Special Needs (2 page)

Chapter 1

“
Caretaker wanted for young wheelchair user. This is a live-in position with a monthly salary. Availability is the key, though days-off and working hours would be arranged.

For all sorts of assistance, from driving the car for shopping, going out, preparing food, helping with doctors appointments etc.

Necessary:

Reliable

Flexible

Open-minded

Friendly

Have a drivers license

Compassionate nature

A sense of fun

We provide:

A room in a beautiful house by the beach, board, friendly atmosphere, competitive pay. This is a permanent position for the right candidate.

Experience preferred but not necessary as we are looking for the right fit, not a nurse. The client’s disability allows him to take care of the most personal needs on his own.”

Liam looked up at a young man who sat across the corridor from him in an old, wooden chair, which creaked every time he moved. The guy could have been good looking if his skin wasn't peeking through at the top of his head. Liam loved his own hair long, but he made his brother swear he would make him shave it off if balding struck him. He’d rather look like a skinhead than a senior cashier at Taco Bell.

Not that it would help him. Liam’s life was a disaster. Here he was, penniless, homeless and jobless, after three nights in his car, he was desperate for a job. Any job. Being fussy wasn't an option anymore.

“The wait is a killer, right?” the man asked, probably just too bored to sit around without a word. There were at least ten other candidates who have already been interviewed, and Liam was getting increasingly anxious.

“Yeah...” God, he would kill for a cigarette. It’s been over an hour and it wasn't like he called to announce himself beforehand. He hoped his natural charm would do the trick, but his initial confidence was melting at an alarming pace. All the guys who came for the interview had previous experience and at least two of them did nursing school. How could he even compete with that? Maybe it would be best to spare himself the humiliation and waste time somewhere else.

“I think it could be fun to live here though,” the man continued. “Who knows what goes on here, if the place is called ‘The Lust Pit’, right?” He chuckled, moving around in his seat.

Liam shifted in the old chair too. This particular corridor didn’t live up to the name. With peach-colored walls, a gray carpet and a framed print of Van Gogh’s
Sunflowers
hanging over one of the empty chairs, it didn’t fit into an old, Addams Family style house. Like the other candidates, he entered the hotel building through the back door, so this had to be the office section, not accessible to paying guests, but Liam still considered it a waste for a place like this to lose some of its original charm. “More like ‘Boring Pit’,” he grumbled. God, how he needed a cigarette!

“Liam Novitz...ky...” The woman who peeked out of the office door struggled with his name as she read it out of a clipboard. She didn’t look like much like a secretary. More like a retired porn star, dressed in what she thought a secretary would wear, which would be a white shirt that showed some of her bra, tucked into a tight, leather pencil skirt and crazy-high heels.

“That’s me.” He shot to his feet, his trademark grin in place as he strolled towards her without even a glance at the guy, who tried to draw him into the uncomfortable conversation.

“Mr. Richards will see you now.” Her expression was as serious as if Liam was applying to be a lawyer. Up close, he noticed that the frames of her black-rimmed glasses were empty. Wow, maybe he really entered a porn shoot without even noticing.

“Cool.” He adjusted the collar of his fitted shirt, hoping the skull on his chest pocket wouldn’t work as a disadvantage, he didn't get to do his laundry on time. With living in his car and all.

Putting all worries aside, Liam knocked on the door that held an ‘Office’ sign and went in without waiting for a response.

The man, or... boy (he wasn’t really sure yet) behind the desk was not what he expected a disabled person to look like. First of all, he had blue hair. Or was it green? All shades of those colors. Quite long, but not as long as Liam’s, they hardly reached his shoulders. One side of his head was shaved, with only a long streak left by his ear. He looked up at Liam with bright blue eyes, framed by black eyeshadow.

“Hi Liam, I’m Ryan.” He reached out his hand over the desk, but Liam’s focus drifted off for a moment to the fire and smoke tattoos covering the man’s slim arms. ‘Man’s’, because Ryan’s voice was definitely past puberty. Liam's hypothetical employer wore a black tank top with a crying Care Bear, so he was relieved he didn’t try to rent a suit for this interview after all. His grin widened and even his chest felt lighter. For a brief moment, he even forgot about the need to go for a smoke. Ryan’s voice had this sort of boyish, grumbly overtone Liam always considered adorable. He hardly even noticed the guy was indeed in a wheelchair.

“Hi, thanks for having me.” He bowed over the desk to shake the other man’s hand. “Cool shirt by the way.”

“Thanks.” Ryan snorted. “But flattery won’t get you the job. Why don’t you sit down.” He pointed to the armchair in front of the desk, another piece of furniture that creaked with age. He put his elbows on the desk and eyed Liam up with unashamed curiosity. “So I’ve got your resume here.” He pointed to the piece of paper in front of him. “What can you tell me about yourself?”

When Liam focused on the pretty face in front of him again, he noticed at least half a dozen piercings on Ryan’s face. In the lips, nose and there were even little balls in the middle of his cheeks. And a mass of metal rings and studs in his ears.

“Hey, I’ve toned down today.” Liam laughed off the flattery comment and rested his ankle on his knee, trying not to let his thoughts drift. Wheelchair or not, the guy was kinda hot, in the I‘m-cute-but-don’t-tell-anyone kinda way. “I’m from Ohio, came over to California some ten years ago and I’ve been working as a cook since then. Anything else you wanna know?”

“Why did you apply for the job if you’re a cook?” Ryan scratched his temple, looking back into Liam’s resume. When he moved his lip ring with his teeth, Liam couldn't take his eyes off. That was hot.

“Well, I got tired of the pace and all that shit that goes on there. Twelve hours of constant pressure.” Liam was lying. Actually, it was Todd, his last boyfriend, who got tired of
him
. And since Todd was the manager of the hotel Liam worked in till a few days ago, Liam had to go.

“Mm... so is this the first job you would have as a caretaker?” Ryan’s gaze shifted from Liam’s tattooed arms back to his face.

He grinned, fidgeting in the chair. “You have to start somewhere. I can promise you I am hardworking and reliable. All my bosses so far were very happy with my performance.”
More than happy, actually.

“Okay. But are you sure you know what you’re getting into? I’m not looking for loads of experience. But I don’t want the person I employ to quit after two weeks.” Ryan seemed to search his face for answers.

“Oh, totally!” Liam leaned forward, supporting his elbows on the tops of his thighs. “From the looks of it, we have quite a lot in common,” he tried with a smile.

That seemed to work, because Ryan grinned right back at him. “Yeah, I never had a caretaker with tats. You get an extra point for that.” He drew a little star on Liam's resume, next to his name. It was so adorable that Liam actually had to bite his lip not to say it aloud.

“I have many more. You may see them if you hire me,” he said instead. “Will that be another extra point?”

“Not yet. You have to earn them.” Ryan raised his eyebrows, but kept smiling. “So how do you know you’d be good at helping me out with stuff. I watch these TV shows on cooking and chefs seem to be an explosive bunch.”

“I’m not Gordon Ramsay, which is probably why I could never make it to be a head chef.” Liam lied again. Maybe he would if it weren’t for the goddamn kink that kept getting him fired.

Ryan leaned back in his chair. “I’m not gonna lie, you seem like a fun guy to be around and we could get along, but there’s something I gotta tell you up front, yeah? Cause I’ve had some crappy experiences before.”

Liam’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m all ears,” he told Ryan with a hopeful smile.

“I’m gay, yeah. So if that’s a problem, then I really don’t have time for someone like that.” Ryan sighed. “Cause you will have to pick me up sometimes and stuff, so if it would make you feel uncomfortable, then... you know.”

Liam stared at him, his stomach clenching as if someone pushed a fist into his insides and closed it around them. What were the odds of possibly having a gay employer right after he promised himself never to try anything with his boss again?

Ryan started biting on the ring in the middle of his lips. “Uhm... okay... this is awkward,” he muttered after yet another moment of silence.

“Ah, sorry.” Liam covered his face with both hands, trying to get a grip on himself. Maybe he should treat it as a test of his willpower? “It’s just that I keep having gay bosses. What are the odds, right?” he added with a self-assured smirk.

Ryan looked amused as well, and he drew another star by his name. “Okay, so that’s out of the way. You’d have to do stuff like help me dye my hair, or drive me to town and stuff. You sure you’re fine with that?” He slouched a bit and looked into Liam’s eyes.

“Sure. I’m not overly social on an everyday basis.”
Because none of your coworkers want to have anything to do with you after you get into the boss’s pants.
“No girlfriend, no kids. I’m on my own, so no worries.” Liam bit his lips and pointed to Ryan's head with his chin. “How often do you dye them?”

“At least once a month, but don’t worry, it’s not hard. So I understand you’re also totally fine it’s a live-in job?”

“Yes, I love the house! You chose a funny name though for a hotel by the sea.” Liam gave him his best smile, full of hope.
Ha, so long suckers!

“Yeah...” Ryan straightened up in his wheelchair. “That’s another thing you have to be cool about. It’s a fantasy love hotel. My own idea!” He looked like a schoolboy who just got an A on a test.

Liam furrowed his eyebrows. “You mean, like those love hotels in Japan?”

“Yeah, yeah! You know about those?” Ryan’s grin widened. His lips were full and pale, with teeth so tiny they made him look like some kind of elf. “So we have these fantasy rooms and people come over from different states even, to stay and have some kinky fun.”

“Will I get a discount?” Liam was liking this place already.

“Yeah, sure.” Ryan snorted. “I’ll make a coupon for you.” Another star landed by Liam’s name. Things were looking good!

“Then we gotta take a tour sometime.” Liam moved around in his chair, eager to get up and congratulate Ryan on his great taste in caretakers. If this wasn't the perfect working environment for him, he didn't know what was. Save for the fact that he would have a gay boss. Now this wasn’t safe at all, though the wheelchair was somewhat of a borderline. It wasn’t that disabled people couldn’t be attractive (this one clearly was), but the thought of potentially having to break up with someone like that gave him shivers.

“Sure, I’ll show you around...
if
you get the job that is.” Ryan corrected himself, but at this point it was pretty clear to Liam that would be the case.

“What else can I do to make you put another of those stars next to my name?” He wiggled his brows, watching two metal spikes below Ryan’s lips move.

Ryan cleared his throat and cast his eyes down for a brief moment. “You have to show me you’re strong enough to lift me. You sure look like you are, but it’s also for you to check if you’re fine with it. The elevator doesn’t go to the floor where I have my bedroom.” He wheeled out from behind the desk and Liam finally got to see his slim legs in a pair of bleached out skinny jeans, but it was something else that caught his attention. There were some kind of hinged braces over his pants, with metal sides, hard pads on the kneecaps and stirrups under his thick-soled shoes. It would look like medical contraptions if it weren't for the numerous leather straps in electric blue. The color made the whole thing incredibly funky. Like Ryan was training to be an astronaut or something.

Liam had to hide his surprise, as he never saw anyone wearing anything like it, definitely not while in a wheelchair, but he decided it wasn’t any of his business. And while he knew next to nothing about wheelchairs, Ryan’s had hot-rod style flames on the wheel covers. It looked real cool. Liam got up, and walked over to the sleek, black wheelchair, looking down at Ryan. “Just like that?”

“Yeah.” Ryan reached up. “I’ll sort of wrap my arms around your neck, and you can grab my thighs. Then try to help me sit on the desk, maybe.”