The Rules of Love (22 page)
Even though it was a few dollars more a week for their pad than other places, they were right near the Tenderloin—also known as Broadway and the Times Square area. That way, they saved money on trolleys and the El. Truthfully, they also wanted to be in the thick of it, amidst all the glamour and excitement that was Broadway. Sometimes referred to as Satan’s Circus, there was an energy to the theatre district like none other Jack had ever experienced. There were the blinking lights of Times Square and the various theatres, the brothels, the underground speakeasies and every manner of entertainment that could be had—for a price. Elegant society dames and refined gentlemen mixed with the jazz babies and hucksters. The stars of stage dallied with gangsters running the underground gin joints. Uptown white folk mixed with downtown black entertainers. It was a far cry from the orphanage in Buffalo. Which was why Jack couldn’t imagine Hollywood being even more thrilling. But if Nick went, that was the only place Jack ever wanted to be.
Nick wiped the sweat off his brow for what felt like the hundredth time. It was after midnight, and they’d been working under the hot stage lights for several hours. They had to get everything just right before they could leave, otherwise their boss Pearson would have a fit and use that as yet another excuse not to give them their past due wages. He was down to his last Chesterfield. They weren’t his favourite brand of cigarette, but at five cents for ten sticks, he couldn’t complain. When they got to Hollywood and were making the big bucks, he would only smoke Luckys from then on.
He checked his pocket. Thirty cents left. They were going to be in real trouble if Pearson didn’t come through the next day. He had to wash his and Jack’s shirts, and he’d have to feed the kid tomorrow. He’d only had coffee and a cheese sandwich all day. Nick still felt guilty about getting the hamburger. That had been another fifteen cents they could have saved, but Jack had insisted.
“You have to do all of the heavy stuff at the theatre. You need to eat something good.”
I could always dip into the Hollywood money. There’s close to fifty dollars in there.
Nick winced. It was so tempting when his belly was grumbling and their clothes smelt like an old hobo in Central Park, but they had to stay strong. Once they got to Hollywood they would be okay. Things would be different.
“Hey, Nicky, whaddya think?” Oscar yelled from the front of the stage. “I think it looks great and that we should get the fuck outta here.”
Nick went around the curtains that were pulled open to the side of the stage and hopped off the front into the orchestra pit. He surveyed the backdrop and the other sliding set pieces that had been arranged for Act One. Jack came down the aisle and stopped next to him.
“I think it’s okay. Whaddya say, Nick?”
Nick looked down at Jack’s innocent smiling face. Nick was about a half a foot taller than the blond-haired, blue-eyed kid, and sometimes he felt so protective of him that he thought it would crush his heart. No one should ever be abused the way Jack had been. He was such a sweet guy, and he didn’t even have any family. No one to care for him. No one except Nick.
At times it felt like a burden—like Nick had taken on a responsibility that wasn’t his. But they had always looked out for each other, and it was great not to have to be alone in the city, to have someone he could rely on.
And there was the other thing. At first, Nick had thought it was just sympathy that made him feel so soft about Jack. Like the same way he might feel if a little puppy was lost and left in the cold. He’d want to take it in and feed it and hold it close. But lately he’d been wrestling with the idea that it might be something more than that.
I ain’t no queer. I’m engaged and everything.
He and Penelope had only ever kissed and done a little petting. It hadn’t particularly excited him, so he thought maybe he was just one of those guys who wasn’t that much into sex. Or maybe when he was a little older he’d like it more.
So maybe it’s just that I’m older now and Penelope’s not here, but Jack is. Maybe that’s all it is.
He wasn’t so sure that was it either. Because when he thought about Penelope he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that seemed more like feeling trapped that he had to marry her. But when he thought about Jack, his dick got hard.
I ain’t no queer. That’s all I have to remind myself of.
But it was getting more and more difficult every single day.
About the Author
I love all things book. I have a passion for creating stories—the more fantastic the better—and used to spend hours as a little girl drawing pages of pictures and then putting captions to them. I love reading and writing several different genres, but I recently put my more mainstream paranormal romances aside for naughtier tales.
I also enjoy music from Imogen Heap and Nine Inch Nails to Mozart, and love horror and sci-fi films from cheesy to terrifying. I must also confess that I am a huge LOTR (Lord of the Rings) geek.
I currently reside on the northern coast of Oregon, where the constant rain and fog reminds me of my visits to family in England and Scotland when I was a child.
Email:
[email protected]
Morticia loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
http://www.totallybound.com
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Also by Morticia Knight
Uniform Encounters: Set Ablaze
Uniform Encounters: Arresting Behavior
Uniform Encounters: Lust Emergency
Uniform Encounters: Guarded Desires
Uniform Encounters: Secret Fire
Uniform Encounters: Dangerous Wish
Gin and Jazz: Tarnished Glitter
Sin City Uniform: All Fired Up
Sin City Uniform: Copping an Attitude
The Hamptons Road Club: Hesitant Heart
Clandestine Classics: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Clandestine Classics: The Fall of the House of Usher
All Together Now: The Perfect Third
What’s his Passion? Rockin’ the Alternative
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