Sleight of Hand by Charlie Cochet

Eight

He could get usedto this.

Gio lay on his side, his gaze on the beautifully sleep-rumpled man in front of him. Sacha was still asleep, Chip snoring softly on his back between them. Last night Gio had another nightmare, and instead of being woken up by Joker, he’d woken up to doggie kisses. The moment he’d opened his eyes, he’d smiled. His heart rate slowed far quicker than it had in the past, and a sense of safety and peace he’d never felt before washed over him. He’d never fallen asleep so quickly after one of his nightmares before, and usually when he did end up falling asleep, another nightmare often followed, but not this time.

For the first time in forever, Gio almost felt… rested.

Chip was the first to wake up. He stretched his neck out and licked at Sacha’s chin. Gio was forced to press his lips together to keep from laughing at Sacha’s scrunched-up nose. He moved his face, but every time he moved, Chip managed to get him somewhere else.

“Ah fuck,” Sacha groaned when Chip got him in the nose. “Stop trying to shove your tongue up my nose.”

Gio couldn’t help it, he laughed. Sacha opened his eyes, then narrowed them at Gio.

“Laugh it up. Wait until he does it to you. That thing has terrifying accuracy. He’s gotten me in the ear, the eyeball, inside my mouth, and up my nose.”

Gio rolled onto his back and laughed some more. He could just imagine the cursing Sacha had done after getting tongued by his dog.

“Chip, kiss Gio.”

Chip rolled onto his belly and launched himself at Gio, who yelped as he was assaulted by a doggie tongue, Chip’s heavy weight crawling all over him.

“I give!” Gio laughed. The more he tried to cover his face, the more determined Chip was. Suddenly he found himself flailing, and he let out a very manly yelp as he hit the carpet with a thud. Chip, of course, landed on his feet and continued his assault while Gio curled up in a ball as he attempted to fend off the slobbery attack. Above him on the bed, Sacha was in tears from laughing so hard. “I’m up! I’m up!” Gio pushed himself to his feet. He shook his head at Sacha. “Thanks for not saving me.”

Sacha let out an indelicate snort. “I’d say I was sorry, but I’m not. That was the funniest shit I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m glad I amuse you. How about some breakfast? I usually go for a run after.”

“Sounds perfect.” Sacha rolled out of bed and grabbed his phone before they headed downstairs with Chip.

Saint was already up and in the living room, working on his laptop.

“Hey, man,” Joker said, nodding at Saint. “Any word from HQ about last night?”

Saint shook his head. “Jack’s team has been scraping surveillance all over the place. King said to call him when you got up.”

“I’ll get breakfast going,” Gio said while Sacha put in a call to King.

“You’re on speaker,” Sacha said. “Gio and Saint are here.”

“Good. I’ve got an update, but it’s not much. We’ve established that the men sent to kidnap Gio last night were professionals.”

“Can’t be that professional if I kicked their asses,” Sacha replied, taking a seat on one of the chairs at the kitchen counter.

“Yeah, well, my guess is they didn’t expect to come up against someone like you. Whoever sent them didn’t do their homework. After what happened, Jack’s team found someone trying to hack into our system. They were looking for information on you and Saint. The team traced the hack, but when our team got there, they were gone. They underestimated us once. It’s unlikely they’re going to do so again.”

“Any connection between these guys and the ones from Sri Lanka?”

Gio jolted. “You think it’s the same people?”

“We don’t know. Jack’s team is still gathering intel on the kidnappers from Sri Lanka. The team’s looking into kidnap activity in the area, as well as any possible witnesses, but so far, no luck. It’s been a little over a year since the incident, so it’s going to take time. We’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I’m putting a second team on you, Gio. I’m also going to send someone else to back up Saint. These guys aren’t just going to walk away from this. They’re going to regroup and try again.”

Sacha glanced up, and Gio nodded. He let out a shaky breath. As much as he hated the idea of more security, it was the right thing to do.

“Okay. Thanks,” Sacha said before hanging up. He got up and sat next to Saint on the couch.

While the two discussed King’s idea to up Gio’s security, Gio got to work on cooking the three of them breakfast. It was nice having people over. His big house didn’t seem so empty. Maybe he should think about having a barbecue or something, let everyone know they were always welcome in his home. His thoughts went back to Sri Lanka. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that what happened back then could be connected to all of this. If it was, why now? Why wait almost a year to make another attempt? He needed to stop thinking about this. Without any real information, he’d just be grasping at straws.

Gio made plenty of scrambled eggs for the three of them, along with bacon. Chip stared up at him with those big brown eyes, his tail wagging. Darting a glance at Sacha, Gio slipped Chip a piece of bacon, whispering, “Don’t tell Daddy.”

“I like that you think I don’t know what you’re up to.”

Gio startled, a hand flying to his chest. “Christ!” He turned to glare at Sacha. “Where the hell did you come from?”

Sacha laughed. “You were too busy conspiring with the furry troublemaker to realize I’d gotten up.” He arched an eyebrow at Gio. “Did you think you were going to cook bacon and get away with him not trying to fleece you?”

“It was just one little piece.” One little piece that Chip seemed to have swallowed whole. “I’m not sure he chewed, though.”

“Yeah, bacon isn’t meant to be chewed, only sucked in like a vacuum. Also, you’re a pushover, so I’m here to make sure you don’t give him any more.”

Chip whined, and Gio looked from Sacha to Chip and back. Sacha planted his hands on his hips.

“Listen here, you two. This is not a democracy. You’re not cute, and you’re not as sneaky as you think you are.”

Gio batted his lashes at Sacha and pointed at Chip, who licked Gio’s finger. “But that face.”

Unimpressed, Sacha pointed at his face. “This face. This is the face you need to be concerned about. I know he’s got you wrapped around his paw, but you need to be stronger than this. Give him an inch and he’ll—”

Chip barked, spun around, then dropped onto his side in the middle of the kitchen. Gio gasped.

“Oh my God, what happened? What’s wrong with him?”

Chip barked and howled as he twisted and turned, paws waving as he flopped about.

“What happened is he sensed your weakness, and now he’s throwing a temper tantrum.”

Gio stared down at Chip. He’d never seen a dog throw a temper tantrum before. “That’s hilarious.”

“Yeah, real fun when you’re in the middle of the supermarket.”

“Should I—”

“Ignore him? Yes. This will be a common occurrence if you give in, so just step over him and carry on. When he sees you’re not going to give in, he’ll get up.”

So much personality. Somehow Gio wasn’t surprised. He was Sacha’s dog, after all. Doing his best to resist Chip and his epic side-eye, Gio placed plates filled with breakfast on the counter. The three of them ate, and as Sacha predicted, when Chip saw he wasn’t going to be given any extra bacon, he got up and headed into the living room; his huff when he lay on the couch could be heard several counties over. They laughed, much to Chip’s displeasure.

Once they’d eaten and the dishes were in the dishwasher, they went to change into running clothes. Saint would be accompanying them. It was still before seven in the morning, so there was still a nice breeze, and the humidity wasn’t so bad when they got outside. Chip trotted alongside Sacha as they headed for the beach.

“A pink house?” Sacha asked, one thick brow poking up from behind his sunglasses.

Gio shrugged. “I like the color. Plus, it had a very soothing quality to it. You don’t like it?”

“I didn’t say that,” Sacha grumbled, making Gio smile.

Once they were on firmer sand, they started jogging. Chip bolted off ahead to chase the waves as they crashed against the shore. A flock of seagulls screeched their displeasure at being run off the beach by the big black fur ball. Tongue lolling, Chip trotted back toward them, head lifted proudly, as if he’d just defeated a great threat for them.

“Why do you do it?”

“Do what?” Gio asked.

“The charity stuff. Did you wake up one morning and say, ‘I think I’m gonna be rich and give away loads of money’?”

“Exactly that,” Gio teased, earning himself a playful shove from Sacha. “My father inspired me. I always wanted to help people, but what happened to my father changed my life.”

“He died of cancer, right?”

“Yes. Lung cancer.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” Gio slowed to a walk, Sacha following his lead. “When I came out as bisexual, my parents’ families were outraged, but when Laz came out as gay, they turned against my father, blaming him for our ‘perversion.’”

“What? That’s fucking stupid.”

“Agreed. When my father was diagnosed, I called my grandmother for help. She wouldn’t even take my call. Even while he lay in that hospital bed dying, they refused to acknowledge we existed. I applied for as much financial help as I could, but the best treatments, the ones that might give him at least a bit more time with us, were out of our reach.”

Sacha stopped and turned to him, his eyes filled with heartache. “His family just let him die?”

“Laz and I were the only ones at his funeral.” Gio swallowed hard, his gaze focused on the horizon. The water seemed to stretch on forever. “I promised I would do everything I could to make sure those I loved would never be denied treatment or anything essential because of a lack of funds. I studied and researched my ass off, made good investments, and decided I would help those who had nowhere else to turn. Good people who deserved better.”

The ocean breeze felt good against his skin, but not nearly as amazing as Sacha’s arms wrapping around him and squeezing him tight.

“You’re a good guy,” Sacha said, his voice rough.

“Thank you.”

They continued to jog, and Gio smiled. He could get used to this. He enjoyed early morning jogs, though he tended to get up earlier for his runs. Having Sacha at his side made all the difference, and of course, having Chip as well. Gio couldn’t remember the last time he laughed so much.

“When we get back, I’ll shower and pick up your prescription for you. What’s your afternoon look like?” Sacha asked. “I’m not scheduled to work anything of yours today.”

Gio wiped the sweat from his brow. “Thank you for doing that for me. I’ve got some work I can do from home, but nothing else going on. My next event is on Saturday. I have a charity gala.”

“Another gala?”

“Yes.” Did Sacha sound disappointed? Gio would certainly rather spend the time with him, but Gio had made a commitment, and as one of the evening’s benefactors, he could hardly cancel. “Would you like to join me? As my date?”

Sacha stopped jogging, and Gio did the same. “Your date?”

“I know it’s short notice.”

“No, um, it’s fine. I’ve still got my tux from Colton’s wedding. Will that work?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, good. Let’s head back. I have some stuff I need to take care of.”

They jogged back to the house, Saint trailing close behind Gio and Chip ahead of them. The silence wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t as easy as it usually was. He hoped Sacha wasn’t nervous about this weekend. As far as events went, it was mostly mingling and listening to the host’s speech about the charity and thanking everyone for donating. It was only a few hours of conversing, drinking, and dancing. Would Sacha want to go with him to his events? He supposed it was one of those things they’d eventually have to discuss.

When they got back inside, Saint went to his room to shower while Sacha and Chip followed Gio into his room. A wicked little smile curled Sacha’s lips.

“You know, we should probably shower together. That way I don’t have to wait until you’re done. Save time.”

Gio hummed. “That does sound like a very smart idea.” He took hold of Sacha’s hand and led him toward his bathroom. “I’d much rather have you inside the shower with me than standing outside it.”

Sacha told Chip to lie down, and Chip happily trotted over to the window and jumped up on the armchair, curling up and staring out the window. Gio shut the door behind them and got the water running. When he turned around, Sacha was down to just his boxer briefs. A groan left Gio’s lips.

“You’re wearing far too many clothes for a shower, Galanos.”

Gio quickly undressed, tossing his clothes to one side.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” Sacha said, his gaze raking over every inch of Gio. He ushered Gio into the shower, closing the glass door. Then he stood in front of Gio, his face lifted, and their eyes locked on each other. He was waiting. A delicious shiver went through Gio. He brushed his fingers down Sacha’s jaw.

“Hand me the shower gel and sponge,” Gio told him.

Sacha quickly did as Gio asked, handing him both. He stood patiently as Gio poured a generous amount of gel onto the luxurious sponge.

“Turn around.”

Sacha turned to face away, and Gio stepped close, one hand caressing Sacha while he lathered Sacha up with the other, slowly running the soft sponge over his smooth skin, taking note of every freckle and every faint scar. Sacha trembled as Gio brought the sponge up between his legs.

“I’ve never done this before,” Sacha admitted, his voice rough.

“Have someone bathe you?”

Sacha shook his head, and Gio was sure there were going to be plenty of firsts for both of them. It didn’t surprise him that Sacha had never let anyone take care of him in the bedroom, just as Gio had never had anyone take care of him outside it.

“Step under the water,” Gio instructed, and Sacha did, allowing Gio to rinse him off. Then he turned Sacha around and brushed his lips over Sacha’s cheek. “Wash me.”

Sacha let out a shaky breath as he diligently and slowly washed every inch of Gio’s body, the sight of him on his knees again getting Gio hard. Sacha slid his strong fingers up Gio’s thighs, the sponge in one hand. His eyes stayed on Gio’s as he lathered Gio up, fingers slipping between Gio’s crease to tease his hole.

“Get up,” Gio growled.

Sacha quickly complied, and Gio rinsed off. He moved Sacha against the shower wall and got on his knees, smiling at the curse Sacha let out. Geo wrapped his hand around Sacha’s rock-hard length.

“I want you to fuck my mouth,” Gio ordered. He swirled his tongue around the head of Sacha’s cock, lapping up the pearls of precome, humming at the way Sacha’s entire body trembled. He swallowed Sacha down to the root, moaning when Sacha cried out. He grabbed fistfuls of Gio’s hair and started rocking his hips, small thrusts at first. Gio slipped one finger between Sacha’s ass cheeks to tease his hole as he alternated between sucking and licking Sacha’s cock.

“Oh fuck! Gio.” Sacha held on tight to Gio’s hair, his hips picking up speed as he thrust into Gio’s mouth over and over, fucking his lips the way Gio had demanded of him.

Gio kept his gaze on Sacha, his own leaking cock painfully hard just from the expression of pure bliss on Sacha’s face. His cheeks were flushed, his lips parted, and his pupils blown.

Sacha gasped, then moaned, his hips losing their steady rhythm as he pumped himself faster and faster. “Gio,” Sacha warned, but Gio simply doubled his efforts until he felt warm salty come shoot down his throat. He took all of Sacha, sucking until Sacha was spent.

Standing, Gio brought Sacha against him and kissed him so he could taste himself, smiling when Sacha melted against him, soft and pliant. When they pulled apart, Sacha let out a shaky laugh.

“Holy fuck. That was… wow.”

Gio kissed him again before turning them both back to the shower. They finished washing up, and Gio stepped out with Sacha. He wrapped Sacha in a fluffy towel, his heart overflowing with joy, even at Sacha’s little grunt. His grumpy man. Leaving Sacha to finish drying himself, Gio wrapped a towel around his waist. They walked into the bedroom to get dressed for the day.

“I shouldn’t be too long,” Sacha said as he finished tying the laces on his boots.

“Are you leaving Chip here or taking him with you?”

“Do you mind if I leave him here with you?” Sacha stood and chuckled. “I have a sneaking suspicion he’s made his choice.”

Gio looked down and found a pair of big brown eyes staring up at him. “Well, hello there.”

“Be back in a bit.” Sacha popped a quick kiss on Gio’s lips, making his heart flutter. Did Sacha have any idea how sweet he could be?

“See you soon.” Gio went into his walk-in closet to get dressed, and pulled on a white pair of boxer briefs, some comfy chinos, and a blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He smiled as Chip padded alongside him as he made his way downstairs. Saint was in the living room on the couch reading a book. He nodded a greeting at Gio and went back to his book.

While Sacha was gone, Gio stretched out on the long couch with his laptop to check his emails and do some work; Chip curled up at his feet, his soft snores filling the room. Every so often, Chip would hear something and lift his head, cocking it to one side to listen. Hilariously, Saint would then do the same, and Gio had to make the very serious effort to not laugh. Chip was a furry alarm and a good indicator of whether they needed to be concerned with the sound or not. He’d shot up off the couch a couple of times and darted to the door to bark, which had Saint leaping into action, only to find it had been the mail truck down the block on one occasion and the UPS truck on the other.

About an hour later, Chip barked and hopped off the couch, tail wagging happily. He pranced by the door, and Gio sat up. Considering how excited Chip was as he barked and whined, Gio figured it was either someone they knew, or Sacha had to be back. Saint answered the door, and Sacha walked in, laughing as Chip jumped excitedly.

“I hope you were a good boy for Gio,” Sacha said, scratching Chip behind the ear.

“He was a very good boy. Warned us when the mailperson was approaching.”

Sacha laughed at that. “Ah, his arch-nemesis. That’s because our mailman lives on our block and has a cat that was spawned by Satan. Chip is terrified of it.”

“Are you serious?” Gio looked at Chip, who sat staring up at him as if he knew what they were talking about. His doggie eyebrows were up, making him look very concerned.

“Yep. When I take Chip out to do his business, if he gets too close to the guy’s lawn, the hellspawn shoots out from his hidey-hole and divebombs Chip. Chip’s a good boy, though, and he knows when not to attack, so he just runs away or hides behind me. I mean, all he has to do is bare his teeth or give that fur ball a growl and it would rethink its life choices, but my boy is a good boy.” Sacha loved on Chip, who soaked it up with happy butt wiggles. “Here you go.” Sacha handed Gio his prescription. “Also, when you’re done reading through that and taking your first dose, put your shoes on. We’re taking a little road trip.”

Gio’s curiosity was piqued. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Why was Sacha being so mysterious? “Is it a surprise?”

“Sort of. I’m going to take Chip out to potty real quick while you do that.”

At the mention of “potty,” Chip howled and barked. Sacha led him outside, and Gio looked over his new medication information. Seemed pretty straightforward. He frowned at the little white pill. Was this really going to help?

“What are you thinking?” Sacha asked softly as he came to stand next to Gio.

“Is this going to make that much of a difference?”

“You won’t know unless you try. What about it bothers you?”

Gio sighed. “It’s going to sound awful, but I’ve never wanted to be dependent on a pill for anything. It makes me think of my father. All the treatments and medications, some of which made things worse, none of it helping in the end…”

“Understandable, but this isn’t the same thing, Gio. I get that there’s still a good deal of stigma around medication, but if this can help you feel better and improve the chances of your condition not hurting you, isn’t it worth a try?”

“What if it makes me feel worse?”

“Then we’ll talk to your doctor and go from there. One day at a time, yeah?”

Gio nodded. Sacha was right. He couldn’t keep going the way he was. How many episodes had he had in the last month alone? Gio hadn’t been taking care of himself, and that needed to stop. He took the pill with some water, then kissed Sacha’s cheek. “Thank you.” Knowing Sacha was at his side, helping him navigate this new journey, made it all seem less daunting. He could do this.

“Ready?”

“My shoes are by the door.” Gio slipped into his pull-on sneakers, then grabbed his wallet and keys. “Ready.”

Saint stood to one side. He opened the front door and scanned the area outside, nodded to Sacha, who stepped out after him, with Chip on his heels. Chip sniffed the air but remained quietly at his side.

“Okay,” Saint said, motioning for Gio to come outside. This was his life now; he might as well get used to it. He stood next to Saint, who set the alarm and locked up the house, and then they walked to the SUV. Gio climbed into the back, followed by Chip and then Sacha. Once Saint was behind the wheel, Sacha leaned in between the seats and showed him his phone.

“This is where we’re going.”

Saint typed it into the GPS. “Got it.”

Wherever they were going, it was just over twenty minutes away and off US-1. Sacha was tight-lipped, giving absolutely nothing away.

“You must be really good at poker,” Gio grumbled, making Sacha laugh.

“You bet. Note of warning, don’t play poker with the Kings. Between Lucky and Ace, they will take all your money and not feel even the least bit bad about it.”

“Duly noted.”

Chip climbed over Sacha so he could stick his nose against the window. He whined, and Sacha shook his head. “Sorry, bud. I can’t put the window down. We’ll be there soon enough.”

There wasn’t much traffic where they were headed, so they got there quickly. The area was sparse. Mostly a few buildings scattered here and there, with lots of trees and shrubbery. They turned right and drove up a concrete driveaway flanked by magnolia trees, then stopped at an iron gate at the end. Sacha tapped away at his phone, then put it to his ear.

“Hi, it’s Sacha Wilder. I’m at the gate in the black SUV. Thanks.”

Soon after, the electronic gate opened and they drove through. There seemed to be quite a bit of security here. Gio had no idea what was going on, but he was wildly intrigued. Saint parked, and they got out. They were surrounded by greenery and fencing, with a couple of buildings and a house.

“Where are we?” Gio looked around, but it was hard to tell. It was some kind of facility for something.

“You’ll see. And listen, no pressure, okay? This is about what feels right to you.”

“Um, okay?” Just what was going on?

The door to the house opened, and a blond woman with a messy bun dressed in dirt-stained jeans and a dirty black T-shirt walked out, her smile wide.

“Mr. Wilder?”

Sacha crossed the gravel courtyard, his smile friendly. “Kendra, so good to finally meet you. This is Giovanni, who I told you about.” He turned and motioned to Gio.

Sacha had told her about him? What exactly had he told her? Gio was so confused, but he smiled politely at the woman. “It’s lovely to meet you, Kendra. Please, call me Gio.”

“Great to meet you, Gio.” She opened the door wide and motioned them to come through until she noticed Chip. “And who is this handsome boy?”

“This is Chip,” Sacha said.

“Chip, I’ve heard all about you.” She waited as Chip sniffed her, then barked happily. “Can I give him a treat?”

“Sure.”

She reached into her pocket and removed a treat. “Sit.”

Chip sat and waited patiently, then caught the treat in midair when she tossed it at him.

“Gio, if you go out to the back, we’ll be right with you,” Kendra said, then turned to Sacha. “If you wait in here with Chip, I’ll call you when we’re ready.”

“Sounds good.”

We? Gio followed Sacha through the house toward the back to a sliding glass door that led to a huge fenced-in yard. Outside there were several pieces of equipment and what looked like some kind of obstacle course.

“Wait out there,” Sacha instructed, opening the door for him. “Saint will be here inside.”

“Um, okay.” Gio shoved his hands into his pockets and waited as Sacha disappeared back inside. It was a beautiful day, a light breeze rustling the leaves of the magnolia trees as the sun shone in the bright blue sky. It was quiet out here, peaceful. He heard the glass door slide open and turned in time to see a golden retriever trotting toward him. He stopped at Gio’s feet and lifted a paw, making Gio laugh. He kneeled to take the offered paw.

“Well, hello. Aren’t you a happy puppy.”

The dog wiggled excitedly, tail wagging and tongue lolling from his sweet face.

“I see you two are getting along,” Kendra said as she stepped outside.

“Who wouldn’t get along with this sweet boy.” Gio ruffled the dog’s fur. “That’s right, you’rea sweet boy.”

“This is Cookie. He’s two years old.”

Cookie lavished Gio with kisses, and Gio laughed, petting his soft fur.

“Aw, hello, Cookie. You’re a good boy. Yes, you are.”

“What do you think of him?”

Gio’s smile couldn’t get any wider. “I think he’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“How’d you like to be his new person?”

Gio’s head shot up, and he stared at Kendra. “What?”

“Sadly, Cookie’s person passed away. She had a very similar condition to yours, among some other serious health issues. He’s a service dog.”

Gio snapped his head to the glass door, where Sacha stood. He waved at Gio, a shy smile on his face. Sacha had arranged all this. For him.

“Your boyfriend and I had a long chat, and he came to see Cookie. He thought you two would make a good pair, and I have to agree.”

His boyfriend.

“Would you like to see how he gets on with Chip? I know that’s important to you both.”

Gio nodded, too choked up to reply. He stood, waiting as Kendra nodded to Sacha. He opened the sliding glass door, and Chip trotted out. He went straight to Cookie. The two of them sniffed each other excitedly, tails wagging, and then they were off playing together, chasing each other, jumping and rolling around in the grass.

Sacha came to stand next to Gio. “He’s yours if you want him.”

“You want to get me a service dog?”

“I think you two need each other.”

Gio’s heart was all but ready to explode. He surprised Sacha by bringing him into a hug right there in front of Kendra. “Thank you,” he murmured, his lips close to Sacha’s ear. He closed his eyes, basking in the sensation of Sacha returning his embrace and holding him tight, his words quiet when he spoke.

“You’re welcome.”

Gio stepped back, his heart skipping a beat at the flush on Sacha’s cheeks. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets. “We’ll take him.”

“Hold on. Before you agree,” Sacha said, turning Gio toward him. “I need you to be sure about this. Cookie isn’t a pet or an emotional support animal. He’s a service dog. That means getting used to doing things a certain way. He’s going to go with you everywhere; that includes your events and when you travel.”

Gio hadn’t thought of that. He got to experience the joy and fun of having Chip around, but he never really considered the work Sacha had to put in, and Chip wasn’t a service dog, at least not the way Cookie would be to Gio.

“It also means educating people who approach you, colleagues and strangers. Having Cookie changes things. This is a decision only you can make.”

“You can take your time and think about it,” Kendra said. “Cookie’s not going anywhere just yet.”

Gio thought about it. He’d wanted to cut back on his events and travel for a while. Spend more time at home with his family. But taking on a service dog also meant admitting to the world that he needed help. That there was something wrong with his health, something severe enough to warrant a service dog. He’d barely accepted that his life had changed, and the next step would likely be therapy for the PTSD. Maybe it was time he faced the truth and took control of his own life rather than letting aspects of his life control him.

“I want him,” Gio said, determined. It was time for a change. For too long, he’d felt like he was losing his grip on his own life, and he’d had enough.

“Wonderful!” Kendra motioned toward the house. “If you’ll both just follow me to my office, I’ll get the adoption paperwork ready and work out a training schedule.”

“Training schedule?” Gio asked.

“Before you can take Cookie home, we need you to come in for some time with him, show you how he’s been trained, the commands he’s familiar with, what he’ll be looking out for with your condition, and how you can help him better serve you. I’ll also give you some paperwork and a training video we did with Cookie.”

Cookie and Chip followed them inside, the two making Gio’s heart swell when they cuddled up together on the giant dog bed in the office.

It took a couple of hours to go through everything, and although Gio was nervous, by the end, he knew he’d made the right decision. When they were done, he said goodbye to Cookie and promised they’d see each other real soon. He was scheduled to come in over the weekend to spend some time with Cookie and go over his training.

Inside the car, Gio could barely contain his smile. “I can’t believe you got me a service dog.”

Sacha shrugged, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. “The way you are with Chip, and with everything going on, it made sense. I know they can be a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”

Chip poked his nose into Sacha’s cheek, making him chuckle.

“Even when they’re a furry pain in the ass. But I can give you some tips.”

“Thank you. What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“I’ve got the day off so…”

Gio held back a smile at the way Sacha left the rest of the sentence hanging. “Spend the day with me? We can swim in the pool or go to the beach.”

“Wait, are you saying you’re going to…” Sacha gasped dramatically, making Chip tilt his head. “Take the day off?”

Gio rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m going to take the day off.”

“Who are you, and what have you done with Gio?” Sacha demanded.

“Ass.” Gio shook his head, loving Sacha’s amused smile. He seemed to smile easier these days, and Gio loved it. He lived to hear Sacha laugh, to see the little wrinkles appear at the corners of his sparkling blue-gray eyes when he laughed.

They got home and climbed out of the car, Saint scanning the half-circle driveway and the greenery around them. They headed up to the house, and Gio unlocked the door, then stepped quickly to one side so Saint could disarm the alarm. He scrolled through the security feed like he always did after they came home from somewhere, a quick browse, and then he’d get on his laptop and check through the footage.

“Pool or beach?” Gio asked.

“Let’s go with the pool,” Sacha replied.

They headed upstairs to Gio’s bedroom and both changed into swim trunks, then slathered each other with sunscreen. Gio made sure to stop by the kitchen and grab them some bottled water. Outside, Saint took a seat in one of the shaded lounge chairs, and Chip lay on the concrete floor in the shade as close to the pool as he could get so he could keep an eye on his people, a bone Sacha had given him between his paws.

The water was the perfect temperature, not too warm but not cold, thanks to the sun. Gio took the stairs into the pool while Sacha jumped into the deep end, water splashing everywhere. Chip had been smart to lay toward the shallow end. He lifted his head from his bone, tail wagging as he waited for Sacha to resurface. Once he did, Chip went back to gnawing on his bone.

With a relaxed sigh, Gio swam to Sacha and pulled him into his arms. He worried Sacha might not be comfortable showing affection in front of one of his coworkers, but to his relief, Sacha didn’t seem to care at all. Then again, he’d been fully aware of Saint standing outside the back room in Sapphire Sands, knowing they were having sex.

“This is nice,” Gio said, brushing his lips over Sacha’s. “I should take time off more often.”

Sacha hummed. “Quite the incentive, huh?” He kissed Gio, the two of them wading together, enjoying the feel of each other, in no hurry to be anywhere or do anything.

“I could get used to this,” Gio murmured against Sacha’s lips, their hardening cocks pressed together. Sex in the pool was out of the question at the moment, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get intimate. A thought occurred to him, and he laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“I have a Cookie, and you have a Chip.”

Sacha blinked at him. “What?”

“Our dogs.”

“You’re such a dork,” Sacha said, shaking his head at Gio, his eyes alight with amusement.

“Imagine if Cookie’s name had been Salsa. Then we’d have had Salsa and Chip.”

Sacha didn’t look impressed. “That was an Ace-level joke right there.”

“Or Banana. Banana Chip.”

“No one in their right mind would name their dog banana.”

“What about Potato?”

Sacha arched an eyebrow at him. “I’m done with you now. We’re done.” He made to get away from Gio, who only held on tighter.

“Wait, don’t go! I’m very serious about our relation-Chip.”

“Nope. There’s a line, Gio, and you just crossed it.”

Gio threw his head back and laughed. Oh, having Sacha for a boyfriend was going to be even better than he expected.