by Carol Lynne
The question struck too close to home for Raven’s comfort. He rose up, letting Ghazi’s cock slip free of his body and bounded off of the bed. “Fuck you!”
“I must say, I’m disappointed,” Ghazi answered coldly, stripping off the condom. “I’m not sure what kind of men you’ve been with in the past, but I want more from you than you’re obviously willing to give.”
Ghazi swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his clothes.
Raven rubbed his chest. In that moment he witnessed the real difference between a wealthy man and a king.
Dishdashah in place, Ghazi turned to leave. “Don’t come on to me again unless you’re prepared to be with me and not just my cock.”
“Shit,” Raven whispered as the door slammed.
Although he’d never been spoken to like that by a lover, Raven found Ghazi’s powerful authority more than sexy. Christ. I want him even more than I did before.
Raven flopped back onto the bed and reached for one of the larger dildos in the drawer. His hands shook as he lubed the life-like piece of silicone and shoved it as deep into his ass as it would go.
The insult of him being a disappointment stung. Whether it was the aphrodisiac of bedding a king or Ghazi himself, Raven didn’t know. What he did know was that he’d do almost anything to witness Ghazi’s strength again.
* * * *
For two days Nalu slept, rarely waking long enough to eat. Raven had spent a great deal of time watching the teenager suffer through nightmares. On several occasions he’d tried to help Nalu, but the frightened fourteen-year-old refused to speak. He knew he had to do something to help Nalu deal with what had happened.
At a loss, he pulled out his phone and called the man he not only respected, but who he knew had been through a similar experience.
“Yeah,” a groggy voice eventually answered.
“Did I wake you?” Raven asked Jackie. “I thought you were usually up early.”
“Raven?” Jackie asked.
“Yeah.” Raven heard the unmistakable sounds of sheets rustling. “I really didn’t mean to wake you.”
“We were out late. Seb threw a big birthday party for Jared.”
“Sorry I missed it,” Raven mumbled, telling the truth. Although most of the men who worked for Three Partners didn’t act like they wanted him around, Raven thought of them as friends.
“It was nice. What can I do for you, Raven?”
“There’s this teenager I need to talk to you about,” he began.
To Jackie’s credit, he didn’t jump to conclusions. “Okay.”
Raven gave Jackie a rundown of the situation he’d found Nalu in. “I know it wasn’t his first time servicing men, but it’s like he’s completely shut down since I rescued him.”
“Maybe he just needs time.”
Raven took a deep breath. “Yeah, maybe, but I was kinda hoping I could convince you to bring Brier to Jurru. It could be a nice trip for both of you and maybe Brier could help bring Nalu out of his shell.”
“Have you forgotten what happened the last time I was in Jurru?” Jackie asked.
Raven knew Jackie had lost the bottom half of his leg while trying to protect Sheik Ali, but he’d hoped his friend had loved the island as much as Raven did. “Please.”
“Why Brier? Jared might be the better man for Nalu to talk to about this.”
The answer to Jackie’s question was a tricky one. The last thing Raven wanted was to offend either of his friends, but this was about Nalu. “Have you ever known anyone to not like Brier? There’s something so sincere and loving about him that people can’t resist talking to him. I’m hoping he can relate to Nalu enough to help him.”
Jackie sighed. “Have you talked to King Zahar about this?”
“Not yet, but I will. I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. He’s as worried about Nalu as I am. He’s been working himself to exhaustion to try and find out exactly what’s going on at Sanctuary.”
It was several moments before Jackie answered. “I’ll talk to Brier. I can’t make any promises. I mean, he’s done a good job of putting the past behind him. I’m not sure if he’ll be willing to reopen those wounds.”
“But if he says yes, you’ll come, right?”
“Yeah, if they’ll let me off work. I’ll give you a call later,” Jackie said.
“Cool. Thanks.”
“You know I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, right?”
Raven snorted. “Yes you would. It’s the kind of man you are.”
Jackie chuckled. “Good to know I’ve got at least two people snowed.”
“I’ll talk to Ghazi and call you back.”
“Ghazi?” Jackie questioned. “Sounds like the two of you are getting along pretty well.”
“I’m trying, but I keep fucking it up. I’ll talk to you when you get here. Maybe you can give me some pointers.”
“I doubt that. You’re our resident expert on seducing men.”
Raven ran his hand over the top of his head. “Yeah, well, this isn’t your average seduction, and Ghazi isn’t your average man.”
Jackie whistled. “Sounds serious.”
“No, not really.” Raven sighed. He was talking to one of the few people who didn’t think he was a piece of shit. “Well, maybe. Hell, I don’t know anymore.”
“Well Brier’s waking up, so I’d better go. Call me after you talk to the King.”
“Will do. Bye.” Raven hung up the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket. His gaze strayed to the sleeping teenager. “Just hang in there, kid. Hopefully help is on the way.”
* * * *
Brier stretched his arms over his head before reaching out to run a hand down Jackie’s spine. “Who was that?”
Jackie set the phone on the bedside table and lay down. He rolled over and pulled Brier against his chest. “Raven.”
Brier buried his face against his partner’s bare chest and inhaled. The scent of sex from the night before combined with the subtle smell of the campfire they’d enjoyed with their friends almost lulled him back to sleep. “Is he okay?”
“Hard to say, but he wants us to take a vacation to Jurru.” Jackie ran his fingertips up and down Brier’s back. “Would you like that?”
Jurru? The thought of Jackie going back scared him. He wrapped his arms around Jackie and squeezed. “It’s dangerous there. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Jackie’s fingers moved to thread through Brier’s hair, releasing several of the tangles from their earlier romp. “The island isn’t dangerous, babe. The people who were responsible for hurting me are no longer there. It’s an incredibly beautiful place.” He kissed the top of Brier’s head. “Before the explosion I dreamt of taking you there. Everything I saw made me think of you. Miss you.”
Brier moved to brush his lips over Jackie’s nipple, taking the time to flick the sensitive nub with his tongue. “Why does Raven want us to go there?”
Jackie wrapped his arms around Brier and rolled them both over until he was on top. Scooting down until they were face to face, Jackie kissed him.
Brier opened immediately, but quickly noticed there was something different about the kiss. He slid his tongue across Jackie’s, wondering what was bothering his love. Pulling back, he stared at Jackie. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a boy, well, a teenager, who Raven thinks needs your help.”
Surprised, Brier shook his head. “My help? That can’t be right. You must have misunderstood him.”
Jackie tenderly brushed the hair away from Brier’s face. “This teenager, Nalu, has been living in a home for children without families. Evidently he’s been sleeping with rich men who come to the island. He does it for money, babe.”
Brier’s brow wrinkled. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because he was on his own and felt like he had no other choice. The thing is, Raven said Nalu went missing for a couple of days. He was able to find him, but when he did, Nalu was dres
sed like a girl and had been beaten up. Raven rescued him from the yacht and took him back to the palace, but Nalu’s been having really bad nightmares and he won’t talk to anyone about what happened. Raven thinks he might talk to you.”
Brier felt his eyes begin to burn. He knew what it felt like to be on your own, no one to trust. He hadn’t known at the time that what Rick Sutcliff was doing to him was wrong, but maybe things would have been different if Brier had had a friend to talk to. He thought of his best friend Jared.
The two of them talked a lot about what had happened to them, but they never did it in front of Seb or Jackie. The past Jared and Brier shared seemed to be hard for the two older men to deal with. Still, he doubted he could be of help.
“Maybe Raven should ask Jared instead.”
“You don’t want to help?” Jackie asked.
“Jared’s smarter. He’s better than I am at everything. I bet he’d be better at talking to Nalu, too.”
Jackie brushed his lips over Brier’s mouth. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You, my love, have an unbelievable gift. Everyone who you come into contact with loves you. I think this boy needs someone exactly like you to help him.”
Even though Jackie’s words made him feel better, Brier still didn’t believe in his ability to help. He’d have to think of something. Risking Jackie’s faith in him wasn’t an option. “Could Jared come with us?”
“Jared?”
“Yeah. I bet he’d like to see Jurru. Neither of us has ever been out of the country. It could be fun.”
Jackie seemed to think about it for a few seconds. “Seb won’t like it, but maybe Jared can convince him to come along.”
Brier had no doubt Jared could convince Seb. Although Seb liked to act all tough, even Brier knew the man would do anything to make Jared happy. “Good. I’ll go if Jared goes.”
Jackie leaned up on his arms to look down into Brier’s eyes. “As long as you want Jared along for the right reasons.” Jackie narrowed his eyes. “I believe in you. Don’t ever forget that.”
Brier pulled the man he loved down on top of him again. “I know. I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
“Not possible, babe.”
Through talking, Brier wrapped his legs around Jackie’s waist and wiggled his hips. “Do we have to get out of bed today?”
Jackie reached between them and fit his cock along the crack of Brier’s ass. “Nope. We’ll have to get you a passport, but all the agencies are closed on Sundays anyway.”
“Good. I plan to spend the day showing you all the tricks I learned from that movie I watched the other day.”
Jackie’s brows rose. “You were watching porn without me?”
“I like to think of them as educational movies.”
“Mmmm,” Jackie moaned as he slid his cock back and forth across Brier’s hole. “Please, feel free to educate me.”
With a giggle, Brier smiled. “Okay. Lesson one…”
* * * *
Ghazi turned to his Minister of Housing. “I don’t care that a foreign agency is funding Sanctuary. Tell them they have two choices, Jurru will either purchase the property from them or we’ll shut it down altogether. From now on, Jurru will take care of its own. I want no outside entities setting their sights on our people or economy.”
“But, Your Majesty, I’ve only recently closed a deal with that American company to operate the helicopter tours of the island,” Fath, the Minister of Finance argued.
“Cancel the contract. Pay whatever fees will be required to do so and send my apologies.” Ghazi studied the men around the table. “The laws will be changed to reflect my decision before the elections. Rest assured, my concern is for our people and our country.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Fath said.
“Any word on the bank account number Mr. Phillips paid money into?” Ghazi asked.
“It’s Grand Cayman. We haven’t been able to obtain the name attached to it yet, Your Majesty.”
“Keep working. It’s not enough that scumbag is sitting in jail. I want everyone involved behind bars.”
The expressions on several of the men’s faces soured Ghazi on the meeting. “That is all for the day.” He rose and walked towards the window, dismissing the gathering of Ministers.
When the door shut on the last of the men, Ghazi exhaled. He was beyond tired, but the changes he’d begun would ensure Jurru’s safety. The realisation that his inattention had allowed Sanctuary to become a stable, from which rich men and women were ordering underage companionship, sickened him.
A knock at the door drew him from his thoughts. “Yes?”
The door opened and Raven stepped inside. Since leaving Raven’s bed two days earlier, Ghazi had regretted his hasty reaction. It wasn’t that he hadn’t enjoyed the feel of Raven’s ass wrapped around his cock, he simply wanted more from the man than to be shown his back while making love.
“Yes?” Ghazi crossed to his desk and sat down.
“I know you’re busy, but I’d like a minute of your time.”
Ghazi wanted to scream at the man. Had things gone differently, Ghazi knew he would’ve happily given Raven all the time in the world. Instead, the two of them had barely spoken. “What can I do for you?”
Raven came further into the room and leant against the front of Ghazi’s desk. The position put Raven’s delectable cock within reaching distance. Ghazi leaned further back in his chair, putting Raven and his cock out of reach.
“I want to bring two of my friends to Jurru.”
Ghazi’s first reaction was jealousy. “Two? Is one man no longer enough for you?”
Raven’s head snapped back as if he’d been slapped. Within moments the cool mask was back. Raven grinned and ran a hand over the growing bulge in his pants. “Believe me, Ghazi, if I wanted someone other than you in my bed, I sure as hell wouldn’t need to bring them all the way from New Mexico.”
Unable to look away, Ghazi continued to watch Raven massage his erection for several moments before getting back to the subject at hand. “Who are these friends?”
“Jackie, you remember him, the man who lost half his leg trying to protect your brother? And Brier, Jackie’s partner. I think Brier can help with Nalu.”
Ghazi moved his hands to his lap, fisting them in an attempt to keep himself from reaching for what he desperately wanted. “How can Jackie’s boyfriend help Nalu?”
“It’s kind of a long story, but basically, Brier was molested for years while in a psychiatric hospital.”
Surprised, Ghazi’s jaw dropped. “You want to bring a crazy person to my island?”
“He’s not crazy!” Raven barked. “Brier’s father bashed his head against a dresser when he was a baby before giving up custody to the state. Brier spent the majority of his life locked away because of it, being tortured by men who were supposed to take care of him. He’s out now. And he’s a better man than I’ll ever hope to be.”
Ghazi didn’t like the possessiveness in Raven’s voice when he spoke of the man. “You speak with much passion for a man that doesn’t belong to you.”
Raven braced his hands on the desk and leant over into Ghazi’s face. “Unlike you, Brier has never judged me for who I am. So hold your words until you meet him.”
“Are you sure I’m the one judging you? Seems to me you’re doing a damn good job of that yourself.”
Raven reared back. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Ghazi had given a lot of thought to the encounter with Raven a few days earlier. The man’s reactions helped confirm his suspicions. “Why did you refuse to look at me when I was making love to you?”
“Don’t get fucking mixed up with making love, Your Majesty.”
“If fucking is all you care about, why haven’t you wandered into someone else’s bed since you’ve been here?”
Raven blinked several times before quickly changing the subject. “Can I invite Jackie and Brier to Jurru or not?”
Satisfied that
he’d made his point, Ghazi stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of Raven. “Send the private plane to pick them up.”
“Thank you.”
Raven turned to leave, but Ghazi stopped him. He reached down and cupped Raven’s balls in a not so gentle grip. “You’re mine.”
Raven knocked Ghazi’s hand away. “I don’t belong to anyone, least of all you.”
“You may not believe it yet, but you will,” Ghazi said before Raven could make it out of the room.
Chapter Four
Seated beside Faris, Raven stared out the window on the drive home from school the following day. The conversation with Ghazi still weighed heavily on his mind. It was obvious the attraction between the two of them was still strong. Hell, from the way Ghazi’s eyes had been glued to Raven’s burgeoning erection, Raven figured maybe Ghazi wanted him more than ever. The shitty part was Raven felt the same way. What was it about Ghazi’s commanding attitude that turned him on so much?
“Why won’t Nalu come out of his room?”
“Huh?” Raven asked, and turned to regard Faris.
“Nalu’s been in the palace for days, and I’ve yet to see him. Is something wrong with him?”
Had the two boys been friends prior to Nalu’s abduction, Raven would’ve laid it all out for the Crown Prince, but they hadn’t even been friendly towards each other, let alone friends.
“He’s been sick. Nalu spends most of the day sleeping,” Raven explained. “Why? Does it bother you that Nalu’s staying at the palace?”
“Not really. My history teacher was asking about him today. I felt stupid not being able to tell him anything.”
“The school has been notified of Nalu’s illness. Next time refer questions to your principal.”
“Him being there won’t keep me from going to Alaska to see Uncle Ali and Gavin next week, will it?”
Shit. Raven couldn’t believe he’d forgotten to speak to Faris about the change in plans. “Well, actually, you’ll be leaving for Alaska this weekend instead of next. I’ve already cleared it with the school.”
“Why?”
“Because some friends of mine are coming to Jurru. The plane is going to drop you off before flying down to New Mexico to pick them up.” He was still uneasy with the idea that Seb was visiting along with Jared, Brier and Jackie, but Jackie had assured him Seb would be on his best behaviour.
