21. King

TWENTY-ONE

king

IF THIS DECISION ended up being a disaster, I'd blame it all on Archer. I had no business listening to my friend who'd gone and exploded his life a year ago, but here I was, in my private plane, about to land in my private sanctuary, and entertaining not one, but two brazen young men half my age.

It was lunacy, sheer insanity, yet somehow I couldn't find it in myself to give a damn.

Seeing Archer happier than ever had triggered something buried deep, something I hadn't thought about in years. What was the point of being one of the most powerful men in Manhattan if I didn't use it to my personal advantage? I had everything I'd ever desired and more, and it wouldn't kill me to have a little X-rated fun with these two.

Besides, they had no idea the bear they'd just poked. They assumed this was some hot rendezvous with their professor, that I was no one of importance in the grand scheme of things, but they couldn't be more wrong. I'd given them a glimpse the other night with the invitation that there was more going on than they ever realized, but even with East hiring investigators and hackers, neither of them had any idea who I really was outside of Astor. I'd gone to great lengths to keep my private life under lock and key, and here I was, opening up my world to a couple of sexy exhibitionists.

Maybe I was getting soft in my middle age.

My mouth curved behind my fist as I remembered East telling me in the limo that I should be called a hardass daily. He was right about that, even if he didn't know how far that role extended.

Our flight attendant returned, handing each of us a fresh drink. "The pilot said we'll be landing shortly, Mr. Kingston."

"Thank you."

As she disappeared again and the jet began to descend, Zac peered out the window into the night, the full moon casting its light on the vast stretch of water below. A crease formed between his brows.

"You look worried," East said, looking entirely at home in the luxury cabin with a martini glass dangling between his fingers. "Please don't tell me you're one of those people who claps when the plane lands."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Then what's with the face?"

"Just seeing a whole lot of water and not a whole lot of land."

"Afraid you'll have to swim?" East smirked before meeting my eyes. "Care to tell us where you've whisked us away to, since my phone's not updating the location?"

"You'll see," I said.

"You really get off on this cryptic persona of yours, you know that?"

"I do. As much as I know it's testing you not to have any control right now."

East pouted, and Zac laughed, the tension that had crept into his face easing when he saw how put out his fuck buddy was.

"Gotta say, I like watching someone besides me put you in your place."

"Neither of you should get used to that," East said, before swallowing half of his martini. "Besides, I'm not completely unaware of our general vicinity in the world."

Zac and I shared a look, and then I spread my hands wide. "Do tell us, James. Where are we?"

That gleam in East's eyes reminded me of what Archer said about not underestimating him. "First of all, we haven't been in the air long enough for a transatlantic flight, so that's out. But we've been over water the entire trip, so that knocks out staying anywhere in the States. We sure as hell haven't gone north without packing more layers, so the conclusion is obvious." He drained his martini with a flourish. "We're somewhere in the Caribbean."

Impressive. He was paying attention, but I wouldn't reward him yet. "Is that all you've narrowed it down to? That encompasses many countries."

"Does it matter the name? One island's as good as another."

Zac groaned. "Professor, please tell me you brought a muzzle."

"I'm not answering to that name on this trip, remember?"

Instantly, the temperature in the cabin changed. One minute it was teasing, and the next it was a fuck of a lot more scintillating. Especially when Zac licked his lower lip, leaving a glistening trail I couldn't wait to suck on. If we weren't about to land, I might've considered throwing out my plans and taking both of them right here, right now.

"Apologies," Zac said, holding my stare. " King ."

Goddammit . That word on his tongue did things to my dick that would make it hard to walk out of here. It throbbed with anticipation, hard and insistent, ready for all the night would bring, and from the way they both began to shift in their seats with the kind of restlessness currently riding me, I knew they were just as on edge.

A few more minutes of tense silence and we finally landed with a jolt and began to taxi down to the hangar. Once we came to a stop, I swirled the last of my whiskey around the ball of ice and tossed it back.

Here we go.

The alcohol was helping as reality set in that I'd brought these two here for a week of whatever debauchery they wanted to get up to.

Or into.

I led the three of us down the steps and started toward the hangar, but East's curse had me looking back.

"Hold on a second." With narrowed eyes, he slowly took in our surroundings as Zac did the same, only with more surprise than suspicion.

Even though it was dark, the lights from the hangar and those from the main house at the highest point of the island showcased just how uninhabited it was.

"A private island, huh?" East said, stepping onto the tarmac. He slipped the bag the flight attendant handed him onto his shoulder and walked over to join me. "Whose?"

"Mine."

He stared at me for a long moment. " Your island. As in you own it, you're not just renting it for a few days."

"East—" Zac started, but I held my hand up.

"Surprised? Bewildered as to how I could possibly have all of this and the Phantom too?"

"Yes." East glanced back at the plane. "That's yours as well?"

"It is."

Something unspoken seemed to pass between East and Zac, and then the mouthy one cocked his head at me and said, "Are you Batman?"

Another long silence descended.

"Oh my God ." Zac's head fell back, and he let out a litany of curses under his breath.

"What?" East said as I turned on my heel and unlocked my Ford Bronco. "He didn't answer the question."

"You're an idiot." Zac gave East a shove before loading his luggage in the trunk. He gestured for East to do the same, and to my surprise, he did.

I climbed behind the wheel, and before I could start the engine, Zac got in the passenger seat, leaving East to take the back. It was just part of the boldness I appreciated about Zac, even more so when he turned around and said, "I'm sure this is his too."

"It seems Zac's the brains of your duo." I started the car and caught East's eyes in the rearview mirror. "Which makes you the brat."

The brat who made my cock hard and my palm itch with the urge to teach his insubordinate ass a lesson. I'd thought of how I wanted tonight to play out since I'd made the decision to bring them here. Who I wanted on their knees first, where I wanted it to happen. The memory of coating their faces with my cum… The sound of their begging me to fuck them… Catching them earlier today in my office. None of that started with a tour of the island, which was why I hit the gas and headed straight for the main house.

It was an ambient paradise, large and lush, as private as you could get. My staff had already left for the night, having gotten things ready for our arrival during our flight.

We had the place to ourselves. Every inch. And I intended to make good use of it.

It was far too quiet on the short drive, and it wasn't until I pulled in at the front of the house that I realized why. Their jaws were on the floor as they both stared at the palatial estate. It was clear neither had expected this to be our final destination.

They practically stumbled out of the SUV and grabbed their bags.East shook his head like he was trying to clear it. "Who the hell are you?"

With my back turned, I smiled to myself, enjoying the utter perplexity that was flipping their worlds upside down.

I opened the arched iron door and gestured for them to enter first. "I'm just your humble professor."

"I think you've proven that's not entirely true?—"

Zac cut off as he came to an abrupt stop in the foyer. His bag fell down his arm and hit the floor with a smack, but he didn't seem to notice.

East whistled low as he strolled inside, nodding as he took it all in.

It was a breathtaking house, one I'd had built from the ground up years ago. Every little detail had been meticulously planned to suit my tastes, including the floor-to-ceiling glass doors that opened to let in the ocean breeze. It was the epitome of indoor-outdoor living, my own personal haven, and secretly I was pleased they both seemed to like it. I planned to have them come over every damn inch of it.

"Tell me this isn't where you show us to our separate wings and tell us to get a good night's sleep so you can go be a vigilante?" East said.

"No. It's not." I closed the door firmly shut and set my suitcase off to the side. My body hummed in anticipation as I turned to face them both. "As a matter of fact, neither of you will be sleeping tonight. Now get undressed."