Don't... (24 page)

“Mr. Raoul on line two, Jack. Are you okay to take his call?”

“Put him through. Hold anything else until the line’s clear, okay.”

“Sure. Oh, and Steve wants to know if you want to add anything else to the BLT?”

“Just tell him something sweet, thanks,” I said, then flicked on line two. “Gray?”

“Morning.” He sounded tired. “I’ve had a call from Mr. Richards this morning.”

Tired and in business mode. I sat back heavily in the chair. “Go on.”

“Dom training is put on hold until you’ve been vetted by his doctor.”

As simple as that and I narrowed my eyes at the computer, then wiped a hand over my face. To be honest, I’d kind of expected it.

“Jack?”

“Here.”

“He’s had a lot to deal with over the past week, a lot to take in. This isn’t for you.”

I gave a deep sigh. “I know,” I said eventually. “Has he given a date for this test?”

“This afternoon at two. You have the option of tomorrow at four, but—”

“Sooner the better, yeah, I know.” Jan worked quick. I leaned forward and rested my telephone elbow on the table. “I’d planned today for the Strachan deal.”

“Ah.... It’s not unreasonable to request a delay in the test. Business should not be compromised.”

“No, it’s fine. I can reschedule.”

“Would you—” A break off. Was Gray smiling? “Would you like me to look into the opposition?”

Talk about men in high places. “My old man’s the main opposition.”

“All the same, I have a few departments at my disposal that could keep him... occupied.”

The sick factor in all of that caused a groan. “I hope to God you’re on about the tax man.”

Gray chuckled. “Why, does your father owe Inland Revenue? Because you know it’s my civic duty to report—”

“Oh-kay, this is where I say
nice knowing you
, Gray. And have a good
leave my old man the fuck alone
day.”

“Good to hear you laugh, Jack,” said Gray, and I didn’t realise I was until he said it. “That just leaves our boy Jan.”

Our
boy
? “Why? Do you have a department to handle him, too, or is it I’ll grab his arms, you take his legs, and tickle the fuck out of him between the two of us?”

“Because I’m the tickling type?”

Damn if I didn’t chuckle again at that. “Aww, you can bring your bag of torture-goodies just to look tough if you want to. Besides, you’re wicked with a feather, blindfold, handcuffs, candle wax. And Gray?”

“Mmmm?”

“Leave my secretary alone.” I started clicking through figures again. “You have my mobile 24/7. So the only reason you’re using a landline is—”

“You lost me at candle wax,” he was deliberately avoiding, not that I minded. “You’ve got a good eye, Jack. She’s very beautiful.”

“And too good at her job to end up locked in some room being tested out by Masters.”

“And you’ve asked her this?”

“Gray,” The warning was playful enough. “Leave my staff alone.”

“I promise I won’t touch her.”

“There are four other Masters.” I wasn’t dumb. “And the three hundred or so trained Doms, those fifty in training, and the six-hundred subs.”

“Point being?”

“Hands, and we’re talking collective noun here, off.”

Gray chuckled again. “Okay, Jack. Warning taken.”

“Did Jan leave an address for the doctor?” I asked eventually. I pulled my notebook closer and scribbled it down. It looked like an STD clinic more than Jan’s private doctor. Luckily it wasn’t too far. I could make it back to work for an hour or two afterwards. “Okay, I’ll be there for two.”

“Have copies forwarded to the usual, Jack. I like to know who’s testing mine.”

“Will do.” I expected him to hang up, but there was a moment of silence. And part of me was left unwilling to end the conversation despite it.

“You all right, Jack?” came eventually. “We never got to talk much after Ben.”

I shrugged. So what if he couldn’t see it. “The med team gave me the all clear. Just a few bruises.”

“And that ego?”

I choked on that. “I have an ego problem?” I made a pyramid of my eyebrows even though I knew he couldn’t see it.

“That head of yours.” That was a very abrupt change. “Any problems breaking away from Ben’s psychological pushing?” It was serious enough to sober me. “You told Jan you had ODD, and I need not mention the difference between childhood and adolescent diagnosis with you where conduct disorder is concerned. The stress got to you on a few levels with Jan.” Another of those silences passed; I could tell Gray wasn’t about to break it.

“’S’alright,” I said, then cursed for slipping back to colloquial. No, I didn’t need reminding about the differences between the two. ODD just seemed an easier childhood problem to live with, and one you could mostly outgrow. You couldn’t do that with CD. “Bad timing, is all.”

“Maybe,” said Gray, and I frowned. “You’re not so tough, Jack, Jan’s proved that. It’s good to see someone else bring that out in you. It’s good to see you trust someone else enough to allow it.”

“There was nothing good about it from Jan’s position.”

“He knew nothing about your world, Jack, yet despite everything that happened, he stepped in wholeheartedly, heart on his sleeve despite it being bruised, and made a commitment to you. You just have to learn to step back and see into his world for a while.”

“Hmmmmm. I’m wondering if he made that commitment too soon. We’d known each other barely for two days.”

“He doesn’t trust you enough to tell you why yet, Jack. You need to work at that.”

“I know,” I said quietly. Didn’t make it any easier not really knowing what made Jan do all of this.

“Are you questioning your own commitment?”

I didn’t even have to think about that, and despite the rhetorical intent of the question, I answered anyway. “No.”

“Even though you knew him for only a few days.”

The bluntness had the desired effect, but I still buried a bitter smile. “I’ve not always been the best judge of character when it comes to jumping in with both feet. Pretty shit comes more to mind.”

“Two-way contract, Jack. That protection is there for you too.” A pause. “It always has been. I’m not about to let either of you get hurt, well, unless it turns you both on.”

Was it any wonder I liked this guy?

“I have to go, Jack. I have an incoming call. Keep me updated.”

“Oh, Gray?”

“Shoot, but make it quick.”

“What happened with Ben? Did he show any signs of wanting to get the order back for blacklisting him to your clients?”

“No. He was actually pretty apologetic for the whole episode. Why?”

I told him about the tyres.

“I’ll get Mike to go over the CCTV.” He sounded a little flat now. “But I know he wouldn’t let something like that slip by. Are you 100 percent sure it happened on Jan’s property?”

I wasn’t. I could have driven for a few miles not realising I had a damaged tyre even with the onboard computers not recognising it. As for the dust cap. I let Gray know, and he sighed.

“Okay. I’ll still get Mike to check, and you let me know if anything else happens. If it’s not Ben, there’s every chance Keal and his idiots could be back on the scene trying intimidation tactics. I’ll run a check inside our community to see if anyone else is having any issues. Any further trouble, you call me.”

I told him I would and said my good-byes. I had a few hours left yet before my appointment, and I needed to knuckle down.

The clinic was tucked discreetly into a privately-owned estate just half-an-hour from work. Behind the immaculately-kept reception desk sat a pert twenty-something, didn’t-need-a-bra-to-hold-up-her-breasts, young woman. As a warmer welcome, her crisp lab coat, with the clinic’s name printed boldly on the pocket, was open at the top two buttons, revealing the over-tanned curve of firm breasts.

Focusing too much on the breasts, Jack. Move on.
“Jack Harrison. I have an appointment booked for two.” I said, deliberately keeping my eyes above chest level; I was gay, not blind, and certainly open to appreciating a good set of twins like that.

“Mr. Harrison.” I received a very knowing smile, and let’s face it, if I weren’t used to these checks, I’d have run out the door and hid under a rock thinking she’d maybe booked the appointment and knew exactly what I was here for. To add a further insult, she gave a rather deliberate bend down to check the appointment records. Oh, women were good at showing what you could have won if you’d have only been a good boy.

“Oh, yes. Please take a seat. There’s a coffee machine in the lounge. Please help yourself.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

I turned hearing Jan’s voice and made a lousy attempt at failing to disguise what went through my mind then. He couldn’t even trust me to get it done, had to come and make sure.

Peachy. Just real fucking peachy, Jan.

I spun in the opposite direction and went through to the waiting lounge. It was “nice,” loads of plants, two corner settees that blended (discreetly?) into the pastels on the wall. Between the plants and décor, you had a few good places to hide in here, which was just as well considering blonde-boob-job in reception.

By the clock on the wall, a nice square clock that seemed to will you to not keep checking it, I was ten minutes early, so I went and slumped on the corner settee behind the wall, well out of eyeing distance of the receptionist. Sulky? Yeah, I could do sulky. I was just glad no one else was here to see it. Mind you, at the cost of these private tests, they only needed one customer a day to survive.

“Here.”

Sat forward, elbows on knees, hands locked in a pyramid in front of me, I looked up to see a coffee mug held inches from my face. I took it without thanking Jan and had a sip as he sat next to me.

And there we were; he sat drinking his coffee, I sat drinking mine. And that was the longest ten minutes of my life.

“Mr. Harrison?”

I glanced back over my shoulder seeing the receptionist smiling back by the glass doors. Had she undone another button since Jan had come in? Like I needed this shit too.

“This way please.”

I put my plastic coffee mug on the table at about the same time Jan did and noticed he got to his feet too. Obviously not just content in making sure I turned up, he wanted to make sure I got pricked too.

Peachy.

The receptionist held the door for me and Jan, then took the lead and led us past the reception desk, into a room on the right. A knock, hearing a
come in
, we made our way into an office that could have easily eaten mine. And plants. More plants. Maybe Jan and Gray would interpret their greenery as a sign of vibrancy and health; I’d opt for trying to paint over the festering, pus-filled cracks.

“Mr. Harrison.”

I took the consultant’s hand quickly so there wasn’t that awkwardness with trying to figure out who he was supposed to debug, me or Jan. I liked this guy, though. He was much the same as any other health professional, shirt, tie, trousers, know-it all attitude, only he didn’t even seem to bother to try and hide his
next one please
demeanour. Fine with me. The sooner this was over, the sooner I could get back to work.

I took the chair on the left, closest to the door, and Jan pulled one from the corner and sat next to me as the receptionist made her farewells.

“Right.” The consultant already had the paperwork set out in front of him as he took his throne behind the desk. “You’re here for the STI profile 2.”

I glanced at Jan. “Meaning?” I said back to the consultant. He looked up and frowned.

“Didn’t my receptionist explain that package to you?”

“Yeah, I think she did. Kind of went over my head a little.”

He seemed happy with that, of course he would; it gave him chance to take a bow and bring on his Master’s in science. “STI profile 2 caters specifically for men. It offers a full package of tests including: Chlamydia, Syphilis, Urea and Microplasma, Hepatitis B, C, and herpes.”

Nice to know Jan was being thorough. “No Gonorrhoea?” It was meant sarcastically, but the consultant frowned and looked over his notes.

“I thought I’d mentioned that.” He finished fishing. “Yes, of course.” He offered a thin smile up at me. “All at an exceptional price of £275.00.”

No wonder there were so many plants on offer; you needed a reminder of a cannabis house and its ability to drug your bollocks off hearing that.

“When will the results be ready?” asked Jan, I could have told him forty-eight hours, that was the standard with a full package. AIDS could be done in twenty-four, but usually they came back all together. And that’s what the consultant told him.

“A few questions, then, Mr. Harrison.” He pulled out a questionnaire. “Are you active sexually?”

“Yes,” I said, ignoring the chastity cage between my thighs. Fuck. I hope he didn’t want to do a physical.

“Within the past two months?”

“Yes.”

“Same or opposite sex partner?”

Did this guy want to marry me? The bloody questions he was asking. “Same.” His non-glance up said he’d done this so many times before.

“How many partners within that time?”