The Golden Goose 2

The Golden Goose 2 

“You ready?” Angus asked as he stood propped casually against the doorframe in the room that had once been a closet and now served as Jared’s office. With the desk and filing cabinet, there wasn’t space for anyone beside Jared in his office, and even he was wedged uncomfortably between the desk and wall. Visitors had to stand in the doorway. Most of them hurried away, but Angus had been gently harassing him for the last fifteen minutes to pack it in.

“Almost done,” Jared said with false cheerfulness. He wasn’t close to done. Why had he ever agreed to go away for the weekend? He had several hours of paperwork that needed finishing; every box had to be ticked perfectly on every friggin government form, and his parents and sister were at home, depending on him. He didn’t have time for an outing to the countryside. His mother only liked to watch reruns of the 1960’s television dramas; Angus wouldn’t know that. This weekend would be a disaster. It was irresponsible for Jared to be jaunting off to the countryside.

“Come on. Finish up. You don’t want to miss your train.”

“Angus--”

“Don’t even start. You cannot back out now,” Angus said with a ready smile that made him look even more like a teenager. “The boss men will have my head, and trust me, it’s not worth it. Put your laptop in your bag, and let’s go.”

“There’s too much to do.” Jared ran his hand through his already tangled hair. He badly needed to get it cut. It curled when it got long, and it was now over his ears and brushing his collar. He needed to find time to get it cut. He’d wanted to yesterday at lunch, but he ended up supervising the residents and never made it out of the building.

“I’m sure it can wait ‘til Monday.”

“No it can’t,” Jared said, not lifting his eyes from his laptop.

“It will have to.” Angus reached across the desk and shut the computer before tucking it into the bag. “You don’t want me to have to call and tell Landon--uh, Mr. Graves--that I didn’t get you on the train. They have unique ways of making their displeasure known.”

“What are you talking about?” Jared watched as Angus flushed and swung Jared’s bag onto his shoulder.

“You don’t know? I’ve said too much. Ugh! They’re going to kill me.” Angus seemed to be talking as much to himself as to Jared, his speech hurried and disjointed.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Sorry. I’m really not insane or anything.” Angus smiled again. He really did have a charming smile, Jared thought distractedly. “Cranky tops aren’t my thing. Sugar! You don’t know anything about that. You didn’t hear me say that.”

“What are you talking about?” Jared asked again, becoming alarmed at Angus’s ramblings. He didn’t have time to go galloping off to the countryside, and he sure wasn’t leaving his parents to a half-baked lunatic.

“I must have breathed too much car exhaust,” Angus said with a shrug and a sheepish grin. “Don’t worry; I am responsible. Let’s get you on the train.”

Really? Jared thought, but didn’t say. He couldn’t go. It would be criminally irresponsible.

“Are you still here?” Charlotte popped her head around the corner, a gentle smile on her round face. She was dressed in an ink splattered blouse and worn jeans. One of their presses had jammed and disgorged its ink all over her as she crawled around trying to patch it together one more time. “I thought you had a train to catch?”

“I’m not going. There’s too much work here, and my parents...”

“Nonsense!” Charlotte said in the same brusque tone that always moved the most intransigent of their residents. “I assume this is the charming young man that has agreed to watch your parents. He seems more than capable.”

“You haven’t met him yet.”

“You haven’t managed to run him off. I take that as a good sign. He is hard headed enough not to be bullied by your need to do everything.”

“I don’t bully people,” Jared protested.

“No, not really.” Charlotte laughed. “You just manage to do everyone’s job twice as well as they do, and you leave us all frozen in awe at your competence. Take the weekend off. We’ll survive, and you need it. Monday morning we’ll have lots of new problems for you to solve.”

“I can’t get today’s solved.” Jared raked his fingers through his hair again. 

“You’re exhausted. I wouldn’t be standing if I did all that you do. Go on. I’ll drop by your house this weekend. Everything will be fine.”

“It’s two against one now. Do you think we can drag him to the car?” Angus asked, not hiding the friendly, teasing smile on his face.

“No need for dragging. Just take his laptop; he’ll follow that anywhere.”

Angus grinned and hefted Jared’s duffel, the laptop bag swinging from his shoulder, and walked out of the office. “This had better work. My head’s on the line if I don’t get him up there,” he said to Charlotte.

“Oh, it will work.”

“I can’t believe you told him to take my laptop,” Jared said as he watched Angus disappear around the corner.

“Go on. He’s getting out of sight.”

“Whose side are you on anyway?”

“Yours. You’re exhausted. I’ll keep an eye on your parents and sister. Everything will be fine. Go enjoy the weekend and be the big hero. Bring us back a million dollars.”

“Don’t remind me.” Jared wiped his hand across his eyes. “Rubbing elbows with the rich and famous is not exactly my forte.”

“You’ll do fine. The Graves guy has obviously already fallen for your charm as the exhausted and overburdened servant of the most needy. Go knock ‘em dead, and enjoy yourself too. That guy’s not bad looking.”

“He’s way too young, and he’s going to be taking care of my parents. There’s no way he’ll manage.”

“He’ll do fine, and he’s not that young. Didn’t you say he was in med school?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe I’ll take him out. My parents would approve of the young doctor; it fits their social image. I wonder if he has any interest in girls?”

“Why not?”

“Have you slept for the last three years?” Charlotte asked, her tone slightly exasperated.  “Everyone knows Mr. Graves and Mr. Lewis are gay. They run that organization featured in the documentary that won all those prizes a year or so back. Angus is one of their boys.”

“What?”

“The Boys of the Green Mountain. You do need to get out more, sweetheart.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“You are going to have an interesting weekend,” Charlotte said and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. 

“What do you mean?”

Charlotte laughed. She always laughed and smiled easily. Nothing ever seemed to bother her. “I think I’ll let them explain. They are much more qualified than I am. Go with it. It will be good for you.”

“I don’t think I like this. I shouldn’t go.”

Charlotte sidled into the tiny office and pulled Jared from his chair. “Have some fun for a change.” She kissed Jared on the cheek, far more demonstrative than Jared could ever remember her. “You deserve something for yourself. I’ll hold the fort down here. Now go before Angus thinks I lied to him about you always following your computer.”

Jared let himself be pushed and pulled down the corridor, out to the street, and into the waiting car. Charlotte waved to him, her smile bright and obvious even from the distance, as the car pulled away.

Angus kept Jared occupied on the way to the train station with running questions on Jared’s family. They were mostly about Jared’s parents, but he’d slip in an occasional question about Jared himself. Angus didn’t seem at any loss for words or smiles, but he deftly avoided talking any more about this mysterious weekend in Vermont, brushing Jared off with an “It’ll be fun.”

The car was nice, some sort of European sedan, very quiet with an impressive air conditioner. Jared was nearly cold in the vehicle as frigid air blew on him.

“You chilled?”

“A little.”

“It sure beats that thing you were driving. I like the two seater better, but this one’s nice too. It has a great engine. Rumor is that Landon, uh Mr. Graves, got a speeding ticket yesterday. They’ll be hell to pay if that’s true. His partner takes a dim view of that sort of thing, not that he doesn’t drive like a maniac also.”

Angus zipped the car into a slot in front of the station.

“Ticket. Hurry. You have five minutes. It’s platform three at the far end. Go.” Angus shoved the duffel and laptop at Jared and pushed him out the door. “Have fun!”  he shouted as he jerked the door closed and sped off.

Jared watched the car disappear into the rush of traffic. He was stuck now, or he could walk across the street and grab a cab. How would he explain showing up back at his house? His parents and sister would never know. He didn’t think they’d fully understood that he was going to be gone. He had responsibilities; they’d be confused with someone new in the house. What was he doing getting on a train? 

The overhead clock read five minutes until departure, and he could hear the muted announcements from inside, some half-garbled final boarding call. Jared moved toward the train. It was only for a weekend. He could do this. Everyone was always telling him he needed time off. What they didn’t understand is the mess he would find on his return. A few days off meant days of extra work.

He fumbled in his pants pocket for cash. Maybe he should just take a taxi home. He could see the line of yellow cabs waiting for fares.  He could send Angus back to G&L. Having a med student cum parking attendant watching his parents--what had he been thinking? They were his parents, and he shouldn’t be passing them off to some stranger like a well read book or an outdated electronic gizmo. But what about the grant? They needed that G&L money, more than he wanted to admit. The building was practically held together with duct tape and spit. Charlotte was counting on him; the residents were counting on him.

Jared let the crush of people move him onto the train, not actively striding forward, but not resisting either. He found his seat, pressed against the window next to a businessman with newspapers, briefcases, and every electronic gadget imaginable. Jared had been going to work on the train, but there wasn’t room with the fluttering papers and beefy knees. He shut his eyes, resting them against the afternoon sun.

“Sir, sir.” Jared opened his eyes to see the conductor bending over him. “This is the last stop. You need to get off the train.”

“What stop is this?” Jared asked, trying to clear his head, his eyes still heavy with sleep.

“This is Burlington.”

“I was supposed to get off at Montpelier.”

“That was two stops ago,” the conductor said. 

“Is there another train?” Jared asked, trying to keep down the rising panic. He didn’t have a clue where he was. The only thing he knew about Vermont was that it was cold in the winter and people went there to ski. 

“Not until morning. You must exit this train. It’s going out of service for the night.” The conductor made shooing motions with her hands. “The first morning train is at five am; you can buy a ticket from the vending machine.”

Great! He’d let himself be talked into this outlandish, foolish, harebrained weekend idea, and now he was stuck in a train station in some God forsaken city he’d never heard of. At least tomorrow, he could catch a train home. He’d have to think of some excuse for never arriving. It was rude, but Charlotte was good at smoothing things over. She’d think of something.

He slung his bags onto a bench and threw himself down. The station was quiet with only a janitor sweeping dust and dead bugs into a pile with slow lackluster strokes. Restless, Jared walked over to the vending machines and stood staring at the contents, considering a tired and mysterious cellophane wrapped sandwich or a bag of chips, but decided only on a cup of coffee. He watched the brown liquid trickle into the paper cup before lifting it and taking a sip. It tasted like muddy pond water. 

Jared propped his shoulders against the wall and sipped at more of the disgusting, tepid water. The coffee wasn’t even hot. He studied the map of Vermont Rail, trying to pass the interminable time until the first train in the morning. He rubbed his eyes, trying to chase the sleep from his body. How had he missed his stop? He was almost sixty kilometers from the correct station.  Of all the stupid things to do, and he was supposed to be a responsible adult. He should call, but it was just too embarrassing to contemplate. He couldn’t even manage the right railroad station; he’d never be able to manage a million dollar grant.

Lost in self-recriminations, Jared almost didn’t hear his cell phone. He grabbed it out of his pocket, punched answer, and grunted a reluctant “hello”.

“Jared, this is Angus. Did you wimp out and stay in Boston? I have people breathing down my neck that you didn’t show up.”

“No, I missed my stop.” Jared wasn’t in the mood for explaining or listening to Angus’s complaints about his failure to arrive at his destination. He’d gotten on the damn train; it wasn’t like he’d intentionally shirked his duty.

“Where are you?”

“Burlington.”

“Why didn’t you call someone to pick you up?”

“I didn’t have their number,” Jared said petulantly. 

“You had mine,” Angus snapped.

“Wonderful. You’re in Boston where I should be.”

“Sorry, dude, I didn’t mean to yell at you. I do get where you’re coming from. You’re embarrassed to admit you missed your stop. I’m the same way. It’s all right. We’ll get you sorted. How’d you miss your stop?”

“Sleeping,” Jared muttered. He wasn’t up to having a long chat with this guy. He didn’t understand half of what he was saying anyway. 

“Sit tight. I’ll make some calls and get you picked up.”

“I’m going to take the train back to Boston in the morning.”

“You are not spending the night at the train station. They’d kill me. Call me when someone shows up,” Angus said with unnecessary forcefulness. “Your parents and sister are fine. They’re all enjoying some awful TV program at ear splitting volume.”

Jared groaned to himself. He wanted to go home, but somehow he expected there was no escape. He’d have to make the best of it. “Fine. I’ll be here.” He clicked off his phone and grimaced as he took another sip of the coffee. He didn’t think any coffee could be worse than Charlotte’s. She didn’t drink coffee, and her brew tasted either like sludge or hot water-- both better than this delightful pond water.

It hadn’t seemed that long, certainly not the hour it would take to drive the sixty kilometers between stations when an older gentleman in a pressed shirt with initials over the pocket headed directly for Jared.  From the map, Jared knew he’d missed two stops, and now he was being rescued by someone who looked important.

“Jared Ruston?”

“Yes, sir.” Just the man’s unblinking, dark eyes made Jared scramble to his feet in an attempt at politeness.

“I’m Gordon Lewis. I understand you slept through the station.”

Jared didn’t study the financial papers, but even he recognized the name of Gordon Lewis. His statements about the markets were trumpeted across the twenty-four hour news cycle. Mr. Graves was a near celebrity; Mr. Lewis was world famous and acting as Jared’s personal chauffeur.

“It’s all right, boy. I was in the area. It only seemed logical for me to pick you up and not send a separate driver. Come.”

 Mr. Lewis turned on his heel and strode toward the door, not looking behind himself, of course expecting a peon like Jared to trail behind. Jared stood frozen, not consciously refusing to follow but unable to engage his legs. Mr. Lewis must have seen Jared’s reflection in the glass of the doors because he turned and with measured steps returned to Jared’s side.

“Despite my reputation, you are safe with me, my lad. I do not eviscerate lost boys on my first meeting. Come,” Gordon Lewis repeated, swinging the two bags onto his shoulder and placing a firm hand on the small of Jared’s back.

“I am not a little boy.” I long ago left school, and I'm certainly not a boy in the other meaning." Jared wasn't totally naive; he knew boy could have a different meaning, not associated with chronological age, a definition that made Jared hot with fury even to consider. Those boys needed a leash and frequent beatings to stay in line. Jared wasn’t an irresponsible maniac. He wasn't some crazy submissive who got his rocks off playing infantile game. No one was laying a hand on him. He didn’t find spankings, whippings, or whatever they did at all appealing. He’d rather walk across broken glass barefoot.

“Jared, being a man with submissive tendencies is not a flaw, and you, my lad, are one. Denying your true nature is a flaw." Gordon's eyes swept over Jared. "You're exhausted, distraught, and a blink away from tears. I've met many a young man in good and bad circumstances, and you, my lad, are a submissive. I don't need to see you at the feet of a leather clad dominant in a seedy bar to understand your true nature, and those type of theatrics hardly suit most submissives.  Now I have no desire to discuss this further in a train station. Come.”

“No, I’m not being bullied into some kind of crazy scheme,” Jared said, hearing his voice rising in panic. He needed to remain calm and in control. He needed to think; he had to get out of here.

“Steady, lad.” Gordon Lewis murmured in Jared’s ear. “I know this is a bit of a shock, but it will all look better after a good meal and a full night’s sleep.”

“I don’t need fed and tucked into bed like a child. I’m a responsible human being. You can take your money and shove it!” Jared shouted, backing away from Gordon Lewis.

“Oh, dear,” Gordon Lewis said mildly. “A full blown tantrum in a train station--most bratty boy like.”

“Shut up!” Oh my God, he just yelled at a man who had the ear of the President, the man who could buy a yacht with pocket change. They needed that money. No one wanted to talk about it, but without the money they couldn’t survive. They all stared at each other in meetings and pretended collecting cans for recycling and bringing in their own paper cups, coffee, and tea made a difference in the budget. You couldn’t plug thousands with pennies. 

Jared slumped against the wall and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself as he stood shuddering and gulping.

“Let’s do this in the car. It’s more private. We are beginning to attract the attention of the custodian.”

“I need to go home.” Jared rubbed fiercely at his eyes, trying to staunch the tears.

“In the morning. There are no trains tonight. I promise if you still want to go to the station I will personally drive you in the morning. Tonight you need a meal, a shower, and a bed.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Jared said, straightening up with a last swipe at his wet cheeks. He didn’t raise his eyes. He didn’t want to see the disgust in this man’s face from his childish display of temper and the waterfall of tears.

“You’re exhausted, young man. You haven’t the reserve to withstand any shock, and I’m afraid I was a bit of a shock. Landon obviously withheld some key information when he made these arrangements. We will clarify everything after you’ve had a solid night’s sleep.”

Jared let himself be led from the station and tucked into the front seat of the car with a pillow and a light blanket. He should have refused, but he was too tired to think straight. It was only after they’d driven several kilometers that he realized he should have insisted Mr. Lewis take him to a hotel. After Jared’s shocking breakdown at the station, no one was going to give money to any project he headed.

“Stop.”

“What?”

“You’re berating yourself for the incident at the station. I’ve watched many new boys in my day; I know the signs. You needn’t repeat you’re not a boy. I heard you in the station. Now, shut your eyes and sleep.” Mr. Lewis reached over and turned the radio on to a soft classical station. 

********

“Where’s Landon?” Gordon demanded as he strode up to the front desk at the lodge.

“I don’t know, sir,” the boy at the desk stumbled over his words, shrinking back on his stool.

“Drew, I’m not angry with you.” Gordon forced himself to smile. Drew was one of Milton’s hordes, and the boy was not resilient; an angry Gordon would have him sobbing for hours. 

“He’s in the common area, I think.”

“I want him here right now along with Milton.” Drew looked wide-eyed and close to tears, but he scuttled to obey. That boy was going to have to grow some backbone, or someone was going to take advantage of him. He looked perpetually guilty, and he failed to defend himself. Gordon would have to get Landon to work with that boy, but not until he sorted out Landon’s latest disaster.

Milton strolled in looking his usual calm self in jeans and some dreadful t-shirt splattered in multi-colored dye. Landon was right behind him and appearing apprehensive enough that Milton had caught his hand in a firm grip. That lad knew exactly what this was about.

“Your attire is most unusual. I see what happens when I’m away for the day,” Gordon said dryly.

“I wore a tie at dinner,” Milton said with the private smile that Gordon only saw when Milton was with close friends or over the edge submissives. Most of the tops wondered at his stone face; only the boys knew he smiled.

“I should hope so.” Gordon allowed his own private smile. Milton could manage Jared, and in that ridiculous getup he probably wouldn’t even scare the lad. “I have a young, exhausted, and terrified boy in my car. Would you sort him into bed while I deal with my own errant partner?”

“I didn’t realize we had new boy arriving today.” Milton said with the slightest lift of his eyebrows and a knowing look at Landon.

“Neither did I,” Gordon replied. “Landon seemed to have neglected to share certain vital information. I will be correcting that deficiency shortly.”

“I assume it’s the young man who missed the train station?”

“Yes, and Landon do not even pretend that you were unaware of Jared’s status as a submissive. Landon and I will be in the office if you should need us, Milton.” Gordon clicked his fingers at Landon and strode down the hall.

“Have I not been paying enough attention to you?” Gordon asked as he shut the door behind Landon. “I do not expect such behavior from you. I walked unprepared and unaware into a young man in full scale distress. This was neither kind nor fair.”

“I’m sorry,” Landon muttered, not making eye contact.

“Look at me. You are not a novice. You do not evade my questions.”

“Yes, sir,” Landon said in a tone between defiance and surrender, a tone that Gordon recognized as danger.

“Why did you think this was ever a good idea?” Gordon asked, moderating his voice. This had been more than pure defiance. He could see that in his partner’s body language. Landon sometimes needed to be a horror, but he rarely involved others in his games, and as a rule he was protective of young, naive boys.

“Jared’s a submissive, one of our boys.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“He’s at the end of his tether.”

“Let me get this straight,” Gordon said, sharpening his voice again, but not unsympathetic to his partner’s desire to rescue the poor boy. Gordon had seen the misery in those dark brown eyes and the exhaustion etched across the face. He’d seen the tears clinging to those long thick lashes and dotting the red cheeks; Jared was a boy who struck every top fiber in Gordon’s body, but kidnapping the boy under false pretense was unacceptable. They didn’t mix the Green Mountain Boys with the G&L Foundation. “You invited this young man here ostensibly to discuss a possible grant from the Foundation as a cover for bringing him into the fold of the Green Mountain Boys. Did you even vet his organization, or did you merely want to rescue the boy?”

“No, his organization deserves a grant. I wouldn’t do that,” Landon protested.

“I hope not, but tonight you have given me cause for doubt. I have never had cause to doubt your work. Do I have it now?”

“I didn’t compromise the Foundation’s work,” Landon said with cold fury. “I do understand the difference.”

“Don’t start with me, boy.” Gordon spun Landon around and landed six, full force spanks. “You do not intimidate me, my lad.”

Gordon saw Landon gulp, visibly shaken by the force Gordon had used. It rarely went this far anymore. Yes, he spanked Landon, but that was more by mutual agreement. This was going to be punishment, not fun nor a mutual expression of a difficult to describe need, but discipline that Landon both craved and resisted. Tonight Landon was resisting the punishment. They’d fought this battle often their first few years together, but it was rare now. Gordon must not have been paying attention. They were retired now; he should be enjoying his boy, not allowing him to spin out of control. With all of the youngsters galloping around, Landon had been in top mode for weeks; Gordon should have known they were treading in dangerous territory.

“Are you ready to talk to me?” Gordon asked, fighting to keep the levelness he would need to bring Landon back in line.

“There’s nothing to talk about. You’re going to spank me for breaking your frivolous little rules about separation of church and state. Get on with it, then we’ll both be able to get some sleep tonight.”

“Kneel.” Gordon pointed to the spot beside his chair. The chair rested on a thick rug; it wouldn’t be painful for Landon’s knees.

Landon knelt, his back rigid with defiance, his gaze fixed firmly on the floor. Gordon pretended to shuffle papers on his desk while surreptitiously watching his partner. Early in their marriage, this would go on for a half a day, now he expected a softening in thirty minutes.

Gordon was still watching Landon when Milton knocked softly and popped his head in the door. “I have him settled for the night. He was too exhausted to offer much protest. It looks like you’re in for a long night.”

Gordon nodded grimly. “It seems.”

“I am here,” Landon muttered. “It’s Gordon who’s making this a long night.”

“Silence, boy,” Gordon snapped.

“May I?” Milton asked.

“As you wish,” Gordon said.

“Landon,” Milton said so softly that Landon would have to strain to hear him. “I understand your motivations. Jared is a beautiful boy, and he cries out for help, but this was not a kindness. He’s a novice submissive, uninitiated in our practices, and now he mistrusts the people who are most able to help him. He’s exhausted and has little resilience. He’s not a Blade whom you can run over with a steamroller and he comes bouncing back for more the next day. I bullied him into bed; he was on the edge of tears the entire time, and I don’t think this is a boy who cries easily. He’s been pushed too far and too fast.”

“He needs us.”

“Yes, he does,” Milton said, “but he needed to be told about us, not dropped into the middle of our chaos. Landon, this wasn’t right.”

“Yes, sir”

Gordon reached down and stroked the now gray hair, drawing Landon against his leg, knowing his boy understood and accepted. “We need to be on the top of our game tomorrow. Let’s get this done. Thank you, Milton.”

“You’re welcome. Landon, be good.” Milton quietly left.

“I’m sorry.” The apology was genuine. 

Gordon wiped a tear from Landon’s cheek and drew him to his feet. “I am going to spank you.”

“Yes, sir.” Landon reached for his belt buckle with shaking hands.

Gordon stroked his partner’s back and gently batted Landon’s hands away as he, with practiced ease, lowered Landon’s pants and boxers. “Step out.”

“This hard?” Landon’s eyes brimmed with tears, and he ducked his head, leaning into Gordon. 

“Shh. We’ve done this a long time.” Gordon drew his partner between his knees and lowered him into position. “What is this for?”

“For deceiving everyone about Jared.”

“Young men are hurt when we are all not completely honest.”

“Yes, sir.” Landon squirmed, trying to turn toward Gordon. “I haven’t told Atticus.”

“You were matchmaking?” Gordon wanted to groan. Atticus had a difficult enough time acknowledging his own status as a top; he didn’t need a frightened submissive in denial about his own standing.

“Yes,” Landon murmured, dropping his head in acceptance.

“We do not mix G&L business with the Green Mountain Boys.” Gordon landed a spank to punctuate each syllable. “I do not want to lose Atticus because you are interfering with his life. He finds you incomprehensible as it is.” Gordon quickened the pace of his hand, covering Landon from hip to thigh several times before reaching for the paddle in the end table drawer. It was Milton’s: small, light, and devastatingly effective. It even tamed Zath minor for several days at a time. Gordon snapped the paddle down, bracing himself against Landon’s desperate writhing. Deliberately he covered both cheeks in punishing blows.

All Gordon could hear were Landon’s wrenching sobs as he dropped the paddle and drew Landon against his chest. Landon would want to talk later, but for now he needed held and a chance to cry in the absolute safety of Gordon’s arms.

The sobs softened to controlled sniffles, and Landon burrowed closer, his light stubble rubbing against Gordon’s cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“We’re done with that.” Gordon played his fingers through Landon’s hair. “I think maybe you needed that.”

“You would know.” Landon laughed feebly and winced as he shifted his weight. “You did it hard.” There was no accusation in the voice, just a statement of fact.

“Yes.” Gordon waited through several minutes of silence, continuing to stroke Landon’s hair and trace his fingers down’s Landon’s back, his fingers knowing the location of each vertebra and every muscle.

“What are we going to do about Atticus and Jared?” Landon asked softly.

“You will have the meeting about the grant money like normal civilized human beings. Milton’s the head of the Green Mountain Boys. It’s his call with Jared.”

“He’s very good,” Landon murmured. “He was mad at me.”

“No, I think he was disappointed in your actions.”

“Jared needs us.”

“Yes, he does, but it must be his choice. He’s a submissive, but that doesn’t mean he wants to commit to this lifestyle.”

“He’s hardly functioning.”

“Being overly tired is not a crime.”

“It’s more than that.” Landon raised his head, meeting Gordon’s eye. “He doesn’t know how to ask for help.”

“We will do our best to show him, but that is all we can do. Unless he gives us permission, we cannot handle him as a Green Mountain Boy. Landon, you know this. You’re the one who teaches it to the tops.”

“What if he won’t give us permission?”

“We try Tilden. He can sweet talk a boy into anything.” Gordon kissed Landon’s forehead. “I understand your concern for Jared, but it must be his choice as it must be Atticus’s.”

“They would be good together.”

“Perhaps, my boy, but you are not to interfere. Am I understood?” Gordon demanded, hardening his voice.

“Yes, sir.” Landon said in a strong voice before grinning sheepishly and snuggling against Gordon. “Are you going to carry me to bed? I think I deserve it.”

“No, brat. I would require a trip to hospital. That is a young man’s game.”

“So is being spanked this hard.”

“You deserved it, boy, and you know it. You’ll have to walk to bed on your own two feet.”

“If we stay here long enough, Milton will stop by. He can carry me.”

“Up. Bed. You don’t deserve our sympathy, my manipulative little boy.”