We first introduced Joe in Someone to Keep Me. He was the Dom who came to check out Scott, who wanted someone to guide him. The truth was, Thomas and Leo knew Joe wasn’t the Dom for Scott. Our boy had his heart set on Ben, and Thomas and Leo used Joe to get Ben to see what he was about to lose.
The thing is, Joe never went away. He showed up a few times, mostly in things he yelled in the club, but Joe needed to have his happy ending too. To that end, KC got him together with Christian, the young man who was there when Peter was being abused by Curtis Rogers. Christian and Joe ended up together, but only tangentially. I wanted to give them a chance to have a little more to say.
“Boy!” Joe’s voice boomed in the quiet house. “Where the hell are you?”
Christian came out from the lounge. “You bellowed, Sir?” He grinned, and Joe stalked closer.
“Someone is feeling cheeky today.” He reached up and cupped Christian’s chin before leaning in to take a kiss. “Were you a good boy today?”
That drew a snort from Christian. “I’m always a good boy. My bossy Dom finds me stuff to do, just so I won’t leave the house.”
“What?” Joe gasped. “I would never do that.”
But he totally would. In all his years as a Dom, Joe had never met anyone like Christian. Whereas in the past, Joe loved to take a sub into the group room of Collars & Cuffs and share him with any Dom who happened to look their way, he couldn’t—wouldn’t—share Christian with anyone. Though they’d been together a few years now, he still couldn’t understand the protective streak he had for Christian.
“I repeat. Were you a good boy today?”
Christian heaved a sigh. “You know I was.”
And those were the words Joe needed to make his day complete. “I love you.”
That always made Christian’s cheeks pink, even years after Joe had first uttered the words. “I love you too, Joe.”
“What’s for dinner?” Joe asked, stripping off his jacket and hanging it on the hook.
“I made fish and chips,” Christian said, a note of pride in his voice.
“Ooh, I love your stuff.”
Joe could scarcely remember a time BC—Before Christian. It was as though his life hadn’t really started until the day he laid eyes on the young man standing before him. But Joe figured Christian could never be his. Joe’s reputation precluded it. When the two of them finally sat down to talk, Joe asked about a three month contract. Christian hesitated, then said he would, but he refused to be shared.
That was perfect for Joe. He didn’t want anyone else touching Christian. Ever.
When Thomas Williams, the co-owner of the club, said that Christian would be joining, a lot of people thought he must be daft. This was the guy who’d stood by and watched as Peter, Thomas’s sub, had been left with horrible scars on his back. Funny that so few people were willing to listen to Christian’s story. How he’d been told that Peter’s abuser—Curtis Williams—had said that Peter enjoyed it. Only…Christian still wasn’t convinced. He’d tried to talk to Peter, only to be told to stay away from him.
After the daring rescue that saved Peter and brought him to Thomas, Christian realized with abject horror, that if he’d stood up and done something, he could have helped, he was beside himself. He thought he needed to pay penance for what he’d done, despite what Thomas said. And then there was Peter himself. True, Peter blamed Christian for a time, but after he got to know him, Peter told Christian there was nothing to forgive.
Now the two of them weren’t exactly friends, but they were cordial to each other.
“Joe,” Christian whispered in Joe’s ear, then gave the shell a little lick.
“What’s up, you cheeky little bastard?” Joe asked, then turned and grabbed Christian’s head a moment before claiming his mouth in a harsh kiss.
“I missed you today.”
“You know you can go out.” Saying the words gutted Joe. If he had a choice, he’d lock Christian away in a high tower ala Rapunzel. He’d already been hurt, and Joe hadn’t been there to protect him. He knew it was foolish, seeing as how he hadn’t even known Christian then, but it still made him feel like he’d failed Christian.
Joe gripped Christian’s hand and pulled him to the couch. He sat, then tugged Christian into his lap.
“I know, but…. Truth is, I think about going out to do the shopping or whatever, and I get this ache in the pit of my stomach because what if you called? Or came home early? If I wasn’t there, what would you do?”
“I’d wait until you got home, then give you the spanking of your life,” Joe muttered as he nuzzled Christian’s neck.
“I’m serious.”
Joe sat back and smiled. “What makes you think I’m not?”
Christian curled up in Joe’s lap. “Do you know how I came to be with Curtis?”
He didn’t, and Joe never asked. “No.”
As he lay his head on Joe’s chest, Christian gripped Joe’s hand. “He was at a party I got invited to. Some friends and I went, and it was dull as dishwater. I wanted to go, but they insisted we stay a little longer. So I took a beer and sat in the corner, sipping it. Curtis came up and took a seat nearby, then he started to chat me up.” Christian sighed. “I was a bloody fool, you know? Here was this handsome guy, and he was talking to me! It didn’t take long before he had me eating out of the palm of his hand. He wanted me to go home with him, and I eagerly said yes.”
“Why?” Joe asked.
“Because guys like me didn’t get asked out by guys like him.”
“I’m sorry, you’ve lost me.” Christian started to sit up, but Joe tightened his grip. “Explain what you mean, Christian.”
The look on Christian’s face tore at Joe. He wanted to know what was going through his boy’s head, but at the same time, he feared what it would be.
“I wasn’t the best eater. I was…fat. I mean, if you’d compared me to the guys I had gone to the party with, I would have been picked last. Or probably not at all. Hell, a hand job would be better than—”
“Don’t you dare!” Joe snarled. “You listen to me, young man, and you listen well. You do not get to talk bad about yourself.”
“I’m not, I’m just telling you—”
“No, you’re talking bad. You’re saying you were fat, that no one would have wanted you. So you went off with the first guy who paid you attention. Well, news flash, Curtis Rogers preyed on guys with low self-esteem. He wanted people—like you, Peter, and Jeff—because it made him feel like he had power over you.”
“He did,” Christian whispered. “He would make me eat small portions of food, telling me that if I wanted a person to look at me, I needed to get rid of the flab. He also said I shouldn’t speak to people, because my voice was too high, too grating. There was nothing I did that wasn’t wrong somehow.”
“Then why did you stay?” Christian murmured something Joe couldn’t hear. He squeezed Christian a little harder. “Speak up.”
“Because he paid attention to me. You don’t know what it was like, having a handsome guy toss a few nice words your way.”
Of course Joe didn’t know. He’d never been a particularly nice person. Loud, obnoxious, and kept his heart closed off. It wasn’t until he’d met Scott and seen the way he desperately wanted to belong to Ben that Joe felt a crack in the ice. And that cold heart thawed completely when he met Christian.
“No, you’re right. I never said much beyond ‘thanks for a great fuck’ to anyone. But I can tell you one thing and I need you to hear this. I never once—ever—thought a person wasn’t good looking because they had a few extra pounds. What Curtis did was the same as a wife whose husband berates and chastises her, then claims it’s out of love. Look at what we have together. I never want to make you feel bad. I want to lift you up so you can see the entire world. I want you to have wings so you can feel like you have freedom to go out and make your mark.” Joe sighed. “I admit, I’d rather you stay home, because I’m afraid you’ll meet someone else, and they’ll whisk you off your feet. I’m always amazed that you saw me.”
Christian chuckled. “Well, your voice does carry.”
Joe nipped Christian’s ear. “You are my cheeky boy. The one I love, the one I need. Never doubt your place in my life, as I try never to doubt my place in yours.”
“Your place is rock solid, Joe. You’ve given me something I never thought I could have. A foundation for a better life. I wake up every morning, and smile, because I’m wrapped in your arms. I go to bed at night, and if you don’t pull me close, I feel bereft. I know Curtis didn’t love me, because the difference between what he did and what you do? Night and day.”
“You know, if you want to go out and find a job, or go to the club and be with friends, you can do that.”
Christian gasped. “And not be where you can find me easily? If you want me to get a job—”
“No!” Joe said, just a bit too loud. “I mean, no, I like having you here. You working would take time away from you taking care of me and me being able to take care of you.”
“Then no, I’d really rather stay home and care for your house.”
“Our house. Mine and yours. Your name is on the deed.”
Christian reared back. “What?”
Joe snickered. “Everything I own is yours as much as mine. Including my heart.”
The evidence was plain on Christian’s face. He was shocked.
“But…why?”
“Because you’re mine to take care of, and part of that is ensuring that you’ll always have a place to call home.”
Christian snaked his arms around Joe’s neck. “But I already have that place.” He kissed Joe. “And I don’t ever intend to leave it.”
“I love you, Chris.”
“Love you too, Joe.”
Joe’s stomach rumbled. “Now, about that fish and chips… And after, maybe we can continue this conversation in bed.”
Christian stood and frowned down at Joe. “I think we both know that if we’re in bed, we won’t be talking.” He grabbed Joe’s face. “At least not with words.”
One last kiss, and Christian headed for the kitchen, humming a happy little tune. Joe stood and went after his boy, thinking about the future that lay ahead of them.
One where he hoped they’d always be happy.