“I don’t know what you’re dreaming about, boy, but it looks good on you.”
Clem was leaning over him. Garth blinked. He could smell mint on Clem’s breath and the scent of his shampoo, he was that close. Garth scrambled from the car as fast as he could in an attempt to regain some dignity, but the erection crammed into his tight jeans didn’t help. Nor did the knowing expression on Clem’s handsome face.
“I’ve got the van,” Clem said. “I’ll give you a ride home.” It sounded more like an order than a suggestion.
“My mother always taught me never to go with strangers. I’ve got my bike.”
“Your bike will fit in the back of the van and I’m not a stranger. We’ve known each other for a whole hour. Ring Zach, or his dad. I’m an old friend of the family. They’ll vouch for me.”
Garth gave him a hard look. The thought of not having to pedal across town in the dark was tempting. He pulled out his phone and stabbed at the Speed Dial button that connected him to Zach.
“Hey, Zach. You know a computer guy called Clem?”
“Sure.” From the sound of Zach’s voice, he was trying not to laugh. “Gorgeous, isn’t he? He was asking just the other day if you’d be back this summer. Not my type, but definitely yours. Dommy as hell. Has he got you in cuffs yet?”
“What the hell, Zach? He’s just offering me a ride home and I want to make sure he isn’t some psycho ax murderer.” He caught sight of Clem, who had a huge grin on his face.
“Ride home… Yeah, sure. If that’s what we’re calling it nowadays.” Zach made a sound somewhere between a snort and a grunt.
“Zach…”
“He’s fine. I’ve known him for years. When I was a kid, he was a teenager and we knocked around together sometimes at family barbecues and stuff. He’s a genuine Dom though, so watch that smart mouth of yours or he’ll have a gag in it before you can say Goo Goo Dolls.”
“Okay. If I don’t show up for work tomorrow, the headlines in the local rag will be all your fault.” He ended the call. “A lift would be good. Thanks.” Clem’s smirk was disconcerting to say the least. Garth covered his confusion by locking everything up. He rolled up his jacket then shoved it into his backpack with his wallet and phone. “Good to go.”
Clem led the way to the staff exit at the southern edge of the park, using his security card to open the gate. His van was parked a hundred yards or so down the street. Garth liberated his bike from a long rack next to the curb before wheeling it to the rear doors of the van. Inside, the vehicle was immaculate. There was plenty of room to set the bike inside and Clem lifted it into position as if it weighed nothing.
Garth clambered into the pristine cab, wondering what the hell he was doing. There wasn’t a wrapper or empty coffee cup to be seen—not a comfortable environment for someone as messy as him. Clem got behind the wheel and Garth knew there was no question as to whether the vehicle would start. It wouldn’t dare break down. He fastened his seatbelt, very aware of the wide strap across his body, which seemed less like a safety device, and more of a restraint. He shivered.
“Are you cold? I can turn the heat up.”
Garth shook his head.
“Use words, boy.”
“Not a boy,” Garth grumbled because he felt he had to, not because he really objected to the term.
“But you are a brat.” Clem grinned.
“Screw you.” The words were muttered, but Clem had the hearing of an eagle owl.
“Your mouth needs to be filled with something other than that language and believe me, if there’s any screwing to be done, I’ll be doing it.”
“Don’t make promises you won’t keep.” Garth made eye contact, knowing he was treading on very dangerous ground. The fine lines around Clem’s eyes crinkled. His enigmatic smile didn’t need the accompaniment of words.
“Where are we heading?”
Garth gave his address and Clem steered the van through quiet streets, avoiding the busier roads near the beach. He didn’t attempt to make conversation, for which Garth was grateful. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable and with Clem’s solid presence beside him, Garth felt safe. When Clem pulled up outside Garth’s block in the student village, Garth found he was reluctant to leave the warmth of the vehicle. The chill night air brought goosebumps to his skin. Clem opened the rear doors to lift out Garth’s bike.
“Here you go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Garth positioned the bike between him and Clem, his backpack balancing on the saddle.
“You will?” A thrill of excitement set Garth’s nerves tingling. Clem leaned across the bike, put a finger beneath Garth’s chin and tilted his head with gentle pressure.
“I will.”
Garth didn’t expect the kiss that followed. It stole his breath and any ability to move. The press of Clem’s lips was chaste but firm. Garth’s cock stiffened and he whimpered. The temptation to beg for more rode him hard.
“Sweet dreams,” Clem said, squeezing the nape of Garth’s neck before he got back into the van.
As Clem drove away, Garth doubted his dreams would be sweet. They were going to be steamy, pulse-pounding, XX-rated… He wheeled his bike toward home, tripping a couple of times in his eagerness to get back. He didn’t want to be excited about the possibility of meeting Clem again, but he couldn’t help it. There was something about the man that called to him and one kiss would never be enough.
Chapter Two
Over the next few days, Garth got into a routine at work. The amusement park was busy and the ghost train seemed to have a permanent queue of people eager to be scared out of their wits. By the time his breaks came around, it was all he could do to slump on a bench and suck down his favorite iced coffee. As an employee, he got discounts at all the park’s food stands and the girl working the drinks van always slipped him a life-saving extra shot of espresso. He avoided the deep-fried doughnuts with martyr-like restraint, but had a soft spot for the chocolate-dipped fruit that came from a striped hut behind the carousel. His daily visit also gave him an excuse to wave to Stevie.
Though they didn’t make any definite arrangements to meet, Clem appeared at lunchtime every day and joined Garth on his bench. Clem sat with his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles, one arm resting along the back of the bench behind Garth’s shoulders. He always seemed in complete control of whichever part of the world he occupied at the time, something that made Garth’s nerve-endings tingle. He craved Clem’s touch with every atom of his being, but all Clem allowed him was a single, soul-searing kiss at the end of each day when he dropped Garth off at home—something else that had become part of their unspoken routine. In his bed at night, alone in the darkness, Garth’s imagination took his body to places where pain and pleasure were inseparable and it was all Clem’s fault.
By the end of the week, Garth was looking forward to his day off with the single-minded focus of a desperate man lost in the desert sighting an oasis. He staggered toward the greenery through a haze of exhaustion caused by dream-disturbed nights. It was all he could do to make sure his passengers followed the rules and scrape up a smile for them as they emerged from the darkness shrieking in terror. When he glimpsed Clem in the distance talking to Adam, he thought he might be hallucinating. Through the crowd of people, he couldn’t be sure, but both men were tall, well-built and one of them was wearing a blue top like his own. He shrugged. He couldn’t think why Clem would need to talk to Adam and he had too many people lined up for the ghost train to spare it much thought.
Garth took his break for lunch later than usual because his cover took an age to show up. His favorite bench was occupied so he carried his iced coffee and chicken salad wrap to one of the green areas where he could sit with his back against a tree. He moaned his pleasure as the first sip of chilled coffee hit his taste buds, and closed his eyes.
“You have an entire set of luggage under your eyes, boy. Not sleeping?”
Clem. Garth cranked open an eyelid, blinking into the sun until
Clem moved to provide some shade. “How do you always manage to find me? And I’m not your damn boy.”
“You’re not that difficult to track down. The blue shirts are easy enough to spot and, as far as I know, you’re the only male park employee with black hair and blue eyes who doesn’t wear regulation trousers.”
Garth fiddled with the zip across his thigh. “You won’t find me here tomorrow.” It seemed important to let Clem know.
“I’m aware of that. It’s your day off. I’ll pick you up from your place at nine.”
“But, I…” Garth couldn’t find room in his confused brain for words.
Clem loomed over him. “Nine. Be ready.”
Garth sighed. His will to resist had dissolved at some point in the last few days. He should question how Clem knew it was his day off but didn’t have the energy.
“I’ll remind you again tonight when I drop you off.”
“You don’t have to…”
“Not your decision.” Clem grinned. “Boy.”
Clem strolled away before Garth could summon the will to come up with a suitable retort.
* * * *
Garth was finishing his close-down routine that night, killing time, waiting for Clem to show, when he thought he heard a noise from inside the ride. He could have sworn there was a muffled shout followed by a metallic bang, then nothing. He shook his head. It was probably his imagination playing tricks on him. The park was quiet, all the lights dimmed and music silenced. He had already walked the ride and seen nothing out of order. It wasn’t possible for anyone to have got past him, unless an animal had snuck in.
“Stray dog, maybe. Damn it.” He couldn’t leave a dog in there overnight. Quite apart from his soft heart for anything with four legs and fur, he’d have to clean up the resulting mess come morning and poop scooping did not figure on his list of ambitions.
He shoved his bag back into its cubby. There was still no sign of Clem, so Garth grabbed his torch before punching in the code to unlock the main door to the ride. The only lights were for the special effects and he didn’t fancy being surrounded by an eerie red glow—besides, he’d have to fire up the computer again to switch them on and that would mean leaving even later after he’d closed it down again. The instant he got inside, another distant clang made his heart pound.
“Fuck. There is something in here.” Grumbling under his breath, he followed the route of the tracks through room after room, checking the displays and the occasional stationary car. The sound seemed to have come from near the back of the building rather than above him, so he was hopeful he wouldn’t have to explore the upper floor. The beam of his torch cut through the gloom, picking out macabre scenes and bloodied models. Garth tried to remain stoic but, for a logical scientist, he was blessed with an active imagination. Every bad horror movie he’d ever seen flashed through his head. What he was doing put him in the ‘dumb victim’ category. He was alone in the dark. Nobody knew he was inside the ride and somebody, or something, was definitely in there with him. His heart pounded and he forced himself to move a bit quicker, patting the back pocket of his jeans as he went.
“You moron.” He’d left his phone with his coat and bag. He pictured a knife blade slicing toward him out of the darkness, already dripping with blood and gore. “This better be a cute dog. Even a giant rat would be okay. They have fur…” Garth’s foot made contact with something on the floor. He stumbled then pitched headlong, unable to stop the fall. He lost his grip on the torch, which clattered to the ground then went out, leaving him in pitch blackness.
Keeping still, Garth did a mental check of his body. All his limbs seemed to be intact. His left knee throbbed, the heels of his hands were sore, most likely scraped, and his left shoulder ached. Nothing was broken. He got to his knees and groped for the torch, trying not to panic. In his head, he ran through his entire extensive inventory of swear words. When his fingers closed around the rubber grip, he whispered a small prayer of gratitude and another for forgiveness after all the cursing. After a bit of jiggling, the torch came back on to reveal the flash of a pair of eyes. Garth yelped then scrambled away, landing on his arse. The beam of light from the torch swung around and just for a moment he thought he saw…
He blinked and tried to refocus, the cold creep of fear traveling the length of his spine. He redirected the beam and, to his horror, found that the obstacle he had fallen over was a corpse, its sightless eyes open, staring straight at him. Bile rose in Garth’s throat and he fought back the urge to vomit. Close to panic, he shuffled backward in an attempt to put some clear space between him and the body.
“Garth? You in here?” Clem’s confident tones sounded from somewhere close by.
“Thank God. Yes!” Garth’s voice came out as a pathetic croak. He tried again and seconds later Clem appeared, illuminated by the powerful lantern he held in front of him. He spotted the body immediately.
“What the… Garth, are you okay?” He circled the dead man, taking careful steps.
Garth struggled to his feet, his nerves scrambled. “I fell. Over that.” He gestured in the general direction of the body. “I heard a noise. Thought a dog had gotten in here. Then I found… I found…” His voice went. When Clem pulled him to his feet and into a comforting hug, he leaned into his warmth, soaking up his strength.
“It’s okay. I’m here now. I’ve got you.” Clem murmured the words near Garth’s ear, rubbing his back in gentle circles.
“Wait!” Garth pulled away, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. “I think there’s someone else in here. I saw…I’m not sure what I saw. It may have been a face from one of the tableaux or the murals. The eyes were red, but they seemed so real.”
Clem swept the room with light. “There’s no one here now. First things first. I get you out of here and call the police.” He took a firm hold of Garth’s wrist. “Ready?”
“Yes, Sir.” The honorific slipped out before Garth could stop it. He found he didn’t regret it. It couldn’t be unsaid. The bondage of Clem’s fingers wrapped around his wrist was as good as any leather cuff. Everything about the man screamed Dominant and it was a perfect moment to give up control.
“That’s right. You’re safe with me, Garth. You always will be.”
The journey out of the ghost train seemed to take an age, though it was probably no more than a few minutes. Garth stuck as close as he could to Clem, not ashamed of his need to be within grabbing distance. Garth took frequent glances back, terrified that they were being followed. When they hit the cool night air, he let out a shuddering sigh of relief. His nerves were shot and he saw faces in the shadows where there were none. Clem hadn’t let go of his wrist for a second. He even made his call one-handed.
“It’s me. I’m still at the park. You need to send a team over here. There’s a body.”
He listened for a while.
“Yes, I think it’s him. I also have a possible witness in my custody. No…not gonna let him out of my sight.”
The realization that Clem wasn’t just an IT geek seeped into Garth’s overwrought brain. He tugged against Clem’s hold.
“Who are you? That wasn’t nine-nine-nine you called.”
Clem sighed. “Stop wriggling. You’re not going anywhere.”
“You going to handcuff me?”
“Tempting, but not right now. Later.” Garth smirked. “If ever a man needed to be tied up and spanked, it’s you. Your arse will be permanently red once you’re mine.”
“I… You…” For once, Garth had no idea what to say. He fell silent, letting the scenario Clem had described sink in.
“Good boy.”
Garth growled. Clem brushed Garth’s palm with his thumb and that slight movement was enough to switch Garth’s brain from infuriated resistance to submissive acceptance.
“That’s it. The cavalry will be here soon. Once they arrive, I’ll take you home to collect a few things. You’ll be spending the night with me.”
There was no way Garth wou
ld ever admit how relieved he was not to have to face the hours of darkness alone. Clem guided him to a low wall where he could sit and take the weight from his trembling legs. Clem remained standing and Garth missed the grip on his wrist straightaway. He touched the skin there, not knowing what he expected to feel. His previous nausea returned and he leaned forward, dropping his head between his knees. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was the dead body, or rather its staring eyes, as the rest of it was just a vague shape in his mind. Clem squeezed his shoulder.
“It won’t be long…” As he spoke, blue lights came toward them. There had been no sirens to mark their approach, but there was a panda car from the local force and a plain sedan following close behind. Several men and two women got out of the cars and Clem went across to meet them. Garth stayed on his wall, its solid presence providing an anchor. He didn’t trust his legs to work just yet. He watched Clem with interest. It was clear that he knew the people he was talking to. Two uniformed policemen headed into the ghost train while another positioned himself in front of the entrance doors. One of the women began to talk into a radio while the other walked toward Garth, Clem at her shoulder.
“Hello, Garth, I’m Laura Benton. I’ll be taking charge of the situation here. I’ll need a full statement from you, but that can wait for now. Clement will escort you home and I understand that you’re going to stay with him tonight. Is that okay with you?”
Garth nodded. “I should call my boss. He needs to know what’s going on.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. We’ve already been in touch and he’s on his way. His only concern was that you weren’t hurt.”
“I guess I was just a bit shocked,” Garth said. “I don’t come across many dead bodies, studying physics.”
Ghost Train Page 2
