Well, I've finally finished parts five and six. I hope you'll like it, constant reader! And don't forget to send all comments to: jack_kea@hotmail.com Watch out for the story Bad Boys, which I'm cowriting with the lovely Diana, author of the incredible masterpiece Intimate Stranger, a story which I strongly recommend! And if there's anyone out there who feels I should add to Ronan's Exploits, TELL ME! I just don't feel motivated enough to add to it...
Disclaimer: This story is pure fiction. I do not mean to imply anything
about the sexualities of Ronan Keating from Boyzone, Shane
Filan and Nicholas Byrne from Westlife, or the lovely mrs.
Keating, Yvonne Keating. So there. Don't read if you're not
supposed to. Go away if you don't like gay/adult themes.
Something Else by Irda Majere
Part V
When Nicholas stepped out of Areq's room, he found Ronan sitting against the wall, crying softly.
"What's the matter with him?" he asked the twins who were still at their posts, guarding their boss' door. They just shrugged, obviously not caring if some kid decided to cry his heart out right beside them. Nicholas rolled his eyes at their indifference, sighed and went to talk to the upset youngster.
"Hey, Ro," he said cheerfully as he sat down beside him, "what's with the crying? You got the job, you know."
Ronan looked up, feeling ashamed of letting the other boy see him like this. He tried to smile through his tears at this news, but he still wasn't sure whether he wanted this job or not.
"It's nothing," he said, wiping away his tears with the heel of his hand. "I'll be okay."
Nic really wanted to press the matter and find out what was bothering the poor kid, but he knew this was neither the time nor the place.
"Come on," Nicholas said as he stood up and held out his hand for Ronan. "Let's go home."
Ronan looked up at the older boy, hesitating a bit before taking his hand.
To Ronan's surprise, Nicholas didn't let go of his hand as he led him out of the club towards the parking lot. But it felt kind of comforting in a way, so he didn't mind.
"Come on, Areq's ride is over here," Nic said as they hurried towards the black car which apparently belonged to Ronan's new boss.
It was quite dark outside and the rain had made them hurry inside for shelter, so Ronan didn't notice that Areq's 'ride' was no less than a long, luxurious limousine. His mouth dropped open as he viewed the spacious insides of the motor.
"Get used to it," Nic said, smiling. "You'll be driving in this thing every day from now on."
Ronan quickly closed his mouth and proceeded to stare out the window. He couldn't deny that he liked the thought of going around in such a car. And since Areq's car was of this quality, what would his house be like? It was obvious that Ronan was going to live in luxury, but at what price? Would he be his boss' sex toy, a plaything used for all his needs and pleasures? He had to admit that he had a certain physical attraction towards this man. After all, Areq was a very good-looking man, to say the least. But if he was to sleep with him, he didn't want it to be some sort of quick relief. He wanted something a bit more special than that, being his first time and all, but he knew he wouldn't get it. Ronan decided he'd make the best of what he had and look on the bright side of this new life which lay ahead of him. At least he'd get some food and a bed to sleep in.
Suddenly Ronan felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped at the interruption.
"Didn't mean to startle you, baby, but we're there. Come on, I'll show you around."
Ronan ignored the fact that Nic had called him 'baby', even though it kind of disturbed him. He got out of the limo which was parked inside a huge garage, and followed Nicholas into the main building.
Areq's house was just as impressive as the man himself, and reminded the boy strongly of its owner. The furniture was smooth and quiet in a somber sort of way, but still exquisite in every detail.
"This way!" Nicholas called from the stairs which he had already ascended half way, making Ronan quicken his pace.
When they had reached the second floor, Nic led Ronan to his new room which turned out to be just as spacious and well furnished as the rest of the house. But Ronan's favourite part was definitely the antique-like four-poster-bed, which was huge with white satin sheets and lots of big, inviting pillows. He almost fell asleep just looking at it, but didn't dare say anything about being tired to Nic, who was busy pouring himself a drink from a bottle he'd taken from the room's mini-fridge.
"Want one?" he said, offering the glass of whiskey to the younger boy, who declined.
"No, thanks," Ronan said politely, "but I'll have some water if you have it."
"Sure," Nic replied and got a bottle of mineral water from the fridge. He poured some into it and handed it to Ronan, who accepted gratefully. He was quite thirsty, and now he thought about it, very hungry, too. As if reading his thoughts, Nicholas asked if he'd like some late-night snacks and Ronan accepted. The two blondes left the room and returned downstairs where the kitchen was situated.
While they were eating, they heard someone come in and slam the door after them with a loud bang, making Ronan jump. Nic merely rolled his eyes.
"It's obvious who's pissed off today," he said with a sigh. Ronan realized who he was talking about, and already dreaded seeing that mountain of a man in a bad mood.
Then Areq came storming into the kitchen, his long leather coat streaming behind him like a devil's cape.
"Where is my poor excuse of a brother?" he asked in a voice which was low but deadly. It made Ronan want to disappear to anywhere but here.
"I don't know," Nic said as if Areq had asked the question in his happiest voice. "Haven't seen him."
This made Areq pick up the nearest object, a big glass bowl full of ice, and throw it with all his might into the wall. Glass and ice covered the marble floor but the black man didn't notice. His lips were pressed together and he was breathing hard, his gaze locked on the younger man.
"Wow, Areq, cool down! " Nicholas said, seemingly not at all intimidated by the big man's actions. He seemed more annoyed than scared. "Cool down! It can't be that big a deal, you're scaring the poor kid." He motioned to Ronan who was almost shaking with fear and trying to stop himself from running out.
Areq ignored what Nicholas said and instead grabbed him by the back of his neck and threw him out of the kitchen.
"Go find him!" he yelled, "and don't come back until you do!"
Then, as if remembering the other boy's presence, Areq turned around to face the frightened youth. He stared at Ronan for a while with a glint in his eye which the boy didn't like. Then he took a step towards him, making Ronan cower in his seat. But suddenly he stopped in his tracks, as if he'd changed his mind about whatever it was he was going to do.
"Go to your room," the big man ordered in a menacing tone. Ronan hesitated for a second, still in shock at the black man's outburst. When Areq saw Ronan didn't obey, he grabbed Ronan by the arm and pulled him over to the stairs.
"Get your ass up there before I change my mind!" he yelled at him as he threw him onto the steps. Ronan quickly scrambled to his feet and ran up to his room, taking care to lock the door behind him. He sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands.
'What have I got myself into?' he asked himself. 'I can't live like this, I must get out of here.' But he knew he couldn't leave. He could probably sneak out if he wanted to, Areq probably wouldn't even care if he found Ronan gone in the morning and certainly wouldn't go after him. But would there be anything better for him out there? Living on the streets, stealing and begging for food? Staying may not have been an attractive option, what with that lunatic in the house and everything, but it sure beat living on the street.
Ronan sighed and got up. He went to the bathroom and splashed some water in his face, as if to clear his mind of this overbearing situation. He found an unopened toothbrush in one of the cabinets and took the liberty of using it. The youth didn't know brushing his teeth could feel so good, but when you haven't been in a private restroom for weeks, a simple thing like a clean sink is a luxury.
After he was done in the bathroom, he made his way back into the bedroom. When he had removed his uncomfortable leather outfit, he crawled under the silken sheets and allowed himself to enjoy the comfort of finally being in a bed. But that moment of bliss didn't last long. The sound of a door being slammed shut was a rude reminder of his predicament, and it took Ronan much longer to fall asleep than he'd thought.
In the morning, Ronan was awakened by a gentle knock on the door.
"Who is it?" he called out in a sleepy voice.
"It's Nicholas!" came the unfittingly cheerful reply. "You up yet?"
"Just a minute!" Ronan called back as he got up and put his trousers on. When he was half-decent, he went and opened the door.
"Hi!" Nic said as he let himself into the room. "Don't tell me you just woke up," he exclaimed, "it's almost three o'clock!"
"Give me a break," Ronan said with a yawn. "I didn't fall asleep 'til at about six o'clock this morning." "Yeah, well," Nic said as he handed the other boy his clothes, "you better hurry up and get dressed. You got to go to work!"
"But-" Ronan began, but was cut off by Nicholas.
"Questions later," he said as they hurried down the stairs, "the kids will start getting pretty pissed off soon. You're lucky it was my night off, I'd kill you if you were this late picking me up!"
Ronan had absoloutely no idea whatsoever what Nic was on about. But like the older boy had said, questions later, so he just followed Nicholas to the limo and got in. They had hardly sat down when the driver took off, getting directions on where to go from Nicholas.
"Now can I ask where we're going?" Ronan ventured as the car sped down the streets of Dublin.
"We're going to pick up Areq's kids," Nic replied simply.
"What?!" Ronan said in amazement. "He's got kids?"
Nicholas rolled his eyes.
"I mean, we're going to pick up his employees, the boys and girls who have been working their asses off all night for the big guy."
Ronan was starting to suspect what Nic meant, and he didn't like it one bit.
"What do you mean, his employees?" he asked slowly, fearing the answer.
"Didn't you know Areq's a pimp?" Nic asked, obviously surprised Ronan hadn't been filled in on this detail.
"No!" Ronan said, raising his voice, "I had no idea my boss was a pimp!"
"Jeez, calm down, Ro. It's no big deal, it's not as if you'll be selling yourself."
"No big deal! I'm going to be working for a criminal, and you say it's no big deal??"
"Hey," Nic said in a tone which grabbed Ronan's attention. "You want to go back to living on the street? Don't worry, Eddie here will drop you off wherever you like."
Nic was right and they both knew it. Ronan needed this job, even though his boss happened to be a pimp. But then suddenly Ronan remembered something Nic had said.
"What did you mean, if you had been working last night?" he asked. "You saying you're working as a prostitute?"
"Prostitute.... You don't hear that word very often. But yeah, I'm a whore. But I don't come cheap, you know," Nic replied, not taking this half as seriously as the younger boy, who was absolutely astounded at this information.
Then Nic started talking about other, more trivial things, making Ronan momentarily forget about his new friend's occupation.
Part VI
"The one we're picking up first is called Shane, but we all all him Filan. That's his surname," Nic explained as the limo pulled up by the entrance of a fancy hotel. Shortly the car door opened and in came a dark haired boy of about twenty years. He was about Ronan's height, but still looked smaller somehow. His build made him look it, as did the innocence in his expression. He sat down next to Nic, glancing somewhat shyly at Ronan. The younger boy had difficulty believing this man was selling himself, he seemed too sweet and shy.
"Hey, honey!" Nicholas said to his friend and the two men kissed each other briefly on the lips. "How did it go?"
Filan shrugged. "It was okay. The guy wasn't too hot but the tips were good. And he ordered room service," he said with a smile. The two men were like teenage girls, talking as if Filan had been on a first date. Ronan noticed he was being forgotten, and started gettin uncomfortable. Then finally Nic rememberd him.
"Oh, Filan, this is Ronan. Areq's new boy. He'll be picking us up from now on, so you two get to know each other." Then he whispered in Filan's ear: "Cute, isn't he? He is just sooo Areq's type, I think the big guy is already crazy about him." Filan giggled and nodded in agreement before putting his hand out to Ronan.
"Nice to meet you," he said with a smile. At that moment, Ronan suddenly felt incredibly sorry for the dark haired youth. He deserved something so much better than this, he didn't belong there. He shook the hand, returning the smile fondly.
"Nice to meet you, too," he replied before asking: "Who are we picking up next?"
"Seth," Nic said meaningfully, and Ronan couldn't help noticing Filan roll his eyes and smile at the mention of that name. "You better watch out for him, he's quite a character.... You see, he's a diagnosed nymphomaniac."
At this Filan burst out laughing.
"No, he's not," he said slapping Nic's leg, "he just likes sex a lot. Well, too much maybe, but he hasn't been diagnosed anything!"
Ronan was getting rather worried about meeting this Seth character, and when the limo stopped and the car door opened again, he didn't know what to expect. He half expected a monster to step into the car and tear all his clothes off there and then.
He was quite surprised to see a small, delicately built young man with longish black hair, wearing make up and black PVC hot pants, step into the limo. Without a word, Seth sat himself down on Nic's lap.
"So who's this?" he asked smiling.
"This is Areq's new boy," Nicholas replied, not at all surprised at Seth's seating arrangement.
"Hi, I'm Seth," the newcomer said as he stuck out his small hand which, Ronan noticed, was decorated with black nail polish. Ronan shook it and replied. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ronan."
Seth smiled. "Cute name!" His eyes lingered on Ronan for a moment before he shifted his attention back to his colleagues. "So how were your dates?" he asked, making himself comfortable on Nic's lap.
The three friends proceeded to talking about their work, leaving Ronan alone with his thoughts. He hardly noticed when the car stopped once again, but was brought to attention when someone said his name.
"Ronan, this is Yvonne," Nicholas was saying, gesturing to a blonde woman who had entered the limo. Ronan recognized her as the woman from the office, the one who had with Shaqur's help persuaded him to take the job. As he shook her hand, her face suddenly rang a bell. 'What did Nic say her name was?' he thought to himself. 'Yvonne wasn't it?' It was as if he'd known this woman when he was younger, but he couldn't really remember where from, exactly. Ronan could tell from her expression that she remembered him, too. Suddenly she cried: "Now I remember! You're that cute kid that came with his dad on the truck! You were only like thirteen then, weren't you?"
Ronan was astounded. Yvonne Connelly, the girl he'd got along so well with when they were kids? The one all his friends thought he'd fancied? He couldn't believe it, especially not that she was now in this line of work.
"Funny seeing you again, I haven't seen you in years!" she was saying. Ronan didn't really know what to say, this wasn't the best of conditions for a reunion. 'So, what's it like being a hooker? Bet it pays well!'
"Yeah, weird, isn't it?" he managed, hoping it wouldn't show how uncomfortable he was. But he could tell from her face that she'd noticed. Her smile faded and she dropped her gaze to the floor.
"I know what you're thinking, Ronan. What's a nice country girl like me doing in a job like this?" She was obviously quite upset at his reaction. "Well, things aren't always that simple!" she snapped. Ronan blushed slightly, not daring to meet her gaze. Everyone in the car went silent, hardly daring to breathe. When they had been driving for a while, the car stopped again. Finally Seth broke the silence.
"Well, here's Everlyn. Let's not make her think someone died." The car door opened, and in came another blonde woman, this one much smaller than Yvonne, and even more beautiful than the taller woman. That's what Ronan thought, anyway. Though Yvonne was a very attractive woman, Everlyn was just beautiful, pure and simple. Her every feature was like an angel's, and her lithe body and soft, creamy skin could tempt even a gay man. But her face showed arrogance and too much self assurance for Ronan's taste. Yvonne's soft, gentle manner was much more appealing. She sat herself down between Ronan and Yvonne, laying her head on the other woman's shoulder.
"Take me home, Eddie," she called to the driver, "I need some sleep!" The driver chuckled.
"Yes, miss Everlyn," he said in a mockingly inferior tone. Everlyn paid the driver's comment no heed, and snuggled up closer to her friend, who wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.
"Aren't you going to see hello to the new addition to our family, miss Everlyn?" Nic said, indicating Ronan with his hand. This title, 'miss Everlyn', seemed to be a continuing joke among his coworkers. The girl raised her head slightly.
"Hi," she said. "Are you Areq's new boy?" Ronan sighed inwardly, getting pretty tired of being called 'Areq's new boy'.
"Yeah, I'm his new assistant. My name's Ronan." Everlyn barely nodded in acknowledgment before laying her head on Yvonne's lap, placing her legs across Ronan's lap. The girl's arrogance annoyed him, but he didn't say anything so that not to offend anyone on his first day in his new job. He wanted to make a good first impression, even though his impression of them was far from promising. 'You must give them a chance,' he thought to himself, 'the last thing you need right now is enemies.'
Ronan didn't join in on the convesation which took place for the rest of the journey. He tried to stay out of the friends' discussoins, which revolved mostly about work. And since Ronan had himself never been a prostitute, he didn't have much to contribute, anyway.
After quite a while, the limo finally entered the huge garage at Areq's house, bringing a quiet sigh of relief from Ronan. He was almost getting claustrophobic sitting in that car for so long, and the thought of having to do that everyday made him groan inwardly. He hoped to disappeare up to his room unseen, but was spotted by Areq who was sitting in the living room.
"Ronan!" he called, "come here." Ronan obeyed reluctantly. He just wanted to go up to his room and lie on his bed for a while, he'd had enough of these people for the day.
"Yes, Areq?" he asked as he entered the living room.
"How did it go?" Areq asked, gesturing to Ronan to take a seat. The young man sat down beside his boss, perching nervously on the edge.
"Fine," he replied meekly. He couldn't really say he'd learned much on this trip, but he dared not say that to Areq. God knew how he'd react.
The black man said nothing for a while, making Ronan fidget in his seat. 'Does this mean I'm supposed to leave?' he thought nervously. He desperately searched for something to say, when Areq finally broke the silence.
"I know what the kids are like around newcomers. Don't let them scare you, you'll get used to them." He took a gulp from his drink before continuing. "If they bother you, just tell me. I'll have a word with them." With that he stood up, quickly followed by Ronan.
"Come on," the big man said.
"Where?" Ronan replied, his heart sinking as he thought what the black man might be after.
As if reading his thoughts, Areq replied: "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. We're going shopping." Setting his glass down, he swiftly walked out of the room with Ronan on his heels.
Ronan and Areq spent the day in Dublin's finest clothes shops, buying a whole new wardrobe for the new employee. Ronan's head was spinning. He'd never even been in those shops, let alone dreamt he'd ever wear anything like all the fine clothing Areq was giving him. Gucci shoes, Armani suits, Versace shirts.... The blonde took care never to check the prices of the garments, he'd probably have fainted.
Laden with tons of bags, the two men made their way home, the younger smiling from ear to ear as he thought of all the wonderful things his boss had bought him. They had bought not only clothes, but they'd also paid HMV a visit. Areq let Ronan buy all the cd's he wanted, plus a big George Michael poster Ronan had been practiacally drooling over for the past few months.
As they entered the house, Areq helped Ronan carry the bags up to his room. Ronan began hanging his new clothes up in the closet, but was interrupted by the bigger man.
"Why don't you try some of them on," he said as he sat down on the bed. "I want to see how you look in them." Ronan just smiled in reply and began removing his borrowed leather outfit. When Areq saw he was having trouble with the zipper on his top, he got up and walked up behind the blonde.
"Let me help you with that," he said as he successfully removed Ronan's top. Ronan mumbled a quick thanks before quickly putting on a shirt from one of the bags. It was a plain, black Gucci shirt, and it fit him perfectly. When he'd done all the buttons, he removed the trousers. Areq had not moved from his place behind him, making the youth hurry even more with putting his trousers on. It was not until he was fully clothed that he turned around to face the probing eyes behind him.
"How do I look?" he said with a nervous smile. Areq looked him up and down before replying.
"You need a jacket," he said. He picked up the Gucci bag Ronan had taken the other clothes from and took out a black jacket to match the trousers. He handed it to Ronan who put it on, completing the suit and getting an approving smile from his boss.
"That's better," he said softly. He then raised his hand and ran his fingers through Ronan's short, blond hair. "But you should grow your hair, it would suit you much better."
"Really?" Ronan replied with the same forced smile. "I've never thought of growing my hair, maybe it would be a nice change." He was speaking quickly and insecurely, hardly noticing what he was saying. Areq just smiled.
"Well," he finally said, "you go and take a shower. We're going to the club tonight, so wear something nice." Then he frowned slightly, looking Ronan up and down. "We didn't but you any clubwear, did we? I'll see if Nicholas has anything, you're the same size." With that he left the room.
Ronan breathed a sigh of relief when Areq closed the door behind him. His boss had this tendency to make Ronan nervous, just by looking at him. It was obvious Areq wanted more from Ronan than he was ready to give.....
Thanks for reading! Send all comments to: jack_kea@hotmail.com