Chapter thirteen of L&L
Author’s Note: Thank you so very much for my friend Kathy (kittie8571) who is the Beta of this story! Thank you everybody for the reviews! Especially to joetheone, ramona4jake, bbmjack324, torry28, fl1789, sweetje, haljbg, style, jenwcugirl, reangn4289 and Amanda.
Chapter Thirteen: It’s good to be your boyfriend
Ennis took out his clothes silently. Even with all the sleep he had last night, he was completely exhausted. Jack looked exactly the same, lying completely still on the top of the bed, still clothed, with a hand flung over his eyes. Ennis sat on the edge of the bed and took off his shoes.
“I’m getting too old for this.” Jack said after a few seconds of silence. “It’s 2 am and it’s still so damn hot!”
“The air conditioner is on. You can take a shower to cool off, if you want.” Ennis said lying in the bed too.
“I’m going to stay here until I find the strength to take off my clothes and go to sleep.”
“You spent the whole day preparing the party.” Ennis said nuzzling with him. “I took my company in Neve and Sophie.”
“I left you with a baby and cat? Poor Ennis.” Jack said playing with his boyfriend’s hair. “The maids thought Neve was the cutest thing that has ever set foot in this house. I’m sure you didn’t take much work with him.”
“No. They did like him. You were the one doing all the work around here.”
“But it was worth it! Did you see Robert and Cecilia?” Jack said happily. “I’m sure that this was not their last date.”
“This wasn't even a date, baby.” Ennis said leaning on his elbow, for a better view of Jack’s face.
“Dates. Not all relationships start with dates.” Jack said raising his hand to caress Ennis’s face.
“You’re right.” Ennis said holding Jack’s hand. “Ours started in the worst possible way.”
“I wouldn’t change one bit.” Jack said with a smile. “It brought us here.”
“Have you ever thought about how it could have been if you had done something differently?” Ennis asked, his eyes locking together with Jack's.
“Do you mean that night in Madrid?” Ennis nodded. “Not really. I’m convinced it couldn’t be any other way. Like I told you, it brought us here.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Ennis said kissing him lazily.
“Don’t waste your time reminiscing about the past. What’s done is done.”
“I’ll try.” Ennis answered with one last peck on the lips.
He got up and went in to the bathroom, leaving Jack still on top of the bed, fully clothed. The black haired lawyer was left wondering where he would find the strength to take off his clothes and quickly fell asleep.
Jack woke up with a violent shiver. He was breathing hard and there was a vague notion of the intense feeling of pleasure he was receiving from somewhere below his waist. He reached for the sheets but found them gone. He took a deep breath and raised his head, only to find the most glorious scene.
Ennis’s blond head, right in the middle of his legs. Ennis’s big strong hands holding his hips still. And when he moaned loudly enough, Ennis’s chocolate eyes looking right at him.
“Jesus Christ…” Jack whispered, for the lack of strength and control to scream.
“You’re awake. I was wondering if you were going to come in your sleep.” Jack felt the cold air around his cock and almost screamed in frustration.
“Don’t stop.” He whispered, impatient.
He was still drowsy with sleep and sensations, but awake enough to know what he wanted. He let his head fall again on the pillow as Ennis sucked the head of his cock.
He had done this so many times before. So many weekends he had done this to Ennis, awakening him with all sorts of different kinds of oral sex. It was his thing to do. Ennis was the shy, inexperienced one that would either blush at Jack’s words or would simply demand from him everything he wanted. Ennis was the 8 and the 80, all about extremes when it came to his sexual attitude. He wasn’t really into blowjobs, he liked other things better. Or so Jack had thought, until now.
“Ennis…” He cried feeling his orgasm building.
A few more moments and he came screaming. He heard Ennis's small laugh, but didn’t have strength to ask him anything until a few minutes later, when his breath was under control again and Ennis was snuggling closely, kissing the skin available.
“Where were you last night?” Jack asked when Ennis finally moved to kiss him on the mouth.
“You were too tired, baby.” Ennis answered between kisses.
“Do you want me to return the favor?” Jack asked, his arms finally returning to function.
“No, I have other plans.” He said with a tone that surprised Jack.
“Really?” Jack asked amused seconds before Ennis silent him for good with his mouth.
Sometimes it was especially good to be Ennis Del Mar’s boyfriend.
They were having lunch in the garden, served by the two brunette maids Jack was so fond off. Matilda and Edward had decided to go shopping since it was Sunday and soon the rest of the staff would leave for the usual free afternoon. There were still chairs and tables around the lake from Robert’s birthday party, since the cleaning staff that Jack had hired would be arriving on Monday morning.
Ennis kept feeling uncomfortable about being served every five seconds. It was that and the fact that no matter where he went, there was always somebody else in the room. The house was full of people he didn’t really know. It didn’t make sense to him. A home was a place of intimacy and the Twist Mansion was more like a place to meet. The maids cleaning the invisible dust off the furniture, Matilda complaining about the mess everybody had made to her precious flowers, Edward ordering the chef and gardeners around and Jack acting as if nothing at all was happening around him. Habit, Ennis thought.
Jack had told him that the only floor where the staff didn’t usually walk around was the upper floor where Enrique’s personal rooms were. But now, those weren’t really used anyway and the mansion wasn’t really a home to anyone anymore. And that thought made him sad, but he was yet to feel comfortable around the house and moving here with Jack was still a very frightening thought. But he did like everybody and the more he knew about them, the more comfortable he felt in the house. The garden was fantastic and the neighbors were almost invisible, living in their own large houses. It was easy to understand Jack’s position about this house.
“So how’s your risotto?” Jack asked from the top of his fancy sunglasses.
“Delicious. Your chef has a natural talent to cook Italian.” Ennis said observing Jack’s perfect smile appearing for the fifth time since they had started eating lunch.
“Of course. He worked for some time in a small Italian restaurant. My father thought he was incredible and offered him a job on the spot.” He said fondly, yet his blue eyes clouded with emotion.
“I thing it’s the best risotto I've ever eaten.” Ennis tried to bring the conversation back to the food.
“Yeah. It’s quite good today.” Jack drank from the white wine he had picked for lunch. “I should have asked Uncle Daniel to eat with us. He loves Italian too.”
“We can do it next weekend, if you want.” Ennis eyes dropped to the plate.
“You want to come next weekend too?” Jack asked curious.
“Why not? It’s too damn hot at my apartment and until I find a better one, we can spend more time here.”
“Thanks honey.” Jack said touching Ennis hand. “It makes me happy…”
Jack didn’t say anything more, he just leaned on the small table and Ennis recognized the look. He dropped his fork and held Jack’s hand in his, leaning forward to kiss him. A small touch of lips, followed by a set of quiet giggles coming from the door.
“I can’t believe this.” Jack said a bit angry.
“Forget it. They think it's cute that you have a boyfriend.” He caught a glimpse of two brunette heads running for the inside of the kitchen.
“They’re thirty and older Ennis! They have kids!” Ennis laughed in return. “I’m their boss! What about respect?” Jack said with a smile.
“They meant no disrespect.” Ennis said dismissively. “They can’t control the way they like you.”
“This would never have happened if Edward was here.” Jack said returning to his plate.
“Since you can’t control your staff, I say we should go out after lunch. Any suggestions?”
“We could go visit Uncle Daniel at the club.” Jack suggested hopefully. “He’s dying to get you there again. And I wanted to plan the tennis lessons.”
“Seems fine. But do you have to insist on the lessons?” Ennis said rolling his eyes.
“I think I actually need the exercise. Either you join me or not, I’m going to do it. I’ve put on a few pounds lately.” Jack said patting his still flat stomach.
“Please, baby. You were nothing but bones a month ago, I think you’re just fine!” He looked around and added. “I like to feel the little weight you’ve gained.”
“Fine. But I still want to do some exercise.” Jack said defeated.
“All right then. To the club after lunch it is.” Ennis said, surrendering to the delicious taste of the risotto, while the warm sun touched his skin.
Sometimes it was really good to be Jack Twist’s boyfriend.
They returned from the club in the late hours of the afternoon. Uncle Daniel had been more than happy to see both of them. Jack took his time to speak with his old tennis couch, who wasn’t that happy with Jack’s constant absences. Finally, after a long conversation, he challenged him to a match as payback for being his student again. Uncle Daniel found Jack some last minute clothes to wear and he and Ennis sat in the sun, watching the game with interest. Poor Jack gave everything he got against his coach, but in the end the older, more experienced man was quite superior. By the third set, the game was over and Jack’s new and previous coach was reciting a list of obvious mistakes Jack had did. The older man murmured something about lack of training and wasting his time, under his breath, but looked pleased either way.
Ennis tried to escape to the obvious question almost all afternoon. Was he taking tennis lessons too? But with a little persuasion from just about every single person he knew at the club, he finally decided to take them. Although he especially asked to have his lessons at the same time as Jack’s and to have permission to change sport or schedule anytime he wanted. Uncle Daniel had been thrilled and Jack smiled softly at him. He couldn’t lie to himself, he liked the place, the only problem was based on the idea and the concept he had about private clubs. It was a constant thought in his mind.
They spent the rest of the day lazing around the mansion. Edward and Matilda challenged them to a hand of bridge after dinner and they all spent the next couple of hours laughing at Jack’s obvious attempts to cheat, at Matilda’s incredible good luck and at Ennis’s clumsiness.
Ennis was almost sad when they got their bags and put Neve in the car. Matilda couldn’t help but let a couple of fat tear drops fall from her eyes and Edward made them promise to visit soon. Jack was silent all the way drive back home. Which, at least for now, was still at Ennis’s old apartment.
Jack had left Ennis five minutes ago. They had breakfast together at a nice coffee shop, not far from the firm. He could still fell the gentle pressure of Ennis’s lips on his own, when he had kissed him one last time before they parted ways. Actually, the mere memory was enough to make him smile, a bit too brightly, directly at his new secretary. The black haired woman smiled back, oblivious that the smile wasn’t really because he was happy to see her.
“Mrs. Gersh. How has your first day been so far?”
“Good, really good. There are so many different people here that I’m sure to make some new friends.”
“Good. Do you have any news for me?”
“The usual, Mr. Twist. I left everything on your desk.” For a second he was about to complain about the use of the term Mr. Twist, but he had to admit that he was indeed Mr. Twist from now on.
The smile he had brought earlier had disappeared and he murmured a thank you to Mrs. Gersh, entering the privacy of his own office.
He was still not one hundred percent content about being in this position. The "boss" position. His father’s memory was still imprinted on this place, most specifically in the room he was standing in right now.
Jack rubbed his eyes and focused on the papers that Mrs. Gersh had left for him. Employee after employee complaining about or demanding something from him. He definitely needed to make a decision regarding the position of his personal assistant, because all of this was draining his precious time. He had yet to found the time to pick a small case for himself, like he had intended to do ever since he had returned to the firm.
With these thoughts in mind, he called his secretary to ask her to schedule another interview with the two final candidates.
“Mrs. Gersh?” He spoke into the black machine resting on top of his desk.
“Yes, Mr. Twist?”
“I need you to call the two last candidates for the position of my personal assistant. The papers were placed in your right top drawer. I need to schedule a final interview with both of them for today.”
“All right, Mr. Twist.” She said automatically.
“Thanks, Mrs. Gersh.”
“Wait, Mr. Twist, there’s something else. I’ve just received a call from one Mr. Henley.”
“Mr. Henley? I’ve never heard such name before.”
“He said he was the man you asked to make some kind of repair on your desk…”
“Oh! Was there a problem with his payment?” Jack tried to guess.
He moved slightly away from his table and pushed the mysterious button, wondering if the poor man hadn’t found a way to fix the damn thing. But what happened next, told him that whatever used to be the problem, it was now fixed. Suddenly the lights near the desk, at the back of the office lit up, but only those, the others remained off. He pushed again and the remaining lights were on now. Another push and they were all off.
End of mystery. The button was for special use of the lights from the desk. But then, why was the man calling him?
“Mr. Twist?” Mrs. Gersh voice sounded from the other side of the line. He had not given much attention to the phone while he had inspected the button and its use.
“Yes. Sorry. I was checking on his work. Everything is all right, so what does Mr. Henley complain about?”
“He doesn’t complain about anything, Mr. Twist. He called saying he found something odd when he was fixing the electronic device, or something like that.”
“Something odd?”
“He didn’t say what, but he did say he was coming to talk with you this morning.”
“Probably wants to know where I got it, which I have no idea since the desk was bought by my late father.”
“Do you want me to try to call him?”
“No. I’ll speak with him personally. He did a good job and in a record time, too. I want to thank him.”
“Very well, Mr. Twist.”
Jack put the phone down and clicked on the button again, making the lights switch in sequence. He was yet to know why his father needed to have a switcher so close to his hand. The word eccentric came to his mind, but he knocked it out with a smile. He had loved him for that. He still loved that part of him.
Dave and Ennis were having their usual half an hour talk at the start of the work day. Gossip, details of the latest cases and a couple of jokes about each other’s personal life. This friendship between them had been growing and every time they weren’t working in their offices, the two men would usually be found together talking. This morning was no exception.
“I tell you, Helen almost knocked me down this morning in the elevator.” Dave said laughing.
“She’s still mad at me, so she’s blaming everyone else.” Ennis had told him about what happened between him and Helen. “Jack still isn’t very happy with her attitude, but he’s the boss...” Ennis waved his hand, as if listing in silence the reasons for Jack’s need for decorum.
“She’s going to pair up with Frederic for good, at least that’s my personal opinion.” Dave laughed. “It’s going to be Magnet Hell for you!”
“I can handle them.” Ennis said shaking his shoulders like a kid. “Frederic is all talk and no real action.”
“What about Helen?” Dave asked curious. “You know, she’s my friend, but when it comes to work she’s a completely stranger, acts as if she doesn’t even know me. It’s like two different people. The only person with whom she doesn’t act like that is you and that says a lot about her feelings for you.”
“I tried to be gentle with her, I swear I did. I told her I had a boyfriend, which was never really a secret around the firm. But when we broke up, she must have thought it was her chance or something…”
“You really are a disaster with women and yet they seem to like you.” Dave smiled into his mug.
“Please Dave, no more details about the young female lawyers that are convinced they have a crush on me, or worse… on Jack.”
“If I were you, I would keep an eye on the gay guys of the cleaning staff.” Dave said laughing.
“Dave, you’ve just made that up right now.”
“Have I?”
“Changing topic.” Ennis said glaring at him. “What about your big romance?”
“I spent half an hour looking at flowers yesterday! I couldn’t decide what to send her.” Dave said with a smile, while Ennis chuckled. “I’m acting like an eight year old with a first crush.”
“Come on, we both know it’s not really a crush. You’re seriously caught up.” Ennis said with humor, raising both eyebrows in emphasis.
“I know… I think I’m… in love.” Dave confessed lamely and Ennis stood still looking at him surprised. “Isn’t it a bit too soon? Three dates, Ennis! Three dates!”
“I don’t think there are time limits to these things. Feelings are volatile, either there’s fire or not. You can’t control these things.” Ennis said seriously.
“But it’s too soon. If I tell her how I feel she’ll probably run away scared.”
“She’s a woman, Dave, not a mouse.” Ennis shook his head, amused.
“I know I would.” Dave said thoughtfully.
“You’re even afraid of your own feelings.” Ennis said dismissively. “She may feel completely different or maybe she already has these deep feelings for you too. Either way, the word is so commonly used nowadays that she may not even give it such big importance.”
Dave stood silently looking at the black liquid in his blue mug, almost as if trying to preview the future in it. Ennis didn’t know what else to tell him or if he should leave him be for a while and return to his own office to start the work he had for the day.
“Ennis?” Dave asked when the blond lawyer was about to stand up from his chair. “Was it this difficult too?”
It took him a few seconds to fully understand the question. Dave was asking a more personal question and he knew how Ennis was about his personal life. He tended to keep his thoughts to himself and his private life even more. But with Dave there was also the fact that Jack was his boss and Jack was the main topic of Ennis’s private life, which made most possible conversations too awkward to start. He hesitated for a second, but spoke his feelings to Dave anyway.
“We had a wild start, but yes, I was scared. Actually, I was terrified. It was overwhelming… something like I’ve never felt before.”
“Yeah.” Was all that Dave said, as Ennis finally stood up and left him alone with his thoughts and his work.
Jack had almost forgotten about the upcoming visit of the repairman he had hired, when his secretary informed him that Mr. Henley had just arrived.
It was almost lunch time and he had plans to have lunch with Ennis, Elizabeth and Dave. The lovebirds and their favorite colleagues, Helen had murmured when he had spoke about lunch with Elizabeth in the corridor this morning. She had passed them a few feet away, but Jack was sure his ears had not played tricks on him. She had definitely said it. He took a deep breath and noticed that Elizabeth didn’t seem to have heard or was pretending for his sake. He decided to do just the same. Pretend for everybody’s sake. It wasn’t something he was used to and he certainly wouldn’t start doing it now because of Helen Carrilho, but he still had the hope that the poor woman would get over her little crush on Ennis. Maybe in a couple of weeks she would be back to her normal, glaring, hateful self. He knew Ennis's refusal to work with her hadn’t helped, but there was always hope. At least Frederic seemed to be over his little show of rage for being beaten by Ennis.
“Let him in, please, Mrs. Gersh.” He answered immediately.
When a familiar short man entered his office, dressed in his uniform, Jack recognized him. He stood up and shook hands with the other man, offering him a seat in front of his desk. Mr. Henley looked uncomfortable, if the way he kept rubbing his hands against the material covering his upper legs, was any sign of it.
“I believe you had something to tell me?” Jack asked and the other man nodded.
“Yes, Mr. Twist. It was the oddest thing I've ever seen since I started working with electronic systems. And that was twenty years ago, right after I married my dear Olivia. And she was eighteen…”
“Mr. Henley? What exactly did you find?” Jack asked curious and a bit impatient.
“First, let me tell you, there was no malfunction with your equipment. Actually it's very modern, it must have been less than two or three years old. Who ever bought it really knew how to appreciate…”
“I don’t understand.” Jack interrupted.
“Well, you see, the problem was simple. Someone opened the main panel and cut one of the wires. When we restored the circuit it worked perfectly. But let me tell you…”
“So someone sabotaged a stupid button on my desk?” Something in this conversation wasn’t making sense, Jack thought.
“You didn’t let me finish, sir. Someone indeed sabotaged your electronic controller, but there was a reason.” He took a piece of folded paper from the pocked of his shirt. “He found this.”
Jack took it carefully from Mr. Henley’s hand. One look at the handwriting and he knew it. It was a piece of paper from his father.
“I’m really sorry, sir. I did read what was written there. Not that I really understand what was about but…”
“Thank you, Mr. Henley, for coming to give me this.” Jack said letting the paper rest folded on his desk, unread.
“Hmm.” Mr. Henley murmured, obviously curious. “You’re not going to read it, sir?”
“I know who it is from.” Jack said faking a smile. “It’s a prank from one of my colleagues.”
“Really? It was really odd and mentioned…”
“Once again, thank you for your time Mr. Henley.” Jack said opening the door of his office. “I’ll make sure that your kindness will be rewarded.”
“Thank you, sir.” Mr. Henley said, leaving Jack’s office with a huge smile.
Jack sat behind his desk and looked at the piece of paper, still folded in a small rectangular shape. He rubbed his chin and moved his hand to grab it.
Who knew what his father had left in such an unexpected hiding place?
You’re a step closer…
Important papers should never make us forget about the importance of doing what we like. So I kept my important papers close to my hobby and my hobby even closer to me.
Don’t drown yourself in work son, live your life too! Enjoy the present.
Jack read it twice and stared at it a bit longer than that. He knew the other letter wasn’t exactly his father’s style. Here it was. The first real riddle.
He just didn’t know if he should feel happy to find it or extremely frustrated, for he surely wasn’t getting the hidden meaning so easily.
Author:The riddle’s game is finally starting! I want to know everything about your ideas? Where is Enrique’s next message? And isn’t it good to love and be loved? Really simple chapter but I’ll post on the weekend too.
Also check on my new pool! I think it could be really funny!
On the next chapter: Somebody is missing a godfather and somebody else misses his father. Jack is lost in the middle of the riddle’s game, but he can always count on his boyfriend Ennis Del Mar.
HP Printer Toner
Chapter Thirteen: It’s good to be your boyfriend
Ennis took out his clothes silently. Even with all the sleep he had last night, he was completely exhausted. Jack looked exactly the same, lying completely still on the top of the bed, still clothed, with a hand flung over his eyes. Ennis sat on the edge of the bed and took off his shoes.
“I’m getting too old for this.” Jack said after a few seconds of silence. “It’s 2 am and it’s still so damn hot!”
“The air conditioner is on. You can take a shower to cool off, if you want.” Ennis said lying in the bed too.
“I’m going to stay here until I find the strength to take off my clothes and go to sleep.”
“You spent the whole day preparing the party.” Ennis said nuzzling with him. “I took my company in Neve and Sophie.”
“I left you with a baby and cat? Poor Ennis.” Jack said playing with his boyfriend’s hair. “The maids thought Neve was the cutest thing that has ever set foot in this house. I’m sure you didn’t take much work with him.”
“No. They did like him. You were the one doing all the work around here.”
“But it was worth it! Did you see Robert and Cecilia?” Jack said happily. “I’m sure that this was not their last date.”
“This wasn't even a date, baby.” Ennis said leaning on his elbow, for a better view of Jack’s face.
“Dates. Not all relationships start with dates.” Jack said raising his hand to caress Ennis’s face.
“You’re right.” Ennis said holding Jack’s hand. “Ours started in the worst possible way.”
“I wouldn’t change one bit.” Jack said with a smile. “It brought us here.”
“Have you ever thought about how it could have been if you had done something differently?” Ennis asked, his eyes locking together with Jack's.
“Do you mean that night in Madrid?” Ennis nodded. “Not really. I’m convinced it couldn’t be any other way. Like I told you, it brought us here.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Ennis said kissing him lazily.
“Don’t waste your time reminiscing about the past. What’s done is done.”
“I’ll try.” Ennis answered with one last peck on the lips.
He got up and went in to the bathroom, leaving Jack still on top of the bed, fully clothed. The black haired lawyer was left wondering where he would find the strength to take off his clothes and quickly fell asleep.
Jack woke up with a violent shiver. He was breathing hard and there was a vague notion of the intense feeling of pleasure he was receiving from somewhere below his waist. He reached for the sheets but found them gone. He took a deep breath and raised his head, only to find the most glorious scene.
Ennis’s blond head, right in the middle of his legs. Ennis’s big strong hands holding his hips still. And when he moaned loudly enough, Ennis’s chocolate eyes looking right at him.
“Jesus Christ…” Jack whispered, for the lack of strength and control to scream.
“You’re awake. I was wondering if you were going to come in your sleep.” Jack felt the cold air around his cock and almost screamed in frustration.
“Don’t stop.” He whispered, impatient.
He was still drowsy with sleep and sensations, but awake enough to know what he wanted. He let his head fall again on the pillow as Ennis sucked the head of his cock.
He had done this so many times before. So many weekends he had done this to Ennis, awakening him with all sorts of different kinds of oral sex. It was his thing to do. Ennis was the shy, inexperienced one that would either blush at Jack’s words or would simply demand from him everything he wanted. Ennis was the 8 and the 80, all about extremes when it came to his sexual attitude. He wasn’t really into blowjobs, he liked other things better. Or so Jack had thought, until now.
“Ennis…” He cried feeling his orgasm building.
A few more moments and he came screaming. He heard Ennis's small laugh, but didn’t have strength to ask him anything until a few minutes later, when his breath was under control again and Ennis was snuggling closely, kissing the skin available.
“Where were you last night?” Jack asked when Ennis finally moved to kiss him on the mouth.
“You were too tired, baby.” Ennis answered between kisses.
“Do you want me to return the favor?” Jack asked, his arms finally returning to function.
“No, I have other plans.” He said with a tone that surprised Jack.
“Really?” Jack asked amused seconds before Ennis silent him for good with his mouth.
Sometimes it was especially good to be Ennis Del Mar’s boyfriend.
They were having lunch in the garden, served by the two brunette maids Jack was so fond off. Matilda and Edward had decided to go shopping since it was Sunday and soon the rest of the staff would leave for the usual free afternoon. There were still chairs and tables around the lake from Robert’s birthday party, since the cleaning staff that Jack had hired would be arriving on Monday morning.
Ennis kept feeling uncomfortable about being served every five seconds. It was that and the fact that no matter where he went, there was always somebody else in the room. The house was full of people he didn’t really know. It didn’t make sense to him. A home was a place of intimacy and the Twist Mansion was more like a place to meet. The maids cleaning the invisible dust off the furniture, Matilda complaining about the mess everybody had made to her precious flowers, Edward ordering the chef and gardeners around and Jack acting as if nothing at all was happening around him. Habit, Ennis thought.
Jack had told him that the only floor where the staff didn’t usually walk around was the upper floor where Enrique’s personal rooms were. But now, those weren’t really used anyway and the mansion wasn’t really a home to anyone anymore. And that thought made him sad, but he was yet to feel comfortable around the house and moving here with Jack was still a very frightening thought. But he did like everybody and the more he knew about them, the more comfortable he felt in the house. The garden was fantastic and the neighbors were almost invisible, living in their own large houses. It was easy to understand Jack’s position about this house.
“So how’s your risotto?” Jack asked from the top of his fancy sunglasses.
“Delicious. Your chef has a natural talent to cook Italian.” Ennis said observing Jack’s perfect smile appearing for the fifth time since they had started eating lunch.
“Of course. He worked for some time in a small Italian restaurant. My father thought he was incredible and offered him a job on the spot.” He said fondly, yet his blue eyes clouded with emotion.
“I thing it’s the best risotto I've ever eaten.” Ennis tried to bring the conversation back to the food.
“Yeah. It’s quite good today.” Jack drank from the white wine he had picked for lunch. “I should have asked Uncle Daniel to eat with us. He loves Italian too.”
“We can do it next weekend, if you want.” Ennis eyes dropped to the plate.
“You want to come next weekend too?” Jack asked curious.
“Why not? It’s too damn hot at my apartment and until I find a better one, we can spend more time here.”
“Thanks honey.” Jack said touching Ennis hand. “It makes me happy…”
Jack didn’t say anything more, he just leaned on the small table and Ennis recognized the look. He dropped his fork and held Jack’s hand in his, leaning forward to kiss him. A small touch of lips, followed by a set of quiet giggles coming from the door.
“I can’t believe this.” Jack said a bit angry.
“Forget it. They think it's cute that you have a boyfriend.” He caught a glimpse of two brunette heads running for the inside of the kitchen.
“They’re thirty and older Ennis! They have kids!” Ennis laughed in return. “I’m their boss! What about respect?” Jack said with a smile.
“They meant no disrespect.” Ennis said dismissively. “They can’t control the way they like you.”
“This would never have happened if Edward was here.” Jack said returning to his plate.
“Since you can’t control your staff, I say we should go out after lunch. Any suggestions?”
“We could go visit Uncle Daniel at the club.” Jack suggested hopefully. “He’s dying to get you there again. And I wanted to plan the tennis lessons.”
“Seems fine. But do you have to insist on the lessons?” Ennis said rolling his eyes.
“I think I actually need the exercise. Either you join me or not, I’m going to do it. I’ve put on a few pounds lately.” Jack said patting his still flat stomach.
“Please, baby. You were nothing but bones a month ago, I think you’re just fine!” He looked around and added. “I like to feel the little weight you’ve gained.”
“Fine. But I still want to do some exercise.” Jack said defeated.
“All right then. To the club after lunch it is.” Ennis said, surrendering to the delicious taste of the risotto, while the warm sun touched his skin.
Sometimes it was really good to be Jack Twist’s boyfriend.
They returned from the club in the late hours of the afternoon. Uncle Daniel had been more than happy to see both of them. Jack took his time to speak with his old tennis couch, who wasn’t that happy with Jack’s constant absences. Finally, after a long conversation, he challenged him to a match as payback for being his student again. Uncle Daniel found Jack some last minute clothes to wear and he and Ennis sat in the sun, watching the game with interest. Poor Jack gave everything he got against his coach, but in the end the older, more experienced man was quite superior. By the third set, the game was over and Jack’s new and previous coach was reciting a list of obvious mistakes Jack had did. The older man murmured something about lack of training and wasting his time, under his breath, but looked pleased either way.
Ennis tried to escape to the obvious question almost all afternoon. Was he taking tennis lessons too? But with a little persuasion from just about every single person he knew at the club, he finally decided to take them. Although he especially asked to have his lessons at the same time as Jack’s and to have permission to change sport or schedule anytime he wanted. Uncle Daniel had been thrilled and Jack smiled softly at him. He couldn’t lie to himself, he liked the place, the only problem was based on the idea and the concept he had about private clubs. It was a constant thought in his mind.
They spent the rest of the day lazing around the mansion. Edward and Matilda challenged them to a hand of bridge after dinner and they all spent the next couple of hours laughing at Jack’s obvious attempts to cheat, at Matilda’s incredible good luck and at Ennis’s clumsiness.
Ennis was almost sad when they got their bags and put Neve in the car. Matilda couldn’t help but let a couple of fat tear drops fall from her eyes and Edward made them promise to visit soon. Jack was silent all the way drive back home. Which, at least for now, was still at Ennis’s old apartment.
Jack had left Ennis five minutes ago. They had breakfast together at a nice coffee shop, not far from the firm. He could still fell the gentle pressure of Ennis’s lips on his own, when he had kissed him one last time before they parted ways. Actually, the mere memory was enough to make him smile, a bit too brightly, directly at his new secretary. The black haired woman smiled back, oblivious that the smile wasn’t really because he was happy to see her.
“Mrs. Gersh. How has your first day been so far?”
“Good, really good. There are so many different people here that I’m sure to make some new friends.”
“Good. Do you have any news for me?”
“The usual, Mr. Twist. I left everything on your desk.” For a second he was about to complain about the use of the term Mr. Twist, but he had to admit that he was indeed Mr. Twist from now on.
The smile he had brought earlier had disappeared and he murmured a thank you to Mrs. Gersh, entering the privacy of his own office.
He was still not one hundred percent content about being in this position. The "boss" position. His father’s memory was still imprinted on this place, most specifically in the room he was standing in right now.
Jack rubbed his eyes and focused on the papers that Mrs. Gersh had left for him. Employee after employee complaining about or demanding something from him. He definitely needed to make a decision regarding the position of his personal assistant, because all of this was draining his precious time. He had yet to found the time to pick a small case for himself, like he had intended to do ever since he had returned to the firm.
With these thoughts in mind, he called his secretary to ask her to schedule another interview with the two final candidates.
“Mrs. Gersh?” He spoke into the black machine resting on top of his desk.
“Yes, Mr. Twist?”
“I need you to call the two last candidates for the position of my personal assistant. The papers were placed in your right top drawer. I need to schedule a final interview with both of them for today.”
“All right, Mr. Twist.” She said automatically.
“Thanks, Mrs. Gersh.”
“Wait, Mr. Twist, there’s something else. I’ve just received a call from one Mr. Henley.”
“Mr. Henley? I’ve never heard such name before.”
“He said he was the man you asked to make some kind of repair on your desk…”
“Oh! Was there a problem with his payment?” Jack tried to guess.
He moved slightly away from his table and pushed the mysterious button, wondering if the poor man hadn’t found a way to fix the damn thing. But what happened next, told him that whatever used to be the problem, it was now fixed. Suddenly the lights near the desk, at the back of the office lit up, but only those, the others remained off. He pushed again and the remaining lights were on now. Another push and they were all off.
End of mystery. The button was for special use of the lights from the desk. But then, why was the man calling him?
“Mr. Twist?” Mrs. Gersh voice sounded from the other side of the line. He had not given much attention to the phone while he had inspected the button and its use.
“Yes. Sorry. I was checking on his work. Everything is all right, so what does Mr. Henley complain about?”
“He doesn’t complain about anything, Mr. Twist. He called saying he found something odd when he was fixing the electronic device, or something like that.”
“Something odd?”
“He didn’t say what, but he did say he was coming to talk with you this morning.”
“Probably wants to know where I got it, which I have no idea since the desk was bought by my late father.”
“Do you want me to try to call him?”
“No. I’ll speak with him personally. He did a good job and in a record time, too. I want to thank him.”
“Very well, Mr. Twist.”
Jack put the phone down and clicked on the button again, making the lights switch in sequence. He was yet to know why his father needed to have a switcher so close to his hand. The word eccentric came to his mind, but he knocked it out with a smile. He had loved him for that. He still loved that part of him.
Dave and Ennis were having their usual half an hour talk at the start of the work day. Gossip, details of the latest cases and a couple of jokes about each other’s personal life. This friendship between them had been growing and every time they weren’t working in their offices, the two men would usually be found together talking. This morning was no exception.
“I tell you, Helen almost knocked me down this morning in the elevator.” Dave said laughing.
“She’s still mad at me, so she’s blaming everyone else.” Ennis had told him about what happened between him and Helen. “Jack still isn’t very happy with her attitude, but he’s the boss...” Ennis waved his hand, as if listing in silence the reasons for Jack’s need for decorum.
“She’s going to pair up with Frederic for good, at least that’s my personal opinion.” Dave laughed. “It’s going to be Magnet Hell for you!”
“I can handle them.” Ennis said shaking his shoulders like a kid. “Frederic is all talk and no real action.”
“What about Helen?” Dave asked curious. “You know, she’s my friend, but when it comes to work she’s a completely stranger, acts as if she doesn’t even know me. It’s like two different people. The only person with whom she doesn’t act like that is you and that says a lot about her feelings for you.”
“I tried to be gentle with her, I swear I did. I told her I had a boyfriend, which was never really a secret around the firm. But when we broke up, she must have thought it was her chance or something…”
“You really are a disaster with women and yet they seem to like you.” Dave smiled into his mug.
“Please Dave, no more details about the young female lawyers that are convinced they have a crush on me, or worse… on Jack.”
“If I were you, I would keep an eye on the gay guys of the cleaning staff.” Dave said laughing.
“Dave, you’ve just made that up right now.”
“Have I?”
“Changing topic.” Ennis said glaring at him. “What about your big romance?”
“I spent half an hour looking at flowers yesterday! I couldn’t decide what to send her.” Dave said with a smile, while Ennis chuckled. “I’m acting like an eight year old with a first crush.”
“Come on, we both know it’s not really a crush. You’re seriously caught up.” Ennis said with humor, raising both eyebrows in emphasis.
“I know… I think I’m… in love.” Dave confessed lamely and Ennis stood still looking at him surprised. “Isn’t it a bit too soon? Three dates, Ennis! Three dates!”
“I don’t think there are time limits to these things. Feelings are volatile, either there’s fire or not. You can’t control these things.” Ennis said seriously.
“But it’s too soon. If I tell her how I feel she’ll probably run away scared.”
“She’s a woman, Dave, not a mouse.” Ennis shook his head, amused.
“I know I would.” Dave said thoughtfully.
“You’re even afraid of your own feelings.” Ennis said dismissively. “She may feel completely different or maybe she already has these deep feelings for you too. Either way, the word is so commonly used nowadays that she may not even give it such big importance.”
Dave stood silently looking at the black liquid in his blue mug, almost as if trying to preview the future in it. Ennis didn’t know what else to tell him or if he should leave him be for a while and return to his own office to start the work he had for the day.
“Ennis?” Dave asked when the blond lawyer was about to stand up from his chair. “Was it this difficult too?”
It took him a few seconds to fully understand the question. Dave was asking a more personal question and he knew how Ennis was about his personal life. He tended to keep his thoughts to himself and his private life even more. But with Dave there was also the fact that Jack was his boss and Jack was the main topic of Ennis’s private life, which made most possible conversations too awkward to start. He hesitated for a second, but spoke his feelings to Dave anyway.
“We had a wild start, but yes, I was scared. Actually, I was terrified. It was overwhelming… something like I’ve never felt before.”
“Yeah.” Was all that Dave said, as Ennis finally stood up and left him alone with his thoughts and his work.
Jack had almost forgotten about the upcoming visit of the repairman he had hired, when his secretary informed him that Mr. Henley had just arrived.
It was almost lunch time and he had plans to have lunch with Ennis, Elizabeth and Dave. The lovebirds and their favorite colleagues, Helen had murmured when he had spoke about lunch with Elizabeth in the corridor this morning. She had passed them a few feet away, but Jack was sure his ears had not played tricks on him. She had definitely said it. He took a deep breath and noticed that Elizabeth didn’t seem to have heard or was pretending for his sake. He decided to do just the same. Pretend for everybody’s sake. It wasn’t something he was used to and he certainly wouldn’t start doing it now because of Helen Carrilho, but he still had the hope that the poor woman would get over her little crush on Ennis. Maybe in a couple of weeks she would be back to her normal, glaring, hateful self. He knew Ennis's refusal to work with her hadn’t helped, but there was always hope. At least Frederic seemed to be over his little show of rage for being beaten by Ennis.
“Let him in, please, Mrs. Gersh.” He answered immediately.
When a familiar short man entered his office, dressed in his uniform, Jack recognized him. He stood up and shook hands with the other man, offering him a seat in front of his desk. Mr. Henley looked uncomfortable, if the way he kept rubbing his hands against the material covering his upper legs, was any sign of it.
“I believe you had something to tell me?” Jack asked and the other man nodded.
“Yes, Mr. Twist. It was the oddest thing I've ever seen since I started working with electronic systems. And that was twenty years ago, right after I married my dear Olivia. And she was eighteen…”
“Mr. Henley? What exactly did you find?” Jack asked curious and a bit impatient.
“First, let me tell you, there was no malfunction with your equipment. Actually it's very modern, it must have been less than two or three years old. Who ever bought it really knew how to appreciate…”
“I don’t understand.” Jack interrupted.
“Well, you see, the problem was simple. Someone opened the main panel and cut one of the wires. When we restored the circuit it worked perfectly. But let me tell you…”
“So someone sabotaged a stupid button on my desk?” Something in this conversation wasn’t making sense, Jack thought.
“You didn’t let me finish, sir. Someone indeed sabotaged your electronic controller, but there was a reason.” He took a piece of folded paper from the pocked of his shirt. “He found this.”
Jack took it carefully from Mr. Henley’s hand. One look at the handwriting and he knew it. It was a piece of paper from his father.
“I’m really sorry, sir. I did read what was written there. Not that I really understand what was about but…”
“Thank you, Mr. Henley, for coming to give me this.” Jack said letting the paper rest folded on his desk, unread.
“Hmm.” Mr. Henley murmured, obviously curious. “You’re not going to read it, sir?”
“I know who it is from.” Jack said faking a smile. “It’s a prank from one of my colleagues.”
“Really? It was really odd and mentioned…”
“Once again, thank you for your time Mr. Henley.” Jack said opening the door of his office. “I’ll make sure that your kindness will be rewarded.”
“Thank you, sir.” Mr. Henley said, leaving Jack’s office with a huge smile.
Jack sat behind his desk and looked at the piece of paper, still folded in a small rectangular shape. He rubbed his chin and moved his hand to grab it.
Who knew what his father had left in such an unexpected hiding place?
You’re a step closer…
Important papers should never make us forget about the importance of doing what we like. So I kept my important papers close to my hobby and my hobby even closer to me.
Don’t drown yourself in work son, live your life too! Enjoy the present.
Jack read it twice and stared at it a bit longer than that. He knew the other letter wasn’t exactly his father’s style. Here it was. The first real riddle.
He just didn’t know if he should feel happy to find it or extremely frustrated, for he surely wasn’t getting the hidden meaning so easily.
Author:The riddle’s game is finally starting! I want to know everything about your ideas? Where is Enrique’s next message? And isn’t it good to love and be loved? Really simple chapter but I’ll post on the weekend too.
Also check on my new pool! I think it could be really funny!
On the next chapter: Somebody is missing a godfather and somebody else misses his father. Jack is lost in the middle of the riddle’s game, but he can always count on his boyfriend Ennis Del Mar.
HP Printer Toner