by Kenzi Bond
Drake felt shame coat his face in heat. “Yeah, it was my idea.”
Malcolm walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink, then another for Drake. Handing the glass over, he walked to the lounge and sat down. “Yeah, well, it’s done now. Only time will tell if we did the right thing.” Taking a sip of his drink, he laid his head back and sighed. “We have to trust the boys, and in the meantime we need to concentrate on our plans for Beat Boys. Focusing on that should help.”
Drake took a sip of his own drink. Somehow, he didn’t think the twins would be that easy to forget.
5
Beau & Dean Seventeen
Beau
B
eau cuddled up with his brother on the large bed. Even though they each had their own, more often than not, they ended up together. Actions like this caused people to speculate that there was something incestuous between them. People believed what they wanted. They couldn’t understand that Beau and Dean needed each other. He held on to Dean’s hand and listened in anger as Dean described his run-in with his teacher. While they had most classes together, Dean took Economics at the same time Beau did his music lesson.
“He has it in for me. A couple of guys in class were giving me a hard time; you know how they can be. One asked if I gave good head. I told him to ask his father, and the next thing I know, the teacher is calling me out. He told the class that he would not tolerate any perverted behavior, and I needed to watch myself. Everyone was staring at me and snickering. Why do they have to be like that?”
Beau rolled to his side and laid his head on his brother’s shoulder. “You know what Lucas says—they just don’t understand us. They only know what they hear from other people. It doesn’t matter what they say. You have me, and we have our own friends.”
“But it does matter. I just wanna be accepted. I try not to let it hurt, but it does. Everyone was laughing,” Dean mumbled.
Beau didn’t know what to say because it happened wherever they went. People only knew them as the Xavier twins. They were the boys who were trained by their own father to be slaves, sold to the highest bidder. They weren’t normal. It was difficult to convince people they had worth when they knew they were rescued from an auction run by the notorious head of a pedophile ring. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t done the things people accused them of. The scandal was too tantalizing. They put on a good show of not caring, but it always hurt. Dean was especially sensitive to the taunts. They tried to behave like everyone else. Tried to appear normal. They even went through a period where they didn’t hold hands or hang around each other, but nothing changed. They were miserable apart, so in the end, they went back to being who they were and holding hands in public. How could they explain that, for the longest time, they only had each other, and they still needed that connection to feel safe? Their only friends were Joel and Beth. They understood because their family dynamics had been just as damaging.
The knock on the door had Beau rolling over and sitting up. “Come in.”
Their adoptive father, Jackson, stood in the doorway with a frown on his face. “Were you boys expecting a package?” he asked.
“Not us,” Dean said. “But you know people send us all sorts of things—hate mail, fan mail, threats. Why would this be different?”
Jackson continued to frown. “Because it’s been sent to you by a company called Tallon & Tallon Enterprises and looks official.”
Beau felt his heart quicken. Malcolm and Drake had sent them something. He looked at the smile on Dean’s face and gave a matching one of his own. Jumping up, they ran to Jackson. “Where is it? It’s ours.” They could barely hold their excitement.
“I thought you weren’t expecting anything.”
“It must be a surprise. Where is it?” Dean asked impatiently.
They weren’t supposed to be in contact, so why did they send something?
Jackson looked at the boys, suspicion etched on his face. “I’ve never heard of these friends before now. Who are they? Why wouldn’t they be giving you the gift in person?”
Beau squirmed under the look Jackson was giving him. “You and Dad said you trust us to do what’s right. You said we have to learn. Well, Tallon & Tallon Enterprises are okay. They’re our friends.”
“Joel knows them, too,” Dean added, realizing too late that Joel wasn’t a ringing endorsement.
Jackson shook his head as if he didn’t believe them. Just when Beau thought he would have to get on his knees and beg, Jackson said, “I’ll have it sent up. I take it you’re going to wait by the elevator for the package?”
“Yes, thank you, Papa. Love you,” Dean said, running off.
Impulsively, Beau gave his adoptive dad a hug. “Thanks, Papa.” He ran after his brother, his body tingling with eagerness.
They held hands while they watched the numbers of the elevator as it approached their floor. The door opened, revealing the box. It wasn’t large. Just big enough to hold two reams of paper. The packaging wasn’t fancy, just plain brown paper and a typed label. Nothing to indicate the package was a present.
Running back to their rooms, they placed the parcel on the bed. Beau held his breath as Dean cut away the outer packing carefully to reveal two black boxes with their names printed on a cream-colored card on the outside. There was also a plain white envelope. “What do you think it is?” he asked Dean.
“Don’t know. Open the letter.”
Sitting side by side, they read the message.
Dear Beau & Dean,
Happy Birthday.
Drake and I wanted to give you a little something to celebrate turning seventeen. We have enclosed two leather-bound journals. We hope you will take the year to reflect on what you want out of life. Write down your thoughts and dreams. The only rule is you are not to share your journals with each other for twelve months. This is an exercise in learning about yourselves. We hope that you take the time to be honest with yourselves and uncover who you really are.
Regards,
Malcolm & Drake
Beau opened his box and gasped at the beautiful journal inside. The leather was a soft brown and had his name engraved on the cover in gold lettering. The pages were off-white and alternated between faint ruled and blank pages. He ran his fingers over the smooth sheets, thinking about the meaning of the gift.
“What did you get?” Jackson asked from the doorway. In their haste to open the present, they had left the door wide open. He watched them with keen interest.
Beau held up his journal. “It’s a journal to write our thoughts.”
Jackson stepped into the room and held out his hand for a closer look. Reluctantly, Beau handed over the present.
“This is an expensive but very thoughtful gift. Most kids these days type into their phones. When do I get to meet your new friends?”
“They are very busy running their companies, so we don’t actually see them in person.” Beau realized his mistake right away, but he couldn’t think of a way to take the words back. He glanced at his brother.
“How old are they to be running companies? What’re their full names?”
Beau looked at Dean. What could they say that would not cause Jackson to worry?
“Well, they’re friends but not close friends. We don’t hang out together or anything,” Dean offered.
Jackson handed the journal back. “Then why are they sending you expensive gifts? And don’t think I noticed you didn’t mention how old they were. How about you, Beau, anything to say?” He crossed his arms and waited.
They hated when Jackson was displeased with them, but they weren’t ready to tell him the full story.
“Nope, it’s nothing…really.”
Jackson smiled. “Then you won’t mind if I get Kaden to check them out?”
Panic coursed through Beau at the thought of Kaden looking into the lives of Drake and Malcolm. Kaden was a hacker, and there wasn’t much he couldn’t find out. If Kaden got involved, Jackson would learn everything.
&n
bsp; “No! Don’t get Kaden involved. He’s like using a nuclear bomb when a firecracker would work. We don’t know how old Drake and Malcolm are, but I would say they’re in their early thirties. We swear there’s nothing you need to worry about. We met them when we were helping Joel. It was nothing; that’s why we didn’t tell you anything about it.” Beau waited, wondering if he’d said enough to get Jackson to back off.
Jackson opened his mouth to respond, but Lucas called from the kitchen. “We’ll discuss this again later,” he promised before leaving the room.
Beau got up and closed the door. Turning, he looked at his brother in concern. “What should we do? Maybe we could talk to Kaden and ask him to not help Papa.”
“That might work. We can’t let them do anything that could push Drake and Malcolm away. I bet Papa’s telling Dad now.”
Dean was right. There was nothing Jackson didn’t share with Lucas. What would Lucas say? “Let’s go see,” Beau said as he held his hand out for his brother. The warmth of Dean’s hand in his own was reassuring.
As quietly as they could, they walked toward the kitchen. Before they reached the doorway, they heard Jackson’s voice loud and clear.
“There’s something fishy about the whole thing. Why would these men be sending gifts to the boys if it wasn’t for something illicit? I’m going to get Kaden to do a full history on them.” Jackson took out his phone, frowning.
Beau had never felt genuine anger until that minute. He squeezed his brother’s hand tighter. “You leave them alone!” he shouted, entering the room. “You say you trust us, but you don’t. Every single day, we try to be good so you don’t regret taking us in, but the first time we ask you to trust us, you don’t. We won’t forgive you if you get Kaden involved.”
Jackson looked shocked. “How can you say that? It’s because I love you that I want to know you’re safe. Adults don’t give kids gifts for nothing. I trust you; it’s them I don’t trust.”
Lucas stepped forward. “Okay, everyone quiet down,” he said, placing a reassuring hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “Boys, you know we love you and have never regretted adopting you. You are our world. I agree with you about Kaden. We don’t need him getting involved. Just tell us how you met the men. Give us something so we understand. And don’t say it’s nothing, because I can tell it means something to you. This is the first time I have ever heard you raise your voice to your papa.”
Beau realized they had nothing to lose. He looked at Dean, who gave his silent agreement with a nod.
“Fine, we’ll tell you. Remember when that footage of us in the bar was circulated? You grounded us even though we only went there because Joel was getting drunk. He was hurting, and he needed us.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t tan your hide after that stunt. I still don’t understand what you hoped to accomplish. If Joel wanted to drink himself to death, it’s his life,” Jackson said.
“Let them finish, love. Arguing won’t help.” Lucas said before nodding at Beau to continue.
“Well, we told you how we bribed the guy on the door to let us in—” Jackson started to interrupt, but Beau stopped him. “Do you want to hear this or not?”
Jackson took a deep breath.
“What we didn’t tell you was when we found Joel, he was in a bad way. The men in the club started to yell nasty things at us. You know the type of stuff they say. Well, anyway, these two men came and got everyone to back off. They helped us get Joel to the limo, and we took him home. We later found out that the men who helped us were the owners of the club—Drake and Malcolm Tallon.”
Jackson pushed his fingers into his forehead as if he were in pain and clenched his teeth. “Can I ask questions now?” Beau nodded. “What you’re telling me is Drake and Malcolm run a bar that allows underage boys through the doors, and now they’re sending you gifts?”
“They were nice, Papa,” he said. “It wasn’t Drake and Malcolm’s fault the guy on the door took the bribe we gave him. You always say money talks and we need to find what someone wants, and that’s the key to getting what you want.”
Lucas frowned at Jackson. “Really?” he asked.
“Not now, Lucas. This is about those men and our boys.”
“Drake and Malcolm were total gentlemen. They even scolded us for being in their bar and told us to never come back. They were very upset with us. Anyway, Dean and I just wanted to know a little about them, so we went back to the club,” Beau said.
Jackson growled in anger but didn’t say anything else. This was the first that Jackson was learning about the second visit, and Beau knew they were going to be in big trouble.
“These guys attacked us, and we fought back. We didn’t get hurt or anything. Then Drake and Malcolm came to rescue us again. Dean and I liked them so much. We wanted them to want us, but they didn’t. They were angry with us. We told them…” Beau didn’t want to confess this next part.
Dean spoke up. “I told them we wanted them to be our masters.” He spoke so quietly it was a wonder Jackson could hear him.
“Fuck me. No way am I letting this go. Do you mean to tell me that those fancy necklaces you’re wearing are fucking collars. I asked you about them and you said they were designer jewelry,” he said.
Beau hated to see his dad upset. “They are jewelry. Drake and Malcolm didn’t really collar us. We begged and begged, and they said no. Then they offered to give us a collar in name only,” Beau said in frustration. He knew they wouldn’t understand.
“And they gave us rules. Like, staying away until we’re twenty-one. We have to behave and not put ourselves in danger. Malcolm and Drake don’t deserve what you’re thinking. We forced them to give us the collars,” Dean stated.
“That doesn’t make it right. You boys behaved like brats. You lied to us. I can’t even begin to understand why you would coerce these men to give you collars. It’s wrong on so many levels,” Lucas said.
Jackson stared at them. “It’s more than wrong. I’m going to get Kaden to look into these guys. You don’t know anything about them. It was bad enough when we found out you went to that bar knowing you were going to do something illegal—”
“But we wanted to help Joel,” Beau said.
“You could have asked us for help. We would have helped, but you decided to put yourselves in danger. Then you did it again when you were told to stay away. If these men are as blameless as you claim, you put them in a horrible situation. You forced yourselves on them, and you could have caused harm to their reputation and business if word got out. Finally, you did all this when we believed you were safe. I never thought I would ever say this: you’re both grounded for the month. No birthday party, no friends. You will remain at home and think about the decisions you made.”
Beau glared at his dad. “Are you serious? You’re grounding us? That’s why we didn’t tell you. We knew you wouldn’t understand.”
Surprisingly enough, Jackson chuckled. “I can’t believe how much you sound like a typical frustrated teenager. Any minute, you’ll be stamping your foot and telling us we are ruining your lives. We do understand. You are experiencing your first crush. I’m not really surprised it’s for older men, but Lucas is right. You put yourselves in danger. I would have grounded you for much longer.”
Beau felt embarrassed, angry, and defensive all rolled into one big emotion until it spilled over. “I hate you!”
He heard his brother’s shocked gasp beside him.
“And I love you, but you’re still grounded.”
Dean ran over to Jackson, crying, throwing his arms around Jackson’s waist, and sobbed into his chest. “He’s sorry. He doesn’t hate you. Please don’t be mad at us.”
Beau felt like the worst person on earth. He could feel the waves of fear and agony coming off his brother. From the time Jackson had brought them home, they had been afraid of being sent back. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Dean from behind.
“I love you, boys, but you deserve to be punished for your behav
ior. Go to your room,” Jackson said.
They were almost at their bedroom door when Beau spoke. “Well, that went well…”
Dean wiped at the streaks of tears on his face. “We’d better tell Joel and Beth we’re grounded. We’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I’m so gonna write about this in my journal,” Beau mumbled.
6
Malcolm
M
alcolm had spent the last hour going over the changes they wanted to make to the renovation plans for the club. He looked toward his brother, who was lying on the couch reading. “Why don’t you get off your ass and come look at these plans?” he asked.
“Because you’re better at that stuff. You do the business, and I do the people. That’s how it’s always been. That’s why I don’t have my own office. Besides, I just got this book by TJ Klune. It’s awesome. It’s got this quirky gay unicorn called Gary that cracks me up. Then there’s his boyfriend, who’s a dragon, fangirls, Sam the Wild, who is a sexy wizard, and plenty of hot knights. Seriously, the storyline’s so funny,” Drake said excitedly.
Malcolm stared incredulously at his brother. “Stop, just stop. A gay unicorn? Seriously? Can’t you read something more mature, like Tom Clancy?”
Drake sat up and rolled his eyes. “You don’t have a clue. These are adult books, and when I say adult, I mean sex. Lots of hot sex. You read your boring novels and leave mine alone. You don’t know what you’re missing. One of the characters is Knight Ryan Foxheart, and I only wish I could join his fan club.”
“I’m a Prince Justin fan, myself,” Ronny said as she entered the room.
Malcolm looked at the happy pair. “Don’t tell me you read that crap, too.”
Ronny gave a light laugh. “Who do you think told him about the series? TJ Klune’s an amazing author. You laugh, you cry, you get so horny you need to go out and find someone to relieve the tension, if you get my meaning.” She fanned her face dramatically.
