Okay the usual stuff that nobody reads. This is a gay story with lots of gay sex. If you aren't supposed to be here, leave. The work is mine and unless you ask you can't post it anywhere else. I have no clue if any member of Westlife is gay, so this is all my fantasy. Email me at rye_encoke@hotmail.com to tell me what you like or hate.
The author wishes to acknowledge and thank the archivist for Nifty for allowing this story to be published here.
Authors Notes: Hope you enjoy this chapter...lots happens. Got lots of emails about last two chapters mostly positive. Just started a new job with training from 2 to midnight so my writing time has been cut way down....trying desperately to keep up but not sure how I will do...patience is appreciated.
DEDICATION: With love to my two boys David and Glenn. Love ya both with all my heart.
- The Meeting -
A knock on the door roused everyone and Liam stuck his head in.
"Sorry guys, but security called, they are on their way up."
Everyone quickly stood but Rye raised his hand.
"Sorry my boys, I want you in here. Jill and I will be out there and you can listen on the speaker but I want you safe in here," Rye said.
The boys all nodded and sat back down. Rye went and quickly kissed Mark then left to the outer room. He did not sit at the table but sat instead with Jay and Andy and two of the other lawyers. At the main table sat Joanne, Jill and the rest of the lawyers. Soon the door opened and in walked a small group of men.
Rye looked each of them over with curiosity. Rye figured he would know each man as Joanne had done extensive investigation into the company. The first man through the door was Alan Edwards President of the record label. Not much older than Rye, he was a good business man and Rye figured was going to be the trouble-maker here. He would have something to prove.
The rest of the suits were various vice-presidents, lawyers and accountants. Rye knew each of them by the pictures in the folders he had. Joanne had prepared full folders on each man in the company, along with a company folder. Inside each folder were the various documents on financial status, mortgages, investments, loans, and property each man held. The information Rye would use to bring them down if he needed to. God he hoped it would not go that far.
The last man in was an older man who, like Rye, sat in the back. Rye's heart pounded. He knew this man as well, William Edwards, owner of the label. Now Rye was really worried. He watched as William scanned each face in the room but did not blink as William looked at him. But he knew he had been found out. As soon as William looked at him a small smile crossed his face and he simply looked away, no longer interested in anyone else in the room.
Joanne cleared her throat.
"Gentleman, in front of you you will see a copy of a document signed by the members of Westlife giving me full authority in all discussions to take place here today. I understand Liam has briefed you on the reason for this meeting today. Do you need further clarification?" Joanne asked.
Alan stood and looked directly at Joanne. "No ma'am we don't. I would like to read a statement if I may."
Joanne nodded and inside prepared herself for the battle.
Alan began, "It is with deep regret and sadness that we must part with the group of men known collectively as Westlife. It is unfortunate that we could not mend the rift that has, unknown to us, grown over some time. Our time together with this group of young men has been profitable, not only financially but also in other ways that are more difficult to express. We regret any actions on our part either intentional or otherwise which may have led to this parting. We do not wish to make this parting uncomfortable or more difficult than necessary and wish to maintain a good relationship with Westlife and their new label in the hopes of future collaboration. In this spirit we waive the buyout clause for the next year's contract. We present a detailed list of expenses and transfers of equipment needed by Westlife to fulfill their commitment to the end of their current tour. This transfer will be immediate and not reliant upon receipt of payment. We trust Westlife and know them to be honorable men. We further impose no penalty or exact any profit. We wish Westlife our best in their future endeavours and look forward to future dealings with both Westlife and their new label. Signed Alan Edwards President."
Alan handed the statement and a list of expenses over to Joanne who, despite being the consumate professional, was sitting there mouth agape. She quickly recovered and looked over the page. The total cost was going to be just under 5 million and included buses, equipment and the costs for the advertising and miscellaneous expenses for crew.
"This is unexpected," Joanne finally said.
"I know, isn't it," Alan laughed, "Look, basically we hate to see them go but we know they have to. Keeping them to the contract would not be good for anyone. This way we hope that in the future our two labels can co-operate in some ways. Booking tours so they don't overlap as much, letting artists work together. That kind of stuff."
Joanne just nodded.
"And frankly, we know who Mr. Encoke is, and we're scared shitless." Alan laughed nervously. "We know what he could do to us and by doing things this way, if we don't make a friend at least we don't make an enemy."
Rye had sat quietly but his eyes flicked to William, who nodded slightly to him and winked.
"This should be acceptable but it is bad business. You are making nothing here. I would like some time to confer with my client. I am not sure if this is what he really wants," Joanne hesitated. She knew that Rye was fair, and she also knew that his reputation was causing these men to feel bullied and he would not want that. She also knew that he would not want the boys to think they were worth so little. She was stumped as to what to do, she would have to move into the other room to talk to Rye privately.
Behind her Rye stood. He had never meant to take part in this meeting but he felt he needed to. He looked briefly over Joanne's shoulder at the statement of expenses then looked at Alan.
"Good afternoon gentleman I am Rye Encoke." Alan suddenly looked shaken while William smiled widely as his guess was confirmed. Rye continued, "I know that myself and the boys appreciate this more than generous offer. However, I am concerned, no upset, that my reputation has brought us to this point. It was never my intention to have thinks work this way. If it had come to a fight, it's true I was prepared to destroy you all."
Here Rye tossed the folders onto the table with all the personal information of each man in the room.
"But I want you to know I was willing to pay just about anything to accomplish this. So let me make a counter offer. We will pay all the expenses listed here and pay on top of that the original buyout cost. That is just under 55 million dollars gentleman. I want you to know why I am doing this. I know that fear may have been the motivator behind your offer, but there was honor and a genuine care for the boys too, here Rye looked directly at William. Those are qualities I respect. My own honor would never allow me to accept an offer made out of fear. So we will pay the 55 million. As for future working relationships between our companies, I think that sounds promising. If you have your accountants give the banking information to John there we can transfer the funds immediately."
Nobody moved for about 30 seconds. Finally William stood and walked to Rye.
"Mr. Encoke I am honored to meet you. When I found out who we were up against I admit the knowledge of what you did in South America nearly made me wet myself. I worked too long and hard to lose it all. Now I see I was wrong. What you did back then was totally different from this situation and had to be done. I am sorry I misjugded you, you are truly a man of honor. I hope you believe me when I say that we would have negotiated fairly and come pretty close to the figure you quoted us. We accept your counter proposal." William extended his hand to Rye who shook it warmly.
An accountant got up and went to the table to give the banking information to Rye's accountant and the transfer of funds was completed.
"So tell me truthfully. If we had fought you how high would you have gone?" William asked with a grin.
"Truthfully? You could have asked for ten times what I offered and would have gotten no argument," Rye said with a mischevious grin.
William raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer, "Mark is a lucky man."
Rye was shaken and William saw it.
"Don't worry the secret is safe. Not because of what you could do to me, but because you are a man worthy of respect and you have mine," William assured.
Rye relaxed and nodded.
"Now tell me," William grinned fiercely, "what could you have done to me if we had forced the issue?"
Rye's smile faltered, "You sure you want to know?"
William nodded. Rye picked up the folder off the table that was labelled with the company's name. He showed the folder to William who read it and blanched.
"Shit," William said, "How long would it have taken you to do this?"
"4 days," Rye answered softly.
Rye handed him another folder with the name William Edwards on it. William openend it and his face went white as he read it. He closed the folder and handed it back.
"Thank God you are a man of honor," William said shaking his head in disbelief at how narrowly they had escaped.
"Okay that's it. Everything is signed and done. The boys are ours starting today. Thank you gentleman it has been a pleasure," Joanne said.
"Thank you. We look forward to working with you in the future. Good day Mr. Encoke," Alan said and the group left.
As the door closed their was a collective release from those in the room.
"Fuck that was stunning," Jill said and everyone laughed at her way of expressing exactly everyone's feelings.
Rye sat in a chair and buried his head in his hands. The boys would have heard everything. He would have to explain to them about South America and the drug cartel and the lives he destroyed.
"Rye hun?" Jill said as her eyes fell on him.
Rye stood with tears in his eyes and left to the waiting room. He opened the door and saw the boys sitting around the speaker with their mouths open. In other circumstances he would have laughed. In other circumstances. He approached them slowly.
"My boys," he began, "I guess I need to explain about some of the things they said about me."
Shane stood and wrapped his arms around Rye.
"You need to explain nothing. We know what kind of man you are and whatever happened in the past will remain there. It is not something we need to know or want to know," Shane said firmly.
The other boys joined Shane in the hug but one was missing. Mark had stayed seated. Rye looked at him and fear gripped his heart. He went and knelt in front of Mark.
"Fella?" he said softly, waiting for the rejection to come.
"My Angel you saved us," Mark said softly as he reached out and gently stroked Rye's face.
Rye broke down and lay his head in Mark's lap. Mark stroked his hair and comforted him. Rye felt the other boys come close and reach out to touch or stroke him. After a period of time Rye calmed down. He looked at the faces around him.
"I should really tell you what they meant about South America," Rye said.
"You can if you want to Angel, but it really doesn't matter at all to us. We gather that you had to do some pretty nasty stuff but we also know your heart is pure and your love for us is unbreakable. Whatever you did had to be done and we don't need to know about it now or ever," Mark said.
Rye nodded, "Can I not tell you then. I hated doing it and the thought that I may have had to do it again was killing me."
The boys just nodded, realizing that Rye was willing to sacrifice part of himself for them again. They all felt their love for him grow. A knock on the door made them turn. Jill opened the door and came in.
"Everything okay Angel?" Jill asked.
"Everything is fine. I can't believe it went so smoothly," Mark answered for Rye.
"Yep. Money makes the world go round. But in this case two men who care more about their honor made our little world," Jill said. "Liam says we should get back to the concert."
"Alright boys lets go. You better put on a show. Tonight's concert is the first one under your new label. Joanne has some papers to sign and tonight you are working for yourselves," Rye said as he stood. His eyes flashed and sparkled like nobody had ever seen before.
The boys walked out and were greeted by everyone with handshakes and hugs.
"Well boys, looks like I work for you now," Liam waved a piece of paper around that had the specifics of his temporary contract covering the rest of the tour.
"And as soon as they sign these papers that will be true Liam," Joanne said as she held out a handful of papers and a pen.
Shane took the pen and without even reading anything signed where it was indicated on the five pages.
"You really should start to read stuff you sign Shane," Joanne smiled.
"I do, except when Angel has something to do with it. Then I don't need to," Shane grinned as he handed the pen to Bryan.
Soon the papers were signed and witnessed.
"Okay well just for your information then. This paper," Joanne held up the first page, "makes you equal partners in the new record company, this one partners in Rye N'Coke club, this one the loft, this one the cabin, and this one this hotel."
"What?" Mark nearly shouted, "You snuck those others in Angel. We are gonna have to keep an eye on you after all." Mark threw his arm around Rye's waist and pulled him close as only a lover would do, he just didn't care anymore who saw him. He was pretending like he was upset, but in truth was almost deliriously happy.
"Okay I can understand the loft, and the club is sort of going to be part of the company. I can figure out why the cabin. But this hotel? First off Angel...wow...you own this place? But second... why?" Nicky asked.
"Cuz it was the place where it all happened," Rye shrugged.
"Would you gentleman like to take a look at your approximate net worth?" John asked.
Rye frowned a bit but nobody noticed as the boys looked at the paper John had slid over to them.
"So we divide this figure by seven?" Kian asked since the five boys, Rye and Jill were all co-owners.
"No that's already been done. That figure is for each of you," John smiled.
The boys were stunned.
"Fuck me," Nicky, Bryan and Shane had spoken in unison.
This brought laughter from everyone in the room.
"Hey what's the new company called?" Bryan asked.
Rye blushed as Jill jumped in with a wide smile, "Angel Studios of course."
The boys all broke out into laughter as everyone left for the concert arm in arm.
- New Beginnings -
Paul and Trevor woke in each other's arms as they felt the jet touch down. Soon Jason came back and smiled.
"Well here we are. As soon as we have pulled into the private hangar we can get you off to your new home. Listen boys I don't know what your life has been but I sense it was bad. Put it all behind you and start over. Here you are going to be safe and loved and looked after," Jason tried to put as much feeling and warmth into his words.
The boys nodded, "We decided before we took off that this was a new beginning for us. We owe the boys so much?" Trevor said.
"The boys?" Jason asked then added, "Never mind, obviously some of Rye's friends. There will probably be a car waiting for you if I know Maria at all. Good luck boys I hope we meet again."
Jason had stood and opened the door to the jet as it came to a rest and the engines cut off. The boys got up and grabbed their single bag and left the plane to see a petite woman standing next to a car smiling widely.
They approached her and asked, "Are you here for us?"
Maria laughed and took the boys into her arms and felt them tense up. Inside her heart broke as she realized how little love these two had in their lives. "My babies you are home now. Let's get you into the car and off to your new apartment. I had all of Jill's stuff moved out and furnished it a little more masculine. The extra bedroom I turned into an art studio. I don't know what kind of art you do Paul but the boys mentioned it so I figure once you see it and tell me what you need we can get you settled with supplies."
Maria was talking constantly as she put the boys' bag in the trunk, got them settled in the back seat and started to drive.
"You refurnished the apartment. How did you manage that so fast?" Trevor asked.
"Grabbed a bunch of people from work to move stuff out while I sent a couple of the guys to shop. The stores delivered it all. It's amazing how much you can do when you have a couple dozen people helping out," Maria smiled.
"Maria we are never going to be able to pay this all back. We need a job and we want to go to school. We can't afford this," Trevor said.
"Ah yes about that. Okay here is what Rye has set up. You both are recipients of the first ever Angel Studio's scholarship. It provides a place to stay free of charge and up to 6 years in the school of your choice. We have jobs for you at the club and we can work your schedules around school when it starts and make sure you share shifts so you can be together at home. The scholarship provides for any supplies for schooling and also a living expense. It's not necessary to work at the club but we would all like it. It would give you a family. Anyone who works at the club eats free, so that is a bonus as well. So what do you say, wanta stay?" Maria asked with a smile.
In the back seat the two boys had begun to cry and hold each other. Maria looked back and saw this, "Oh babies, whats wrong?"
Trevor managed through his tears, "I i it's just so unbelievable, all of it. What did we do to deserve this?"
"You were friends to the boys. Friendship goes a long way here. Once your schooling is over Rye will help you get jobs in your field, probably with one of his own companies. You have fallen on good times boys. Here is your money for this months living expenses. Work at the club will not be paid work but like I said it gives you a place to belong and family. The kitchen at the apartment is fully stocked. If you boys need anything you let me know. If your expenses aren't covered let us know and we can look after it."
In the back seat the boys held each other.
"Want to go right home or want to stop at the club and meet some new family?" Maria asked.
The boys looked at each other.
"I can't believe it but I would actually like to go the club and see it. I just feel so happy," Trevor said.
Maria smiled and slipped in a Westlife cd as she drove to the club with her new charges humming along to the songs.
- Angel's First Concert -
Everything went by in a daze, the boys were giddy and silly. The meet and greet had everyone in stitches. Everything was going perfect, right up to when the opening act was set to go on. The announcer had announced the act for the evening and as the 3 man band ran out on stage the lead singer tripped and knocked himself out.
"Geez what are we gonna do. It's gonna take an hour for makeup and costumes. The audience is gonna get nuts," Bryan said.
"They already are. We have had two reports so far of fights. Security is working extra hard to control the crowd," Liam said.
"Can't you just play a cd or something?" Jill asked.
Everyone looked at her like she was insane.
"Okay guess not," she smirked.
"Things are getting serious. Let's forget the costumes and go out in street clothes and minimal make-up," Nicky said.
Everyone nodded except Shane.
"Or..." Shane smiled.
Everyone waited as Shane looked at Rye with an evil grin.
Rye suddenly realized what Shane was thinking, "No."
Shane just smiled and began to nod.
"No Shane. I can't do it. I have never done anything like that before," Rye argued.
"Oh God yes. Angel can go on," Bryan smiled widely as he caught on to what Shane and Rye were talking about. "Sue get in here and slap some make-up on Rye."
An older woman ran in and took in the scene. She quickly realized the man protesting and being undressed by Shane and Bryan was her victim and started to apply make-up.
"Put him in Nicky's leather pants. Get Bryan's white silk shirt, it'll be too big. Leave it untucked, he will be so sexy," Mark was calling above Rye's protests.
"Liam run and tell Matt we need Rye's guitar, then go make the announcement," Jill called out as she struggled with Rye's pants.
Liam smiled at the organized confusion and ran to do as he was told. In a matter of ten minutes he was in the control booth. The lights went low and the stage lit itself up.
"Ladies and gentleman. We apologize for the wait. Due to the accident earlier Ladie's Gents will not be performing tonight. Instead we present Angel," the voice spoke into the arena.
There was no applause and many boo's. A single spot hit the center of the stage as Rye was raised on a platform. He was seated and held his guitar in his hand.
Rye's heart was pounding. He figured if he just ignored the audience he could do this. He probably only needed to do a song or two.
"Geez," he thought, "what song will I do?"
When the platform stopped he realized he could not even see the audience. He closed his eyes and played the first thing that came to him. He began to strum the guitar to a familiar tune. The crowd was so loud Rye was sure nobody was hearing him.
Maybe it's intuition
But some things you just don't question
Like in your eyes
I see my future in an instant
And there it goes
I think I've found my best friend
I know that it might sound more than a little crazy
But I believe
The crowd had settled and Rye knew they were listening now. He closed his eyes and put all the love he felt for Mark into the song.
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
There's just no rhyme or reason
Only this sense of completion
And in your eyes
I see the missing pieces
I'm searching for
I think I've found my best friend
I know that it might sound more than a little crazy
But I believe
The crowd was absolutely silent now, it was eerie. Backstage all movement had stopped. Crew, security and even Liam stood with mouths agape as the magic of Rye's voice bespelled them.
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
A thousand Angels dance around you
I am complete now that I've found you
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
The silence when Rye finished was deafening then the crowd lost it. If Rye had thought he would have to sing again he was wrong. The crowd would not stop cheering or applauding for 15 minutes. By that time the boys were ready to go on.
- The Show Must Go On -
The boys had heard Rye as he began and even being used to him now they could tell something was different. They felt it. They all turned to Mark and knew that Rye was singing of his love for Mark and Mark knew it as well.
"He loves you so much Fella," Bryan smiled.
"I know," Mark sighed a deep sigh of contentment.
They continued to listen and realized with a little worry that there was no sound from the crowd. They looked in wonder as they passed by people who seemed to have stopped in time as Rye's voice took them over. It looked like a scene from a sci-fi movie. One guy stood with a donut halfway to his open mouth.
They looked out at the audience and could see people mesmerized by the beautiful sound of Rye's song. As Rye finished the audience did not react for a long period of time then pandemonium. They would not stop. Rye just stood there unsure of what to do.
Finally Shane grabbed a marker and a big piece of cardboard and wrote on it. The boys waved and shouted and finally Rye looked and saw them and started towards them then saw the sign they held up. He smiled and nodded and went back to center stage.
Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's
Always tomorrow
The crowd had gone silent as soon as Rye had started to sing, but went nuts again when the boys stepped onto the stage in white suits with long white jackets and joined Rye.
Lean on me
When you're not strong
I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride
If I have things
You need to borrow
For no one can fill
Those of your needs
That you won't let show
You just call on me brother
When you need a hand
We all need somebody
To lean on
I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me
When you're not strong
I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
You just call on me brother
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
If there is a load
You have to bare
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me
Call Me
If you need a friend
The crowd was wild.
"Ladies and gentleman let's hear it for our Angel," Bryan shouted into the mic and amazingly the crowd was able to get louder. Rye smiled and waved as he left the stage.
He turned and watched as the boys began their show. He did not notice the way people around him looked at him, looks of awe and wonderment. Almost immediately Ed and Matt were beside him along with Jill and Liam.
"Rye that was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. You were thinking of Mark weren't you." It was a statement not a question and Jill's eyes sparkled as she said it.
"Of course. Was it really good?" Rye asked uncertainly.
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph," Liam exclaimed, another Irishism he had picked up from the boys, "was it good?..was it good he asks...was it good..."
Rye and Jill watched in amusement as Liam wandered away repeating the words over and over again and gesturing wildly. When he had disappeared backstage Rye and Jill turned to watch the boys.
Matt and Ed looked at each other and silently communicated that from now on Rye was theirs to protect.
- The End of the Night -
The boys had just finished their second encore and the crowd was cheering for more. The boys were drenched in sweat but were extremely hyper and were bouncing around with excitement.
"One more please Shane," Bryan begged.
"Alright one more," Shane had given in immediately, also on his concert high.
"What will we do?" Nicky asked.
"I know, I know," Bryan jumped up and down. He grabbed Rye and Jill by the hand and bounded onto the stage. The boys following behind the stunned Rye and Jill.
"Bry boy what are you doing?" Jill asked in a terrified voice as the sound of the crowd hit her. There was no way Bryan had heard her.
At center stage he handed a mic to Rye and one to Jill. He leaned in and shouted into Rye's ear. Rye actually threw his head back and laughed. Whatever it was he thought it was going to be fun.
Rye stepped forward and held his hand up for silence. The crowd quieted and soon the entire arena was silent.
Rye closed his eyes and put his head back and began:
ooooooooWHEEEEEEEeeeeeEEEEEEEeeeee um mumawe
The echoes reverberated around the arena and the crowd cheered. Rye smiled and did it again.
ooooooooWHEEEEEEEeeeeeEEEEEEEeeeee um mumawe
The boys smiled and took up their parts.
A wimawe A wimawe A wimawe A wimawe
Rye raised his voice to a falsetto and began to sing the words. Jill came in with a piercing high note that made the hair on Liam's arms stand on end. Again the boys were getting lost in the song and adding their own sounds. The audience loved it.
When the song was over Rye announced, "Thank you all, you have been a great audience. We loved performing for you and will cherish this particular concert forever. Thank you for letting us sing for you tonight. Goodnight."
Everyone waved and left the stage heading to the dressing rooms to shower and change. They were all laughing and talking and nobody noticed the looks that Rye was getting. Immediately after leaving the stage the group was once again in the middle of the walking wall.
"Angel thank you so much for performing with us tonight. It was the best thing ever in my life," Bryan gushed.
"He's right Angel, I can't think of anything that has meant so much to me. I mean you saving us, and loving Mark and sharing with us, it's all wonderful but tonight was indescribable," Kian said.
"Thank you my boys. I was terrified but at least now I can say that I have performed on stage. It was a great experience," Rye said with excitement.
"Now you can open all our shows," Bryan said.
Rye stopped dead. "No. I mean no I won't be doing it again. This was just one time in an emergency. You already have opening acts for the rest of your tour."
"But Angel," Bryan begged, "it was wonderful. The acts could still open then you could go on and sing a song and then we could do our theme song. Then you could close with us again. It's so perfect."
The others just watched Rye. He could see in all their eyes they wanted this. And not just the boys, Jill, Ed, Matt they all wanted it. When he thought about it he realized he wanted it too. Rye hadn't realized they were walking again until they came to the dressing room and everyone entered.
He sat down and was quiet as he thought it all through. Jill and the boys watched him, the boys taking turns in the shower. When he finally came back to himself he saw that everyone was watching him, Bryan still with wet hair as he had been the last in the showers.
"Alright," he said softly. The boys cheered and rushed him to hold him. "We are gonna have to figure out how to explain me at interviews. And I will not be doing any interviews at all, ever."
"That's easy. We make an announcement on Saturday on MTV about our new label and you are a new talent from that label. We say we have been working with you for a short time and added you to the tour when the label bought out our contracts. At this time you are refusing interviews," Shane said simply.
Everyone nodded and Rye had to agree it would probably work. Just then Matt knocked and came in.
"We have a problem," he stated, "the bus is blocked by fans. They are going nuts and we can't disperse them. If we don't get on the bus soon though we will get seriously behind schedule. What do you want to do?"
"Could we call the local police?" Rye asked.
"They have been called but the traffic from the concert letting out is making it difficult. They have no idea how soon they can get here," Matt said.
"Let's just put up the wall and walk us out. Once the bus starts moving they will clear out. If need be we can put security on the ground outside to push people out of the way of the bus," Rye said.
Matt nodded and the boys got up to follow. Immediately they were surrounded by the wall of security and headed to the doors that would lead them to the bus. When the doors opened the sounds of the crowd nearly knocked them over. This was not a crowd that was excited, this was a riot. Rye felt suddenly that they had made an error but had no time to back out as security began to move them to the bus.
Hands were reaching for the boys as the group literally moved forward by inches. Suddenly Bryan screamed out and was pulled into the crowd somehow.
"Help! Angel!" Bryan's voice called out and then a scream of terror and pain.
Rye didn't even stop to think, he threw himself toward where Bryan had disappeared into the crowd and saw him on the ground as people tore at his clothing. Without pause he threw himself onto Bryan and hugged him in tightly trying to protect him with his own body. He could feel his own clothes being ripped from him, he could feel the hands grabbing and scratching. He heard familiar voices behind him and then several screams of pain as Ed, Matt and several other security pushed and punched their way to the two fallen men.
Rye was lifted up and watched as Matt lifted Bryan. Bryan was not moving and looked to be unconcious. Most of his clothing was gone and there were visible cuts and bruises on his body and his right hand was dangling at an odd angle. StrAngely, Bryan's necklace that said 'Rye's Boy' was still there.
The crowd had quieted a bit and was now being held back by arena security which had somehow managed to get to them. Quickly Ed, who was carrying Rye, and Matt with Bryan boarded the bus.
"Take us to the hospital, Bryan is hurt," Matt said.
Rye's world seemed to spin at these words and he collapsed in fear and guilt.
- Ed's POV -
This was a mistake. This was much worse than they had been led to believe. Where was arena security to control the crowd? Suddenly there was a scream and the world went into slow motion as Ed turned and saw someone reach out and grab onto Bryan who was yanked from the security circle. He disappeared into the crowd shouting for Rye to help him. Turning he saw Rye react and fling himself through security into the madness then go down in the crowd.
Reflex took over as he shouted for Matt and threw himself into the crowd. He shoved and punched at anyone or anything that got in his way, one time literally lifting someone out of his way and throwing them into the crowd. Then he was there, Rye had thrown himself onto Bryan and was trying to protect him from the crazed crowd. Ed's heart broke as he saw people tearing at both the men, leaving scratches and bruises. Behind him he heard more of his security team. He saw Matt suddenly beside him. He picked Rye up and threw him over his shoulder as Matt did the same to Bryan. He noticed Bryan's right hand had been hurt, probably broken, and cursed to himself.
The crowd had quieted. Between the security throwing punches and the sight of the two obviously hurt men the crowd realized that something was wrong and was moving back. Arena security was there now as well. They made it to the bus and Matt said they needed to get to a hospital. He felt Rye moan like a dying animal and his body go limp.
- The Boys POV -
"Help! Angel!" The boys turned at the sound of Bryan's call for help and saw him briefly before he fell in the crowd. Instantly Rye had thrown himself into the crowd and soon went down as well.
The boys all cried out but were suddenly moving very quickly as security pushed them into the bus. They watched as Ed, Matt and 6 or 7 other security waded through the crush. They were clearly men on a mission as they pushed and sometimes threw people out of their way. The boys all sighed as they saw Ed throw Rye over his shoulder and Matt do the same with Bryan.
They moved back as the two men came in with their burdens. As Matt lay Bryan down they could see that most of his clothing had been ripped off and he was bloody and bruised, but his medallion winked brightly in the lights. Rye was in only a little better condition. When Matt said they needed to get to a hospital everyone heard Rye make a sound like he had been wounded and then pass out.
- Bryan's POV -
This was crazy. This was way worse than what they had been told. If Rye had known it was this bad he wouldn't have left the safety of the arena. Geez they are close.
Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his wrist and he was yanked out of the security wall. He was pulled into the crowd as security moved forward.
"Help! Angel!" he cried out and then he fell. There were people grabbing at him all over, tearing the clothes off of him and scratching him. He moved his left hand to clutch his precious medallion. His right hand was throbbing with pain and he screamed as someone grabbed his hand again.
"I can't die. Not now. I have Boyo and Love to worry about, and Sweets and Fella and Beauty. And Angel, oh Angel I need you now," Bryan thought to himself and suddenly there was Rye. He felt himself covered by Rye's body as he tried to protect him from the crowd. Relief and pain suddenly combined and he passed out.
- Guilt -
Rye woke slowly. He was in a hospital room, that he was sure of. He looked around and saw nobody. Guilt and fear washed over him.
"They've left me. I let Bryan down and they've left me," Rye thought to himself and began to sob those deep heart wrenching sobs.
The door opened and Mark and Shane came in. Seeing Rye awake and in obvious distress they went to him. Mark actually got on the bed and wrapped himself around Rye.
"Oh Angel, it's okay, you are fine. Everyone is fine," Mark held onto Rye tightly and kissed his neck softly over and over. Rye felt Shane take his hand.
After a few minutes Rye choked out, "I thought you left me cuz I let Bryan get hurt."
Mark sat back and looked at Rye with horror and hurt in his eyes.
"Angel I will never leave you," Mark said forcefully.
"WE will never leave you," Shane corrected.
"Angel you have to get over this. Nothing is ever going to make us leave you. Bryan is fine, he is getting a cast put on. His right hand is broken, but he wouldn't even let them fix him until he saw you were okay. He is asking for you constantly," Mark said with a slight smile.
"He's not mad at me?" Rye asked like a little child.
"No my Angel, he was going to not even let them fix his hand until you were awake. Let's go see him and you can see for yourself," Shane smiled and stood aside as Mark helped Rye to stand.
"You are a little banged up but you are fine. I think it was stress that made you pass out," Mark said.
"I heard Matt say Bryan was hurt and I wanted to die, then I passed out," Rye said.
Behind him Mark and Shane exchanged looks. The depth of Rye's emotions and feelings for them was staggering sometimes. They left his room and Matt and Ed who had been standing outside walked with them to another room just a few doors away that was flanked by more security.
As Shane pushed the door open Rye saw Bryan sitting on a table with plaster being applied to his hand.
"ANGEL!" Bryan shouted and flew off the table to hold Rye tightly. Both men began to cry.
"I thought you would be mad at me because I let you down," Rye said.
"I thought you were mad at me cuz I got hurt," Bryan said.
"You both are silly. Now Bry boy hop back up on the table so we can get your hand finished up," Nicky said with a smile.
"I'm sorry about everything," Rye said again.
"Angel if you apologize one more time I am gonna smack you," Shane said. "None of this is anyone's fault. You think it is yours, Bryan thinks it is his, Ed and Matt are ready to resign. God it was a stupid accident. Let's just move on."
Everyone looked at Shane, the exasperation evident in his voice and face. Rye sighed deeply and let it go.
"Alright then. Let's get Bry boy fixed up and back on the road. Has Liam called through to cancel the interviews tomorrow, we are going to be running too late and won't be able to do them?" Rye asked.
"Yeah he did that on the bus. He cancelled all the weekend interviews as well and set up a single special interview with MTV for Saturday afternoon," Kian said.
"Good. I assume he wants to make the announcement about the change in label then?" Rye asked and everyone nodded. "Let's also plan on talking about Bryan's accident, appeal to the fans, make them feel guilty about what happened. I don't ever want this kind of thing to happen again, I was so scared something really bad had happenend."
"I knew it would be okay, I mean not at first, but after a couple of seconds. Marg and Johann told me and I finally remembered it," Bryan said.
"What?" Everyone asked at about the same time.
"I asked them if Rye was really an Angel and they said he was our Angel and that when I needed him he would come from a crowd and save me. And he did," Bryan blushed as he suddenly remembered the words of the couple.
Before anyone could comment further Liam walked in.
"If either of you ever put me through that again I will smack you both," Liam said with anger then he wrapped Bryan in a tight hug.
Everyone watched in amusement. When he released Bryan the nurse who was making Bryan's cast spoke up, "I am sorry, all this love is very nice, but if you all don't leave this is going to take hours."
Everyone laughed and made to go.
"Can a couple of them stay?" Bryan asked.
The nurse rolled her eyes but nodded.
"Boyo, Love please stay with me?" Bryan asked.
His two lovers nodded and came back to where he was. Nicky hopped up beside him and held his other hand while Shane hopped up behind him and hugged him from behind, rubbing his back and shoulders.
Outside Rye sat down heavily and Mark sat with him.
"Okay my Angel?" Mark asked as he took Rye's hand.
"Yes. I am sorry about earlier. Freaking out like that. I know you all will never leave me but sometimes I get scared," Rye admitted.
"I know you do. We are going to spend this whole weekend together just holding each other and the boys and strengthening our bond. Okay my lovely Angel?" Mark asked.
Rye nodded and smiled. He leaned over a bit and lay his head on Mark's shoulder and soon was fast asleep. He did not feel Mark pick him up gently and carry him to the bus or tenderly undress him and lay him in his bunk. He did not feel the tender kisses of all the boys and Jill. He did not feel Mark slip in beside him but he must have sensed his presence because he immediately snuggled up to him.
- The Morning After -
Rye woke up and realized he was in a bunk on the bus. He could hear people talking but couldn't figure out who it was, he didn't think whoever it was was actually on the bus, maybe just outside. Stretching he climbed out of the bunk in his boxers and went to the lounge, checking the other bunks on the way. There appeared to be nobody here.
The voices he heard were actually coming from the tv in the lounge that someone had left on. He was surprised to see images of the concert the night before and turned up the volume.
"...unknown singer wowed the crowd. This reporter, who was present at the concert, can only say that it was absolutely amazing. The phrase 'the silence was deafening' finally made sense. After the man called Angel finished his one song there was a silence in the arena that was almost frightening. When the crowd finally reacted the applause went on forever until the man, taking some cue from offstage, began another song in which Westlife joined in. The concert proceeded after that and the audience was on a high the rest of the night. The concert ended with three encores and the man Angel finishing the show off with Westlife and an acapella rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight that this reporter doesn't think he will ever forget."
"Thank you Harvey for that report. As exciting as the concert was, the aftermath was just as exciting if not in the same way. The pumped up crowd surrounded the bus for Westlife and the group had to fight it's way through, literally. Apparently Bryan of the group was pulled into the crowd and injured. The man Angel and soon the rest of security rescued Bryan but not before he suffered many cuts and bruises and a broken hand. No response yet from Westlife. In related news, rumours fly in the record industry that Westlife has left their previous label and been signed by a new entertainment conglomerate. A special live interview on MTV this weekend is expected to confirm these rumours. Now for the weather."
Rye clicked the tv off and sat back. He turned as Jill entered the lounge. She sat down beside him.
"I am so mad at you and at myself," Jill said quietly as she took Rye's hand. Rye waited for her to continue. "I am mad at you because you could have been so hurt and I would have been devastated. I am mad at myself for being mad at you since I know you could have done nothing else when one of your boys was in trouble."
Rye smiled and took her into his arms. Neither of them cried, they were both empty of tears by now, but they held each other anyway.
Finally Rye let her go and asked, "Where is everyone?"
"On stage. They are doing sound check and rehearsals now so that the day will not be too stressful. They had to drag Bryan off the bus because he insisted on being allowed to kiss you goodbye and the others wouldn't let him in case he woke you," Jill smiled.
"Well let's go find them and have something to eat. I am starved," Rye got up to get dressed and Jill followed.
- Taking a Vote -
The boys were finished and were sitting on the edge of the stage just relaxing.
"You know I love you right?" Bryan asked to Shane and Nicky suddenly. Silently on the other side, Mark and Kian got up and walked away to give the boyfriends some privacy.
"Of course," Shane said as Nicky nodded.
"When I was pulled away into the crowd, I thought I might die, and my first thoughts were of you two. Sometimes I wonder if you know I love you both so much I would give up my life for you. I worry that you think I love Rye more, that I want to be with him instead," Bryan said quietly.
Bryan's two lovers moved closer and wrapped him in their arms.
"We know you love Rye, we do too, but we also know you are in love with us. You do have a special relationship with Rye that the rest of us don't though," Nicky answered.
"That's right. I think the love between you two is along the same line as between Rye and Jill. Mark is a little above that and the rest of us a little below. But there is such a small difference nobody feels left out," Shane mused.
"I'm sorry if sometimes it looks like I love him more," Bryan said sadly, "I will try to not hug him and stuff as much as I do."
"Don't you dare," Nicky said forcefully almost angrily.
"Not even for a second," Shane said just as forcefully, "We don't ever want you to feel guilty about love. And if you ever start treating Rye differently because you are under the mistaken impression that it hurts us when you love him, we will beat you."
Bryan smiled at this.
"Bryan our lovely boy. Nobody could understand the feelings we all have for each other. I don't think that even we completely understand them. But like Mark and Rye can share themselves with us, we can share you with Rye. We know Rye feels differently towards you than the rest of us, and you feel differently towards him. But we aren't jealous, how could we be when we love him too. We love you and your love for us is strong. Don't try to think too hard about it or worry about it okay. Just let's all love each other as much and as strong as we can. That can never go wrong," Nicky said.
Bryan clung to his lovers, "I do love you both so much. Like I said, when I was being hurt my very first thoughts were of you two. I thought I was going to be taken away from you."
The trio noticed that Mark and Kian were back now. The group stood and held onto each other, sharing strength between them. This is how Jill and Rye found them. The two just stood and watched the boys as they held each other and comforted each other. Finally Jill cleared her throat.
"Can anyone get in on this hugging or is it just for boyband boys?" She asked.
"They wouldn't let me kiss you this morning," Bryan complained as Rye jumped onto the stage and helped Jill up.
"Well that was just wrong wasn't it," Rye giggled as he pulled Bryan to him and kissed him sweetly then just held him.
"I knew you would come for me Angel. I love you," Bryan said softly.
"And I love you. What was the group hug about?" Rye asked.
"Nothing really. I just wanted to make sure my boys weren't jealous of how much I love you. I didn't want them to think they were second best. You and them share me equally," Bryan confessed.
"They are okay I hope. I couldn't love you less and I would hate to not be able to hold you like this," Rye admitted.
"No they are fine. I said I would try to love you less and hold you and kiss you less and they threatened to beat me so I think they are okay with it," Bryan giggled as Rye released him.
Rye smiled and took Mark into his arms pulling himself close.
"Thanks for caring for me last night my Fella. Did you guys see the news today?" Rye asked.
Everyone shook their heads no.
"Apparently I am the newest mystery in the musical industry. Your concert last night appears to have taken on mythic proportions. The rumor is out about the change in label. And Bryan's injury is also known," Rye did a quick recap.
"Yeah Rye's right. Most of the entertainment news is revolving around who Rye is and the rumour you left your label. I am thinking that we should cancel all future interviews except for the MTV saturday one. Otherwise it's gonna all be questions about him and that could lead us to where we don't want to go," Liam said as he walked to the group from the side.
"Yeah. Let's tank the interviews. We will do Saturday's then let the world wonder. It will be cool," Nicky said.
Everyone looked at Rye who in turn looked at everyone.
"So I guess this is our first company meeting. Are there any arguments against Liam's suggestion?" Rye looked around.
"Well then let's vote. Usually we need majority vote so in this case we need 4 votes to pass it. We are voting for tanking the interviews. Who agrees?"
Rye quickly raised his hand followed by Nicky and Bryan. Jill paused a long time but finally raised her hand. Shane, Kian and Mark thought about it even longer. Finally, almost as one, they all raised their hands.
"Okay that was too slow. Let's discuss it a bit and take another vote. Why did you guys all hesitate?" Rye asked.
"Well it seems like a good idea, I just wanted to run through some possible negative responses. I couldn't really find any, it just took me a bit to go through it all," Jill admitted.
"Same here," Kian said.
"I did the same. I also thought about how it might take us out of the public eye a little quicker than we want. But I figure that once we decide to go public with Rye and Mark, we will have more publicity than we can deal with," Shane said.
"I'm sorry my thoughts were very selfish. I worried that by so quickly jumping out of the spotlight it might encourage people to look more closely at us and it worried me that others may find out before we are ready. Then I realized I didn't really care. If someone found out tomorrow it wouldn't matter to me any more," Mark said.
Rye nodded, "Okay all good reasons. Anyone want to talk about what was said here?"
When nobody said anything Rye let out a little sigh. "My boys I know this is new to you, but don't be scared. We all are doing this together and I don't want anyone to be pushed into things. So we will let this vote stand. But how about from now on we do a unanimous and secret vote. It will take all 7 of us to do anything. And I will hold my vote until I am convinced everyone else is comfortable with their vote. How does that sound?"
Everyone smiled and nodded.
"Good now let's go grab something to eat I am starved," Jill said.
"Yeah, mexican," Bryan said.
"Alright, but you are sleeping out in the hall tonight," Rye laughed.
"Okay, okay drive thru burgers then," Bryan pretended to sulk.
Rye leaned over and kissed Bryan again then grabbed Mark's hand as the eight of them walked to a van.
"Let's grab the food and go to the hotel. I think our new buses arrived last night. You guys are gonna freak," Rye smiled.
Everyone piled into the van and drove to a local hamburger joint. Liam pulled up and asked for orders. Everyone started to yell their orders out then started to laugh. Then they did it again. By now the boys could hear the laughter in the voice of the person on the speaker.
"Come on guys, be serious, what are we ordering?" Liam said sternly. The boys all looked at each other and started calling out their order again and then burst out laughing.
Liam gave up and ordered for everyone. As they drove up to the window they could see the smiles on the faces of those inside. Liam handed over the cash and a handful of autographed cd's and drove off.
"You guys are terrible," Liam said trying to sound serious. Eventually he let a smile creep across his face and allowed himself a chuckle.
They drove for a bit before pulling into the parking lot of a very exclusive looking hotel called the Celestial Dragon. It looked like a huge Japanese Pagoda.
"Jesus this is where we are staying?" Kian asked.
"Only the best for my boys. Besides I own this one too. From now on we stay only in the best and that means I own them. We have the top floor with a private pool. It's a penthouse suite with all the amenities and then some," Rye smiled.
The boys all looked at each other then said in unison, "Love you Angel." Rye laughed as he remembered back to the time on the beach when it had been jokingly decided that instead of saying 'thank you' all the time, the boys would substitute 'love you'.
"And there are the new buses," Rye pointed.
- Living in Luxury -
The boys gaped. There were 4 black and silver buses in the lot of the hotel. On the side of each was painted the band's name and their portraits. Three of them were standard buses that would hold security, management and other personnel that traveled with the boys. But the fourth bus was what drew everyone's eyes. Where the regular buses were about 40 feet long this bus was at least 70 feet long, maybe longer since it was as long as the equipment trucks, and in fact the cab of the bus was separate from the main part of the bus.
"What the hell is that?" Kian asked.
"Our home away from home. It belonged to The Rolling Stones. I bought it a couple of months ago, never realizing I would actually be using it, and had it refitted this week. Inside are three full bedrooms, with real king size beds. The lounge has a big screen tv with satellite. There is a full kitchen and a full bath with a real bathtub. There is also a quiet room at the back of the bus. Wanta go see it or go up to the room?" Rye asked already knowing the answer.
"Let's go see it," said 7 voices which included Jill and Liam.
They pulled to a stop in front of the buses and saw the security surrounding them.
"The other three buses are pretty standard but the lounges are similarly equipped to ours. Liam, Matt and Andy, Ed and Jay will be on one, 8 more security on the second and the rest on the third. Once its time for you to go back on the road we will figure out if we need more buses or what to do with other personnel."
Rye led the group onto the bus. It was like walking into a luxury hotel. The furniture was real wood, the carpet plush and soft. The lights were soft and subdued. The kitchen had a real stove, microwave and full size fridge. The dining area had a full size table with real chairs. Jill opened the drawers and cupboards to find china, silverware and glasses. Nicky had noticed the wine cupboard and opened it to find it fully stocked with rare and expensive wines including 6 bottles of the Blanc D'or.
The boys gaped as Rye led them through to the lounge. It was huge with pictures on the walls, a stereo system, big screen tv and all the current game consoles. A bar was in a corner, 3 sofas and 4 chairs filled the room. The lighting was a little brighter here since one side of the bus was a full size picture window. The windows of the bus were all one way, you could see out but from the outside all you saw was a dark screen.
Rye smiled as he led the boys down the hall to the first of the bedrooms. Opening the door he moved inside. The bed was huge and took up a good portion of the room, but you could still move around inside. There were two bedside tables with lamps, a full dresser and closet. There were windows in this room as well but they were permanently darkened so there would never be a chance of anyone seeing inside.
Leaving the room and walking further down the hall Rye opened the door to the bathroom. Inside was a double sink with mirror, a toilet a bathtub and a shower large enough to easily accomodate 3 people.
Closing the door Rye continued past the remaining two bedrooms to the end of the bus and a smaller room. The room held 3 love seats and was dimly lit by 2 corner lamps. All the walls were windows and were easily seen through from inside but nobody outside would see in.
"This room and all the bedrooms are soundproofed. Sounds from the rest of the bus and from outside are nearly impossible to hear. There is a bus wide intercom if need be. Emma, say hello to the boys," Rye smiled.
"Hello boys, welcome home." the voice of the computer responded immediately.
"She works here exactly like at the cabin and the loft is going to have her installed as well. All security protocols work and the bus will lock down as well," Rye said, "Well what do you think?"
The boys were speechless. Rye could actually see them struggling to come up with something to say. He chuckled and watched as everyone shivered. Now that he knew what it did to them when he chuckled he enjoyed doing it.
"Which room is ours?" Bryan finally asked.
"Doesn't really matter, they are all identical. Anyone have a preference?" Rye asked.
"Would you guys mind if we had the last one, near the quiet room?" Mark asked.
"That's fine with us," Shane said as he looked around at his boys.
"Do you two have a preference for either of the last two?" Nicky asked of Jill and Kian.
Jill and Kian looked at each other and shrugged.
"Okay can we have the first one. I like the colors in it. I mean I know we could change the color of the other one eventually but that would take time," Bryan said.
"That's fine Bry boy," Jill said as she wrapped her arm around him.
"Geez I would almost rather stay here than go in to the hotel," Shane said.
"That's cuz you haven't seen the hotel yet," Rye smiled, "I told you I own only the best. Come on."
- Back at Home -
Paul and Trevor woke up in each others arms in their new apartment. The previous day had been a roller coaster of emotions. But now they were here and it already felt like home. Maria had furnished their apartment with everything they could possibly ever need and many many luxuries they would never have been able to buy on their own.
After being picked up at the airport by Maria herself and told of their good fortune they had gone to the club. Maria had taken them around and introduced them to everyone as 'friends of the boys'. Apparently everyone here referred to Westlife as 'the boys' and everyone knew who was meant. They had actually laughed and talked to these new people who welcomed them warmly, many of them hugging them tightly. Maria had gone over the different jobs that were available and it had been decided that Trevor would be trained as host and assistant manager since it fit in so well with his desire to study business. Later he would be introduced to the various other aspects of running a business. Paul on the other hand was unsure of what he wanted to do. He had never worked in a club and said he was willing to do anything. Maria thought about it and suggested working with the DJ who would be leaving in a few months, that way at nights he could be the new DJ. She also suggested talking to the chef to see if he needed help in any way since that was also a creative type job. Finally she had suggested that adding artwork to the club would be nice.
When the boys had seen everyone, had a good meal and told again that they could eat there for lunch and supper any day of the week, Maria took them home. She spent some time showing them around the apartment taking great pride in her decorating. Truthfully the boys loved the place. It was a combination of techno-steel and spanish-wood. There was a big screen tv, dvd player, mammoth stereo system, and a rack that had to hold every new release in music and movies. The fridge was packed so full that you had to take stuff out to see what was in the back. The bedroom was deep rich greens and blues with dark almost black wood. When Maria showed the 'studio' to Paul his eyes opened wide. It was not much more than an empty room right now but it had potential. Maria had insisted on talking about what kind of art Paul did and figuring out as much as she could as to what he would need. He hedged quite a bit not wanting anyone to spend more money on him.
Paul smiled as Trevor kissed his neck. He reached over to the nightstand and took the envelope on it. He opened it and looked again at the money inside.
"This is supposed to last us a month. It's more than we had to spend on ourselves all last year," Paul said.
"I know, but listen just because we are so lucky we can't waste money. We still have to be responsible," Trevor said.
"Yeah, but Maria said we would get the same amount on the first, that's only 2 weeks away. She told me to go out and spend all this money on ourselves on whatever we wanted. I have a feeling she is going to check to make sure we do it," Paul said with a hint of humor.
Trevor laughed, "You're right. Okay what should we do with it."
"We need some new clothes. But that will only be a couple hundred. There's two thousand here," Paul said.
"We could buy some art supplies. She wants you to start painting. If you had told her last night she would have given you the money to buy all you need." Trevor said.
"I know that's why I didn't. I didn't want her to spend even more. We can get my stuff over time, I don't need it all right away," Paul answered.
"She did say she wants some paintings for the club though," Trevor frowned.
"I think she was just saying that. I mean she hasn't even seen what I can do," Paul answered.
The doorbell ringing brought the two men upright.
"Who could that be. Must be someone looking for Jill," Paul said.
"Or Maria come to cook us breakfast," Trevor giggled
They both got up and slipped on jeans and t-shirts and walked to the door. Opening it they found a delivery man.
"I have a delivery for Paul Thompson," the man said.
"That's me."
The delivery guy had Paul sign and then started to cart in packages. A couple of dozen packages later the boys were alone again.
"Well, open em," Trevor smiled.
Paul began to open boxes and discovered art supplies. Apparently Maria had gotten enough information to figure out what he needed. As Paul opened box after box of paints, brushes, easels, canvasses another knock on the door pulled Trevor from the sofa.
"Morning babies, ah good the art stuff got here. I was hoping it would so you wouldn't spend any of this months money on art supplies. I am off to work, gotta look at the books and check in to see how things are going in the loft. I know I told you that you didn't have to start work till the beginning of next month, well you don't have to start at all, but if you guys feel like starting tonight you are welcome. I had the feeling you liked it at the club." Maria chattered on as she went into the kitchen and pulled out food and heated up the griddle.
"You guys like omelettes, you will love these. So there is a great art supply store in the mall a few blocks away called the Painter's Brush. You have an account there now. Supplies can be charged there on account. I figure that the cost in supplies will be covered by all the free art you are going to put in the club. Now as to that you can have free reign but I will need final approval on anything that goes up. But honestly do whatever you want, I have a feeling whatever doesn't go up in the club will be picked up by the boys or Rye or me or someone else."
The boys had come in to watch Maria as she quickly put together breakfast for them.
"Now I want you to be assured I will not be here every morning, well unless you want me to, I just wanted to check in and fill you in on a few more things. Oh before I forget here are keys to the little black jeep in the parking lot. It's Jill's, well the clubs actually, so you guys can use it as your own. Jill gave up driving after an accident earlier this month. Okay here's breakfast guys, hope you make it to the club tonight but don't worry if you don't. I know we said you don't have to work at the club, and I don't want you to feel obligated, but I really want you to work there. I think it would be good for you and would give you some sense of belonging. Well I am off, seeya later babies."
And she was gone.
"What the fuck was that?" Paul asked with a laugh.
"That was Maria in full mother mode," Trevor laughed
- Walking with Dragons -
The boys followed Rye into the lobby of the Celestial Dragon. The foyer was huge and in the centre stood a massive stone dragon. The hotel employees were in traditional Japanese clothing and at the moment a man and two women were approaching the group.
"Mr. Rye, welcome back, all is ready on your floor. Here are security cards for all your guests," the man said as he handed over a handful of cards and bowed deeply to Rye.
Rye handed each boy and Liam a card. "Liam make sure everyone in our party has a card." Turning back to the man Rye bowed slightly and said, "Thank you En, I am very pleased."
The boys followed behind Rye, very aware of the bags of hamburgers in their hands, their torn jeans and t-shirts. They entered an elevator.
"Okay to get to our floor you have to insert your card here, and punch the PH button. There is a security desk on that floor so nobody but authorized people get in," Rye demonstrated.
The elevator rose swiftly and quietly. The doors opened onto a breathtaking sight. Another large stone dragon stood in a large indoor lake. The entire upper floor of the hotel was a single room. A garden with lake was centrepiece while the various rooms were on an island in the centre. The walls and ceiling were all glass so that you had the feeling of being on top of a mountain. The view at night would be amazing. It was an architectural wonder.
"Oh Angel," Mark breathed.
"Good afternoon sirs. Welcome to the Island Palace. Enjoy your stay," A security guard said from behind the boys.
The boys nodded and moved forward towards a bridge that crossed the lake to the living area. Looking over the edge they could see goldfish swimming in the water. There was actually a lawn on the other side of the bridge and orange trees growing. The scent of orange blossoms was faint but pleasant.
Rye led them through to the dining area where everyone quietly sat and watched as he pulled out burgers and fries and drinks.
"Angel this is amazing. I didn't know places like this existed. Thank you for bringing us here," Shane said
"Anything for my boys. Now let's eat so we can enjoy the rest of the day till concert time. You have to help me figure out what song I will sing tonight as well. I can't believe I am going to perform again," Rye said as he took a bite of burger.
The boys looked at him for a second before digging in. Finally Mark spoke, "Tonight would you sing to me again, I knew last night you were singing about your love for me, would you please sing to me again?" He had asked it softly and was blushing.
"Oh Rye that would be perfect," Jill agreed.
"Alright then. So we have a few hours what do you want to do? The pool is out that way. We will stay on the island here. Liam, Matt and Andy, and Ed and Jay can take the rooms around the lake. They will have access to the pool as well," Rye said.
"Let's just all go get re-acquainted with our lovers," Kian said.
Everyone nodded.
The meal finished and Liam excused himself to one of the rooms around the lake and the group split up to their rooms.
- Mark and Rye -
Mark pulled Rye backwards towards him as Rye closed the door to the master suite.
"I want to make love to you my Angel. I want to be inside you," Mark growled.
Rye smiled. He loved it when Mark was the one who took the lead.
"For you my Fella," Rye whispered as he was led into the bathroom. The men quickly prepared and were soon on the bed.
"I can't believe you got your nipples pierced. I don't know if I am pissed or excited," Mark said as he ran his fingers up Rye's chest but avoided the nipples.
"Don't be mad, I did it for you and the boys. Please Fella, are you going to make love to me?" Rye begged.
Mark smiled and began to kiss Rye passionately, grinding their hard cocks together. Both men moaned together as their bodies reacted to the pleasure. Mark slowly kissed and nipped his way down Rye's chest and stomach all the time bringing moans of pleasure from Rye. When he got to Rye's cock he smiled wickedly and blew across it then moved past it to place kisses on his thighs and continued to move down.
"No fair," Rye complained.
"What, did I miss something?"
"Yes you did," Rye whined.
"Later Fella, I am gonna make you cum with me inside you. Now show me what I want," Mark said.
Rye smiled and lifted his legs revealing his ass to Mark. Mark immediately moved in and licked across Rye's hole. Rye tensed and then sighed.
"Oh Fella that feels so good. Please don't tease me any more, I want to feel you," Rye begged.
"Alright Angel. I want to do you like we did Bryan the other night," Mark said as he lubed up. When he finished he pushed in slowly but without stopping.
"Oh God Mark, thank you love, you feel so good," Rye had his head thrown back and his hands clutched the sheets tightly.
Mark smiled and withdrew all the way then pushed back in bringing a loud whimper from Rye as he hit his prostate.
"I love you so much Angel, I love making love to you," Mark whispered as he took hold of Rye's legs and continued to slowly long stroke Rye's hole. Soon the two men were ready and Mark pushed all the way in and shot his load deep inside of Rye, who feeling his lover's climax also released.
The two lovers lay in each others arms for some time, just listening to the others breathing and heartbeat as they calmed. Finally they arose together without a word and headed to the shower.
"That was so good my Fella," Rye whispered as he gently washed Mark.
"Yes it was. Now it's your turn. I want you to do me now, the same way, here in the shower," Mark said as he turned and presented his ass to Rye.
"Oh baby, whatever you ask of me I will do," Rye quickly ran and got the lube and returned to the shower. He pleasured his lover in the same long stroking way he had recieved. When they had cleaned themselves they fell into bed and held each other until sleep took them.
...to be continued
Okay in case you didn't know, I Knew I Loved You is a song by Savage Garden. Couple things about this song. I have always been struck by the fact that althought the video for this song shows a man and a woman, nothing in the song precludes two men or even two women from being represented. Also, it really points out the fact that Rye and Mark were meant to be together.