Fic: Feelings Are Good And Other Lies pt.1
Title: Feelings Are Good And Other Lies pt.1
Please see Master Post for fic details.
“Jen.”
Jared ran his tongue along the shell of Jensen’s ear and grinned at the soft growl he got in return.
“Jensen.”
Jensen mumbled something that sounded like “go away” and turned his face into his pillow.
Jared rolled his eyes. He had learned early on in their relationship that there were only two ways to wake Jensen up before nine am, one was a cup of strong black coffee waved under his nose but kept out of his reach until Jensen had managed to push himself up to sitting against the headboard or sex. Jared had purposely set his alarm an hour earlier than necessary so that he could chose option two. Option two was much more fun for both of them.
Sliding his hand down from resting against Jensen stomach to cupping his soft cock he leaned further over so that he could breathe into his ear. “Come on Jensen, up and at ‘em”
“No.”
He smirked, at least that he had understood which meant that Jensen was slowly climbing closer to full wakefulness, grudgingly or not. Deftly his fingers tugged and squeezed until Jensen began to harden in his hand and then he started a slow teasing stroke.
His hips twitched and he groaned softly, “What time’s it?”
“Little after six.”
Jensen’s head rolled so he could peer blurrily over his shoulder at him. “A.M.?”
“Yup.”
Baring his teeth at him did little to instill any kind of fear in Jared when he was shifting onto his back to better accommodate Jared’s hand. “Jesus.” He gasped low and bit his lower lip, “I hate you.”
Leaning forward, Jared teased the pinched skin with his tongue, “Nah you don’t.”
“Yeah, I kind of do.” He chased after Jared’s lips until they met in a hard kiss, tongues and teeth clashing and trying to be the one to claim the other.
On the next stroke down, Jared kept going, his fingertips sliding across Jensen’s heavy balls and further back pressing against his perineum before finally circling the puckered muscle, still loose from the night before. Breaking the kiss, he smirked down at Jensen as he slid one finger deep inside, “Nah, you really don’t.”
Jensen keened low in his chest and his one leg folded and twisted up until it was high enough up the bed that he could slip it through the space made by Jared being propped up on one elbow and pressed it against his back, urging him closer. “If you don’t quit teasing I will.” He muttered, gruff and shifted his hips higher. “Please.”
Jared chuckled as he added a second finger, slowly sliding in and out of Jensen’s body. “I love it when you beg.”
Narrowing his eyes, Jensen’s curled his hand around Jared’s neck and pulled his head down until their lips were brushing and trying to focus clearly caused both their eyes to cross. “I will smoother you in your sleep if you don’t quit messing around and fuck me.”
“Pushy.” He smirked at him while shifting further up Jensen’s body. He pushed against Jensen’s prostate just to watch him shudder before pulling his fingers free and reaching for the bottle of lube tucked away in the nightstand drawer.
“So?” Jensen shot back but his voice was breathless as he grabbed the bottle from Jared’s hand and snapped the top open. He dribbled some into his hand before snapping it closed one handed and tossed it towards the other side of the bed. “This is what you get when you wake me up by jerking me off.”
“And every…fuck…other time we’ve had sex?” Jared was proud of the fact that he managed to actually articulate the question fairly well considering that Jensen had wrapped his lube-slicked hand around Jared’s cock.
Jensen smiled up at him, sweet innocence shining in his face, “You’re a teasing bastard.”
Which was more than true but Jared couldn’t help himself. He loved watching Jensen writhe and pant and curse his name while Jared drove him closer and closer to the edge without actually letting him fall. Usually by the time Jared sunk into him, Jensen was nothing but an oversensitive moaning mess but they didn’t have time for that this morning.
“You fucking love it.” He slid into the welcoming heat not stopping until he bottomed out. He had to take a couple of deep breaths to help calm him down and stop from just starting to thrust into Jensen like his body wanted him to.
“Yeah, it’s awesome.” The sarcasm of his words was lost with his head tossed back and pressed into the pillow. “Jay,” he groaned and kicked his legs until the blankets slid off of Jared’s back to pool low on his calves and wrapped his own legs around Jared’s hips, his heels pressing into the top of his ass. “Move.”
“Still pushy.” Jared pressed into the thin skin over Jensen’s collarbone before he nipped at it but he started a slow roll of his hips.
“Don’t make me use the pillow.” Jensen threatened and curled his fingers around Jared’s biceps, using the leverage to push back into Jared’s thrusts. “Smothering is still an option.”
“Uhuh, sure.” He lifted his head and grinned down at the red teeth marks he had left behind. Shifting to take more weight on his knees and get better leverage, Jared started to speed up his thrusting, “You’re too coherent I think.”
Jensen’s keened as his cock slid across his prostate, “There. Fuck Jay, harder please.”
He watched the skin of Jensen’s face and chest darken as his body began to flush. “Better.” He husked.
Short nails digging into the muscles and legs tightening around Jared thighs, Jensen lifted his head and bit Jared’s jaw. “Jay.” He whined and flicked his tongue against the stubbled flesh trapped between his teeth.
Jared growled, his orgasm starting to rush through his veins burning away coherent thought. Shaking off Jensen’s hold on one arm, he reached back and pulled at one of Jensen’s calves until it dropped away and he could hook his arm under Jensen’s knee and force him open wider. “So good.” He growled before leaning down and pressing their lips together in a messy kiss.
He felt Jensen’s free hand worm between their bodies and broke the kiss. “You gonna?”
“Close.” Jensen gasped as Jared felt his knuckles bump up against his lower stomach and Jensen’s eyes fluttered closed.
“One day,” he lapped at the sweat collecting in the dip of Jensen’s collarbones, “I’m gonna tie you up…” he groaned when Jensen’s internal muscles fluttered and tightened around his cock. “And make you come…close Jen…with just my cock.”
Jensen’s mouth opened in a silent scream as his body jerked hard.
Jared only had a second to appreciate the hard clench of Jensen’s body before his sight whitened out and his breath caught in his throat as he followed him over the edge.
He came back to himself a minute later with the side of his jaw pressed against Jensen’s shoulder and Jensen’s cheek resting against his forehead as he panted.
“Sleep now.” Jensen mumbled.
“No can do.” Jared replied, bumping his forehead against Jensen’s cheek. “Gotta make that breakfast meeting on time.”
Jensen groaned and his leg slid off of Jared’s back to thump against the mattress. “Why do you have to ruin my afterglow?”
“It’s just your dad.” His tongue darted out to lap at a drop of sweat slowly sliding down the side of Jensen’s neck. He chuckled as Jensen tried to slap the back of his head with the hand half trapped under Jared’s shoulder.
“Don’t try to distract me.” He grumbled and then shifted his hips, “Get off, you’re heavy.”
He took a deep breath before pushing himself up on shaky arms, pulled his hips back to slide from Jensen’s body then twisted and dropped to face plant beside him. “Again, I say it’s just your father.” He mumbled into the pillow, “Not like it’s you’re going to facing off with a room full of the casino employees.”
The bed shifted as Jensen rolled into him and pressed a kiss to his shoulder before he rolled back and up off the bed. “Rather it was a room full of the employees.”
Jared lifted his head and watched as Jensen moved to the walk-in closet and disappear inside. “You knew this was going to happen.” He raised his voice a little to be heard over the sound of hangers sliding along the metal bar. “He only found out a week ago that we’ve been dating for five months and yesterday you call him to let him know we eloped two days ago.”
Jensen walked back into the room, a green dress shirt and black suit dangling from hangers held in one hand. “Is it considering eloping when we only went four blocks over to the “Little Chapel of Love”? I mean, doesn’t eloping mean we have to leave town or something?”
“Semantics.” Jared sat up and stretched his arms above his head and smirked as he watched Jensen’s eyes track the movement. “Point is that you had to know this was going to happen. The man wants a second look at me, make sure I’m good enough for his little boy.”
Jensen’s face screwed up into a scowl, “I’m thirty-one Jared. I stopped being his little boy years ago.”
“Fair enough.” He shrugged, “But he still wants to do breakfast with us because he wants to play hardass, we both know that and we’re going to let him.”
Jensen stepped up to the side of the bed and leaned his thighs against it, completely unconcerned that he was still naked, stomach come smeared and his outfit getting wrinkled as it was pressed against the mattress. “Yeah well, I don’t need him to play hardass for me. If I can run this damn casino, I can choose who I marry, when I marry them and where I marry them.”
Jensen was still scowling but Jared could see the fear dancing in his eyes and had to wonder just how many of Jensen’s suitors Mr. Ackles had chased off over the years. Climbing to his knees, he shuffled over until he was face to face with Jensen, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll charm the pants off of him just like I did you.”
His nose wrinkled and he made a gagging noise. “I’d rather you didn’t charm the pants off my father, thanks all the same.”
He kissed the tip of his nose before gently pushing him out of the way so he could climb off the bed. “Fine,” Jared threw over his shoulder as he took his turn in the walk-in closet looking for something suitable to wear for his inquisition with the new father-in-law. “I’ll just charm him into considering taking his pants off. Okay?”
“Freak!”
“But you love me all the same.” He chose a dark gray pinstripe suit for himself and started working his way through shirts. “Right.”
It wasn’t a question, of all the things Jared wasn’t sure about in his life; Jensen loving him wasn’t one of them.
“Always.”
He started, not realizing that Jensen had come to stand in the doorway but managed to stop the urge to spin and strike out at him before his brain had connected the deep honeyed voice of his husband to his face in his head. Forcing a smile, he glanced over at him, “Good ‘cause it would really suck to be in love with someone who didn’t love me.”
Jensen rolled his eyes but his smile was soft, “Yeah, yeah. Hurry up and pick something. It’s after seven already and we’ve still got to get across town.”
Jared hooked a pale pink shirt by its hanger and pulled it free. “Which is why I woke you at six.”
“No you woke me at six to get laid.”
Jared followed Jensen back into the bedroom and then out into the main room of their penthouse suite. Draping his clothes over the back of the couch as he passed on his way to the bathroom he shook his head, “No. I woke you at six to make sure we got to your dad’s on time. The sex? Total bonus.”
Jensen laughed, “Good to have that straightened out.”
“Well that’s two hours of our lives we’ll never get back.” Jensen huffed as he maneuvered his Escalade through traffic. Fucking Las Vegas and fucking tourists and fucking twenty-four hour traffic jams because of the fucking tourists. “Come on grandpa, pick a fucking lane already!”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jared shift just before a warm weight settled high on his thigh. “Jen, it wasn’t that bad.”
“Wasn’t that bad!” He snarled back and gripped the steering wheel tighter, glaring at the little car ahead of them, three quarters in his lane and a quarter in the other making it impossible to pass at all. “Lost tourist? Then pull off the road and check the gps! Jesus!”
“Jensen calm down.” Jared pleaded low.
“Not that bad.” He snorted, “Christ Jared, like it wasn’t bad enough a week ago when he played the little tyrant but to sit there and try lording over us while asking the same fucking questions like…like…” He growled and slammed a palm against the steering wheel.
“Like he was trying to catch me in a lie.” Jared finally added softly.
“Yes! Exactly!” He turned to nodded emphatically at him for a second before turning to continue glaring out the windshield. “He sits in his little palace like some demented dictator, wooing show girls by flashing cash and just expecting everybody to bow down to him. Well fuck him! Let’s see how much he likes it when I say fuck it and walk away from his shit. Maybe it’s time he deals with running his own fucking casino and hotel again.”
“Jensen you know you don’t mean that.” Jared squeezed his thigh, “You like running the business, you enjoy the challenge.”
He ground his teeth together while he watched the idiot in front of him swerve a little further into the right lane before slowly ghosting back to the status quo. All bets were off as far as Jensen was concerned, he could still be a lost tourist or he could be drunk. Either way, Jensen just wanted him the hell out of his way so he could get back to the casino.
“I swear fucker, you turn down the strip and I’ll run you down.” He swore low.
“Do I need to blow you to calm you down?”
“No!” He snapped and then blinked, “Wait. What? Did you just offer to blow me?”
He watched a smile spread across Jared’s face from his peripheral, “You realize your voice just rose like four octaves?”
He felt his face flush with the blood that had just been heading south with the idea of Jared’s mouth on him. Jared had a very talented mouth and shit but his tongue could do things that were probably illegal in all fifty States. “It did not.”
“Yeah it did.” Jared laughed, “But calm your ego, now you just sound like you instead of a pissed off grizzly bear somebody poked in the middle of its hibernation.”
Jensen scowled, “I don’t sound like a pissed off grizzly.”
“Not now.” Jared agreed, “but you kind of did.”
“Well can you blame me?” He huffed and eased off the gas, letting the SUV slow down as the light half a block away turned yellow.
“Again I ask, do I need to blow you?”
He made sure to come to a complete stop, just because he had threatened to run the idiot ahead of him over didn’t mean he actually intended to, before he looked over at Jared. Jared, who was leaning against the passenger door, with one eyebrow raised and a little smirk on his face.
All the blood in his body shifted directions, again¸ and started heading south again because he knew that look. That look promised dirty things, good dirty things.
“Uhh.” Jensen stammered and then wanted to bang his head against the steering wheel, he was usually more articulate that this. He could stand in front of the managerial heads for the casino and not even break a sweat while listening to them bitch about everything from being short staffed to suppliers late shipping supplies to complaining about the Nevada Gaming Commission. But all it took was just the right look from Jared and he was stammering like a fourteen year old embarrassed to be caught in class with a hard on.
“Well?” Jared drawled and licked his lips.
Jesus Christ.
The blaring of a horn behind them made Jensen jump, banging his right elbow against the middle console and glance ahead of them. At some point, the light had turned green and the tourist was long gone, turned onto a side street or pulled off, thank god and stepped on the gas.
“Quit teasing.” He muttered.
“Who’s teasing?”
“Jay,” he patted the top of the console between them. “I don’t think hunching your huge ass over this is such a grand idea.”
“Are you calling my ass huge?” There was no indignation in the question just laughter so Jensen ignored it.
“It’s ten thirty in the morning, we’re almost to the strip, the sun’s bright, the sidewalks are full and you want to try to curl yourself over this to blow me.” He smacked his hand on the console once more, “I’m seeing a car accident and arrests for indecent exposure in our near futures if you do that.”
“Spoil sport.”
Jensen couldn’t help the snort of laughter as he looked over to find Jared had crossed his arms over his chest and had his bottom lip stuck out in a sulk.
“Aww baby don’t pout. I appreciate the offer.”
“Baby? That’s my pet name?” He groaned but Jensen caught the grin out of the corner of his eye. “Then I’m gonna start calling you snookums.”
“Do it and you’re sleeping on the couch.”
Jared outright laughed, “Yeah like that’s going to happen.”
“Call me snookums and we’ll see.” He mock threatened and bit the inside of his bottom lip to stop the grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.
“Don’t call me baby and I won’t call you snookums.”
Jensen maneuvered the SUV into the drive of “Wild Aces” and nodded at the parking attendant as he passed. “Deal.” Turning onto the ramp leading into the underground parking lot, he slowed to a stop at the little security pad and waited for the automatic window to drop before reaching out and punching in his code.
“Hey,” he glanced quickly at Jared before turning back to watch the garage door open. “What happened between you and the old man when I stepped out of the room to take that call from Steve?”
“Nothing. Why?”
Jared almost sounded genuinely confused, almost but Jensen had lived and worked in Vegas for too long not to be fairly good at picking up on the slight nuances in a person’s voice. He could hear the sudden tightness in Jared’s voice clear as day and he grit his teeth wondering what his idiot father had said this time.
Jensen hadn’t been putting on a display that morning when he had told Jared that he didn’t need his dad trying to protect his little boy anymore and he was so fucking tired of it. It was like his old man was trying to make up for the years that Jensen had spent with a nanny verses his own father after his mother had passed away from ovarian cancer, spending his time with show girls and has been actors to bury his pain at losing his wife. But it was far past too late for him to make up anything to Jensen now and trying by buying off or threatening Jensen’s would be suitors was no way to go about it, especially if he wanted to keep his son in his life.
It was the reason why he had put off introducing Jared to his dad in the first place. He wanted the opportunity to make his own decision about his feelings and for Jared to decide if Jensen was worth the long haul before his father did his usual shit. And maybe it was kind of a test, Jensen didn’t like himself for it but there had been other guys who he thought had genuinely cared about Jensen only for them to take the money and run as soon as Alan offered it and the cynical part of him wanted to see what Jared would do.
“Because he looked thwarted when I came back in.”
Jared laughed, “How in the hell does one look thwarted?”
Jensen huffed as he guided the SUV into the parking stall beside Jared’s dark gray Charger. “Fine, he looked like a four year old about to throw a temper tantrum because he couldn’t have a cookie before dinner.”
Jared shook his head as he opened the passenger door, “Well that’s an image I won’t be forgetting for a while.”
“Jared.” He huffed in frustration, he knew his dad had said something and didn’t like the response he had received. Jensen just wanted to know what was said in case he was going to have to do damage control.
They met at the back of the SUV and Jared wrapped an arm around his waist as they headed towards the bank of elevators. “Nothing to worry about.” He promised, “Just threatening to have some of his friends bury me out in the dessert if I hurt you.”
It was said offhanded; more of a throwaway comment than anything else but Jensen still froze. “Jesus Christ.” He spat and spun so that he was standing in front of Jared, one hand pressed into his chest to stop his from walking. “You know he really doesn’t know anyone like that right? There hasn’t been any kind of real mob presence in Vegas since ’86 and the hangeroners that dad claims to know? If they ever were part of one of the families, I doubt they’d do anything to draw attention to themselves from either the families or the authorities.”
Jared grabbed his hand and drew it to his lips, he was smiling but there was something off about his eyes. But before Jensen could question it, Jared pressed a kiss to his knuckles and then started walking again, pulling Jensen’s along by the hand.
“Don’t freak out.” He smiled over at him, “I know all about the lack of mob influence in Vegas, I don’t need you telling me about it. Remember, I’m the one that went to university for criminal studies. Your dad didn’t scare me the way he hoped to and that’s why he looked like he did.”
Jensen’s body relaxed and he shrugged his shoulders, trying to rid himself of the last of the tension. “Oh, okay.”
Jared punched the call button for the elevator and pulled Jensen tight to his side. “I love you. You’re dad running me off is that last of your worries.”
Not should be, is, he was going to have to keep that at the forefront of his mind. He was just so used to getting used to being in, what he thought, was a stable, loving relationship only to have his father’s manipulations pull the rug out from under him that Jensen was a little jaded now. Unfortunately that included Jared, no matter how much he berated himself for it.
“Hey.” He called just as the doors opened and he tucked his knuckle under Jensen’s chin and made him look up at him. “Just remember that.”
Jensen smiled at the honesty in Jared’s eyes and tried to will down the sudden surge of guilt. “I love you too.”
Jared pushed through the door behind the reception desk nodding, smiling and occasionally exchanging hellos with other employees as they passed by. But his mind really wasn’t on where his feet were leading him or what he was doing.
He had lied to Jensen, again¸ a dark voice hissed at the back of his head, but he just couldn’t bring himself to tell him what his father had actually said to him. Jensen had told him all about his family or more importantly his dad about a month before he had met the man personally so he already knew that Alan Ackles had something against his son finding happiness. But it hadn’t prepared him for just how far the man would go to ensure he got his way.
He would have laughed in the man’s face if he had really threatened him with the mob. Like any of the families could possibly scare Jared after the way he had been raised. But that had been a lie; something his subconscious had dragged up as a quick fix to answer Jensen. The truth was so much worse and nothing he intended to share with Jensen, ever.
“I have a very good lawyer Jared.”
He felt his mouth go dry, not comfortable with the almost victorious look shining from Alan’s eyes. In truth, he had been waiting for a threat of a lawyer or lawyers accompanied with words similar to “if Jensen wasn’t smart enough to get a pre-nup don’t think that means that you’ve gotten yourself a free ride when you walk” or something close. He hadn’t been expecting glee to be emanating from the man across from him though. He would have thought anger or maliciousness or the like, an emotion more associated with threatening someone.
When it became clear to Alan that Jared wasn’t going to say anything, he pushed the empty plate in front of him away and rested his elbows on the table before threading his fingers together. “I’ve been assured that in the right circles an annulment would be easily obtainable.”
He felt his mouth drop open, was the man serious? What kind of father was Alan Ackles? Briefly, in his mind’s eye, he could see himself lunging across the dining room table and beating the shit out of his father-in-law on Jensen’s behalf but he shoved the thought away. He didn’t do that, that wasn’t who he was.
“A…an annulment.” Jared repeated slowly, desperately hoping that he had misunderstood.
“Yes Jared, an annulment.” Alan’s brows lowered, “Come now we both know that the only reason you married my son was for his money. So let’s just get this over with shall we? I’ll arrange an annulment of this farce of a marriage and pay you five hundred thousand to get the hell out of Vegas.”
He shook his head, “I signed a pre-nup. Hell I was the one that told Jensen that we needed one. I don’t want his money and I don’t want a divorce.”
Alan laughed, the sound chilling, “Look I understand that you think you’ll end up with more in the long run but five hundred thousand at one time is so much better than paltry sums doled out every so often don’t you agree?”
Jared gritted his teeth and his lips barely moved as he repeated, “I do not want to divorce Jensen.”
Alan opened his mouth to respond but just then Jensen walked into the room, his cell still stuck in his ear. “Yeah Steve give me an hour tops and we’ll be back.”
Alan had slammed his mouth closed so quickly that Jared was pretty sure he caught his tongue between his teeth and was vindictively happy about it.
He sighed, he just didn’t understand Alan Ackles, on one hand he must feel something for Jensen not just because he was Jensen’s father but also because, even if he still owned Wild Aces and for all intents and purposes was the CEO, Jensen ran the place. You didn’t let someone control your company if you couldn’t stand them, did you?
The questions were moot, what mattered was that Jared was not divorcing Jensen for any amount of money that Alan offered because he hadn’t married Jensen for his money. If he wanted money all he had to do was go to his safety deposit box at Wells Fargo and use either the black MasterCard or the interact card hidden within.
Jared pulled his key card from the inside pocket of his dark blue blazer and slid it into the slot beside the door for the Security room, waited for the loud click of the electronic lock to release and pushed into the room.
“I know that look. Breakfast with old man Ackles went well then?”
Jared glared across the room at Christian Kane sitting at a bank of monitors that did nothing to dampen the smirk being shot at him.
“’Bout as good as could be expected.” He muttered before heading towards a second bank of monitors along the wall opposite of the door. “Anything interesting happen yet?”
Christian snorted, “Two grannies fighting over a nickel machine and one drunk tripping over one of the waitresses and groping her ass while they were on the ground.” The chair squeaked as Christian swiveled it around to stare at Jared. “You’re not sidetracking me. Me, Sophia and Steve have a bet going as to what he offered you so come on spill.”
Jared twisted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “That’s kind of…I don’t know…sick, twisted. You guys are supposed to be Jensen’s best friends. Shouldn’t you be hoping that Alan is happy for him and didn’t try to buy me off?”
Christian shrugged, unapologetic, “Yeah we are Jensen’s best friends. The reason being is because we’re the only ones Alan couldn’t buy out of Jensen’s life.”
“What is with that man anyway?” Jared flapped in arms in frustration, “Does he hate Jensen so much that he wants him completely isolated?”
Christian leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Nah, I don’t think that’s it. I think it has more to do with his second wife.”
His eyes widened, Jensen had never said anything about having a stepmother. It stung a little but he couldn’t hold it against him considering the skeletons in his own closet.
“Jensen didn’t tell you about Marta, did he?” He asked low, “Shit!”
“Look Christian, if you don’t think you should say anything…” his voice trailed off. It wasn’t really what he wanted to say. He wanted to know about this Marta but he couldn’t ask Christian to break his confidence to Jensen. Besides, this was something he should probably hear directly from Jensen. But on the other hand, if it could shed some light on why Alan acted the way he did, maybe it would put Jared to ease some and maybe give him a hint as to what to say or do to make his father-in-law believe Jared was there for the long haul.
Christian looked uncomfortable before he huffed out a breath, “Nah you need to know this. Jen should have told you and he probably will but if it makes your dealings easier with Alan until then…” He shrugged and ran a hand through his long, dark blond hair.
“Jensen’s mother died from complications due to ovarian cancer but you knew that right?” His eyes were pleading; it was obvious that he didn’t want to have to spill all of Jensen’s secrets for him.
“Yeah, he was eleven.”
His face cleared marginally at the admission, “Well old man Ackles took her back to Texas to bury her in their hometown of Richardson and that’s where he met,” he scowled for a minute before continuing. “Well, got reacquainted with Marta.”
Jared knew that Jensen’s mother was buried in Richardson, Jensen had told him about the plane flight back to Texas and how, although it wasn’t the first time he had been on a plane, it was the first time he had gotten airsick and now he couldn’t take a flight without first taking copious amounts of meds to keep it from happening again. But Jensen had left it there, just that his mother was buried in Texas and even feeling guilty about it all the time, he rarely went back to visit her grave because of getting airsick so easily.
“According to what Jensen understands, his dad, his mom and Marta all went through middle school and high school together. Marta and his mom had been friends since they were little girls and all was good until high school and Jensen’s dad started dating Marta.” Christian paused when the electronic lock clicked and they both looked over as one of Christian’s crew came through the door.
“What’s up Riley?”
Riley wasn’t really what Jared expected for a security guard working the casino side. He was of average height and build with short dirty blonde hair that made him look too young to even be in the casino never mind working as a guard. And if Jared was being honest, Riley hadn’t instilled any kind of fear in him at first sight but since then he had seen him escort more than one unruly guest from the premises so there was more to him then met the eye.
“Just letting you know I’m going for lunch.”
Christian’s eyes slid to the bank of monitors in front of him, “George and Andy still walking the floor?”
“Yes sir.”
Jared glanced up at the big wall clock hanging above and between his and Christian’s respective bank of monitors. “It’s eleven thirty so Scott just started his shift on my side. That gives me four on the hotel side, because of that convention booked for the weekend but they haven’t shown up yet. You want me to send one to the casino to cover?”
Christian shook his head, “Nah, it’s looking pretty quiet so far, casino’s not yet half full.” He turned back to Riley, “You bring lunch or thinking of stepping out?”
“Brought.”
He grinned, “Good man. Okay, go but just keep your radio handy in case something comes up.”
Riley saluted both of them before slipping back out of the room.
“I’m gonna hunt down that damn kid Jordon and kick his ass.” He grumbled and ran a hand over his face. “Kid always seems to be getting the flu on either a Friday or a Monday.”
“Hmm.” Jared pursed his lips, “Kinda sounds like the Friday Party Flu and the Hangover Monday Flu. Hear they’re going around again.”
Christian snorted, “Those be the kind of bugs that lose people their jobs.”
Jared leaned back in his chair, careful to keep his feet planted firmly on the tile floor to keep the chair from rolling backwards. “Heard that someone who is constantly coming down with those types of bugs ends up developing Unemployed Flu. Maybe someone should suggest he get inoculated before it’s too late.”
Arms crossed over his chest, he nodded. “Probably.” He agreed, “Should maybe make a point of suggesting that to Jordon when he gets in for his shift on Monday.” One shoulder lifted, “You know if he’s still not sick on Monday.”
“Sounding like he’s already showing signs of Unemployed flu.” Jared grinned but it wasn’t pleasant. Usually he tried to be understanding, it wasn’t like he started at the top, well he had at Wild Aces but that wasn’t because of Jensen. He hadn’t even known Jensen when he applied for the position of Head of Security - Hotel Side at Wild Aces six months ago, he had gotten the job because Wild Aces wasn’t the first casino he had worked security at. He had gotten the position because he had started on the bottom rung eight years before in some little Podunk roadside casino thirty miles outside of the Reno city limits working the shit shifts with a god damn smile on his face and a willingness to learn. Between there and Wild Aces he had worked at several casinos in different States, building his resume and he was damn proud of what he had accomplished by the time he was twenty-eight. When someone interviewed him and checked his work references they were impressed by his work ethic and motivation and he couldn’t understand why if he could do it with the shit upbringing he had, why somebody who clearly had it easier, couldn’t.
He tilted his head to the side, “We’ll see what happens Monday.” He shrugged, “Where were we?”
“Marta and Alan started dating in high school and her and Jensen’s mom weren’t really friends because of it.”
“That’s not exactly how it happened, at least the way Jensen tells it.” Christian scanned the monitors for a second and Jared took the opportunity to do the same before looking back.
“Jensen’s aunt told him that everything was good in the beginning but that Donna, Jensen’s mom, really liked Alan and that Marta, liked him but was looking to the future and wanted a man that could provide more than keeping her in a middle income life.”
Jared nodded, he knew a little about that. Not the Marta part of the equation but that Alan had gotten a small inheritance that he had known nothing about that his grandfather had willed to him when he had passed when Alan was just a little boy. At twenty-one Alan suddenly had an influx of cash and a fascination with Las Vegas. He had come out, bought a hotel/casino that was almost bankrupt and Wild Aces had been born.
“I know Jensen told you about how Wild Aces came into being.” He waved a hand encompassing not only the room they were in but the whole building. “I was there that night.”
Jared nodded but kept his mouth shut, wanting to hear the end of this and how it tied into Alan being an ass to apparently anyone who mattered to his son.
“Well this part’s not real clear but either Donna caught Marta cheating on Alan a couple months before they were all gonna graduate or Marta broke up with Alan and told him that he just wasn’t long term material because he wasn’t going to amount to anything. Either way, they spilt up and Donna and Alan ended up going to grad together and never stopped being together after that. ‘Till she passed at any rate and then Alan ran into Marta in Richardson and Jensen’s guesses she already heard or Alan told her all about how he had made it big here in Vegas and suddenly she showed up a month after he and his dad came back and she never left.”
His heart hurt. It had to be hell for the little boy that Jensen had been to lose his mother and only four weeks later some other woman was moving into the house and probably trying to replace her. It had to have been confusing and upsetting and it only made Jared despise old man Ackles more.
“Couple months later there was a good old fashioned Vegas quickie wedding…” Christian audibly swallowed and flushed, “Uhh not that I’m saying that all Vegas quickie weddings are bad or are gonna end…”
Jared waved at hand at him, “It’s okay, go on.”
He still looked like he had swallowed something sour but he took a breath and continued. “I think he never stopped loving her which is why she got her claws in so fast but I really don’t know. But like I said they were married a couple months after she moved in and suddenly things were changing. Alan never skimped on things but he wasn’t extravagant like he is now, that was all Marta’s doing. It had to be the biggest, it had to be the best, the flashiest, the most expensive. And Alan just let her get on with it is how Jensen tells it except for one thing, she wanted to send Jensen to some private school down East in Boston and Alan wouldn’t let her. Apparently it caused a lot of fights between them and although she never took them out on Jensen, she wasn’t nice to him either. Of course you can’t be either to a kid you just pretend isn’t there.”
An image of his own mother flashed in his mind, her gentle eyes smiling and her arms always opened for her boys. He didn’t know who he would have become without her love and guidance, granted his brother had had the same mother, the same hugs and kisses and love but he had ended up more like their father. And all things considering of what he was just now learning about Jensen, obviously he had survived it and was still a great man even missing those hugs and kisses from his mother. But still, it wasn’t right.
“Eventually something happened, either because Alan wouldn’t send Jensen away or something else that he knows nothing about but things got worse. Marta started throwing lavish parties for the Vegas elite and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars doing it and rubbing elbows with anybody and everybody who was worth even a little bit of name dropping. Then one day Alan and Jensen came home earlier than expected from a day at the “office” and caught Marta in bed with a friend of a friend of hers and he divorced her, losing at least half of everything in the process. Jensen said that’s when Alan changed and he used to overhear his dad telling his friends that no one was going use him and if somebody was going to spend his money frivolously, it was going to be him.”
Jared rolled the information over in his head and grudgingly could admit, to himself at least, why Alan was so leery of anybody getting close to his son. But it didn’t excuse his actions; he wasn’t always going to be around to dole out his brand of protection for his son and he had to realize that Jensen was going to have to do it on his own. Make his own decisions about whom he could or couldn’t trust. Maybe Jared standing up and saying no would open Alan’s eyes and make him see that Jensen was his own man and could be trusted with running his own life.
Maybe not, but he couldn’t help but hope for both his own and Jensen’s sakes or the next however long until Alan passed away was going to be a very long and trying time for them.
“So what are you doing here early anyway?” Christian broke through his musings.
Jared glanced up at the clock then back across the room. “What are you talking about? I said I’d be here by noon and it’s almost quarter after.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “But you walked through that door shortly before eleven.” His grin was a little evil, “Honeymoon phase over already? Jensen kick you out of bed?”
“Fuck you Kane.” He growled, “I’ll have you know that I was more than happy to go upstairs and try to distract Jensen from our breakfast meeting with his dad until noon.”
Christian wrinkled his nose, “Jared what have I told you about TMI?”
He laughed, “Then don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers too.”
“You could have just said no.”
He shrugged, unrepentant, “Where would the fun in that be?”
Christian rolled his eyes, “Ass. So why weren’t you doing…” he waved his hand towards the ceiling and presumably their penthouse suit on the top floor of the hotel, “that?”
“Steve called during breakfast. Apparently the meat shipment was late again and not to quality, at least Steve’s brand of quality, and he was threatening to go down to the meat supplier with his favorite cleaver and explain to them in great detail why his delivery needed to be on time and why when he ordered grade A it had better be what he got.”
“Woo boy.” Christian shuddered and it didn’t look like an act. “Yeah, it’s not a good idea to fuck around with Steve’s kitchen. He gets a little…”
“Miffed?” Jared suggested, “Pissed? Livid?”
“No.” He shook his head, “More like psychotic.”
Jared paused to think about the Steve Carlson he had met in a little dive country bar off the strip a couple weeks after Jensen and him had started seeing each other and the Steve Carlson who ran the “Wild Aces” kitchen. Steve away from the kitchen was laid back and hard to get a rise out of but Steve in the kitchen? Two months after he had started as head of security for the hotel, four guys had tried to rob the place by going through the kitchen to the restaurant and into the hotel proper. It had been late, close to the time the main kitchen closed and maybe it would have worked at another hotel but Steve had gone at the guys with his favorite meat cleaver that he liked to brandish at staff that pissed him off, with his sous chef close on his heels. The would be robbers were so shocked that they had forgotten they were carrying guns, turned and high tailed it the way they had come.
Jensen had threatened to kill Steve himself for pulling the stunt and Jared had to hold back Christian the next morning when he had found out. But both times Steve had stood his ground and said that no one got to fuck with his kitchen for any reason. He later told Sophia the same thing when she had hit him on the side with a ledger when she came in an hour after Jared had just gotten Christian calmed down.
So it was by no means any stretch of the imagination to believe that Steve would go down to the meat suppliers and take great pleasure in explaining the finer details to them while doing, only God knew what, with that damn cleaver.
“Yeah,” he agreed slow, “Psychotic works.”
Christian chuckled as he swiveled his chair back around and let his eyes roam the monitors in front of him. “Works real well.”
Part Two
Please see Master Post for fic details.
“Jen.”
Jared ran his tongue along the shell of Jensen’s ear and grinned at the soft growl he got in return.
“Jensen.”
Jensen mumbled something that sounded like “go away” and turned his face into his pillow.
Jared rolled his eyes. He had learned early on in their relationship that there were only two ways to wake Jensen up before nine am, one was a cup of strong black coffee waved under his nose but kept out of his reach until Jensen had managed to push himself up to sitting against the headboard or sex. Jared had purposely set his alarm an hour earlier than necessary so that he could chose option two. Option two was much more fun for both of them.
Sliding his hand down from resting against Jensen stomach to cupping his soft cock he leaned further over so that he could breathe into his ear. “Come on Jensen, up and at ‘em”
“No.”
He smirked, at least that he had understood which meant that Jensen was slowly climbing closer to full wakefulness, grudgingly or not. Deftly his fingers tugged and squeezed until Jensen began to harden in his hand and then he started a slow teasing stroke.
His hips twitched and he groaned softly, “What time’s it?”
“Little after six.”
Jensen’s head rolled so he could peer blurrily over his shoulder at him. “A.M.?”
“Yup.”
Baring his teeth at him did little to instill any kind of fear in Jared when he was shifting onto his back to better accommodate Jared’s hand. “Jesus.” He gasped low and bit his lower lip, “I hate you.”
Leaning forward, Jared teased the pinched skin with his tongue, “Nah you don’t.”
“Yeah, I kind of do.” He chased after Jared’s lips until they met in a hard kiss, tongues and teeth clashing and trying to be the one to claim the other.
On the next stroke down, Jared kept going, his fingertips sliding across Jensen’s heavy balls and further back pressing against his perineum before finally circling the puckered muscle, still loose from the night before. Breaking the kiss, he smirked down at Jensen as he slid one finger deep inside, “Nah, you really don’t.”
Jensen keened low in his chest and his one leg folded and twisted up until it was high enough up the bed that he could slip it through the space made by Jared being propped up on one elbow and pressed it against his back, urging him closer. “If you don’t quit teasing I will.” He muttered, gruff and shifted his hips higher. “Please.”
Jared chuckled as he added a second finger, slowly sliding in and out of Jensen’s body. “I love it when you beg.”
Narrowing his eyes, Jensen’s curled his hand around Jared’s neck and pulled his head down until their lips were brushing and trying to focus clearly caused both their eyes to cross. “I will smoother you in your sleep if you don’t quit messing around and fuck me.”
“Pushy.” He smirked at him while shifting further up Jensen’s body. He pushed against Jensen’s prostate just to watch him shudder before pulling his fingers free and reaching for the bottle of lube tucked away in the nightstand drawer.
“So?” Jensen shot back but his voice was breathless as he grabbed the bottle from Jared’s hand and snapped the top open. He dribbled some into his hand before snapping it closed one handed and tossed it towards the other side of the bed. “This is what you get when you wake me up by jerking me off.”
“And every…fuck…other time we’ve had sex?” Jared was proud of the fact that he managed to actually articulate the question fairly well considering that Jensen had wrapped his lube-slicked hand around Jared’s cock.
Jensen smiled up at him, sweet innocence shining in his face, “You’re a teasing bastard.”
Which was more than true but Jared couldn’t help himself. He loved watching Jensen writhe and pant and curse his name while Jared drove him closer and closer to the edge without actually letting him fall. Usually by the time Jared sunk into him, Jensen was nothing but an oversensitive moaning mess but they didn’t have time for that this morning.
“You fucking love it.” He slid into the welcoming heat not stopping until he bottomed out. He had to take a couple of deep breaths to help calm him down and stop from just starting to thrust into Jensen like his body wanted him to.
“Yeah, it’s awesome.” The sarcasm of his words was lost with his head tossed back and pressed into the pillow. “Jay,” he groaned and kicked his legs until the blankets slid off of Jared’s back to pool low on his calves and wrapped his own legs around Jared’s hips, his heels pressing into the top of his ass. “Move.”
“Still pushy.” Jared pressed into the thin skin over Jensen’s collarbone before he nipped at it but he started a slow roll of his hips.
“Don’t make me use the pillow.” Jensen threatened and curled his fingers around Jared’s biceps, using the leverage to push back into Jared’s thrusts. “Smothering is still an option.”
“Uhuh, sure.” He lifted his head and grinned down at the red teeth marks he had left behind. Shifting to take more weight on his knees and get better leverage, Jared started to speed up his thrusting, “You’re too coherent I think.”
Jensen’s keened as his cock slid across his prostate, “There. Fuck Jay, harder please.”
He watched the skin of Jensen’s face and chest darken as his body began to flush. “Better.” He husked.
Short nails digging into the muscles and legs tightening around Jared thighs, Jensen lifted his head and bit Jared’s jaw. “Jay.” He whined and flicked his tongue against the stubbled flesh trapped between his teeth.
Jared growled, his orgasm starting to rush through his veins burning away coherent thought. Shaking off Jensen’s hold on one arm, he reached back and pulled at one of Jensen’s calves until it dropped away and he could hook his arm under Jensen’s knee and force him open wider. “So good.” He growled before leaning down and pressing their lips together in a messy kiss.
He felt Jensen’s free hand worm between their bodies and broke the kiss. “You gonna?”
“Close.” Jensen gasped as Jared felt his knuckles bump up against his lower stomach and Jensen’s eyes fluttered closed.
“One day,” he lapped at the sweat collecting in the dip of Jensen’s collarbones, “I’m gonna tie you up…” he groaned when Jensen’s internal muscles fluttered and tightened around his cock. “And make you come…close Jen…with just my cock.”
Jensen’s mouth opened in a silent scream as his body jerked hard.
Jared only had a second to appreciate the hard clench of Jensen’s body before his sight whitened out and his breath caught in his throat as he followed him over the edge.
He came back to himself a minute later with the side of his jaw pressed against Jensen’s shoulder and Jensen’s cheek resting against his forehead as he panted.
“Sleep now.” Jensen mumbled.
“No can do.” Jared replied, bumping his forehead against Jensen’s cheek. “Gotta make that breakfast meeting on time.”
Jensen groaned and his leg slid off of Jared’s back to thump against the mattress. “Why do you have to ruin my afterglow?”
“It’s just your dad.” His tongue darted out to lap at a drop of sweat slowly sliding down the side of Jensen’s neck. He chuckled as Jensen tried to slap the back of his head with the hand half trapped under Jared’s shoulder.
“Don’t try to distract me.” He grumbled and then shifted his hips, “Get off, you’re heavy.”
He took a deep breath before pushing himself up on shaky arms, pulled his hips back to slide from Jensen’s body then twisted and dropped to face plant beside him. “Again, I say it’s just your father.” He mumbled into the pillow, “Not like it’s you’re going to facing off with a room full of the casino employees.”
The bed shifted as Jensen rolled into him and pressed a kiss to his shoulder before he rolled back and up off the bed. “Rather it was a room full of the employees.”
Jared lifted his head and watched as Jensen moved to the walk-in closet and disappear inside. “You knew this was going to happen.” He raised his voice a little to be heard over the sound of hangers sliding along the metal bar. “He only found out a week ago that we’ve been dating for five months and yesterday you call him to let him know we eloped two days ago.”
Jensen walked back into the room, a green dress shirt and black suit dangling from hangers held in one hand. “Is it considering eloping when we only went four blocks over to the “Little Chapel of Love”? I mean, doesn’t eloping mean we have to leave town or something?”
“Semantics.” Jared sat up and stretched his arms above his head and smirked as he watched Jensen’s eyes track the movement. “Point is that you had to know this was going to happen. The man wants a second look at me, make sure I’m good enough for his little boy.”
Jensen’s face screwed up into a scowl, “I’m thirty-one Jared. I stopped being his little boy years ago.”
“Fair enough.” He shrugged, “But he still wants to do breakfast with us because he wants to play hardass, we both know that and we’re going to let him.”
Jensen stepped up to the side of the bed and leaned his thighs against it, completely unconcerned that he was still naked, stomach come smeared and his outfit getting wrinkled as it was pressed against the mattress. “Yeah well, I don’t need him to play hardass for me. If I can run this damn casino, I can choose who I marry, when I marry them and where I marry them.”
Jensen was still scowling but Jared could see the fear dancing in his eyes and had to wonder just how many of Jensen’s suitors Mr. Ackles had chased off over the years. Climbing to his knees, he shuffled over until he was face to face with Jensen, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll charm the pants off of him just like I did you.”
His nose wrinkled and he made a gagging noise. “I’d rather you didn’t charm the pants off my father, thanks all the same.”
He kissed the tip of his nose before gently pushing him out of the way so he could climb off the bed. “Fine,” Jared threw over his shoulder as he took his turn in the walk-in closet looking for something suitable to wear for his inquisition with the new father-in-law. “I’ll just charm him into considering taking his pants off. Okay?”
“Freak!”
“But you love me all the same.” He chose a dark gray pinstripe suit for himself and started working his way through shirts. “Right.”
It wasn’t a question, of all the things Jared wasn’t sure about in his life; Jensen loving him wasn’t one of them.
“Always.”
He started, not realizing that Jensen had come to stand in the doorway but managed to stop the urge to spin and strike out at him before his brain had connected the deep honeyed voice of his husband to his face in his head. Forcing a smile, he glanced over at him, “Good ‘cause it would really suck to be in love with someone who didn’t love me.”
Jensen rolled his eyes but his smile was soft, “Yeah, yeah. Hurry up and pick something. It’s after seven already and we’ve still got to get across town.”
Jared hooked a pale pink shirt by its hanger and pulled it free. “Which is why I woke you at six.”
“No you woke me at six to get laid.”
Jared followed Jensen back into the bedroom and then out into the main room of their penthouse suite. Draping his clothes over the back of the couch as he passed on his way to the bathroom he shook his head, “No. I woke you at six to make sure we got to your dad’s on time. The sex? Total bonus.”
Jensen laughed, “Good to have that straightened out.”
“Well that’s two hours of our lives we’ll never get back.” Jensen huffed as he maneuvered his Escalade through traffic. Fucking Las Vegas and fucking tourists and fucking twenty-four hour traffic jams because of the fucking tourists. “Come on grandpa, pick a fucking lane already!”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jared shift just before a warm weight settled high on his thigh. “Jen, it wasn’t that bad.”
“Wasn’t that bad!” He snarled back and gripped the steering wheel tighter, glaring at the little car ahead of them, three quarters in his lane and a quarter in the other making it impossible to pass at all. “Lost tourist? Then pull off the road and check the gps! Jesus!”
“Jensen calm down.” Jared pleaded low.
“Not that bad.” He snorted, “Christ Jared, like it wasn’t bad enough a week ago when he played the little tyrant but to sit there and try lording over us while asking the same fucking questions like…like…” He growled and slammed a palm against the steering wheel.
“Like he was trying to catch me in a lie.” Jared finally added softly.
“Yes! Exactly!” He turned to nodded emphatically at him for a second before turning to continue glaring out the windshield. “He sits in his little palace like some demented dictator, wooing show girls by flashing cash and just expecting everybody to bow down to him. Well fuck him! Let’s see how much he likes it when I say fuck it and walk away from his shit. Maybe it’s time he deals with running his own fucking casino and hotel again.”
“Jensen you know you don’t mean that.” Jared squeezed his thigh, “You like running the business, you enjoy the challenge.”
He ground his teeth together while he watched the idiot in front of him swerve a little further into the right lane before slowly ghosting back to the status quo. All bets were off as far as Jensen was concerned, he could still be a lost tourist or he could be drunk. Either way, Jensen just wanted him the hell out of his way so he could get back to the casino.
“I swear fucker, you turn down the strip and I’ll run you down.” He swore low.
“Do I need to blow you to calm you down?”
“No!” He snapped and then blinked, “Wait. What? Did you just offer to blow me?”
He watched a smile spread across Jared’s face from his peripheral, “You realize your voice just rose like four octaves?”
He felt his face flush with the blood that had just been heading south with the idea of Jared’s mouth on him. Jared had a very talented mouth and shit but his tongue could do things that were probably illegal in all fifty States. “It did not.”
“Yeah it did.” Jared laughed, “But calm your ego, now you just sound like you instead of a pissed off grizzly bear somebody poked in the middle of its hibernation.”
Jensen scowled, “I don’t sound like a pissed off grizzly.”
“Not now.” Jared agreed, “but you kind of did.”
“Well can you blame me?” He huffed and eased off the gas, letting the SUV slow down as the light half a block away turned yellow.
“Again I ask, do I need to blow you?”
He made sure to come to a complete stop, just because he had threatened to run the idiot ahead of him over didn’t mean he actually intended to, before he looked over at Jared. Jared, who was leaning against the passenger door, with one eyebrow raised and a little smirk on his face.
All the blood in his body shifted directions, again¸ and started heading south again because he knew that look. That look promised dirty things, good dirty things.
“Uhh.” Jensen stammered and then wanted to bang his head against the steering wheel, he was usually more articulate that this. He could stand in front of the managerial heads for the casino and not even break a sweat while listening to them bitch about everything from being short staffed to suppliers late shipping supplies to complaining about the Nevada Gaming Commission. But all it took was just the right look from Jared and he was stammering like a fourteen year old embarrassed to be caught in class with a hard on.
“Well?” Jared drawled and licked his lips.
Jesus Christ.
The blaring of a horn behind them made Jensen jump, banging his right elbow against the middle console and glance ahead of them. At some point, the light had turned green and the tourist was long gone, turned onto a side street or pulled off, thank god and stepped on the gas.
“Quit teasing.” He muttered.
“Who’s teasing?”
“Jay,” he patted the top of the console between them. “I don’t think hunching your huge ass over this is such a grand idea.”
“Are you calling my ass huge?” There was no indignation in the question just laughter so Jensen ignored it.
“It’s ten thirty in the morning, we’re almost to the strip, the sun’s bright, the sidewalks are full and you want to try to curl yourself over this to blow me.” He smacked his hand on the console once more, “I’m seeing a car accident and arrests for indecent exposure in our near futures if you do that.”
“Spoil sport.”
Jensen couldn’t help the snort of laughter as he looked over to find Jared had crossed his arms over his chest and had his bottom lip stuck out in a sulk.
“Aww baby don’t pout. I appreciate the offer.”
“Baby? That’s my pet name?” He groaned but Jensen caught the grin out of the corner of his eye. “Then I’m gonna start calling you snookums.”
“Do it and you’re sleeping on the couch.”
Jared outright laughed, “Yeah like that’s going to happen.”
“Call me snookums and we’ll see.” He mock threatened and bit the inside of his bottom lip to stop the grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.
“Don’t call me baby and I won’t call you snookums.”
Jensen maneuvered the SUV into the drive of “Wild Aces” and nodded at the parking attendant as he passed. “Deal.” Turning onto the ramp leading into the underground parking lot, he slowed to a stop at the little security pad and waited for the automatic window to drop before reaching out and punching in his code.
“Hey,” he glanced quickly at Jared before turning back to watch the garage door open. “What happened between you and the old man when I stepped out of the room to take that call from Steve?”
“Nothing. Why?”
Jared almost sounded genuinely confused, almost but Jensen had lived and worked in Vegas for too long not to be fairly good at picking up on the slight nuances in a person’s voice. He could hear the sudden tightness in Jared’s voice clear as day and he grit his teeth wondering what his idiot father had said this time.
Jensen hadn’t been putting on a display that morning when he had told Jared that he didn’t need his dad trying to protect his little boy anymore and he was so fucking tired of it. It was like his old man was trying to make up for the years that Jensen had spent with a nanny verses his own father after his mother had passed away from ovarian cancer, spending his time with show girls and has been actors to bury his pain at losing his wife. But it was far past too late for him to make up anything to Jensen now and trying by buying off or threatening Jensen’s would be suitors was no way to go about it, especially if he wanted to keep his son in his life.
It was the reason why he had put off introducing Jared to his dad in the first place. He wanted the opportunity to make his own decision about his feelings and for Jared to decide if Jensen was worth the long haul before his father did his usual shit. And maybe it was kind of a test, Jensen didn’t like himself for it but there had been other guys who he thought had genuinely cared about Jensen only for them to take the money and run as soon as Alan offered it and the cynical part of him wanted to see what Jared would do.
“Because he looked thwarted when I came back in.”
Jared laughed, “How in the hell does one look thwarted?”
Jensen huffed as he guided the SUV into the parking stall beside Jared’s dark gray Charger. “Fine, he looked like a four year old about to throw a temper tantrum because he couldn’t have a cookie before dinner.”
Jared shook his head as he opened the passenger door, “Well that’s an image I won’t be forgetting for a while.”
“Jared.” He huffed in frustration, he knew his dad had said something and didn’t like the response he had received. Jensen just wanted to know what was said in case he was going to have to do damage control.
They met at the back of the SUV and Jared wrapped an arm around his waist as they headed towards the bank of elevators. “Nothing to worry about.” He promised, “Just threatening to have some of his friends bury me out in the dessert if I hurt you.”
It was said offhanded; more of a throwaway comment than anything else but Jensen still froze. “Jesus Christ.” He spat and spun so that he was standing in front of Jared, one hand pressed into his chest to stop his from walking. “You know he really doesn’t know anyone like that right? There hasn’t been any kind of real mob presence in Vegas since ’86 and the hangeroners that dad claims to know? If they ever were part of one of the families, I doubt they’d do anything to draw attention to themselves from either the families or the authorities.”
Jared grabbed his hand and drew it to his lips, he was smiling but there was something off about his eyes. But before Jensen could question it, Jared pressed a kiss to his knuckles and then started walking again, pulling Jensen’s along by the hand.
“Don’t freak out.” He smiled over at him, “I know all about the lack of mob influence in Vegas, I don’t need you telling me about it. Remember, I’m the one that went to university for criminal studies. Your dad didn’t scare me the way he hoped to and that’s why he looked like he did.”
Jensen’s body relaxed and he shrugged his shoulders, trying to rid himself of the last of the tension. “Oh, okay.”
Jared punched the call button for the elevator and pulled Jensen tight to his side. “I love you. You’re dad running me off is that last of your worries.”
Not should be, is, he was going to have to keep that at the forefront of his mind. He was just so used to getting used to being in, what he thought, was a stable, loving relationship only to have his father’s manipulations pull the rug out from under him that Jensen was a little jaded now. Unfortunately that included Jared, no matter how much he berated himself for it.
“Hey.” He called just as the doors opened and he tucked his knuckle under Jensen’s chin and made him look up at him. “Just remember that.”
Jensen smiled at the honesty in Jared’s eyes and tried to will down the sudden surge of guilt. “I love you too.”
Jared pushed through the door behind the reception desk nodding, smiling and occasionally exchanging hellos with other employees as they passed by. But his mind really wasn’t on where his feet were leading him or what he was doing.
He had lied to Jensen, again¸ a dark voice hissed at the back of his head, but he just couldn’t bring himself to tell him what his father had actually said to him. Jensen had told him all about his family or more importantly his dad about a month before he had met the man personally so he already knew that Alan Ackles had something against his son finding happiness. But it hadn’t prepared him for just how far the man would go to ensure he got his way.
He would have laughed in the man’s face if he had really threatened him with the mob. Like any of the families could possibly scare Jared after the way he had been raised. But that had been a lie; something his subconscious had dragged up as a quick fix to answer Jensen. The truth was so much worse and nothing he intended to share with Jensen, ever.
“I have a very good lawyer Jared.”
He felt his mouth go dry, not comfortable with the almost victorious look shining from Alan’s eyes. In truth, he had been waiting for a threat of a lawyer or lawyers accompanied with words similar to “if Jensen wasn’t smart enough to get a pre-nup don’t think that means that you’ve gotten yourself a free ride when you walk” or something close. He hadn’t been expecting glee to be emanating from the man across from him though. He would have thought anger or maliciousness or the like, an emotion more associated with threatening someone.
When it became clear to Alan that Jared wasn’t going to say anything, he pushed the empty plate in front of him away and rested his elbows on the table before threading his fingers together. “I’ve been assured that in the right circles an annulment would be easily obtainable.”
He felt his mouth drop open, was the man serious? What kind of father was Alan Ackles? Briefly, in his mind’s eye, he could see himself lunging across the dining room table and beating the shit out of his father-in-law on Jensen’s behalf but he shoved the thought away. He didn’t do that, that wasn’t who he was.
“A…an annulment.” Jared repeated slowly, desperately hoping that he had misunderstood.
“Yes Jared, an annulment.” Alan’s brows lowered, “Come now we both know that the only reason you married my son was for his money. So let’s just get this over with shall we? I’ll arrange an annulment of this farce of a marriage and pay you five hundred thousand to get the hell out of Vegas.”
He shook his head, “I signed a pre-nup. Hell I was the one that told Jensen that we needed one. I don’t want his money and I don’t want a divorce.”
Alan laughed, the sound chilling, “Look I understand that you think you’ll end up with more in the long run but five hundred thousand at one time is so much better than paltry sums doled out every so often don’t you agree?”
Jared gritted his teeth and his lips barely moved as he repeated, “I do not want to divorce Jensen.”
Alan opened his mouth to respond but just then Jensen walked into the room, his cell still stuck in his ear. “Yeah Steve give me an hour tops and we’ll be back.”
Alan had slammed his mouth closed so quickly that Jared was pretty sure he caught his tongue between his teeth and was vindictively happy about it.
He sighed, he just didn’t understand Alan Ackles, on one hand he must feel something for Jensen not just because he was Jensen’s father but also because, even if he still owned Wild Aces and for all intents and purposes was the CEO, Jensen ran the place. You didn’t let someone control your company if you couldn’t stand them, did you?
The questions were moot, what mattered was that Jared was not divorcing Jensen for any amount of money that Alan offered because he hadn’t married Jensen for his money. If he wanted money all he had to do was go to his safety deposit box at Wells Fargo and use either the black MasterCard or the interact card hidden within.
Jared pulled his key card from the inside pocket of his dark blue blazer and slid it into the slot beside the door for the Security room, waited for the loud click of the electronic lock to release and pushed into the room.
“I know that look. Breakfast with old man Ackles went well then?”
Jared glared across the room at Christian Kane sitting at a bank of monitors that did nothing to dampen the smirk being shot at him.
“’Bout as good as could be expected.” He muttered before heading towards a second bank of monitors along the wall opposite of the door. “Anything interesting happen yet?”
Christian snorted, “Two grannies fighting over a nickel machine and one drunk tripping over one of the waitresses and groping her ass while they were on the ground.” The chair squeaked as Christian swiveled it around to stare at Jared. “You’re not sidetracking me. Me, Sophia and Steve have a bet going as to what he offered you so come on spill.”
Jared twisted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “That’s kind of…I don’t know…sick, twisted. You guys are supposed to be Jensen’s best friends. Shouldn’t you be hoping that Alan is happy for him and didn’t try to buy me off?”
Christian shrugged, unapologetic, “Yeah we are Jensen’s best friends. The reason being is because we’re the only ones Alan couldn’t buy out of Jensen’s life.”
“What is with that man anyway?” Jared flapped in arms in frustration, “Does he hate Jensen so much that he wants him completely isolated?”
Christian leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Nah, I don’t think that’s it. I think it has more to do with his second wife.”
His eyes widened, Jensen had never said anything about having a stepmother. It stung a little but he couldn’t hold it against him considering the skeletons in his own closet.
“Jensen didn’t tell you about Marta, did he?” He asked low, “Shit!”
“Look Christian, if you don’t think you should say anything…” his voice trailed off. It wasn’t really what he wanted to say. He wanted to know about this Marta but he couldn’t ask Christian to break his confidence to Jensen. Besides, this was something he should probably hear directly from Jensen. But on the other hand, if it could shed some light on why Alan acted the way he did, maybe it would put Jared to ease some and maybe give him a hint as to what to say or do to make his father-in-law believe Jared was there for the long haul.
Christian looked uncomfortable before he huffed out a breath, “Nah you need to know this. Jen should have told you and he probably will but if it makes your dealings easier with Alan until then…” He shrugged and ran a hand through his long, dark blond hair.
“Jensen’s mother died from complications due to ovarian cancer but you knew that right?” His eyes were pleading; it was obvious that he didn’t want to have to spill all of Jensen’s secrets for him.
“Yeah, he was eleven.”
His face cleared marginally at the admission, “Well old man Ackles took her back to Texas to bury her in their hometown of Richardson and that’s where he met,” he scowled for a minute before continuing. “Well, got reacquainted with Marta.”
Jared knew that Jensen’s mother was buried in Richardson, Jensen had told him about the plane flight back to Texas and how, although it wasn’t the first time he had been on a plane, it was the first time he had gotten airsick and now he couldn’t take a flight without first taking copious amounts of meds to keep it from happening again. But Jensen had left it there, just that his mother was buried in Texas and even feeling guilty about it all the time, he rarely went back to visit her grave because of getting airsick so easily.
“According to what Jensen understands, his dad, his mom and Marta all went through middle school and high school together. Marta and his mom had been friends since they were little girls and all was good until high school and Jensen’s dad started dating Marta.” Christian paused when the electronic lock clicked and they both looked over as one of Christian’s crew came through the door.
“What’s up Riley?”
Riley wasn’t really what Jared expected for a security guard working the casino side. He was of average height and build with short dirty blonde hair that made him look too young to even be in the casino never mind working as a guard. And if Jared was being honest, Riley hadn’t instilled any kind of fear in him at first sight but since then he had seen him escort more than one unruly guest from the premises so there was more to him then met the eye.
“Just letting you know I’m going for lunch.”
Christian’s eyes slid to the bank of monitors in front of him, “George and Andy still walking the floor?”
“Yes sir.”
Jared glanced up at the big wall clock hanging above and between his and Christian’s respective bank of monitors. “It’s eleven thirty so Scott just started his shift on my side. That gives me four on the hotel side, because of that convention booked for the weekend but they haven’t shown up yet. You want me to send one to the casino to cover?”
Christian shook his head, “Nah, it’s looking pretty quiet so far, casino’s not yet half full.” He turned back to Riley, “You bring lunch or thinking of stepping out?”
“Brought.”
He grinned, “Good man. Okay, go but just keep your radio handy in case something comes up.”
Riley saluted both of them before slipping back out of the room.
“I’m gonna hunt down that damn kid Jordon and kick his ass.” He grumbled and ran a hand over his face. “Kid always seems to be getting the flu on either a Friday or a Monday.”
“Hmm.” Jared pursed his lips, “Kinda sounds like the Friday Party Flu and the Hangover Monday Flu. Hear they’re going around again.”
Christian snorted, “Those be the kind of bugs that lose people their jobs.”
Jared leaned back in his chair, careful to keep his feet planted firmly on the tile floor to keep the chair from rolling backwards. “Heard that someone who is constantly coming down with those types of bugs ends up developing Unemployed Flu. Maybe someone should suggest he get inoculated before it’s too late.”
Arms crossed over his chest, he nodded. “Probably.” He agreed, “Should maybe make a point of suggesting that to Jordon when he gets in for his shift on Monday.” One shoulder lifted, “You know if he’s still not sick on Monday.”
“Sounding like he’s already showing signs of Unemployed flu.” Jared grinned but it wasn’t pleasant. Usually he tried to be understanding, it wasn’t like he started at the top, well he had at Wild Aces but that wasn’t because of Jensen. He hadn’t even known Jensen when he applied for the position of Head of Security - Hotel Side at Wild Aces six months ago, he had gotten the job because Wild Aces wasn’t the first casino he had worked security at. He had gotten the position because he had started on the bottom rung eight years before in some little Podunk roadside casino thirty miles outside of the Reno city limits working the shit shifts with a god damn smile on his face and a willingness to learn. Between there and Wild Aces he had worked at several casinos in different States, building his resume and he was damn proud of what he had accomplished by the time he was twenty-eight. When someone interviewed him and checked his work references they were impressed by his work ethic and motivation and he couldn’t understand why if he could do it with the shit upbringing he had, why somebody who clearly had it easier, couldn’t.
He tilted his head to the side, “We’ll see what happens Monday.” He shrugged, “Where were we?”
“Marta and Alan started dating in high school and her and Jensen’s mom weren’t really friends because of it.”
“That’s not exactly how it happened, at least the way Jensen tells it.” Christian scanned the monitors for a second and Jared took the opportunity to do the same before looking back.
“Jensen’s aunt told him that everything was good in the beginning but that Donna, Jensen’s mom, really liked Alan and that Marta, liked him but was looking to the future and wanted a man that could provide more than keeping her in a middle income life.”
Jared nodded, he knew a little about that. Not the Marta part of the equation but that Alan had gotten a small inheritance that he had known nothing about that his grandfather had willed to him when he had passed when Alan was just a little boy. At twenty-one Alan suddenly had an influx of cash and a fascination with Las Vegas. He had come out, bought a hotel/casino that was almost bankrupt and Wild Aces had been born.
“I know Jensen told you about how Wild Aces came into being.” He waved a hand encompassing not only the room they were in but the whole building. “I was there that night.”
Jared nodded but kept his mouth shut, wanting to hear the end of this and how it tied into Alan being an ass to apparently anyone who mattered to his son.
“Well this part’s not real clear but either Donna caught Marta cheating on Alan a couple months before they were all gonna graduate or Marta broke up with Alan and told him that he just wasn’t long term material because he wasn’t going to amount to anything. Either way, they spilt up and Donna and Alan ended up going to grad together and never stopped being together after that. ‘Till she passed at any rate and then Alan ran into Marta in Richardson and Jensen’s guesses she already heard or Alan told her all about how he had made it big here in Vegas and suddenly she showed up a month after he and his dad came back and she never left.”
His heart hurt. It had to be hell for the little boy that Jensen had been to lose his mother and only four weeks later some other woman was moving into the house and probably trying to replace her. It had to have been confusing and upsetting and it only made Jared despise old man Ackles more.
“Couple months later there was a good old fashioned Vegas quickie wedding…” Christian audibly swallowed and flushed, “Uhh not that I’m saying that all Vegas quickie weddings are bad or are gonna end…”
Jared waved at hand at him, “It’s okay, go on.”
He still looked like he had swallowed something sour but he took a breath and continued. “I think he never stopped loving her which is why she got her claws in so fast but I really don’t know. But like I said they were married a couple months after she moved in and suddenly things were changing. Alan never skimped on things but he wasn’t extravagant like he is now, that was all Marta’s doing. It had to be the biggest, it had to be the best, the flashiest, the most expensive. And Alan just let her get on with it is how Jensen tells it except for one thing, she wanted to send Jensen to some private school down East in Boston and Alan wouldn’t let her. Apparently it caused a lot of fights between them and although she never took them out on Jensen, she wasn’t nice to him either. Of course you can’t be either to a kid you just pretend isn’t there.”
An image of his own mother flashed in his mind, her gentle eyes smiling and her arms always opened for her boys. He didn’t know who he would have become without her love and guidance, granted his brother had had the same mother, the same hugs and kisses and love but he had ended up more like their father. And all things considering of what he was just now learning about Jensen, obviously he had survived it and was still a great man even missing those hugs and kisses from his mother. But still, it wasn’t right.
“Eventually something happened, either because Alan wouldn’t send Jensen away or something else that he knows nothing about but things got worse. Marta started throwing lavish parties for the Vegas elite and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars doing it and rubbing elbows with anybody and everybody who was worth even a little bit of name dropping. Then one day Alan and Jensen came home earlier than expected from a day at the “office” and caught Marta in bed with a friend of a friend of hers and he divorced her, losing at least half of everything in the process. Jensen said that’s when Alan changed and he used to overhear his dad telling his friends that no one was going use him and if somebody was going to spend his money frivolously, it was going to be him.”
Jared rolled the information over in his head and grudgingly could admit, to himself at least, why Alan was so leery of anybody getting close to his son. But it didn’t excuse his actions; he wasn’t always going to be around to dole out his brand of protection for his son and he had to realize that Jensen was going to have to do it on his own. Make his own decisions about whom he could or couldn’t trust. Maybe Jared standing up and saying no would open Alan’s eyes and make him see that Jensen was his own man and could be trusted with running his own life.
Maybe not, but he couldn’t help but hope for both his own and Jensen’s sakes or the next however long until Alan passed away was going to be a very long and trying time for them.
“So what are you doing here early anyway?” Christian broke through his musings.
Jared glanced up at the clock then back across the room. “What are you talking about? I said I’d be here by noon and it’s almost quarter after.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “But you walked through that door shortly before eleven.” His grin was a little evil, “Honeymoon phase over already? Jensen kick you out of bed?”
“Fuck you Kane.” He growled, “I’ll have you know that I was more than happy to go upstairs and try to distract Jensen from our breakfast meeting with his dad until noon.”
Christian wrinkled his nose, “Jared what have I told you about TMI?”
He laughed, “Then don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers too.”
“You could have just said no.”
He shrugged, unrepentant, “Where would the fun in that be?”
Christian rolled his eyes, “Ass. So why weren’t you doing…” he waved his hand towards the ceiling and presumably their penthouse suit on the top floor of the hotel, “that?”
“Steve called during breakfast. Apparently the meat shipment was late again and not to quality, at least Steve’s brand of quality, and he was threatening to go down to the meat supplier with his favorite cleaver and explain to them in great detail why his delivery needed to be on time and why when he ordered grade A it had better be what he got.”
“Woo boy.” Christian shuddered and it didn’t look like an act. “Yeah, it’s not a good idea to fuck around with Steve’s kitchen. He gets a little…”
“Miffed?” Jared suggested, “Pissed? Livid?”
“No.” He shook his head, “More like psychotic.”
Jared paused to think about the Steve Carlson he had met in a little dive country bar off the strip a couple weeks after Jensen and him had started seeing each other and the Steve Carlson who ran the “Wild Aces” kitchen. Steve away from the kitchen was laid back and hard to get a rise out of but Steve in the kitchen? Two months after he had started as head of security for the hotel, four guys had tried to rob the place by going through the kitchen to the restaurant and into the hotel proper. It had been late, close to the time the main kitchen closed and maybe it would have worked at another hotel but Steve had gone at the guys with his favorite meat cleaver that he liked to brandish at staff that pissed him off, with his sous chef close on his heels. The would be robbers were so shocked that they had forgotten they were carrying guns, turned and high tailed it the way they had come.
Jensen had threatened to kill Steve himself for pulling the stunt and Jared had to hold back Christian the next morning when he had found out. But both times Steve had stood his ground and said that no one got to fuck with his kitchen for any reason. He later told Sophia the same thing when she had hit him on the side with a ledger when she came in an hour after Jared had just gotten Christian calmed down.
So it was by no means any stretch of the imagination to believe that Steve would go down to the meat suppliers and take great pleasure in explaining the finer details to them while doing, only God knew what, with that damn cleaver.
“Yeah,” he agreed slow, “Psychotic works.”
Christian chuckled as he swiveled his chair back around and let his eyes roam the monitors in front of him. “Works real well.”
Part Two