Chapter 1

1

Last week in October

Jim “Boy” Menetti’s perfect eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he piped the last of the cream cheese icing rosettes onto the three layered Carrot Spice Cake. Moving his dark brown hair from his eyes he looked at Brian.

“That’s perfect.” Brian Murphy examined the cake from all sides.

“I hope so, cub, tonight Reed and I will be together, officially, three years.” Jim bit his lush lower lip, and began chopping roasted pecans to decorate the sides. Brian watched him. Biting his lip was Jim’s tell. Something was very wrong in Jim’s world.

Jim threw a tray of pecans across the stainless steel counter.

“Here, make yourself useful and pick out three that are perfect for the top.”

Brian sorted through the fresh, roasted pecans in a furious search for three unblemished nuts. “What’s with you lately, anyways?” Brian asked. “I’m the nerd with the nerves. For someone celebrating an anniversary, you look kind of bleak.”

Brian was genuinely concerned. He wasn’t a gossip. Brian proved that on the memorable night Jim gave Brian a tour of Indiscreet, the Gay BDSM club to which both, he, Jim, and their partners Bear and Reed belonged. Something was afoot because Reed called Bear at the unheard of hour of seven a.m. on a Saturday. Reed knew that Bear liked to sleep in on Saturday mornings, and a Bear who had his sleep interrupted was one cranky Grizzly.

Brian cocked his head and waited for a response. He knew Jim needed to talk to someone and it looked as if that someone wasn’t going to be Reed. Brian watched his friend. If he didn’t talk to someone soon, there would be no lip left to bite.

“Spill!” Brian demanded.

Jim sighed. “It’s a long story.” He looked away from Brian and continued to chop the pecans.

“So, tell me already. It’s not like I’m gonna tattle to Reed.”

“I know, it’s just…”

Brian saw the moisture gathering at the corners of Jim’s eyes.

“Okay, sit.” Brian grabbed Jim’s arm and pulled him over to the end of the long stainless steel countertop. They were in the club kitchen which Jim ran like an emphatic drill sergeant.

“Want some tea?” Jim asked.

Brian saw the offer as the delaying tactic it was.

“Not really, but I’ll brew you some if that will help put a smile back on your face.”

Brian picked up the white porcelain teapot kept on the shelf over the gas stove and took it over to the commercial urn. Brian warmed the inside with hot water as he’d been taught and retrieved Jim’s favorite Earl Grey from the shelf. Deftly, he spooned the tea into the strainer. He then poured the water over the tea and brought it back with some sugar packets and two mugs.

“It has to steep…now spill.” Brian put his elbows on the counter and held his face in his hands. It was Brian’s seriously attentive pose.

“It’s Reed. Jack’s back.” The threatened tears began to fall in earnest.

“Who the hell is Jack?”

* * * *

Reed Davis was a big man. The Parisian Club Chair upholstered in antique leather had been custom made to fit his six-five, two-hundred-twenty pound frame. Its twin sat on the opposite side of the fireplace where his best friend, Bear Drummond sat sipping on a cup of fresh brewed Kona coffee. Bear knew Reed had made the coffee himself, which was unusual in itself. He saw Reed pull out his stash of fresh blueberry scones. He had to have asked the chef to make them the night before in anticipation of their talk. If Reed got Bear out of bed on a chill October Saturday morning, he knew to make sure there was plenty of Kona coffee and blueberry scones on hand. Reed ran his hand through his close trimmed blond hair. Bear could see that Reed was unsettled by watching him twitch. It was something Reed only did when he was about to confront Bear with something unpleasant. He fidgeted. Bear looked over his cup and caught the intense stare of grey eyes boring into his own green ones.

“So what is so important that you had to see me right away and deny me my morning blow job?”

“It’s complicated…”

Bear sipped his coffee and bit into the scone.

Reed and Bear went way back. They both grew up in the Chambersburg area of Trenton where Reed’s British parents settled after emigrating to the US. Bear went into real estate right out of high school while Reed had gone on for a degree in Hospitality Services from the University of Delaware. Bear gave no indication that he was also gay with the same proclivities as Reed until Reed returned from college. As soon as they could put the money together, they entered a joint venture to establish a high class BDSM club, Indiscreet, where Bear, except for training Doms, remained largely a silent partner.