Hard Lessons Read online

  As soon as he’d composed himself, Jake took out his mobile phone and scrolled through his contacts. He needed somewhere to stay until he left for Somerset.

  His friend Leila took him in with no questions, though he told her everything anyway. She would be perfect company after an experience like Jake had just had. She was the least sentimental person he knew. He grabbed a taxi and headed to her place.

  She greeted him at he door, inviting him to make himself comfortable.

  “I’m glad it’s over between you two,” said Leila, handing Jake a glass of red wine and joining him on the old but comfy sofa. “I always thought he was a bit of a dickhead.”

  “Cheers,” said Jake, laughing and clinking his glass against Leila’s.

  Leila said cheers back and took a gulp of wine. She’d been dressed to go out clubbing when Jake had turned up, her jet-black hair pinned up in a makeshift beehive and her naturally pale face ablaze with garish makeup. ‘Subtlety’ was not a word in Leila’s vocabulary. But she was a good friend and had cancelled her evening plans as soon as she’d seen how upset Jake was. It would do her good to have a night in, she’d said. Leila was a professional blogger who wrote about London nightlife, so going out was her job.

  “He was always so full of himself and acting like you were lucky to have him, when all your friends could see it was the other way around,” said Leila.

  “He is incredibly good looking,” said Jake, thinking of Matt’s jutting cheek bones and full, sensual mouth.

  “And so are you!” exclaimed Leila, putting down her wine glass and leaping up. She ran into her bedroom and returned with a round make-up mirror.

  “Oh, don’t!” Jake held a hand up in front of his face. “I must look like hell after all that crying.”

  Leila pushed his hand away and held the mirror in front of him.

  “Look at that face!” she said, stroking his long fringe to one side.

  Jake finally looked at himself. His green eyes we red and puffy, but apart from that, he had to admit, he looked pretty good. Matt wasn’t the only one with great cheekbones—Jake’s own bone structure wouldn’t have looked out of place on a catwalk. His wavy blond hair fell to just below the collar of his T-shirt, setting off his strong jawline, and his shoulders were broad, despite his slim physique.

  “I guess I’m a seven out of ten,” he said, looking away from his reflection.

  “Rubbish!” said Leila. “You are at least a nine. Matt was a six.”

  Jake laughed. “Thanks, Leila. You’re just what I need right now.”

  “Good.” Leila flopped back onto the sofa. “Well, this can be your bed tonight and tomorrow until you go and sleep with…I mean, teach this handsome new boss of yours.”

  “Leila! I will not be doing anything inappropriate with Mr. Foley. Even if he turns out to like men, I am not getting involved with anyone for a very long time.”

  “So, you think he may like men then?” asked Leila, raising one drawn-on eyebrow.

  “Not sure. There’s certainly nothing about him to suggest he’s gay, but I did wonder why he took me on after only talking to me for a couple of minutes.”

  “He fancies you,” said Leila, in a tone that said ‘case closed’.

  “Who knows,” said Jake. “But I’m not going to Somerset to find romance. I’m going to escape it.”

  “We’ll see,” said Leila, topping up his glass.

  * * * *

  The same taxi driver collected Jake from the train station that Friday afternoon. He took Jake’s suitcase from him and loaded it into the trunk of the car.

  “Here again then,” he said, as Jake slid into the back seat.

  “Yes, I’m going to be working at the house for a few weeks,” said Jake.

  “Oh right. What work are you doing?”

  Jake thought quickly. He knew that Nathan Foley wouldn’t want the local taxi driver knowing his personal business.

  “Just general admin stuff,” Jake said, taking out his mobile phone and pretending to read through messages. The driver took the hint and remained silent until they pulled up outside the house half an hour later.

  Once again, it was Nathan’s sister Alice who greeted him at the door, although this time she seemed less warm, her welcome more strained.

  “Ah, so you came up a few days early,” she said.

  “Yes, Nathan… I mean, Mr. Foley suggested it,” replied Jake.

  “He was meant to see two other people after you,” said Alice, turning and heading toward the stairs. Jake assumed he was to follow. “I was a little surprised to hear he’d taken you on, to be honest. When you left so quickly, I thought the two of you had clashed over something. But when I went up to see what had happened, he was in a good mood for the first time in weeks and bleating on about what a great find you were. I hope you won’t disappoint him.”

  “I’ll certainly try not to,” Jake replied, heading up the stairs hoisting his suitcase, which was filled with clothes he’d managed to collect from Matt’s flat while his ex was at work. He tried not to let indignation show in his voice. He also felt excited that Nathan considered him ‘a great find’.

  “Here’s your room,” said Alice, stopping by a door on the second floor but making no attempt to open it. “Nathan is out with clients until about seven. We’ll probably have dinner at around eight if you’d like to join us. I think the chef is making something with lamb. You’re not a vegetarian or vegan or anything, are you?”

  “No, lamb is fine,” said Jake.

  “Good. Well, I’ll leave you to settle in. I’ll be in the main living room if you need me, to the right of the front door. But I expect you’ll want to spend some time in your room, unpacking and things.”

  Reading between the lines, Jake thought it would be better to remain in his room until dinner.

  “Thanks,” he said, opening the bedroom door. Alice was already heading back down the stairs by the time he entered the room that would be home for the next two months.

  He loved it immediately. It was in one of the modern wings of the house, with wooden floors and a huge window. A king-size bed had been positioned so that the first thing he would see when he woke in the morning was the spectacular view—hills and woodland stretching to the horizon.

  Jake stood gazing out of the window, feeling tension lift from him, Alice’s frosty welcome forgotten. He felt an overwhelming desire to be naked. He wanted to shed the clothes he’d worn from London, as if he could cast off his old life just that easily.

  He stripped and lay on the bed, still admiring the view. There was something liberating about being naked, with nature looming large just feet away. He stroked his own chest, running his fingers down his flat stomach to his stiffening cock. He’d been too stressed to get aroused recently, but suddenly he felt more relaxed than he had in weeks, and his sex drive appeared to be making a triumphant return. Soon he was rock hard and masturbating.

  The knock at the door took him by surprise, and when the door opened almost immediately, Jake leaped to his feet, searching for something to cover himself with. But Nathan Foley was already in the room, staring straight at him with an expression of alarm. Jake cupped his genitals in both hands, but his cockhead still poked above his laced fingers.

  “Oh,” said Nathan, his deep blue eyes flicking over Jake’s naked body, before focusing on his face. “I’m sorry. I got back early and Alice said you’d just arrived. I didn’t think you’d be…”

  Jake couldn’t think of anything to say. He had never felt so exposed, standing completely naked in front of a man dressed in a business suit and tie. His entire body was on fire. He knew his face must look like a beetroot.

  “I’ll see you in my office in half an hour,” said Nathan, stepping backwards out of the room and pulling the door closed.

  “Oh my God!” Jake flung himself on the bed, covering his face with his hands.

  So much for being professional. He’d been in the house less than twenty minutes and had already exp
osed himself to his new boss.

  Half an hour later, having showered in the en suite bathroom and dressed in a fresh pair of skinny-fit blue jeans and a white T-shirt, he was standing outside Nathan Foley’s office, trying to compose himself. The sooner he saw Nathan again, the sooner the embarrassment would be over and the air would be cleared, he told himself. But he still cringed as he knocked on the door and waited for Nathan to respond in his deep voice.

  Chapter Three

  Nathan was standing by the window on his mobile talking in an authoritative tone about needing a decision by Monday. He glanced at Jake as he entered the office and nodded toward the chair where he had sat at their first meeting. He showed no hint of a smile.

  Jake sat, feeling like a naughty schoolboy summoned to the headmaster’s office. He hadn’t actually done anything wrong. He’d just been jerking off in his own room. That was hardly a sacking offense. He had only been in the house a few minutes, but the sense of relief had been so great that getting naked and pleasuring himself had just seemed almost natural. And while he was very embarrassed at being caught in the act by his new boss, part of him was also turned on at being seen naked by the suit-clad Nathan Foley. And the way Nathan had looked him up and down before making an exit made Jake think his suspicions about why Nathan had given him the job so quickly could be right.

  Nathan finished his call with a sharp ‘goodbye’, and sat on the couch, legs once again splayed open, one arm draped across the back. Jake had a brief fantasy of sitting next to his boss and that muscular arm being wrapped around his shoulders.

  “So, you like your room?” asked Nathan, fixing Jake with an unflinching gaze.

  Those eyes are intense. “Yes, it’s very comfortable, thanks.”

  “You seemed at home,” said Nathan.

  “I was just admiring the view,” said Jake, needing to fill the silence. “I just felt so relaxed.”

  “It was a very pleasant view,” said Nathan nodding, still seeming to look right into Jake’s mind with those stunning eyes.

  “Yes,” said Jake, not sure where to go from here. He wanted to crawl under the chair and hide from Nathan’s penetrating stare.

  Amusement registered in Nathan’s eyes and his mouth turned up at one corner. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have waited for you to say ‘come in’. I will from now on. I want you to feel at home here. So, have you got some lessons planned for Monday? I’m not working until the afternoon. I’m going to keep plenty of time free over the next few weeks so I can make the most of having you here.”

  Jake breathed a sigh of relief that the subject had changed to more comfortable ground.

  “Yes, I’ve got a lesson planned for Monday. And once I know exactly what level you are at, I will plan the whole two months.”

  “Excellent,” said Nathan, “Although leave some room for a bit of spontaneity.”

  Jake smiled.

  “I know big words,” said Nathan. “I just can’t spell them.”

  Since the incident in the bedroom, Nathan had removed his suit jacket, but he still wore the shirt and striped tie. His muscular physique was clearly defined under the white cotton and Jake could make out the outline of his nipples. They looked like tiny bullets, pressing against the shirt fabric. Once again, a fantasy popped into Jake’s head, of him unbuttoning the shirt and teasing each hard nipple with his tongue. He felt his dick stir and quickly thought of something else.

  “Feel free to explore the house and the gardens,” said Nathan. “And Alice said she mentioned about dinner being at eight. We’d bring it forward, but the chef is a bit tetchy. He likes to stick to a schedule.”

  Nathan’s hand dropped into his lap and Jake couldn’t help but follow its progress. Where it rested, Jake could make out an obvious bulge that he hadn’t noticed when Nathan had first sat down.

  “Okay,” said Nathan, standing. The bulge remained, the hand remaining in front of it as if in an attempt to cover what Jake took to be the beginnings of an erection. He felt his own cock stir again and also stood, thinking a hasty exit might be called for before any other embarrassing incidents.

  “See you at eight,” said Nathan, grasping Jake’s hand in his and squeezing it tightly.

  Jake felt a rush of pleasure.

  “It’s great to have you here. I think it will be fun.”

  “And hard work,” Jake said with a fake stern look.

  “Sure,” laughed Nathan, and his eyes blazed—and he did indeed have dimples.

  * * * *

  It took Jake a while to find the dining room that evening. It was in the old part of the house on the ground floor and was surprisingly cozy, compared to some of the other rooms he had wandered through. A long, robust wooden table, which looked like it had been carved straight from one of the oak trees lining the driveway, took up much of the space, and an equally sturdy-looking sideboard was laid with numerous serving bowls and dishes. The room was filled with a delicious meaty smell.

  “Hello there!” greeted Nathan, who was sitting at the head of the table. “Come and sit down. Would you like a glass of wine?”

  “It is Friday night, after all,” chirped Alice, who was sitting just to Nathan’s right. She seemed to have defrosted since that afternoon and offered Jake a wide grin.

  After a moment’s dithering, Jake took the seat directly opposite Alice. When he scanned the table, he saw it was the only empty seat with a place setting and there would be no one else joining them. All this food for three people? he thought.

  “Red okay?” asked Nathan, gesturing to the open bottle of wine on the table between them.

  “Yes, fine,” said Jake.

  “It’s a good one,” said Alice, and her tone suggested Jake should be grateful. Maybe she hadn’t totally thawed after all.

  “So, just help yourself to food whenever you’re ready,” said Nathan. “We like to keep it casual here, no standing on ceremony. We just employ a chef, a gardener and a team of cleaners who come in once a week. This isn’t Brideshead Revisited. You don’t have to worry about a valet walking into your room and catching you naked.”

  “Nathan!” squealed Alice.

  Jake blushed, not missing the reference to their earlier encounter. Nathan slipped Jake a secret wink and took a swig of wine.

  “Well, I’m ready to eat,” Nathan said, standing.

  As Nathan helped himself to dinner, Jake couldn’t help but admire him. He had changed out of his suit into a nicely fitted pair of jeans and a Polo shirt, which showed off every muscle of his broad back and shoulders. The jeans did a great job of displaying his full, manly arse too, which flexed as Nathan made his way along the sideboard.

  “Shall we?” asked Alice, and Jake realized she was watching him intently with her eyebrows slightly raised.

  “Oh, yes,” said Jake, standing. “I’m starving. I didn’t eat on the train.”

  Jake made a mental note to stop lusting after his new boss. He was here to get away from romance, not find it. But it wasn’t easy when the boss was so bloody hot and giving definite signals that he was into him.

  During dinner, which was a delicious lamb shank with creamy mashed potato and asparagus, conversation flowed quite naturally, with Nathan asking Jake questions about his life in London. Alice chipped in every now and then, but seemed more intent on drinking the wine than finding out about Jake. Nathan topped up Jake’s glass several times, and by nine-thirty, Jake was feeling warm and relaxed. As he sank a little lower in his chair, he felt Nathan’s knee rest against his. Nathan was saying something to Alice about a project he was working on, but as he spoke to his sister, he began to raise and lower his knee, deliberately brushing Jake’s leg.

  Jake’s heart began to pound. He was tempted just to go with it, return the pressure and enjoy a moment of secret intimacy with this gorgeous man. But it was too much and way too soon. In some ways, it was a bit insulting. He’d come here to do a job, after all, not be a sexual plaything. With all the willpower he could muster, Jak
e stood. Nathan looked at him, surprised.

  “I’m going to get an early night,” he said. “It’s been a long day. Thanks for the lovely meal.”

  “Sleep well,” said Alice.

  “It’s early,” said Nathan, his gaze resting on Jake’s face, imploring him to stay. “And you don’t have to work tomorrow. I’m free too. I could drive you into the nearest village if you like. We can get some lunch. Talk about how the lessons are going to work.”

  “That sounds great,” said Jake. “But I will head up. See you both tomorrow.”

  “Good night, Jake,” said Nathan, his gaze never faltering.

  Jake turned and hurried from the room before he had the chance to change his mind and enjoy a long, drunken evening with Nathan. He had a good idea where an evening like that would lead and he wasn’t ready for it. Although, as he headed for his room, he thought of Nathan’s stunning eyes and muscular body, the man’s black hair and deep voice, and he wasn’t sure how long he could resist if his boss persevered in his seduction.

  When he woke a few hours later, Jake was sure he could hear screaming. It was a woman’s voice and she seemed to be calling out a name. It must be Alice, crying out in her sleep. It was a tortured, dismal sound, and even when it stopped, Jake could still hear it in his head as he struggled to get back to sleep.

  Chapter Four

  Sunlight was streaming through the huge window when Jake opened his eyes. He could have closed the blinds so that the day wouldn’t have infringed on his sleep, but he was glad he hadn’t. He glanced at his phone, which sat on a small bedside table. It was only seven a.m. He thought about getting dressed and sneaking out of the house alone. He wasn’t sure lunch with Nathan was such a great idea after the knee-rubbing of the previous night, but his new boss had suggested it would be a good chance to talk about how the lessons were going to pan out. Also, if Jake were honest with himself, he liked the idea of spending time with Nathan.