Boystown Season Three Read online

  “Well, three of them are,” Marco remarked. “No one knows yet where the fourth one is.”

  “We’ll track him down sooner or later,” Carlo said. “Before they do.”

  A voice came over the speaker in the cabin: “Mr. Ciancio, we have been cleared for landing. Please be sure you’re seated.”

  Marco returned to his chair. “Have you heard anything else about Aunt Connie, Father?”

  “Nothing,” Carlo replied. “I still can’t get over it. Suicide. Why would she ever do such a thing?”

  Gino and Marco exchanged glances. “I have no idea,” Marco said. “Something was clearly troubling her.”

  “Your mother loved her very much,” Carlo said. “They spent a lot of time together, especially during your mother’s treatments.”

  “Now they are together again,” Gino said.

  “That’s right,” Carlo agreed. “One day we’ll all be together again. But until that day, there’s work to be done.”

  “Father, I plan to go to Rome to see her grave at the convent,” Gino said. “You are both welcome to join me. Regardless, I feel like it’s something I need to do.”

  “You’re a good boy, my son,” Carlo said with a smile. Marco and Gino exchanged glances again as the plane made a smooth landing onto the Chicago runway.

  As the Ciancios exited their jet and got into the limousine that was taking them into the city to their hotel, the sound of the bedroom door being unlocked woke Ben Donovan, who had spent the night on the floor. Startled, he sat up as Jesse Morgan stepped into the room carrying a small tray.

  “Good morning,” Jesse said as he placed the tray on a table near the bed. His eye and cheek were still badly bruised and swollen, although his mouth appeared to be healing more quickly.

  “What the fuck are you trying to do to me?” Ben asked, as Jesse grabbed his arm and helped him get up from the floor.

  “I’m bringing you something to eat. I’m not sure you’d be so kind to me if the roles here were reversed. This tape around your feet isn’t necessary anymore,” Jesse said as he sat Ben on the edge of the bed. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small pocket knife, and cut Ben’s feet loose from the tape. “I found this knife in your kitchen. Comes in handy.”

  “I should never have told you about this place.”

  “Why not? It’s where you intended to live happily ever after with my mother. And my half-brother that she’s carrying.”

  “So you decided to lock me up here? You won’t get away with this.”

  “Oh, I don’t intend to,” Jesse said with a smile. “That’s part of my plan. I’m counting on Michael finding us here.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? And what did you do to your wrists?” Ben asked, looking at the bruises on Jesse’s arms.

  “It has to look like you kept me here against my will. These tape marks will help.”

  “Jesus.”

  “No one knows you like I do, Ben,” Jesse said, putting his face close to Ben’s. “We were meant to be together, remember? That’s what you wanted.”

  “I told you. I love your mother. We are working things out.”

  “We’ll see about that. She knows what kind of a man you really are.”

  “And now that you know who your father is, you should concentrate on him.”

  Jesse slapped Ben hard across the face. “Don’t you ever bring him up again. Ever!”

  Ben smiled widely. “You can’t deny biology. He’s a part of you and you’re a part of him. There’s no escaping it.”

  “And there’s no escaping here,” Jesse said. “Don’t worry; they’ve found your phone. They’ll be here soon.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re not the only one who knows how to install apps. My mother told me you were monitoring my phone. I decided to use that to my advantage,” Jesse said. “Why don’t you have something to eat? You’re going to need your strength where you’re going.” Jesse walked toward the door.

  “Wait, please,” Ben pleaded.

  Jesse smiled at Ben, left the room, and locked the door behind him. Ben angrily kicked over the table, sending the food on the tray in every direction.

  While Ben’s food flew all over the room, the waiter at the Signature Room atop Chicago’s John Hancock building placed two plates of food on the table in front of Justin Mancini and Gino. The two men looked out over the city from their table beside the large window.

  “Is there any better place than this to celebrate the return of your vision?” Gino asked.

  Justin smiled. “I guess not. The city looks amazing from up here. We don’t have anything nearly this spectacular in San Francisco.”

  “Well, then maybe it’s a good thing you’ll be moving here permanently.”

  “Moving here? Who said anything about that?” Justin asked, taking a sip of his champagne.

  “With the Mancini headquarters moving here, you’re going to have to, right? You’ll want to be here with Derek and Emmett.”

  “We have been getting closer.”

  Gino smiled. “I’m glad. Family’s important. No one understands that better than I do.”

  “Gino, I don’t want you to get caught in the middle of our families fighting.”

  “Isn’t that what I normally tell you?”

  “I’m serious. Tomorrow’s meeting could be rough. I don’t want your feelings for me to get you in trouble. I understand that you need to do what’s best for your family. As I do for mine.”

  “I’m my own man, Justin. My father and Marco don’t think for me -- and they don’t speak for me, either.”

  “I just want you to be careful. Maybe it’s my turn to look out for you for a change.”

  Gino raised his champagne glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

  “Gino--”

  “Come on, Justin. This is supposed to be a celebration. Let’s not talk business. There will be plenty of time for that. Let’s talk about us.”

  “Is there an ‘us’?”

  “I’d like there to be,” Gino said. “I love you -- you know that.”

  “Gino, you know I can’t commit to anything right now. I have so much going on. And a few scores to settle, too.”

  “You’re talking about Rachel.”

  “She nearly destroyed my relationship with Derek. And she ruined his marriage in a horrible way,” Justin said. “Oh, I know I’m partially to blame. I’m the one who filmed the video in the first place. But she’s dangerous and reckless.”

  “Why are we even talking about her? I want to talk about us. I want to be with you, Justin. I know you have feelings for me, too -- buried under that thick skin of yours.”

  “I do love you...in my own way,” Justin admitted. “But I can’t promise anything will come of it.”

  “How about one day at a time? Can you at least give me that?” Gino asked.

  Justin smiled. “Sure.”

  “Then that’s all I’m asking for right now.” Gino raised his glass again. “To us?”

  Justin touched his glass to Gino’s. “To us.”

  Gino and Justin drank their champagne and continued their lunch conversation against the backdrop of the magnificent views of the city far below them.

  Just north of the John Hancock building stood St. Joseph Hospital. Inside the hospital cafeteria, Joyelle Mancini and Tyler Bennett were seated at a table near the window overlooking Lincoln Park. Joggers enjoying the Spring weather could be seen making their way through the park’s paths.

  “I thought we should talk about the other night,” Joyelle said.

  “Okay,” Tyler replied tentatively.

  “I shouldn’t have come over to your place in such an emotional state,” Joyelle said. “It wasn’t smart of me. Or fair to you.”

  “Fair to me?” Tyler asked with a smile. “Are you kidding? I’m glad you came. It was an incredible evening.”

  “I don’t want to put you in the middle of my marriage.”

  “Joye
lle, we both know that your marriage is over. Derek cheated on you and is in love with someone else. He has been for some time.”

  “I know,” Joyelle said softly. “But that’s something I need to work through and accept on my own.”

  “We’re friends and I’m here for you. You don’t need to do it on your own. You can lean on me.”

  “That wouldn’t be fair,” Joyelle said. “Especially knowing your feelings for me.”

  “The feelings, I believe, are mutual. And what happened between us showed that. It was special...wonderful.”

  Joyelle shook her head. “Tyler, I can’t jump from one thing to the next like that. I need time to wrap my head around all this.”

  Tyler grabbed Joyelle’s hand. “I understand. And there’s no rush. We can take our time together.”

  Derek Mancini entered the cafeteria, pausing at the entrance to look for his wife. Spotting her at the table with Tyler, Derek rushed over and grabbed Tyler by the shirt, lifting him out his chair.

  “I told you to stay away from my wife!” Derek said angrily, punching Tyler and sending him tumbling backwards onto the floor.

  Joyelle jumped up. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Tyler lunged forward toward Derek, pushing him backwards into several chairs.

  “Stop it!” Joyelle yelled, stepping in between the two men. Then she looked directly at Derek. “You’re making a scene and I work here. Haven’t you caused enough damage already?”

  “I came here to talk to you,” Derek said, standing up and adjusting his coat.

  “You call this ‘talking’?” Joyelle asked, helping Tyler up from the floor.

  “You’re way out of line, buddy,” Tyler said angrily. “Next time you come at me, you better finish what you start; otherwise, I will.”

  “Tyler, can you please give us a moment?” Joyelle asked.

  “Of course,” Tyler replied. Then he looked directly at Derek. “You don’t deserve her.”

  Tyler walked toward the exit of the cafeteria and Derek yelled toward him, “She’s my wife.”

  “Only technically,” Joyelle clarified as she returned the disturbed chairs to their proper places. “Now what the hell did you want to talk about?”

  “Us,” Derek replied.

  “There is no ‘us’ anymore. Apparently, that label is reserved for Cole and you.”

  “He’s not a bad person, Joyelle. He saved my life -- and yours, too.”

  “This isn’t about him. It’s about you cheating on me and lying about it.”

  “Joyelle, I love you. We can get through this.”

  “You have an odd way of showing it. Have you been gay this entire time?”

  Derek lowered his voice, looking around to see if diners in the cafeteria were still looking at them. “I’m not gay. I won’t see Cole again; I promise. I’ll send him away from both of us, I swear. Just give me a chance to prove myself.”

  “You know, I will never, ever get over the loss of our children. But right now I can’t think of anything worse than raising any children related to you.”

  “Joyelle, don’t say that.”

  “I have to get back to work. I’ll be in touch, through my attorney.” Joyelle turned and began to walk away.

  “Please stay and talk. I know we can work this out.” Joyelle kept walking away and left the cafeteria. Derek violently pushed a chair out of his way. “Dammit.”

  Just up the street in his apartment bedroom, Michael Martinez pushed deeper into Keith Colgan, who spread his legs wide beneath him. Michael kissed Keith deeply, his tongue probing his mouth, his neck, his shoulders. Keith ran his fingers through Michael’s hair and down his back as he held tightly to his boyfriend.

  Wrapping his arms around Keith, Michael flipped them both over so that Keith could ride him. Looking up at Keith, Michael continued to thrust while massaging his chest. Keith reached back to grab Michael’s powerful legs and threw his head back as Michael’s thrusts increased in strength and frequency.

  Leaning forward, Michael kissed Keith’s chest. As Michael adjusted his legs, Keith grabbed the back of Michael’s head and kissed him deeply. He dug his fingers into Michael’s shoulders as their tongues moved in and out of each other’s mouths.

  Gritting his teeth, Michael prepared to cum. Pumping hard into Keith, Michael released his load, filling Keith. Keith moaned with pleasure, stroking his dick against Michael’s chest. Michael grabbed Keith’s penis and continued to stroke it as he watched Keith’s facial expressions. With a soft moan, Keith erupted.

  Keith collapsed forward onto Michael who held him tightly and kissed him again. They wrapped their legs around each other and rested quietly for a moment.

  “I love you, Stormy,” Michael said.

  “I love you, too,” Keith replied. “I’d do anything for you.”

  Michael smiled. “Just being my other half is enough.”

  “I won’t let anything ever come between us.”

  “Well, of course not,” Michael said. “You’re stuck with me.”

  “Do you want to come to that fundraiser meeting with me later on? We’re going over the final details with Logan and Max.”

  “If I’m off duty in time, I’ll be there.”

  “Perfect,” Keith said, kissing his boyfriend.

  Michael sat up. “Speaking of which, I should probably be heading in.”

  “Aww,” Keith moaned. “We’ve had such a great morning.”

  Michael got out of bed. “And afternoon.”

  “I should get going, too, I guess.”

  Michael kissed Keith before heading into the bathroom. Once Keith saw the bathroom door close, he walked over to the chair over which his sweatshirt was draped. He reached into the pocket and pulled out the small brown bottle. He stared at it and then looked toward the bathroom door.

  The conference room in Derek’s office building featured floor to ceiling windows through which much of the Chicago skyline and the lake shore could be seen. Against the backdrop of the city view, Derek stood at the head of the long, wooden table; Justin and Emmett were seated on either side of him.

  “Remember,” Derek said, “no matter what our issues are among the three of us, we are united in front of the Ciancios. We are Mancinis, one and all.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Justin asked Emmett. “You don’t look well.”

  “I’m okay,” Emmett said. “I want to be here.”

  “Then I’m taking you right home afterwards so you can get some rest.”

  The door opened and Derek’s secretary led Carlo, Marco, and Gino into the room. Then she departed.

  “Welcome, gentlemen,” Derek said, walking over to shake hands with the Ciancios as Emmett and Justin rose to their feet.

  “Thank you for hosting us,” Gino said.

  The men all shook hands with one another and then took their seats. Gino sat next to Justin while Carlo and Marco sat opposite Derek.

  “Again, thank you for coming to Chicago,” Derek said.

  “This office is very nice. Cozy, in fact,” Carlo said. “But I’m not sure it’s appropriate for an international company of the prestige you claim Mancini Global to be.”

  “When our new corporate headquarters open, they will be the envy of Ciancio International as well as every other company that wants to be like ours.”

  “I’m sure it will be,” Gino said.

  “Let’s get down to business,” Marco said. “We all know why we are here. To settle a debt.”

  “Of course,” Derek said. He nodded to Justin who handed folders to the three Ciancios.

  “Here is our proposed settlement for repaying the loan we obtained from you,” Justin explained. “I’m sure you’ll agree it’s quite generous.”

  The Ciancios examined the paperwork contained in their folders. After a moment, Carlo spoke. “It’s not what we agreed to, Justin. It’s unsatisfactory.”

  Derek responded to Carlo’s comment before Justin could. “The agreement that Justi
n made with you earlier was grossly unfair and was without the necessary approval of our father who was head of the company at the time. Justin acted without that proper authority, rendering the agreement null and void.”

  “Our attorneys would disagree,” Marco said.

  “If you want to take us to court, by all means do so. You won’t win; it’ll be dragged out as long as humanly possible and the negative publicity it brings your company will cost you in the court of public opinion,” Derek said. “The offer we have given you here is more than fair. Full repayment of the loan, plus interest, and eight percent of our company.”

  “It’s is a good offer,” Gino agreed.

  “It’s not what we decided on,” Marco said. “It’s not our fault that you got in over your head. Justin was acting on your father’s behalf and we simply want what we deserve.”

  “What you have in front of you is our final offer,” Justin said.

  Carlo pounded his fist on the table. “It’s unacceptable. Not what we agreed to, Justin.”

  “It’s a fair deal and a final one,” Derek reiterated.

  “Your father took my wife from me. You know what they say about sins of the father,” Carlo continued. “You must pay for what he did.”

  Derek grew stern. “And you took my children from me -- something you must pay for, too!”

  “What our father did was unforgiveable,” Emmett said. “We all agree with that, Mr. Ciancio. But that has nothing to do with us -- or the business for that matter.”

  “Emmett is right,” Gino said. “That’s all in that past. We need to deal in the present.”

  Carlo looked angrily at his son. “The deal is unacceptable.”

  Gino looked to Derek. “Would the three of you please excuse us for a moment? I’d like to speak to my father and brother privately, if that’s okay.”

  “Absolutely,” Derek said. “We’ll step outside.”

  Derek, Justin, and Emmett rose from their seats, nearly in unison, and left the conference room.

  “What the hell do you think you are doing?” Carlo asked Gino.

  “Father, I told you that I didn’t want this to be hostile.”