《UNBREAKABLE BOND》 Chapter 1 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: Theres no love like the first...The meeting! Chapter 1 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: There''s no love like the first...The meeting! *** ¡®Fucking pull yourself together.¡¯ Shane Lewis screamed at himself silently. He couldn¡¯t believe his This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. hands were actually shaking. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, his palms felt sweaty, he had a queasy feeling in his stomach, and he¡¯d started breathing hard. Was he having a panic attack or something, Shane wondered, getting really scared. He was Shane Lewis for fuck¡¯s fake. The Shane Lewis! Just his name put the fear of God into others. He didn¡¯t get scared¡­he just didn¡¯t. Shane Lewis was the owner of one of the most powerful and sessful business empires in America - SL Group of Companies. And he was only thirty-two years of age. Shane, an engineer by profession, was always described in the media as the man with the Midas¡¯ Touch. He was so smart and lucky that whatever business he ventured into became a sess. When he was just twenty¨Ctwo years old, Shane had been able to convince a bank manager to grant him a loan. With that money, he had sessfully purchased, tore down, and rebuilt his first officeplex. Shane had never looked back since. He¡¯d been a smart young man, who had been determined to make it. He¡¯d probably wanted to make a point¡­even if not to anyone but himself, that he wasn¡¯t worthless or a nobody. And as an African American, that hadn¡¯t been a walk in the park. But with determination and hard work, Shane had achieved his goal and even more. It was therefore not surprising that his name made it to Forbes'' top fifty richest men under thirty-five. Shane was into a lot of businesses, ranging from real estate to oil. ording to Forbes, his worth was six billion dors. Shane¡¯s all-time principle, which guided him at all times, however, was to ensure that whatever business he ventured into, was clean. Every business must be legal. That was something he would neverpromise on. Thanks to his mother, Shane never forgot the saying that ¡®a good name is better than riches¡¯. To him, a good reputation was worth more than all the money in the world. Shane Lewis was a strikingly handsome ck man. With a height of six¡¯ one, a sexily muscr physique, a nice close-cropped haircut, and his smart and confident personality, Shane would have passed for a movie star any day. With that kind of body, it was not a surprise that Shane was very athletic. He yed football, ran track, and boxed. He¡¯d been ate bloomer¡­was bullied a lot too, so when he started shooting up, he¡¯d been so thrilled he¡¯d thrown himself into athletics¡­as a hobby and also as a way to stay fit. Not only did Shane never miss a day at the gym, he actually had an ultramodern gym that had all the hi-tech equipment, in his beautiful mansion. It was therefore not surprising that his hot, yummy, ripped muscles remained as it was. Add that devilishly good looks to his humble and charming personality, and what came out was an exceptionally likable and easy to love young man. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, his passion to achieve greatness in the business world¡­and sess thereof, actually made him the total package. Women, who didn¡¯t even know just how wealthy he was, fell over themselves just to gain his attention. Shane Lewis was super-hot. Shane was somehow borderline shy about his aplishments, yet certain and fiercely focused on his goals. One distinctive thing about Shane that surprised the business world was that he never wanted to be seen. He always made it a point to stay out of the public eye. Very few people even knew what he looked like. When he made his very first business kill, Shane had changed his name from Nics Shane Lewis to just Shane Lewis. Since most people hadn¡¯t known his middle name was Shane, he had seeded in hiding who he was not only from the public but also from those who knew him before. When his mother had asked him curiously why he¡¯d done that, Shane had shrugged and responded in a hoarse voice, ¡°Much as I want to make it in life Ma, the thought of him even knowing I exist, gives me the shivers.¡± ¡°Oh, honey¡­¡± Sylvia Lewis had whispered with pain in her voice. ¡°It¡¯s been years but the very thought of ever seeing him¡­and sometimes just the mere thought of him makes me shake with dread. I be that kid again, Ma. I hate the feeling.¡± Shane had whispered, reaching out to wipe the tear that shuddered on his mother¡¯s eysh. ¡°It¡¯s okay Ma. For as long as I remain¡­hidden, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just it, baby. You don¡¯t have to hide. You did nothing wrong. You were just a kid, honey.¡± Sylvia Lewis said with so much anguish in her voice. ¡°I knew what I was doing, Ma.¡± Shane had whispered. Sylvia shook her head sadly, her heartbreaking for her son. ¡°You need to see someone, hon.¡± She had said softly. ¡°We couldn¡¯t afford it before but you can now. You have to see someone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, Ma.¡± Shane smiled at his mum. ¡°Besides, no shrink can understand exactly how I feel. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°What do you mean, they can¡¯t understand? It¡¯s their job to understand exactly how their patients feel, Nick.¡± Sylvia Lewis had countered, sounding upset. ¡°Calm down, Ma.¡± Shane had said, grabbing both of his mother¡¯s fists in hisrge hands. He hated it when his mum got upset. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me okay? Seeing you happy is all that matters to me in this world. Don¡¯t worry. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sylvia had whispered and let it go. ¡°Now give us a smile¡­¡± Shane chuckled. Though he hated it when his mother got worried, he somehow felt good inside that someone loved and cared about him that much. But hey¡­that was his mum and she did what mothers did best¡­worry about their kids. That conversation between him and his mum had taken ce ten years ago. Shane never thought the day woulde when he would see someone and just want to kneel over and die. He looked around the faces in the conference room and gave a sigh of relief when he noticed that no one seemed to be paying attention to him. He¡¯d decided to personally attend the meeting because the business he was entering into with Damon Thomas-Reid was a very huge and important one. They¡¯d both brought their meeting as his banker and advisor. When Shane saw just who it was, his heart had nearly jumped out of his fucking chest. Chris Donovan! When he¡¯d woken up that morning, thest person Shane Lewis thought he woulde face to face with was Chris Donovan. He¡¯d blinked and looked again¡­And there was no mistaking who it was. He would never forget that face. Shane¡¯s initial instinct had been to leave¡­just turn around and hightail it out of there. But what would the people he was there to meet think of him, Shane wondered. Besides, why the fuck should he run because of Chris Donovan? He said a quick prayer to whoever was listening in the heavens, to give him the strength to finish the meeting without attracting unnecessary attention to himself. He made a conscious effort to concentrate on what was being said but try as he did, Shane couldn¡¯t stop his mind from wandering down a painful memoryne¡­ Chapter 2 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: Theres no love like the first...Shaken! Chapter 2 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: There''s no love like the first...Shaken! *** Damon Thomas-Reid was getting worried. The meeting he was in was a very important one. In fact, so important that, the great billionaire¡­Shane Lewis himself had decided to show up for the meeting. Damon had only seen the man once at a friend¡¯s party. He¡¯d gotten to know who Shane was because his friend had insisted on introducing them. That had been a very long time ago but Shane still looked his very imposing and charismatic self. To say Damon was surprised Shane had decided to show up for the meeting was an understatement. The man always stayed back and allowed his crew of impressive professionals to operate. Damon was however thrilled that Shane was actually attaching so much importance to their business¡­and naturally, Damon expected his crew to do the same. So why the fuck was Chris sitting down quietly like a mummy, Damon wondered furiously. It was so unlike Chris to be quiet in a meeting of such importance. He was the professional banker for fuck¡¯s sake. He needed to give his inputs. Damon felt so lucky that hiswyer seemed to have some knowledge of banking. He would have been fucked. He made a mental note to give the man a raise for saving his arse. In fact, it would serve his absent-minded, rich, banker friend right if Damon insisted he gave thewyer a reward too. After all, the man was doing Chris¡¯ work for him. Damon wished he could get his hands around Chris¡¯ neck that very moment. Damon Thomas-Reid was pissed! What surprised Damon, even more, was Shane Lewis¡¯ silence too. When the guy insisted on attending the meeting, Damon had naturally assumed he wasing to contribute to the discussion. Not just sit quietly like a mute. Shane Lewis¡¯ reputation preceded him. The guy took control of issues whenever he was around and every major yer in the business world knew that. Hey, the man definitely didn¡¯t get to where he was by being mute. Damon couldn¡¯t help but notice the surprised looks Shane¡¯s crew kept throwing their boss¡¯ way. They were obviously as shocked as Damon was. Wait a minute¡­ Damon turned to take a good look at his equally uncharacteristically quiet friend and started getting worried. Chris looked like he¡¯d seen a ghost. And if Shane¡¯s demeanor was anything to go by, he was shaken as well and didn¡¯t have any intention of speaking a word. Hell, he didn¡¯t even look like he could hear a word of what was being said. Did Shane¡¯s silence have anything to do with Chris, Damon wondered. Damon watched the two for a while, waiting for either man to say something¡­anything. But both Chris and Shane looked like they were not even in the conference room. And just like that, Damon knew he had to bring the meeting to a close. After all, the very important issues had already been tackled. Why not put both men out of their misery? ¡°Okay gentlemen,¡± Damon started in a booming voice, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all agree with me if I say this meeting has been very sessful as we¡¯ve handled all the major issues. The secretary will mail the minutes to all of us before our next meeting in four weeks. That¡¯s going to take ce in Shane¡¯s residence by the way, since he wants to show all of us a prototype of what we have in mind. Thank you all foring.¡± There were handshakes all over as everyone got ready to leave the conference room. Damon couldn¡¯t help but notice how Shane greeted only him, murmured something about giving him a callter, and quickly turned to leave the conference room as though the hounds of hell were after him. Chris, on the other hand, remained seated, looking as though he didn¡¯t even know what was going on. Damon closed and locked the door to the conference room behind thest person and turned to look at his friend. ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± Damon bellowed without preamble, wincing when he saw Chris jump in his seat. Damon got even more worried then. What the hell would make an over six feet fearless hunk like Chris be so out of it, he actually jumps at a raised voice? Damon was seeing a totally different side of the poised Chris. Out of all his seven friends, the squad, as they often called themselves¡­namely Dean, Cole, Matt, Chris, Kyle, Michael, and Ty, Chris was the most confident and assertive. To top that, Chris was smart andmanded respect like no other. He was the sole owner of two big investment banks and was a partner in a third one...his partners being his seven friends. Yes, they were all very well-to- do but were not uptight like most young rich guys. In a way, Chris was the backbone of the group because whenever any of the guys had problems, Chris was always thest resort. He was the problem solver amongst the friends. He was also a lot of fun to be around¡­especially when the group of friends came together. But the Chris sitting in the conference room that very moment, was nothing like the Chris Damon knew and was used to. It looked like the problem solver needed his problem solved, Damon sighed as he went around the conference table to sit directly opposite his friend. ¡°Chris?¡± Damon¡¯s voice softened. He waited till Chris looked up into his eyes with his grey eyes filled with so much destion. ¡°Talk to me man. What just happened?¡± Chris cleared his throat as his eyes darted away to look at the seat Shane had been upying. He still couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak. ¡°Do you know Shane?¡± Damon asked and then almost kicked himself. Of course, Chris knew Shane. Who didn¡¯t? Well, in his defense, most people had never seen Shane physically, Damon argued with ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. himself. ¡°I mean personally,¡± Damon added, hating the defeated look in Chris¡¯ eyes. Chapter 3 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: Theres no love like the first...Memory Lane! Chapter 3 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: There''s no love like the first...Memory Lane! *** Chris nodded, his eyes still riveted on Shane¡¯s seat. His heart was pounding so hard, he thought he might probably being down with a heart condition. Chris couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d actually seen Nics Lewis after all these years. He¡¯d never connected that Shane Lewis was the same as Nics Lewis. He¡¯d looked different¡­bigger than thest time he¡¯d seen him, but there was no mistaking that face, those eyes¡­that had been his Nick. He would know that face anywhere. ¡°Chris?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chris¡¯ voice was barely audible. ¡°Yes, I knew him personally.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Damon said, looking at Chris. ¡°How long ago was that?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Fifteen years, four months, six days¡­and some hours,¡± Chris said quietly, making Damon whistle. ¡°You mean you¡¯ve been keeping all this in your head?¡± Damon asked incredulously. Chris gave a short bitterugh, still not turning to look at Damon. ¡°I calcted that during the meeting.¡± ¡°Thanks a bunch, dude. Instead of listening and contributing to what was being discussed, you chose to calcte thest time you saw some billionaire hunk.¡± Damon chuckled. ¡°So tell me¡­what¡¯s up with the two of you?¡± ¡°I knew him when we were both kids, Damon.¡± Chris took a deep breath and plunged on. ¡°My dad took my stepmother and I to his country home for summer vacation. It was the best vacation of my life. Not because the countryside was beautiful, or because I was virtually always left on my own the whole time so could therefore do whatever I wanted. It was because Nick was there.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Shane,¡± Chris said quietly. ¡°He was Nics Lewis then. His mother was our housekeeper. She was¡­ she was the mother I never had, Damon. My dad and stepmom were virtually always out. Only God knew where they usually disappeared to. But I didn¡¯t care because I had Nick. We had a lot of fun together. In fact, so much fun that I never wanted to leave the ce. His father had died some years earlier together with Nick¡¯s¡­Shane¡¯s elder brother in a car crash so all he had was his mother. There was so much love between mother and son it was beautiful to watch. But Auntie Sylvia never once ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. made me feel like my own mother wasn¡¯t around.¡± Chris¡¯ own mother had died moments after giving birth to him. ¡°She showered me with so much love I thought I was in heaven.¡± Chris paused and shook his head sadly. God knew his stepmother didn¡¯t have that time and love for him. ¡°Nick and I...we were like Siamese twins. We went everywhere and did everything together. We even slept in my bed at night.¡± Chris gave a humourlessugh. ¡°We would y dominos till the wee hours of the morning. I taught him to y but he was so smart he started beating me at my own game. I was so impressed with his intelligence and skill, I gave him the dominos as a gift. He cried.¡± Chris grimaced. ¡°He was that grateful for the gift.¡± Chris went quiet for a while but Damon didn¡¯t say anything. He wanted Chris to tell him at his own pace. ¡°I would draw him.¡± Chris¡¯ voice was barely above a whisper. ¡°I loved to draw even then so I drew lots of pictures of him.¡± Damon nodded even though Chris couldn¡¯t see him. He knew Chris¡¯ hobby was drawing. ¡°He would make funny poses for me to draw. I¡¯ve never had as much fun drawing anything as I did drawing him. He was¡­beautiful. As fate would have it, we fell for each other. I fell so hard that the mere thought of going our separate ways after the vacation was unbearable. I wanted to share everything I had with him. You see, I was bigger and richer¡­thanks to my wealthy father, so though I was the same age as him, I thought he was my responsibility. He was so small and so damn handsome.¡± Chris gave his first real smile since he saw Shane at the meeting. ¡°No one knew how we felt about each other. He was my world. Then it happened. One evening, we were in my room watching a movie. ¡®Endless Love.¡¯ I¡¯ll never forget that movie. We¡­we started making out. We had never done anything like that before. Maybe the film got to us but¡­it just happened. Then he started touching me. God, it felt so good. I knew I should stop him but I just couldn¡¯t. Then he¡­he went down on me. I was just a kid, Damon.¡± Chris¡¯ voice broke. He went quiet for a while topose himself before he continued. ¡°I¡¯d never felt anything so exquisite in my life. When I came, he didn¡¯t even get off my cock. He licked me clean. It was¡­¡± Chris shook his head slowly, obviously lost in pleasurable memories. ¡°One moment, I was feeling an overwhelming pleasure and love for him, the next, I was feeling so disgusted. I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d actually allowed a guy to do that to me. It¡¯s not like I had a girlfriend somewhere or had ever gotten intimate with a girl. I just felt that no matter how pleasurable what had happened was, it wasn¡¯t right. I¡¯d heard my dad say enough hate words about homosexuals to know I was probably going to burn in hell for what I¡¯d allowed Nick to do to me. I panicked, Damon. I¡­ Fuck!¡± Chris swore and banged his fist on the table so hard some papers flew onto the floor. ¡°What did you do, Chris?¡± Damon¡¯s voice sounded strained even to his own ears. And when Chris finally turned his eyes onto Damon, there was so much self-loathing in his eyes Damon dreaded what Chris was about to say next. ¡°I beat him to a pulp!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Chapter 4 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: Theres no love like the first...Painful emotions! Chapter 4 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: There''s no love like the first...Painful emotions! *** Shane threw punches at the tall leather punching bag as if he was fighting the devil himself. He threw elbows. Sweat poured down his face and body but Shane didn¡¯t even pause to wipe it off. He was still in his dress pants, having moved directly into his gym immediately he¡¯d gotten home from the meeting at Damon¡¯s office. He actually had to call his office to cancel all his meetings for that day because he couldn¡¯t see himself concentrating much on anything that day. Immediately he¡¯d gotten out of his car, Shane had started taking off his jacket, tie, shirt, undershirt and watch as he headed for the punching bag, moving like a predator whose deadly eyes were fixed on its prey. He¡¯d only taken the time to wrap his hands, opting not to waste his time by fixing gloves. Then the punching bag had received his full wrath and attention. The scary thing was that try as he did, Shane couldn¡¯t stop hitting the bag. There was a myriad of emotions swirling through Shane as he threw the punches. Anger was foremost, then there was sadness, betrayal and for the first time in years, utter wretchedness. Why he felt like that after all these years, Shane had no idea. It actually felt like he was back to that night all those years ago. Shane felt every physical pain he¡¯d felt at the hands of Chris that fateful night. Shane had been a mere slip of a boy and Chris had been rather big for his age. The blows had hurt, but Chris¡¯ words had hurt even more. Chris¡¯ cruel words had hurt way more than the pain inflicted by his heavy punches for some reason. Maybe Shane would have fought back but those hurtful words had taken the fight out of him. He¡¯d simplyid there and taken the blows as though he deserved it. The blood, tears, and snort had kept flowing till Shane couldn¡¯t feel a thing. Looking back, Chris¡¯ words hadn¡¯t been any different from words kids their age then usually used when insulting other kids. Being called filthy, worthless, and scum who didn¡¯t deserve to live was nothing out of the ordinary amongst teens and in Shane¡¯s world. The only difference was that this time, it hade from someone Shane was in love with¡­someone he¡¯d thought was his world. It had hurt so fucking much. Shane hadn¡¯t even known when the blows had stopped. He¡¯d just realized the room was quiet. Then he¡¯d looked up and realized he was in the room alone. There had been no sign of Chris. Shane had managed to drag himself downstairs to his mother. And the look on his mother¡¯s face when she¡¯d seen a bloodied Shane had broken Shane¡¯s heart all over again. All Shane had managed to say was ¡®Chris¡¯. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Somehow Sylvia Lewis had looked like she knew exactly what had gone on. Shane didn¡¯t know how his mother had figured it out but it was obvious she had. With a determined look on his mother¡¯s face, she¡¯d quickly cleaned him up as best as she could, given him some painkillers to swallow, and then packed up their stuff. Surprisingly, the hurt in his mother¡¯s eyes had affected Shane even more than the hurt he felt because his mother had treated Chris like a son. She had looked so hurt and betrayed it had been disheartening. Shane had sat quietly and watched as his mother packed. Then when his mother left the room to go and inform the caretaker, Mr. Watson, of their departure, Shane had sneaked back upstairs with the box of dominos that Chris had given to him as a gift and left it at Chris¡¯ door. Then he¡¯d left with his mother and never looked back. He¡¯d never shed a tear¡­for anything, since that night. But he¡¯d vowed to make something of himself in life, just to prove to himself that he wasn¡¯t worthless. In a way, he had Chris to thank for his strive at sess¡­but also definitely for his fucked up nature. When Shane saw the white substance scattered all over the floor, he was confused as to what it was and where it hade from. Then he saw the slit in the leather on the punching bag and groaned. ¡°Fuck!¡± Shane started for the shower, unwrapping his hand as he went. He hurt, and not just emotionally. He didn¡¯t remember thest time he¡¯d used the punching bag so he wasn¡¯t surprised at the pains he was feeling. His muscles screamed in protest as he slowly removed his pants, the tiniest of movements triggering another round of stabbing pain. When he finally managed to step into the steaming shower, he braced his hands against the front wall, bent his neck, and allowed the hot water run down over his shoulders and back, hoping it would soothe at least part of the ache there. He knew the effects would notst long. As he stood beneath the shower, he suddenly started trembling so much that he sat down and simply allowed the water to pour down on him. God, he hated the way he was feeling. And all because of one person. He had to make sure he never came face to face with Chris ever again. Unfortunately, they had a meeting at his house in four weeks. He couldn¡¯t possibly tell Damon not to bring his adviser and banker to the meeting. Neither could he absent himself as the meeting was taking ce in his home. There was nothing he could do but psych himself up to meet Chris again. ¡°Damn you, Chris Donovan!¡± Shane¡¯s roar rumbled all through his body, sounding almost like an animal in pain. Chapter 5 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: Theres no love like the first...Remorse! Chapter 5 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: There''s no love like the first...Remorse! *** ¡°That¡¯s enough Chris.¡± Damon groused when Chris reached for the bottle of Scotch. ¡°You of all people should know that you can¡¯t solve problems by drinking yourself into a stupor.¡± ¡°What the fuck do you suggest I do? Huh?¡± Chris asked hoarsely. ¡°You know you have to start going for your meetings with another person right?¡± ¡°Hell, no,¡± Damon said sternly. ¡°You¡¯re seeing this through to the end and that¡¯s final.¡± Chris groaned. ¡°Has it urred to you that Shane might not want to do business with you again because of me?¡± Chris spoke slowly but he wasn¡¯t slurring his words. ¡°He doesn¡¯te across as that petty.¡± Damon guffawed. ¡°He¡¯s a businessman. I don¡¯t think some childhood beef would make him throw everything out. He¡¯s too smart to do that.¡± Chris shook his head slowly as he looked at Damon. ¡°It¡¯s not petty, Damon. You have no idea just how serious it was.¡± ¡°You did apologize right?¡± Damon asked with a raised eyebrow. Not that a simple sorry would have wiped the te clean for Shane, Damon thought. But a sorry from Chris would lessen whatever anger Shane had for his friend. ¡°Tell me you did.¡± The incident happened years ago for fucks sake, and as the saying went, time was supposed to heal all wounds. From the look of Shane earlier that day, Damon could tell he sure as hell hadn¡¯t forgotten about what had transpired between him and Chris all those years ago. But if Chris had been smart and sensible enough and apologized, there was surely the possibility that Chris wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°¡®Cause if you did, then I don¡¯t think Shane would be that pissed off at you.¡± Damon had marched Chris out of the conference room to his office when he¡¯d dropped the bombshell about beating Shane Lewis to a pulp. He¡¯d needed a drink and he was sure his friend needed one too. For a very long time, they¡¯d remained quiet as they drank. They had finished a whole bottle of Scotch already, Chris having consumed the greater portion. A second bottle had been opened and it was already half empty. What actually scared Damon was the fact that Chris didn¡¯t even look drunk. The burden on Chris was obviously too heavy to be drowned by Scotch. ¡°I wish I could have seen him and apologized to him, Damon. Not that it would have been adequate after what I did to him but...¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°It would have been a plus.¡± ¡°What do you mean you wished you¡­¡± ¡°They left, Damon,¡± Chris said quietly. ¡°His mother took him away that very night. When I realized what I was doing, saw how badly he was bleeding, saw his tears, the hurt in his eyes¡­my heart broke. I ran.¡± ¡°Damnit, Chris,¡± Damon swore. ¡°I¡­I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d done that to Nick. I grabbed my father¡¯s gun from his study on my way out. Then I ran out of the house, into the woods and I kept running. I¡¯ve never wished so hard that I could turn back the hand of time. I¡­I wanted to die. I was going to kill myself.¡± ¡°Oh God, Chris.¡± Damon breathed. Chris shook his head slowly. ¡°I got very deep into the woods, pointed the gun to my head, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I did it again but still, nothing happened. My dad had taught me how to use the gun for whatever silly, twisted reason so I knew how to use it. Then it urred to me that the gun might not be loaded. I checked and truly, there were no bullets. My father wasn¡¯t so silly after all.¡± Chris gave a humourlessugh. ¡°I cried my eyes out. When I eventually came back to the house¡­and that was well over two hourster, it was to find the box of dominos which I¡¯d given to Shane as a gift, at my bedroom door. I nearly died when I saw it. I rushed back downstairs to their quarters, only to find an empty room. Then Mr. Watson, the caretaker, came to lock their door. I asked him where Shane and his mum had gone and he informed me that Auntie Sylvia had tendered in her resignation and moved out that very evening. God, you should have seen the usation in the old man¡¯s eyes as he looked at me. I felt like I didn¡¯t deserve to live¡­just as I¡¯d told Shane¡­¡± ¡°You told Shane that?¡± Damon sounded incredulous. And at Chris¡¯ nod, Damon swore colourfully. ¡°I never saw him again¡­till today. You have no idea the guilt I¡¯ve lived with all these years. I never went to that house again. I just couldn¡¯t. But I haven¡¯t been able to let go of that house either. It¡¯s like¡­my only connection with Nick.¡± Chris had just left that country house locked since his father passed away two years earlier. ¡°Thest image imprinted on my mind, of Shane¡­is not a pleasant one. I tried countless times to find them once I came of age but I never found them. It was like they disappeared This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. from the face of this earth.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± Damon pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. ¡°Dude, you need to talk to Shane.¡± ¡°What?¡± Chris¡¯ head snapped up at Damon¡¯s words. He looked at Damon as though he¡¯d suddenly sprouted horns. ¡°Yes. You have to let him know how sorry you are. For your own peace of mind and for his too, you¡¯ve got to do something¡­let the guy know you¡¯re not the monster he remembers you to be. Just as your better. You have to go talk to him, Chris. It¡¯s very important.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chris nodded, knowing Damon was right. ¡°He can do whatever he wants to me. I don¡¯t care. He¡¯ll probably kill me but¡­I feel dead already anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± Damon pumped the air with his fist. ¡°Just make sure your will is in order before you go. Oh and do leave that gray leather jacket to me in your will, man? You know how much I love that jacket.¡± ¡°Jackass,¡± Chris muttered making Damon holler withughter. But even as he listened to his friendugh, Chris felt a painful tightening inside his chest. He was going to face Shane and this time, it was going to be just the two of them in a room. Chris had never dreaded anything in his life as he did at the thought of what he had to do. Fuck. Chapter 6: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… A desperate attempt! Chapter 6: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ A desperate attempt! *** Chris parked his sleek Jaguar XJ Premium Luxury SWB beneath the huge ultramodern building of SL Inc. and looked up at the skyscraper. It was huge and sophisticated. Chris gave a deep sigh and got out of his car. He didn¡¯t miss the immediate attention he received from both men and women walking around. He was used to attracting people¡¯s attention wherever he went. Chris was the kind of man who most people thought had swag. Six foot¡¯ three of stunning, perfectly sinewy body, dark brown hair This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. cropped low, a thick jaw to his proud cheekbones, and the most piercing grey eyes with flecks of green. Chris always looked very serious but his hard look was softened by the impossibly longshes that framed his expressive eyes. His spectacr eyes, which were very easy to get lost in was one of his weapons when it came to thedies. Though the smart, outrageously expensive designer suit he wore hinted at all sorts of muscles and a powerfully lean body, it was the air about the man which screamed authority that made Chris look sensational. Beneath his grey suit was a crisp white dress shirt and a dark green tie that perfectly matched those brilliant irises. The nicely folded dark green handkerchief in the breast pocket of his jacketpleted his ssy look perfectly. It was therefore not surprising that a lot of heads turned when he walked into the lobby of SL Inc. It was as though people couldn''t help themselves. For such a big man, Chris moved across the floor, with such an incredibly fluid grace. He was pure sex on legs. As Chris rode the elevator to Shane¡¯s floor, his heart pounded in his chest. This was it. His office had called to book an appointment with Shane under a different name because Chris had a feeling Shane wouldn¡¯t want to meet him if he gave his name. It had been two days since he¡¯d seen Shane in that meeting in Damon¡¯s office but the timeg had done nothing to lessen Chris¡¯ dread. As he was ushered into Shane¡¯s office, Chris realized his hands were shaking so badly, he shoved them inside his pocket. ¡°Mr. Lewis will be with you in a moment, Sir.¡± The pretty secretary informed Chris with a smile as she gestured towards thefortable couch in the huge office. ¡°Please make yourselffortable.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Ma¡¯am,¡± Chris answered in a hoarse voice. ¡°But I¡¯d rather stand.¡± The secretary gave him a brilliant smile and left the office. Chris saw Shane talking on the phone in a corner of his chic office, with his back to where Chris stood and prayed the call would never end. Chris took the opportunity to study the man who he was praying would forgive him. God, Shane looked huge, Chris thought amazed at the difference between the tiny teenaged Nick he remembered, and the strapping Shane he was looking at. Yes, he was slightly taller than Shane but the man¡¯s strength and power could clearly be seen from the way those muscr shoulders rippled beneath his suit. Chris was so engrossed in his perusal of Shane that he didn¡¯t even notice when Shane got off the phone. ¡°Sorry about that, Mr¡­¡± Shane trailed off when his eyesnded on the man who had haunted his dreams for the past two days¡­and even longer before that. He froze and just stared at Chris. It didn¡¯t escape Shane that Chris also seemed to have frozen as he also just stared back at him without saying anything. Shane recovered first. ¡°What do you want?¡± Shane¡¯s voice was quiet, cold. Chris couldn¡¯t speak. He just stood there and stared at Shane, taking in Shane¡¯s tense body and angry face. Despite the elegant ck suit Shane wore, he looked like he was ready to do battle in an arena. Chris wasn¡¯t afraid that Shane would hurt him. He really didn¡¯t care if he did. What terrified him was the rage that the other man still felt towards him. Though Chris wasn¡¯t surprised, he couldn¡¯t help but think that if Shane was that angry after all these years, then Chris had obviously fucked him up not just physically but also emotionally. Shit! ¡°Nick¡­¡± Chris finally breathed. ¡°Get the fuck out of here,¡± Shane said quietly. Too quietly. He was shaking and Chris didn¡¯t miss that telltale reaction. ¡°Now.¡± Shane had a feeling he wouldn¡¯t like what would happen if he didn¡¯t do as Shane had requested. But he needed to try to get Shane to at least listen to what he had to say. ¡°Plea¡­¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Shane all but roared, startling Chris. Without another word, Chris turned on his heels and left. Coming to Shane¡¯s office had obviously been a bad idea, Chris couldn¡¯t help but think. But Shane¡¯s anger made Chris even more determined to get the furious billionaire to hear what he had to say. He would live today and fight another day, Chris thought determinedly. If it was thest thing he ever did, he would tell Shane just how sorry he was and also let Shane know that not even a day went by without him thinking of him. And that was a fact! Chris¡¯ handsome face tightened in pain, and he rubbed the middle of his chest, as he rode down the elevator. It felt as if someone had fisted up his heart and squeezed it dead. By the time he got to his house, his grey eyes looked lifeless, with about as much reflection as old asphalt. He locked himself in a cozy room he called his personal sanctuary. It wasn''t a big room. The deco in there was ssically elegant. The only thing besides the sparse furniture in there was an aquarium and a bar. Chris only went in there when he wanted to be alone to think. And at that particr moment, he needed to do a lot of thinking. Chris did not re-emerge untilte the next morning, sporting bloodshot eyes, a mouth that felt as dry as a desert, and a mental note to restock his virtually empty bar. Chapter 7: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… Despair! Chapter 7: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ Despair! *** ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay, son?¡± Sylvia Lewis asked her son. Shane only called thatte when he was troubled. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ma,¡± Shane said quietly. ¡°I just wanted to hear your voice.¡± ¡°Shane¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I call my mother?¡± Shaneughed softly. ¡°You know you can, hon. It¡¯s just that I know my son.¡± Sylvia sounded worried. ¡°Now you¡¯re making me regret calling you.¡± Shane gave a deep sigh. ¡°The nightmares¡­¡± ¡°Ma.¡± Shane groaned. ¡°You know those can never stop.¡± ¡°Have you considered seeing a doctor like I¡¯ve been suggesting all these years?¡± Shane went quiet for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Sylvia Lewis covered her mouth so that her son wouldn¡¯t hear her gasp. ¡°Thank you,¡± Sylvia said quietly. Shane had never told her he would think about seeing a shrink no matter how much she had nagged. All he always did was brush her suggestion aside. For Shane to actually say he was going to think about it meant something must be terribly wrong, Sylvia Lewis thought tensely. But she didn¡¯t want to push her son. She knew he would tell her what the problem was when he was ready. The mere fact that he was willing to think about seeing a shrink was okay with Sylvia. God knew her son needed help. ¡°Are we still on for the visit next month? I need to see my baby.¡± She said softly. ¡°No force on this earth can stop me froming, Mrs. Lewis,¡± Shane said with a chuckle, making his mother burst intoughter. ¡°You make it sound as though I¡¯m your wife, you crazy boy. I spoke with Adele this morning. That girl is This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. something else.¡± Shaneughed too. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± He felt better already. But then, he always felt better no matter what, when he spoke to his mother. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you on Sunday, Ma.¡± ¡°Okay, hon,¡± Sylvia said softly. ¡°Take good care of yourself okay?¡± ¡°I always do. It¡¯s you I¡¯m worried about.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. Say hi to everyone.¡± ¡°Will do. Bye son.¡± ¡°Bye Ma,¡± Shane responded and hung up. His mother lived in New York where she was busy with her charity work. She helped widows who were in need, to get back on their feet. Shane made sure his mother had enough funds to do whatever made her happy. Sylvia Lewis deserved to be happy after all the hardships they had gone through. She lived in a big house that he¡¯d built for her, with two of her rtives and twodies who took care of the housework. Of course, his mother had maximum security, which she didn¡¯t think was important anyway. But Shane had insisted, telling his mother he would sleep better at night knowing she was safe. Who would even want to harm such a sweet person anyway, Shane smiled. But he didn¡¯t want to take any chances. People could act crazy. His mother, bless her heart, always had people over in the house simply to give them hot meals so the house was always full anyway. It made her happy and that was all that mattered to Shane. Shane left his study for his bedroom with a smile on his face. Talking to his mother always made him smile. He had totally forgotten about his problems till his eyes fell on the framed drawing of himself on his bedside table. He stared at the framed picture. Chris! Shane remembered that drawing as if it had been drawn the very day before. He remembered clearly the look on Chris¡¯ face as he drew that picture of him, years ago. Chris had actually grinned the whole time because of how Shane had posed. The smile on Shane¡¯s own face said it all¡­he had been very happy. If only he had kept his hands to himself, Shane thought dejectedly as he reached out to pick up the frame. After staring at it for a while, he ced it face down on the side table. That drawing had helped Shane over the years. He¡¯d had nightmares every night since that fateful night. In fact, he was used to them as they had be part of his nightly routine. He could remember all those times his mother had had to soothe him throughout the night. He¡¯d had to live off-campus when he went to college because he didn¡¯t want to be aughing stock because of his nightly screams. The advantage of living alone was that no one would witness his shame. His dreams were always different but they always ended in the same way¡­with Chris Donovan trying to kill him. Whenever he came awake and saw that picture of himself, the bad dreams just faded away because somehow, he convinced himself that a monster wouldn¡¯t make him look so happy as he was in that drawing. After he¡¯d convinced himself, whilst looking at that drawing the whole time¡­that Chris was no monster, he would go right back to sleep. His mother¡¯s suggestion that he consult a shrink was gradually looking very attractive because for the past two days since seeing Chris, Shane¡¯s dreams had be even scarier. He¡¯d woken up drenched in sweat and breathing harshly in the past two nights because in his dreams, he couldn¡¯t breathe. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, Chris had to show up in his office that afternoon. What the fuck had the man been thinking, Shane asked himself for the umpteenth time. That he would wee him with open arms like an old friend? He¡¯d fucked up his life for fuck¡¯s sake. He couldn¡¯t even enter into a rtionship for fear of scaring people off with his constant nightmares. How many grown men woke up to their own screams every night? As for sexual preference, Shane had never looked twice at another male since that fateful night. Once bitten twice shy, right? Shane went to take a shower and went to lie in bed. He knew sleep was not going toe anytime soon so he just stared at the ceiling, thinking about the look on Chris¡¯ face when he¡¯d ordered him out of his office that afternoon. He¡¯d never felt so much anger like he had that afternoon. The impudence! Was Chris for real? But then he¡¯d always been daring even when they were kids. And it had been one of the many things Shane had admired about him. Shane groaned, knowing that thest thing he should be doing was thinking about things he admired about Chris. He knew he had to focus on the problem at hand instead. For some reason, no matter how much he¡¯d hated what Chris had done to him, Shane couldn¡¯t bring himself to hate Chris. He had never wished for anything bad to happen to Shane. He just never wanted to ever be anywhere near Chris that was all. Shane hoped Chris wouldn¡¯t make the mistake ofing near him again because he seriously didn¡¯t want his already fucked up brain to get even more fucked up. He would try and endure it if he had to be in the same room with Chris if it was for business, but nothing more. Shane eventually drifted off to sleep only to wake up about twenty minutester, gasping for breath. This time Shane didn¡¯t reach for the framed drawing. He left his bed and went into his study to work. It looked like even after all the years, Chris Donovan had the power to make his life hell. Shit! Chapter 8: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… Bold move! Chapter 8: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ Bold move! *** Chris Donovan had always been a forceful person. He¡¯d had lots of criticisms from people because of this trait. But he¡¯d never wanted to change that about himself. Ever. And for the first time in his life, he was happy he hadn¡¯t. If that forceful nature was going to help him find peace, then he was going to go all out and be forceful. Aftering out of his personal sanctuary two days earlier, Chris had vowed to get Shane to talk to hime hell or high water. And he nned on achieving that through fair or foul means if he had to. He¡¯d hired the services of one of the best private investigators the country had to offer. The man¡¯s task had been simple¡­ Find out Shane Lewis¡¯ daily routine. When did he usually go out of his house? What time did he usually get back home? Chris had already found out where Shane lived. The house was big but had only one security guard at the front gate. Shane¡¯s back gate had no such security. The guy probably thought he didn¡¯t have enemies, Chris thought with a chuckle. Well, with his reputation for doing only genuine business, it was no surprise that the man thought no one would try to harm him. After all, most people didn¡¯t even know he was the Shane Lewis. By Friday evening, Chris had all the information he needed. The best information being that Shane always drove into the house through his back gate because his garage was situated in the back. The electronically operated gate would slide up for Shane to drive in, and then woulde back down immediately the car went through. Chris wasn¡¯t worried about how long the gate was going to take to month stint had not been for nothing, Chris thought grimly. What was the worst thing that could happen? Shane would probably catch him trespassing and hand him over to the police. Big deal! *** Shane groaned as he sped home in his luxury Cadic Escde SUV after a basketball match on Saturday. He had a group he yed basketball with sometimes. He was good at the game¡­very good. But that day, he¡¯d let his side down because his head hadn¡¯t been in the game. Shane had made silly misses that had surprised his boys because that was so not like him. He¡¯d had to apologize to the guys after the game, exining that he had a lot on his mind. It was just for fun anyway so the guys hadn¡¯t given him a hard time about it. But Shane had been pissed off at himself¡­and at Chris Donovan. Since seeing Chris at that meeting on Monday morning, all Shane could do was think about Chris. He couldn¡¯t put a finger on what exactly he thought about¡­he just thought about the guy and that pissed Shane off to no end. Even on the basketball court, thoughts of Chris had intruded because Shane This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. couldn¡¯t help but think of all those fun times years ago when he used to y basketball on the court in Chris¡¯ house. Shane groaned and tightened his hold on the steering wheel in annoyance. Chris was ruining the little fun he usually indulged in and that was not right. Shane was so upset he hadn¡¯t even waited to have a drink with the guys like he usually did. He¡¯d just hit the showers and gotten into his car, lying to the guys that he had an appointment elsewhere. Thanks to Chris-fucking- Donovan, he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to properly hang out with his friend. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, Shane had to be stopped for overspeeding. He hadn¡¯t even realized he was driving above the eptable limit. Fuck! As Shane got back onto the road, with a ticket tucked into his glovepartment, he couldn¡¯t help but curse Chris silently. What bothered Shane was not the ticket but rather the fact that he¡¯d been careless on the road because he¡¯d been preupied. He couldn¡¯t help but ept the fact that he was falling apart and he had no one other than Chris to me for that. Shane was so angry he failed to notice the unfamiliar car parked just around his house. Though he was confident no one would want to harm him, he usually made it a point to note any odd or unfamiliar presence around his home. Shane parked in his garage and rested his head on the steering wheel, trying to calm himself down. Shane raised his head after a while and instantly froze when his eyes went to his driving mirror. Was he hallucinating on top of his woes? He could see an image of Chris behind his car. Shane was positive he was hallucinating because there was no way Chris could have gotten inside his garage without being allowed in? It was all in his mind. Shane blinked and looked again but the image was still there. In fact, it looked real. Shane had had it! There was only one way to know whether he was hallucinating or looking at the real Chris. Shane opened his glovepartment and punched in a code that opened an innerpartment. Then he reached for the pistol in there. The head of his security had insisted on hiding a pistol in each of his cars because Shane had insisted that he neither needed a bodyguard nor a chauffeur. Well, it looked like after all these years, the gun was going toe of use. Shane got out of his car. *** Chris¡¯ heart went out to Shane when he saw the way he leaned his head against the steering wheel when he parked his car beside a white Lamborghini Gardo. It was obvious that something was bothering Shane and Chris hoped, with all his heart, that he wasn¡¯t the reason for whatever Shane was going through. He decided to wait till Shane got out of his car to talk to him¡­give him the chance to He waited with his heart pounding as Shane got out of the car. Then he saw what was pointing straight at his head and froze. A pistol. Chris would be a liar if he said he didn¡¯t get scared when he saw the gun pointed at him. Who wouldn¡¯t get scared if someone who had every reason to hate them pointed a gun at them? But what terrified Chris, even more, was the look on Shane¡¯s face. The look of utter destion on Shane¡¯s face was heart-wrenchingly palpable. It was the look of a broken man. And as he looked at Chris, Shane begun to breathe harshly, his face scrunched up and his eyes welled up. Chris forgot about the gun. ¡°Oh God, Shane.¡± Chris breathed as he felt goosebumps break out on his skin at the look on the other man¡¯s face. Chris started slowly towards Shane, noting how the gun didn¡¯t waver even once but remained pointed right at his head. Then he heard it¡­the sound of the safety catch on the gun being released. The sound was pretty loud in the quiet garage. Chris knew Shane could kill him in an instant but he didn¡¯t really care if Shane took that shot at him. Hell, he¡¯d tried to do it himself once because he deserved it. But he also knew deep down that Shane wouldn¡¯t shoot him. Chris just knew it. As he neared Shane, Chris saw the tears begin to slide down Shane¡¯s cheeks and felt his heartbreak even more. When he got so close to Shane their bodies were almost touching, Chris slowly reached up and took hold of the hand holding the gun. Then Chris gently pried it out of Shane¡¯s hand and pushed the safety back into ce. What happened next, Chris would never forget. Chapter 9: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… Breakdown! Chapter 9: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ Breakdown! *** For a moment, Shane didn¡¯t know where the sound wasing from. It was only when Chris grabbed him tightly and sank to the floor with him in his arms that Shane realized that the shockingly horrible sound wasing from him. Deep and desperate gut-wrenching sobs that were the buildup of years of pain and sadness tore from Shane¡¯s throat. Great heaving sobs, that sounded like they wereing from a wounded animal, shook Shane''s frame. He¡¯d never shed a tear since that night all those years ago. So the feeling was alien to him. It was painful and Shane wished he could stop. God knew he tried to stop but he just couldn¡¯t. After a while of non-stop sobbing, he finally heard Chris¡¯ voice saying how sorry he was, crooning softly to him, rocking him as though he was a little boy¡­ It only made Shane cry even harder. He felt like he was dying. He clung desperately to Chris as though he were his anchor on a sinking ship. After what felt like hours, Shane eventually quieted down. He noticed how soaked Chris¡¯ t-shirt was with his tears and couldn¡¯t believe how weak he¡¯d been. Chris was thest person he should have shown any weakness to, Shane thought miserably. To think that the very first time he¡¯d broken down after years of holding back¡­and it was in front of none other than Chris Donovan, the very person who had caused his misery...the very person he couldn¡¯t afford to show any weakness to. Just his fucking luck, Shane almost groaned. What was Chris going to think of him now? Shane pulled back from Chris¡¯ chest and looked up into his face, for the first time noticing how wet Chris cheeks were with his own tears. Shane pulled himself up and picked up the gun from the floor. ¡°You can show yourself out.¡± Shane croaked and walked off. Chris sat on the floor and watched as Shane walked away. He was saddened even more at the defeated and dejected way Shane walked. The Shane he watched walk away was nothing like the tough and proud businessman the world knew. Shane was a broken man and it was all because of him, Chris groaned. He was going to leave Shane alone¡­just for that day as he¡¯d seen the shame in the other man¡¯s eyes when he looked at him after falling apart in his arms. No need to emascte the man further by hanging around. But Chris swore to himself that he was not going to give up. He nned oning again the next day and every day after that till Shane talked to him. If Shane thought Chris was going to let him be, he had another thinkinging. Chris stood up and let himself out of the garage by simply clicking on ¡®open¡¯ on the consol. This was just the beginning. *** And true to his resolution, Chris was at Shane¡¯s gate the next day which was a Sunday. He sat on the ledge on the side of the back gate and worked on his mini-iPad. This time around, he didn¡¯t attempt to enter the house. He couldn¡¯t have been able to anyway because there was a security guard at post. He knew Shane was aware of his presence because the security guard hade to ask him whether he wanted to see the boss. Chris had shrugged. ¡°Does the boss know I¡¯m here?¡± He¡¯d asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Was the man¡¯s brief answer. ¡°And did the boss send you to ask me that?¡± A sheepish look appeared on the man¡¯s face. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Did he ask you to remove me or send me away?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t worry your head. I¡¯ll just sit here for a while.¡± And he¡¯d sat on the ledge and worked for about four hours before leaving for home. The following day which was a Monday, Chris closed from work early because ording to the private eye, Shane usually got home around four p.m. By half-past three, Chris was on the ledge. He¡¯d taken off his jacket ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. When Shane eventually got to the gate, he drove in without looking at Chris. Chris watched till the gate came back down and went back to his iPad. And that was how it went for two weeks. Shane never once spoke to Chris but Chis knew he watched him from the house. He could feel Shane¡¯s eyes on him. ¡°You sure that¡¯s going to work?¡± Damon asked one day when he passed through Chris¡¯ office. ¡°If I have to do this for a whole year, I will. I don¡¯t want to pressure him by demanding he talks to me. But I¡¯m sure not going to allow him to forget me.¡± ¡°Trust me, dude, I don¡¯t think he ever will. Not after that garage stunt, you pulled. Guy will be looking out for you even if you¡¯re nowhere around. Why do you think he¡¯s now posted a security guard at that back gate? You¡¯re a psycho stalker, know that?¡± Damon chuckled. ¡°He obviously doesn¡¯t want to take any chances.¡± Chris had told Damon about going to Shane¡¯s garage but had omitted the part about both of them breaking down. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any choice but to talk to me at a point,¡± Chris said with conviction. Damon shook his head amused. ¡°Dude should have shot your arse when he had the chance.¡± Chrisughed. ¡°I¡¯ve got to get going, jackass. It¡¯s almost a quarter past three.¡± ¡°Come on Chris, it looks like it¡¯s going to rain. Do you have to?¡± Damon looked surprised. ¡°I want to, Damon. Besides, the forecast talked about showers and not a full-on downpour.¡± Damon shook his head with a look of incredulity on his handsome face. ¡°All the best.¡± Chris chuckled. ¡°Thanks. Regards to Tristan. And hey, don¡¯t tell him about my stalking tendencies.¡± ¡°Sorry. Already did.¡± Damonughed. ¡°Owe on, Damon.¡± Chris groaned. ¡°You know that mischievous husband of yours is never going to allow me to hear the end of this.¡± ¡°Surprisingly, he supports your style,¡± Damon said as he opened the door. A smile brightened Chris¡¯ face. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Damon said dryly. ¡°Come on, the guy blew me in my office¡¯s restroom with his father not more than twenty feet away, just to make a point. He¡¯s nuts so will definitely understand what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± Chris chuckled. ¡°You locked the door though, right?¡± ¡°What do you think? Talk to you tomorrow.¡± And with an amused look at the silly smile on his friend¡¯s face, Damon left Chris¡¯ office. Chapter 10: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… Instinctive rescue! Chapter 10: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ Instinctive rescue! *** Shane stood at his bedroom window and watched Chris. He really didn¡¯t understand the man. For two weeks, Shane would alwayse home to find Chris sitting on the ledge outside his gate. The man must be feeling very guilty for what he¡¯d done to him if he would waste his time sitting outside his house, doing nothing for three straight hours every day. For a banker, that was something. Shane knew Chris was a banker. And from the look of how important Chris was in Damon Thomas-Reid¡¯s operations, Chris was obviously not just an ordinary banker. That didn¡¯t surprise Shane as Chris came from a wealthy home. It didn¡¯t take much to make it in life if a This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. person was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, right? Well, important person or not, Chris¡¯ quest to stalk him was rather odd, Shane thought. But much as Shane felt Chris was stalking him, he appreciated the fact that Chris wasn¡¯t showing up at his workce or inside his home as he¡¯d done the Shane could still not believe how he¡¯d broken down in Chris¡¯ arms. That had been bad. The only good thing that hade out of it was that he¡¯d slept like a baby that night. Shane couldn¡¯t remember ever having such a good night¡¯s sleep. Had it not been for the insistent knocking on his bedroom door by his housekeeper, which had woken Shane up at noon the following day which was a Sunday, Shane would have probably slept till evening. Not only had his elderly housekeeper been worried that he was still sleeping at that time, but ording to her, the security guard wanted to know what Shane wanted done to the respectable-looking man sitting at his gate. Shane had gone to his window and to his shock, seen Chris sitting on the ledge in front of his house. What the fuck was Chris doing, Shane thought incredulously. His initial thought had been to tell the security guard to drive Chris away from where he sat. But on second thought, Shane had told him to let Chris be. He¡¯d noticed that the security guard had still gone outside to talk to Chris but Shane hadn¡¯t asked the guy what was said. And for two weeks, Chris¡¯ silly visits had continued. Shane had be so used to seeing Chris there that when he¡¯d gotten to his gate three days earlier and Chris hadn¡¯t been there, he¡¯d been worried and surprisingly disappointed. He¡¯d stood at his window and looked out till he saw the familiar Jaguar park and Chris get out. Shane had released a sigh of relief and then watched as Chris got on his usual perch. And when Shane felt the smile on his own face, he¡¯d groaned and left the window, angry at himself. Shane hadn¡¯t gone back to watch Chris again that day. Chris was getting to him and Shane didn¡¯t like it one bit. As Shane watched Chris this time, sitting at his usual spot, he couldn¡¯t help but admire the man¡¯s spirit. But hey¡­that was Chris, Shane chuckled as he turned away from the window. Chris had always been a go-getter, had always done exactly what he believed in. Some things obviously never changed, Shaneughed softly to himself. Just as he was about to enter his study, Shane heard the unmistakable sound of rain. His eyes widened in surprise at the sound because he definitely wasn¡¯t expecting any heavy rains. ¡°What the fu¡­¡± Shane rushed to the window and lo and behold, it was pouring outside. The forecast had said there was going to be showers and not a heavy downpour. ¡°Chris¡­ Shit!¡± Shane flew out of his study and out the door without thinking. All he had in mind was getting Chris out of that rain. He opened the gate and dashed out, getting drenched within seconds. When he saw an equally drenched Chris sitting with his face on his knees, probably hiding his face from the onught of the rains, Shane shook his head in disbelief. The guy could have simply rushed to his car instead of waiting to get drenched, Shane thought exasperatedly. Chris heard the gate open and looked up to see an equally drenched Shane gesturing with his head for him toe in. He got off the ledge and followed Shane inside to a very beautifully decorated cozy den. ¡°Go in there,¡± Shane said pointing to a room beside the den. ¡°There are towels in the bathroom and clothes in the closet.¡± Then Shane turned around and left. By the time Chris came back into the den, a changed Shane was standing in front of the firece, staring into the fire. The huge projected screen was on the news channel. ¡°Thanks,¡± Chris said quietly. Shane nodded and gestured to the bar. ¡°Get yourself a drink,¡± Shane said, not taking his eyes off the fire. Chris ced his iPad, which had remained dry in its stic pouch, on one of the side tables. Then he went to the bar and poured a ss each of cognac for himself and for Shane. He went to give the drink to Shane and gave a slight nod when Shane murmured his thanks. Both sat down and drank in silence whilst watching the news. Very soon both sses got empty. This time, Shane went to bring the bottle of cognac to the ss table between them and filled their sses. The rains continued to pour outside. Though each man stared at the screen, they couldn¡¯t hear a word the newscaster was saying as their minds were filled with thoughts about each other. When the bottle got empty, Shane went to bring another bottle but didn¡¯t sit back down because his cell phone started to buzz. He went to stand by the window and spoke quietly to whoever was on the other end. When Shane was done talking, he remained by the window with his back to Chris, lost in thought. There were two people he wanted to strangle that very moment¡­the silly weatherman for giving a wrong report and himself for not exercising restraint. He wanted to punish himself because he should have known better than to go charging to the rescue of Chris Donovan. But then if Shane had known it was going to rain, he would have been prepared for what had happened and wouldn¡¯t have spontaneously dashed out like a fucking good Samaritan. Shane congratted himself on his outward calm because inside, he was totally confused and shaken. Chapter 11: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… Dilemma! Chapter 11: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ Dilemma! *** He was supposed to be furious at Chris but what Shane was feeling at that particr moment, was very far from anger and it worried him immensely. Being that close to his childhood sweetheart was bringing up emotions and feelings that Shane didn¡¯t know he still had. Unfortunately, and against Shane¡¯s will, those feelings seemed to rather increase by the minute. He couldn¡¯t help but watch Chris whenever Chris was looking away from him. Shane had watched the way Chris walked, sipped his drink, tilted his head sometimes, ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair¡­every little movement reminded Shane of the Chris he¡¯d known and loved. What scared Shane most was the sudden stab of desire that shed through him and left him aching when he saw Chris lick his lips at a point. Maybe it was the alcohol or even the rains but the feelings running inside Shane were all jumbled up¡­in a sweet and disturbing way. Shane didn¡¯t n on making a fool of himself twice in a row. First, by breaking down in Chris¡¯ arms, and secondly by possibly throwing himself at Chris. Hell no¡­that wouldn¡¯t do at all. Shane knew what he had to do. He had to ask Chris to leave. After all, the rains had diminished to showers so¡­ Chris didn¡¯t open the new bottle of cognac that Shane had brought to the table. He¡¯d rather chosen to watch Shane as he spoke on the phone. When Shane stuck his hands into his pocket after the call and simply stood quietly by the window, Chris knew the man was miles away. It could be that Shane was thinking about the call he¡¯d just had, Chris thought. But he knew in his gut that the call wasn¡¯t the reason the man was lost in thought. After watching Shane for a while, Chris got to his feet and started to walk to where Shane stood. He really couldn¡¯t stand the silence anymore. Yes, he¡¯d told himself he wasn¡¯t going to pressure Shane into talking to him but this was an opportunity that might not present itself again. When Chris got to Shane, he stood behind him but made sure he wasn¡¯t touching him. ¡°Shane?¡± Chris croaked and winced at his scratchy voice. Shane neither responded nor turned around to face him. Chris cleared his throat and tried again. ¡°Shane, can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did?¡± Chris whispered. Shane had tensed up when he felt Chris¡¯ presence behind him. At Chris¡¯ whispered words a shiver went through Shane, sizzling along his spine so pleasurably his eyes fluttered shut. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to talk. It definitely must be the alcohol, Shane thought desperately. Or was it the presence of ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Chris behind him¡­his whispered words¡­ ¡°Please Shane, talk to me.¡± Chris pleaded softly. ¡°There¡¯s no excuse for what I did I know. But can you please forgive me? I need your forgiveness please.¡± Shane felt Chris¡¯ breath on the back of his ear and almost moaned. ¡®Oh shit.¡¯ Shane groaned silently. His pants were bing painfully constricted¡­scarily tight. He was getting aroused¡­and fast. Shane couldn¡¯t believe what was happening to him. He scolded himself inwardly for hisck of control. The guy hadn¡¯t even touched him for goodness sake. And as far as Shane was concerned, he wasn¡¯t a sexual person. Who would be if their very first sexual experience went the way his had? To be on cloud nine one minute and in severe pain, the next. It definitely hadn¡¯t been only Chris who had enjoyed their first and only encounter. Shane had enjoyed it even more. He would never forget the feel of Chris in his mouth and Chris¡¯ erotic moans. That alone had been enough to send Shane over the edge. He¡¯d creamed his pants just as Chris had started shooting into his mouth. And he¡¯d still been in that post-orgasmic phase when the blows had started. So yes, although he was a very healthy and normal hot-blooded young man, it must be understandable, if he hardly had the urge to do anything sexual with anyone. Shane, therefore, didn¡¯t understand why he would have a raging hard-on from the mere feel of Chris¡¯ presence behind him. Shane couldn¡¯t help but feel it was his ultimate humiliation. When he felt Chris¡¯ hand touch his shoulder, Shane had to bite his lip to hold in his moan. No, no, no, what was happening to him was strange¡­and totally wrong. He opened his eyes and noticed that the rains had stopped. Shane let out a shaky breath. ¡°You have to go, Chris.¡± He breathed shakily, praying that Chris would simply turn around and leave, and spare him any further humiliation because he didn¡¯t know what he was going to do in the next few minutes if Chris didn¡¯t leave. ¡°Please.¡± He added in a whisper. Shane felt Chris move away from him and waited with bated breath till he heard the door shut. Then he turned around and dashed into the bathroom but even before he could finish unzipping his pants, his cock erupted with shots of cum. Moaning uncontrobly, Shane sank down onto the bathroom floor as his body writhed in pleasure. ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Shane groaned. He couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d actually creamed his pants like a fucking teenager. What was Chris doing to him, Shane groaned unhappily. He felt like his life was slipping out of his fingers and there was nothing he could do about it. He had to man up for fuck¡¯s sake, Shane thought fiercely as he pulled off his pants. It felt like Chris had a hold on him and that was fucking up Shane¡¯s mind. Hell, the man didn¡¯t even need to make any effort. There had been nothing sexual in Chris¡¯ actions that evening. He¡¯d been merely asking for forgiveness for fuck¡¯s sake. How the fuck had that tranted into Shane getting aroused? He had to take back control of his emotions. He had to prove to himself that Chris couldn¡¯t rule his will. He had to make sure Chris never affected him in that way again. He had to make sure he was never alone with Chris. ¡°Shit!¡± Shane growled, feeling even more frustrated. Then a thought urred to Shane. The only way he could really be sure that he wasn¡¯t sexually affected by Chris was to be able to sessfully control his hormones whilst in the presence of Chris. Staying away from Chris wouldn¡¯t solve the problem. Shane had felt it¡­felt its intensity, and knew that staying out of Chris¡¯ way was only postponing the problem. Why not work on himself and take control of his emotions? Shane made up his mind there and then¡­ He was going to invite Chris in every day he saw him at his gate. What better way to ensure immunity to Chris¡¯ sexual hold than to be around him? Little did he know... Chapter 12: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… Hope! Chapter 12: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ Hope! *** As Chris drove home from Shane¡¯s house that evening, he couldn¡¯t keep the smile off his face. Not only had Shane invited him into his home, he hadn¡¯t screamed at him or pulled a gun to his head. And not only was Chris grateful for that, he also found it to be very positive. Shane had always been a gentle person so Chris wasn¡¯t surprised at Shane¡¯s calmness. That gentility had been one of the many things Chris had loved about him. His Nick had been such a sweet person, Chris thought with a softugh. But Shane¡¯s handsomeness had defiantly been the highest on Chris¡¯ list of things he¡¯d loved about Shane. If anything, the man looked even more handsome now, Chris thought with a shake of his head. Chris didn¡¯t think there was any harm in admiring a man with a good body. And God knew Shane had a hell of a hot body. And that face¡­damn! He¡¯d always thought Shane was the most beautiful creature and seeing an older and hotter Shane had only made Chris admire the man even more. He couldn¡¯t help but think about how Shane had looked that evening. The man was so sexy it was a sin. Those pants Shane had been wearing had fit his arse so sexily it had been a delight to watch. And that white long-sleeved t-shirt looked totally hot on Shane. Chris had however tried not to dwell much on how sexy and hot the man looked because apart from the fact that his priority was to get the Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. guy to forgive him, he didn¡¯t think it was appropriate for a straight man to go drooling over how hot another man looked. That would be so gay, Chris chuckled. His brief encounter with Shane whilst they were kids was the only male sexual encounter Chris had ever had. He was definitely not attracted to men but he respected the fact that people should be allowed to love whoever they wanted. Two out of his seven friends, Damon and Kyle were in rtionships with men and Chris didn¡¯t have any problem with that. Damon was happily married to Tristan, who Chris adored, and Kyle was engaged to Aaron who Chris loved to bits. But even though Chris didn¡¯t have any problem with men loving men, he didn¡¯t have any intention of getting down and dirty with a guy. He was very much okay with boobs and curves as he¡¯d teasingly told Ken, Kyle¡¯s twin brother some years back. Though his reaction to Shane that evening¡­finding Shane sexy and all¡­had been a bit of a shock to Chris, he assured himself that finding Shane sexy and attractive was not strange as he¡¯d admired Shane since they were kids and had even been in love with him. Well, his main goal was to be around the guy till he forgave him. If that meant Chris would have to see more of that hot body and beautiful face, he had no problem at all. He was very happy with the way things had gone that evening and he nned on continuing his ¡®stalking¡¯ of Shane, till he got what he desired. *** When Shane got to his gate the next day after work, he stopped beside Chris and rolled down his window. ¡°Come on in.¡± He said coolly and drove in. This time, the gate didn¡¯te down till Chris entered. ¡°Go make yourselffortable.¡± Shane gestured towards the den. Chris went to the den, turned on the projector and sat in one of thefortable couches, and watched the news. When Shane came in, he¡¯d changed into white drawstring lounging pants and a wine coloured t-shirt. He looked rxed and breathtakingly good. He had in his hands a brown carrier bag which he handed over to Chris. ¡°Your stuff from yesterday,¡± Shane said quietly, nodding at Chris¡¯ murmured thanks. ¡°Drink?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Scotch?¡± Shane asked. ¡°That will be fine. Thanks.¡± Chris replied and turned back to face the screen. Again they drunk in silence till Chris thought it was time to leave. ¡°Err¡­I have your stuff in my car. I¡¯ll just¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to pick it up,¡± Shane said and got up. Shane silently followed Chris out to his car and took his enveloped clothes from Chris. ¡°Thanks.¡± He mumbled. ¡°Thank you too,¡± Chris said. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± At Shane¡¯s nod, Chris got into his car and drove off. Chris looked at Shane through his driving mirror as he drove away and couldn¡¯t help but notice the forlorn look on Shane¡¯s face as he stared after his car. Fuck, he wished he could go back and give Shane a hug. The man looked so lonely. Didn¡¯t he have any friends or women in his life, Chris wondered. He was surprised some sweetdy hadn¡¯t grabbed Shane already. The guy was wealthy, handsome, and sweet. He was an ideal bachelor so why was he always home alone, Chris wondered. Well, until Shane felt ready enough to talk to him, Chris knew he would never know. It was a contented Chris who entered the gate of his stylishly designed house that evening, but his joyful bubble instantly burst when he saw the car parked in his driveway. ¡°Shit,¡± Chris swore. He really wasn¡¯t in the mood to deal with Tracy at that particr time. He needed time to catch up on his work since spending time two days in a row with Shane meant he had stuff to do. ¡°Hey, baby.¡± Chris heard Tracy¡¯s voice before he saw her face through his bedroom window. ¡°Guess what¡­¡± The beautiful voluptuous redhead had a bottle of wine in her hand as she looked down at Chris. ¡°Booty call?¡± Chris called out dryly. He needed to have a serious talk with his new housekeeper. The fact that she saw him with a particr woman more than once didn¡¯t mean she had to give that woman ess to his bedroom when he wasn¡¯t around. Once, twice, thrice¡­they were all mere hookups. Tracy burst intoughter. ¡°You got that right, hon.¡± And when Chris eventually entered his bedroom, it was to see a deliciously naked Tracy lying expectantly in bed with a gold foil packet between her fingers. All she had on was one of his red ties around her neck and her killer red high-heeled tforms, which matched perfectly with her long red nails and red pouty lips. ¡°Nice.¡± Chris breathed, reaching down to open his fly. ¡°What happened to going off to get hitched?¡± Chris asked dryly. He didn¡¯t miss how Tracy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise when he pulled out his already hard cock and started stroking it. Chris was surprised himself that he was already hard. Tracy¡¯s lust-filled eyes followed the movement of Chris'' fingers as he got onto the bed. ¡°I missed your cock.¡± She breathed as she sat up and reached for his cock, licking her red lips in anticipation. ¡°I got your magnum right here.¡± She purred as one corner of her luscious mouth kicked up in an adoring smile. ¡°I can see that.¡± Chris chuckled as he watched Tracy tear the foil with her teeth. She put the condom to her lip and bent forward to roll it on Chris with her mouth. She had to stop halfway though and push the condom the rest of the way with her hand as Chris was too big to fit inside her mouth. Tracy then reached for the tube of lube on the bed and slicked Chris up. She¡¯d once tried to take Chris without lube and it hadn¡¯t been easy. The guy was thick. Since then, Tracy always made sure something slick was close by whenever Chris was around. Looking up seductively at Chris, she murmured, ¡°Give it to me stud.¡± Chapter 13: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… Getting reacquainted! Chapter 13: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ Getting reacquainted! *** And give it to her, Chris did. Hard! That¡¯s how Tracy always wanted it and Chris didn¡¯t disappoint. He held off till Tracy had two explosive orgasms before releasing into the condom. Chris pulled out and rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. ¡°Wow!¡± Tracy breathed. ¡°What got into you?¡± ¡°More like, I got into you,¡± Chris said, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. ¡°Thought that was how you wanted it.¡± ¡°I do but there was¡­¡± Tracy trailed off, looking for the right word. ¡°What?¡± Chris turned his head to look at the beauty in his bed. ¡°It was like you were already worked up¡­like you were already charged. There was some¡­I don¡¯t know how to describe it.¡± Tracy gave up. ¡°Didn¡¯t you like it?¡± Chris asked with a raised brow. ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯ve nevere so hard and fast like I just did.¡± Tracy got on her knees and hugged Chris from behind. ¡°That was amazing. What got you so primed?¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Chris froze at the face that shed through his mind at Tracy¡¯s question. Fuck! Why the fuck was he seeing Shane¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t possibly have been that charged because of Shane could he, Chris asked himself with a frown. But Chris knew he¡¯d already been half-hard even before hearing Tracy¡¯s voice or seeing her body on disy in his bed. And although Tracy always wanted it hard and fast, it was unlike Chris to just plunge home without forey. It had felt like he just wanted to get his rocks off and nothing more. Chris¡¯ hands shook as he stood up and headed for the en suite bathroom. ¡°Are you okay, hon?¡± Tracy asked, confused at Chris'' demeanor. But she didn¡¯t get any answer. *** On his next stalking visit, Chris and Shane watched ser instead of the news. And Shane¡¯s cook served them some pork chops and golden fried prawns. It was delicious. It went down very well with a bottle of Courvoisier. Surprisingly, both men supported the same team¡­Liverpool, so their emotions were matched. They would scream at a yer or the referee at the same time, whoop for joy at the same time, and finally, celebrated together when the referee¡¯s whistle went for the end of the game just as the other team was about to score a goal. Liverpool won with two goals to nil and the two men celebrated as though they were the best of friends. They had a good time. Chris left Shane¡¯s house soundly. ¡°We have to postpone our meeting for one more week,¡± Shane informed Chris on one of his visits. ¡°I just sent Damon a mail. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll inform you and the others soon.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Chris asked. ¡°The guys creating the prototype encountered a problem,¡± Shane exined. ¡°Hopefully everything will be okay in a week.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Chris replied just as his phone started ringing. ¡°That¡¯s Damon.¡± He said hitting the answer button. ¡°Damon?¡± "The meeting with Shane has been postponed," Damon said. "Okay," Chris responded. ¡°He¡¯s already told you, hasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Chris answered simply. ¡°I thought so,¡± Damon said dryly. ¡°Is he sitting beside you now?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°How awkward,¡± Damon murmured, and then added when Chris didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Cat got your tongue?¡± It was obvious Damon was trying very hard to hold in hisughter. ¡°Fuck you.¡± Chris chuckled. ¡°You?¡± Damon actually managed to sound as though he¡¯d been informed that Hitler was still alive. He sounded unbelievable, scared, and disgusted. ¡°Hell no. I¡¯d rather my husband did that, thank you very much.¡± By the time Damon finished his sentence, Chris wasughing so hard. ¡°Get off the fucking phone if you don¡¯t have anything sensible to say, asshole,¡± Chris growled through hisughter. And when Chris heard not only Damon, but Tristan too burst into uncontrobleughter on the other end of the phone, he hung up, shaking his head in incredulity. He was so going to get Damon for the stunt he¡¯d just pulled, Chris thought amused. But what Chris couldn¡¯t understand was why talking to his friend on phone whilst in the presence of Shane had felt so weird. He''d felt like he''d been caught doing something...intimate, which was rather strange because Shane wasn''t his lover. What surprised Chris even more was the fact that he''d wanted Damon off the phone because somehow he hadn''t wanted Damon to say anything that would offend Shane, though Shane wouldn''t have heard it even if Damon had. It was just a weird feeling and Chris wouldn''t have been able to exin if he''d been asked to. ¡°He knows you¡¯re here.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. Shane could tell how close Chris and Damon were. ¡°Un-huh.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°You two seem very close,¡± Shane said quietly, surprised at the bolt of jealousy that shed through him. Hell, he didn¡¯t even know whether Chris or Damon was gay so why the feeling of jealousy. ¡°We are,¡± Chris said, going on to talk about his seven friends. ¡°We¡¯re all very close. Do you have a lot of friends?¡± Chris turned to look at Shane¡¯s face. ¡°Not really. Just a handful.¡± Shane shrugged. Chris groaned silently when he realized he didn¡¯t hear what Shane had said. Damn, the man was so gorgeous one could lose his train of thought just by looking at him, Chris thought with a sigh. ¡°What did you say?¡± He swallowed hard. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of friends. All I do is work anyway so¡­¡± ¡°You need to make time for some fun you know,¡± Chris murmured, turning to look at the penalty shot being taken by a yer on the screen. ¡°But I do have fun.¡± Shane countered. ¡°Especially when I¡¯m working out, ying basketball, or beating the shit out of someone in a ring.¡± Shane grinned at Chris for a long minute, when Chris turned to look at him with widened eyes. ¡°Just kidding.¡± He murmured, making Chris shake his head in amusement. Shane and Chris started enjoying each other¡¯spany. They both looked forward to the visits. They would chat and watch ser. The cook started serving them dinner every evening. There was just a little bit of awkwardness sometimes between them but they both tried to overlook it. One day when Chris got to his usual parking spot, Shane¡¯s security guy was already there waiting to tell him to take his car inside the house. Though Shane hadn¡¯t told Chris what he wanted to hear, which was that he¡¯d forgiven him, Chris was happy as they werefortable around each other. It was almost like old times. Everything was great till just as had happened all those years ago, things came to a head one night. Chapter 14: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ Theres no love like the first… Spending time! Chapter 14: Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis~ There''s no love like the first¡­ Spending time! *** Chris Donovan was a very worried man. If not for his determination to be around Shane long enough to get him to loosen up and forgive him for what he had done to him, Chris would have stopped his daily visits to Shane¡¯s home. It was very difficult and confusing when a straight man started having the hots for another man. The more he stayed around Shane, the worse the temptation to touch him was growing. There were times Chris had gone so close to mming his mouth on Shane¡¯s sexy lips, he¡¯d had to physically excuse himself from the room in order topose himself. He¡¯d not felt that level of physical attraction in his entire life and that bothered Chris immensely as he wasn¡¯t gay and didn¡¯t have any intention of being with Shane in that way. It waspelling but Chris prided himself on his self-control and therefore hoped he would be able to keep his hands to himself. To prove to himself that he still liked mming his dick into hot juicy pussies, Chris arranged with some of his numerous hookups on different asions, for what he called ¡®emergency booty calls¡¯. But what terrified Chris, even more, was that he always chickened out in the end because suddenly, he couldn¡¯t stand the thought of being intimate with any of thedies. One thing became crystal clear to Chris¡­ He wanted Shane Lewis like he¡¯d never wanted anyone. It was a realization that terrified the life out of Chris! To make matters worse Chris didn¡¯t have a clue how Shane felt. Fuck! Shane, on the other hand, had given up on any hope of sessfully curbing his desire for Chris. As far as he was concerned, those feelings he tried to suppress by allowing Chris into his home every day, had if anything, rather intensified. All Shane had to do was close his eyes and visions of Chris¡¯ captivating eyes and trim body woulde into focus. Chris exuded a powerful sexual maism that made Shane¡¯s insides quiver, made him burn with desire. The thought of nibbling on that lush lower lip of Chris¡¯ always caused his cock to lengthen inside his pants. Shane realized he was horny almost all the time, thanks to Chris. He was not oblivious to the sexual tension between him and Chris. He had felt Chris¡¯ gaze on him on more than one asion. There were times he¡¯d caught Chris watching him with so much lust in his captivating grey eyes, Shane¡¯s breath hitched in his throat. Other times, Chris¡¯ eyes gave nothing away. Shane was however grateful he hadn¡¯t made a fool of himself since he¡¯d started hanging out with Chris. It hadn¡¯t been easy ignoring that strong sexual pull. Sometimes it was so intense Shane thought he would break and do the unthinkable but he¡¯d thankfully been able to control himself. And thanks to his polka face, Chris obviously had no idea just how badly he wanted him. Shane had always been an expert at hiding his feelings and he¡¯d never been more grateful for that. But no matter how hard both men tried to hide and suppress how they felt, they were drawn to each other. Neither Shane nor Chris could deny to themselves their attraction to each other. Though neither man gave voice to how they felt, it was there in everything they did. The way they talked to each other sometimes, and the way they always looked forward to being together were clear indicators. What they didn¡¯t know was that sometimes when desires and emotions got suppressed for too long, they had a way of blowing up in people¡¯s faces. The day it hit Shane and Chris, it hit them hard! It was a Friday. Chris had taken the day off because apart from the fact that he wanted to rest, Shane had told him he was going to work from home. This time around, Chris had gotten to Shane¡¯s early¡­ around ten a.m. with hot pastries from chino, an Italian pastry shop whose pastries were to die for. After a lovely breakfast, both men retired to the patio to rx and talk about work, politics, and general stuff since there was no match on TV. Shane had obviously forgotten that he¡¯d nned to work from home. When it was lunchtime, the cook served them avish meal on the patio which both men really enjoyed. ¡°That was some good food.¡± Chris chuckled as they sat in the den after lunch. ¡°Your cook is great, man. I just might poach her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you even dare try, dude.¡± Shaneughed, taking a sip of his pineapple juice. ¡°She came highly rmended. And she never disappoints.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you,¡± Chris muttered, earning a growl from Shane. ¡°I WILL shoot you if you do that.¡± Shane ced emphasis on the word ¡®will¡¯ making Chris burst into remote control. He kept flipping through the channels till he got to a channel where about five teenaged boys sat looking at two other boys ying a game of dominos. Both Shane and Chris froze. Shane sat with the remote in his hand and his eyes stuck on the scene on the screen. Chris swallowed hard and turned to watch Shane. ¡°Still y?¡± Shane¡¯s voice was barely above a whisper. His eyes remained on the screen. Chris saw how tense Shane was and wished for the millionth time that he could erase the past. ¡°No.¡± He answered in a voice he could hardly tell was his own. Chris cleared his throat. ¡°I haven¡¯t yed in¡­ a while.¡± He finished quietly. Shane nodded and finally turned to look at Chris who was as white as a sheet. ¡°You okay?¡± Shane asked gruffly. Chris swallowed thickly and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He whispered. But Chris wasn¡¯t fine. Dominos? That had been their thing. Anytime he heard that word, saw that game, or anything that looked like dominos, Chris thought of one person¡­Nick! He still had the box of dominos Shane had left at his door the night he¡¯d disappeared with his mother. Chris couldn¡¯t bring himself to get rid of the game though on different asions he¡¯d resolved to do just that. For about two straight years after the incident, Chris had held that box and cried himself to sleep every night.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. That was reason enough for anyone to want to get rid of something¡­right? But he hadn¡¯t been able to do it. Even as an adult, he always mourned as though someone was dead, whenever he saw that box. But still, Chris couldn¡¯t bring himself to part with that box. He¡¯d gone as far as building a safe in his home just for that box of dominos. It was his only link with Nick Lewis. So being reminded of that game and what they had shared, in the presence of none other than Shane himself, was not easy for Chris. He wanted to tell Shane to change the channel but didn¡¯t. After all, it was Shane¡¯s home and Shane¡¯s projector, right? He could watch whatever he felt like watching. Besides, asking Shane to change the channel wouldn¡¯t be too wise as the other man might think he was deliberately trying to cover up his guilt. Chris, therefore, kept his eyes on the boys on the screen, congratting himself on his outward calm because inside, he was a quivering mess. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!