“Grandma? It’s Joel. Can I come stay with you tonight?”
Gabriel's lip curled up into a satisfied smile. At least one thing had gone according to plan tonight. Well, two things, if he counted all the time that fucking nitwit Davis was spending on the shoulder of the 101 with a broken-down car. Gabriel sat down behind his desk and clicked through the open windows on his laptop to pull up his email. There were about two dozen work emails that needed his attention since he hadn't gone into the office today, choosing instead to tail Joel to some estate sales around town. One email caught his eye, an invitation from an auction company for a pre-sale viewing of some dead movie executive’s estate. He scrolled through the pictures embedded in the email, eyes landing on a vintage Rolex that would look more than perfect wrapped around the wrist of his sweet Little Red. It wasn't a gaudy diamond-encrusted piece, but a simple-faced watch on a leather band. Gabriel wanted to see Joel wearing it and nothing else. The vision sent a rush of blood straight to Gabriel's dick and he groaned, pressing the heel of his hand into his groin. He would have to file that fantasy away for another day. Time was running out, and Gabriel had things to do before Joel's arrival. Gabriel clicked the television and sound system off and headed to the guest room on the other side of his condo. He pushed the door open and surveyed its contents, wanting to make sure everything was perfect. He had been collecting things for Joel, things that would make him feel more at home. It wasn't as complete as Gabriel would have preferred, but it would have to do, considering the circumstances.
Red bedding, check. It was Joel's favorite color. Top-of-the-line turntable in the corner, check. He loved how much Joel loved old music. Bookshelf filled with poetry and fiction, check. This did not make up the entirety of his collection, but would be a good start. New cell phone on the nightstand, check. Gabriel thought better of that one, and slid it into his pocket for a later time. He didn't want to overwhelm his Little Red on the first night. Gabriel walked over to the closet and slid the door open, grazing his fingers through the t-shirts which hung inside. His fingers lingered on one in particular, one that actually belonged to Joel. Well, they all belonged to Joel now, but this one did before, too. It was Joel's favorite, always the first one he wore after laundry day, sometimes worn twice. Gabriel imagined it was the one Joel had been looking for earlier on the security feed, and he smiled, thinking how happy Joel would be to find it wasn't lost after all.
Gabriel closed the closet and left the room, closing the door behind him with a firm click. He went into his kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine, then allowed his eyes one last inspection of his home to ensure he hadn't left out anythingtooincriminating. His eyes landed on the two green volumes ofLes Misérableshe’d picked up earlier in the day. Gabriel had been mere feet from his Little Red, and snaked out a hand to snatch the books while Joel had been distracted on the phone with… Davis. Gabriel curled his lip in a snarl at the mere thought of that toothy, blond-haired imposition. He set his wine down on the table and picked up the books, tucking them into a drawer on one of his side tables. They would make a lovely gift, but not quite yet. With the books out of sight, everything seemed to be in its proper place.
Gabriel cracked open his front door slightly before returning to the couch and his wine. Then he waited.
CHAPTER FIVE
Joel Finds Posh Lodging for the Night
Joel hated that he had to call his grandma so late on a Saturday night. They had spoken here and there since his parents had moved away, but they weren’t close by any means. He had stayed with her for a few weeks after graduation, but as soon as he’d found an apartment, he had moved out. He didn’t have fond memories of his grandma, either from his youth or the more recent past. She’d barely spoken to him the whole time he’d stayed with her, and he assumed she also took issue with his sexuality the way his parents did. To be honest, he was surprised she’d said he could come stay with her, but she had mumbled something about family being family before rattling off an address in Beverly Hills. He remembered the place, a cluttered condo in a moderate high rise on Doheny right below Santa Monica Blvd.
He pulled into the parking garage and searched out spot number 147, as his grandma had instructed him on the phone. From there, he took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor and headed to the end of the hallway. There was only one door on the wall to his left, farther down the hall, while the wall to the right had three doors, his grandmother’s being the one in the middle. As he knocked on her door, the delicate sounds of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons drifted out of the cracked-open door behind him. Joel looked over his shoulder and took a quick glance inside the palatial condo since the door had been left open. It looked like one large open floor plan space, and he could see the edge of a granite kitchen island, a sunken living area, and high white ceilings framing a wall of nothing but windows looking out over the city. He didn’t intend to be rude by snooping, so he turned his head back to face his grandmother's door as it was pulled open.
“Joel,” she greeted him, shifting her weight from arm to arm as she balanced on her walker. She definitely didn’t seem happy to see him. “Come in.” She indicated to her condo, opening the door wider. As she scooted herself back, the gust of air generated by the door opening hit him square in the face and he let out an abrupt sneeze. He twitched his nose up and down, trying to calm the itch, but he sneezed four more times in rapid succession. He took a step back from the front door, dropping his bag in the hallway.
“Bless you,” a man’s voice called from the open door behind him.
“Thanks,” Joel said instinctively before addressing his grandma, “Do you still have a cat, grandma?”
“Four cats, Joel. You know, for better company.”
“Fuck,” Joel muttered, looking down at his still-wet Converse he was now wearing with no socks. He had forgotten to grab socks from his apartment. What a shit show. “Fuck it. Fuck this!” he said, his voice getting louder. The door behind him opened farther, and the voice from earlier spoke again.
“Everything okay out here, Marilyn?”
Joel spun on his heels while simultaneously wiping his nose with the back of his hand. The man standing in the doorway of the massive condo was probably the sexiest guy Joel had ever seen. The stranger locked his dark brown eyes onto Joel and gave him a lingering appraisal from his wet shoes to his red hair. The man ran a hand through his dark brown hair and Joel observed a few grays poking through at the sides, but they only served to make him look more dignified, more responsible. Joel couldn’t look away from him. Even when his grandmother replied to him, Joel couldn’t force himself to shift his gaze away from the stranger across the hall.
“Good evening, Gabriel. This is my grandson. He needs a place to stay tonight because he's had some sort of catastrophe in his apartment,” his grandmother offered up in welcome. Joel was still frozen to the spot as the man reached out a hand in greeting. After what was probably fifteen seconds too long, Joel raised his hand and slid it into the man's grasp. Firm fingers closed securely around the bones of his hand and squeezed, immediately taking control of the gesture.
“Well, I was,” Joel croaked out, sounding hoarse, but he cleared his throat. “Well, I was going to stay here but I don’t think I can now. I’m allergic to cats and I can barely breathe standing in the hallway.”
“He’s gay, by the way. Maybe he can stay with you since he's like you. Since you're gay too. Birds of a feather, and such,” his grandmother blurted, sounding more apologetic for Joel being gay than she did about not warning Joel that her cat collection had expanded.
Gabriel muttered something Joel couldn’t catch, but he cleared his throat and said, “Of course he can stay with me, Marilyn. It’s not an inconvenience at all. I’d love to have him.”
“No, I couldn’t intrude,” Joel mumbled, breaking eye contact with Gabriel and then finding himself immediately resuming it.
“It’s not an intrusion, Joel. In fact, I insist.”
Joel didn’t have another option. It was either wheeze to death at his grandmother's, even though he noticed she had already shut the door on him, sleep in his car, or grow a pair and tell Gabriel yes.
“Alright, then. Well, just tonight. I had a flood at my apartment. I appreciate it.” Joel shook his hair away from his eyes, and miraculously, it stayed back. Gabriel smiled at him and squeezed his hand. It wasn’t until then that Joel noticed the man hadn't ever released him from the handshake.
“I’m Joel, by the way. I guess you knew that somehow,” Joel stated, pulling his hand free with some reluctance, which he acknowledged before shoving it to the back of his mind. He picked up his bag from the floor.
“I know whoyouare, Joel,” was the curt reply that Gabriel offered, with an emphasis Joel didn’t understand. “Anyway, come inside, I have a spare room all set aside for you.” Gabriel ushered him through the open door.
“For me?”
“Oh, well, you know what I mean,” Gabriel shared in reply, a smile cracking his lips. Joel was completely in awe of this man. He couldn’t put a finger on exactly what it was about him, but Gabriel exuded strength, confidence, and dominance like no one he’d ever met before. He spoke with purpose and Joel immediately understood that anything Gabriel said was to be taken seriously and without hesitation. There was something that seemed naturally predatory about the man, but Joel wasn’t threatened by the feeling Gabriel stirred in his belly. He wanted to wrap himself up in it and live there, which made no sense at all. He let Gabriel bring him inside, and when the door closed, he released a tense and anxious breath.
Joel looked around him as the door lock clicked into place. He looked over his shoulder and watched Gabriel securely turn the deadbolt and latch the chain.
“I appreciate this, you know. I’m having a stint of bad luck, it seems.” Joel honestly only wanted to be home in his own bed, but he also didn’t want his own bed to be floating on a river of toilet water, so it seemed this alternate plan would have to do.
