“Sure. Hold on and I’ll get them.” Alec went inside and up to the bathroom where he kept his first aid supplies. Who was the cutie? And was he a sub or a Dom? Kendrick hadn’t told him of another gay man moving in so there was every possibility he was straight. But a guy could hope. He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the tweezers and some hydrogen peroxide.
When he stepped out the door, Cute Guy was crooning to the little dog who was happily lolling in his arms. “Here we go.”
“Thanks.” Cute Guy took the tweezers and plucked a large sticker out of the poor dog’s paw. “He got his leg caught in the neck of the halter and he’s only got three good ones to begin with. So I unhooked it to get his leg free and he spotted some sort of critter and next thing I knew? He took off. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find him. Are there any predatory animals that could harm him?” he added in a rush.
Alec sat down next to him and looked at the paw. There was a trickle of blood. “Here. Let me pour a little of this on there just in case.” He opened the peroxide bottle. While he poured a trickle of it over the cut, he said, “Are you new? I haven’t seen you before. I’m Alec Rowland. And I don’t think there are any dangerous animals here.”
“Oh, sorry. I always forget to introduce myself when I’m upset. I’m James. James Kaden-Scott.”
That was quite a name for the unassuming young man. Shaggy brown hair came to his shoulders and with the natural olive tone that adorned his skin, Alec assumed his family must have Greek or perhaps Turkish roots. “It’s nice to meet you, James. Which pod do you live in?”
James chuckled. “I don’t know. It’s the one right north of the office.”
“Oh.” Alec sat back once Zippo’s paw stopped foaming. “Let me get some water to rinse that off as you don’t want him licking it. He’ll puke all over the place.” If James was staying in the pod that came to mind, he was temporary. Shit. “So you aren’t a full-time Elan Township resident?” he asked as he came back out with a glass of water.
“Not yet,” James hedged. “I just took the job as the Elan Isle accountant. I kind of have to prove myself.”
That made Alec smile. “Kendrick’s a pretty good judge of character. If he hired you, I’m sure you’ll prove yourself just fine.” James glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and then looked away, a deep pink showing under that gorgeous skin. “Look. I’m going to ask something straight out. If you don’t feel like answering you don’t have to. I won’t be offended. Are you gay?”
James startled, his eyes widening. “How did you know?”
Relieved, Alec shook his head. “I wasn’t sure. I took a chance. I am too, if you’re wondering.”
With a soft smile, James shrugged. “I’ve never been out before. A couple times in college I went to gay bars, but was afraid my family would find out. Since I arrived here just a few hours ago, two people just knew. I’m trying to process that.”
“Most everyone here is pretty open. There are a couple of the workmen who seem the homophobic type, but I think they’re keeping that pretty much to themselves as Kendrick would send their asses packing if they made so much as a comment.” Alec leaned against one of the posts that ran along the porch and shrugged. “I think you’ll find that there’s acceptance here for who you are and not who you pretend to be.”
James turned Zippo over and held him as the dog cautiously put all three paws on the ground and then pulled to explore. He held the lead and let the little dog check out the wilds of Alec’s backyard. “I want to be out,” James said quietly. “I’ve wanted to be out for a long time. But I’m not sure how to be.”
“Then you’ve come to a great place. I’ll help you all I can and I’m sure Slate would love to help as well.”
“Slate?” James turned toward him. Was that disappointment in his eyes? “Your boyfriend?” There was definite disappointment in his voice. Time to disabuse him of any thought that Alec was taken. He was free, just like he’d always been.
“No. Not boyfriend. We’re not compatible. But he does make a mean cupcake. He’s a great guy. Fits the swishy stereotype—in fact he owns it. We’re both out and proud but we do it in two different ways. As a matter of fact, I was just about to go pay him a visit. Why don’t you come along? We can grab some dinner and you can meet him. I was planning on baptizing my barbecue… probably tomorrow,” he said, changing his plans. “Why don’t you and Zippo come up? I’ll invite Slate and you can just be yourself and ask whatever you like.”
A shy smile crossed James’s lips. It was a very nice look on him. “I’d like that. And you don’t mind Zippo coming along?”
“Definitely not. Something tells me Zippo will like barbecued steak.”
James laughed, a nice deep rumble that surprised Alec as his voice was more on the quiet side. “You can bet on that.”
With Zippo leading the way, they walked the gravel path down toward the cafeteria. When they reached the last pod, James turned toward his house. “I should probably put Zippo in my room. They don’t usually let dogs in food places.”
Alec looked toward the office just south of them. “I honestly don’t know. We’re not exactly like everyone else. I doubt a dog would be welcome in the kitchen just due to food laws, but in the dining room? I don’t see why not.” He winked. “After all, we have human puppies in there, so why not the canine variety.”
A blank expression crossed James’s face and his lips formed the words “Human puppies.” Damn. Perhaps James wasn’t kink aware at all. Alec couldn’t imagine Kendrick hiring someone who wouldn’t enjoy the kink atmosphere, but what did he know. Perhaps Kendrick had looked and looked for a kinky accountant and finally gave up.
“Never mind,” he said, trying to defuse the situation. “Go ahead and get Zippo all comfy and we’ll head on down.”
“Do you want to come in?”
He followed James into a bland replica of his own cabin. It had very little in the way of personality, but for a temporary rental, Alec guessed that made sense.
“I’ll be just a moment.” James went up the stairs and to the left. He closed the door but Alec could hear murmurs. A few moments later, James came down the stairs. There were no sounds from Zippo at all.
“He seems like a sweet dog,” Alec said as they left the cabin and walked the rest of the way to the cafeteria.
“Zippo’s great,” James enthused. “Especially for a dog who had such a horrible beginning.”
“Puppy mill?” Alec guessed as they went inside and got in the dinner line.
“No. A year ago last fall I was walking home from campus when I heard whimpers. They came from an alley, which freaked me out a bit. But they were coming from a dumpster and I’d heard stories of people dumping puppies in garbage cans, so I tossed the lid open. I couldn’t see a puppy, but I could hear him. I had to climb into it and lift a few boxes. There was this tiny chihuahua trapped in the back corner of the dumpster, with his back leg stuck under a heavy box. I freed him and brought him home. He’s never left my side once, except for when I had to visit my parents. Thankfully my best friend took care of him then.”
Anger rumbled in Alec’s stomach. “I’d like to find whoever tossed him in there and treat them to a little payback.”
“Me too,” James said with a nod. “Though, I’m a wimp, so probably the best I could do is write a scathing letter.”
“You write the letter. I’ll grab the guy and crush his balls together until he can’t speak.”
For a moment James stared at him open mouthed. A huge grin crossed his face. “I knew I liked you.”
Before Alec could respond, a voice he knew well spoke from ahead. “No, honey. Not today. That stuff takes days to make. But I did make a blueberry crumble that’s to die for. Come on. Try it.” He glanced up and smiled. Slate was leaning on the other side of a large open window that the chefs used to pass food through, one hip cocked and a hand right above it. “Good for you. Let me know what you think.” He put a plate on the person
’s tray and turned toward Alec and James.
His bright green eyes lit up. “And look who the cat dragged in… or out as the case may be. And what cutie did you bring with you? Yum.”
Chapter Five
James wasn’t sure how to take Slate Burke. Alec had said he was swishy and while James understood the stereotype, he hadn’t realized some gay men actually acted that way. He was fascinated and in awe of the pastry chef. That anyone was willing to be themselves to the point of not caring what anyone else thought? He hoped a little of the realness rubbed off on him. He still didn’t know who he was.
“Where are you from?” Slate asked.
He’d taken a break and the three of them sat at a table. Dinner was delicious with spicy meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans cooked with a flavor he couldn’t quite nail down but which was amazing. And Slate’s dessert? “This is the best thing I’ve ever had,” James told him as soon as he swallowed the first bite.
Slate beamed at him.
“I grew up in Kentucky but spent the last eleven years in the Northeast going to college.”
“You spent eleven years in college?” Slate asked. “Impressive. I barely made it through my six month pastry chef program. School wasn’t my thing.”
James looked over at Alec. “What about you?” He wanted to get to know the man who had saved Zippo. And not just because he saved his dog. Truth be told, Alec fit the guy James had dreamt of for years. While not as tall as James, Alec had wide shoulders and tattoos everywhere James could see except his face. He wondered just how much of Alec’s body the ink covered. His brown hair was cut military short, but his face was wide and long. By the crinkles beside his eyes and lips, James assumed he smiled and laughed often.
“Went to the College of Southern Idaho and Boise State. Got my degree in business. By then I’d been involved in the scene for four years and made my own toys. Seemed natural to start teaching people what I knew and making fun toys for profit.”
James wondered what “the scene” was, but didn’t ask.
“You’ve been into BDSM since you were eighteen?” Slate said. “Impressive. I hit my first BDSM club on my twenty-first birthday. Never have looked back. Though it has made finding a life partner more difficult.” He glanced at James. “Don’t you think?”
He had no idea how to answer that, so he told the truth. “I have no idea. I don’t know much about BDSM.”
Slate’s bright green eyes—they had to be contacts because surely nobody’s eyes were that neon green—widened. “Honey, why come live in a kinky co-op? Talk about jumping in to the deep end.”
Heat flooded James’s face and as usually happened when he got flustered, he said too much. “I needed out and this job came up. My best friend is the one who sent me the listing. I’ve had to hide being gay all my life. I haven’t even had sex yet. And I know I know nothing about this whole kinky thing but I don’t know where I belong. Will everyone hate it if I’m not kinky? Do I have to be kinky to fit in?” He snapped his jaw shut to stop talking.
Slate reached over and took his hand. Those bright green eyes softened. “You don’t have to be kinky to be here. Just accepting of it. I was teasing. I didn’t realize how new you were. So you’ve never been out and you’re a virgin.” He shook his head and turned to Alec. “It’s like finding the brass ring and realizing he’s cute and cuddly and you just want to protect him.”
“Brass ring?” James wondered if that was a kink term.
“Virgin gay male sub,” Alec supplied. “It’s assumed they don’t exist. As if all gay men popped out of the womb horny and with nine months of experience already under our belts.”
It seemed like a good time to eat some crumble. If he was eating, they wouldn’t expect him to talk. He’d only been on the island for a few hours and he already felt like he’d moved to a place that didn’t speak English. He needed a Kink to English dictionary. James snickered at the thought.
“What?” Slate asked, his elbows on the table and his chin resting on his palms.
“I was just thinking I need a dictionary. It’s like all of you are speaking a different language.”
“Oh darling, we are. You’ll catch on, but if you want I’ll send you some links to some basic vocabulary sites.”
Alec shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You’re talking about sending in a sweet virgin to the den of iniquity. Next thing we’ll know, James will be back on the ferry out of here not realizing that what he’s reading is dry fact and mostly isn’t as scary or disgusting as it sounds.” He winked. “I think it would be better if we teach him. Just the basics. In fact…” He pulled his phone out. “Key in your number. I’ll text you with mine. Slate can do the same. That way you can text us if someone uses a term you don’t know. We can tell you what it is so you don’t have to ask them.”
That sounded like a good idea. Having to show his ignorance was embarrassing, but Alec and Slate already knew and they seemed willing to help.
“So what goes on at the Kinke Faire?” he asked, wanting to assuage his curiosity.
Slate and Alec looked at each other and while Slate grinned, Alec shook his head. “Let’s start with Kink 101. The Faire is more like Kink 550. You’ll be ready for it come June, but we’ll get you through the beginners courses first.”
Monday morning, James made his way down to the office. The front door was unlocked but the building was dark except for a light under Kendrick’s door. Not wanting to interrupt, he walked into his office. A brand new all-in-one computer was set up. An envelope with his name on it sat on the keyboard but he wanted to get ready for the day before he started looking at things.
His roommate had made some remarks the day before about dogs—he was not a fan—so James brought Zippo with him. The bottom drawer of his desk was empty so he put Zippo’s cushy pillow in it and pulled Zippo out of his bag and placed him on top of it. As long as he kept the drawer open, Zippo could see what he was doing and not be alone at home where Bronick might yell at him or something. Not that he wanted to think his roommate would do that, but anyone who was that antagonistic with animals he had a hard time trusting. He seemed like the type who would throw harmless puppies in garbage dumpsters.
The envelope included his login information as well as the list of software and the file folders where the information he needed was kept. He spent his first hour getting to know the computer and the software. It was more simplified than he was used to, but would still do everything he needed. Humming under his breath, he went to open his first spreadsheet when his stomach rumbled. He and Zippo had shared some Cap’n Crunch cereal for breakfast, but he needed some coffee.
“Stay there,” he said. Zippo, whose head came up when he moved his chair back, put his head back down. He wandered around the main offices, looking for a coffee pot. When he didn’t see one, he knocked lightly on Kendrick’s door.
“Come in.”
He pushed the door open slightly and peeked around it. Kendrick was busy at his desk, a pair of glasses on his nose. He glanced up and smiled. “Morning. Did you get settled over the weekend?”
“I did, thanks. Met a couple really nice people too. But um… Is there a communal coffee pot? Or does the cafeteria have one?”
“Mmm.” Kendrick yawned, removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. “Actually there isn’t, but that’s a good idea. As crazy as it sounds, I’m usually the only one in here on a daily basis and Becca brings my coffee to me. We have a coffee shop, several this season for the Faire, but I’m glad you brought that up. I’ll add a coffee maker to the list of items to get. Maybe having one will convince my personal assistant to finally move here.”
“Your personal assistant doesn’t live here?” How much personal assisting could they do?
“Nope. He does everything online. I’ve been trying to convince Nick to move, but I think he’s been waiting to be sure this venture is a success before uprooting his life and moving half way across the country.” Kendrick pau
sed and said, “Why don’t you go home and get some? Take a few breaks a day. Believe me. I don’t want you working yourself to the bone. Part of living here is enjoying everything it has to offer. Besides, won’t Zippo need some breaks?”
Zippo. James winced. “I hope it’s okay. I brought him to work with me. He’s no trouble. I put his bed in the bottom drawer of my desk and he just lays there and watches me work. It seems my roommate doesn’t like dogs and I didn’t want to leave him there.”
“Who doesn’t like dogs?” Kendrick said and then shook his head. “To each his own. That’s fine. But why don’t you put his bed out where he’s not stuck in a little box? He’s more likely to meet the crew as they come in and out. If you’re worried about him getting out, we’ve got all sorts of items in storage. I’ll bet you we’ve got a kiddie door that could double as a doggie door.”
James wasn’t sure what to say. “Thank you for being understanding.”
“It’s no trouble. But if you think your roommate situation won’t work out, let me look into what else we can do. I don’t want you in a house you don’t like being in.”
“It’s okay,” James hastened to say, not wanting to be a bother. “I doubt we’ll see much of each other anyway. Besides, Zippo’s already happy with the arrangement. He likes to sit on the bed and look out the window at the leaves.”
“All right,” Kendrick said. “Were you able to access everything on your machine?”
“Yes. And I’ve used the software before so that’s no problem.”
“Great. It ties into my software so I can download spreadsheets as I need them.” The front door opened and James looked over his shoulder. The woman who had been naked on Saturday was thankfully dressed in shorts and a camisole top. She held two large to-go cups of coffee.
Making His Stand Page 3
