Wild Child

Chapter 8

The next afternoon Brian headed off into Pittsburgh leaving Gus with Mrs. Hadley. Mrs. Hadley watched the boy swimming in the pool after his father left. She wondered what the real story was in regards to this child and his sudden appearance at Britin. She knew there had to be something pretty drastic that had caused the elusive Mr. Kinney to bring his son to this house. She intended to find out.

"Gus," Mrs. Hadley called. "I made you a snack. Come in out of the sun for a while."

Gus hauled himself out of the pool and toweled off. He walked into the kitchen with the towel wrapped around his waist.

"Sit down on the stool and then you won't get anything wet," she advised him.

Gus sat on the stool at the counter and Mrs. Hadley set cookies and milk in front of him. The cookies were still warm. Gus took a big bite.

"Yum," he reacted. "These are the best cookies."

"An old family recipe," Mrs. Hadley replied. "I thought you might like them."

"Thanks."

"Gus, do you mind telling me why you're here."

"I … why do you want to know?"

"Your father's never brought anyone here before."

"He hasn't? No one?"

"Nope."

"Not even Justin?"

"Who's Justin?"

"The blond guy in all the pictures."

"Oh, I see. I never knew his name," Mrs. Hadley admitted. "Your father's a very private person."

"So you're pumping me for information instead?" Gus challenged her.

"I asked you why you were here, not about your father."

"True. Well, I guess you'll find out eventually so I might as well give you my side of the story."

Mrs. Hadley nodded and waited as Gus took another bite of cookie.

"I lived in Toronto with my two Moms," Gus said waiting to see if Mrs. Hadley would react to that statement. When nothing happened, he continued. "I guess I was kind of hard to handle. They … they thought I needed a change. I guess they thought Dad could sort me out."

"Do you need sorting out?"

"Um … maybe."

"Were you having trouble at school?"

Gus nodded. He didn't like to think about that. "Dad took me to look at a couple of schools around here yesterday. I guess I'll have to go to one of them."

"Don't you like school?"

Gus shook his head. "I hate it."

"Is it too hard for you?"

"No, it's not too hard. It's the other kids. They never like me unless…" Gus stopped not wanting to tell Mrs. Hadley what he had had to do to make friends.

"I can't understand why they wouldn't like you. You seem like a nice young man."

Gus snorted. "Yeah, well, you're old. You don't know what it's like."

"I'm not that old," Mrs. Hadley chuckled. "But you're probably right. I don't know what it's like. Could you tell me?"

"It's none of your business," Gus retorted.

"Gus!" Mrs. Hadley was taken aback at the vehemence in the boy's tone.

Gus immediately felt bad that he had yelled at this woman who had been nothing but nice to him. "Um … Sorry, but I don't want to talk about it."

"That's all you had to say, and I'll stop pestering you. I think we're going to be spending quite a bit of time together, so I hope we can get along."

"I hope so too. I think I'll go back in the pool."

Mrs. Hadley was about to say something about staying out of the water after eating, but she thought better of it. Instinctively she knew that Gus would not appreciate her advice. She'd have to build on his trust before she could do that. In the meantime she'd keep a close eye on him swimming in case he had a cramp or something.

+++++

Brian walked out of Kinnetik having conferred with Cynthia and Ted. They were set for the next few days. Brian had a campaign that he was working on tucked away in his briefcase. He'd work at home tomorrow.

But right now he was heading to the loft and Greg was going to meet him there. He needed that. Brian threw his briefcase onto the front seat of the Mercedes. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited.

"Hello."

"Mrs. Hadley, how is everything going?"

"Not bad. Gus has spent most of the day in the pool."

"I hope he's not getting a burn."

"I've been encouraging him to use the sunscreen."

"Thank you."

"Will you be home soon?"

Brian rubbed his brow. "No, it will probably be late before I get there. Tell Gus to go to bed by eleven."

"Would you like to speak to him?"

"No, tell him I'll be late but I will be home."

"Of course, Mr. Kinney."

The line went dead.

Brian put his cell back in his pocket and headed towards the loft. As he pulled into a parking space he could see Greg leaning against the building smoking a cigarette.

"Hey," Greg smiled as Brian got out of his car.

"Let's go," Brian said as he unlocked the front door.

They barely got through the loft door when Brian was all over the willing young man. They never made it to the bedroom for the first round. Brian took what he wanted against one of the metal supports in the loft. Greg seemed to enjoy that so much that they did round two with Greg bent over the back of the sofa. Round three finally took place in the bed.

"Man, you're insatiable," Greg yawned ready for a nap.

"Thanks."

"I don't know how you do it."

"You mean, at my age?" Brian asked feeling annoyed at the implication.

"Hell no! I don't think I could have done that three times in such a short span of time if I was topping."

Brian snorted. "And you're ten years younger than me."

"You're fucking incredible."

Brian looked into Greg's eyes. They weren't blue but he saw the same kind of look there that he used to see from someone else. "You were okay yourself."

"Thanks," Greg chuckled. "Do you think I could have a little nap before we go again?"

"Speaking of going, I have to leave in less than an hour."

"You do? How come?"

"I have a son waiting for me."

"You have a kid?"

"I have a kid. Does that bother you?"

"No, not really. I just never pegged you for someone who would go all hetero and have a kid."

"I didn't go all hetero as you call it, but that's a story for another time."

"Do you really have to leave? I was kind of hoping we could spend the night together."

"Maybe next time."

"Really?" Greg said with a hopeful smile. That sounded promising.

"I'm good for one more before I leave. Do you think you can stay awake that long?"

"I'll do my best. Once your dick is up my ass, I'm sure I won't have any trouble."

Brian leaned in and kissed Greg using his patented techniques. They were both hard by the time he was finished.

+++++

Mrs. Hadley shooed Gus upstairs to shower and change. Dinner was almost ready and she wanted the boy presentable if he was going to eat with her. She set the table in the breakfast nook wondering if Mr. Kinney would get a decent table and chairs to eat on. They had a perfectly good dining room which stood empty next door.

Before Gus came down, she set out the salad bowl and dressing. Gus slid into the seat that he had used for breakfast with his father. Mrs. Hadley sat down across from him.

"I hope you don't mind eating with me," she said. "I like the company."

Gus smiled. "It's better than eating alone, I guess. Did Dad say when he would be back?"

"He called a while ago and just said that he would be late." Mrs. Hadley held the salad out to Gus who scooped out a huge portion. He added some dressing and dug in. "You certainly have a good appetite, young man."

"Swimming makes me hungry."

"It's good exercise."

Gus nodded in agreement his mouth full of salad. When he had cleaned his plate, Mrs. Hadley removed the salad and set out a plate of pasta with salmon and various vegetables and a creamy sauce. It smelled wonderful.

"You're a really good cook," Gus said as he tasted the first bite.

"Thank you," she replied tasting her own meal. "What are you going to do after dinner?"

"I don't know. Watch TV."

"I have some books you might like."

"What kind of books?"

"Have you read any of the Harry Potter books?"

"I tried to get them from the library but they were always out or on reserve."

"I have the whole set if you'd like to borrow them."

"Maybe I will," Gus said looking over at the kindly face. He was surprised that she would have the books, but he would like to read them.

Mrs. Hadley smiled to herself. At least Gus seemed interested in reading. She always took that as a good sign. So many children these days never read anything except designer labels. They were usually the ones in trouble. The kids who read didn't seem to get into trouble. She wondered why Gus didn't seem to fit the usual troubled kid mold.

Gus finished off his pasta. He waited patiently as Mrs. Hadley calmly ate her meal.

"Would you like some advice about meals, Gus?"

"Advice?" Gus asked with a frown.

"In polite company it is customary to eat more slowly and try to have everyone present finish eating at the same time."

"Oh! Um … why would I need to know that?"

"When you go out to a nice restaurant or have dinner with your friends and their family, it's always a good idea to show your best manners."

"Like I have any friends," Gus scoffed.

"But you'll make some as soon as you get out in the community." Gus shook his head, but Mrs. Hadley sensed that Gus didn't want her to pursue that line of thought. "When you have friends you can remember what I told you."

"Okay," Gus said not sure that he would ever have any real friends if past experience was any indication.

"Would you like some ice cream for dessert?"

Gus nodded vigorously and Mrs. Hadley went to dish some up. She set a bowl down in front of Gus. He picked up his spoon and was about to dig in when he saw that she was getting a bowl for herself, but with a much smaller portion. He decided he could wait.

Mrs. Hadley put the ice cream container back in the freezer and carried her bowl back to the table. She noted with a smile that Gus was waiting for her. When she took the first bite of her ice cream, Gus dug into his. He made sure to pace himself so that they finished their desserts at almost the same time.

"Excellent," Mrs. Hadley said with a warm smile.

"Yes, excellent," Gus said wiping his mouth with his napkin.

"Why don't you go check out the TV programs? If you decide you want "Harry Potter", you can have the whole set to take up to your room."

"Gee, thanks," Gus said as he got up from the table. As an afterthought he carried his bowl over to the counter so Mrs. Hadley could load the dishwasher. Her smile of approval sent him back to clear the rest of the dishes.

"Thank you, Gus. That was very nice of you."

"No problem," Gus said as he went off to check out what was on TV.

Gus watched a couple of shows. After some time and a lot of fruitless channel surfing he switched off the TV. Not finding any decent programs and needing to use the bathroom, Gus went up to his room. He sat in the bathroom wondering when his father would be home. He kind of missed him when he wasn't there.

When Gus came out of the bathroom, he went and looked in his father's room just to be sure that he hadn't already come home. The room was empty. Coming back into the hall he decided to explore the other rooms on the upper level even though they were empty. Maybe he'd find a good place to read or a place to hide if he wanted to be alone.

He opened three doors finding empty bedrooms with closets that had some potential as hiding places. There was only one door left, the one at the end of the hall. He carefully opened the door and to his surprise he found a partially furnished room. There was a large four poster bed all made up with rich looking covers. The room was large and on one wall was another painting that had to have been done by Justin. There was no mistaking the look of it. That was all that was in the room.

Gus noted that there were two large walk-in closets, both empty. A door led to a huge bathroom with walk-through shower and double vanities. Another door led to a good sized room that could be a study or an office. Gus liked the room and thought it might be a good place to read in the daytime. One window was bowed out and had a seat built under it. That would make a great place to read Harry Potter. Walking back into the main bedroom Gus decided that this must be the master suite. He wondered why his father didn't sleep in this room.

Gus made his way down to the kitchen and found Mrs. Hadley working on some material in her lap.

"What are you making?" Gus asked.

"I'm embroidering this little dress for my granddaughter. She'll be two years old in a few weeks."

"It's pretty."

"Thank you."

"Um … I'd like the Harry Potter books if that's okay."

"It's more than okay," Mrs. Hadley said setting aside her needlework and going into her apartment off the kitchen. Gus looked at what she had been making while he waited for her to return.

"The stitches are so tiny," he told her when she came back with the pile of seven books.

"Yes, the smaller the better."

"Wow! You really do have all the books."

"I hear she may write another one. There were only supposed to be seven."

Gus took the pile of books and set them down on the table in the breakfast nook. He sat down too, watching Mrs. Hadley as she resumed her embroidery.

"You're good at that."

"I like to think so."

"Um … could I ask you something?"

"Certainly, Gus."

"That big room at the end of the hall upstairs…"

"Yes, the master bedroom."

"Why doesn't Dad sleep there?"

"I don't know, Gus. You'd have to ask your father."

"But he has a bed and one of Justin's paintings in there."

"Those were there when I first came to work for your father. The rest of the house was totally empty. I never see him go into that room. He seems to like the other room that he had furnished as his bedroom."

Gus frowned. That didn't make much sense, but Mrs. Hadley didn't seem to know any more than that.

"Thanks for the books," Gus said gathering them up. "Night."

"Are you going to bed?"

"I thought I'd read now that I have something interesting," Gus grinned.

"Good night, Gus. Don't stay up too late reading."

Gus made his way upstairs, threw on his pajamas, brushed his teeth and curled up in bed with the first volume of Harry Potter.

+++++

Brian turned into the driveway leading up to his house. Most of the house was in darkness since it was almost midnight. He was feeling … better. Being with Greg had definitely taken the edge off. He might have liked to spend the rest of the night with the man but he wanted to be home when Gus got up in the morning. Ah, the joys of parenthood and being a fucking adult.

Brian parked the Mercedes in the driveway and pulled his briefcase out. He walked up to the front door and let himself in. The kitchen was dark, so he figured Mrs. Hadley had retired to her apartment for the night and was probably asleep. He thought maybe he could sleep too. Greg had worn him out but not as much as he had worn Greg out. He smiled at the memory.

Going into the kitchen Brian opened the refrigerator and by its light drew out a bottle of water. He opened it and drank about half of it. It was cold and refreshing. Brian debated going for a swim, but he didn't want to wake anybody so he decided he'd go up to his bedroom. Maybe he could get a good night's sleep. He also wanted to check on Gus.

Brian gently opened the door to Gus' room. His light was still on and he was partly propped up in bed with a book lying on his chest. Gus was sound asleep. Brian had to smile. He quietly made his way over to the bed and lifted the book from Gus' hands. He noted that it was the first Harry Potter book. He knew immediately that Mrs. Hadley had been responsible for Gus having it. At least it was an interesting series. Brian had read them all and then had given them to Mrs. Hadley who seemed to enjoy them too. Now they had made their way back to Gus. He was glad that his son was reading again.

Brian set the book on the nightstand turning it over so that Gus wouldn't lose his place. Carefully Brian adjusted the sheet covering Gus and leaned down to give his son a gentle kiss on the forehead. So far they had been doing all right. He hoped that would continue.

Brian left Gus' room making sure that the click of the door didn't wake the boy. He stopped for a moment and looked down the hall at the master suite. He couldn't seem to break the habit of looking at that door every night before he went to bed. With a shake of his head he went into his room.