Saying Goodbye

SAYING GOODBYE

Copyright © G.A. Hauser, 201
4

Cover design by
Mark Antonious Richfield

ISBN Trade paperback: 978-
162649-9327-8-6

©
The G.A. Hauser Collection LLC

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events or locales is coincidental.

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WARNING

This book contains material that maybe offensive to some: graphic language, homosexual relations, adult situations. Please store your books carefully where they cannot be accessed by underage readers.

First The G.A. Hauser Collection LLC publication:

March
201
4

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Jack Charles Larsen packed a small overnight bag at his and his husband’s beachfront home in Malibu. “I really do not want to go to this party.”

Adam Lewis stood beside Jack, folding clothing and tucking it into a leather travel bag. “Ne
ither do I, but I feel as if I’
m being an ass if I don’t go see Ewan and Jason.”

“I hate that estate. I hate it.” Jack
’s
thought
s
were with
his closest friend and lover, Mark Antonious Richfield. Mark’s parents had owned the huge
,
sprawling mansion in Paradise
,
California, and Jack had been there several time
s
while he and Mark went to college in Stanford together.
Mark’
s father owned horses and the two of them rode every other weekend.

The visits to the estate
torture
d
Mark
,
from the terrible memories of his childhood, and
because of that, it
ma
d
e everyone
else
miserable.

Adam stood staring at his toiletry bag as if he couldn’t decide what to do next. “All the boys are coming. So at least we’ll have fun.”

“
Fun
? Jeff and Mick can’t. You know how tough it is for cops to get any time off around Christmas?”

“Hey! At least Blake and
the other
guys
did. And
we
invited Colt, Ash, Danny and Donny
, Keith and Carl
…
come on. It’ll be good for us
.”

Jack didn’t think it would be ‘fun’
or good for anyone
.

Adam entered the master bathroom and continued the discussion. “At least Billy won’t be there, with Alex in Rome.”

Jack thought about Mark’s son, Alexander. The young man starred in a nighttime vampire cable television show called
Being Screwed
. Lucky Alex had a rabid fan
,
t
he daughter of
the
famous movie director, George Ford. The indulgent father cast Alex as the lead in his first big feature film, playing a young
,
Italian street singer.
Bedtime Stories
. Of course the man Alex was co-starring with had all the celebrity
draw
power. Randy Dawson.

So, Alex left. Left for Rome. For
h
ow long?

A month? Two?

Adam emerged from the bathroom holding a few items and tuck
ing
them into his bag. “Christ, it’s only two nights. I’m sure Ewan has everything we need.”

Jack sat down on the bed, rubbing his face and hair. “I really do not want to go.”

“You’d better. I’m not dealing with Mark on my own.”

“Steve will be there.”

“Yeah. A lot of good he does.” Adam shook his head and zipped the bag, checking his watch. “The driver is taking
a few
of us to the airport in an hour.
There are two limos meeting at LAX
”

“Whatever.”

Adam gave Jack an exasperated glare and left the bedroom with his bag.

Jack looked at his suitcase and fell back on the bed.
Alexander. In Rome. With Randy-fucking-Dawson
.

It just didn’t seem right.

The last thing Jack wanted to do was party.

~

“I refuse to allow you to
stay behind
.” Mark Antonious Richfield stood near the back sliding door of his home in Bel Air with his cell phone to his ear.

“Mark,” Billy Sharpe, who was not only Mark’s son-in-law
but a police officer
just promoted to the rank of captain in the Los Angeles Police Department
,
replied,
“I don’t want to go.”

“Billy. I insist. What will you do? Hm? I know you. Alexander has been gone two days and I’ve heard nothing from you.” Mark looked up as his husb
and, Steve Miller, put two overnight
bags by the front door of their home.

“I don’t want to go!”

Mark blinked. “No need to shout.” He was surprised at Billy’s forceful tone, but the man had been in the SWAT division and the military. You did not mess with
Captain
William Paul Sharpe!

Steve gave Mark an expression of exasperation. Throwing up his hands
Steve
said, “He doesn’t want to go!”

“Shut up, Steven.” Mark wanted Billy to come. He hated the mansion. How he had allowed Adam to talk him into going there was beyond Mark.
Hollywood t
alent agent Adam Lewis gave Mark the hard sell, ‘
Ewan remodeled it. You won’t even recognize it. He is devastated no one is visiting him after he and Jason bought it
from you for cash!
’

Mark didn’t even know Ewan Gallagher, other
than
he was from some place up in Northern England, had starred in
Murphy’s Hero
, a feature film, and was living with his doctor lover, Jason Philips. That was it.

And the last place Mark ever wanted to step foot
in
again
was the mansion in Paradise
,
where he had been abused by his
late
father and neglected by his British mother!

“Fine. If you don’t go, neither shall I.” Mark crossed his arm over his chest.

“Mark. Go. I’ll be working. Go!”

“Bollocks. You’re a captain now. You can do as you please. Poor Jeff and Mick, they
bloody
can’t. They have to be on duty.”

“Goodbye, Mark Antonious.”

“Don’t you hang up on me, Captain Sharpe!” Mark grew livid.

Steve threw open the front door of the house and stormed out, carrying the bags.

“Maaark!” Billy groaned. “What the fuck will I do up there? Huh? Fucking out in the boonies?
Without Alex
?
All you guys in couples?
I don’t want to go, and I resent the pressure you’re
trying to put
on me. Now leave me the hell alone!”

The line disconnected and Mark blinked in shock. He stared at the phone and felt as if he
had been
slapped in the face.

~

Steve left the bags on the porch, looking for the limousine that was supposed to drive them to LAX.
Truth was? He didn’t want to go either. His hatred of the mansion and its effect on Mark was something he thought was in the past. But now? With Adam’s good friend and client
,
Ewan
,
buying it? For cash in a lousy economy? Everyone felt they owed the guy.

Steve was doing it for Adam. He loved Adam like a husband, and knew Adam was the only one out of the four of them, Jack, Mark, and himself, with good sense and reason. Without Adam around, Steve would not be able to deal with Mark
…
or his son.

Mark’
s son.

Alexander.

Gone from them while filming on location in Rome. Steve didn’t know how Billy was feeling but Steve was going crazy missing him. Missing that gorgeous twenty-
four-year-
old nymph, who was so sexy just the thought of him made Steve need to jerk off.

A big
,
black stretch limousine pulled in front of the house. Steve turned to the open door behind him and yelled, “Mark! The car’s here!” Steve carried their small bags to the curb and the driver immediately rushed to put the
luggage
into the trunk. Steve peered into the car. “Man, are we in trouble.”

Josh Elliot, lifeguard and out of control bad-boy
,
was with his partner
,
Tanner Cameron, but that never stopped the young pretty
-
boy from going a little wild.
Seated b
eside them were two firemen, Blake Hughes and Hunter Rasmussen.
Seated across
from those four were Colt St John, Jack’s
attorney
/
co-worker, and
Colt’
s partner
,
Ashton Lake. Colt had
previously
been a Dom at a
gay
club for years, and his
lov
er, quiet and reserved
Ashton
, was his ultimate sub.

Josh grabbed Steve by the arm and yanked him into the car so hard, Steve nearly fell on his face getting in.

“Where’s Mark?” Josh clamored to the open back
limousine
door.

“Are you kidding me?” Steve managed to sit down and
looked at the men. “We have to get everyone in here?”

Blake said, “Jack and Adam
are taking the other guys in a separate car
.”

Steve heard Josh shout out of the open car door, “Mark Antonious! Get your hot ass in here!”

“
So, who else is stuck going to this thing
?” Steve asked, sitting beside Hunter.

“Danny
and
Pete, Donny and Bruno, and Keith and Carl
.
” Hunter gestured around the stretch limo, “It’s big but it ain’t that big
that we can get all of us in one car
.”

Josh looked back at Steve. “Where’s Mark?”

“He doesn’t want to come.” Steve noticed a bar with decanters. “Too early for booze?”

Colt said, “It’s five o’clock somewhere,” and handed Steve a glass and a bottle.

Josh jumped out of the car.

Tanner slouched in the bench seat. “To be honest? I didn’t want to come either. Sorry, Steve.”

“Don’t be sorry. Adam
is to blame for
this bullshit.
Not me.
” Steve shot down the booze.

“Look,” Blake said, “The estate is fabulous. Come on. An indoor pool and spa, a game room?”

“A private jet…”
Ashton
said softly.

Steve poured another shot. “Yeah. Great.”