Odds Of Love: Secrets

Episode 25

Richard's condo felt so quiet since Nigel had left to take the metro to meet, of all people, Spencer for lunch.

Of course Richard was used to his home being quiet and lonely and barren. It had been that way for so long since he had moved in after his separation from Sarah. But with Nigel there it became so much more. There was a sense of fun and play there. Nigel had even bought over a few colorful artistic pictures from his apartment to put on the walls of the living room. To add color and life to the place, he had laughed.

That was what Nigel offered him, Richard thought as he sat on the couch and switched on the flat screen TV mounted on the wall. He turned on CNBC for the early afternoon business news show he liked. Nigel offered him color , life , fun , play and love. But what exactly did he offer Nigel?

Money of course. Not that Nigel was particularly interested in money beyond his basic needs being fulfilled. He was actually a very proud man. Extremely proud. Sometimes too proud. Nigel hated when Richard paid for anything and insisted on going fifty fifty when ever they ordered in food. He was surprised the man accepted that Richard's money was essentially funding the restaurant project but that was probably because they were equal partners.

Partners.

Richard liked that word. Of course husband sounded better.

Knock it off , Norland, he thought. It was way too early to be thinking about marriage. Especially when marriage was not exactly his strongest ability. Each one of his wives had promised to love him but almost as soon as the ink was dry on the license they had begun to cheat. They blamed it on him. His mother blamed it all on him. Hell. Maybe it was his fault. That was why he really had not fought the divorces as hard as he could have done. Maybe it was all his fault. Maybe nobody could genuinely love him. Not for long. And not for more than his checkbook.

A sudden pain hit him in his chest and he groaned slightly. Ok. Alright. Maybe that taco earlier was not such a good idea. He wasn't twenty anymore. That was another issue, he acknowledged.

The age difference.

How long would Nigel choose to stay with him? A middle aged anal retentive tight assed man who was just exiting his closet and had never been with a man before. When Nigel's arm was out the cast and they could do more than cuddling and bjs would the man still be interested in someone who knew absolutely nothing about how to love a man?

Then he heard a cell phone beep and he looked around for his own phone. It was on the glass coffee table but it had no immediate notifications. It was next to Nigel's though.

Richard cussed. Why would the man go out of the house without his cell ? What if he needed something? For such a smart well put together person occasionally his man could be a little scatterbrained, he smiled. At least he had remembered to take his asthma inhaler. There was that anyway.

The phone beeped again and Richard's curiosity was aroused slightly. He knew he shouldn't invade Nigel's privacy but..... Well he had never been accused before of being a nice person.

He reached for the phone. There were a couple texts from that Lonnie person that rubbed Richard the wrong way.

Lonnie: Remember our arrangement , mate. I want that money on Friday or I will tell the old man everything.

Richard's brow furrowed. Money? What money? What old man? Wait..... Did he mean him ? Well he was old. Older than Nigel.

He pulled up the other message.

Lonnie: And I want that job. Here's a little sample pic from your past. I have more for Daddy Richard. Think he will enjoy seeing you with your other sugar daddies?

Richard's chest began to hurt again and he rubbed at it slightly. He clicked on the attachment to the text. It opened into a grainy picture that showed a younger Nigel nude and down on his knees in front of another man who was leering lecherously at him.

Then the phone he was holding rang. He looked at it. It was Lonnie Hawkins. He answered it but was silent.

Lonnie said meanly," You get the picture, mate ? "

Richard replied coldly," Yes. I did. Who the fuck are you? And what is your game? "