Bound to Liberty

by Kiru Taye

  Some sadness washed over James and tainted his smile. He leaned forward and hugged Seun.

  Across the room, Scott and Ethan still seemed engaged in conversation.

  “Anyway, enough about me,” Seun said. “What’s going on between you and Kezie?”

  “He got engaged and we broke up,” James said plainly.

  “Really? I had thought that if any one of us TB boys would get a happy ending, it would be you two.”

  “I don’t want to be his side fling. If I can’t have my own man, then I don’t want him,” James said with determination.

  “It’s probably as well,” Seun shrugged.

  “Why do you say that?” James asked.

  “You probably don’t need me to tell you, but Kezie was a bit of a slut. He would sleep with anybody as long as they were warm.”

  “Yeah. I found out too late.” James’s anger simmered.

  “He even had a thing with Scott the last time he was in London,” Seun said.

  “Fuck, what?” James stared wide-eyed.

  “Yes. Scott is a man-whore. He’s already making his move.” Seun tilted his head to where Scott and Ethan sat at the dining table.

  Scott was smiling at something Ethan was saying. They looked way too close until Scott leaned forward, and it looked like he would kiss Ethan.

  James jumped off the sofa.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ethan sat on the armchair, listening to Scott talk about the party they’d attended last night.

  He’d already made a quick assessment of the man—frivolous, impulsive, but also witty and optimistic—going by the way the man was making goo-goo eyes at him.

  A smile tugged the corner of his lips. It was flattering, but he wasn’t interested.

  Not in Scott, anyway.

  He glanced in James’s direction. The man sat on the sofa talking to Seun.

  From their body language and the way James clasped Seun’s hand, they appeared to be intimate friends. Had they been lovers?

  Ethan’s scalp prickled with unease and he wasn’t sure why.

  If Ethan had known this assignment would be tricky, would he have taken it? Of course. Difficult clients were sometimes par the course.

  A month ago, Kamali Danladi had called him up and told him that his cousin had received anonymous threatening messages. He’d wanted Ethan to use his skills to find the perpetrator and stop them before it progressed to violence.

  When Ethan had learned that the victim was none other than James Coker, he’d known instantly that he would take the job.

  Inexplicably, his protective instincts had kicked in. He felt responsible for James and wanted to keep him safe from harm.

  It was almost like the Chinese saying, ‘If you save a life, you’re responsible for that life.’

  His assignments involved getting people out of dire problems, from dealing with extortion to kidnappings and hostage situations.

  He’d dealt with circumstances where the victims had been set up in compromising positions and the criminals had threatened to expose them if ransoms weren’t paid.

  In James’s case, no demands had been made and the perpetrator's intentions seemed to be to terrorise him.

  James, on his part, was determined not to be cowed, which Ethan admired.

  He just wished James wouldn’t keep placing himself in dicey situations like he’d done yesterday, or the night Ethan had driven him home from TJ’s Bar.

  “...the men were all in leather,” Scott said.

  Ethan only caught the tail end of the sentence. “What men?”

  “You know, at the party,” Scott said. “I bet you’ll look hot in leather.”

  “Actually, I look great in leather.” Ethan deadpanned.

  “Oh, wow. Tell me more.” Scott shifted forward, coming closer.

  “I’m a member of the K-Club and we host parties in Lagos. I run the demonstrations, mainly rope-rigging and impact play.”

  “I think I’m in love,” Scott said, breaching the space between them.

  Ethan responded instantly. He grabbed the man’s shoulders and held him back. “Whoa. You’re not permitted to do that.”

  From the corner of his eye, he saw James jump off the sofa and head their way.

  “I’m sorry.” Scott poked his tongue out over his lips, eyes over-bright. “I’ll do whatever you want, Sir.”

  The respectful title sounded strange and sterile. No tingly sensations ran down his spine. He couldn’t picture himself in a scene with Scott.

  More to the point, his attention was elsewhere, on the man stomping towards him. “James? What’s the matter?”

  “I should ask you that. What’s going on between the two of you?” James’s hands were clenched by his sides, his glare directed at Scott.

  Ethan had seen a similar expression from the younger man. At Henry’s birthday party. Something had upset James. Was James jealous?

  Lightness crept into his chest and warmth spread through his body. He shouldn’t experience any satisfaction from James’s response. But he did. Maybe it was just his ego tripping because a young person found him attractive.

  In any case, nothing could come of it, and he had to reassure James. “We were just talking.”

  “Talking? He looked like...” James trailed off and grunted. “He looked ready to stick his tongue down your throat.”

  Scott laughed. “Yes. I’d like to do more than stick my tongue in Sir’s mouth. He’s hot.”

  “What?” James flinched, his frown deepening.

  Seeing James upset didn’t sit well with him.

  “Scott, behave yourself or get out,” Ethan said in the whip-like tone he used in scenes with unruly playmates.

  His threat had the desired effect.

  “I’m sorry, Sir,” Scott said, shrinking into his chair as if he would disappear through it.

  “I’m not Sir, just Ethan.”

  James didn’t look appeased. He pulled Seun aside and said in a low voice, “You have to get him out of here.”

  “Calm down,” Seun said, placing his hands on James’s shoulders. “It’s just Scott being Scott.”

  “He slept with Kezie, for fuck’s sake. Now he’s hitting on Ethan,” James raised his voice, sounding irate.

  Wasn’t Kezie the man James had been arguing with in his bedroom weeks ago?

  Now it made sense. Kezie was James’s boyfriend, or rather his ex, considering the tone of their quarrel. If Kezie had cheated with Scott, James had every right to be livid.

  “Is there something going on between you and him?” Seun asked as he tilted his head in Ethan’s direction.

  “Of course not,” James replied tartly.

  Meanwhile, a bored-looking Scott pulled out a rolled cigarette and a lighter. “Is it okay to smoke?”

  “No,” Ethan replied in a stern voice.

  Seun said something Ethan couldn’t quite catch before saying, “Come on, Scott. We’re heading off.”

  “Already?” Scott said as he stood. “It was nice meeting you.”

  The two of them headed to the door.

  “I’ll speak to you soon, James,” Seun said. He didn’t seem happy to be leaving.

  “Yeah, bye.” Something was off in James’s tone, and he stood with his body partially turned away.

  Ethan let the men out and locked the door. When he turned around, James wasn’t in the living room.

  “James?” he called out as he strode across the space. Getting no response, he knocked on the closed door to the younger man’s room. “Can I come in?”

  “It’s not locked,” James’s muffled voice came through.

  Ethan pushed the door and stopped at the threshold.

  His ward paced the room manically, muttering to himself. Although the AC was on, sweat beaded his hairline and his hands were clenched.

  The sight of James’s distress undid Ethan. His job was to keep James physically safe and find his stalker. His professional remit didn’t extend to dealing with emotional
baggage.

  Nonetheless, he’d be damned if he just had to stand guard while the young man hurt. He stepped into the room without a second thought. Nothing else mattered but taking away the suffering. Neither his misgivings about getting personally involved with his ward nor the risk of losing an influential client if he cocked this up stopped him.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” He halted in front of James, blocking his pacing path.

  James shook his head and tried to swerve past him.

  He reached out and settled his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Talk to me.”

  James sighed, lifted his hands and scrubbed his face. “It’s Kezie.”

  “Kezie. He’s your ex?” Ethan said quietly, as he sat on the bed and tugged James to join him.

  “Yes.” James settled on the edge of the mattress. “I took this break to London because I wanted to get away from him. But I just found out that he had a fling with Scott while we were together.”

  The dejected expression on his face made Ethan want to hurt Kezie. Instead, he squeezed James’s arm and didn’t say anything. He wanted the man to speak his mind and release his anger.

  “Kezie already admitted weeks ago that he cheated on me on more than one occasion. It’s partly the reason we split up. But coming face-to-face with one of his conquests makes me feel sick and angry at the same time.”

  Usually, in situations like this with his male friends, he would just say something like, ‘I hear you,’ and pat them on the shoulders to console them, and perhaps go out for drinks to cheer them up.

  The warrior in Ethan wanted to fight James’s battles, and yet another part wanted to wrap him up in the cocoon of his body and soothe away his fears.

  There, he’d clarified the idea that had sprouted in his mind the first time he’d seen James at TJ’s Bar. The protectiveness that took over any other feelings where the young man was concerned.

  Regardless of his feelings on the matter, this was about James. He still had to be professional, so he played it safe and went for cheering James up. “I don’t see the appeal in Scott.”

  Truth.

  “What do you mean?” James glanced at him, the confused frown back on his face.

  “I mean, the man is loud, talkative, and twitchy.” Ethan shrugged. “I think he was high on something when he got here. If Kezie cheated with him instead of waiting to get back to you, then he’s an idiot and you’re better off without him.”

  James’s lips tugged up at the corners slowly. “Do you mean that? Really?”

  The sight of it sent warmth across Ethan’s chest. “Yes. Compared to you, he’s a dud. You’re smart, good-looking, and you have a charitable heart, helping out disadvantaged children. What’s not to love?”

  James got off the bed and raised his arms as if in gratitude. His dark eyes gleamed with joy. “You’ve just made my day. If you weren’t so straight... Oh, what the heck.”

  The warm fuzzy feeling spread through Ethan that he had cheered James up until the other man leaned over him and sealed their lips together.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ethan froze, his body wound tight.

  James was kissing him with surprisingly soft lips. A chaste kiss, a simple press of the lips. No other body contact.

  An impulse raced through Ethan to cup James’s nape, open his mouth and deepen the caress. To taste and savour, tugging their bodies close until their heart rates matched each other. To fill his lungs with the enticing scent of man and aftershave.

  His cock hardened and he suppressed a groan. What was he doing? There were many reasons he shouldn’t entertain such inappropriate thoughts. The most relevant—James was upset and vulnerable. His actions were that of a man looking for ways to cope with distressing events in his life. He didn’t know what he was doing.

  Ethan wouldn’t take advantage. He placed his hands on James’s shoulders and applied a little pressure to make the man break away voluntarily.

  “Oh, shit. I’m sorry.” James jerked away, scratching his arm as his gaze bounced around the room.

  “James—” He was going to say, “don’t apologise,” before he was interrupted.

  “I know I shouldn’t have done that.” The younger man paced to the other side of his bed, bent over and growled. “Unh. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with you. I don’t mind the kiss,” Ethan said.

  James looked up, eyes narrowed. “You don’t? I thought you’d be angry.”

  “Over what? Our lips barely touched.”

  “But straight guys...”

  “But straight guys are prejudiced against gay guys? Is that what you were going to say?”

  “Well, it’s true.”

  “Only sometimes.”

  “Ha. Have you ever been on Nigerian Twitter? They are brutal and poisonous. Not to talk about the queer folk who set up other queer folks to be raped and assaulted.”

  Ethan sighed and closed his eyes. The young man’s words brought back memories he didn’t want to indulge. He scrubbed his hands over his face.

  “I can’t speak for social media. But spare a thought for those queer folks who serve in the military and what they have to go through.”

  He opened his eyes to find James staring at him with a puzzled expression. So, he filled in the blanks. “For the record, I’m bisexual. So, I understand some of your concerns.”

  “Wow.” James sat on the bed abruptly. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

  Ethan chuckled. “It’s not like I have it tattooed on my forehead. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know so you don’t feel awkward about your dates,” he said in a teasing manner, although he felt a twinge in his chest at the thought of James with other men.

  “Oh. Okay. Thanks.” James smiled. “I promise I won’t have any more ‘dates’ that involve public gents.”

  The twinge in Ethan’s chest intensified. He wanted James, the sweet and troublesome man, every part of him. Fuck.

  He got off the bed and headed towards the door before he did something he’d regret. His amusement vanished. He didn’t look back as he crossed the threshold. “Sure.”

  James was the assignment. He was in London to have fun, even if it meant sex with random strangers. All Ethan had to worry about was his safety.

  Ethan had never crossed professional lines, and had never been this tempted to cross those lines before now.

  In the living room, he used deep breathing techniques and body movement to channel his unease away until he calmed. Then he returned to the settee and picked up his discarded novel.

  He managed to read a couple of chapters before his phone pinged. He pulled it out of his back pocket.

  It was a message from James. He swiped to read.

  There’s this guy I’ve been chatting with on a dating app. We’ve arranged to grab a bite and some drinks later. I know you have to come along. But can you kinda stay in the background so you don’t spook him.

  Ethan’s gut knotted.

  His first impulse was to walk back to James’s room and tell him that he wouldn’t be meeting anyone tonight.

  Selfish much, dude, he reprimanded himself.

  He couldn't stop the guy from dating other people.

  He scrubbed a hand over his face and puffed out a couple of deep breaths before he typed a response.

  Sure. Just let me know what time you need to go out. I’ll keep a low profile.

  He sent the reply. Before he could put it away, it buzzed again. The man typed fast.

  I’m going out in an hour.

  He tossed the phone on the low table and tried reading again, but the words wouldn’t sink in. He flicked on the TV and found the pay-per-view movie channel. He scrolled through and clicked on the first action-adventure movie he found.

  Taking a deep breath, he relaxed back on the sofa and watched the movie. All the gunfights and explosions provided a mind-numbing distraction from his thoughts.

  Occasionally, he glanced at James’s closed door. H
e imagined the man, first in the shower, then getting dressed in a smart, sophisticated outfit as always, one of the things Ethan liked about him.

  James would certainly get attention when he went out tonight.

  Last night, Ethan had followed the signal on James’s phone and found him in the gay bar. He’d seen the number of men who had stared at James with lust-filled gazes. James was an attractive man.

  Even if he didn’t already have a pre-arranged date, he would pick up tonight.

  Ethan’s gut tightened again, and he reminded himself he shouldn’t be thinking about James. He had no claim over the man.

  “Ta dah! How do I look?”

  The sound of James’s voice made Ethan look up.

  Dressed in a stylish grey shirt, navy trousers, and navy shoes, James looked stunning.

  “You look great,” Ethan replied as he stood up. “Give me a minute to change my shirt.”

  “Thanks. Sure,” James said. He adjusted the platinum links on his cuffs.

  Ethan returned to his room and pulled a dark blue shirt from the wardrobe. He swapped it with the T-shirt he’d had on, and also pulled on a pair of black boots. His black trousers were smart and would give him room to manoeuvre if he needed to move fast.

  When he came out, James was ending a call. They headed out shortly after that. Downstairs, they got into a taxi James had booked. He said he didn’t want to walk and get there all sweaty, although it was probably quicker to walk due to Saturday night traffic.

  Ethan sat in front with the driver because he needed the barrier and distance from James; a reminder of his role as James’s bodyguard, not as his friend.

  They got out in front of a French bistro. While James paid the cabbie, Ethan surveyed the busy narrow unidirectional street, projecting a professional exterior, muting the conflict raging inside him. Strolling pedestrians, honking black cabs, blue neon signs and orange streetlights all competed for attention under the dark sky, but nothing signalled danger.

  “I’m nervous about going in there.” James stood right next to him, almost shoulder-to-shoulder, arms brushing. “I haven’t been on a date before. I mean, Kezie has always been there. After we got together, I never thought I’d need to date anyone else.”