The Gilded Mirror Read online

  “I wish. I agreed to a percentage of the profits on everything I sell on top of my puny salary, plus this place which, despite the lingering scent of incense, is quite a perk. Mr. Lao will still be doing most of the buying while I get to park my butt in the store. He loves traveling around finding great deals and bartering with his pals in the trade. Oh, I also get to look for an assistant. A new me.”

  “And Gage is moving in with you. That’s so sweet.”

  “I dare you to use the word sweet in front of him. It’s practical. He saves a bundle on rent, and I get to jump his bones any time I want. We were as good as living together already, anyway.”

  “More like he gets to keep a closer eye on you.”

  “Exactly,” Gage said, joining them. “Because someone has a habit of getting into strife when I’m not watching him.” He dropped a pile of pizza boxes on the coffee table and the room was soon swarming with all the people who’d been helping out with the move. The noise level and banter grew as the pizza mountain shrank and the beers from the cooler were drunk. Landry laughed at all the jokes Gage’s colleagues made about him, noticing that they were a lot more cautious about teasing Sancha. When he mentioned it, she laughed.

  “They wouldn’t dare. The last time one of them tried to play a trick on me at the precinct, I accidentally stapled his hand.”

  Landry looked to Gage for confirmation. He nodded. “She did. Not sure it was accidental, though.”

  “No comment!” Sancha proclaimed.

  “Your aim is spot on, and you know it!”

  “And on that note, I think it’s time that me and this crowd of reprobates cleared out of here and left you two lovebirds alone.”

  Landry fought back a yawn. “You don’t have to go yet.”

  “It’s been a long, hard day and you’re going to be really busy with setting up this place until the store reopens on Monday. Take the peace and quiet while you can and besides, Gage is needy. You have to keep stroking his…ego.” She snorted with laughter before levering herself off the couch. She gave Gage a kiss on the nose then began ushering everyone out of the apartment.

  “Give me a minute,” Gage said. “I need to make sure they’ve really gone.”

  Landry giggled. He curled into the corner of the couch and nibbled on a leftover slice of pizza. A wave of fatigue washed over him. He’d been so excited about the move, he’d been up since dawn and hadn’t slept much the previous night. Snuggling in bed with Gage sounded like a fine way to end the day, even if the bed was still surrounded by boxes.

  By the time Gage returned, Landry was half-asleep.

  “You have drool coming out of your mouth.” Gage’s graveled tones pulled Landry from his doze. He rubbed at his mouth with the back of his hand. “So this is how it’s going to be. One day living together, and you’re already letting yourself go.”

  “If I had the energy, I’d swat you for that remark,” Landry muttered, yawning.

  “You look like you’re about to go into hibernation.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. Did you know there’s a Twitter account that follows a bunch of bears in Alaska and people get to vote on which of them is the fattest before they hibernate. These guys are chonks, let me tell you. They get to eat whatever the hell they like, pile on the weight then snooze away the cold months and when they wake up, they’re all skinny. Mind you, I’m not that fond of salmon. I don’t think bears eat pizza.”

  Gage gaped. “I worry about you.”

  “I know you do. Makes me all gooey inside thinking about it.”

  “Sometimes I wonder how you survived before you met me.”

  “I managed just fine.” Landry squeaked as Gage scooped him into his arms.

  “That’s not what your brothers tell me.”

  “You are way too close to those Viking wannabes and you shouldn’t believe a word they say about what I did or didn’t get up to as a child. They lie.”

  “They have photographic evidence.”

  “Image editing software is a thing, you know. It’s all fake, whatever they say.” Landry pouted as Gage hauled him into the bedroom. Gage dropped him, and he landed on the bed in a sprawl.

  “Get your clothes off, brat.” Gage’s feral expression sent shivers down Landry’s spine. He scrambled out of his clothes with indecent haste, full of renewed energy. “Sure you’re not too tired for this?” Gage removed his T-shirt far too slowly for Landry.

  “Don’t tease me, Gage! And no, I’m not too tired. Raring to go.” Landry licked his lips at the sight of Gage’s chest. “Your bare skin has magical energy powers.”

  “Hands and knees.” In his rush to get into the position Gage wanted, Landry got too close to the edge of the bed. Gage caught him as he toppled off the side. “Don’t want you bruising your backside before I get to it.” He manhandled Landry back onto the bed.

  “My hero.” Landry batted his lashes. He got onto his hands and knees, wiggling his ass in blatant provocation. His cock, hard and aching, bounced. He was hot, feverish with anticipation and when the smack of leather against skin sounded in his ears, he jumped.

  “Just testing it against my palm.”

  Landry twisted, trying to get a look at what ‘it’ was. The paddle Gage held was rectangular with a tapered end, the handle a snug fit in Gage’s hand. “Oh…”

  “I was going to let you choose but decided you were too tired to think straight. This is double-layered leather, hand stitched and reinforced with a metal plate.”

  “I don’t need the technical specification, Gage.”

  “Sir.”

  “Feeling especially Dommy are you…Sir?” With a happy sigh, Landry rested his head on his folded arms, widened his legs and wiggled his butt a bit more.

  “I should gag you.” The paddle connected with Landry’s backside with a thwack. He moaned. “But then I wouldn’t get to hear the noises you make.” Gage delivered a further four blows before dropping the paddle on the bed. Landry forced himself to take slow, even breaths while heat, edged with pain, blossomed across his skin. He was desperate to come and on the edge of begging Gage to fuck him. When Gage stroked Landry’s sore skin, he whimpered.

  “So pink and pretty. You want me in you, don’t you? You want me to stuff you full.” Landry couldn’t summon enough coherence to respond, and when Gage pushed a cool, lubed finger into his ass, Landry sobbed. “So needy. Sucking me in.”

  Landry worked Gage’s finger with his inner muscles, muttering nonsense words under his breath. Gage added a second finger, then a third in quick succession, stretching Landry’s channel enough that it burned. “Pl…pl…platypus!” Landry refused to beg. Gage enjoyed it far too much.

  “Is that a new safe word?” Gage withdrew his fingers.

  “No!” Landry wailed. “Put them back!”

  Gage flicked Landry’s balls. “What’s the plural of platypus?”

  “I. Don’t. Care.”

  “I should get my phone and check or perhaps we could find the box with the dictionary in.”

  Landry sobbed. “I hate you.”

  “No you don’t.” When the blunt head of Gage’s cock made contact with his pucker, Landry sucked in his breath. “Relax.” Gage moved at a leisurely pace.

  “I’ve seen pregnant hippos move faster than you.” Landry yelped as Gage reached around his body to pinch a nipple.

  “That spanking wasn’t punishment enough, was it?” Gage pushed home, then stilled. “I need to think of better disincentives.”

  “That’s a hellishly big word considering what you’re supposed to be doing,” Landry muttered, trying in vain to push back onto Gage’s cock.

  “Quiet, brat, or tomorrow you’ll be unpacking with a vibrating plug stuck up your rear.” Gage took hold of Landry’s hips and pounded his ass with unbridled enthusiasm. All Landry could do was brace himself and take it, and that suited him just fine. Now Gage was doing exactly what Landry wanted him to, Landry could relax and enjoy the rush of pleasure, the surge of orgasm, as
it flooded through him. When Gage came, he dug his fingers into Landry’s hips, yanking him back so that he was as deeply impaled as it was possible to be. He could have come untouched, but it was Gage’s firm grip on his cock that tipped him over the edge. Landry cried out, spilling into Gage’s hand in a series of uncoordinated jerks before collapsing face down on the bed. For a while, Gage let his weight rest along the length of Landry’s body. Landry loved being held down, loved being rendered helpless by a bigger, stronger man. Gage knew it and took full advantage, sinking his teeth into Landry’s shoulder.

  “Wanna mark me, huh?” Gage didn’t bother confirming or denying. He sucked at Landry’s skin. “What do you call a hickey surrounded by teeth marks?” Landry wondered.

  “I call it mine.”

  Landry gave a happy sigh. “No one will see it under my shirt.”

  “I’ll know it’s there and that’s all that matters. Tomorrow, your ass will ache, your shoulder will ache and every twinge will make you think of me.”

  “I have other things in my head apart from you, you know.”

  “In that case…” Gage rolled to one side then flipped Landry onto his back. He hooked Landry’s legs over his arms, bending him back. “I’d better fuck you again because those other things need to take second place to me.”

  “You talk a good game, Sir, but there’s no way you’re hard again yet.”

  “I don’t recall saying what I was going to fuck you with, and by the way, you doubting my powers of recuperation focuses my mind even more on how best to punish you.”

  “I should be quiet now.”

  “No, by all means carry on. That hole you’re standing in can still get deeper.” Gage groped beneath the covers and extracted a sizable dildo.

  “You are a virile, masterful Dominant, Sir. I can think up some more positive adjectives, but I need a minute. You’re distracting me with that…thing.”

  Gage grinned. “Nice try. You need more lube?”

  “No? Wait, if I say yes does that buy me some time?”

  “What do you think?” Gage touched the tip of the toy to Landry’s hole then pushed.

  Chapter Two

  “I’m so glad to be back in the store, Mr. L.” Landry fluffed his rainbow-colored, extendable feather duster. “Moving is hard work, and Gage is a slave driver. I’d much rather be here.”

  “It’s good you have a man to keep you in line, Landry. You have a tendency to get distracted.”

  “How can you say that? Ooh, look, there’s a ladybug on the aspidistra.” Landry encouraged the insect to walk onto his finger then escorted it from the store. When he returned, Mr. Lao gave a heavy sigh. “Gage has his work cut out with you. I like that boy—don’t scare him off.”

  “That wasn’t distraction, that was a humanitarian mission. Ladybugs are cute. I have a pair of ladybug socks somewhere. I also have laser-like focus, and Gage isn’t scared of anything. Well, except Sancha. That is one scary woman. She loves me of course.”

  “Hmm.” Mr. Lao sipped his tea, which to Landry smelled of seaweed. “She is formidable. Another fine friend for you, and I know she’ll get on with Maisie. Did you have any inquiries for your old job yet? Maisie is bugging me to take more time off. She wants to take a trip up to Vancouver Island, and I would like to check out a couple antique dealers I know while we’re there. Their prices are criminal of course but they love to haggle.” He rubbed his hands together.

  “Two so far, but neither of them was anywhere close to being suitable. One guy made a crack about my duster being ‘way gay’.”

  Mr. Lao snorted. “I’m surprised you didn’t shove that duster right up his jacksy.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to Olga.”

  “You gave your duster a Russian name?”

  “Of course, that place needs an injection of rainbow.”

  “So, was the other applicant a homophobic asshole too?”

  “Mr. L! Your language! No she was sorta okay but Gage came in while she was here and she was drooling…like actual slobber was coming from her mouth. Worse than Bernie the St. Bernard that comes in with that guy that buys mismatched tea sets for his wedding business. She stopped answering my questions because she was too busy ogling Gage’s ass…ets. No way was she getting the job.” Landry’s indignation increased as he thought back to that day. “Over my cold and decomposing corpse.”

  “If you’re letting that hairy great dog in here, make sure he doesn’t go near the vintage linens or they’ll be coated in fur. Did you tell Gage?”

  “Of course. He didn’t even notice her but that’s so not the point.” Landry got a bit fierce with his dusting and dislodged a porcelain horse from its precarious perch on top of a folding, three-tiered cake stand but caught it before it hit the floor. “Whoot! Did you see that?”

  “I saw you attempting to destroy my stock.”

  “I have lightning reflexes!”

  “You’re more destructive than lightning!”

  On the shelf under the cash desk, Landry’s cell began to sing the theme tune to Friends. “Petey! Kinda odd for him to be calling me this time of day—he should be working. You mind if I get that?”

  “Go ahead. You’re the store manager now.”

  Landry rolled his eyes and handed his duster to Mr. Lao before answering the call.

  “Petey? You’re usually pedaling through traffic at this time on a Monday…wait, are you crying? What’s wrong?” The snuffling Landry could hear turned into full-blown sobbing. “Where are you? You’re scaring me!” He clutched the edge of the cash desk. “Peter Eustace Templeton, you tell me where you are right now!”

  “Is everything okay, Landry?” Mr. Lao gave him a concerned look.

  “Petey’s crying and he won’t say where he is, and I’m terrified he’s hurt or something. He cycles like a maniac, he could’ve been run over!”

  “Give me the phone, son. Let me try to get some sense out of him.” Hand shaking, Landry passed it over.

  “Peter, this is Landry’s boss, Mr. Lao. He’s having a minor meltdown here in the store and that’s not good for business. Tell me where you are, and I’ll come fetch you.” He listened for a minute then nodded. “Stay right where you are. Landry will call you back in a few minutes, okay?” Mr. Lao disconnected. He ran a hand through his shock of white hair. “I think you need to call your detective, Landry.”

  “What? Why?” Landry’s hysteria was building fast.

  “Petey is in an alley at the back of Scorch. He woke up in a dumpster and says he was mugged. He said his head hurts, so I think it’s best someone more qualified than me goes to get him. He might need hospital treatment.”

  “Oh my God! Speed dial 1, Mr. L.” Landry needed Mr. Lao to make the call because he was calm and coherent whereas Landry was climbing the walls. He waited for his boss to pass on most of the details before he grabbed his cell.

  “Gage, go rescue my friend! Bring him back here, I need to see he’s okay.”

  “Calm down, Landry. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down! I have nothing to be calm about. Petey woke up in a dumpster!”

  “I know and if you’ll stop yelling at me, Sancha and I will go pick him up right away. We’re already heading for the parking lot and we’ll make sure the EMTs are there. Sancha is calling Petey, and we’ll talk to him the whole time.”

  “I should come…”

  “You should stay right where you are. I’m much closer to Scorch and you have no car. Even if you can borrow one, you are not under any circumstances to drive in your state. Do you understand me?"

  “I…”

  “Say yes, Sir.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Landry mumbled.

  “Let me speak to Mr. Lao.” Numb, Landry handed his cell over again. He watched Mr. Lao nod while shooting him stern glances. He pressed the off button then handed the phone back to Landry.

  “You get to do what Gage tells you and stay put. He’s told me not to let you out the door.”


  “I should call Petey back.”

  “You can’t. Sancha is keeping him talking, remember? Go clean things—that will keep your mind off Petey…and be careful, don’t break anything.” Mr. Lao patted his shoulder. “I’ll deal with any customers that come in because you’re in no fit state to hold down a sensible conversation. You’ll end up giving my stock away.”

  Landry’s pout became a smile. “I know you’re just trying to make me feel better. You’re not as grouchy as everyone says you are. And that hideous jardinière had a much better life as a prop in that play. I haven’t given anything else away…recently.”

  “Who says I’m grouchy? I should sue for libel or misrepresentation.”

  “I don’t think you’d win, Mr. L.” Landry scampered down the main aisle then did a nifty side shuffle between two cabinets to escape any possible pursuit. For a guy in his seventies, Mr. Lao could be quite nimble.

  “You can run but you can’t hide, son.”

  Landry chuckled. A wave of fondness for his boss washed over him and tears prickled in his eyes. Being called son gave him all the feels and his anxiety for his best friend was only adding to the emotional overload. He pretended to clean for a while, but his efforts were at best half-hearted. His skin itched. He wanted to get back on the phone and demand to know why Gage hadn’t messaged him, but deep down he realized he had to give Gage time to get to Petey and give him the help he needed. Landry would just have to keep his fingers and toes crossed that his best friend wasn’t badly hurt.

  The next two hours crawled by molasses slow, and when Landry checked his messages for the fiftieth time, Mr. Lao prodded him with an early nineteenth-century poker.

  “Go to the café and buy some treats. If Gage brings your friend back here, something sugary will be good for him. Get yourself a chamomile tea. It might calm you down. You’re going to get an ulcer before you’re thirty at this rate.”

  Landry gaped at his boss. “The only teas I’m interested in are the double ones in latte. Chamomile… Are you crazy? No, don’t answer that, you must be, if you think I would ever drink that flower juice. Treats, however… Well, maybe you do occasionally have a half-decent idea.”