The Virgin Billionaire’s Sexcellent Adventure (2 page)

Luis gestured toward Gage. “I’d rather you explain this one.”

“I’m afraid I wasn’t completely discreet this past weekend,” Gage said. “I sort of fooled around with Cory the handyman, then I had a little fling with Ted, your neighbor at the end of the easement road.”

Jase blinked. “
You did them both last weekend
?” Jase had been there; he had no idea.

“He only blew Cory,” Luis said. “But he did a lot more with Ted. Gage always was a little bit of a slut when we were younger. That’s what led to our original falling out ten years ago over a guy named Snake.” Luis smiled. He seemed to take pleasure in this announcement.

Gage seemed to take offense. “It wasn’t like I was really cheating on anyone. Up until now, I really was single and free at the time. And they were both so needy.”

Luis covered his mouth and laughed. “Gage hates to see any man in distress. He’s such a good sport when it comes to going down on his knees.”

“Well, they
were
in distress. But I would have done them both anyway,” Gage said.

“I’ll bet,” said Luis.

“Well, then,” Jase said. He noticed a little brotherly friction had started between Luis and Gage and he decided to settle things fast before they started arguing again. “I guess we’d better get that all straightened out next weekend. I’d hate to have both Ted and Cory think it was really Luis having sex with them when it wasn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Gage said. “Maybe I really should leave now. I guess Luis is right. I always have been a little too eager to please men. But I’m trying to change. Now that I have Daksha in my life, I’m going to be monogamous.”

Luis rolled his eyes.

Jase smiled. “You don’t have to leave,” he said. “They’ll understand. And what you do with your personal life is your business, not ours. We’ll just say you guys were playing a little trick on me and things got a little out of hand. Actually, I’m sure both Cory and Ted will probably be relieved to know it wasn’t really Luis. No harm done.”

Gage cast a surprised glance in Luis’s direction. “Is he always this nice? I was afraid he’d go crazy when he found out about all this.”

Luis placed his palm on Jase’s abdomen as if claiming him, and said, “This is only one of the reasons I love him so much.”

When Hunter came home from school a few minutes later and he found Jase, Luis, and Gage in the kitchen together, he stopped short and his head jerked back. He looked at Jase first. Then he looked down at Camp and they exchanged glances.

Luis brought Hunter to the table and introduced him to his new Uncle Gage. Then he sat Hunter down and explained he’d kept his twin brother a secret because they hadn’t always been on friendly terms. Luis didn’t go into too much detail. But he did try to explain that relationships between adults aren’t always easy and that now he was working hard to get to know his brother again after so many years apart.

Hunter just kept staring at his Uncle Gage as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

When Luis was finished explaining, he asked, “Do you have any questions?”

Hunter shrugged and said, “What’s for dinner? I’m starved.”

Jase patted Hunter on the back, admiring his ability to adapt so well, and said, “I was thinking we’d order something different tonight. Maybe something from that new Indian restaurant two blocks away. I’ve heard good things about it.” With all this talk about Daksha, Gage’s new lover, Jase had been thinking about Indian food.

Hunter jumped off his chair and said, “Okay, sounds good.” As he turned to leave the room so he could go upstairs and remove his school uniform, he asked, “Is Uncle Gage staying for dinner.”

“Yes,” Jase said. He smiled at Gage. “We’re going to be seeing a lot more of your Uncle Gage now.”

It wasn’t a lie. Jase had his own agenda and now that Gage was in their lives, he was going to take advantage of certain situations. Jase and Luis couldn’t travel because they refused to leave Hunter with a stranger after the bad experience they’d had with a nanny named Darius. And the only family they had was in Alaska, which was too far away to depend on. Jase’s grandmother, Isabelle, came to New York for extended visits, and she was always more than willing to watch Hunter so they could get away on their own. But Isabelle was a feisty old woman and she had an active life of her own in Alaska.

So after dinner, when Gage said he wanted to go back to the hospital to check in on Daksha, Jase smiled and said, “I was wondering if you could do us a favor, Gage.” All through dinner, he’d watched the way Gage and Hunter seemed to get along so well. Gage promised to take Hunter fishing, and he promised he’d help Hunter with baseball practice. Unlike Luis, Gage seemed extremely interested in baseball, football, and basketball. There were no awkward moments between Hunter and Gage; no hesitations. They acted as if they’d known each other all their lives.

Luis and Gage turned and faced Jase. At the same time they both said, “A favor?”

“I’ve been thinking of investing in a new line of electric motor homes,” Jase said. “They are just as large and luxurious as the regular mobile homes on the market now, only these don’t run on gasoline and they are much cheaper to run, not to mention more environmentally responsible.”

“Sounds like a wonderful concept,” Luis said.

“It is,” Jase said. “If they are any good. I don’t want to invest unless I’m certain they are reliable and cost efficient. If they are, it could change the entire market. If they aren’t, it could be a huge waste of time.”

Gage shrugged. “Sounds like a great idea. But I don’t see how I can help you.”

Luis sent Jase a wary glance. “Oh, Gage, don’t ever underestimate my husband. Jase always has a plan.” He folded his arms across his chest and turned to Jase. “What are you up to? You’re scheming again. I can tell by the look in your eyes.”

“I am not,” Jase said. He
was
scheming, but was hoping to not be too obvious. “I was just thinking about something. Now that Gage is here, we might be able to get away for a long weekend. I was invited to try out one of these new motor homes next month and I was just wondering if Gage would stay with Hunter while we’re gone.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Luis said.

“Yeah, Dad,” Hunter said. “I’d like that. Uncle Gage can take me fishing.”

Camp barked as if he thought it was a good idea, too.

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Gage said. “I’d love to hang out with Hunter for the weekend. I can take him to Brooklyn to meet all my friends. We can go fishing at a place I know out on Long Island. As long as it’s okay with Luis. I don’t want to get in the middle of something.”

Jase could see there was still resistance between Luis and his twin brother. They both seemed to be tiptoeing around each other without being obvious about it. Jase didn’t want to push the issue that night. He figured it would be best to let the idea sink in and let Luis have time to think it over before they made any definite plans. But he really wanted to check out these motor homes, and he wanted to do it with Luis. He’d heard about these clothing-optional gay campgrounds out west, and there was nothing he wanted to do more than get Luis naked in the woods. So he smiled and said, “Let’s all think it over. We have a month to decide. We can talk more about it this weekend at Cider Mill Farm, after Gage has a little talk with Cory and Ted.” He sent Gage a smile.

Luis seemed to relax. “I guess we could think about it.”

Hunter started jumping up and down. “Say yes, Dad. I want to go to Brooklyn where Uncle Gage lives. I’ve never been to Brooklyn.”

“It’s up to your parents, Hunter,” Gage said. “And I really have to be going now. Daksha is waiting for me.”

“Say goodnight to your uncle and run upstairs now and do your homework,” Luis said. “I’ll be up in a minute. We’ll talk about this more.”

Hunter hugged Gage and went upstairs with Camp. When Luis, Gage, and Jase reached the front door, Jase patted Gage on the back and said, “I’m glad we’re going to finally get to know you. Welcome to the family, Gage.”

Gage hugged him and said, “Thanks for being so understanding, Jase. It means a lot to me.”

Luis walked up and put his arms around his twin brother. He kissed him gently on the cheek and said, “Do you need any money to get back to Brooklyn?”

Gage smiled. “No. I’m fine. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Good,” Luis said. “Call my cell. I have a shoot in the morning in Central Park. But I’m free after one o’clock. Maybe we can meet for a late lunch at the hospital tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” Gage said. “I’ll be there most of the day.”

When he was gone and Hunter and Camp were upstairs, Jase walked up behind Luis and said, “I’m still a little shocked at how much you both look alike. It’s almost creepy.” They were in the kitchen. Luis had just cleared the dishes and he was stacking the dishwasher.

“That’s always been the main problem,” Luis said. “We look alike, but we’re complete opposites. You heard Gage. He loves fishing and hunting and playing baseball. I’d rather be reading a good book, running in the park, or strolling through a museum.”

Jase kissed the back of his neck. “I’m glad I got the one who likes to read good books,” he said. “I like my guys soft and sweet.”

“Do you really?” Luis said. “I was kind of wondering about what happened between you and Gage this past weekend. I know nothing sexual happened. But I was wondering what went through your mind when Gage kept turning you down.”

“Are you kidding?” Jase asked. He lowered his hand and slipped them down the back of Luis’s pants. “I thought you’d lost your mind. I was totally freaked out and I was going to insist you see a doctor this week.”

“I’m sorry I put you through that,” Luis said. “But I had to do it. I thought all weekend about calling you and warning you. But I knew you wouldn’t have gone along with the plan, let things play out. It was the only way to really know whether or not I could trust my brother for sure. I hope I can make it up to you someday.”

Jase still didn’t understand this part completely. But he didn’t want to drag it out. He knew Luis was being sincere and he knew Luis trusted his brother in spite of the circumstances. He reached down and squeezed Luis’s ass hard. “Oh, I’ll think of a few ways for you to make it up, Luis. One of those ways might include a long weekend in an electric motor home with all the luxuries of home.”

Luis laughed. “I knew that was coming. You’re an evil man, Jase Nicholas.”

“Seriously. Would it really be so bad to leave Gage with Hunter for a few days? I can tell you firsthand Gage got along very well with Hunter his past weekend. They love each other. And we never get a chance to just get away all by ourselves.”

“I’ll think about it,” Luis said. “It might not be a bad idea. But you have to promise me one thing in return.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m really missing Alaska for some reason,” he said. “We need to plan a trip there.”

“I’ve been missing home, too,” he said. “We’ll set a date and make plans. I’ve been thinking about building my dream house there.”

“You have?”

Jase nodded. “It’s always been my dream to have a house on the water. And my father has been offering me the property next to his for years now. Would you be open to building a house up there? We couldn’t live there permanently until Hunter is much older, but we can spend time there.”

Luis practically fell into his arms. “I can’t think of anything I’d love more than that.”

* * * *

When Luis finally agreed to spend a long weekend with Jase in an electric motor home, he only had one stipulation: they had to be in a campground where there was an Internet connection because he was working on a blogging event with Elena from
Elena’s Romantic Treasures and Tidbits
, and he couldn’t put it off. The event was an international contest that included everything from best lgbt books to the most artistic book covers and the artists who created them. Elena had named the Internet event
The Over the Rainbow Awards.
Although Elena did most of the work on her own blog, Jase knew how much Luis loved Elena’s blog, with all the romantic gay novels and artistic photos of nude and semi-nude men, and Jase knew how hard Luis had worked on the blog as a contributor. And he was completely devoted to Elena and the concept of promoting positive, enlightening images of the international lgbt community Elena had been building for a long time. The blog was Luis’s main hobby, and the one place Luis always said he could go and feel wonderful whenever he was upset or depressed about something. Jase didn’t want to take that away from Luis, especially now when Luis was helping Elena with an important event.

So Jase found a gay campsite in California that had Internet service, a place surrounded by redwoods in Russian River wine country, not far from the ocean. Then he arranged to pick up one of the electric motor homes near the airport in San Francisco so he could test drive it himself. The company that designed and built these electric motor homes was based on the West Coast and traveling to California was the only way to actually test one out. Jase knew the company needed serious investors, but he wasn’t willing to commit unless he liked and trusted the motor home himself.

Gage took the weekend off from the male strip club he worked in downtown so he could spend the long weekend with Hunter at the house on 95
^th
Street. Daksha, Gage’s new boyfriend, was out of the hospital by then, but he’d just landed a small part in a Broadway play and he was busy rehearsing all weekend. When Gage arrived at the door with his suitcase on Friday night, Jase had just set his suitcase on the floor in the front hall beside Luis’s. The cab that was taking them to the airport had arrived with Gage, and the driver was outside honking the horn.

Jase waved to the driver and said, “We’ll be right out. Turn on the meter. It’s okay.” Then he turned and yelled up the stairs, “Luis, the taxi is here. We have to leave.” Jase had booked a commercial flight. He hated using the company jet and wasting both money and energy on just two people. He’d always frowned on politicians who did this, and he didn’t want to be like them. But he was starting to have second thoughts now. Luis tended to be late, and he despised flying so much he often clenched the arms of his seat most of the way to his destination. If Jase had taken his own small jet, they wouldn’t have been pressed for time.