by Trina Solet
These days, when Nate got home, Georgie would run up to him to greet him with a hug and a kiss and to ask if he brought her anything. Ricky was never so effusive or demanding, but he did often give Nate a smile when he returned from work. Being welcomed by the children he had come to love was a nice feeling, something to sweeten his day. Even as he worked, the sounds of their voices reached him from down the hall and made him smile. Only Brent was needed to complete the happy picture. They would spend the evening together, and after that Nate could look forward to a whole night with Brent in his arms.
While Nate was doing some research and daydreaming about Brent, John came into the library. He looked a little agitated.
"I just got a phone call from Dolores, Miss Pullman's housekeeper," John said when Nate couldn't place the name right away.
"Is Miss Pullman alright?"
"She is, but you might be out of a job. One of them anyway. Marshal Davis paid Miss Pullman a visit. He told her not to trust you. He claimed that you were looking for buyers for stolen Revolutionary War documents that likely came from her father's collection. And also that you were taking credit for Professor Pullman's work and passing it off as your own and possibly destroying Professor Pullman's original manuscripts to cover your tracks." John finally took a breath after saying all that.
"Fuck!" Nate said, livid. He stood up, but then just sat right back down. "Thanks for telling me. And thank Dolores too if I don't get the chance," Nate said.
John was obviously surprised at how quickly Nate cooled down from his initial anger at the news. He poked Nate's shoulder like he was checking if he was alive.
"You can't be this calm about it. Aren't you going over there to do damage control?" John asked him.
"No. I'll go over there tomorrow as usual and see what happens. Unless I get a phone call before then," Nate told him. He hoped he would at least get to make his case to Miss Pullman in person.
"This isn't just about Miss Pullman firing you. This could really hurt you. Your academic standing, your reputation..."
"What could hurt him?" Brent asked from the door.
"Davis is smearing his name with Miss Pullman. And Nate is just going to let Davis's lies stew until tomorrow," John tattled to Brent.
"She either believes in me or she doesn't," Nate told both of them.
They both looked way more upset than Nate, Brent in particular. He looked stricken.
"I'm sorry. I never thought he would go after you like this. I know how important that job and your studies are to you," Brent said.
"I have this other job to fall back on. I'm moonlighting as a nanny," Nate said with a smile, but Brent only frowned deeper. Just as Nate was going to try and say something more reassuring, his phone rang. It was Miss Pullman. Maybe this wouldn't wait until tomorrow after all. As Nate answered the call, John pulled Brent away so he could fill him in on the details.
After talking to her for a few minutes, Nate said goodbye to Miss Pullman. He turned to find Brent and John waiting expectantly.
"You can put away your condolences," Nate told them. "Miss Pullman didn't believe a word of it."
Brent let out a huge sigh of relief, and John patted him on the back. Nate told them more.
"Dolores told her that she called John. She didn't want to go behind her back. So Miss Pullman called to reassure me of her complete faith in me. Apparently Davis claimed he was a good friend of an old friend of hers, but it turned out he didn't even know her. Miss Pullman listened patiently as he told lies about me. When he was done, she told him she would sue him for slander if he ever said another word about her, her father, or anyone in her employ – that would be me. Davis tried to backpedal his way out of it, apologizing, saying he might have made a mistake so he probably won't be repeating that story again."
"I am now officially in love with Miss Pullman," Brent said.
"Keep it in your pants," John told him. He looked like he was dying to play the wet blanket. "We can't let Davis..."
"I don't want you starting a war on my behalf," Nate said decisively. He could tell that John didn't think that the problem was solved with yet another threat of legal action.
Brent agreed with John.
"He came after you because of me," Brent said. "We tried threats of litigation already. We need to step it up."
"Don't forget your strategy of containment," Nate told him since Brent had a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. He seemed more aggressive now that Nate's reputation was under attack and not his own.
"We can stay with that strategy," John said. "But after this, I think we need to remind Davis of how much he stands to lose. He isn't Bridgegrove rich. He can't afford to live here. He only lurks around here looking for investors. He has good connections, but he's just a hungry rat in a maze full of cheese. We zap him to let him know he took the wrong turn, to keep his mind on the cheese and not get sidetracked by his obsession with Brent."
Nate gaped at John's analogy, but Brent was ready to pounce.
"How do we zap him?" Brent asked. He and John were obviously on the same page.
"Harvey Colliers," John said. The name meant nothing to Nate, but Brent knew who he was.
"The Great Gay Godfather? He hates me. He made a pass at me right before I married Greta. He said he wanted to give me a pre-honeymoon. In case I didn't know what he meant, he stuck his middle finger in his mouth and moved one of his gaudy rings up and down on his fat finger with his teeth."
"Thanks for the imagery, Brent! I am now a eunuch!" John told him.
Though Nate agreed with John's disgusted reaction, he wanted to get back to the main subject.
"What can this guy do about Davis?" Nate asked John.
"He can do plenty. Harvey Colliers is a Bridgegrove institution with tons of money and even more influence. Overall Bridgegrove is pretty conservative, but in the end, money talks," John said.
"Harvey would rather side with Davis than me," Brent interjected. "When I rejected him, I didn't exactly say 'No, but thank you for the kind offer.' I was worried that Greta would find out I was gay and not bi so I overreacted a little. I insulted him. It was pretty bad. I wanted to make him stay away from me. He is not going to help us."
"Of all the stupid things! That's not a bridge you burn," John scolded him. His temper subsided quickly. "But you can put away your ego now, Brent. Not everything is about you. Colliers is going to hear that Davis was bothering Miss Pullman. She is an old friend of his late, beloved mother. She is like an honorary aunt to him or something. He won't bankrupt Davis over a stunt like that, but he will deliver the zap that we need. Davis has to back off. If he pisses off Harvey, he'll find a lot of doors closing in his face."
"And how will he hear about it?" Nate asked.
"Dolores will tell Florian. He's Colliers' manservant, masseur, whatever." John rolled his eyes.
"So he's like you," Brent teased him.
John only glared. After he left followed by some teasing from Brent, Nate asked, "Does John know everybody?"
"Yes. Or at least everyone who works for a living around here."
Nate looked out the library windows then slumped down in the chair behind his desk. Brent sat on the edge of it, facing him.
"I don't get this Davis guy. He wanted Greta for her money, but what does he hope to gain now?" Nate asked.
Brent didn't look like he knew, but he came up with some theories.
"Just venting his frustration? He has nothing to gain. That's why I was sure he would back off. That obviously didn't work. I'm sorry. I never expected him to make you a target. I wouldn't expect him to know..."
"Know what?" Nate asked when Brent trailed off.
"How important you are to me," Brent said grudgingly.
"Look at you coming on to me during a crisis," Nate said to him.
When Brent leaned down, Nate kissed him only briefly. He broke off the kiss and said, "Go make me dinner."
Quin and John stopped by for dinner. Brent pretended he hadn't invited them. He had just casu
ally mentioned that he was making fennel roasted chicken, orzo and rice pilaf, molasses glazed snow peas, and that he had opened two bottles of wine to let them breathe. It was late by the time Nate stretched out on Brent's bed.
"So what do you want to do to me?" he asked, looking up at Brent as he peeled off his shirt revealing his perfect muscles.
"Everything."
"OK, let's do that," Nate mocked him. He sat up to take his own shirt off. Brent helped him then wrapped him up in his arms tightly.
"You are so fuckable," he told Nate as he pushed him back on the bed and kissed his face and neck.
"Is that what you want to do?" Nate asked him, wondering if he wanted to top.
"Yes, and everything else too. With you, nothing is enough."
"Try and remember that I have two jobs," Nate told him so he wouldn't overdo it.
"I'll be gentle and considerate, and you'll be incapacitated for a week."
"Brent?"
"I just want you so much."
Nate laughed at him and kissed him. Their kiss went deep and lasted until Brent pulled back.
"When I'm with you like this, I'm not sure if I'm asleep or awake. Are you really here?" he asked Nate.
"If I was a figment of your imagination, wouldn't I be taller?"
"No. You would be exactly as you are but in my bed 24/7." Brent managed to sound completely sincere. "If this is a dream, it's the best dream I ever had."
"Then I'm dreaming it too," Nate told him and they kissed again.
"Roll over, I'll give you a massage," Brent said and nudged him to turn.
"I don't really need a massage," Nate told him.
"Pretend you do. I'll be your hot masseur, and I'll seduce you," Brent proposed as he pulled his pants down his legs.
"Don't take too long," Nate told him. He was dying for Brent. Nate didn't know that he could want someone more the more he had him. That was because there was so much more to Brent than a perfect body. His heart was so open to Nate.
To start, Brent ran his hands down his sides gently, seductively. Brent's touch was lighter than when he gave a real massage, and it ranged all over. He gave special attention to Nate's ass, making him both laugh and moan. He ran his hands up the back of Nate's thighs. He did it again moving further in, running his thumbs along his inner thigh and parting his legs. Nate groaned as he was repositioned. His cock had grown unbearably hard already. Brent's hands were incendiary. They moved provocatively, insolently over Nate's body. Brent parted his ass and thumbed his hole, making him shudder. Feeling Brent's mouth at his asshole, Nate gasped in surprise then laughed. Soon he was busy moaning as Brent's tongue licked and teased his hole. He said Brent's name several times before he realized he was doing it. When Brent stopped, Nate slammed his fist into the mattress.
"You're too good at that," Nate told him. "You're too good at everything."
"You inspire me," Brent said.
Nate could hear him handling the condom and lube. Every nerve in Nate's body tingled, ready, wanting Brent. He then felt the pressure of Brent's finger entering him, slick and easy then stopping as his ass squeezed around him. Another finger went in, and Nate pushed back into it. Seeing how eager he was, Brent added a third, making Nate moan. Dying for it, he reached to stroke Brent's cock. Brent only let him have a few strokes. He pressed down on Nate's back as he writhed. One hand was holding him steady, comforting him in his extreme need, while the other opened him up. Then Brent was directly behind him, his cock finally where Nate wanted it. Overwhelmed, Nate gasped and choked back every sound that threatened to burst out of him as Brent entered him. Brent made every inch pure pleasure for both of them. His body was hot against Nate's as he thrust all the way in. Their bodies united then parted. With one hand on Nate's shoulder, Brent fucked with long deep strokes. Nate felt a mindless, burning pleasure but also a strong, unbreakable connection to the one man he was meant to be with. It was a feeling of knowing Brent completely and being known by him. Mostly it was ecstasy rising higher and higher until he couldn't take it any more. The tightness and desperate need coursing through his whole body made Brent slam in harder and faster. All Nate could do was hang on and take it, welcome it as it brought him to orgasm. With Brent inside him, Nate felt like he would never stop coming. As Nate came in powerful streams, Brent followed. In that airless moment, they were truly one being filled with pleasure and love. Then they were smiling, nearly unconscious, collapsed in a tangle and content to stay that way.
Chapter 26
Quin had been out of town for the last few days so Brent took the kids to school and picked them up. Nate could swear that the kids smiled more than ever, especially Ricky. It did them so much good to have their dad around.
Now that he was home, Ricky was sitting at a desk across from Nate's in the library, doing homework. He looked up at Nate thoughtfully a few times so Nate knew something was on his mind.
"You need help with anything?" Nate asked him.
"Are you going to leave too when you get married like Pam did?" Ricky asked.
"I don't have any plans to get married," he told Ricky, though the thought did make his heart skip a beat or two.
"Why do people have to get married anyway?" Ricky asked, sounding peevish.
Nate smiled at him and said, "They don't."
"Then why is everyone always getting married? Pam, my mommy and Brent, and Quin and John. And Georgie is always talking about marrying a prince."
"Georgie is a little too young. I don't think you need to worry about her. And Quin and John want to get married because they love each other," Nate said though this was the first he was hearing about it. He wondered if something he heard had made Ricky worry.
For now Ricky focused on Georgie letting Nate off the hook on the marriage question.
"Georgie always thinks she's a princess," Ricky complained. "She put a chickpea under her mattress, and she put all her tiaras on her head, and said she was a princess. She tried to make everyone kiss her hand, but only Brent did it."
"Did you read her The Princess and The Pea?" Nate asked.
"Yes."
"Then you only have yourself to blame," Nate told him with a wink.
"I know, but I have to read to her, or she'll sit on my book."
Ricky reading to Georgie made for a sweet sight. Georgie didn't listen attentively and she interrupted often. Nate knew that she didn't understand a lot of what Ricky read to her, but she still liked to listen to him. Every so often Ricky would stop reading to tell Georgie what was happening in the story as he understood it. After he was done, Ricky would retell the story in his own words, putting his own spin on it. He also had to answer a lot of why's.
Nate stopped by the office to get the scoop on this marriage talk. According to John, so far it was just talk. He and Quin hadn't made any definite plans, but John had mentioned something to Pam on the phone. That might have been what Ricky overheard. John didn't want to admit it, but it was a sure thing, just the matter of setting the date.
"Brent will never get over it," Nate said.
"He brought it on himself," John claimed. "He pushed us together."
"That's not the version I heard," Nate reminded him. "From you."
John shrugged.
"I can't give him credit. You give Brent an inch..."
"Is that why you never...?" Nate asked.
"I wasn't interested."
"Riiight. What does Brent have going for him other than being gorgeous and rich?" Nate needled him.
"I'm not you," John said pointedly. Then he told him the story. "Brent was the first one who noticed that I had a thing for Quin. All of a sudden, Brent starts sending me and Quin out on all these errands together. We went everywhere, dropped things off, picked things up, and none of it needed to be done. It was getting ridiculous. I had to confess my feelings to Quin just to put a stop to all that nonsense."
"How did he react?"
"He was surprised." John said shyly. That must have been quite a moment
for him.
"Why? He's insanely hot."
"He thought me and Brent had a thing because we're always bickering. Can you believe that?" John had the nerve to ask.
"Yes. Because I thought the same thing," Nate told him since he was so clueless.
"Unbelievable."
Nate was about to ask where Quin was when John had to deal with a phone call, and Nate heard Georgie yelling down the hall.
"Ahhh!" Georgie was yelling.
It was followed by Ricky yelling, "No, Georgie, you'll mess it up!"
Nate knew he had to go and referee whatever that was. Finding them in one of the bathrooms, Nate saw that Ricky was wrapping his sister in toilet paper. But what Georgie objected to was when Ricky tried to wrap her face too.
"What are you doing?" Nate asked him.
"She's a mummy," Ricky said.
"No!" Georgie said as Ricky kept trying to cover her whole head with toilet paper.
Nate showed him how to leave room for her face and cover the rest of her. Then he took pictures. The mummy smiled while Ricky made scary faces over her shoulder.
Hearing Brent as he came in and said hi, Georgie ran over to him.
"No! You have to walk like a mummy!" Ricky yelled as he chased her. Along the way he and Nate had to pick up all the toilet paper she dropped. "You're ruining it, Georgie!"
"I'm a mummy!" Georgie said to Brent as he swung her up.
"I'll have to take your word for that," Brent said since there was very little paper left to prove it.
"She was a mummy." Ricky pouted.
"We'll show him the pictures," Nate told him.
As Brent looked at the pictures, he had an idea. "We should get real bandages."
"Seriously?" Nate said. That kind of thing would only occur to Brent.
Brent pointed at Ricky's eager expression. "That look on my boy's face says yes."
"You're going to get bandages just so the kids can play mummy?"
"I'll make John do it."
"I bet he'll love that," Nate said.
But when he came over to them, John had something more serious on his mind. They sent the kids to play and went to the office to talk.
