I closed my bedroom door and went downstairs to greet Harry and Carter. I was half naked with a towel draped around my waist. I didn’t have time to put clothes on, afraid that they’d come upstairs and find River in my room.

“You guys are home early,” I said, unable to look them in the eyes.

Harry looked relaxed and a bit tipsy.

“You know Harry. He can only have one or two drinks before it’s lights out for him,” Carter said teasingly.

Harry gave Carter a dirty look.

“Did you guys have a good time?” I asked.

“Yeah, it was perfect,” Harry said. “Thanks for taking care of Pollock today. We didn’t realize how nice it was to have a day to ourselves and just do adult things.”

I smiled. “Well, that’s what I’m here for. He was a great business partner today too. I closed the deal to buy the property for my new firm.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s so exciting. Congrats!”

He gave me a big bear hug. We rarely hugged each other, and it felt a bit weird because I was half naked. But he was too drunk to care.

“We should celebrate,” Carter said.

I nodded. “Yeah, we can do something fun sometime with Hunter and Blue. Hunter was the one who helped me find the place actually.”

“Between you and Hunter, I bet that both of you are going to take over the world someday,” Harry said.

“You know what, Harry, that’s not a bad idea,” I said. “I bet Hunter and I would make a great partnership if we decided to work together.”

Hunter was street-smart and business savvy, I was book-smart and knowledgeable.

Harry picked Pollock up from where he was sleeping. The baby continued sleeping peacefully, even though Harry was being animated and moving around a lot since he was drunk.

I took a sip of wine from the bottle I’d left on the counter before River arrived. I wondered what he was doing in my room. I worried that he’d be bored up there. Since I was such a private person, I was worried to have someone in my room without me there.

“I’m going to bed soon,” I said, letting out a yawn.

Carter nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s time for us to go to bed too.”

I gave Pollock a kiss on the cheek before they all went back to the guesthouse. I watched through the window in the kitchen as I did the dishes until they turned the lights off in the guesthouse. When the coast was clear, I went back upstairs.

River was lying in my bed and staring up at the ceiling when I returned. He had his pants on but was shirtless.

“You want something to wear since I cut your shirt?” I asked.

River nodded.

I went in my closet and tried to find the smallest T-shirt I owned and handed it to River. He put his nose in my shirt before he put it on. It was oversized on him, but he looked kind of cute.

“I should go,” River said. “My roommate is going to worry about me again if I don’t go home tonight.”

I looked at the time. “Are you sure? It’s pretty late already. Why don’t you message him to let him know you’re safe?”

River looked at me with his bright hazel eyes. “And what? Stay over?”

I nodded. “It might be better if you go home in the morning. The streetcar isn’t even running right now.”

River looked down at his phone. “Okay, I’ll message him.”

I thought of River differently after he’d shared his past with me that evening. He was brave to tell me something so intimate. I could finally understand him a little more. I still didn’t agree or support what he did, but I knew that as long as he remained with me, he would be safe.

I heard River’s stomach grumble as I sat on the edge of the bed.

“Hungry?” I said.

River nodded. “Yeah, I haven’t eaten since brunch today.”

I shook my head and got on my phone to order some food for both of us. I was starving too after such a busy day.

“What kind of pizza do you like?” I asked.

“Anything with pineapple,” River said.

I shot him a glance. “Pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza.”

“What? It’s the best topping in the world. You know a Canadian invented Hawaiian pizza, right?”

I laughed. “We can get pineapple on half. What else do you want?”

“Anchovies,” River said.

“Pineapple and anchovies? This has to be a sick joke.”

But River looked serious, so I decided to entertain him and get pineapple and anchovies on the whole thing.

“So, what do you want to do?” River asked.

It was going to be twenty minutes before the pizza arrived.

“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “Want to watch something on Netflix?”

It’d been so long since I’d just hung out with anyone like that. River looked comfortable in my oversized T-shirt, lying in my bed.

I brought over my laptop to the bed and tried to find something to watch.

“Jeopardy is on Netflix now?” I said.

River’s eyes widened. “I think they added it recently. Are you a fan?”

“Are you kidding me? Jeopardy is my life,” I said.

River smiled. “I don’t think you’re better than me at answering the questions.”

“Is that a challenge?” I asked, raising my brow.

“If you want it to be.” River smirked.

I put on an episode of Jeopardy, and we both lay back on the bed.

It felt natural to be hanging out with River. It was the first time both of us got to relax together. I rarely had the time to just do nothing, and I’d forgotten how nice it was. As we watched Jeopardy, River inched his body toward me until his ass was pressed against my cock and I was spooning him.

We were very concentrated on the episode. I took Jeopardy very seriously, and I knew how intense I got while watching it. I was surprised at how many answers River got correctly, though. Often we’d blurt out the answer at the same time and laugh. I was good at the history categories, he was good with any category about literature. I had no idea River was that smart. I knew he was a law school graduate, but I didn’t realize he was that knowledgeable on so many different topics. It made me see him differently, and it even turned me on a bit.

As we were watching the episode, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. I stood up quickly, and my heart started racing.

“Who is it?” I said, trying to suppress my hard-on.

“It’s me.” I recognized Carter’s voice.

I was confused. I thought they were already sleeping. I put a finger on my lips to remind River to be quiet as I went to the door. I opened it just a bit to see Carter standing in the hallway, holding a box of pizza.

“The delivery guy came to the guesthouse, thinking that we ordered it,” Carter said, looking sleepy. “Is this yours?”

I nodded. “Thanks. Sorry that it woke you up.”

Carter gave me a funny look. “Pineapple and anchovies? Really?”

“Yep, it’s my favorite,” I lied.

“You have...interesting taste,” Carter said.

I opened the box and offered him a slice, but Carter politely declined.

“You need anything else?” I asked.

“Nope, just wanted to give you your pizza.”

I was standing awkwardly at the door, making sure Carter couldn’t see River in my bed.

“Do you have company?” Carter asked. “I swear I heard you talking to someone when I came upstairs.”

I forced a smile. “No. I’m watching Jeopardy. It’s just me in there. But I like to answer the questions out loud and see if I can beat the contestants.”

Carter looked at me like I was crazy.

“Okay,” he said.

“Anyway, have a good night,” I said.

“Good night,” Carter said.

I closed the door and heard him go back downstairs.

River was hiding under the blankets, and he was doing a damn good job because I didn’t realize it until I climbed in the bed.

“Surprise,” he said, jumping out at me.

I set the pizza box on the floor next to my bed to retrain his wrists as he squirmed to try and attack me.

“You might be smarter than me, but you’re certainly not stronger,” I said.

I put my hands on his ribs and dug my fingers into them. Hearing him laugh and squirm under me made my cock hard again.

“That was a close call,” he said.

I took a deep breath. “Yeah, we got lucky with that one. What kind of delivery person goes to the guesthouse before trying the front door first?”

River opened the box of pizza and helped himself to a big slice. I took a bite off his and tasted the Frankenstein pizza he’d ordered. But it wasn’t too bad at all. The sweetness of the pineapple complemented the saltiness from the anchovies. It was only delivery pizza, but the flavor combination was something that could be served at a fancy Michelin-starred restaurant.

We put the Jeopardy episode back on and ate the pizza, answering every single question we knew. We binged on more episodes than I could count, and we also finished the entire pizza.

River clutched his stomach.

“Do you regret eating that much pizza?” I said with a smile.

“No regrets.” River paused. “Okay, maybe just a little.”

I laughed and lifted his shirt so that I could kiss his stomach. River squirmed and laughed, trying to push me away.

“You’re ticklish?” I said.

River was trying to catch his breath. “Please. Not after I just ate.”

I loved when he said please. I decided not to mess with him anymore and cuddled him instead.

He looked me in the eyes and took a deep breath. The more time we spent together, the more I realized there was a possibility I was somewhat attracted to men. But I’d never been sexually turned on by one until I met River. Sure, if I saw a handsome man walking down the street, I’d maybe take a second glance at him. But I wouldn’t want to kiss or fuck him. But with River...oh man, he ignited something in me that I couldn’t explain. And after he’d shared with me the intimate details of his past, I admired him for his bravery. Because even though I was rich and successful, I found it difficult to reveal my true self to other people. Maybe River could teach me a thing or two. He certainly taught me a lot about BDSM.

I moved my hands down his back and grabbed his ass. River winced, reminding me that he was bruised from earlier.

I wished I could go back in time and save him from his father. It made me angry to think about how someone who was supposed to be there to protect him had failed him. As a lawyer, I’d come across many cases where I had to help people without getting too attached. I was an expert at detaching. But with River, I couldn’t decide if it was better to help him or leave him. Maybe his past was out of my control.

* * *

I woke up with River next to me. He had his face buried in my neck and was holding on to me tightly as he slept. On the ground, next to the bed was the empty pizza box and my laptop on top of it. We’d passed out after too many episodes of Jeopardy to count.

River had a slight smile on his face as he slept like he was having the most peaceful dream.

I had a busy day ahead. I wanted to buy some things for the playroom I was planning to surprise River with. There was a meeting to close the deal for the office I’d just bought. I was also planning to talk to Harry and Carter about Hunter and Blue’s bachelor party.

I put a hand on the back of River’s head, stroking his blond hair gently and putting my nose in it to take in his scent. I wished I could let him sleep in my bed all day. But I worried that Harry and Carter were already up. I didn’t want it to be awkward.

“Wake up,” I whispered in River’s ear.

River opened his eyes and looked at me with a smile.

“You have to go,” I said. “I have some things to do today.”

River looked a bit disappointed.

“Okay, I understand,” he said.

I got out of bed and adjusted my hard cock in my briefs. River stared right at my crotch and licked his lips.

“Don’t even think about it,” I said. “We don’t have time.”

River sighed and got out of bed. I went into my bathroom and took my morning piss. It was a bit difficult with a boner. River sneaked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my chest and pressed his face on my back.

“Do I have to go?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said, trying to ignore how good he felt against me.

When I’d finished, I stepped outside into the hallway to see if Hunter and Carter were downstairs. I couldn’t hear them, so they must’ve been in the guesthouse. River put on his pants and the T-shirt I’d given him.

I walked him to the door.

“I’ll see you soon?” he said.

I nodded and gave him a kiss on the lips.

I was still conflicted about how I felt about him. I knew he needed someone to help him get his life together, but I already had too many things on my plate. Did I really have time to help another person?

Since I’d met River, I realized that he brought out things in me that no one ever had before. And I wondered if we had more to discover. Even watching Jeopardy and eating pizza was something I hadn’t done in a while. It reminded me of simpler times before I was a lawyer and stressed out all the time. Wasn’t that what life was about?

I became a billionaire after selling my old firm. I didn’t need to work anymore. But I couldn’t stop working hard and hustling. Being a lawyer was my passion, and I was too good at it to stop.

I walked out the back door to the guesthouse to see if Carter and Harry were there. I knocked on the door, and Harry opened it. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of athletic shorts. His red hair was disheveled, and he could barely open his eyes.

“Good morning,” I said. “You look like a train hit you.”

“I’m hungover as fuck,” Harry said. “Leave me alone.”

“Can I come in?” I asked.

Harry nodded and let me in.

I looked around and saw they had completely unpacked.

“I like what you did with the space,” I said. “It’s homey.”

Harry went into the kitchen to make some coffee. I went into the living room, where Pollock was. The television was on, playing some kids show. I sat next to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Good morning, handsome,” I said to him.

Pollock looked up at me and smiled.

Harry brought over a cup of coffee and sat down next to me. Harry changed the channel to the sports network.

“Hey, come on, we were watching that,” I said.

Harry took a sip of his coffee. “That’s enough cartoons for today. It’s making my hangover worse.”

I laughed. “I guess now’s not a good time to talk about the bachelor party. We have to plan something soon.”

Harry set his mug down on the coffee table. “Yeah, we have to plan something special. Blue’s going to want it to be memorable, and Hunter’s going to know if we do it last minute because it’s going to be a mess.

“How does it work with two guys?” I asked. “Should we plan one bachelor party for both of them or two separate ones?”

Harry looked at me like I’d just made everything more complicated. “Good point...let’s do one for both of them. I don’t even want to think about having two parties.”

It was typical of Harry to take the easiest route. But I was fine with that.

“How do you feel about keeping it small. Just me, you, Carter, Blue, and Hunter. I think they’ll appreciate that since their wedding is so big.”

Harry nodded. “I like that.”

“We can go to Niagara Falls. Hit up the casino. A strip club maybe. I can book a presidential suite for us, and we can have a crazy weekend.”

“A presidential suite?” Harry said. “Isn’t that a bit excessive?”

I raised my brows and looked at him. “Excessive? Do you even know me?”

Harry laughed. “You’re right.”

“Besides, Hunter is going to appreciate something extravagant. They’re only going to have one bachelor party, so we better make it amazing.”

I was excited about having a weekend getaway with my brothers and their partners.

“Are you planning on bringing River?” Harry asked.

His question caught me by surprise. “River? Why would I bring him?”

“Well, he is your date for their wedding. Plus, don’t you think you’re going to be lonely going to Niagara Falls with two couples?”

Harry had a point. And since he was the one to brought it up, I figured why not. It’d be nice to have River come with me.

“I guess I can invite him,” I said.

“What’s going on with the two of you anyway?” Harry asked.

I wanted to tell Harry the truth about River and me, but I didn’t even know how to explain it to him. What River and I had was complicated, and I wasn’t going to come out to my brother because I wasn’t sure if I was gay. The whole thing was confusing. Maybe going to Niagara Falls with River would give me a chance to figure things out. It wasn’t like my brothers were going to judge me for it. But I worried about what other people might think about a forty-year-old man who suddenly decided he was interested in men.

“What’s going to happen to Pollock when we leave for the weekend?” I asked.

“I’ll have to leave him with my babysitter. There’s no way Carter and I will be able to have a good time if we bring him.”

I nodded. I went on my phone to book the most extravagant suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Niagara Falls. It had three bedrooms and a full kitchen and living room. It would be a perfect spot for us to party and relax.

Harry and I watched some highlights from yesterday’s baseball game. As much as I wanted to hang out with him that day, I had some business to take care of.

I left to go to a meeting with the real estate agent to close the deal. When I’d finished the meeting, I had the idea to surprise River by inviting him to Niagara Falls for the weekend. I knew he’d be really excited, and I wanted to see his reaction.

I didn’t know where he lived, but I messaged him asking where he lived pretending that I wanted to send him something. He messaged me back with his address. I took an Uber to his apartment. The Uber stopped across the street from his building. It was a modest brick building next to a laundromat.

I was waiting for cars to pass so that I could cross the road when I saw River walking on the sidewalk across the street. Seeing him again made me smile. He didn’t know I was there to surprise him. When I looked closer, I noticed he was walking with someone. They both had Starbucks coffees in their hands. The man he was with was balding and had a beer belly. He was much older than River.

When they got to the apartment, River hugged the man. I clenched my fists as I watched the man touch River’s lower back. It was only a hug, but it was too intimate for me. I wondered if the man was one of River’s clients. I had told River I didn’t want him to see anyone, and I was angry that he didn’t listen to me. I pictured the man spanking River, and I wanted to cross the street to knock the man out. But I took a deep breath and remained calm.

I wondered if it was a mistake to come and surprise River. Maybe it was best I went to the bachelor party solo. I contemplated about heading home without seeing River at all.

I watched River say goodbye to the man and head inside his apartment. I needed to confront River and ask him why he wasn’t obeying my wishes. He was breaking our contract, and the one thing I hated most in the world were people who lied to me.

I crossed the street. The front door to his apartment lobby was locked. I waited for someone to open the door. Then I checked my phone to see which unit he lived in, and I went up the elevator and knocked on his door.

River opened the door, and he looked surprised to see me.

“Who was that?” I asked, stepping into his apartment.

“Who was who?” River said.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” I said.

I wanted to pull his pants down and spank him for lying to me.

“Seriously...I don’t know what you’re talking about. And why are you here?” he said.

I looked around and saw it was only the two of us in his apartment.

“The man downstairs you just hugged. Who the fuck is that?” I demanded.

“Oh, Peter?”

“Is that the bastard’s name?” I said.

I went up to River and cornered him against the wall, pulling his pants down to see if he had just been spanked by someone else. His ass had red marks on it, but they looked like the ones I had given him yesterday.

“What are you doing?” River said in a panic.

I looked him in the eyes and wondered if I’d jumped to conclusions.

“Who’s Peter?” I asked.

“He’s the guy who usually handles my bookings. I told him today that I’m going to stop taking clients, and we decided to meet for coffee to talk about it.”

It took me a second to calm down and listen to what River was telling me.

Who was this person I was becoming?