than their body temperature to rise.
“God, I love this.” Kendall’s voice was muffled because he was burrowed against Landon’s chest, licking and softly biting his nipples.
Landon moaned and slid his hands down to cup Kendall’s tempting ass. Frottage with Kendall was so hot that it was their most frequent activity—in bed and out. They’d made very sure the entire apartment was christened…several times. Landon rolled them so he was on top and started to really grind his hips. Kendall pushed back up and lifted his head for a kiss.