Title: Return Engagement, Prologue and Chapter 1/13
Author: cunningdeb
Rating: R
Pairing: adam/kris, OMC
Summary: Adam’s attempt to honor the past creates chaos and terror in the present
Warnings: language, angst, sex, hauntings, supernatural possession - new warnings may be added as warranted
Note: Not much darkness in this post - lots of sex though. First time writing explicit sex scenes - hope I did okay. Prologue setting up background for future chapters.
PROLOGUE
Music floated through the dressing room walls as Audra sat at her make up table. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her performance tonight.
Audra could clearly see in her mind’s eye every dilapidated stage, every second rate theater she had sung in on her way to stardom. She had yearned for fame since she was a child, doing her first professional show at age nine somewhere in the Midwest. Each musical number blurred into the next until her memory reached the day she caught her big break.
One week a year ago, as she found herself in Los Angeles, she saw a listing in Variety for an open casting call. A big movie studio was auditioning girl singers and dancers for a spectacular production they were filming. She wasn’t much of a dancer but she could sing and was lucky enough to get a roll in the chorus.
The day of filming, one of the starlets came down ill and they needed a girl who knew the song immediately. Luckily for Audra, it was a song she knew and she stepped in. While she didn’t become a movie star, she did attract the attention of a nightclub owner who hired her on the spot.
Her boss, Bobby, was very good to her at first, leaving little presents in her dressing room like flowers, champagne and jewelry. She was the star of the club and he treated her as such. Within a month, she became his girl. They spent nearly every hour together. He set her up in a fancy apartment in Beverly Hills, provided her with a driver and car and gave her money to buy whatever her heart desired. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to buy her freedom.
This morning, she told Bobby she had been offered a wonderful job in New York and wanted to take it. He refused to let her go. They had fought over it and in the end he won, like he always did.
She opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. Her black hair was pinned up on the left side with a silk flower. Her golden gown draped over her curves, revealing ample cleavage. Between her breasts rested an oval ebony pendant set with a large solitary diamond. Bobby had given her that necklace. It was ostentatious and worth enough for a train ticket out of town after the show. She wouldn’t be able to reach New York but it would get her out of Bobby’s clutches.
Audra turned her head, lifting her chin. She picked up her powder puff and dusted away the last hint of bruises on her neck. Her foundation and hair cascading down the right side of her face covered the shiner on her right eye. After tonight’s show, she’d be free.
Knuckles rapped on her door. “Five minutes Miss Landon.”
“Thank you Charlie,” she called back.
She stood up on shaky legs, looked around to make sure her luggage was still hidden behind her dressing screen and headed to the stage.
The halls were bustling with stage hands and chorus girls. She stood in the wings, watching the audience anxiously. The band leader looked towards her as he started her introduction. She loved this song with her whole heart and couldn’t wait to debut it.
Cold hands settled on her shoulders and squeezed possessively. Bobby whispered in her ear.
“You look beautiful my little kitten.”
She plastered on a fake smile. “Thank you Bobby.”
“I see you’re wearing that necklace. I thought you didn’t like it.”
Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh but I do, Bobby, I do. I couldn’t imagine not wearing it tonight.”
He leaned in and kissed her ear. “Don’t you mean you couldn’t imagine any other way to leave me?”
“Bobby, no, I, I wouldn’t leave you!”
“Lying bitch.”
The music swelled and Audra felt fire radiate through her back. Then everything went black.
CHAPTER ONE
The car sailed through the late night streets of the Hollywood Hills, bringing its passenger home.
Adam leaned into his seat, gazing out the window. It felt great to be home. Granted, he was only away a week but it felt like eternity - it always felt like eternity when he traveled on his own. He laid his hand on his leather carry-on bag, smiling as he pictured excited faces when its contents were revealed. You can’t go away from your family and not bring back presents.
The car stopped long enough for the security gate to open then slowly climbed the incline. The house was shielded from the street by a curtain of trees. It was one of those old time Hollywood homes, a throwback to old European elegance. Adam loved that house - it had character.
The car door opened. Home at last. Adam crawled out, still stiff from the long flight and headed for the front door, his driver unloading his luggage from the trunk. Adam entered his security code and went in.
The house was quiet. Of course it was quiet; it was nearly 2:00am. Leaving his luggage in the foyer, he thanked the driver, reset the alarm and climbed the sweeping staircase that divided the foyer in half.
Slipping quietly into his bedroom, Adam looked towards the bed. He could hear the steady breathing of his husband but wanted to shower and change before joining him. They had a bathroom in their suite but Adam didn’t want to wake him up so he collected his shower gel and shampoo, removed his robe from the back of the door and headed to the guest wing.
The shower quickly filled up with steam. Adam dropped his head forward, reveling in the sensations of the hot water trailing down his neck, his back, over his ass. He then lifted his head, running his hands through his stiff hair until it hung limp, sticking to his neck and shoulders. He grabbed his favorite shower gel, squirted it into his hands and worked up a lather. Adam massaged his neck, his shoulders, chest and arms before traveling down between his legs. His hand circled his growing erection and he slowly rubbed, remembering his bon voyage gift a week ago.
He had been in the shower when the glass door opened and a hard body pressed against his back. Strong arms had encircled him, taking over the washing of his body. A hot tongue lapped at the water on his back as an adept hand wrapped around his cock and started pumping, slowly at first then speeding up as Adam groaned. He leaned against the smaller man, supported by his husband’s arm around his waist.
“Something to remember me by” he’d been told, as if he could ever forget Kris.
As Adam recalled the last time they had made love, his head fell back, mouth opening. Water from the shower filled his mouth, tumbling over his lips and chin, following the curves of his body. His hand quickened, imagining Kris’ hand around him and he cried out, the water in his mouth shooting onto the tiled wall as his cum did.
Having to wash himself all over again, he did so quickly, his need to get under the sheets with Kris overwhelming.
Adam toweled off, donned his robe and padded barefoot through the house. Before he could go back to his bedroom, he had two stops to make.
Slowly he opened the bedroom door and peeked in. A Raggedy-Ann nightlight illuminated the little body in the bed. She looked so angelic right then - hard to believe she could be a hellion. Blond curls spread out on the pillow, her long lashes kissing her cheeks and her lips pursed in a rosebud. Adam started to close the door when a drowsy voice reached his ears.
“Daddy?”
“No Hannah, it’s me. Go back to sleep.”
“Papa! You’re home!”
She sat up in bed, arms stretched out to him. Adam crossed the room in a few steps and climbed onto the bed. Hannah crawled out from under the covers and jumped on him, arms hugging his neck. She kissed him several times then pulled back, her face scrunched up.
“You’re wet.”
“Yes I am Sweetpea,” he laughed as he caught her in a bear hug and smushed his wet hair against the side of her face, “and now, so are you!”
She giggled and wiggled.
“Papa, Papa!”
Adam stopped and Hannah gifted him a proper hug.
“I missed you Papa. Daddy made me eat my vegetables.”
Adam stifled a laugh.
“Vegetables are good for you Sweetpea. They’ll help you grow big and strong.”
“You don’t eat your vegetables.”
She had him there. Kris tended to cook them to mush and Adam preferred his el dente.
“But I’m already grown up. I ate my veggies, now you have to eat yours.”
“It doesn’t work that way Papa.”
Oh, how she sounded like him. Kris and Adam had adopted her at age two and she’d been the light of their lives for the past three years. They had tried to father their own child with surrogates but after the trauma of dealing with two miscarriages, they decided to adopt instead. It was one of the best decisions they had made - next to marrying each other.
Adam looked at her alarm clock. It was nearly 3:00am. She had pre-school the next morning.
Adam drew back the covers and put Hannah back to bed.
“We can talk more in the morning. It’s nighty-night time.”
Adam tucked the cover under her chin and kissed her sweetly on the forehead.
“Good night Hannah. I love you.”
“Nighty-night Papa.”
Adam left her room and opened the next door down. Again, Adam was met with a nightlight; this one was beside a crib. Adam gazed down at his seven month old son Joshua. His little fingers were in tight fists, and his tiny legs kicked as he dreamed. Adam trailed a finger down his soft cheek, a smile slowly forming on Adam’s face.
Kris and Adam hadn’t planned on adopting a second child so soon but Joshua came into their lives so unexpectedly and the baby needed them. Joshua’s mother, Lori, had been their first nanny but she gave birth prematurely and subsequently died of severe blood loss. Joshie’s father had stayed by his side during his time in the prenatal ward but when he was ready to come home, his father couldn’t cope with raising a child on his own and asked Kris and Adam to adopt him. He knew Joshie would be cherished and well loved by them. They talked it over and agreed. Joshie’s father kept in contact with them, seeing how the baby was doing, but Kris and Adam were his Daddy and Papa.
Joshua started to fuss and little cries escaped his pouting lips. Adam picked him up, cradling him against his shoulder and sat down in the rocking chair. Adam rocked gently, humming a lullaby into his ear. Adam looked up at the sound by the door.
“Mr. Lambert? You’re back early.”
“Hi Mrs. Willowby,” he whispered, “I’ve got him.”
“Yes sir, see you in the morning.”
Adam and Kris were lucky to find her. She was a proper English nanny who did everything by the book, such as insisting on calling her employers by the last names and expecting to be addressed in the same manner. Luckily, she was more the fun side of Mary Poppins than the sergeant major side. She had cared for many children in her fifty-six years and she considered Adam and Kris her charges as well as Hannah and Joshua. Mrs. Willowby was the only live-in staff they had. The boys liked their privacy and she respected that. It was a bonus she had no problem working for a gay couple. She would be the first to step up and defend “her lads” if anyone said a word against them.
Joshua fell asleep and Adam set him back in his crib. God, it was good to be home.
Hurrying down the hall, he opened the final door of his welcome home trilogy. Kris was still in bed asleep, or so Adam thought. He took off his robe and climbed in, wrapping an arm around his love. Kris reached up and flicked on the side lamp. He then turned over, smiling, wide awake.
“I’m sorry baby, did I wake you?”
“I heard you come in earlier.”
“I tried to be quiet.”
“With those big feet? Good luck with that.”
Kris leaned over and kissed his husband, tenderly at first then with more urgency. Adam responded, his tongue licking Kris’ peppermint laced lips then entering his mouth. He tasted so good. Kris hugged Adam, pulling him closer. They groaned in unison, enjoying the touch of each other.
Adam’s hand left Kris’ neck and traveled under the sheets to his hard cock. Adam stopped kissing and smirked.
“I’m glad to see you missed me.”
“Always, lover, always.”
Adam dived under the sheets and Kris lay on his back. Under the covers, Adam closed his mouth over Kris’ cock and drove him made. Kris looked down, watching the sheet over his groin go up and down and up and down. Kris closed his eyes, reaching up to the spindles on the headboard and holding on.
“Oh, lover…mmmm…yeah like that.”
Kris’ hips shifted, his muscles twitchy. Strong hands grabbed his hips as Adam’s mouth worked faster.
“Uh, uh…Adam…faster…mmmm…oh, God, yes, yes….uh!”
Kris tightened his grip on the headboard, the antique frame shaking. His back arched and his whole being shook with pleasure. He heard a crack.
“Fuck…fuck…fuck….AAAADDDAAAMMM!!”
Kris let go and collapsed onto the mattress, panting, wiping drool from his mouth. Adam threw back the covers and crawled up beside Kris, his lips swollen and wet. He leaned against the headboard.
“Wow, that was…that was…”
“Yeah, yeah…that was…”
“…mindblowing,” Adam muttered, his speech temporarily impaired.
Kris nodded. He rolled onto his side, Adam’s hard cock level with his face. Kris reached into the side table, pulling out a condom and lube. He rolled the condom on Adam and straddled his hips, hovering over him. They kissed hungrily, Kris able to taste himself on Adam’s mouth. He popped the cap of the lube and covered his fingers then reached back. Adam got harder if that was possible, watching Kris’ face as he prepared himself.
Ready, Kris ran his hands through Adam’s hair.
“I thought you were going to cut it.”
“Decided to keep it long, see what funky styles I could try.”
Kris took two fist fulls, holding on like it was the mane of a stallion.
“I like it - something to hold onto.”
With that, he lowered himself onto Adam’s cock, his breath catching as Adam filled him.
“Baby, baby, I’m not a machine,” Adam laughed throatily. “I’ve already done this three times tonight.”
Kris started riding him.
“Two times…uh…so thick…so hot.”
“N-no…mmmmm…so tight…three times.”
Kris stopped, his eyes narrowed.
“Who was the third? Adam?” Kris’ voice rose slightly.
Adam lifted his hand, wiggling his fingers, smiling impishly.
“In the shower.”
Kris took his hand, kissing Adam’s fingers.
“I wish I was with you.”
“You were, baby, you were, believe me.”
--*--
“But I want to say good-bye!”
“Hannah, be a good girl. You know your Papa came back late. Let him sleep. You can see him when you come home,” Mrs. Willowby stated calmly, placing a bowl of Cheerios in front of the little miss.
Kris fed Joshie another spoonful of strained carrots, this time actually able to keep it in the baby’s mouth.
“Mrs. Willowby is right Sweetpea. Do you want me to drive you to school this morning?”
“I want Papa to.”
“Hannah, Papa’s…”
“…pet tagged, I know.” She rolled her hazel eyes.
“It’s jet-lagged Sweetpea, but I couldn’t miss seeing your sunny face this morning.”
Hannah jumped out of her chair and ran into Adam’s arms. He easily picked her up and sat in her chair.
“Eat.”
“Yes Papa.”
She shoveled the cereal into her mouth.
Kris gave Adam a perplexed look.
“How do you manage that? She won’t eat on command for me?”
“I don’t make her eat vegetables.”
Joshie spit up his carrots and Kris rushed to sink for a cloth.
“Alright, miss, you’ve seen your Papa, time for school.”
Hannah clung onto Adam’s arm.
“I want Papa to take me.”
“Papa’s too tired to drive,” Adam answered, gently prying her hands off his arm and setting her down. He yawned and fought to keep his eyes open.
“Kiss your Papa and Daddy Hannah.”
The little girl ran around the table to Kris, launching herself into his embrace and planting a milky kiss on his lips.
“Love you Daddy.”
“Love you more Sweetpea.”
Adam’s heavy head was being supported on his arm. Hannah stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
“Love you Papa.”
“Love you too baby girl.”
Hannah took Mrs. Willowby’s hand and skipped out of the kitchen.
“Adam, go back to bed. You have a free day.”
“I know, I know,” he yawned. “You stay here, no more wearing me out like I’m your personal sex machine…at least until tonight.”
They kissed sweetly and Adam stumbled back to bed. Kris cleaned up Joshie and headed for the nursery. Passing the kitchen desk, Kris spotted the letter for Adam. It could wait til later.