Chapter 20
JETT
Everything changed when people started arriving.
By the time I woke up the next morning, Locke was already finishing his breakfast and talking to the security detail about how the new arrivals and their luggage would need to be scanned.
I felt a niggle of unease. Sure, most of Locke’s guests would make high-value targets, so it made sense to keep a secure perimeter, but why monitor what his guests brought in?
That wasn’t the only change. Staff I hadn’t seen before bustled around, cleaning and seeing to details like additional floral arrangements, a pitcher of ice water and glasses by the entry door, a basket of prepackaged snacks on a drinks cart out on the pool terrace.
It was off-putting, the easy rhythm of our first couple of days gone as if it had never existed in the first place. I quickly shook off my selfish disappointment and reminded myself why I was here.
To be Locke’s host and ensure this event ran smoothly.
“How can I help?” I asked Locke with a smile when the housekeeper disappeared.
“I need you to remember this is a serious event with very important people,” he said, no traces of the warmth or humor from the previous night in his expression. Clearly, the pendulum had swung again. “Your manners need to be impeccable, and you need to listen more than you speak.”
Anger sparked under my tongue, but I bit it back. “Yes, sir.”
He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I… this has nothing to do with you. I just… I need you to understand this is a big deal. It’s the first Paxis tournament I’ve hosted, the first without my grandfather, and I need it to go well.”
While it helped to understand his shitty attitude was due to his nerves, it was still shitty.
“I promise I know how to behave around adults, Locke,” I said firmly, wanting so fucking badly to add that I’d met dignitaries all over the world and was even tangentially related to the current king of Liorland. But of course, I couldn’t do that.
He nodded. “Good. And you’re my assistant. Nothing more. Right?”
I clenched my teeth. “I believe you’ve made that point, yes. Several times, in fact. Shall I remember it later tonight? When my mouth is on your dick and you’re crying because it’s so fucking good?” My voice was too low for any of the staff to overhear, but it still made his ears turn red.
Locke closed his eyes and inhaled. “Jett. You know what I mean.”
“Of course. No acting gay around the very straight, very important people. Gotcha.” I gave him a sharp salute. “I shall change out of my rainbow-colored jock forthwith and remove the dildos from the men’s amenity baskets. What else?”
He rubbed his face with both hands and sighed. “Everything I say makes this worse. Tell me what to do to make it stop.”
I studied him and noticed the small signs of stress.
The divot on his forehead, the lift of his shoulders, the tightness in his jaw that looked like it might snap under the slightest breeze.
“You could say, ‘Jett, despite your beauty, charm, and obvious sex appeal, it’s important to me that none of my rich nerd friends discover my dirty little secret. Would you mind, terribly, hiding your little gay light under a bushel while we play board games this week?’”
His jaw flexed impossibly tighter. “May I speak privately with you in my suite, please?”
“Fine.” I stood and moved quickly to the bedroom, ready for the fight Locke seemed to be spoiling for. I would give him a piece of my mind. Hell, I’d give him all the pieces of my mind. And then—
He yanked me into a linen closet before we even reached the suite, pressing his hand against my mouth as he pushed me back against the door and murmured for me to just be still.
For a split second, I wondered if we were in danger. If he’d heard someone breaking into the house or something. But then I remembered the guards at every entrance, part of the professional security team required for the elite guests who would be staying here.
“It’s John, isn’t it?” I said, still white-hot with anger and disappointment. The word was meant to remind myself. “Your name is John. Which is handy since that’s what you are to me. My john.”
Locke’s stormy eyes met mine in the dim space. A small, high window allowed a few threads of sunshine to filter in through the branches and leaves of a tall shrub.
“Just stay still,” he repeated. “And don’t speak.”
He reached behind me for something, pulling out a thick wool blanket before dropping it on the floor. If he thought for one minute I was going to…
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“You’re incapable of silence?” he muttered as he sank to his knees. “Should’ve known. Maybe I need to learn how to say it in High Valyrian.”
I stared in shock as Locke’s fingers quickly fumbled with the front of my pants.
“Help me with this. We don’t have much time,” he said.
My hands moved automatically to fulfill his request. Was he for real? “You don’t need to—”
“Yeah. I do.”
He yanked my pants and underwear down to my knees and then licked the tip of my cock experimentally. I stared at the scene. What the actual fuck.
“You’re already hard for me,” he said, as though surprised.
I’m always fucking hard for you, I wanted to say.
“You’re on your knees for me,” I said instead. “Of course I’m hard.”
“You have a nice dick.”
I blinked. “So I’ve heard.”
His eyes darkened. “You let anyone else touch your cock before I’m done with you, Jethro, and I will fucking end them. Do you understand?”
My dick got even harder while I nodded stupidly.
No one had ever been possessive over me. Ever. I couldn’t help thinking about Locke’s words during the game yesterday. “It’s called Maris Holdings, Jett.”
But those were just words. Ones that didn’t apply to me.
His mouth on my cock? That was action.
Locke was sucking my dick. This supposedly straight man was on his knees for me, and I was crystal clear on the reason for it.
He wanted to prove something.
That he wasn’t afraid or ashamed. And maybe, maybe that he didn’t think of me as his whore.
“Fuck,” I groaned when he finally stopped playing around and sucked me down enough to gag. I moved my hand to the side of his face and grinned. “Easy, Johnny.”
His eyes flicked up to mine. I expected to see annoyance at the stupid nickname, but instead, his gaze was soft. Wanting.
Seeing him like that, his commanding mouth stretched wide around my cock, eyelashes wet with tears from gagging, was enough to bring my orgasm screaming closer to the point.
He pulled off and wiped his wet mouth with the back of his hand. “Tell me how you like it. Tell me how to make you feel good.”
I guided his mouth back to my cock. “Any way you put your mouth on me is going to make me come,” I admitted softly. “It won’t take much, I promise.”
He returned to the effort of pleasing me—sucking, licking, teasing—until I shoved him away and clamped my own hand over my mouth to keep from betraying our location and activities to the household staff.
My orgasm hit hard and fast while Locke quickly grabbed a towel from a nearby shelf to catch my release.
His eyes were hot on my cock the entire time until it gave its last pitiful spurt, and then he glanced at my face with an expression of awe. “I did that.”
I wanted to laugh. “Take it easy, big guy. It’s not rocket science.”
He pushed to his feet, his own erection obvious behind the fabric of his pants. “Are you saying I wasn’t any good?” The knowing glint in his eyes challenged me to admit the truth.
“You did fine, young padawan, but there’s always room for improvement. With tutoring, for example. And intensive practice.”
He huffed out a laugh and pulled down another towel to wipe his face with. “I’ll consider it.”
I finished cleaning myself up and straightened my clothes. “Thank you,” I began. “You didn’t need to—”
He broke off my words with a hard kiss, his hand moving to hold the back of my head the way he always seemed to do. I melted against him, riding his mercurial fucking pendulum like a willful glutton.
When he pulled away, he surprised me. “I’m sorry for taking my stress out on you.
While it is very important to me that my guests not discover our sexual relationship, there was no need to be a dick about it.
I appreciate your discretion, and I trust you.
If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have invited you here during such an important event. ”
I tried not to read too much into it. Trust wasn’t the same as affection or respect. But it was nice all the same. Especially considering I was a damned liar.
I nodded. “I understand.”
He nodded and took a breath. “Good.”
I expected him to want me to reciprocate, but he exited the closet after first carefully scoping out the nearby area to make sure he wouldn’t be seen.
Meanwhile, I gathered up the blanket and towels we used and shoved them into the hamper in the corner of the space.
The interlude boosted my spirits. When the guests started arriving, I was happy to play the cheerful event host, welcoming everyone to Villa Altomare and inviting them to let me or the staff know how best to make their stay comfortable.
The house staff was obviously experienced in handling such high-level guests, and if I hadn’t been nephew to a major country music singer and comfortable around celebrities, I might have had a hard time remaining calm.
I wasn’t there to greet everyone. Concetta’s careful management of the day often required me to help in other areas of the house, and after lunch, she asked me to accompany Zuri to town to gather a few items one of the guests needed.
“She will pick the cheapest, and you will better understand to get the most indulgent,” Concetta said quietly while Zuri walked around the other side of the car to get in next to the driver.
I assured the busy housekeeper we’d be fine and spent a good part of the rest of the day away from the villa, procuring what she needed.