Page 8 of Room for Elijah

Elijah gnawed at his lip before blurting out a question he was dying to ask. “Aren’t you mad at them?”

“At the boys, you mean? No. Why would you think so?”

“Because they…um, did stuff without you.”

“Ah. That’s a fair question and not one that has an intuitive answer, given how most people are wired more for monogamy and some degree of jealousy. I’m not angry at them because being in a three-way relationship doesn’t mean that we can only have sex if it’s all of us together. Rienk and Nico are always free to play without me. Frankly, given my advanced age, it’s a relief. Those two are insatiable.”

Elijah grinned. “You’re hardly an old man. I’m sure you’re plenty virile enough.” He almost smacked himself at the bold statement. Feeling Dermott’s stare, he peeked at him from under his lashes.

Dermott gave him a heated look before saying, “Thank you. I’ll take the compliment, as I’m a sucker for flattery, like anyone else.” He jutted his chin toward Elijah’s lap before Elijah could think of a response. “Now, before I retire, do you want some help with that?”

“Oh.” Elijah went hot in the face. “Um, no thanks. I’ve got it under control. Or I will have once you leave the room.”

Dermott grinned. “If you say so. You know where to find me if you change your mind. Good night, Elijah.”

“Good night.” He waited until he heard the bedroom door shut before pulling his hand out. Except, when he tried, he found that he’d gone hard again. Too much of Dermott’s attention had given his cock new life. With a sigh, he slid down onto his back to get more comfortable and relive the experience of seeing Nico give Rienk a blow job. The laundry couldn’t get any worse for it, after all.

Chapter Five

“Yes, coffee!” Rienk padded into the kitchen with his usual energy and wearing snug boxer-briefs.

“I just made the pot.” Elijah forced himself not to stare and went back to the search he was doing on his pay-as-you-go phone. It was eating up a lot of his credit, but he wanted to get a jump on looking for a place to stay. He sipped at his own mug as he sat at the kitchen table.

Rienk surprised him by dropping down into the opposite chair. He would have expected the boy to go back to the bedroom. There had been enough noise coming through the walls, when Elijah had woken, to tell him that the others were picking up where they’d left off the previous night. But Rienk didn’t seem inclined to do more than sit and enjoy his coffee.

“What are looking at?”

Elijah took his eyes off his phone. “Places to stay.”

Rienk traced a finger along the grain of the table top. “Oh. I thought Dermott was helping you with that.”

“He is, but I don’t want to take up more of his time than necessary. Finding a place to live is my problem, and he’s been so kind already.”

“That’s Dermott’s way. He was a sergeant in the Marines, you know, and he talks sometimes about how important it was for him to take care of ‘his boys’ when they were deployed. He’s a natural leader and caretaker.”

Putting down his phone, Elijah rested his chin on his hands, too intrigued to learn more about his boss to let the opportunity to pass. “How long have you known him?”

“A couple of years. I was one of the first performers he showcased here.” Rienk lifted his mug and stared at Elijah from over its rim. His expression was open, silently inviting more questions.

“Did you have to leave home?” He immediately backpedaled, fearing he’d overstepped. “Sorry…not that it’s any of my business.”

“I don’t mind the question.” Rienk relaxed against his chair, cradling his coffee in his hands. “The simple answer is no. I’ve been luckier than many queer kids. My parents were really cool about my being gay. Too cool, actually. I sometimes felt that they trotted out their ‘gay son’ and put me on display as some weird trophy—you know, kind of like ‘look at us being trendy’ sort of thing. And when I started doing drag in my teens, they were still supportive. My mom helped me get my costumes made and bought me wigs. She took me to pageants and everything.”

Elijah tried not to feel envious. “So you have a good relationship with them.”

“Nope.”

Elijah blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

Rienk took a long slug of his coffee. “It started with Dermott. They thought he was too old for me, but he was a stable guy with a good business. He and my dad talked about manly stuff like football and cars, and Dermott’s experience as a military man was impressive. So, they came around and all was chill…until Nico entered our lives.”

“They don’t like Nico?” It was hard to believe, given how sweet the boy seemed.

“I’m sure they would if they bothered to get to know him. But they won’t, because they can’t handle our throuple. They think it’s disgusting and that Dermott is some kind of Svengali cradle robber.” He rolled his eyes with a cluck of his tongue. “They believe Nico and I aren’t old enough to make our own decisions and are only in this relationship because Dermott holds some hypnotic sway over us. As if… We may call him ‘Daddy’ but that’s just because we like it. Believe me, I know exactly what I’ve gotten into, and while Nico is more fragile, I know him well enough now to be sure he’s thought this through carefully.”

Elijah dropped his gaze and fiddled with his mug. “I’m sorry. Being shut out by your family is hard.”

Rienk sat forward, putting his hand on Elijah’s arm. “Oh, sweetie, I’ve got nothing to complain about. I had a comfortable life, and even now, I could go back to my parents if I told them it was over with Dermott and Nico. You don’t have that luxury. Neither does Nico.”

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