EPILOGUE
Adryan
The waiter led Adryan and Madden into a private room in the restaurant where they were meeting Madden’s business partners. The restaurant was one Adryan would never normally enter. Too far outside his budget, but not for Madden or the two men they were meeting.
The waiter pulled his chair out and Adryan sat, waiting for Madden to sit. Once the waiter had handed them their menus, he left and Madden leaned back with an easy smile on his face.
The room screamed money. From the herringbone floor to the pearl silk wallpaper that had to cost more per roll than Adryan paid on his car insurance in a year.
The table was solid mahogany, with a linen hand-embroidered tablecloth.
Now Adryan knew how expensive that was. Madden had shown him the price of one, then chuckled when Adryan almost choked on his drink.
Over four thousand dollars. For one. He didn’t even bother to consider the cost of the silverware.
Picking up the menu, Adryan stared at it, trying not to notice how much everything cost, which he could have done if Theo’s phone hadn’t kept pinging. Several times before Theo glanced at it, frowned, then put it down.
‘Someone’s popular?’ Madden mused.
‘It’s nothing.’ Theo leaned on the table and looked at them both before asking, ‘So how is it going between you?’
Adryan put the menu down and smiled at Madden. His smile turned into a grin when he noticed the faint flush on Madden’s cheeks. ‘The distance is something to get used to, but we’re good,’ he answered.
Madden looked at him and gave him a soft smile. ‘We’ve agreed to take things slow.’
‘Not too slow, though.’ Adryan winked, causing Madden to shake his head as Theo and Eric chuckled.
‘You know, apparently absence makes the heart grow fonder…’ Eric wriggled his eyebrows.
‘And the ass grows desperate for a good fuck,’ Theo finished.
Adryan laughed as Madden glared at Theo, who merely smiled back at him. Eric rested his forearms on the table and cleared his throat. ‘Right. About this contract…’
Adryan sat back and watched the three men work together. He had learned how the three men operated after Eric once admitted Madden and Theo did the real work while he stayed in the background as the silent partner. Which he preferred.
‘Are you sure you want to go for this particular business? You know who will be interested as well.’
Eric shrugged, then leaned back in his chair. ‘I can handle him, and I have that business convention to attend before then.’ He picked up his glass of red wine and took a sip. ‘Hmm. Not too bad.’
‘Not too bad,’ Theo murmured. ‘It’s a 2012 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Over a grand a bottle and you call it ‘not too bad.’’
‘I’ll leave that to you, Theo. You’re the wine man.’
Snorting, Theo shook his head and glanced at his phone when it beeped again. A wrinkle developed between his eyes, then disappeared when he sipped his wine. ‘I like a nice glass every now and again, and one of us has to have some taste.’
‘Adryan dragged a man out of a burning car the other day.’ Adryan watched Madden and knew why he’d spoken.
He’d seen how Theo and Eric could poke fun at each other.
One time they’d disagreed about which was better, Star Trek or Star Wars, and ended up doing rock, paper, scissors to decide. Fun night. Not so fun morning, though.
‘I thought you were a paramedic?’ Eric asked as he swirled the wine in his glass. ‘Why were you running into a fire and not waiting for the people who get paid to do it to arrive?’
‘Because they hadn’t arrived, and the car was about to go up. He would have died if I’d stood watching and doing nothing. I couldn’t let that happen.’
‘No, I couldn’t either.’ Theo agreed. ‘Did he make it?’
‘He suffered severe burns on his legs, but he should make it. Burns take a long time to heal, and he has to be careful where infections are concerned. He’ll need skin grafts, but he should make a full recovery.’
Theo’s phone pinged several more times and Eric went to pick it up, but Theo got to it first. ‘What is going on?’ Eric demanded. ‘Who is constantly messaging you?’
‘Maybe I’m just that good in bed. They can’t leave me alone.’ Theo narrowed his eyes at Eric. ‘Or maybe it’s none of your fucking business.’
‘Theo.’ Madden said his name and waited for Theo to look at him. Adryan watched, remaining silent. ‘You can tell us. It isn’t just the phone. Did you think we hadn’t noticed how you’ve become quiet, checking your phone constantly, or how you hesitate when you leave work? What’s going on?’
Theo worked his jaw from side to side, and Adryan considered leaving. He didn’t feel like he should be there. These men had known each other for years and he’d only recently met Theo. ‘I can leave—’
‘No,’ Theo muttered. ‘I believe I have a stalker.’
‘What the fuck?’ Eric snapped. ‘How long has this been going on for and why haven’t you said anything before now? And what are they saying?’
‘I never said anything because of this very reaction.’ Theo sipped his wine and sighed. ‘I’ve been trying to find out who it could be, but I’m drawing a blank. Nothing.’
‘What are they saying or demanding?’ Madden asked as he glanced at Adryan, then Eric.
‘They are… descriptive.’ Theo winced. ‘Death threats. Quite inventive ones, too.’
‘Are the police involved?’ Adryan asked before Madden or Eric could speak.
‘No, not yet.’ Theo frowned. ‘It must be someone I’ve met or someone I’ve had dealings with.’ Shaking his head, Theo muttered, ‘Whoever it is has been able to get my personal number and email. The ones only a handful of people know about.’
‘You need to get the police involved and maybe some security. You know a bodyguard or something.’ Adryan watched Madden, and noticed how tense he’d become. ‘Do you know anyone who could come in and help while the police investigate?’
‘Yes,’ Eric ground out. ‘How long?’
Ignoring Eric, Theo said, ‘There is an agency I’m considering, and I’ll speak to the police tomorrow.’
‘For fuck’s sake, Theo,’ Madden snapped. ‘How fucking long?’
‘Just over two months?’
‘And you never said a thing to us?’ Eric slammed his hand on the table.
‘Stop.’ Adryan held his hand up. ‘I don’t think this is the place to discuss what’s happening.’
‘Tomorrow. We’ll get the police involved and you’ll call the security agency.’ Madden inhaled, then exhaled, and Adryan rubbed his thigh, feeling how tense it was. Madden glanced at him, gave him a quick smile. ‘While you do that, I’ll do some digging around to see what I can find.’
‘Thank you.’ Theo’s phone beeped again, and he switched it off.
‘Good call,’ Adryan murmured.
Eric sighed as he shook his head. ‘You should have come to us, but let’s move on. I’m sure the lovebirds will want to get back to Madden’s to fuck the night away.’
‘Eric,’ Madden groaned. ‘Why don’t we order some food?’
The mood didn’t fully recover, but Eric tried, and Theo let him.
The rest of the evening passed and by the time they made it back to Madden’s apartment, Adryan had a nice buzz going on. ‘I love you.’ He smiled at Madden, who chuckled.
‘I love you too, but I think someone needs to go to bed.’
‘Only if you come with me.’ Adryan kissed Madden, their tongues touching and sliding together.
‘Hmm. How can I turn an offer like that down?’
‘You don’t.’ Adryan took Madden’s hand and dragged him to the bedroom. ‘Come and rock my world, Maddy.’
Madden grinned and did just that.
The End.