Chapter Eight
~ Jackson ~
I laid Daniel down on the bed as gently as I could and then pulled his shoes off and dropped them on the floor. I grabbed the comforter and pulled it up to his neck, tucking the edges around him.
He'd fallen asleep half way back to the city. I hadn't minded his head resting on my shoulder. Given the fact that Daniel had held tight to my hand the entire way home, it actually felt kind of natural.
I wasn't sure what to think about that.
I sat down on the side of the bed and stared at the man lying in it. Looking at Daniel—and except for the heavy bags under his eyes—it seemed as if he didn't have a care in the world.
I knew that wasn't true. He had to be filled with doubts about his future, and maybe fear too. I'd have to explain it to him a little more in depth in the morning.
Miles had cautioned me that the quickest way to get Daniel to settle was to let him know where he stood, what the rules were, and what was expected of him. He needed boundaries to make him feel secure.
And I needed to do some research.
I bent over and grabbed his shoes, placing them together in front of the nightstand, and then got up and walked out of the bedroom. I headed down the hallway to my study.
I sat down at my desk and opened up my laptop. I wasn't exactly sure where to look for the information I wanted to research or even what information I needed.
This wasn't exactly my wheelhouse.
I grabbed my cell phone and sent Miles a quick text asking him where I could look to get more information. I was in no way surprised when he immediately texted me back with a list of websites I could go to.
The man knew his stuff.
As soon as I had a list of websites, I started with the first one. I read about ten minutes on the website before grabbing a pad of paper and a pen so I could write down questions I was hoping Miles could answer for me.
As I read, some of the stuff Miles had told me started to make more sense. I knew for a fact that I wasn't into the severe side of a D/s lifestyle. I couldn't imagine raising a hand to Daniel let alone whipping him.
One the other hand, the domineering side of things did seem to fit me. I was a no-nonsense type of guy. I was the CEO of a company I'd built from the ground up and I expected to have my words followed by those that worked for me.
I hated laziness, morons, yes-men, and people out to make a quick buck without doing the work. They were all pretty much in the same category as far as I was concerned.
I had a lot more respect for people that worked hard for what they wanted in life. It didn't matter if they were the CEOs of a company or cleaning staff. As long as they did a day's honest work for a day's honest pay, they should be respected.
I was also a tad bit possessive of things that I considered mine. It was the same in my personal life and my business life. It had made me a shark in the business world and aloof in my social life because I tended not to get too attached to people.
I'd learned early on that as possessive as I was of people and things that belonged to me, not everyone agreed with me. It made for some awkward situations—and a couple of physical altercations—in the past that I'd really rather not think about.
If Daniel truly became mine, he'd stay mine. I didn't share and I didn't believe in divorce, which was why this decision on whether or not to marry him sat so heavy on my shoulders. Once I made that choice, there was no going back.
I wasn't sure if Daniel was ready for that...or for me.
There was a part of me that wondered if Daniel would have chosen to be a submissive if he had been given the choice. I wasn't exactly sure how long he'd been living like this or how involved with the lifestyle he'd become. That was something I needed to talk to him about in the morning.
After going through each website Miles had sent me to, I typed up the list of questions I had for him and sent them off. It was getting close to dawn so I didn't expect an answer right away.
Plus, I needed sleep if I was going to face tomorrow.
I sent one last text message off to my assistant telling him to come by the penthouse with the necessary paperwork around ten o'clock. I wanted to give myself time to talk to Daniel before he arrived.
After closing down my laptop, I headed back to the bedroom to check on Daniel. I frowned when I found him curled up in the fetal position in the middle of the mattress.
I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my tie before sliding under the covers and pulling Daniel flush against my body. I refused to think about how good he felt pressed up against me.
Now was not the time for that.
Sleep took me just as the first rays of sunshine started to filter through the curtains and I knew nothing more until the body in my arms jerked.
"Go back to sleep, Daniel," I murmured as I tightened my arms around him. "We both need a couple of more hours."
Daniel stilled his movements and I heard a soft snore a few minutes later. I smiled and pressed my face into the silky blond hair at the back of his head. Maybe giving orders to him wasn't that hard.
When I woke for a second time, Daniel was still wrapped in my arms, but I could tell from his uneven breathing that he was awake. "Good morning, Daniel."
Daniel jerked before whispering, "Good morning, sir."
I let that one slide. It was going to take Daniel some time to get used to my ways. "Why don't you go take a shower while I see what we have in the fridge to eat?"
"I can cook." Daniel glanced over his shoulder at me. "Sir brought in tutors for me. One of them was a chef from the Le Cordon Bleu School of Cooking."
"Oh, yeah?"
Daniel nodded as he rolled to face me.
"What else did these tutors teach you?"
"Violin, calligraphy, poetry, etiquette, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, computers, equestrian riding, agriculture, pastry and gourmet cooking, self-defense, and advanced firearms training."
My eyes widened. "You learned all of that?"
"Sir said I could learn whatever I wanted to, except the self-defense and advanced firearms training. He insisted on those so I'd know how to protect myself." Daniel winced as if he had a sudden bad thought. "Guess it didn't work so well."
I could understand his feelings. If he had been trained in self-defense, and advanced firearms training, he should have been able to fight William off.
"What exactly happened with the butler? How did he catch you?"
Daniel shook his head, a small line appearing between his eyebrows. "That's just it. I don't know. I went to bed like normal and when I woke up in the morning I was tied up. I don't know how I got there."
"He probably drugged you." There was only one way to tell and it meant getting Daniel in for a full physical right away. "How long were you tied up? Do you remember?"
"A couple of days I think."
"Did you get abnormally sleepy during that time?"
Daniel's eyes rounded. "How'd you know, sir?"
"Lucky guess." I was going to kill that rat bastard when I got my hands on him. "After we get married I'm going to take you for a physical. If you were drugged, as I suspect you were, we need evidence of it."
Daniel shuddered and some of the light faded from his sky blue eyes. "A physical, sir?"
I almost started to answer him when his behavior the previous evening rattled into my head. "Daniel, are you afraid of doctors?"
"N-No."
"Daniel."
Daniel dropped his head and started plucking at the comforter. "One of my old masters was a doctor," he whispered so quietly I almost couldn't make out his words. "He liked to use me for practice."
My hands clenched into fists. "Do you remember his name?"
Daniel nodded. "Sir had his medical license revoked and sent him to prison. He had all my former masters sent to prison."
"Good." They deserved death, but prison would do for now. "The doctor I want you to see is my old frat brother Patty. The same guy I wanted you to see last night. He's a good man, Daniel. His husband even works with him as his nurse. I trust them and I won't let anyone around you that I don't trust."
Daniel gave a nod, but I doubted he believed me.
"Why don't you get washed up and then go to the kitchen and see what you can fix us? I'm going to use the bathroom down the hall and then head to my study to make some phone calls. I'll come find you when I'm done."
"Yes, sir." A soft flushed filled Daniel's face before he turned away from me. "I mean, yes, Jackson."
I smiled. "Better."
I waited until he padded off to the bathroom before climbing out of bed and going in search of some clothes for the day. I chose a set of white pants and the beige v-neck sweater I liked to wear when I wasn't on business. I topped it off with some tan loafers.
I carried everything down the hallway to the bathroom in the guest bedroom. I took a quick shower and then dried my hair with a towel before dressing. I would have preferred using a hair dryer, but there wasn't one in this bathroom.
I took my dirty clothes down the hallway to the laundry room and dumped them in the hamper for the maid to wash later. When I was in the city, I employed a maid service that came three times a week. If we stayed here, I probably needed to think about hiring a full time maid.
Once I reached the study, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed my assistant. "Good morning, Edward. Were you able to secure a marriage license?"
"Yes, sir. Everything is ready."
"Any trouble?"
"I did have to contact your father's lawyer to get Mr. Daniel's information, but he was easily able to provide it for me. He did request that you stop by his office once you are done and the paperwork has been filed with the courts. He said he had something for you from your father."
My eyebrows snapped together. "Did he say what it was?"
"No, sir," Edward replied. "He just said he needed to see your marriage certificate before he could give it to you."
Maybe it had to do with the handing over of my inheritance?
"Alright, then let him know we'll be stopping by after we go to the courthouse."
"Will do, sir."
"Okay, I'll see you at ten o'clock then."
"Yes, sir."
I hung up and dialed Miles, but before the call could go through, there was a knock on my office door. I glanced over to see Daniel standing there. "Is there a problem, Daniel? Were you not able to find something for us to eat?"
"No, sir, I mean, yes, I did find something to make for breakfast. It's cooking now." His face was as pale as a sheet as he gestured down the hallway. "The front doorbell rang."
"Oh." I slid my cell phone into my pocket as I walked toward him. "Why don't you go back to the kitchen while I answer the door?"
Daniel didn't even nod. He just turned and hurried down the hallway toward the kitchen, quickly disappearing from sight.
I chuckled as I headed for the front door. Miles had said that Daniel was an introvert and I imagine right now that tendency to avoid people was at an all time high.
I heard the doorbell go off again just as I reached it and pulled it open. I kind of wasn't surprised to find Miles standing on the other side, but I hadn't expected Jake to be with him, or Sam and another man that I assumed was Jake's husband with how close they were standing to each other.
"Morning."
"We need to talk," Miles stated before grabbing Sam and brushing past me.
Sounded serious.
I stepped back so Jake and the other man could come in and then firmly shut the door behind them before following them down the hallway to the living room.
"What's going on?" I asked once everyone was seated.
"William was sighted coming into the city last night," Jake said. "He got away before the police could grab him, but they are looking for him. Until he's caught, you need to be extra vigilante with Daniel."
"That's kind of what we wanted to talk to you about," Miles added. "Several of us have trackers inserted under our skin that can track us up to five hundred mile radius in case we get kidnapped. We think you should get one for Daniel."
"They were invented in my lab," Jake said before holding his hand out. "You can't see it once they are in place and you can barely feel it. It also reads heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature so that those searching for you can tell what kind of condition you are in."
I reached out and touched the area Jake indicated and he was right. I could barely feel it. It was just a small bump under his skin right where his thumb connected to his hand.
"Does it hurt?" I hated the idea of Daniel in any sort of pain. I was sure he'd experienced enough of it over the years.
"There's a slight bit of pressure when you're getting it put in, but no pain," Jake stated. "Norris invented a numbing agent that helps."
"Norris?" I asked. "Norris Teller, your old roommate?"
"That's him," Jake replied. "After graduation he came to work for me. He runs one of my labs now."
I remember the geeky little man with the thick coke bottle glasses. He'd been afraid of his own shadow back then, jumping at every little sound.
Kind of reminded me of Daniel.
"How is he?"
"He's good," Jake said. "He's got free reign in the lab so he gets to let his mind wander and that seems to work for him. On the plus side, his inventions have helped turned the M zeros in my bank account into B zeros."
Damn.
Must be nice.
I did pretty well with the company I had founded. I certainly lived a good lifestyle and it was all due to my own hard work. When I took over my father's company, I was pretty sure I'd be able to match Jake's bank account.
The logistics of all of that made my head hurt. I'd lived in London for the last decade. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to continue living there and just hire a general manager to run my father's company or if I wanted to move here and hire a general manager to run my company.
I'd have to think about that.
Later.
I needed to get married first.