Chapter 12 #2
Then River jacked Newt’s dick in the same hard, fast rhythm as he pounded into him, holding him in some sort of ecstatic limbo, that blissful moment before the fall being extended in a way Newt always tried for and never fully managed to achieve.
He came with a loud cry, erupting over his stomach and chest and River followed after.
And in the morning, they did it again and it was even better. Newt wanted to fuck River but he could wait until River was ready.
Something had changed between them. Newt could see it in River’s eyes, feel it in his touch, hear it in his voice.
Newt had never been this close to anyone, never been wanted so much by anyone, nor had he ever wanted someone as much as he did River.
It both reassured and frightened him, comforted yet alarmed him.
He kept telling himself not to expect too much.
He’d had seven years locked up telling himself that, but this was different.
Newt was different. He was happy. He wouldn’t let that feeling go by thinking beyond this moment.
That afternoon, River was in the gym with Ed when the buzzer on the gate began to sound. Newt checked the camera and saw a guy in a suit.
“Yes?” Newt said over the intercom.
“Dila Fox is here to see River.”
Newt felt as if he’d been thumped in the stomach. So that was it. He could have been a dick and asked to see her face to confirm it actually was her, but it wouldn’t change what was about to happen. His delicate, slowly mending heart had already begun to crack. He pressed the gate release.
“Who?” River had come up behind him, Ed next to him.
“Dila’s arrived.”
At least River’s face fell. That was something.
Newt opened the door as two large silver cars pulled onto the drive. He recognised Max’s car coming up behind them. Why was he here again? Why hadn’t he let the other cars in with his remote? Maybe to give me the chance to breathe. Or get out of River’s bed.
“I’ll be off,” Ed said. “See you, River. Bye, Newt.”
“Thanks, Ed.” Newt walked down onto the drive and River came out behind him.
Dila stepped from the first car clutching a phone to her ear.
Her white-blonde hair was up in a loose bun and she wore tight black leggings and a short, fluffy neon pink jacket.
She squealed and leapt to fling her arms around River while at the same time she held up her phone to take a picture of the two of them.
Icy water trickled down Newt’s spine and surged along his arms and legs.
River had put his arms around Dila and he was smiling.
It hurt to watch, but he needed to keep watching to remind himself this was reality.
What he and River had wasn’t. Even if this …
thing…with Dila wasn’t real, it was still the narrative.
Newt was just a temporary blip in River’s life.
He made sure he hid what he was feeling, but it was too much to expect himself to smile.
Max had a word with Ed before the physio drove off, then after he’d waved to Newt, he headed towards the house after Dila and River.
Newt made an unnecessary trip to make sure the gate was firmly shut. Tape up your heart.
Before he went back inside, he checked the postbox. No mail. Everyone apart from the guy in the suit had gone into the house. He was taking cases and bags out of the cars. How long was she staying?
“Do you need a hand?” Newt asked.
“That would be great, thanks.”
“I’m Newt Jones.” He held out his hand to the American.
“Andy Mottinger.” The guy shook it.
Newt took two suitcases into the house. There was no sign of Dila, River or Max. He went back to help with the rest.
“Those two boxes are for the kitchen,” Andy said.
When Newt went into the kitchen, he saw a woman in her thirties opening and closing cupboard doors. He put the boxes on the granite island. She didn’t turn to look at him. When Newt went back into the hall, a tall, pencil-thin guy with a shaved head, dressed entirely in black, strode over.
“We require four guest rooms.” This guy was English. And rude.
“There are only three.”
“That’s not acceptable.”
I’ll just magic one up then, shall I, dickhead? Along with room service and a chocolate on your pillow? Newt shrugged.
“Ms Fox needs me close by at all times. I’m her dresser.”
She can’t dress herself?
“She also needs her personal assistant and her cook nearby, along with her bodyguard. One room for Ms Fox. Her PA and cook can share. One for Andy and one for me. Four rooms.”
Newt hadn’t missed that Dila was not intending to share with River, but sadly, that didn’t mean Newt could.
“There are only three rooms,” Newt said. “Can’t you share with Andy?”
The guy looked as horrified as if he’d just been told his dick was hanging out.
“No. Utterly impossible. This won’t do at all. Jesse! Where are you, Jesse? I need you to solve this. Now!” He flapped his arms, looking like some huge malevolent crow.
Bloody hell.
Max, Dila, River and presumably Jesse came into the hall.
“What’s happening, Xander?” Max asked.
Dila clung to River’s arm as they snuck upstairs.
“We require four rooms. I’m not sharing with Andy. He’d kill me in my sleep just for breathing too loudly.”
Andy slammed the front door. “It would be tempting.”
Newt smiled. He liked Andy.
Xander turned to Newt and scowled. “Are you using a bedroom?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll have to move out and travel in.”
“No,” Max said. “There’s accommodation over the garage. Could you use that for a couple of days, Newt?”
He didn’t see the point in being awkward. He was the hired help after all. “Okay.”
“Sorry to push you out. I’m Jesse, Dila’s PA.” She held out her hand and Newt shook it. She was American too.
“I’ve not been up there since River moved in,” Max said. “If there’s any problem, Newt, let me know.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. So… You still want me to work with River while there are guests in the house?”
“Absolutely. Whatever you’re doing is working. Everyone here is aware of the situation with River. You’re all under the same NDA.” He looked round at those in the hall. “No photos that give any hint of where this house is situated. Is that understood?”
“I’ll sort out the bedroom.” Newt headed for the stairs and as he reached the top, Dila and River were heading towards him.
The moment she saw him, she took hold of River’s arm.
River had changed clothes. He was in tight grey jeans and a white T-shirt.
His hair had gel in it. Newt didn’t like the gel.
But he did like the little smile River shot him as he passed.
Newt had no idea what was over the garage so he folded his sheets and put them in his bag, along with his clothes, towel and toiletries.
The lube and condoms went in too, pushed down to the bottom.
He cleaned the bathroom, remade the bed and put out new towels.
As he stepped out of the bedroom with his things, Jesse and the woman from the kitchen were waiting.
“Have you met Sai?” Jesse asked.
“We saw each other in the kitchen,” Newt said.
“Are there no twin-bedded rooms?” Sai asked.
“There’s one across the landing.” Newt gestured.
“Great, we’ll have that then.” Jesse turned as the guy in black came up. “This can be yours, Xander.”
He glanced at the room, huffed, then stared at Newt as if he’d never seen anyone so unworthy of being looked at in his entire life. “It’ll do.”
Newt picked up his bag and walked away. What horrible people.
Well, Jesse and Andy seemed all right but…
He headed for the garage. There was no way to an upper floor on the outside of the building, so he guessed there must be stairs inside the garage that he’d not spotted.
He found them hidden behind what looked like a cupboard. That was clever.
At the top of the stairs was another door, which opened into a large A-framed room that appeared to be mostly used for storage.
The floor was chipboard with a few strips of carpet laid over the top.
There were stacks of cardboard boxes and some plastic ones, all neatly labelled.
Christmas decorations, ski wear, outdoor crockery…
But there was no bed. Newt sighed. There was a couch long enough to sleep on, so he turned that into a bed with the sheets and covered it with Christmas blankets he found in one of the boxes: a red one with white snowflakes and a blue one with reindeer.
He’d need both of them. It wasn’t very warm up there.
Newt looked round to see if there were thermostats that he could turn up but didn’t find any, so there was no underfloor heating.
A door at the far end opened onto a nice bathroom with a walk-in shower and there was an electric radiator in there so Newt switched it on.
There was no shampoo or soap, but he still had what he’d bought to use in the hostel.
He tried a tap, because if there was no— Water shot out. Good.
Newt returned to his makeshift bed and as he sat down, his phone beeped. River had texted a whole load of 11111111111s, indicating he wanted help but it wasn’t an emergency. Newt bristled. There were five people in the house who could help him. Yet he still went to see what he wanted.
He followed the sound of Xander’s voice and found Dila and River sitting cosied up together in the more formal lounge with Xander taking pictures as Max watched.
“That’s it, darlings,” Xander said. “Stare into each other’s eyes. Put your hand on River’s thigh. Lovely.”
Why did River have to have him here to see this? But Newt caught the brief glance River shot his way that told him to do something.
“Time for the pool,” Newt said.
Xander spun round and glared. Max’s mouth quirked in a grin.
“Sorry.” Newt smiled as broadly as he could. “River has a strict schedule he has to stick to. The doctors made it clear that routine is crucial for his recovery.”
“We didn’t bring your costume, darling,” Xander whined.
“I’m not going in the pool.” Dila disentangled herself from River and picked up her phone. “Have fun.”
“I’m going to make tracks.” Max pushed to his feet. “Are you set up over the garage?”
“Yes,” Newt said.
River followed Newt through the house. Only when they were the other side of the door to the pool did River speak.
“Thank…you. Not Deee…la. Not Dila. You. You. You.”
River yanked him into his arms and landed a flurry of kisses all over his face. Newt didn’t want to just give in, but he did. They couldn’t be seen if they stayed where they were, and River was so desperate, something inside Newt broke.
“Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.” River peppered his face with kisses. “No bed.”
“It’s fine. I can sleep on the couch.”
He caught hold of Newt’s face with his hands.
“I have blankets. I’ll be fine.”
“Sleep…wi…with me.”
Newt shook his head. “It’s too risky.”
River groaned, then chuffed.
Newt chuffed back. “Now we have to swim.”
They walked over to where the trunks were kept and Newt pulled out two pairs. He handed one to River. “You change first.”
River nodded.
Newt dropped two towels by the steps. He wasn’t sure how he felt now. Happy that River wanted him and not Dila, but… There were a lot of buts. River needed to tell her. But Newt knew he wasn’t going to do that.
River had waited until Newt emerged before he slid into the water.
“See if you can do two lengths front crawl.”
Newt swam alongside him. River managed a length and a half before he floundered and did breast stroke instead.
“Do you know how long they’ll stay?” Newt asked.
“Too…long.”
At least that made Newt laugh.