Chapter Text
“What?” Jared asked softly as he shook his head. “N-No, that’s impossible. My father would never do something like that, Chad. He takes his work very seriously. And he doesn’t even have the means to start up his own business, let alone get customers from Ackles Incorporated to come join him in his own firm.”
Frowning, Chad nodded. “I believe you Jared, I do,” he assured him. “But Mr. Ackles is insisting that he caught your father in the act. And on top of that, he’s claiming that your father attacked his secretary and put her in the hospital for a few days. Now, I don’t have any evidence that it was Gerald, but I do have the records from the hospital that clearly state Miss Alona Tal was in the hospital with a broken arm and a severe laceration to her forehead.”
Of course, he didn’t believe a word of it. He and Jared had been friends since they were twelve years old and Gerald was like a second father to him. There was no way in Hell Gerald would ever hurt anyone unless there was a good reason, like protecting his family. And even then, it wouldn’t have been a woman who was maybe half his size, if that. Something was going on here, but as a police officer, it was his job to take Gerald in.
Eyes widening, Jared repeated, “What?! Oh Chad, come on that’s ridiculous and you know it! My dad would never hurt Alona. She’s like a daughter to him! He helped her study through college! Alan is lying, and you know it! He probably beat Alona up and threatened her job if she didn’t blame my father!”
Chad frowned once more when Jared spoke. “Jared!” he snapped. “Don’t make accusations unless you have the means to back it up. That’s slander and if anyone heard you, they could make me throw your ass in jail, too. Now, I’m sorry for this, but I’m going to have to ask you to move out of the way so I can do my job. I need to take your father down to the station.”
When Jared still didn’t move, just stood there shaking his head, Chad sighed once more before he started to push through the doorway. It sucked that he had to do this, and he really didn’t believe a word Alan Ackles was saying, but it was his job as a police officer to investigate this, so he was doing so. Jared would forgive him eventually, he was sure.
With tears in his eyes, Jared followed after Chad. “Please Chad, don’t do this,” he begged. “You know my dad won’t last a day in jail. He needs access to his medication at all times and he won’t be able to get it in there, please?!”
Slowly, Chad came to a stop, the realization about what he was doing hitting him hard, almost knocking the wind out of him. Sighing, he turned towards Jared, his absolute sadness for doing this clear on his face. “I’ll make sure he gets his medication Jared, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to your dad as long as he’s in our custody. And trust me, he’s going to get out of this. Anyone who knows Gerald will know this is a scam and you’ll have him home in a few days.”
He lay his hand on Jared’s shoulder before he added, “You’re sister’s in there with him. I don’t think she needs to see this, do you? Why don’t you take her upstairs and then meet me at the station? I’ll go over everything with you down there. And you might want to get a lawyer. Unfortunately, you’re probably going to need one.”
A tear silently made its way down Jared’s cheek before he brushed it away, nodding. “Okay. I’ll be right behind you.” With that, Jared walked into the living room where his father and sister were playing a game of Scrabble. It was rare that Megan ever really got to do much with her father; he’d gotten sick when Jared was very young and it had been Jared who essentially raised his little sister. But those times when Megan got a chance with her father were some of the brightest times in her life.
Once Jared reached his sister, he could tell by the look his father was giving him that Gerald already knew what was going on. The older male had been on the phone practically all morning arguing with the temp who took over for Alona about why he wasn’t allowed to come into work today. Finally, Alan had gotten on the phone and explained everything to him, and Gerald had been waiting for this moment ever since.
“Hey Megan, why don’t we leave Dad alone for a little while, all right?” Jared asked with a small, fake smile. “Chad’s in the other room and he wants to have a few minutes alone with Dad. I think I heard him mention something about a big summer party that he wants to throw and invite us to. But it’s a secret, so don’t tell him I told you, all right?”
Megan’s eyes widened marginally when Jared mentioned a summer party. “Oh my God, are you serious?! I’ve been hinting at something like this since last summer! Do you really think he took me up on the idea?” Smiling, Megan stood before she ran over to her dad and gave him a hug. “If he says anything about needing help, tell him Sandy, Sophia and I are all available any day of the week after five!”
With that, Megan was out of the room and up the stairs, the door to her bedroom closing soon after she reached the top of the staircase. She had this new bikini that she just bought a few days ago and she wanted to try it on before she wore it anywhere. And she needed to call Sophia and Sandy to tell them the good news, as well.
As soon as Megan was gone, Chad walked into the room, his frown still plastered on his face. “I’m going to have to take you in now, Gerald. I told Jared the same thing I’m telling you; there’s nothing to worry about here. I’ll be there with you the whole time and I’m going to make sure you can get your medication whenever you need it, and you won’t be there long. This is just standard procedure, but everyone will know you’re innocent. And I’m going to take great pleasure in letting you out of these cuffs.”
Nodding, Gerald gave chad a small smile as he stood, placing his hands behind his back. Chad then recited, “Gerald, you’re under arrest for the assault and battery of Alona Tal. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided to you.”
Jared couldn’t stay in the room any longer. He quickly raced up the stairs and into his own room, grabbing his car keys and his jacket. “I’ll be back Megs!” he called as he ran down the stairs. “I have to go meet Misha down town for a few hours. Don’t wreck the house!”
**~~**
As he looked at the face of the judge, he frowned. In all his years of defending, he had never seen a judge that was so hard to read. This was going to be a close case, Jim knew; and quite honestly, he didn’t have much faith in winning. No one ever won against the Ackles because they had such a large influence over the town.
“There will be a brief recess before we come back and finish this hearing,” the judge announced, swinging his gavel before he stood and walked out. The hearing had been going on now for two hours and Jared knew it wasn’t looking good. Nevertheless, he had to have hope, right? Anything could happen in the next few hours.
He slowly made his way outside, needing some air after being cooped up in that room all day not knowing what was going to happen. Megan was mad at both him and Chad for not telling her what was going on, and Jared was at the end of his rope for the most part. If his father was convicted, he didn’t know what he would do. Of course, this was just a bail hearing, but Jared knew he had to be prepared for anything.
Suddenly, he felt the weight of everything just come crashing down on him and tears welled up in his eyes, forcing him to sit down so he could gather himself. He couldn’t cry here. Not now. He needed to be strong for Megan and his father. But it was just so hard sometimes. Jeff was caught up in Prague where he had been studying for school, and quite honestly, Jared didn’t think he would have come back even if he could. They didn’t really get along anymore, so Jeff stayed away as much as possible to avoid a huge fight. It only upset his father.
And his mother had died in a car accident the night his father was diagnosed with this terrible heart condition, which left Jared here to be the caretaker; to keep everything in line and make sure nothing bad happened to the family. So far, he was doing a terrible job.
A hand on his shoulder caused Jared to jump slightly. His eyes moved from the hand to the owner of said hand’s face, eyes widening when he saw how was standing there. “J-Jensen?” Jared gasped, quickly pushing to his feet and putting distance between the two of them. “What are you doing here?”
“Um…my family’s here,” Jensen answered with a smile. “I heard about what happened to your dad. Tough break huh?” sighing he took a seat where Jared had vacated moments earlier. “What do you think the judge is going to say?”
Sighing, Jared shrugged. “I have no idea. But you know he didn’t do this, Jensen. You have to know that.” He had no idea why he wasn’t telling Jensen to pound salt right now, not very fond of the youngest Ackles boy. A few years ago, on Jared’s eighteenth birthday, he and Jensen had been at the same party; one that Jensen’s best friend Christian Kane had thrown. Like at any teenage party where there were no adults present, alcohol was a big part of the fun. Jared had been a freshman to Harvard University that year and he wanted to meet people and possibly make some friends before it got too far into the semester.
After a few hours of mingling, he had met Jensen Ackles, a pretty boy senior who seemed to be very confident that Jared had potential to be one of the greatest students that had ever come through Harvard’s doors. Back then, Jared had been naïve and he believed Jensen was telling him the truth and wasn’t just trying to seduce him. He’d heard stories of Jensen’s conquests, but who the hell would have ever thought a gorgeous senior like Jensen would have been gay, for one; and two, into a freshman with floppy hair and absolutely nothing to give him.
They got to talking a few minutes after their initial meeting, which was when Jensen started to hand Jared drinks. Of course, Jensen was drinking too, so Jared figured it was what he had to do in order to keep the conversation alive. But Jared had never had a drink before in his life, always too worried about being the good son and the role model for his little sister, so he was a little nervous about it, promising himself that he was only going to have one.
Soon, one beer turned into two and then three, resulting in a very drunk Jared. He didn’t remember much about the rest of that night, but he did remember the morning after. His head had felt like he’d just been hit by a semi and he woke up naked in a bed next to Jensen, who was also naked. Of course, Jared jumped to the obvious conclusion – they’d had sex – and quickly jumped out of the bed.
Not wanting to be humiliated when Jensen woke up and treated him like just another notch in his headboard, Jared got his clothes on, ignoring the pain in his backside as he did, and walked out of the house. Luckily, no one else had slept over that night. Of course, when he got home, he was bitched at for being out all night and not letting his parents know and was sent to his room until dinner. Not that his parents’ punishment was anything even close to what Jared was doing to himself. He felt dirty and sick. He’d lost his virginity to Jensen Ackles at a party while he was drunk; could he have been any more of a cliché?!
He ignored the phone calls from Jensen that came the next week and a half and kept to himself mostly at school. Finally, after his mother had given him up and spilled that he was home, Jared had to speak to Jensen. Much to his surprise, Jensen asked him if he wanted to go out to dinner, but Jared refused, figuring it was just some sort of scheme to either humiliate him or get him into bed again. Jared didn’t need either. He’d been used by Jensen once, and he had no intention of letting it happen again.
“Yeah,” Jensen answered with a nod. “I know he didn’t do it. But who would ever believe me over my father?” Actually, he knew a way to get his father to do exactly what he wanted, but he didn’t need to be advertising that little bit of information. If Jared wanted his help, there was something he was going to have to do for Jensen first.
When Jensen told him he knew his father didn’t do it, Jared felt a jolt of hope shoot through him. “You believe me?!” he asked, smiling wide so that his dimples were showing. Forgetting that he was trying to stay away from Jensen, he took a seat beside the older male. “Jensen you could try! Please, I would really appreciate it. My father can’t go to jail for something he didn’t do! It’s not right!” If he had one of the Ackles’ on his side, then he might have a shot at getting his father off the hook.
Smiling, Jensen nodded slowly, figuring that he had Jared right where he wanted him. “I could try, I suppose,” Jensen answered with a small shrug. “But if I agree to help you, there’s something you have to do for me, too. Kind of an ‘I scratch your back, you scratch mine’ thing. What do you say, Jared?”
Slowly, Jared swallowed, not knowing about this whole situation all of a sudden. But it was his father and he had to try every angle to get him off the hook for this false accusation. “All right, what do you want me to do?”
Jensen’s smile widened when Jared asked what he wanted him to do. “It’s really quite simple Jared,” he assured him, moving just a bit closer. “You remember that night we had back in college, don’t you? Well, you left before I could talk to you again and then you refused to have dinner with me. I want it back, Jay. Be with me.” Before Jared could move away, Jensen cupped the back of his neck and pulled him into a heated kiss, tongue pushing into the younger male’s mouth, mapping out the hot cavern.
As soon as Jensen’s lips were on his, Jared’s eyes widened and he made the mistake of gasping in surprise, which gave Jensen’s tongue access to his mouth. Quickly, he shoved Jensen away from him, jumping off of the bench as he wiped his lips off with the back of his hand. “Ugh! You bastard! You’re sick!” he shouted, glaring at Jensen. “No way! I’m not doing that again. I happen to be in a serious relationship right now. And even if I wasn’t, the answer would still be no. I’m not into casual sex, you jerk!”
Really, Jensen though Jared would have gone for it. After all, his father’s freedom was on the line here and if there was anything Jared could do to prevent it, Jensen was sure the younger male would have done it. Apparently, he had read Jared wrong, however. “Fine,” Jensen answered, smiling up at Jared. “I hope your father’s able to get his medication in prison. I hear they’re really strict about that kind of stuff. You know, not wanting the inmates to sell their medication as drugs in there to gain allies.”
“Go to Hell,” Jared spat when Jensen spoke, his body practically vibrating with anger. “My father is innocent! And he’ll be granted bail and then he’ll win the case! And all of this will just be a bad memory.” With that, Jared stormed back into the court room, taking his seat between Misha and Megan, waiting for the judge to come back in.
Feisty; Jensen had always loved that about Jared. The few times he tried to catch him in the hall way after their encounter, Jared had always been a little spitfire. It was good to know Jared hadn’t lost that edge. If Jared had stayed that morning until Jensen woke up, things might have turned out a lot differently between the two of them. He had actually been considering asking Jared to be his steady boyfriend, knowing there was something different about Jared than all those other meaningless fucks.
But Jared had left and then wouldn’t talk to him again. It kind of pissed Jensen off, but in a way it also turned him on. Jared Padalecki was the only person to ever turn Jensen down, which just made Jensen more interested in getting Jared to be his. And he was going to succeed; even if he had to blackmail the younger male to do it!
Seeing the judge about ready to go into the court room, Jensen caught up to him. “Judge Pellegrino, can I talk to you for a minute?” he called, stopping once he was right in front of the judge.
When he heard his name being called, Mark stopped and looked to see who was calling him. “Oh Jensen, hello. Sure, but make it quick; I have a bail to grant.” He figured that Gerald Padalecki wasn’t a flight risk, so it was all right if he stayed at his house until the trial.
“You’re granting him bail, Mark?” Jensen asked, seeming shocked. “Wow, I never thought I would see the day when Mark Pellegrino put a dangerous criminal out on the streets until his trial. I mean, Alona is afraid to leave her house since the attack. Poor girl’s worried that Gerald might come back to the office unannounced and hurt her again.” Sighing, Jensen shook his head. “I feel really bad for her. She used to be so full of life. And now she’s so…quiet and reserved; jumpy, you know.”
As Jensen explained about Alona’s behavior after the attack, Mark frowned. He couldn’t believe that poor girl had been hurt like that and now she was worried it was going to happen again. Slowly, he shook his head. “That’s a shame. I remember Alona. She did always seem so full of life. I can’t believe anyone would want to hurt her. Let alone Gerald Padalecki. I mean, he was like a father to her. I’ve seen them in the park more than once. He was helping her study for some college course she was taking.”
Shrugging, Jensen mused, “Well, you know some people are just fucked up in the head. I know you’ll do the right thing here Mark, right?” Pulling out pictures of Mark and his housekeeper Danneel, Jensen bit his lip. “I mean, I’d hate for these to leak to your wife. She’d be furious. And you could forget about seeing the kids.”
The bailiff came popped his head out of the door then and explained that Mark needed to get back in the court room. Mark merely nodded before he turned his worried gaze to Jensen. He knew that as long as he played along, those pictures would never reach his wife’s hands. “Thank you for letting me know about this, Jensen,” Mark smiled. “You may have just changed my mind on the case of Gerald Padalecki.”
**~~**
Jared thought he was going to pass out when he heard the judge say that his father had been denied bail. This couldn’t be happening. How the hell was this possibly happening?! Then it hit him; Jensen. He had to have been behind this. That little comment back in the lobby wasn’t just a threat; it had been a warning.
Quickly, Jared turned to Misha and shook his head. “Jensen did this! He made sure my father got denied bail!” He wanted to go find Jensen and throttle him, but he knew he couldn’t do that unless he wanted his sister to be left all alone because he had been taken to jail for assaulting that jerk. But that didn’t mean the thought wasn’t in his head.
“What do you mean Jensen did this, sweetie?” Misha asked, brow creasing in confusion. He knew Jensen and Jared didn’t get along, but for Jensen to be as cruel as to put a man who was sick and needed access to his medication was a little absurd. “Come on, Jensen couldn’t have done this. The judge is just a prick who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Smiling softly down at his boyfriend, Misha cupped his cheeks before he kissed him softly. “Don’t worry about it, Jay. We’ll figure something else out. Jim is an excellent lawyer. Your dad will get out of this. Trust me.”
He tried to smile, but what came out was a poor excuse. Misha was just trying to help and Jared knew that, but it didn’t make this better. “All right, we’ll win the trial,” he nodded, trying to make himself believe it. “Uh…we should go somewhere and eat. Megan’s probably hungry and she won’t eat anything if it’s just me and her. She’s still mad at me.”
Nodding, Misha ushered Jared out of the court room, Megan in tow. Right before the door closed, Jared saw Jensen giving him a smug smirk, which pissed him off more than he had already been and all of a sudden, Jared didn’t feel much like going to eat.
The ride to whatever restaurant Misha picked was silent for the most part. Megan was ignoring Jared and Jared was too pissed off to say more than a few words at a time only when he was answering a question Misha had asked. And dinner wasn’t much better. At least Megan started talking a little more, to Misha but not Jared. He didn’t much care, though. Right now, Jared was thinking of a way to get his father out of this whole mess without losing his dignity.
By the time they got home, Jared still had nothing, which was a huge disappointment. So, after Megan went to her room and Misha went home, Jared did the only thing he could think of; called Jensen. As the phone rang, he thought more than once about just hanging up, but he didn’t. This was for his father. If he didn’t do this, there was a possibility that his dad could die, and then Jared would have to live the rest of his life knowing that he could have stopped that fate from coming to pass.
On the fifth ring, Jensen answered. “Jared, I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you for a while. At least not until the trial.” His smile was clear in his voice as he spoke, which led Jared to believe that Jensen had been expecting his call. “What can I do for you, Jared?”
“You’re an asshole,” Jared bit out. “You know exactly why I’m calling. I can’t think of another reason why I would be calling you and if you can then you’re living in a fantasy world. I want to talk about making sure my father doesn’t spend another day in jail.”
A wide smile came to Jensen face when he heard Jared’s words. Bingo. “Mm…sorry Jared, I’m really busy right now. I have a lot of paperwork to do for my next case and then I have to turn in because I have to get an early start tomorrow. Really, I’m sorry; I wish I could help you.” After a pause, Jensen added, “Well, I’m free tomorrow night for dinner. I mean, if you want to talk then, we surely can do that.”
Rolling his eyes, Jared explained, “Jensen, I have a boyfriend. I already told you that I’m with Misha. I’ll meet you at Ackles Incorporated, just tell me what time.” There was no way Jared was going to betray Misha by having dinner with Jensen unless there was a good reason for it.
Jensen hummed softly when Jared spoke before he clicked his tongue. “Sorry, I can’t do that,” he answered with a shake of his head. “It’s either you have dinner with me, or your father rots in a jail cell. Your choice baby.”
The younger male had to fight back the urge to vomit. Dinner with Jensen; he hadn’t wanted to be part of that four years ago and he sure as hell didn’t want to be part of that right now. But he was kind of stuck if he wanted to help his father, he supposed. Swallowing down the bile that was threatening to rise, Jared answered, “Fine. When and where?”
Again, Jensen smiled before he answered, “The Ritz, you know the place down on the corner of West 45th Street? Meet me there at seven sharp and we’ll talk about what we can do for your father. Oh, and Jared, make sure you look nice. This is a fancy restaurant and I don’t want to have to be seen with you if you look like a slob.”
With that, Jensen hung up, sighing as he flopped back down onto his bed. Just a few more nights now, he was sure. Maybe even only one night and Jared would be in his house, his bed, for the rest of their lives. He wasn’t a nut job who believed in happily ever after, or anything, but he did believe in the power he could hold over someone. And what he had over Jared was a real winner that could keep the younger male here a very long time.
**~~**
“Where are you going?” Megan asked when she saw Jared pulling his coat on. She was a little less angry today and she had called Sophia and Sandy to come over because Sandy had a crush on Jared and Megan had promised he would be here.
When Megan asked where he was going, Jared shrugged as he shook his head. “It’s not important. I’ll be back soon.” Feeling to make sure he had his keys, Jared asked, “Uh, when are Sophia and Sandy supposed to be here?”
Leaning against the banister, Megan twirled a piece of her hair as she answered, “They’re coming over at eight. Oh and they’re staying all night. You said you didn’t care yesterday. How long is soon? I promised Sandy you would be here when they were.”
Jared rolled his eyes when Megan mentioned Sandy. She was a nice girl and everything, but Jared was happy with Misha. And even if he didn’t have Misha, he wouldn’t have been with Sandy. Sure, she was attractive and a real catch, he assumed, but he was into men, not women. Repeatedly, he’d tried to explain that to Megan, but he supposed his sister had never passed on the message. “I don’t know. A couple of hours maybe. I really have to go, I’m going to be late. I’ll call you before I come home.”
Quickly, Jared walked out the door and climbed into his car. If he was late, there was a chance Jensen would just leave so he wouldn’t have to make nice on his deal. Well, Jared wasn’t about to let that happen, accelerating the speed limit by almost thirty miles to make it to the restaurant in time. He had been here once before with Misha, but they had ended up not staying. The waiters seemed like they had sticks up their asses and neither Jared nor Misha had wanted to deal with that. Of course, Jared didn’t really have much of a choice now.
He made his way into the restaurant and was greeted by the hostess who asked if she could take his coat. Nodding, he took it off for her and let her hang it up on the rack. “I’m looking for someone, he’s probably here waiting for me,” Jared explained. “Uh, his name’s Ackles. Jensen Ackles.”
Smiling, the hostess nodded. “Right this way, Mr. Padalecki,” she instructed, leading Jared through the dining room to a private little nook at the back of the restaurants. “Mr. Ackles told us you would be coming. He hasn’t been here long, so I don’t think you have much to worry about. Here you are. And your menu, sir. The waitress will be here shortly to take your order, gentlemen. Enjoy.”
“Champagne?” Jensen asked, holding the bottle out to Jared. “You’re late, but I suppose I can let it slide. I mean, at least you look decent, which is a plus.”
Jared eyed the champagne with disgust before he shook his head. “Why, so you can get me drunk and seduce me again? No thank you, I think I’ll pass.” When the waitress came over to the table, Jared ordered a water to drink and requested a few more minutes with the menu.
A small frown came to Jensen’s lips at Jared’s remark. He hadn’t seduced Jared that night. Jared had too much to drink and came on to him. It would have been rude to decline the young male. And Jensen would have been an idiot to not want Jared, so he’d gone for it. If Jared’s moaning was any indication, he seemed to have enjoyed himself. Not to mention he came three times that night.
“How much do you remember about that night, Jared? Really remember, not just things you heard from other people?” He knew Mike Rosenbaum had been filling Jared’s heads with lies about how Jensen had purposely gotten him drunk so he could fuck the new kid. That wasn’t it at all, but no one had believed him. Screw all of them; they could believe what they wanted. But he needed Jared to know the truth.
Shaking his head, Jared answered, “I don’t want to talk about it. We have more important things to discuss right now. Like you getting my father out of that jail cell.” Closing his menu and folding his arms over it, Jared looked into Jensen’s grass green eyes. “Can you do it, or not?”
Slowly, a smile spread over Jensen’s face. “Of course I can do it. I’m the one who put him in there essentially, so I can get him back out. It’s just a matter of me wanting to.” Leaning closer to Jared, he locked gazes with the younger male. “The question is Jared, can you do what’s necessary to get him out of that cell?”
Could he? Jared wasn’t sure, but he was going to do everything in his power to do just that. “That kind of depends on you, Jensen. What do you want from me?” He wasn’t agreeing to anything until he knew what the terms were.
Jensen pulled back slightly as the waitress came back. He smiled up at her and ordered his meal, then let Jared order before she walked away. Once she was gone, Jensen returned his attention to Jared. “We’ll discuss this after dinner.”
He hated that idea, but again there wasn’t much he could do about it. Jensen was calling all of the shots, and that was no secret. So, he just nodded and waited for his food to come. Surprisingly, the meal was actually quite good and Jared actually found himself relaxing a little. But when dinner was over and Jensen ordered dessert, Jared was tense once more. Dessert came soon after they ordered it and Jared was done playing. “All right, dinner’s over, cut the bullshit. This isn’t a real date Jensen, now get to it. What do you want?”
It was at least good while it lasted, Jensen supposed, having noticed that Jared had actually been starting to relax. Now, however, the younger male was as tense as he had been when he walked in, if not more so and was demanding to know what the terms were. “Watch your mouth, we’re not out at some burger joint,” he chastised with a shake of his head.
Again, he leaned in close to Jared, their hands almost touching. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Jared; ever since that night at Chris’s house. You might not remember it, but I sure as hell do, even when I don’t want to sometimes,” Jensen explained. “So here’s the deal: you want your father out of prison and I want you. I think it’s a fair trade, don’t you?”
Not following, Jared shook his head slightly. “You…want me to go to jail in place of my father?” he asked, obviously clueless.
“No,” Jensen answered as he shook his head. “Come live with me. You stay at my house under certain…terms and you’re father will be a free man again. Megan can have her father back and you can stop worrying about his health issue. It’s a perfect plan.” He held out his had to stop Jared from speaking and ordered, “Don’t say anything yet. Think about it first.”
Pushing to his feet, Jensen grabbed his jacket before leaning over Jared and whispering in his ear, “I’ll give you until midnight tonight to give me an answer. You know where I live; just stop by and I’ll have Jeffrey let you in. We’ll go over the terms there with Steve and we’ll get everything squared away.” He nipped the shell of Jared’s ear before he finally pulled away. “Finish your cake. I’ll see you later tonight, baby.”
Jared had no idea what he was going to do now, but he knew it wasn’t going to be finishing his damn cake! Jensen was blackmailing him into living with him?! Did he know how fucking insane this was?! But really, did Jared have a choice? No, he really didn’t, and they both knew that. Jensen had practically been doing a damn victory dance as he left the restaurant because he knew he had Jared stuck.
With a sigh, Jared walked out to the lobby grabbing his coat and leaving. He had tried to pay for dinner, but the hostess informed him that Jensen had taken care of it. Once he was outside, he took a walk around the block once or twice, just thinking. It was around eleven now, and he knew he had to tell Megan he wouldn’t be home until late. Quickly, he pulled out his phone and called his sister. “Hey Megs, turns out I’m going to be a little later than I thought. Probably won’t be home until the early morning. Don’t wreck the house with Sandy and Sophia all right? I’ll be home as soon as I can be.”
After telling Megan that he loved her and then talking to Sandy for a while since Megan had insisted, Jared was in his car once more, driving to Jensen’s house. His father had been here a few times, so Jared knew where it was. Not as well as he knew the Ackles’ residence since he had been there more than three times, but he still knew where Jensen’s place was.
Once he was at the gate, he rang the bell, noticing the camera overhead. Someone was a little too cautious, he thought. Then again, someone as rich as Jensen couldn’t be too careful, he supposed. When the gate opened, he drove on through, parking behind a black stretch limo that was sitting in front of the house.
Jensen was out the door as soon as Jared hit the top stair with a wide smile on his face. “So, you’ve made your decision, I take it?” Jensen asked, his smile still plastered on his face.
“Yeah, I’ve made my decision,” Jared answered, wanting so badly to tell Jensen to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. But he knew he couldn’t, so he just said, “Let’s discuss the terms. I want to be home by three. My sister said there’s a movie on that looks really good. She wants me to watch it with her. I don’t want to break my promise.”
Nodding, Jensen ushered Jared inside, closing the door behind them. Tomorrow night, he was going to have Jared right where he wanted him; in his bed; on his terms.