Cash
Sunday, late morning, Cash was in his office for a couple minutes while Liam was getting something to drink, and as his boy put it, “something to nibble on.” They’d had quite the emotional day on Saturday, and he thought back on it with a smile. He realized at that moment that he’d never in his life had more fun with someone, never laughed more in a twenty-four-hour period than he had with Liam. After he’d surprised Liam, catapulting them both into the pool, they’d each come up sputtering.
Liam, always one to run cold, had started shivering. They’d gone out to the jacuzzi and had stayed there for an hour, making out like teenagers. Later that afternoon, after much cajoling from Liam, they’d made love in front of the huge fireplace in the library, and again hours later in their bed. There had been no role play and no kink, they’d been Cash and Liam, and though they both admitted later they weren’t ones to enjoy vanilla sex, it had been exactly what was needed at the time to get them back on course.
He’d completely forgotten, with all that had gone on the day before, to email Jake. So, he knew he needed to get him the information before he showed up with the other boys later for dinner. After Cash sent the email to Jake with the blueprints and some more thoughts on what would be needed for the townhome, he picked up the phone and dialed his realtor. “Hey, Jesse, this is Cash, how are you doing?”
Liam walked in with a couple chocolate chip cookies Cash had made him earlier, and a glass of milk. He smiled and held up a finger to let him know he’d only be a minute. “Good, listen, the townhome in North Dorchester? Yeah. Don’t put it up for sale this week.”
Liam walked around his desk, set his treats down, and promptly sat on Cash’s lap, making him chuckle. “Sorry, Jesse, what? Yeah. I’m making use of it after all. You can keep the others on the docket, though, all right? Great. Thanks, man. Talk to you Monday about the listings. Bye.”
He smiled at his boy. “You’ve got some chocolate, just here.” He wiped the chocolate away with his thumb and licked it then followed that up with a lick to the boy’s lips. “Mmm. You always taste so good.”
“I’m glad. I like it when you taste me.” He pouted, prettily. “Do you have to work today?”
Cash shook his head. “No.”
Liam ran his fingers through Cash’s hair. “Then why are you in your office?”
Cash watched Liam for a reaction. “I’m working with Jake to get a townhome I just finished renovating ready for your boys to live in.” Searching his boy’s beautiful face all he could see was confusion.
“What are you talking about? They have a place.”
“It’s not safe and the furniture isn’t comfortable. They shouldn’t be living like that.”
Liam’s brows drew together. He didn’t look angry, but he didn’t look happy either. “We were doing just fine. It’s not a horrible place to live, and we were proud to be able to do it on our own. If you…if you take that away from them, I don’t know how they’ll take it. They aren’t looking for a handout, Cash.”
He kissed Liam’s nose. “I know, baby. But you saw how Jake and Mattie were together. It won’t be long until Jake makes Mattie his boy. It’s possible it won’t work out, but they looked like they were drawn to each other like magnets, and Mattie melted every time he heard Jake’s voice. What if he moves in with Jake and leaves Carter on his own there? Would you feel that he was safe then?”
Liam bit his lip and frowned. “I dunno. I… You’d have to charge them rent.”
Cash frowned back and Liam. “I’m not charging those boys rent. The house is paid for. The only thing needed would be utilities. Jake will probably offer to pay those.”
Liam grasped his face in his small hands and said, “Daddy, you have to let them pay, or they won’t do it.”
“Of course, they will. I’m setting up a moving van to come and move their clothes and personal items later in the week.”
“You’ll make them feel like shit if you don’t. You’ve got to let them have their pride. Won’t you have to pay taxes or something?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Then charge them enough rent to pay the taxes. It can’t be much more than what they’re paying now. That way you break even, and they help defer the costs. If you don’t charge them anything, they’ll be out of that place in less than a week, once they find another cheap apartment.”
“They wouldn’t.”
Liam raised a brow. “They so would. I know them, and they’re a lot like me. Do you think I’d have stood for it?”
Cash sighed. “You boys are too stubborn.”
Liam shrugged and leaned over to grab his cookies. As he leaned over again to grab his milk, Cash snatched one of the cookies and shoved it in his mouth, his cheeks puffing out from its size. Liam gasped. “Daddy!”
Cash chuckled while he chewed and watched as Liam sighed again and handed over the milk. Cash took it and drank a healthy gulp down. Liam muttered, “You said you didn’t want anything. Now I only have one. That’s not fair.”
Cash chuckled again at the boy’s antics. “You pout so prettily, boy. And look at those cheeks turn red when I compliment you.”
Liam huffed and took the last bite of his cookie, washing it down with the remainder of his milk. When Liam was done, he helped him off his lap and stood himself. “Come on, baby. Let’s get dressed and go out to run a few errands. I haven’t used the grill in months, and I think the last time I did, I was out of propane. Mimi is an amazing chef, but she never leaves me burgers to grill, which is probably just as well, but let’s go to the butcher shop and see what we can find.”
Liam hopped up and said, “Don’t worry, old man, I won’t make you chase me again. Your heart can only take so much.”
Cash raised a brow at his boy’s audacity and replied, “You just earned yourself a punishment, boy.”
Liam pouted again, and Cash smacked his bare ass as he walked by then ran down the hall towards the stairs, calling out, “I may be twice your age, but I bet that sweet little ass of yours I’ll still beat you to the bedroom!”
Cash laughed as he heard Liam’s indignant shout, “Daddy! That’s not fair! You got a head start!”
They were on their way home the following Saturday after having moved Liam’s friends to their new place. He smiled when he remembered Carter and Mattie’s wide eyes when they’d taken in their new digs. He’d relented and asked them to pay enough rent to equal the amount he’d owe in taxes for the year.
He’d told them if there was another boy they knew of or met in their small kink community that they wanted to have move into the third bedroom, they could do that and split the rent three ways. Jake had furnished it fully on the off chance they eventually had another roommate.
Jake had also offered to cover utilities, but the boys had steadfastly refused, getting quite indignant at the offer. Cash could tell they were happy with their new home though because he’d seen them look at each other a couple times when they thought no one was looking and mouth or whisper things like, “Oh my god,” “Holy shit,” and, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
He chuckled remembering that and looked over at Liam when his boy squeezed his thigh. “You’re the best man I know, Cash Moreau. I love you.”
He squeezed Liam’s hand in response. “I love you too, baby.” He brought Liam’s hand up to his lips and kissed him, remembering he needed to make sure Liam would be home during the day tomorrow. “What’s your schedule like this week?”
“Working from home. I’ve got a couple meetings on Tuesday and Thursday mornings but I should be home around lunchtime or a little after.”
“Great. I’ve got some people I’d like you to meet on Tuesday afternoon, no rush for you to get home, they’ll be here for a while.”
“Who’s coming?”
He hesitated to tell Liam only because the boy was a bit tetchy about money and never seemed to want to talk about Cash adding Liam to all of his accounts, so he’d made an appointment to just get it done. But he knew he had to tell Liam as they’d said no more hiding feelings or other parts of their lives from each other. “My financial advisors are coming over tomorrow for a number of reasons, one of which is because I want to put you on all of my accounts, rather than just having you use a credit card under your name.”
Liam got so quiet, he gazed over at him again and saw Liam cross his arms over his chest defensively. “Liam, we’ve talked about this.”
Cash glanced back at the street and made his way onto his driveway and pulled into the garage, shutting off the engine, he turned to face Liam who finally answered, “I know, I just… I don’t want you thinking that’s why I’m here.”
Cash chuckled, and when Liam bristled, he reached over and grabbed his hand. “Don’t get upset. I only laughed because I know you’re here because you love me. I don’t doubt that for a second. If you only wanted me for my money you wouldn’t have run away from me.”
When Liam was about to respond, he added, “Twice!”
That finally got Liam, and he chuckled and shook his head. “It makes me feel like I’m using you.”
“You’re not.” Cash raised his hand when Liam was going to interject. “Boy, what does rule number one state?”
Liam sighed. “Daddy knows best.”
“That’s right. And I’m pulling rank. Daddy wants this from his boy. Daddy needs this from his boy.”
Liam frowned. “I don’t understand why.”
“Because I need to know that you’re taken care of. I’ll be adding you to my will and adjusting several other legal documents as well, but that appointment will be later in the week.”
Liam gasped and shook his head. “Can we not talk about—”
“Boy, I could get run over by a bus tomorrow. I know the reality is that I probably won’t, but I have no family, so what would you do in my situation?”
“But, we’re not even married yet.” Liam gasped when he realized what he’d said and slapped his hand over his mouth in horror.
Cash chuckled. “That’s true. We’re not. But that’s eventually where we’re headed, right? That’s where I see us headed, anyway. What about you?”
Liam nodded, quickly, in response. His wide eyed, incredulous expression made Cash laugh again. “Boy, when are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that I see you as mine, forever? There’s no rush for us to get there, so don’t worry, it’s not like I have a ring burning a hole in my pocket. Yet.”
Liam chuckled but looked down, suddenly shy. Cash lifted his chin and said, “So, Tuesday, financial advisors and Friday lawyers. There will be no more discussion on the matter. I know what’s best for you, for us. Is that clear?”
Liam let out a shaky breath and nodded, “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good, now come on, I don’t want to sit in the garage any longer. Let’s go inside and see what Mimi left for us for dinner.”
Liam
Liam walked into the house on Tuesday after his weekly staff meeting, unable to keep himself from being stressed about their meeting with Cash’s financial advisors. He didn’t feel like he needed to be added to Cash’s accounts, but he understood it and wasn’t going to argue with Daddy about it any longer. What Daddy said goes, he knew that. It just made him feel uneasy.
He heard voices from down the hall where Cash had a conference room connected to his office. Cash’s back was to him, but the others around the circular table all looked at him, cluing Cash in to his arrival. Cash turned and held his arm out. “Hey, baby. Come and meet my money makers.”
The men around the table chuckled and glanced at him curiously. Every single one of them looked kind, and their expressions seemed to be genuine when they all stood to greet him with a smile. By the time he finished shaking all four men’s hands, he felt his heart rate return to normal. He sat next to Cash and was handed a pen that he couldn’t help but notice was a Mont Blanc.
He snickered and glanced at Cash, thinking it was his. Cash held is hands up and pointed at the man Liam remembered was named Darren. “It’s not mine, pens don’t rev my engine.”
Darren’s face turned red, and Liam felt bad. “I’m so sorry! That was rude of me, I just assumed...”
The other three men gave Darren shit and pretty soon everyone was laughing, and Darren was saying, “Oh shut up. You guys are a bunch of assholes.”
As Liam laughed with the rest of them, he suddenly realized Cash’s “money makers” were just regular guys, giving each other shit, and the stress left him as he settled in to sign the ridiculous amount of paperwork. When he was done, he thought it was over, until Cash said, “Why don’t we talk about your own personal accounts. I know you spent a hefty chunk of money moving into that apartment and living there for a month, but other than that, I’m assuming you’ve been able to put quite a bit of savings aside. These guys can help you grow that money, if you let them. We just need to move it to a better institution and into the right type of investments.”
Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. “Um.”
Cash’s confusion was apparent when he asked, “Baby?”
He cleared his throat. “Daddy, can I talk to you for a couple minutes?”
He’d been so focused on Cash, he didn’t realize he’d called him Daddy in front of his financial advisors at first. But when Cash said, “Guys, give me and my boy here a couple minutes, all right? Go grab a drink from the kitchen if you want one.”
The guys stood, and Liam couldn’t help but look at them all for signs of condemnation or disgust. When he saw nothing but smiles and nods as they left the room, and then some more ribbing in the hallway about Darren’s expensive pen, he relaxed. Turning to Cash he said, “Sorry. I didn’t realize I’d called you Daddy until afterwards. Uh…they didn’t seem disgusted by it, though.”
Cash shook his head. “They wouldn’t be. First of all, I told you that you can call me Daddy anytime and anywhere. I meant that. Second of all, I’ve known those guys for years, and they know exactly how I made my money. Profits from The Boys Club make their way through Daddy Kink, Inc. There’s no way to keep that a secret, even if I wanted to, which I don’t. On top of that, those profits are providing all four of them with a tidy living. And last, but not least, they’re all a part of the kink community, though only one of them is a Daddy. Rest assured, you’ll see no judgement from them, Liam. Now what’s going on?”
Liam slumped in on himself and sighed. “I don’t have any savings.”
Cash’s surprise was evident when he asked, “What are you talking about? Of course you do. I never see you spend money, and I paid off the fees for breaking the lease on the apartment for you boys, so I know what all the charges were to move in. You’ve been working for months, Liam. What did you buy that I’m not aware of?”
“I haven’t bought anything. I…” He sighed, unable to admit that he’d been keeping so much from Cash.
“Boy, I want an answer. Now.”
“I send it all home to my sister.”
The silence made him nervous. He glanced through his lashes at Cash, and his angry expression made Liam’s chest constrict. This was not good. This was not good at all. Fuck. “Start. Talking.”
The menace in those words sent a chill down Liam’s spine. He knew Daddy would never lay a hand on him in anger, but he was scared to death of disappointing him or worse, losing the trust they’d built between them. If he’d done that by being quiet and keeping his family life from Cash, he’d be heart broken. He rubbed his sweaty hands on his slacks and dove in, knowing there was nothing to do but rip it off like a band aid.
He took a deep, shaky breath and began, “My dad left us when I was fourteen, two weeks after my birthday, actually. My mom, her name is Jane, thought he’d be coming back at any moment. She made excuses for him about finding himself but always said she was sure he would come back. Six months went by and he still hadn’t come back or contacted us in any way. She moved on from denial to pain and guilt at that point. She had stopped making excuses for him and alternated between apologizing constantly for having driven him away from us and sobbing inconsolably in her bedroom.
“After a year had gone by, her anger set in. By that time, she’d been the sole breadwinner for all that time, and it was wearing her down. Her anger manifested in her screaming and yelling at anyone that annoyed her. My sister and I got a tongue lashing at least five times a day. I did my best to protect Ciara, but it didn’t take much to get on mom’s bad side. Finally, she’d pissed off the wrong person, and from what she came home and told us, she’d told her boss to fuck off and to stop picking favorites by choosing his favorite fuck toy of the month. That didn’t go over well, apparently. So—.”
Cash interrupted him by placing a hand on his arm. “Baby, you’re shaking like a leaf and talking so fast I can barely keep up. This is too important to rush. Let me tell the guys to go, and we’ll continue this in the family room.”
“I’m sorry.”
Cash swiveled Liam’s chair so he was facing Cash and their eyes met. Liam sucked in a breath at the kind, understanding look in Daddy’s eyes. “Don’t apologize. We’re going to finish this conversation, and then we’ll figure out how to handle everything together. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good boy. Head to the living room, and I’ll see the guys out.”
Cash stood and helped him up, and he stood on his tippy toes to scratch at Daddy’s beard and kiss him. “Thank you, Daddy. Tell them I said goodbye and it was nice meeting them, and I’ll see them again next time.”
Cash leaned down to kiss him, and when he turned, Daddy patted his ass, comfortingly. “I will. Go on, now.”
Liam’s nerves finally settled at that touch, knowing he wouldn’t lose Cash over his inability to share his past. “Yes, Daddy.”
Liam scurried off to the living room and a couple seconds later heard Cash tell the men they were done for the day and he’d be in touch. Their voices grew distant as they made their way to the front door but he heard Darren say, “I like him, Cash. He suits you. I hope everything’s all right.”
“Thanks, D. Everything’s going to be fine.”
They said a few more words of goodbye, and Cash was back with him seconds later. He scooped Liam up onto his lap, making Liam realize their discussion positions were set in stone. He smiled at Cash and leaned his head on his shoulder and continued, “After that, my mom got another job and lost it, and then another job and lost it. I was fifteen right around the time when our electricity was shut off for the first time, and I realized I was going to have to start working to keep us afloat.”
Cash squeezed him tight and murmured, “Fuck, baby. I’m so sorry.”
He just shook his head and continued, “From anger, she moved on to depression, and for her, depression manifested itself into a drinking problem that turned into full-fledged alcoholism.”
“That’s why you don’t drink.”
Liam nodded. “That’s why I don’t drink. From the time I was fifteen to the time I was eighteen, I had two jobs, making barely enough to keep a roof over our heads. My sister and I applied for help from the state, any help we could get, and got our drunk ass mother to sign the papers. We received food stamps and decreased energy bills. We didn’t have cable and shut down our phones. I got my sister and myself cheap cell phones so we could call each other while I was working, or she could call nine-one-one if something happened to her or to my mom.”
“Jesus, Liam.”
He didn’t want to stop or look up into Cash’s compassionate eyes, so he just kept going. “In high school, I did really well, even with my jobs. We had a local community college that partnered with our high school and provided classes for those that made the cut. I was able to get my high school degree and an Associate’s Degree in computer science at the same time. When I graduated, I had more time on my hands, so I got another job. There was nothing in my field for me in my town, or rather the few positions they had were taken by old dudes, and they didn’t trust a young guy. So I worked shit jobs to get us by. I was able to save a chunk of it and left all of that with my sister, leaving enough for me to basically drive here and be with you.”
“How old is she? You said Ciara, I’m assuming that’s CC?”
“Yes. That’s what I call her. She’s just shy of eighteen and about to graduate. So, I’m sending all of my money home to her to pay their bills and to keep in savings too for when she moves here and goes to Northeastern for nursing in the fall. Maybe she can live with Carter and Mattie this summer, since there’s an extra room. I could pay her portion of the rent. She—”
“Is that what you want?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you want her to live there, or do you want her to live here?”
Liam shook his head. “That’s too much to ask, Cash. We’re still so new. I don’t want to put a strain on our relationship.”
“Liam, if you want her here, I want her here. I’m assuming she’ll be living in the dorms freshman year?”
Liam nodded, a note of pride in his voice when he said, “She’s earned several scholarships, so her loans shouldn’t be too bad, and what those don’t pay for, I’ll be able to cover with my salary. She’s so smart, Daddy. I’m so proud of her.”
“I think she should live with us when she’s not in school. She could use the TLC, I’m sure, and I know you’ve missed her.”
Liam just stared at him in awe. “I don’t deserve you, Cash Moreau. But I don’t care. I’m never letting you go.”
Cash chuckled when Liam wrapped his arms around Cash’s neck and squeezed the daylights out of him. “That’s good, because I don’t have any intention of allowing you to let me go. I’d like you to stop sending money to her from your account and start sending her money from mine.”
Liam pulled away, frustrated. “No, Cash. I’m not going to do that. I will take care of my sister, and I won’t take advantage of you like that.”
“Liam, don’t be difficult about this. I’m happy to help. I won’t even notice the money’s gone.”
He shook his head, adamant about the situation and hoping Cash didn’t get angry when he put his foot down. “No. I’m sending cash home for both my mother and CC. But when CC moves out here, my money will go only to CC for her schooling. I have to cut ties with my mom. If she wanted to go to rehab, I’d find a way to pay for it. You’re being kind enough to take care of me financially. That does not include my family. I want to take care of them.”
Cash narrowed his eyes at him then shrugged. “We’ll talk about it again later.”
Liam sighed and looked into Cash’s eyes. “You’re not mad I didn’t tell you all of this?”
Cash sighed. “I think you had your reasons. I’m not mad, I’m disappointed. I want you to feel like you can share these things with me. If I’m your Daddy, you need to unburden yourself to me. That’s one of my biggest jobs. It worries me that you don’t trust me.”
Liam sucked in a breath, horrified that Cash could think that. “Daddy, no! That’s not it. I trust you. I’m just… It’s just that I’m embarrassed to have to tell you all of this. My family life is a mess, and I didn’t know how to bring it up. I didn’t want you to feel like I was asking you to fix everything. I’m not.”
Cash sighed. “I know you’re not. I honestly wish you would, because then I’d feel like I was helping instead of blind to what’s going on with you.”
“I promise, from now on, no more secrets. I will tell you everything that’s going on.”
Cash kissed his lips, ever so softly. “That’ll have to do for now. I imagine you still have work to do today. Do you want to use the conference room? I’ve ordered a desk for you. When it arrives, I’m happy to give you your own office in the house somewhere, or we can share an office. If we have conference calls, either of us can move to the conference room to take them if you’d like to share an office, but if you need your space, I’m happy to clear out a room for you wherever.”
Liam smiled, “Share, please, Daddy.”
Cash grinned. “I thought you might say that. Up you go, let’s finish our work days, huh?
“Yes, Sir.”