Chapter 20 — Jack

Jack and Calvin had been so busy taking care of Darren over the weekend—and busy taking care of each other in much different, much more fun ways—that he almost forgot he had scheduled a meeting with some of the local business owners after-hours at the bookstore on Sunday.

Well, if he was being honest, he did forget until he saw Gage walk in the door with Scottie, the coffee shop owner from down the street.

“Are we too early?” Gage asked, looking around as Jack looked up from the front desk where he was busy making notes for things Calvin could implement at the bookstore. “Oh, wow. He’s got you working the front desk now?”

Jack laughed, doing his best to cover his surprise at seeing them and his sudden mental scramble to remember all of the things he wanted to talk with the other business owners about. “I was just keeping an eye on things while he’s running reports and… well, to be honest, I don’t know what all he’s doing back there, but it sounded important.”

“You sure he’s not hiding somewhere and taking a nap with that cute little cat?” Scottie asked, already walking back toward the office. “Calvin,” he called in a sing-song voice. “You have company.”

“Oh my God,” Calvin said, coming around the corner from the office looking wide-eyed at Jack. “Is that meeting supposed to be tonight? I forgot all about it.”

As he was speaking, Danny Evans from the Twisted Scissors salon and Lane Brooks, the veterinarian came through the front door together.

“Are we in time for the party?” Danny asked, tossing a wink in Jack’s direction as he went to give Calvin a hug. “Next time, you don’t have to pretend it’s about business to invite me over.”

Calvin laughed and Jack snorted as he got his notes together. “This is about business,” Calvin said. “I think there will be too many of us to fit in my little office, but I’ve got some comfy chairs back here in the reading area if everyone wants to find one they like and have a seat? I think Jack has some stuff prepared for us.”

Jack nodded reassuringly even though most of what he had “prepared” was still a jumble of hastily scrawled notes and half-formed plans. But this was just a first meeting, a way for everyone to brainstorm together. If they could come up with just a few solid ideas to move forward with, that was going to be a win in Jack’s book.

“I think we’ve got enough to keep us busy for tonight,” Jack said. “And my hope is that we’ll all be able to walk away from this meeting with new ideas not only for your own businesses, but for how we can all work together to promote each other—and to keep Silver Lake moving in the right direction with the close-knit, inclusive vibe you’ve all been responsible for fostering.”

He looked around at everyone and was happy to see that there were nodding, open, receptive faces looking back at him. And then Calvin, who was beaming and giving him a look that was so hot it was hard to concentrate on anything else.

“I’m all in,” Gage said, easing his giant frame into an antique-looking armchair that was almost comically small for him. Still, his sincerity and eagerness was refreshing. “I think all of us are here with that same mindset you mentioned—that a rising tide will lift all of our boats.”

“That’s right,” Danny said. “I’m here for it. Just tell me how I can help.”

And on it went around the room, with everyone pledging to do their best to help each other’s businesses thrive.

This was exactly the kind of raw enthusiasm Jack had missed working for corporate bigwigs in Boston. Nobody in his office—and none of his clients—had this kind of drive or ambition. They didn’t have a personal stake in whether their initiatives succeeded or failed, beyond how much of a bonus they might receive.

This was different. The people in this room lived for their businesses, and it showed.

And that was how Jack knew they would succeed in the end.

With their drive and his guidance, they would be unstoppable. Jack knew it. He could feel it.

He just wished he didn’t have to go back to Boston, so he could be here to witness it firsthand. But that would be a problem for another day.

Right now, he had five eager business owners ready to listen and work with him. This was the kind of work he lived for, and he wasn’t about to take even a minute of their time worrying about his personal issues.

This night was about Silver Lake, about giving back to the place that had given so much to him already.

And Jack was all in.

###

“Oh my God, Jack,” Calvin said, practically bouncing on his toes as he opened the door. “You were so good tonight.”

Jack pulled him in for a kiss before either of them could say anything else, but couldn’t help following up. “Are you sure? Do you think everyone got something out of the meeting? I tried to make sure each person had something actionable they could take back to their own businesses, something they could do to put their plans in motion immediately.”

He had been buzzed about the meeting ever since it ended, and had only begrudgingly gone back to his parents’ house to take a shower afterward before heading to Calvin’s house.

Now, though, seeing how enthusiastic Calvin still felt only served to amp up Jack’s excitement again.

“Everyone was impressed,” Calvin said, nodding. “I’ve never known all of them to pay such close attention to anyone—especially when they’re all together in the same room. It’s usually wisecracks and gossip, but they were really there to learn and listen and help each other. It was amazing.”

“It was sort of amazing, wasn’t it?” Jack asked. He had felt the same way, that tonight might have actually been the start of something special on Main Street in Silver Lake, but he had been hesitant to say it out loud, for fear that he was letting his own hopes cloud his judgment.

But hearing Calvin say the same thing made Jack’s heart soar. It was just another bit of validation that he was in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

And it was something that mattered, at least within this town. It was a worthwhile cause, and that was something Jack had been missing out on for a long time.

“You were amazing,” Calvin said, nibbling at his lip as he took Jack’s hand to lead him into the living room. “And can I just make a little confession?”

Jack cocked his head to the side and gave a little grin as he and Calvin sat down on the couch together. “You know you can always tell me anything, babe.”

“I thought it was pretty hot.” Calvin’s cheeks flushed a delicious shade of pink as he said the words, and Jack could see the heat flare in his eyes. “I mean, I was doing my best to focus on everything you were saying, and there is so much that I can’t wait to try at the bookstore, but…” his voice trailed off as his eyes roamed over Jack’s body, sending a jolt straight to Jack’s cock. “Seeing you take charge like that, seeing you in your element was so damn sexy, Jack. It honestly took all of my self-control not to kick everyone out so we could get naked right then and there.”

“Damn, babe,” Jack growled, reaching down to adjust his already rock-hard cock. “Hearing you talk like that is making me want to get naked right now.” He reached over to wrap a hand around the back of Calvin’s neck and pulled him in close for a kiss. “Did it really make you horny, though?”

“Really horny, but…” he swallowed hard. “God, not as horny as you’re making me right now, Jack.”

Jack reached for the hem of Calvin’s shirt, but Calvin was already one step ahead of him, standing up and quickly shrugging it over his head before tossing it aside.

“You’re so fucking sexy, Calvin,” Jack said, removing his own shirt before standing up and making quick work of his pants and underwear. Calvin did the same, stripping in record time until they were both standing just a few inches apart, completely naked. “Is this what you wanted earlier, babe?”

Calvin nodded and licked his lips as his eyes slowly roamed up and down Jack’s body. “This is exactly what I wanted.”

Jack reached out for him, but Calvin had already dropped to his knees, his mouth so close to Jack’s cock that it jerked and throbbed with a mind of its own. He looked up at Jack, those sweet, sexy, sparkling eyes full of heat.

“Is this what you wanted?” Calvin asked.

“Fuck yeah, ah—” Jack’s words turned into a long, low moan as Calvin took the head of his cock between those full lips and caressed it with his tongue.

Jack reached down to thread his fingers through Calvin’s hair, gently guiding his head as he slipped inch after inch into Calvin’s hungry mouth, until he could feel the muscles in the back of Calvin’s throat massaging him.

“Jesus, babe,” Jack gasped, loving the way Calvin was sucking him, so hard and long and fucking deep that it took Jack’s breath away. “That… ah… feels so good…”

The sight of Calvin looking up at him, mouth stretched wide around his cock, would have been enough all by itself to make Jack come, but hearing the little whimpers and moans that escaped Calvin’s throat with each bob of his head took Jack to the very edge and made his balls tighten as his climax built inside him like a tidal wave.

Calvin reached down to stroke his own cock, already slick with precum, and Jack wished like hell it could be his hand that was wrapped around that thick shaft, but it wouldn’t matter for long anyway, the way Calvin was sucking him.

“Fuck, Calvin,” Jack panted, thrusting his hips slowly, gently, hoping this was as good for Calvin as it was for him. “You’ve already got me so close, babe. I don’t know how much longer I can hold off.”

Calvin didn’t pause to answer, didn’t even stop sucking for a second. But the look—the fucking heat—in his eyes told Jack everything he needed to know. Calvin was close, too. He was ready.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck,” Jack moaned, closing his eyes for a split-second before opening them again. There was no way he was missing the opportunity to keep his gaze locked onto Calvin as they both reached their climax, and Jack’s was coming hard and fast, surging through him and making every muscle in his body tighten and flex. “I’m gonna come, babe. Are you ready? Are you going to come with me, Calvin?”

Calvin let out a low moan that Jack could feel vibrate through his cock, and that was the only answer Jack needed.

“Come with… me…” Jack gasped, his hips jerking forward as Calvin took his cock down to the base, coming hard and fast as Calvin swallowed it straight down.

At the same time, Jack could see Calvin’s hand flying over his own slick cock, could feel Calvin’s body tense and his throat constrict as the first jets of his orgasm erupted.

“Jesus fuck,” Jack moaned, pulling his own cock back just enough to let Calvin take in a huge gulp of air as he spilled over his fist and onto the floor. “I could watch you come a thousand times and still need to see it again.” He helped Calvin to his feet and pulled him close before sinking down onto the couch with the sexiest man he’d ever met in his arms. “I can’t even describe what you do to me, babe.”

“You don’t have to describe it,” Calvin murmured, flashing a tired smile. “I already know. I feel the same way.”

That was the best part of all this, really. Messing around was fun. Coming together? Amazing. But the connection Jack felt with this man, his best friend since before he could remember?

There was nothing else that compared. And even better?

Knowing that Calvin could feel it, too.