Second Chances Read online

  “Second Chances”

  M/M Gay Romance

  David Horne

  © 2018

  David Horne

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18.

  Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life. If you’re not sure where to start, see here: http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com/safe-sex-resources/ (courtesy of Jerry Cole).

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images and are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

  Edition v1.00 (2018.06.04)

  http://www.DavidHorneauthor.com

  Trigger Warning: This story contains aspects of the serious subject of stalking.

  Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Judy M., C. Robinson, Elryc Caledon and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Free Book “Princes of Westlake”

  Chapter One

  Aaron

  “Dammit!”

  This job was becoming a thorn in my side. First, Jim sends me out with the newbie crew that has never worked on a building from the ground up, and now we keep getting sent the wrong materials, putting us further behind schedule.

  Stomping out to my truck I find my phone and call Jim. “Hey, Aaron,” he answers after the second ring.

  “Are you kidding me with this crap, Jim!”

  “Whoa, man. Calm down. What’s wrong now?”

  I squeeze my phone so hard I’m surprised the damn thing doesn’t break in my hand. “I don’t understand how you can be so calm. We're weeks behind on this job because you’ve got me out here working with an entire crew of rookies, and now our deliveries are screwed up too.”

  “What do you mean the delivery is messed up? Have they not delivered the cabinets yet?”

  “Oh, they delivered some cabinets all right.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  I grit my teeth together and remind myself that I cannot quit this job. It’s hard to quit when you’re the owner. I’ve got way too much invested in this to walk away, but Jim has been getting out of hand with these cost cutting measures of his, and this is a new low. “The problem is what they delivered is complete crap. The cabinets they brought look like prefab particle wood.”

  I pause, giving him time to catch up to me. He should be angry too. We build high-quality homes. The supplier can’t truly expect us to accept this shipment in place of the oak cabinets we ordered.

  “Jim? Did I lose you?”

  “No. I’m still here.”

  “So, are you going to call them and get this fixed? We need those cabinets here right away. We can’t afford any more delays.”

  “Those are the cabinets I ordered, Aaron. They look good enough and the cost was far cheaper than the oak we normally go with.”

  “You’re messing with me, right? We can’t put these cabinets in these houses. We aren’t building trailers out here, Jim. People will not pay what we’re asking if we put a cheap product like this in the houses. Kitchens sell houses.”

  “Nobody’s gonna notice the cabinets aren’t oak during a showing, Aaron.”

  “You’re definitely overestimating how good these cabinets look. I think you need to come take a look in person, and when you realize I’m right and get the right product ordered you’re going to need to send me some more help if there is any chance of me getting this house done on time. I’ll never catch up with this piss-poor crew you sent me; not with all these setbacks.”

  “Aaron…”

  “No! Jim, don’t 'Aaron' me. Get your ass out here so you can see what they brought us, then get me some real cabinets out here to work with. I’m getting out of here for a bit. You call me when you’ve got your head on straight and have my cabinets on the way.”

  I head back in the house and shake my head when I see the crew standing around doing nothing. These guys have zero ambition. I hate having to tell them every move to make, but I’ll be damned if they will make a move without being specifically instructed to do so. “Did someone say it was break time and I missed the memo?”

  None of them answer. They just look around at each other, each one of them waiting for another to step up. “Just get the painting finished in the upstairs. I’ve got to see to another issue. I’ll be back. If Jim gets here before me, tell him to call me.”

  A lot of nodding and a couple of “okays” come my way. I clamp down my annoyance. It’s not their fault. None of them should have been hired for this job. They don’t have the skills or experience for this level of work. This is Jim’s fault, just like the subpar cabinets sitting in the yard. I wouldn’t even let the guys bring them inside. They are going back if I have to bust them down and deliver the pieces in the back of my pickup.

  It’s time for me to take more control. I’m going to find some real help because it’s becoming clear that Jim only cares about making money. Selling quality homes doesn’t matter to him, but it matters to me. Ben’s money won’t be wasted on crap work. I rub on my chest, but it doesn’t help. Never does. Never will. Damn, I miss him.

  I shut my eyes and take a deep breath, tucking those feelings back in the corner where I like to lock them away and head to my truck. Time to find some real construction workers.

  Chapter Two

  Caleb

  “Hey, Caleb. Can I get you a burger or somethin’?”

  Reaching for my waist I pulled off my tool belt and put it on the stool next to me. I pulled out the seat in front of me and sat down at the bar. I shook my head at Al, the bartender, and pointed to the bottles of whiskey behind him. “No food. Just a shot of that.”

  Al chuckled as he grabbed the bottle and placed a glass in front of me. “That kind of day already, huh?”

  I huffed. “Yeah. On second thought, better make that a double.”

  Before I could bring the glass to my lips, the sound of something scraping along the floor to my left had me turning my head. The guy positioning himself on the stool next to me was hot. He was tall, with messy brown hair that looked like he’d probably just taken off a hat, a body made of the k
ind of muscle a man grew through hard labor instead of spending his days in a gym, and the way his jeans hugged his ass was asking for attention. If I wasn’t having such a bad morning I’d find a way to get him to go home with me and fuck him into tomorrow, but the way my day was going he’d probably steal my TV after I passed out for the night.

  I watched as he pointed to the whiskey bottle Al had sat down in front me and said, “I’ll take a shot of that, too.”

  Al placed a glass in front of him and turned the bottle up, filling the shot glass with the brown liquid. I watched as the guy brought the drink to his mouth and downed it before gesturing for Al to fill his glass again. I drank the whisky in my own glass, enjoying the burn as it slid down the back of my throat and set my glass down on the counter. I pointed to the glass as my new drinking partner downed his second shot. “Looks like your day’s goin’ bout as good as mine.”

  “If you’re stuck working with a bunch of unskilled hacks acting like they know somethin’ about construction, and a cheapskate partner who keeps cutting corners to save a dime, then we’re on the same page.”

  I laughed and picked the whiskey bottle up from where Al had left it on the counter and poured us both another shot. “Somethin’ like that.” The guy took his shot and looked at me expectantly. “I just lost my job after ten years with the same company to some of those no-talent asshats because they’ll work for half of what it takes to pay me and the guys on my crew.”

  My drinking buddy smiled and held his hand out. Not sure why, I shook his hand. “I’m Aaron. I think both of our days just got better.”

  “How’s that?”

  “You need a new employer, and I need a crew who knows what the hell they’re doin’.”

  “My crew and I don’t work for cheap.”

  The guy just smiled brighter. He was even hotter with a smile on his face. “I don’t need cheap. I need experience and skill.”

  I smirked and fought the urge to tell him all about what I could do for him with my skills, but I kept a lid on it. I needed work and if he was legit then I didn’t want to run him off with inappropriate sexual innuendos. He could end up being my next boss, so instead I said, “We could get references if you need them. I’ve been building houses since before I got out of high school, and so have most of my crew.”

  “You got time to take a look at this house I’m working on now? We are so far behind. I could use some good help to get back on track.”

  I smiled and stood up putting my tool belt back around my waist. “Yeah. I think I could make time. I’m Caleb by the way.”

  “It’s really good to meet you Caleb.” Aaron smiled and put a fifty on the bar between our glasses. “This is on me. I’ll get the penny pincher I’m partnered up with to write it off as a business lunch. Let’s go.”

  I followed him an hour away to a construction site. Based on the markers plotted out around the house he pulled in front of they were building a new neighborhood. If that was the case this could be a good find for my crew. Neighborhoods mean lots of work, and that is what we wanted and needed after losing our long-time jobs.

  The first thing I noticed when I got out of my truck were the cabinets sitting in the middle of the front yard. They were the kind of thing you expected to see going in a trailer or modular home; something thrown together fast with the cheapest materials, so the home could be sold quickly and at low cost. They hardly seemed like what you’d expect in an upscale neighborhood. Maybe this was the cheapskate thing Aaron was going on about at the bar. “I hope these are sittin’ out here for the trash.”

  Aaron scowled. “That’s all they’re good for. I’d burn them, but I doubt they’d even make for a good fire.”

  We both just laughed as another man came out of the house and approached us. Unlike Aaron, the guy looked like a spray tanned gym nut with his too tight jeans and t-shirt that looked like it belonged to his little sister. In other words, he was the picture you found on the internet when you searched the word “douchebag.”

  Douchebag McGee pointed at me when he walked up. “Who’s that?” he asked Aaron like I wasn’t standing right beside him.

  I held my hand out toward the douche before Aaron had a chance to respond. “Caleb North. Aaron’s showing me the place so I can get my crew up to speed.”

  Ever true to his douchebag persona, Mr. McGee refuses to shake my hand, instead he eyed me up and down like a venereal disease before turning his attention back to Aaron. “Aaron, we didn’t agree to hiring more laborers. I think you should come inside so we can talk.” He reached for Aaron like he was going to wrap his arm around Aaron and walk him inside, but Aaron took an evasive step to the side and folded his arms over his chest. I tried to hold my laugh in; truly, I tried. I failed, but it’s the thought that counts…right?

  Chapter Three

  Aaron

  When Caleb started laughing it was infectious and I couldn’t help myself. Jim looked offended—he really did—and I could have cared less. He was being a dick. I could tell by the way he looked at Caleb and referred to him as a laborer. His tone made him sound like one of those rich snobs who thought they were better than the working class, and it pissed me off. Luckily, Caleb wasn’t fazed by my partner’s façade and as soon as he started laughing I decided I liked him. If Jim was pissed that Caleb was laughing, he was livid when I joined him, laughing so hard I had to wipe moisture from under my eyes. He was right about one thing, though. We needed to talk. I was done with this new version of him. The one that cared more about money than quality. That was not what our company was about, and I was damn sure going to remind him of that fact.

  It took me a moment to get my act together and stop laughing, but I eventually turned to Caleb. “You go ahead inside. Look at what needs to be done and get an idea of appropriate pay for you and your crew to come in and help me out. I’ll find you when Jim and I are done here.”

  Caleb nodded. “Sure thing.”

  I waited for him to walk away before I turned my attention back to Jim. All the humor from a moment ago was gone as I stared him down. He needed to know I was serious because I only planned on having this conversation with him once.

  “Aaron, I don’t know what you are thinking, but you can’t…”

  I held my hand up and cut him off. “What I’m thinking? Jim, I think you’re the one who’s lost your way with this job. Hell, with this company. I am going to remind you of a few things, and you need to listen to what I’ve got to say because I am only saying it once. This company has always been about building quality homes and neighborhoods. One of the reasons I started this company was because I was tired of working for suits who only cared about making a buck and didn’t give a shit if we were selling subpar homes that might not stand the test of time. You are turning into one of those suits lately, wanting to cut costs and use discounted suppliers, and these crews you’re hiring made up of a bunch of kids barely out of high school who have no clue what they’re doing on site. It ends now.”

  Jim took a step toward me, his eyes narrowed. “I think you forgot…”

  I stepped right up to him and looked down locking my eyes with his. He gulped and I saw his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. There were benefits to being as tall as I was, like the fact that I could easily look down on most other men and Jim was no exception. “No, Jim. You forgot. I am the one who put you in charge of the office part of this business. I did that. We are not equal partners, Jim. I am your boss. I own this company, and I will be damned if I let you turn Ben’s money into just another money grubbing, no good firm. Ben would never stand for what you’re pulling lately, and I won’t either. If I never get rich at least I’ll know that I honored Ben by being honest and working hard. I won’t let you or anyone else take that away from me. This is your one warning, Jim. Get back on board or get the hell out. I don’t need your help if your only drive is putting a buck in your pocket.”

  Without giving him a chance to respond I stepped around him and headed to the house to f
ind Caleb. I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked away, but I would not turn back. He clearly needed a little time to think and figure out his own priorities. I’d give him a day or two, and if he didn’t have it figured out by then I’d decide for him. He was Ben’s brother and I really hoped we could work together, but I won’t let him run this business I used Ben’s money to build, into the ground. Ben worked too hard for me to let his memory be trampled like that. Hell, if Ben were here now he probably would have fired Jim the minute this project started and Jim started cutting corners to save a dime. Maybe I should make him come out and do some of the hard work on site. That might teach him the importance of not cutting corners on a build. I laugh to myself. Yeah, he’d definitely quit if he thought I was going to make him mess up his manicured nails getting dirty. He might look tough, but not a single muscle on the man’s body had been made doing real work, and no amount of gym time was the same as a good, hard day’s work.

  I found Caleb looking over the custom tile work I’d put in the master bathroom. “Somebody on your current crew must have some kind of skill to work with these patterns. You might want to consider keeping them around. We could teach him whatever else he needs to know.”

  I laughed and Caleb turned to look at me with an arched eyebrow. For the first time since I lost Ben I notice another man. I don’t mean just seeing him, but noticing the way his dark hair brings out his blue eyes, and the laugh lines at their edges when he smiles. I notice the muscles peeking from under the sleeves of his plain t-shirt, and how even in his paint stained work pants I can tell his legs are strong enough to hold me up, pinned against the wall as he took me hard and fast. I shake my head to get that image out of it. We’re about to start working together and the last thing I want or need, is a man in my bed right now; Ben’s face flashes in my head. In our bed.