Page 3 of The Blood Deliverance

James reached down to right his clothes, but Fane took over. He turned him around and it was obvious by the evidencethat James had come as well, which Fane found gratifying. He took his handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned James before tucking him back into his pants and zipping him up. Fane made sure James’ clothes were straight and he was prepared to return to work.

James was staring at him with an expression that was shocked and pleased in equal measure. "Can I have your number?" He asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely my sweet, sweet baby.” Fane took James’ offered phone and punched in his number and then bent and kissed him ravenously taking his breath away and leaving him shaking in the process.

“You are something else Fane Madden.” James continued to stare and then shook himself. “I have to get back to work.” Fane nodded and James took off but kept turning to look back at him and Fane watched him until he was out of sight. He had his name and his number, and their bond had begun. That was some major progress, considering they'd just met.

He waited a few minutes before exiting the back and stopped at the men’s room. While at the sink washing his hands two men entered and he recognized them as jackals. He dried his hands and turned to look at them. They stood by the door as if blocking any entrance or exit.

“Your move," Fane stated and prepared for a fight, but instead, they separated and indicated for him to follow.

"The boss wants to speak with you, vampire." One of them said and opened the door.

“Who’s your boss?”

“Jerry Hanover.” They stepped out of the men’s room and into the hallway. “Follow us.” Fane was confident that he couldhandle these two but there were more than just two jackals in the house and also a lot of humans. He would meet with Jerry and see what he wanted and then he would decide how to handle things from there.

They took him down another hallway that led to a stairway, nothing fancy, very plain and practical compared to the opulence of the main room. They stopped at a plain white door and knocked and then entered.

Fane saw the short man with the thinning hair sitting behind a cheap press board desk. The entire office looked cheap it was roomy, and a style was attempted but it was fake and cheap. He was under the impression that Jerry Hanover had money, but apparently he didn’t use any in this office.

“Why are you here vampire? I know you’re one of Conall Rose’s men what is your business here?” Jerry was putting on a show for the Jackals trying to act tough but if there weren’t six jackals in the room Fane would be showing him otherwise. It was clear that Jerry was afraid because no other crime boss in the city needed six jackals to protect them from one vampire. Jerry knew better than to start anything because Master Rose was always itching for a war.

“Enjoying the entertainment and having a few drinks," Fane stated cold and deliberately while nailing Jerry with a hard stare that had him shifting uncomfortably.

“I don’t want you here you’re banned from this property.” He was sounding less and less in control.

“Is that what you want me to report to my Master?” Fane asked, and Jerry shook his head.

"No, just you, only you. Anyone else from Rose's gang is welcome, but not you." Fane watched him and noticed he looked both angry and scared throughout this exchange. “You bothermy staff.” He gave a point of clarification, but Fane did not respond. “Go and don’t come back.” Jerry finished with a forced flourish and jumped to his feet but quickly stepped back when Fane took a step forward. "Get out of here." He shouted. “And stay away from my staff.”

James got back to work, and his focus was spot on. The tryst with Fane Madden in the back seemed to be just what he needed. He felt centered and happy for the first time since Hanover and his crew entered his life. He wasn’t even mad about having to help the cleaners tonight.

“What put you in such a good mood.” Andrew came up to him with a teasing smile. "You look like you've been deliciously fucked. That tall, dark customer must have given it to you good.” He laughed.

“You have no idea.” James winked and continued serving orders with a flare and a streamlined precision. Andrew continued to laugh and walked to the other end of the bar where he spoke briefly with one of the bouncers. James thought nothing of it until said bouncer came and took him off the bar for fraternizing with a customer and placed him in the kitchen for the remainder of the evening.

He'd worked with Andrew for a few weeks, and he’d seemed like a cool guy but obviously he was the type to better himself by stepping on the backs of others. James knew he was a bad judge of people, but this one really broke his heart.

Andrew had come along at a time when he needed a friend in the worst way and had filled that need. They joked, made rude comments about the boss and the bouncers, and sometimes snuck free drinks, things you do with a friend, and now he was just another asshole in a long line of assholes.

He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he had informed on him. He cared so little for their friendship, which was never a friendship, to begin with, obviously. James went to the kitchen and started washing dishes. It was brutal and hot, but he’d rather be there than at the bar with Andrew. About an hour later, one of the managers came to the kitchen to bring him back to the bar.

“Customers are asking for you, and Andrew can’t carry it on his own.” He stated as if they hadn’t just treated him like complete shit.

“Can’t, I’m sorry.” He responded without looking up from his dish pan. “I cut my hand on a knife in the sink and can't handle the booze and the bottles with an injury." He flashed the bandaged left hand that he was deftly keeping out of the water. "My performance is over for tonight." He went back to washing glasses with one hand and ignored the manager until he left. He wasn't injured, but he refused to go back to the bar and work with Andrew. He needed time to process this new betrayal and put it behind him.

It made working at this miserable place just a bit worse knowing he had to face that backstabber tomorrow. They’re coworkers they are not friends he told himself over and over as he moved from the kitchen to the main room after closing in order to assist the cleaning crew.

He was met by one of the bouncers as soon as he started wiping down the tables. “The boss said for you to go home and take care of your hand. He wants you back here and ready to work tomorrow.” James tossed the wet rag back into the bucket and grabbed his coat from behind the bar. The bouncer caught up to him as he was heading for the front door.

“The boss also said for you to stop consorting with the customers, and if you want a good hard fuck then meet him in his office anytime, and he'll oblige.” James was stunned for a few seconds at what the bouncer had said. Hanover had made comments before, but never something that was so crude and disgusting. He figured it was safest not to respond at all and wait to be dismissed.

The bouncer stared at him for a while and then told him to get out, and James did not waste any time. He hated working at the Falcon Nest, and if it weren't for the debt that was owed, he'd have quit long ago. But his mother was counting on him, and he would not let her down.

There was a contract, and he hoped that in the end Hanover honored it. It stated three years at half pay and the debt would be cleared. His little studio apartment was cheap enough that he managed to afford it. The neighborhood was a little sketchy but not as bad as some areas. Three years and then he could go live his own life and his mother would be safe.

On his walk home, his mind went once again to the handsome and hung Mr. Fane Madden. He smiled to himself at the memory of being in his arms and the feel of being filled and stretched so completely. A little thrill passed through him, and he wondered if he would see Fane again. He wanted to see him again fuck whatever Hanover was saying. He would not turn that man down if he came back, and he hoped he came back.

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