Three Part Harmony (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)

8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Griffin

Leaving Mike alone in his bedroom was difficult. I wanted to hang out for a while, and if he had suggested I stay, I probably would have, and that wouldn’t have been good. But damn, I wasn’t ready for this weekend to be over. Especially since I knew he was done pursuing Oliver and Sebastian for a relationship.

Stay in the friend-zone, you stupid fuck.

I had to keep repeating that phrase with resolute frequency and maybe in time I’d actually heed my own warning. But it wasn’t what I necessarily wanted and now Mike knew that, too. It probably wasn’t a smart thing for me to reveal that to him but a huge part of me wanted him to know how I felt. It didn’t make one damn bit of difference if he knew, nor did it change the situation we were in. It simply felt important for Mike to know that everything he was feeling, I was feeling as well.

My phone pinged with a text message as I walked up the steps to my apartment building. I looked at the display bar and saw it was from Fizzbo. I hurried to my third-floor condo and once inside I opened up the message to read.

Fizzbo: Weekend go smoothly?

Me: Went off without a hitch.

Fizzbo: And our drummer is safely back home in LA?

Me: Absolutely.

Fizzbo: Job well done, and yes, that was a test—for both of you. Was he agreeable to the non-stop babysitting?

Me: Mike gave very little resistance. I think he’s adjusting to his new supervised life. Why was I being tested? Am I on probation for something I’m not aware of?

Fizzbo: Nope, you’re fine but I do have a question for you.

Me: Okay?

Fizzbo: Why did you take your principal to a risky tourist trap such as Pier 39?

My eyes bulged when I read his question. How the hell did he know where Mike and I were? Did he have a tail on us? I doubted it because I would have sensed it right away. Shit. They must have a tracking app on Mike’s phone.

Me: We had a few hours to kill before our flight, so we did a little walking around. Everything was fine. No incidents to report.

Fizzbo: In the future, follow the protocols and stick to the schedule provided to you before every assignment. Any time you need to veer off the plan, you contact me to get clearance. Got it? You were lucky this time but Ventura Security is not a fan of renegade agents. Protocols are in place for a reason. It’s to protect your client as much as it is to protect you.

Me: Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.

Fizzbo: Very good. I’ll see you for the team meeting on Tuesday.

Me: I’ll be there and thank you.

I respected the hell out of Fizzbo, but boy, was he one intimidating son-of-a-bitch. I would not want to be stuck in a dark alley with a pissed off Fizzbo. Even when he looked happy he was scary as fuck. I’d likely have a heart attack before the first punch was even thrown.

I got to work on the chores I’d been ignoring and started doing my laundry. I did my best not to wonder what Mike was doing. He had a whole house of friends to keep him company and as long as he stayed inside and didn’t go anywhere, I should be happy to have some quiet time. Funny how whether I was working or home alone, I still wanted to be with Mike. The age difference between us didn’t matter one bit, although the years separating us weren’t all that many. Mike had an old man’s soul and I never felt like I was working with a younger guy. He was a man I respected the hell out of and seemed wise beyond his years. That was good enough for me. We connected on so many levels. Even the lulls in our conversations didn’t feel awkward. Everything with him was comfortable, relaxing, like we somehow belonged together.

I was folding clean clothes when my phone pinged with an incoming message. I grinned like a teenager when I saw it was from Mike.

Mike: I’m bored. What are you doing?

Me: How could you possibly be bored? You’re in a house filled with your best friends! Surely you can find something to keep yourselves occupied.

Mike: Everyone is off fucking around doing this or that. I’m here by myself. Can I come play with you or could you come here and do the same?

Me: Michael…you know that’s probably not a good idea.

Mike: I’ve never been known for making good decisions, but this plan I feel good about. How about you come over and we’ll play video games or something.

Me: It’s really late.

Mike: Griffin, please . It’s been an emotional weekend for me filled with turmoil and travel. I don’t want to be alone. Can you just come over?

Me: You had like a thirty-hour sex-a-thon! I hardly call that a traumatizing weekend. It sounds more like a gift to me.

Mike: Think you could go for thirty hours? Although to be clear, it wasn’t all sex. There were periods of sleeping involved during that time span.

Me: I don’t want to know about the hours of awesome sex you had.

Mike: That wasn’t my question. I asked if you could go that long.

Me: I honestly don’t know. Maybe with the right partner?

Mike: Come. Over.

Me: I have some shit to do, and besides, you need to get some rest after your nightmare-ish getaway.

A moment later my phone was ringing. I didn’t need to glance at the screen to know who was calling me and it made me smile. The tether that stretched between us was always there, no matter how far away we were. I loved feeling that sense of connection with him. It settled something restless inside of me.

“Yes, Mike,” I said.

“Are you jealous?” he questioned.

“Of what?”

“Of me rolling around in bed for thirty hours with Oliver and Sebastian,” Mike elaborated.

“Why would I be jealous?” I asked. “You’re entitled to live your life however you please. My job is to keep you safe while you do.”

“Be truthful,” Mike almost whispered.

“I’m always honest. ”

“For fuck’s sake, Griffin.”

“What? What exactly do you want to hear me say? I can’t say I’m jealous—because it’s not the truth,” I said with a slight bite to my words.

“I want to hear you say it,” Mike answered in a breathy tone.

“No, because it would be a lie.”

“Would you like to hear me admit that I wish it was you I was with instead of them?”

“Michael, this is dangerous territory we’re walking into,” I warned without real heat. I heard him release a long-exasperated exhale and almost felt bad for how many times I had to shut him down but one of us needed to think with a level head.

“How about you tell me about your family instead,” he suggested. “Any siblings?”

“I have two younger sisters,” I offered. “Carly and Kinley. They might as well be twins for how much alike they are. My middle sister is married and has a kid—a boy. My youngest sister lives with her girlfriend. They’ve been together since their freshman year of college which was also the year she came out to the family.”

“Was everyone cool with her being a lesbian?” Mike asked.

“Not a problem. My parents are open and accepting of everyone and we all love Kinley’s partner, Maris. No doubt they’ll get married one day and it will be one helluva celebration.”

“They wouldn’t care if you were gay or bi?”

“I don’t think so, based on how happy they were when Kinley brought Maris home,” I said. “I don’t think they’d care who I wanted to be with as long as I was happy. ”

“That’s the way it should be,” Mike said. “I told my parents I was bi a long time ago. They were fine with it. A few years ago, Fletcher told them he was, too, and they were happy as hell for him. I think most people are okay with it nowadays, but I’ve encountered a few assholes. I’ve been punched in the face because I was with a man, so I guess it depends on where you are and who you’re telling. The assholes don’t matter but sometimes their voices ring much louder than the accepting people and that sucks.”

“Yeah, I hear you on that,” I agreed.

Mike and I talked for another solid hour before I could hear the fatigue in his voice. I was exhausted but I also loved hearing the sound of his voice and that’s what kept me on the phone so long. Hell, if I was being honest, the sound of him breathing did it for me, too.

“Almost everyone on Fizzbo’s team is former military,” Mike said. “Were you, too?”

“I did four years in the Army,” I told him. “I loved the physicality of it and being part of a team but I didn’t like the orders being screamed into my face by a CO on a daily basis. It became a drudgery and I decided not to re-up. When I got out I found my way into private security which eventually led me to Ventura Security. I’ve been working for them ever since.”

“You’re bad ass,” Mike goaded. “I wouldn’t last a single day in any branch of the military.”

“It definitely isn’t for everyone but I wasn’t exactly college material and I didn’t want to work in a factory, so without any other options, I enlisted.”

“I’ve only ever considered music as a job,” Mike said. “If this fails, I don’t have any other skills to fall back on.”

“Chaos is never going to fail,” I added. “Even if you all decided to pursue solo careers, you’d all do quite well because you each have an abundance of talent.”

“Well, I like the direction we’re headed at the moment,” Mike said and I could almost hear the smile in his words. “It kind of feels like we’re riding the tail of a comet scorching through the sky.”

I chuckled at his analogy. “That’s a good way of saying it and it’s true,” I agreed. “Your trajectory is impressive.”

“You’re not just saying that because you’re assigned to me, are you?” Mike questioned.

“Absolutely not,” I confirmed. “Your band is definitely going places. Anyone with ears can hear it in the way you guys play.”

“You can be my number one fan,” he teased.

“Fine, but I’m drawing the line at number one groupie,” I replied.

My comment made Mike laugh and I loved the way the sound of it rumbled in his chest.

“I don’t see you playing the role of groupie. You’re far too Dom for that,” Mike said.

“You think I’m a Dom?”

“I don’t know, are you?” Mike asked.

“I’ve never really thought much about it,” I answered honestly.

“That’s because you’ve always been with women and the occasional man added as a third,” Mike pointed out. “It’s different when it’s just two men going at it. One almost always wants to play one role or the other. I like playing both roles. I’m a good sub but sometimes it’s a huge turn-on if I’m in the Dom position and have the power. I’m getting hard thinking about it.”

“And…on that note, I’ll let you go,” I said.

Great. Now I had the visual of Mike tenting his pants and it was killing me not to see the evidence. But it wasn’t meant for my eyes because Mike was off-limits. Wasn’t he? The lines were blurring by the hour. I might have to consider having a conversation with Fizzbo about this to see where my boundaries actually were and how the company would see them. I couldn’t afford to lose this job. It paid well and I liked the crew I worked with. Seeing Mike on a daily basis was another huge bonus that I didn’t really want to give up—unless I absolutely had to.

“I get it. You don’t want to hear about my erections,” Mike said. “I bet it makes you stiff just hearing me talk about having one.”

“Mike, this isn’t helping,” I scolded.

“Nope, it’s not helping one bit, but at least with an empty house no one will hear me scream your name when I come five minutes after we end this call.”

“Goodnight, Mike. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Have fun with yourself, Griff.”

“You, too.”

There was no sense in flat-out denying my intentions, but I could safely imply it. I bet his fingers were already wrapped tightly around his thick shaft and was probably teetering on the edge of orgasm right this very second. He’d be getting off before I even managed to grab the lube.

Damn, I wish I could watch his filthy show.