Endings and Beginnings Page 38

  Ben’s jaw tightened, and Jarod knew what that meant. “I know you weren’t happy about me giving Scott money, but please use it how you see fit. Let him continue his education, use it to buy a house, or whatever makes you both happy.”

  Ben regarded him in silence for a moment, and the tension dissipated. “I’m not good with taking money from people. It was that stubbornness that got me into trouble when Scott first came to the UK. If I’d accepted Leo and Thomas’s offer for help, I probably wouldn’t have been so stupid.” He paused a moment. “Oh, who am I kidding? I’m sure I would have found another way to cock it up.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  Ben gave a tired smile. “I never finished my training. There was a lot I never learned. Scott’s been with me for a while, and I still find myself making mistakes.”

  Inspiration struck. “Master Thomas is going to be working with my Master. Why not ask if you can train with them?”

  Ben’s eyes widened. “I… you know what? I think that’s bloody brilliant. When Scott came to me, he tried to insert a sound himself, thinking it would show he was willing to do what I wanted. Maybe I can show him how a sound should be used.” He snorted. “Not that he hasn’t been talking about it since he saw Eli’s training session on sounds.”

  Jarod didn’t miss the evil gleam in Ben’s eye. He couldn’t decide if he should send a silent apology to Scott or just let him know he was welcome. Either way, he knew these two men were right for each other, and now that Ben was willing to take the step and finish his training, their lives would be even better.

  Three months later

  THE AIRPORT terminal reserved for private jets was unbelievably quiet. Jarod stared out at the tarmac to where their plane awaited them, to take them on a whole new adventure. He’d hoped the boys would have shown up, but they’d had their going away party earlier in the week at the club, with a repeat performance to Rihanna’s “S&M” that brought the house down. They’d even talked Jeff and JJ into dancing with them.

  It had been such a bittersweet night. After they’d finished with their show, they’d received permission to go back to Jarod’s old house for one last slumber party. The workmen had begun renovation, and the place looked amazing. There was even a plaque bearing Phillip’s name on the wall over the desk. Jarod felt he’d have been proud.

  He and the boys had talked long into the night, sharing stories, laughs, and more than a few tears. By the time morning had come, they were beyond wrung out.

  I still wish they’d shown up to say good-bye.

  “Can I get you anything to eat or drink, sir?”

  A young woman in smart dress appeared at his side. Jarod shook his head. She gave a polite nod and withdrew. Jarod smiled to himself. Traveling this way was a far cry from the crowded airports he’d used in the past. For one thing, they’d only had to arrive at the airport thirty minutes before the flight.

  His phone pinged to announce the arrival of a text. He grinned when he read it. Mum was already settling in at the new apartment above the club. She’d refused to fly with them, preferring instead to travel by train. Thomas had asked one of the former owners to meet her at Euston station and see that she reached her new home safely. Jarod had grinned at the expression on his mother’s face when some of Eli’s friends had shown up to help her move. They were all big and brawny, and she’d stood there agape as their muscles flexed while they picked up her things and carried them—very carefully—to the waiting lorry. She’d called when she reached her new apartment and was very effusive in her praise. Then he’d learned that she’d sweet talked the movers into helping her unpack. Jarod could imagine that copious cups of tea and plates of her homemade biscuits would have played a large part. And his mother was not above flirting, despite her age. He’d worried she wouldn’t be happy, but she seemed quite content as she settled in.

  “Pet?”

  Jarod pulled himself from his reflections to find Eli back from his visit to the small shop located inside the terminal building. “Yes?”

  Eli sat in the leather chair next to him. “I need to ask you something about Phillip. If the company has a plane, why did he take that commercial flight the day he died?”

  Jarod smiled. “Everyone knew he had money, but he never liked to show it off. He flew commercial most of the time, figuring he could be like regular people. The only time he used the jet was if it was a last minute thing. Even then he hated it.”

  Eli cleared his throat. “And why are we taking it when it’s just over two hours by train?”

  Jarod heaved a heavy sigh. “I spoke with my accountant. There’s a lot more money in the account than I thought. He told me Phillip had been putting some in all the time. Even if we spent it all, there’s still the holdings I have in the company.”

  “So… you’re loaded. Is that what you’re telling me?” Eli said with a grin.

  “Yes, Sir. And now I want to share experiences with you. Like flying in a private jet.”

  “So if you have money—”

  “We have money.” Jarod sighed internally. It was a fact of life Eli was still finding hard to grasp.

  “Of course. If we have money, why buy the club? Don’t you think I’d be happy traveling the world with you and seeing the sights?” His eyes twinkled with humor.

  Jarod gave him a droll look. “No, you wouldn’t be. And if I’m honest, neither would I. I like taking care of our home, taking care of you. I’m not comfortable with the idea of having others doing my job.”

  Eli lifted his eyebrows. “Tell me something, pet. Have you ever joined the Mile High Club?”

  Jarod swallowed. “That would be a no. Phillip never gave any indication he wanted to try it.” Although Jarod had thought about it. Then there had been that time when he and Eli were on their flight to Hawaii when he’d looked at the toilets and actually considered it for all of two seconds.

  “Oh, I want to try it,” Eli told him gleefully. “You, me, the cabin door locked. You bent over, looking out the window while I take you. Yeah, I think about that a lot.” He pulled the Duty-Free shopping bag onto his lap.

  “There’s lube in my pocket,” Jarod said quickly. He grinned. “Though I did get some looks when we went through security and had to remove all our liquids to be scanned.”

  Eli snorted.

  “Mr. Pearce?”

  Jarod turned. “Yes?”

  One of the airline officials stood there. “I’ve been asked to inform you that a small group has arrived in the terminal, and they are asking to see you and your partner.” He glanced at his watch. “There isn’t much time before we take off, so if you’d like to come with me, we’ve put them in a room where you can meet them.”

  “Certainly.” Jarod rose to his feet, Eli with him, and they followed the official.

  “Three guesses as to who’s there,” Eli said quietly as they made their way through the building.

  Jarod chuckled, but in his heart he knew.

  They opened the door to find Alex, Peter, Scott, Gareth, and Dorian sitting on chairs. Scott rushed over, the others following. They surrounded Jarod and Eli and hugged them hard.

  “Sorry we’re late. I couldn’t find parking,” Alex said. “Then we got lost trying to find the terminal. Plus, trying to fit this group into my car? That was a challenge. Fortunately we were able to stuff Scott in the glove box.” He grinned.

  “Hey!” Scott protested. Then he brightened. “It doesn’t matter what you say. Nothing is going to take the shine off my day.”

  Jarod eyed his friend curiously. Scott seemed hyper, even for Scott. “Okay, what’s going on?”

  Scott’s grin grew impossibly large. “The year has gotten off to a stellar start! Annie was late.”

  “Late for what?” Jarod asked.

  Scott snickered. “You know? The rabbit died? She peed on the stick and it turned blue?” He rolled his eyes. “She’s pregnant, duh.”

  “Oh, hell. You’re going to be a dad?” Jarod grabbed Scott up
in a hug. When he let him go, all his friends pounced on him as well.

  “The doctor said she’s six weeks along, so if everything goes well, we’re looking at August for the arrival.”

  “We’re going to have to come back then, aren’t we?” Jarod said, unable to stop himself from smiling.

  “If you want.”

  “We wouldn’t miss it for the world, Scott,” Eli said, shaking his hand. “Tell Ben I’m going to kick his arse for keeping this a secret.”

  “We didn’t want to say anything until we were sure. Ben told me I could let you guys know today.”

  Another round of hugs and congratulations. Then Scott said, “I’m sorry. I know we’re here for you, but I had to make sure you knew before you left.”

  “Thank you for telling me. I’m almost as excited as you.”

  “Oh, I doubt that,” Scott said. Then his smile faded. “We’re all going to miss you. You know that, right?”

  “I’m so glad you all made it,” Jarod said. He could feel his eyes burning, and he knew tears were close behind.

  “We wouldn’t have missed it,” Peter said softly. “I felt sure we’d be too late.”

  “I have some news too,” Alex told them. “If you’d booked this flight for next week, I wouldn’t have been able to come and see you off.” His eyes shone. “I wouldn’t have been able to take time off from my new job.”

  Eli gaped. “What? You’re leaving Severino’s?”

  Alex nodded. “I’m starting with a marketing company, PushOn, in Manchester.” He shrugged. “I’ll be the newbie for a while, but that’s fine. I’m really excited about it.”

  Jarod beamed. “That’s wonderful news. I’m so happy for you.”

  Scott snorted. “Yeah, Leo’s pretty happy too. He gets his nights and weekends back with his hubby. Right, bean pole?” He dug Alex in the ribs with his elbow. Then a wide grin spread across his face. “Hey. This means you’ll be able to babysit those nights that Ben and I want a break.” He chuckled. “Uncle Alex.”

  The others laughed, and Alex did an eye roll.

  “Gentlemen, we’ll be ready for takeoff in about ten minutes,” the official told them before disappearing.

  Jarod’s heart dropped. He hadn’t thought it would be so hard for him to say good-bye. There was so much he wanted to say, to tell the boys. How proud he was of all of them. How much their time together had meant to him. How they’d helped him find a new reason to live. But the words didn’t matter now, only the heartfelt emotion that went with them.

  “So how is Secrets coming along?” Alex asked.

  “It’s wonderful,” Eli said. “When we first went there, I didn’t think we’d be able to do much with the place, but the company we hired did an outstanding job. When we get there, we’ll take pictures and send them to you.”

  Eli’s words warmed Jarod. He’d been so hesitant about the club, Jarod had begun to think he’d back out at the last minute. They’d traveled to London nine times over the last three months, watching as the club took shape, but when they walked through the doors and he saw the near finished product, he’d been overwhelmed.

  “And the apartment? It’s like three times the size of my house!”

  “Cool. Big enough for us to have a slumber party when we come to visit,” Scott said, winking.

  Eli pretended to frown, but then he laughed. “You are always welcome to come see Jarod.”

  “We’d be there for you too, Master Eli,” Alex said with a grin.

  Jarod stifled a chuckle at Eli’s reaction. His cheeks reddened, as if he couldn’t believe the sentiment.

  “We got you something, Jarod,” Scott said as he stepped forward. He placed a small brightly wrapped package in Jarod’s hands. “This is from all of us to you.”

  Jarod’s hands trembled when he gently pulled at the tape.

  “You can rip the paper, you know,” Dorian said with a laugh.

  “It’s so pretty, though,” Jarod whispered. In truth, he was afraid to open it, because then he’d have to accept they were moving away from the family that had taken him in and showered him with love.

  “It’s okay, pet. Take your time,” Eli said quietly. “They’re going to hold the plane for us no matter what. It is your plane, right?”

  Jarod fired him a brief glance. “Our plane.” One day I will get him used to saying “our”—even if it kills me.

  When he pulled off the last of the paper, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A photograph of all the subs from the club. Even the ones he didn’t really get much of a chance to interact with had gotten together and taken a picture for him. Jarod laughed nervously. “How did the photographer get you to stay still?”

  “It was Miles,” Alex said quietly, “and he reminded us the picture was for someone we love.”

  Jarod turned and wrapped his arms around Eli. He didn’t want the boys to see him cry, but he couldn’t help it.

  “It’s okay, pet. Let it out. They understand,” Eli murmured, rubbing slow circles on Jarod’s back.

  “We’re sorry. We didn’t want you to be upset,” Scott said. “We thought… we figured maybe you could hang it up in your new place and think of us once in a while.”

  Jarod turned and grabbed Scott, yanking him forward. “I don’t need a picture. I have each of you in my heart. But this is something I’ll always treasure. It’ll go great with the frame you brought us back from your honeymoon. I can’t thank you enough.” He hugged him tightly, and Scott wound his arms around Jarod’s waist.

  “You have, many times over,” Peter replied. He moved in for a last hug too.

  “Sirs?” the pilot called out. “We need to go. We only have runway access for so long.”

  “Guess this is good-bye,” Scott said with a sigh.

  Jarod turned to Eli but glanced back at the earnest faces of their friends. “I don’t know if I can do this, Sir.”

  “You can,” Scott replied. “You’re going to go to London and make the most amazing BDSM club ever. Well, next to Collars & Cuffs. And our Sirs told us that when you have your grand opening, we’re all going to be there to cheer you on.”

  Scott knew what words to say to make Jarod’s heart fill with so many emotions. It was no wonder he wrote such beautiful things.

  He and Eli hugged the boys, then turned to leave the room. Jarod paused at the threshold for one last backward glance at the young men standing there with solemn faces.

  Eli nudged him. “It’s not good-bye, pet. This might be the ending of one story, but I promise you, it’s the beginning of another.”

  And with that, Eli took his hand and led Jarod toward their new lives.

  More from K.C. Wells and Parker Williams

  Collars and Cuffs: Book 1

  Since the death of his submissive lover two years ago, Leo hasn’t been living—merely existing. He focuses on making Collars & Cuffs, a BDSM club in Manchester’s gay village, successful. That changes the night he and his business partner have their weekly meeting at Severinos. Leo can’t keep his eyes off the new server. The shy man seems determined to avoid Leo’s gaze, but that’s like a red rag to a bull. Leo loves a challenge.

  Alex Daniels works at Severinos to scrape together the money to move out on his own. He struggles with coming out, but he’s drawn to Leo, the gorgeous guy with the icy-blue eyes who’s been eating in his area nearly every night.

  Leo won’t let Alex’s hesitance get in the way. He even keeps him away from the club so as not to scare him. And as for telling Alex that Leo is a Dom? Not a good idea. One date becomes two, but date two leads to Leo’s bedroom… and Alex discovers things about himself he never realized—and never wanted anyone to see.

  Collars and Cuffs: Book 2

  Christmas is a time for goodwill to all, but Collars and Cuffs co-owner Thomas Williams receives an unexpected gift that chills him to the bone. A Dom from another Manchester club asks Thomas for his help rescuing an abused submissive, Peter Nicholson. Thomas takes in the young man
as a favor to a friend, offering space and time to heal, but he makes it clear he’s never had a sub and doesn’t want one.

  Peter finds Thomas’s home calm and peaceful, but his past has left him unwilling to trust another Dom. When Thomas doesn’t behave as Peter expects, Peter’s nightmares begin to fade, and he decides he’d like to learn more about D/s life. A well-known trainer of submissives, Thomas begins to teach Peter, but as the new submissive opens up to him, Thomas finds he cares more for Peter than he should. Just as he decides it’s time to find a permanent Dom for Peter, they discover Peter’s tormentor is still very much a threat. With their lives in danger, Thomas can’t deny his feelings for Peter any longer. The question now becomes, can Peter make it out of the lions’ den alive, so that Thomas can tell his boy that he loves him?

  Collars and Cuffs: Book 3

  Eighteen-year-old Scott Keating knows a whole world exists beyond his parents’ strict control, but until he gains access to the World Wide Web, he really has no idea what’s out there. In a chat room, Scott meets “JeffUK.” Jeff loves and understands him, and when he offers to bring Scott to the UK, Scott seizes his chance to escape his humdrum life and see the world. But when his plane touches down and Jeff isn’t there, panic sets in.

  Collars & Cuffs favorite barman and Dom-in-training, Ben Winters, drops his sister off at the airport and finds a lost, anxious Scott. Hearing Scott’s story sets off alarm bells, along with his protective instincts. Taking pity on the naïve boy, Ben offers him a place to crash and invites him to Collars & Cuffs, hoping his bosses will know how to help. Scott dreams of belonging to someone, heart and soul. Ben longs for a sub of his own. And neither man sees what’s right under his nose.