Special Needs (7 page)

‘
I tried to be something else, but in the end you just have to find someone to accept who you are, with all the faults, flaws, and baggage. When you do, don’t be an asshole like me and never let them slip away.’

Liam’s expression dropped. That was pretty sad. He quickly shoved the book back into its place and walked over to his trousers to get his cell phone.

‘Fuck, Cole he is sexy ass fuck!’ He sent the text, parking his ass on the surprisingly hard mattress. The density made sense though, considering Ryan could only rely on his hands to move around.

He didn’t have to wait long for his brother to reply. ‘Did you mean ‘as fuck’? But were actually thinking about ‘ass-fuck’? :D’

Liam groaned. ‘Fuck U! He’s so cute!’

‘No, Liam. You’re still not allowed to seduce your disabled boss. Seriously? What’s wrong with you?’

‘He was talking about opening his mouth when he was at my crotch level! What would U do?’

His cell phone rang just a few seconds after he hit the ‘send’ button.

Liam quickly strode out of the room and into his own. “What?” he hissed to the mic.

“What the hell Liam? That’s fucking sexual harassment! And on the first day?” Cole sounded kinda like one of those women he saw arguing about a discounted product at a grocery store a few weeks ago.

“No. He... he didn’t mean it like that! It’s just my mind talking.” He groaned, butting the wall with his forehead.

“He’s in a wheelchair. He’s going to be at your crotch level. You have to get used to it, not have dirty thoughts all the time.” His brother’s voice was stern and serious. Just like the voice of reason should be.

“Yeah, I know.” Liam slowly cupped his crotch, trying to get his nerves under control. “And he loves Sex Feet Under. He got so excited that I know their leader, and I didn’t even tell him I fucked the guy.”

Cole was silent for several seconds, before releasing one of those line-crackling sighs. “You’re sure he’s over twenty? Not fifteen, or something?”

“He’s twenty five.” Liam bit his lip. “But he has it harder... to get laid, you know.”

“How is that even your problem?”

“I...” He grunted, moving around. “I’m going to take him places where he can meet people.”

“Okay,” his brother said quickly. “That’s a great start. You’ll help him out, without actually fucking him, yeah? Help him get a date. If he’s really so hot, not just seems hot, because he’s your boss, then it shouldn’t be so hard.”

“He is hot. Like a...” Liam swallowed, biting his thumb. “Like a pretty goth guy with amazing blue eyes, slim, in cool clothes... he really is fuckin’ hot.” He caught himself salivating.

“Yeah. So get him a date and you guys can double date then. And by ‘double date’ I don’t mean a foursome. Just keep your hands to yourself.”

Liam sighed, wondering whether Ryan was done jerking off. “I can’t, I’m carrying him and stuff.” He could practically see Cole roll his eyes.

“I get it okay? Just don’t molest a disabled guy, Liam. Seriously. That would be low, even for you.”

Liam drew in a deep gulp of air and shot a stunned look at the bed, as if it were the source of his distress. “Really bro, is that what you think of me? I get it, I have history with my bosses, but it was never just about them being my superiors.”

“Oh yeah? What about that bald guy, whatever his name was. He was forty, chubby and had a wife, for fuck’s sake!”

Liam swallowed, shifting his weight in place. “He wasn’t ‘chubby’...” He growled, remembering how humiliating this particular affair was. The guy was actually rather fat and definitely not the type of guy that normally made Liam’s head turn. It was now hard to comprehend what he had seen in him. Normally, he would dig twinky twentysomethings with perky, little asses and wide smiles, and he couldn’t figure out why all these lovely qualities paled in comparison to a guy’s position.

“Liam? You there?” Ryan’s voice made him jump.

“Coming!” he shouted back before whispering into his cell phone, “Gotta go! Talk to you later, Cole.”

“Anytime, bro.”

Liam threw the phone to the bed and ran back to the master bedroom, still only in a towel around his hips. “Sorry, my brother called.”

Ryan had his hair wet, but was generally dried up and held out his arms in a silent demand. Liam didn’t hesitate.

“The chair or bed?” He didn't want Ryan to regret the decision to hire him even more than he probably did. Ryan smelled great, and Liam wondered if he washed his hands with the gel after he had finished himself off.

“Yeah. Bed, maybe. I’m
so
done for the day.” He chuckled into Liam's shoulder.

“Right.” Liam carried him to bed. “You have some cool stuff here,” he muttered and went back to the bathroom to fetch the wheelchair.

“Yeah? You’ve been going through my stuff?” Ryan snorted and turned on a bedside lamp. Its lampshade was made out of an x-ray scan. Liam half-wondered if it was one of Ryan’s, but he decided not to ask.

“I didn’t have enough time to look for porn, so don’t worry,” he said with a wink.

Ryan just shook his head. Without the make-up, he looked a lot more vulnerable and even younger. “So what do you like most?”

“In porn?” was Liam’s automatic response.

“...No. In my stuff.” Ryan glared at him, wide eyed and Liam felt himself redden. Now, that was awkward.

“Ah, sorry, I’ve got a one-track mind I guess.” If the situation was any different, he would be all over a guy who did that to him. “I love
Killer Condom
. It’s a brilliant movie.”

“Oh yeah?” Ryan instantly straightened up with a smile that lit up his gorgeous eyes. “I can’t believe you know it. So little people do! It’s, you know, this overlooked piece of amazing cinema. We can watch something together sometime. If you want to, that is.”

“Sure.” Liam looked down at him, slightly overwhelmed by the cutest display of enthusiasm ever. “I don’t have any DVDs, so... you know, it would be a welcome addition to my artless life.”

“There’s museums in the area too, if that doesn’t bore you,” Ryan added, but the hope for Liam's interest was obvious in his tone.

“Yeah, we could totally go.” Liam’s face lit up. This job would be enjoyable as hell! “Like, to this space center nearby.”

Ryan gave him an exuberant nod. “We’re going into town tomorrow to get some stuff, so we could pick up a map and mark places we'd like to see. We’ll probably have breakfast around nine. Is that fine?” His pale skin was once again covered in goosebumps.

“Sure. When do you need me around by the way? I like to jog in the mornings.” Liam combed his hair with his fingers as it got into his face a bit too much.

Ryan contemplated him for a longer moment with a blank expression, but finally snapped out of it. “Nine’s fine. I’ll be dressed by then, but we’ll have to eat breakfast straight away, so you should have it ready, yeah?”

Oh, so he would be the one preparing it.

“Right. Am I making it for all four of us?”

Ryan shrugged. “Nah, they can make whatever they want. If you actually make something that you can easily make more of, I bet they’d be happy, but... you know. It might just be us. You could make me those potato waffles. They’re in the freezer.”

“Okay. What kind of salad do you like?”

“I like... uhm... tomato, but that’s about it. If you want anything, we can pick it up tomorrow.”

“Really? Only tomato?” Liam’s face broke into a grin. “Have you even tried any other greens?”

Ryan grumbled. “Some. It’s hard to deal with them and stuff.”

“How is it hard?” Liam sat down next to him, deciding it was awkward to just stand there like this was some kind of trial. “Maybe you’d prefer a soup?”

“Maybe... potato soup!” Ryan smiled all of a sudden. “Cause fresh veg rots so fast and sometimes I wouldn’t go into town for two weeks...”

“That won’t be the case from now on. We need to pump you with some vitamins.” Before Liam could rethink his actions, his hand moved to Ryan’s thigh and patted it. “Look, I’m a cook and if I’m taking care of you, it’s not only gonna be waffles and some frozen shit.”

Ryan eyed Liam's hand but didn’t comment on the gesture. “Okay. I’m fussy, but I promise to try new stuff, deal?” He held out his hand to shake on it.

Liam squeezed his palm in a friendly gesture. “Your hair and skin will look even better when I’m done with you.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “You wanna do a before and after shot?”

“If you want.” Liam snorted and got up to his feet. “But hey, I’m doing this for you.”

“You’re doing it for the money, Liam. Goodnight.” Ryan just laughed it off and struggled to pull his leg up to the bed. Liam helped him move the lifeless limb and walked over to gather his clothes, which were still on the floor.

“I’m making you food for the money, but I will be doing good stuff, because I like you.”

“Really? You still do after today?” Ryan sighed and ran his fingers through his wet hair.

Liam pouted. “Why, did anything happen?” He knew very well what Ryan meant, but he decided to be honest about his feelings on the matter. Well, at least to some extent.

“That was the answer I was looking for. Thanks.” A small smile hid on Ryan’s lips. “See you tomorrow.”

Liam’s own breath echoed in his ears like thunder. “See you.”

Chapter 4

Liam dashed out of the house, already reaching into his pocket to grab his cigarettes, without taking them out yet. He hoped for some peace behind the building, but that proved impossible when he spotted Rodney walking around his favorite smoking hideout. Shit, he only had time until Ryan finished his lunch.

Trying not to look suspicious, Liam gazed at the huge, Victorian house Ryan inherited after his aunt’s death. It was massive, with a large porch, two balconies and grey window shutters framing tall windows. If it wasn’t for the bright California sun making the pale outer walls less horroresque, he’d consider this building creepy, but under these circumstances, it was nothing but classy.

He was happy to be alone at last and lit a cigarette with a sigh of relief. All this sneaking around was a downside of this job. As soon as he took the second drag, his stomach chilled at the sound of his own name. Ryan was calling him, and judging from the unmistakable sound of wheels on the asphalt, he was also coming over. Did Ryan throw the food out, or was it so good he shoveled it in like a hungry golden retriever?

Liam took a desperate drag of the cigarette before butting it. “That you?” he called out, releasing the smoke, not as relaxed as he hoped he would be after feeding his addiction.

“Yeah, Liam, come on! I don’t like to go on the grovel!” Ryan yelled from around the porch. “It could hurt my wheelchair!” Ryan said that as if the chair was a person.

Their only neighbor was passing through in his green van and instead of driving further to his own house, he turned to the hotel’s driveway.

Liam sighed and hurried to join Ryan at the front of the building. He's never actually seen that Roger guy, but he recognized his car, as he saw it passing by a few times. “Comin’!”

When Roger left the car, Liam noted nothing special about him. Guy in his early thirties, wearing shades, a grey t-shirt and jeans. His short, dark hair looked neat but not over-styled and Liam remembered Ryan complaining about Roger being the ‘most boring person ever’. It sure seemed like an accurate description.

Still, when the neighbor approached Ryan on the porch, they both smiled like best buds.

“Hi Roger! What brings you here?”

The man darted a short glance at Liam and nodded in silent acknowledgement of his presence. “I was wondering, do you have some hemp rope maybe?”

“You’ve come to the right place for rope. Not so unhappy now about living next to a BDSM hotel now, are you?” Liam could hear the triumphant tone in Ryan’s voice as they all went back into the building.

Roger cleared his throat. “As long as my fiancé doesn’t notice what kind of B&B I border with.” It was meant as a joke, but confirmed Ryan’s opinion of the man. Yep, totally vanilla, in the bad way.

Ryan just gave a long sigh. “Rod, could you get us some rope from the Tearoom?” he asked as they approached the old-fashioned reception desk. Liam liked that Ryan kept most of the original Victorian decor of the public spaces in the hotel. It was simple, but very elegant. “You doing more gardening, Roger?” Liam knew Ryan couldn’t be less interested in a topic like that. So it had to be his attempt at making conversation as Rodney went to fetch the rope.
Fetch. Like a good puppy.
The thought made Liam smile absentmindedly. He looked to the cream-colored wall, decorated with ancient erotic photographs. The one he focused on was of a lady in nothing but a tightly laced corset, leaning her plump butt on the edge of a desk. She was casting a longing gaze at a gentleman who seemed to busy with a pile of documents to acknowledge her.

“Yeah, you know how it is... there’s always something to do around the house. “ Roger looked around. “Especially if its old like yours.”