3. Gregory
CHAPTER 3
GREGORY
Sunday morning meant it was time for their family brunch, and by family, he meant his brothers. They did this every week, no matter what was going on in their lives. Attendance was mandatory, and guests were not allowed; it was always just the five of them.
Charlie had moved out last weekend, and it had been strange meeting him at KC’s Café instead of walking over together. They were used to Jason joining them later, as he’d usually woken up somewhere else, although not today. He’d been quiet lately, and Gregory had been meaning to check in with him, but there had been a lot going on. Barty had been causing him a lot of problems, which was nothing new, but lately things had gotten out of hand.
His brother had been fired from Montgomery Equity for suspected market abuse. Gregory hadn’t seen Oscar since that night at Nerds and Jocks, which had been a month ago, and he’d be happy to never see the man again. He’d made Gregory’s life miserable in high school, and then for him to come out of the closet himself years later... What a fucking hypocrite. But he felt a pang of guilt about what had happened with his brother. Gregory had refused his parents’ demands to give Barty a job at his own company, so their mother had used her influence to get him something with Oscar. Gregory felt responsible for some unknown reason. Perhaps if he’d given Barty a chance, none of this would have happened. At least, that’s how his mother was spinning it.
Gregory had to see his family later. It was his father’s birthday, and they were having a party at the house. It was one of those occasions he couldn’t get out of, even if his father barely spoke to him.
KC brought over their breakfast. She’d had this cafe in the heart of Soho since the nineties, and they’d discovered it years before they even came to live there. It was now part of their week and they came here every Sunday.
“How has your week been, boys?” she asked.
KC always called them her boys, and she was overly invested in their romantic interests. Gregory had never seen her with a partner, but she seemed happy with her life. Not everybody needed someone else to complete them. It had never been something Gregory had wanted – well, not since he was young and deluded – but seeing Charlie with Sebastian, and Langdon with Eric, he was having second thoughts. At least he could always rely on Paolo to join him in singledom. Jason would never commit to one guy, but he was out there with his sexual expression, whereas Paolo had never been with anyone in the whole time Gregory had known him.
“Had the week off work to settle into the new place,” said Charlie.
“Got railed by this fit couple last night,” said Jason.
Paolo looked embarrassed by Jason’s antics, whereas KC chuckled.
“I swear, I thought my insides were gonna?—”
“Jason,” snapped Langdon. “We’re eating.”
“Oops, sorry.” He smiled. “Ooh, Cumberland, you know what this reminds me of?” His eyes twinkled as he speared the sausage with his fork.
“Jason!”
“That voice might work on Eric, but good luck with me,” said Jason, adding his sassy tone.
Langdon flushed bright red. Gregory was rarely amused by Jason’s antics, but he had to look down so people wouldn’t see him smile. Langdon was their big brother and protector, but he was also the loudest in the bedroom, and despite additional soundproofing, they could still hear everything. Gregory just played his games with noise cancelling headphones and shut them out. Jason didn’t really care either, but his favourite pastime was tormenting Langdon.
Brunch went by in a blur as they caught each other up on their respective weeks. Even though most of them lived together, it was rare they were all at home unless they were sleeping. Langdon worked in a bar, so was always out late. Paolo was a masseuse and did shift work. Jason worked hard and played hard, and Gregory was shackled to his desk – be that the one at work or in his home office.
“When are we gonna do a movie night?” asked Jason. “Shall we do one for Halloween?”
“As long as we don’t have to watch Scream: Daddy’s Home again,” said Langdon, causing them all to laugh.
Jason liked to slip something inappropriate into their movie nights and just wait for their reactions. The most dramatic was always Langdon, which just encouraged Jason even more. They all got their phones out and agreed on a date the weekend after Halloween, and it would need to be a Sunday because some of them would have to work on the Saturday. Gregory wasn’t a big fan of horror, but he’d do anything to spend time with his brothers.
Speaking of horror, that was the only way Gregory could describe this party with his family. It was bad enough he had to listen endlessly about how his brother was so hard done by, but Oscar Montgomery and his parents were also here, as were some of the other wealthy families. His mother was desperate to get back in their good graces after they’d originally lost their fortune.
His mother was an only child who came from old money, but his grandfather had been a serial womaniser, and had several bastard children scattered across the globe. It had only been after his death that she found out, and that vast fortune which she thought was coming her way had been severely diluted. It wasn’t enough for her to maintain the lifestyle she’d been accustomed to, but had it stopped them spending? Not a chance. By the time he was eighteen, they were broke, and when he came out to them, they used it as the perfect excuse to cut him off. It had only been when he was financially successful they became interested in him again. They had never apologised for how they’d treated him. Instead, they’d made him feel guilty by saying it was his duty to support his parents. It had worked, and since he’d been so desperate to have his family back in his life, he’d bailed them out several times.
His father had now made some sensible investments, and they were comfortable, but nowhere near what they once had been. You wouldn’t know that by looking at their home, though. Why his mother needed to still live in a mansion was beyond him. They couldn’t afford permanent staff, but she would hire people whenever they entertained so the guests wouldn’t know. It wasn’t unusual for catering and hospitality to be billed to Gregory’s company either, and always without asking. It was always paid because he didn’t want to deal with any form of confrontation.
“Fancy seeing you here,” said a familiar deep voice.
Gregory shuddered, his skin prickling as Oscar’s breath ghosted over his ear. He put his signature scowl on before turning to be face to face with him. Those blue eyes almost took his breath away, but they belonged to Oscar Montgomery, a man who had made his life miserable in secondary school. He may not have been the ringleader, but he was always there in the thick of the action.
“Of course I’m here. It’s my father’s birthday. What are you doing here?”
“My mother and yours are best friends, remember?”
“That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“Do you know how hot you are when you get angry?”
Gregory flushed, with what he wasn’t sure. Anger? Desire? All of the above.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what you said to me in the club.”
Gregory wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t know why he’d said it. He blamed the whisky, and Jason for forcing him to go to the club. Gregory had left after he’d walked away from Oscar, and met a guy off one of the apps. The itch had been scratched, but that was a month ago. Now he had his dream guy, who he’d been crushing on since he was a teenager, practically panting in his ear. Why did he have to be such an arsehole?
Oscar Montgomery had been his gay awakening. He was a year older than Gregory, but because of their mothers’ friendship, they’d spent a lot of time together as kids. Gregory had been so nervous about going to a private secondary school, which was all boys. He’d been grateful to have a friend there, but Oscar had ignored him and pretended they didn’t know each other. That had been hard enough, but once he was in year nine, and it was becoming obvious to everyone but his parents that he was gay, that’s when the bullying started. For some bizarre masochistic reason, it hadn’t quashed Gregory’s unrequited crush on Oscar.
Oscar had apologised many times over the years, and Gregory could understand why he’d done what he had. He knew what is was like being terrified to come out, especially in the world they were raised in. As Langdon had said to him, it might explain Oscar’s actions, but it didn’t excuse them. He knew Oscar wasn’t that horrible teenager anymore, but Gregory was stubborn about holding a grudge. He thought his crush had died when they were teenagers, but feeling Oscar’s hot breath against his ear was making his dick plump. It was far easier to hate Oscar Montgomery than admit how much he still wanted him. What was he supposed to say in response? He needed to make sure Oscar knew who was in control here.
“Enjoy thinking about it, because that’s the closest you’ll ever get.”
“We’ll see about that,” said Oscar with a chuckle.
Damn! Before he could respond, he noticed his brother lumbering over.
Barty Balfour looked like a used-car salesman from Essex, although he had the same hoity-toity accent as their father had. His suit was always ill-fitting, and his arms were too long for his body, meaning he moved like a chimpanzee. He was the same height as Gregory, but his arms were like Oscar’s. His brother had also not been blessed in the looks department, with his squashed features. It was possible one of their nannies had dropped him on his face. He couldn’t blame them if they had; he was tempted to do it himself. Barty had been an obnoxious brat then, and he still was now.
Gregory didn’t think himself good looking, but was thankful he didn’t look like his brother, and he didn’t have any problem picking up guys, but it was rare for him to find one who was into the same things he was. Wanting to keep feelings out of it, Gregory didn’t do repeats, so he hadn’t had anything regular with anyone since his uni days. It was easier that way.
“Greg, can we have a word?”
“Gregory.”
“Whatever. I need to talk to you.”
Barty looked antsy, like he was on something. He wasn’t aware of his brother taking drugs, but nothing would surprise him anymore.
“And why are you talking to this prick?” asked Barty.
“Nice to see you too, Barty,” said Oscar.
“Fuck off. You keep away from my brother. I don’t even know why you’re here after what you did.”
“I think you’ll find it was you who did something. And that was after you’d told several of my clients to fuck off. You’ve got your mother to thank that you didn’t get sacked sooner.”
Gregory was feeling uncomfortable. He was in the middle of this verbal spat between the two of them, and he wanted to be anywhere else. Could he slink away without them noticing whilst they continued to share barbs with each other? He took a step back, but didn’t get any further before his brother wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
“Where are you going? We need to talk.”
“He was talking to me,” said Oscar.
“Not anymore.”
Before he could say anything, Barty had spun him round and was steering him away from the party. He didn’t have time to look back at Oscar. His brother was on a mission, and the fact they were going somewhere quiet made it clear his brother wanted one thing – money.
It was Monday morning, and Gregory had been in the office since six o’clock. He’d done something he never had before; he’d said no to his brother when it came to money. What he’d gotten himself mixed up with this time, Gregory didn’t want to know. In the past, his brother had tapped him for a few grand here and there – it was always a loan, even though Gregory knew he was never getting it back. Once he’d asked for twenty grand, and after a guilt lecture from his mother, he’d given him the money. This time, though, he wanted a quarter of a million quid. How much did he think Gregory was worth? He didn’t have that kind of money lying around. It was all tied up in assets, such as the business and flat, which he owned outright. How could he owe someone that much money? Barty had looked genuinely scared, but what could Gregory do?
Now, he wasn’t sure if he’d made the right call. Barty had been adamant that he didn’t want their parents knowing about this, so whatever he needed the money for, it was clearly not legitimate. He couldn’t have anything to do with that, no matter how much his brother begged. So why did he feel so guilty? There was nobody he could talk to about this. His friends would say he did the right thing.
It had just passed eight o’clock and he could hear people arriving. He had a hybrid working policy, but he’d created a welcoming office space so people liked to come in, except on a Friday when the place was deserted. There was a knock on his office door, and it opened before he could respond. It was Hannah, the only person who would do that. Most of the time, his office door was open, and anyone could walk in, but when it was closed, people were expected to knock and wait.
“Sorry to bother you, but Oscar Montgomery is in reception for you.”
What the fuck is he doing here? “Does he know I’m here?”
“Yes, he said he went to your place first.”
Gregory looked at his phone and saw a message from Jason warning him Oscar was likely on his way to the office. A bunch of drooling and aubergine emojis followed. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Did he say what he wanted?”
“Just said it was a personal matter, and he’ll wait until you’re available. Your diary is free until ten.”
That was deliberate. Meetings before ten o’clock on a Monday should be a crime. Gregory looked down at his attire. He’d been planning to get changed before his meetings, so he was wearing jeans and his Back to the Future T-shirt, which was faded, but it was his favourite movie of all time and he loved wearing it. Paolo had bought it for his twenty-first birthday and it was like a comfort blanket. Why did he care about how he looked? He needed to get it together.
“Fine, I’ll see him.”
“Should I put him in the conference room?”
“No, I’ll see him in here.”
Her eyebrows rose, but she said nothing else, just nodded and left. Gregory had a moment of panic as he looked around his office, checking it wasn’t a mess. He was a bit of a neat freak, but he’d been doing some coding over the weekend and this morning, which meant tidiness and order had gone out the window.
There was a knock on the door. He scuttled behind his desk and took a seat, rolling his shoulders back and trying to look like the CEO he was supposed to be.
“Come in,” he croaked. “Come in,” he repeated, with more edge to his voice.
The door opened and in walked Oscar Montgomery, fully suited and booted and looking like a fucking snack. Ugh, why did this arsehole have to be so hot? Gregory stood up, pulling on his T-shirt, feeling even more underdressed now Oscar was standing in front of him, looking like a real CEO.
“Thanks Hannah, you can close the door.”
She smirked before leaving again.
“Have a seat, Mr Montgomery.”
“Really? We’re doing the ‘mister’ thing, are we?”
“Fine. Oscar. What do you want?”
“There’s the snarky Gregory we all know and love.”
Gregory felt his face heat at the affectionate word, even though it hadn’t been meant in that way. They both took their seats.
“I just wanted to check up on you after yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
“You seemed pretty upset when you left, and Barty was in a foul mood for the rest of the day. I assumed something happened between you two.”
“And you’re here to get the gossip for your mother.”
“No, I’m here to check on you. I know he asked you for money.”
“How do you know that?”
“I didn’t, but I do now.”
Gregory jumped up. “Get out!”
“Hit a nerve, have I?”
“Why are you here interfering in my private business? Isn’t it bad enough that you made my life miserable for years at school? Now you’re here in my office, stirring up shit.”
Oscar seemed taken aback for a second, probably because he’d never seen Gregory lose his cool before. The odd snarky comment was one thing, but he’d been full-on shouting at him. There was no way people in the office hadn’t heard him. Oscar stood up, towering over him, but Gregory wouldn’t be intimidated.
“Look, I didn’t come here to upset you. I just wanted to give you the full picture. Barty’s in some serious shit.”
“What do you mean?”
“How much did he tap you for?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I’m trying to help here, Gregory.”
“Quarter of a million.”
“What the fuck? I’d heard it was bad, but not that bad. Do you even have that kind of money?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s a lot of money to just have lying around, is what I’m saying. Even I couldn’t pull that together quickly.”
“And your wallet’s bigger than mine, got it.”
Oscar groaned in frustration, throwing his hands in the air as he walked away, pacing round the office.
“This isn’t about measuring dick sizes, Gregory. And besides, I’d have you beat there.”
“Someone’s being presumptuous,” he snapped back.
The flash of heat in Oscar’s eyes was unmistakable, and Gregory felt his dick swell in his jeans. Thankfully, he wasn’t wearing his business trousers. They wouldn’t have been able to hide anything. Gregory took his seat again, hoping it would bring his heart rate down. The tension in the room was palpable, and he wasn’t sure why. Gregory had hated this man for years, but his dick had clearly not read his lengthy thesis on why Oscar Montgomery was a twat.
“Have you heard of Grant Kincaid?” asked Oscar.
Gregory’s head snapped up. He’d definitely heard that name.
“What has he got to do with this?”
“That’s who Barty owes the money to.”
“But he’s a criminal. How does he owe money to someone like that?”
“Gambling debts.”
Gregory let out a groan of frustration. His idiotic brother had been in trouble with gambling before but had supposedly kicked the habit. And why did it have to be gambling, something which was limitless? Booze and drugs had a limit – too much and you were dead. Gambling was a completely different beast.
“Do you need help with the money?”
“What?”
“I can help with the money. I know you want to pay it. You wouldn’t let anything bad happen to Barty.”
“What will they do to him? Give him a beating?”
“To start with. If he still doesn’t pay up, you’ll be an only child.”
“Fuck! Of all the people to get involved with, it had to be him.”
“Do you know him or something?”
“That’s none of your business,” he snapped.
Yes, he knew Grant Kincaid. Well, Langdon was the one who knew him well, and nothing he’d said about him was good. Barty was in deep shit, and if anything happened to him, his parents would blame Gregory for it. What was he going to do? He could pull the money together, but it would take some time. He’d have to sell off some investments, and his new business venture was now in question.
“Gregory!”
Oscar’s voice snapped him out of his spiralling thoughts. Gregory looked at him, and there was a genuine look of concern on his face.
“I can get you the money within a couple of days.”
Gregory snapped and jumped up, marching round the desk. Oscar was still standing, but it didn’t intimidate Gregory anymore. He was fuming. How dare this man come into his office and drop a bombshell on him and then offer to be his saviour? What a conceited twat.
“Get out. Now!”
Oscar didn’t react, just moved closer. Gregory’s body was trembling all over with adrenaline and something else – something he needed to ignore. Oscar stroked his fingers over Gregory’s T-shirt.
“I remember when we used to watch this film all the time.”
Gregory’s body felt like it was about to combust. Oscar pulled at the T-shirt, his fingers sliding underneath, and the moment they brushed over his skin it was like a fuse had been ignited in Gregory. He pulled Oscar down by the neck and crashed their lips together. He didn’t hesitate to take control of the kiss, pushing his tongue inside Oscar’s warm mouth, their tongues tangling in a frenzy. Gregory pulled at Oscar’s belt, unbuckling it quickly and pulling his trousers and boxers down, freeing his cock. Gregory gripped it hard, causing Oscar to gasp. He wasn’t lying about being a big boy, but he didn’t know what Gregory was packing yet.
“Over the desk,” said Gregory, breaking the kiss.
Oscar’s entire face flushed.
“That a problem?”
Oscar shook his head. He turned towards the desk and pushed his trousers down.
“Leave them,” commanded Gregory.
Oscar complied and bent over the desk, showing off his delicious bubble butt. Gregory moved forward and pulled his cheeks apart, revealing a delicious hole, one he could happily spend hours eating... but if he didn’t get inside Oscar immediately, he was going to blow.
“Are you on PrEP?” he asked.
“Yes,” Oscar replied.
“Good. I want you to spend the day in all your little meetings with my come still inside you.”
“Jesus Christ. Since when –”
“No talking,” Gregory snapped.
Gregory pulled down his jeans, freeing his cock, which was already dripping wet. He pulled on it a few times to relieve some pressure, but he was close to blowing. He took a bottle of lube from his desk drawer.
“Do you need prepping?”
“No, just get inside me,” moaned Oscar.
There was something so hot about a guy this size begging for Gregory to take him apart. It was his kryptonite.
He lubed up his cock and shoved two fingers inside Oscar with the excess. He was tight, but he’d said he didn’t want to be prepped, so Gregory lined his cock up at Oscar’s hole and pushed in.
“Fuck, you’re huge.”
“Told you not to make assumptions,” he chuckled, as he pushed all the way in.
Oscar let out the filthiest groan. Gregory didn’t give a fuck that they were in his office and could probably be heard. In this moment, with Oscar’s tight heat gripping his cock, he just wanted to own him.
He pulled almost all the way out and slammed back in hard, and Oscar pushed back against him, begging for more. Oh, how Gregory loved a greedy bottom slut. He snapped his hips repeatedly, fucking into Oscar’s tight hole; it was glorious. The beast of a man was a blabbering mess underneath him. Gregory could spend hours pounding this hole, but he was close, and couldn’t hold back. Normally, he could stay in complete control when he was fucking, but the way Oscar kept tightening around him was making it difficult.
He tilted back on his heels so he could change the angle, and knew Oscar was doing his best not to cry out with pleasure. How loud would he be if there was no chance of them being heard? He couldn’t think about that now as Oscar tightened around him, as he let out a loud groan and his body shuddered. Gregory used one of his hands to reach for Oscar’s cock, which was dripping with his release. Knowing he’d made Oscar Montgomery come untouched was enough to send him over the edge, and his cock pulsed out his release inside his hole. It was one of the most intense orgasms of his life. He kept thrusting, milking every drop out of his cock.
As his breathing and heart rate slowed down, reality crashed back in. Gregory had not only just fucked his high-school bully and crush, which was fucked up enough, but he’d loved it. He had put Oscar in a box many years ago, and now he’d broken out and it was messing with Gregory’s head. This had been a huge mistake. He had to get out of here, but they were in his office, and his cock was still inside Oscar. Gregory could hear him breathing heavily, no doubt wondering what the fuck had just happened between them as well. Gregory pulled out and put his cock away. Before Oscar could say anything, he got in first.
“You can see yourself out.”
Gregory walked towards his bathroom, not looking back. Once he was inside, he locked the door and turned on the water, before sitting on the floor and wondering how he’d allowed that to happen and why he’d just walked away after having the best sex of his life.