This is a love story following the life of two young men who fall in love and have to overcome tragedies in their lives. All the characters are fictional.
Warning - it contains some m/m sex.
The Earl's Son
The journey back to London took the usual hour and a half so they were driving into the basement garage by late morning. Kevin came running out to them to give Julian and Robin hugs and kisses and when he saw Craig was with them his heart jumped with joy. They too hugged and kissed and Julian told Kevin to take him through to his end of the apartment.
"I'll leave it to you two to decide whether you want to share a bed or use the spare room" he grinned as Kevin picked up some of Craig's many bags and led him off. Julian and Robin picked up theirs and took them into their bedroom to unpack. It seemed ages since they were last there yet in reality it had only been just over three weeks. So much had happened and changed in his life.
"You okay?" Robin queried when Julian slumped down on the bed. He sat down beside him and put a comforting arm round his shoulders.
"You'll be okay; we're all here to help you manage you know" Robin said quietly before kissing Julian on the side of his face.
Julian turned and smiled, "Yeah, I know, thanks my love but it seems so different; you must have felt that when your dad and then your mum died".
Robin agreed it had but somehow he'd carried on and being busy helped no end.
Immediately after lunch Julian made his way to the firm for the board meeting. When he arrived he was warmly greeted by the receptionist who said she was so sorry to hear about his father.
"I'll let Mr Clarke know you're on the way up" she said as he slowly started climbing the stairs to the first floor where the director's offices were situated. As he climbed he suddenly realised what she had said. He'd been so used to hearing his dad refer to George by his first name that for a moment he hadn't registered his last name.
As he reached the top of the stairs George was coming along the short corridor to greet him. He once again warmly shook his hand and placed the other one on his arm. He led him into what had been his dad's office, through which the boardroom was accessed, and for a moment Julian just stood and looked round. He'd been into this office so many times as a child and almost expected his father to get up from behind his desk to greet him. Instead the chair was empty and the desk was clear of working papers. Even the family photographs his dad used to have on his desk were gone.
"I've had your father's personal items packed up for you to take away; I hope that's okay" George said sensing Julian's thoughts.
"Yes, fine, thank you" Julian replied coming back to the moment, "I take it you'll use this office now" he added.
"If that's okay with you Julian" George replied in his usual kind considerate way.
"Of course, dad would have wanted you to do so" Julian replied smiling.
"I thought it would be nice to hang a picture of your father in the boardroom alongside your grandfather's; how do you feel about that?"
"Yes, good idea, I'm sure we have something that could be enlarged"
George then went through the agenda for the meeting and explained what items he'd like Julian to cover.
"I've done some notes to assist you" George smiled passing over an A4 sheet of paper with everything itemised.
"Thanks, most useful" Julian replied having read it. Everything looked reasonably straightforward so perhaps he was going to cope okay, he thought to himself.
After a while George's secretary poked her head round the door and announced that the other four directors were ready for them.
"Deep breath" George smiled and led Julian into the boardroom with a hand on his shoulder. As soon as they went in the others came up and shook his hand. They'd all attended the funeral so he remembered their names.
George then gave a short introduction saying what a tragic loss Julian's father would be to the firm as well as his family. As he did so, Julian was conscious of the others' eyes on him but kept his head down until George had finished. George then asked Julian to deal with the main item on the agenda which was the appointment of George as Chairman, the Finance Director as Managing Director and himself as a non-Executive director in accordance with his father's wishes. The other four were of course happy to adopt the proposal and confirmed they were very happy to have George as Chairman and welcomed Julian onto the board.
After a few other minor items the meeting ended and the other four left.
"You did well Julian" George said, "and I really mean that; I got the distinct impression that the others were impressed with the way you handled yourself, didn't you Irene" he added turning to his secretary who'd been busy taking notes for the meeting.
Irene smiled at him and agreed. "It must have been very difficult for you Julian and yes, I thought you came across very confident".
Julian blushed slightly at the compliments but the other two didn't appear to notice. George then asked if he'd be willing to go round the firm to meet the heads of department. "I think they'd appreciate it if you feel up to it" George added.
There were four distinct departments so it wasn't that arduous a task and everyone was very pleased to see him. He'd met some of them before but others were new faces.
When he finally left to go home he felt tired but pleased with himself. He also felt he was now a man of the world.
Once he reached home, Robin wanted to know how things had gone. As he listened to Julian, he realised he was no longer the frivolous guy he used to be but it didn't worry him. There were still plenty of signs of the man he loved.
Having checked with Robin that he was still okay with what they'd discussed the previous day regarding Craig, Julian raised the matter with him whilst they had their evening meal. Kevin had once again dished up a delicious meal and it was clear that Craig was very impressed. Julian casually asked Craig about what he'd done in his last job and it confirmed Julian's view that Craig would be suitable for what he and Robin had in mind.
"Now that Robin and I have more things to deal with, we are looking for someone who is a good administrator to handle the day to day administration of our theatre production company. Do you think that is something you would be interested in doing Craig?"
Craig looked amazed for a moment before replying, "Are you offering me a job?"
Julian said at this stage he was interested in knowing whether Craig was interested and whether it was the type of job he was looking for.
"You bet it is" Craig exclaimed, "It's precisely what I'm looking for".
Both Julian and Robin asked further questions about Craig's skills and having done that gave more detail about what they had in mind. Craig was very interested and became very excited. Julian suggested they sleep on it and discuss it in more detail the next day.
The following morning Julian woke with a morning wood, which was the first time since his dad had died. Robin was half awake and facing away from him. He moved his hand round to Robin's crotch and was pleased to find what he was looking for.
"Mm, that feels good" Robin muttered as he slowly came to. He had soon turned over and they began to satisfy their needs.
After breakfast they invited Craig to join them in their small office. Craig was still feeling excited about what they'd discussed the previous evening.
"So you're still interested then" Julian said
"You bet" Craig grinned.
Julian and Robin went through what the job would involve and the remuneration package they had in mind.
"It will be based at the theatre as there's a small office upstairs and you will also deal with any day to day problems the bar manager may throw at you" Robin explained.
"So what do think?" Is it the kind of job that you could do and be interested in?" Julian asked.
Craig couldn't believe he was being offered such a job and that he'd be working for two guys he really liked and enjoyed being with.
'Yeah, sounds fantastic" he replied having taken in all he'd been told.
"Any questions you want to ask us?" Robin asked.
Craig read through the notes he'd been taking whilst the other two spoke and decided they'd covered everything.
"Is it okay if I carry on living here until I've found suitable digs?"
Julian said it was fine and he had a feeling Kevin wouldn't object!
"So I take it you'd like to accept then?" Julian added.
Craig grinned from ear to ear and said yes and when could he start. Julian said if Craig was happy he could start immediately but it would be on a six months trial basis.
"Sure" Craig replied excitedly. He had no problems with being on a six month trial since he was sure he could do the job more than satisfactorily.
Robin suggested he take Craig to the theatre to show him around and go through various systems he'd set up to manage ticket sales and the booking of the theatre by outside groups. He'd also introduce Craig to Graham, the bar manager who was quite a character. Julian meanwhile would draw up an employment contract.
"Welcome aboard" Julian grinned.
Life over the next few weeks was busy for all of them. Julian was getting used to his responsibilities as an Earl and in particular the formal title to which he was referred to in letters and phone calls from people who wished to speak to him about all kinds of matters. He'd never realised how much his dad had done and seriously wondered at times if he was going to be able to cope but as usual Robin's support and his organisational ability kept him sane and able to continue. Without Robin he was sure he would fail miserably since he felt he was far too young to take on such responsibilities.
Each morning Robin went through the things Julian had to do or know about and in true Robin fashion it was all done electronically. His phone became his bible for knowing where and when he had to be, for what purpose and with supporting links to any necessary paperwork on his iPad which never seemed to leave his side. Quite how Robin found time to do all these things was beyond Julian since he was also undertaking recordings for a new radio play and practising the piano for the charity concert in January. In addition to that, he'd arranged for the study at Drayton House to be redecorated and refurnished with smart new office furniture in addition to organising the installation of a new computer system so they could monitor things from London.
Craig quickly settled into his new job, although Robin kept a tight watch on him much to Julian's amusement. Kevin was besotted with Craig but Robin was fairly certain that Craig was cheating on him despite having told Kevin and the others that he loved him.
The four of them spent Christmas at Drayton House with Julian's mother but his sister Alisha and Oliver decided to go away and spend it at the family apartment in Palm Beach. As usual, Betty the cook was given Christmas off and Thomas, Nigel and Kevin became the chefs for the period. In fact Betty only came in two or three times a week now to bake and prepare dishes for Thomas and Nigel to finish off for Julian's mother and themselves. Now that Tim lived in he too joined Thomas and Nigel for meals and Julian's mother mainly ate in her suite of rooms upstairs unless Julian and Robin were staying. Even then she often preferred to eat alone so they would join the other three along with Kevin if he came as well.
Julian and Robin now came to the house once every two weeks and generally stayed from the Thursday night to the Sunday afternoon. It worked well and they found they could cope with all that had to be done.
Christmas was quiet and subdued. They all missed Julian's dad who had always been the life and soul of the party at Christmas but somehow they got through it and felt reasonably refreshed when they returned to London.
The rehearsals for the concert, which was in aid of an HIV charity, took place the week following their return so Robin was kept busy. He was to play Elgar's Piano Concerto which he loved but always found it demanding. The concert was to take place on three nights from the Thursday and was being held at a small concert hall in Highgate. It had originally been a cinema which had long closed down and had then become a venue for concerts and anything else that didn't warrant a large audience since it only had a seating capacity of two hundred and fifty seats. It was a lovely building despite being badly in need of tender loving care.
The final rehearsal was on the Wednesday evening and for some reason Robin decided to pop in to their theatre above the pub even though it put him out of his way. He'd overheard Craig telling Kevin that he was going to be late home since he had a meeting at the theatre but it had not been listed in his weekly report to Robin so he was suspicious. He'd also noticed over a period of time that Craig was extremely friendly, if not sexual, with a young actor called Gavin who was to appear in a play about to start at the theatre. Robin had often seen them kissing and cuddling in a corner without realising he'd seen them, and on one occasion he'd seen them walking down to the tube station with arms round each other.
When he'd casually asked Kevin where Craig was on the evening in question, he explained that once again Craig had said he needed to be at the theatre. Robin was on the point of saying something to Julian but he wanted more evidence, hence his reason for going to the theatre again after the final rehearsal. He knew the new play was not starting until the following Monday so when he arrived he crept upstairs to Craig's office. He was just about to go in when he heard a voice saying `Yeah, fuck me Craig, fuck me'.
For a moment Robin remained rooted to the spot listening some more. He could hear more groans and moans of a sexual nature so it didn't take much imagination to work out what was going on. He placed his hand on the door handle to open it but the door was locked. Inside he heard Craig exclaim `Fuck' and then there was quiet.
Robin pretended to go back downstairs making several noisy steps to the half landing where he then stood motionless. He was in the process of deciding what to do when the office door flew open and Gavin came rushing out busy adjusting his clothing. Robin pretended he was on his way up so just nodded as they passed on the stairs. He then went straight into the office where he found Craig in the process of buttoning up his shirt.
When Craig realised it was Robin he went white and stopped what he was doing. They looked at each other for a moment before Robin asked, "What the fuck are you playing at Craig?"
Craig shrugged his shoulders and continued buttoning up his shirt.
"Kevin worships the ground you walk on; you know that, yet here you are cheating on him. And you lied to him earlier saying you had to be here for a meeting this evening. I thought you said you loved him."
Craig tried to brush it off but Robin said he'd seen him and Gavin on several previous occasions and mentioned the time he'd seen them going into the tube together with arms round each other. By now Craig realised he'd been rumbled.
"You won't tell Kevin, will you Robin"
"Someone's got to and it would be better coming from you, but why when you've told him and Julian and me that you love him."
"I do love him but I need more than the sex we have; I'm not like you and Julian who are satisfied with a monogamous relationship; I've always had several fuck buddies on the go at any one time."
"Does Kevin know this?"
"Fuck no; I don't want to lose him."
"Well you're going the right way to do just that if you aren't honest with him."
Craig was now shaking and looked at Robin to see what he was going to do or say next.
"Will you tell Julian?"
"Julian and I never have secrets and since you're using our business premises as a fucking shop I don't see I have much option do you?"
"Fuck; will he sack me do you think? I love this job and don't want to lose it" Craig replied. He realised of course that he was still within his six month probationary period so he was on shaky ground.
"Sit down and we'll talk about it" Robin replied, "And by the way your trouser fly is still undone and there's a used condom on the floor beside you" he added grinning.
Craig looked down, zipped himself and picked up the condom. Having wrapped it in a tissue and dumped it in the bin he sat down on one of the chairs beside the desk. They talked about his relationship with Kevin and what his plans were regarding finding a place to live. He was still sharing with Kevin at the apartment and Julian had already told them it could not continue forever but if they wanted to move into their own place Kevin could come in each day to do his job.
"Kevin doesn't want to leave the apartment" Craig explained, "He loves you two guys too much and loves living with you so I don't think he'd ever want to come and live with me and besides, I'm not sure I'm ready to settle down with one guy."
Robin agreed with that from the earlier comment Craig had made about wanting sex with other guys in addition to Kevin.
"So why don't you find a place of your own and continue your relationship with Kevin but have the freedom to see other guys when you want" Robin said.
"If Kevin would agree to that then I would."
"The only way you're going to find out is to ask him" Robin replied, "If he's not prepared to do that then that's the end but you can't continue cheating on him behind his back; it's not fair on him and if he found out he'd be devastated. And I can tell you something for nothing Craig, neither Julian nor I want to see Kevin upset like that; we love him too much to let you do it so either you tackle it or Julian and I will."
Craig looked at Robin with a long face for a moment. He knew in his heart that he'd have to tell Kevin at some point so perhaps now was better than anytime. He also knew that he couldn't change, at least not in the near future, he loved having sex with different guys too much!
"Come on, let's go home" Robin finally said as he got up and placed a hand on Craig's shoulder. Craig gave him a weak smile and muttered `thanks' before getting up to follow him downstairs.
"Craig is looking very glum" Julian commented when they got home and saw him slinking off down the corridor towards Kevin's room.
"Tell you later" Robin whispered as he went into the kitchen to say hi to Kevin who was busy preparing the meal.
Throughout the meal Craig mainly kept his eyes down on his plate and when Kevin asked how his meeting had gone he muttered `okay' whilst surreptitiously looking at Robin. When the meal was finished, and Kevin had cleared the dishes away and served coffee in the living room, Robin told him that he'd clear up the coffee cups if he wanted to go and see Craig. His face lit up and he bounced off down the corridor to find him.
Once Robin was sure he was gone, he closed the living room door.
"So what's going on?" Julian asked very intrigued.
Robin told him what he'd seen and about the suspicions he'd had for some while about Craig cheating on Kevin and about what had happened that evening.
"Should we let him continue in his job?" Julian asked somewhat upset at what he'd heard.
"He's bloody good at his job so I don't want to see him go but I've told him he must sort it out with Kevin."
"I bet he didn't like you saying that", Julian grinned.
"No he didn't but I love Kevin too much to see him hurt; he doesn't deserve it."
Julian agreed and said he felt Robin had handled the matter very well.
"How do you think Kevin will react?" Julian asked.
Robin wasn't sure about that but time would tell.
About an hour later they heard someone walk along the corridor and go into the kitchen. They guessed it was Kevin so Robin shot up and took the coffee cups with him. Kevin turned and looked at him. There were signs of tears in his eyes and Robin was tempted to rush up and hug him.
"I had a feeling he was you know" Kevin said as he took the cups from Robin and placed them in the dishwasher.
"So what are you going to do?" Robin asked as he watched Kevin bend over.
"I love him too much to chuck him over and I love you guys too much to want to move from here. Does that sound crazy?"
"No it doesn't Kevin, we love you too and are happy to continue having you live here if that's what you want."
Kevin smiled and put a hand on Robin's, "I've told him that I don't want to move from here and if he needs others to satisfy his sexual needs as well as me then that's fine but he can't continue living with me; what he gets up to when he's not with me is his affair so we'll see how things go".
"You deserve better Kevin, you really do."
"Perhaps, but I'll have the same problem with whoever I meet and fall in love with because as long as you two guys want me to live here and look after you then that's what I want to do."
Robin pulled him into his arms and kissed the top of his head which always came up to his chin due to Kevin's height.
"You're welcome to live here and look after us for as long as you want Kevin; we just don't want to see you hurt that's all."
"I'll be fine; have got by so far without having a guy to fuck every night haven't I" Kevin laughed, "As long as you guys are still willing to suck me off occasionally I'm happy" he added.
"Anytime, anytime" Robin laughed.
The following morning Craig cornered Julian and Robin in their office to tell them the result of his deliberations with Kevin.
"I assume you know what Kevin has decided" he started.
Julian and Robin nodded and asked him what plans he had to find somewhere to live. He then explained that he had seen a studio flat about ten minutes walk away but the problem was that the landlord wanted two month's rent up front as a deposit and he didn't have that kind of cash to stump up. Julian told him that he'd be happy to pay the landlord the required sum if he wanted the flat.
Craig couldn't believe that he would do that for him and promised to pay it back over time but Julian told him to accept it as a gift. They suggested he contact the landlord immediately to see if the flat was still available as it was two weeks since he'd seen it and if it was then to take it.
A few minutes later, Craig ran back in to say it was still available and he'd got the landlord's bank details.
"As soon as he's got the money I can move in" he added excitedly. Robin said he'd transfer the money immediately.
A few days later, Craig was moving his things out and into his new flat. It was small but being in a Victorian house it had a large room which was spacious even with a double bed in an alcove at one end. In addition there was a small kitchen area and bathroom. Having helped him move his things in using the Jaguar, Robin left him and Kevin to sort things out and went back home. Later when Kevin got back Julian asked how he was feeling.
"I'm fine; I knew it wasn't going to last that long but it was good whilst it lasted and we're still good friends."
"You still love him don't you" Julian commented seeing the look in Kevin's eyes.
Kevin nodded and grinned, "And he's good in bed!"
The next part of 'The Earl's Son' will be available shortly.
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See Prolific Authors for a list of other stories by Adam Stewart