Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 22:29:38 -0400 From: rye encoke <rye_encoke@hotmail.com> Subject: Mark-and-Rye-24 Okay the usual stuff that nobody reads. This is a gay story with lots of gay sex. If you aren't supposed to be here, leave. The work is mine and unless you ask you can't post it anywhere else. I have no clue if any member of Westlife is gay, so this is all my fantasy. Email me at rye_encoke@hotmail.com to tell me what you like or hate. The author wishes to acknowledge and thank the archivist for Nifty for allowing this story to be published here. Authors Notes: I apologize for the two short chapters in a row. Time was not on my side these last couple of weeks but I had so many people asking for another chapter that I figured two short ones was better than none. The rest of the chapters should be back up above 50k. Please don't expect a new chapter this weekend though, if I can get it done I will post but I will have to work very hard and I just can't promise anything. DEDICATION: As always to my boy David and also my boy Glenn. - Flying Angel Air - The private jet launched itself into the air holding just over 30 people. Along with Rye and Jill there were Matt, Andy, Ed, Jay, Joanne and her team of lawyers along with 15 security personnel. As soon as the captain announced cruising altitude Rye stood and got everyone's attention. "Okay let's start. I am gonna do this in a nutshell. The shit has hit the fan for the boys, that's the band Westlife for those of you security guys. We are going to where they are now so I can buy out their contract. The remaining two weeks of concerts will continue as scheduled with the same crew but label and management personnel will be gone. Also the previous security will be gone. Ed will be in charge of security and you all," here Rye indicated the new security contingent, "will report directly to him. Matt is his second. Any questions?" One guy raised his hand and asked, "What kind of security problems can we expect?" "Do you know who Westlife is?" Rye asked. "Yeah they are a boyband right?" the same guy answered. "That's right. Your main job will be to ensure that safety at hotels and the venue is tight. The arena's will have their own security during concerts, but you will be the primary security for the boys at all times including on stage," Rye answered. The man nodded and asked, "How do you know them?" Rye looked at the man and considered his answer before finally saying, "One of them is my lover. Let me just state right now that any inappropriate remarks or even looks from anyone will result in immediate dismissal. If anyone has a problem with gays you had better get out now cuz if it comes up later you will be sorry." Again Rye had taken on a threatening tone and nobody in the plane took him for anything but serious. "Nah I'm cool, my brother is gay. I hate bigots, it's nice to know what kind of man I am working for," the same man said. Rye nodded and looked at those in the plane. "Okay, for all intents and purposes this is a hostile takeover so don't expect to be treated with kid gloves. Things are going to be nasty, but our top priority is the safety of the boys. Things may go just fine but let's prepare for the worst. Any other questions?" Rye asked again. Seeing none he took his seat and leaned his head on Jill, a single tear falling from his eye. He hated this, the threat of destroying someone. He knew he had the means and unfortunately when it came to the boys he had the will, but he didn't have to like it. A little further back in the plane Ed stood up and went to the new recruits. "My name is Ed and I will be in charge of you all. We have to remember that our biggest security threat comes from fans. These are mostly young ladies so we don't want to be rough with them, but at the same time the boys are under our protection. The best scenario is to make sure we are never in a situation where we have to use force against anyone. But if it comes down to it we extricate the boys at any cost. Is that understood?" Ed looked around to see everyone nod. "Okay this is a basic job on the inside of hotels. Everywhere else we are close but invisible. And just for the record our charges are the 5 boys you have the pictures of but also everyone else on this plane, particularly Rye and Jill. You will never meet a better more loyal man than Rye and he rewards his employees and friends well. But believe it when he says that if you go against him you will be sorry. It is not a threat merely a warning, so when we land I will ask you one by one as we depart if you will be staying. If you have any reservations or problems or animosity with anything that is going to be part of your job you leave at that moment. If you stay then 100% loyalty is expected. Understood." Again nods all around. In the middle of the plane Joanne and her team were going over papers and making contingency after contingency. Finally Joanne sat back and looked forward. "Rye could we have a quick word?" she called out. Rye stood and came back. Joanne had been surprised earlier and nearly speechless when she had seen Rye. He had changed so much. His beauty had struck her like a physical force but now things were back to normal, he was still her friend and boss, and no matter how good he looked she knew he was for someone else. "I have to ask you Rye, how high do we go?" she already knew the answer but for the benefit of the rest of the team she wanted him to say it. "It doesn't matter. Liam said the buyout was 50 mill and he figured another 25 for the rest of the concerts. But you know what I said before, I really don't care if it costs ten times that, I want it done and over tonight," Rye answered. There were nods all around. The team of lawyers had access to a part of Rye's financial information and knew this would not be a problem. If they had known the true extent of Rye's wealth they would have laughed at the insignificant amount they were talking about now. But only a select few knew the whole truth. Jill now knew and so did Joanne. Shane also knew since it was at the meeting to discuss this very thing that Rye had told both Shane and Jill. Soon the rest of the boys would know as well. "That's what I thought. Listen we can do this two ways. We can go in and ask their price. We are liable to pay quite a bit doing it that way but like you said it doesn't really matter. The other way is to negotiate, we could probably get them down to about 6 million per and around 10 for the last two weeks. Which way do you want to do it?" Joanne asked. Rye thought a bit and turned to call Jill only to find her already next to him. "Hun?" he asked. "It's hard to say Rye. It makes sense to negotiate, but...." Jill hesitated. "Go on," Rye encouraged. "Well the boys would know it wasn't this, but it could seem like you loved the boys less if you argued. You know, like you were trying to save money and cared more about the money than them," Jill said. "I sort of agree Rye. I mean I know I should be looking after your best interests here, but in this case I think that means thinking of the boys. If you try to talk down the price it looks like you are more concerned about getting a bad deal. We all know that's not the case but in the state they must be in it could hurt them. And it's not like you need to be conservative here, you can afford to pay just about anything," Joanne said. Rye smiled, "So much for you being a lawyer when I need one." "Sorry Rye, I think you should know that I will never be able to put feelings out of things like this. If you want one of the others to take over that's fine," Joanne said seriously. Rye's face fell, "J-girl, I didn't mean that. I want your feelings involved. It keeps us all human. That's why I wanted it to be you doing this." Joanne realized suddenly she had misunderstood and smiled. "Gotcha," she said hoping Rye believed she had been playing with him when in fact she had allowed her own doubt to interfere. Thankfully Rye bought it. "J-girl that was nasty," Rye chuckled and his smile came back. "Let's just do it then. Ask the price and pay it and let's get the hell out." Joanne nodded and smiled as Rye and Jill went back to their seats. - Mother Maria - Maria was looking over the books when the phone rang. She looked at the id and realized it was a forwarded call for Jill. Both Rye and Jill had their calls forwarded while on the plane. "Rye N' Coke club, Maria speaking how may I help you?" Maria answered. --Oh sorry. I was looking for Jill.-- "I'm sorry she had to leave on an emergency. I am not sure how easy it is going to be to get in touch with her she has some important business going on right now. Maybe I can help?" Maria asked. There was a long pause. --Do you know Shane?-- "Yes I do actually." --He said we should call Jill and she would help us, and now we really need help.-- There was a tremor in the young man's voice when he had said this and Maria's heart fluttered. Maria thought quickly and it came to her, "Is this Paul or Trevor?" --Yes it's Paul.-- There was now a sound of relief in Paul's voice, but the anguish was still evident. "What's wrong baby?" Maria asked going into mother mode. --Trevor got assaulted today. He is going to be okay but the police came and now the apartment manager said he doesn't want faggots living in his building and kicked us out. We tried to argue but he made up stuff and the police won't do anything. We don't know what to do.-- Maria could practically hear the tears as they fell from Paul's eyes. "Where are you now?" Maria asked. --In the apartment, we have to get out by tomorrow noon.-- "How much stuff do you have? I mean just stuff you absolutely want; clothes, pictures, personal stuff?" Maria asked --Not much. We don't have much. It could all fit in a van probably, but we don't even have a friend to help us.-- "Okay give me your number and give me 10 minutes." Maria took the phone number and hung up. She quickly made the arrangements and called back. --Hello.-- "Paul. Okay things are set. I have arranged with a local rental agency to get a moving van and some helpers. Give them a call immediately after we hang up and they will come get stuff packed. Then have them take you to the airport where there will be arrangements for you. You can be here by tonight. Your belongings will arrive tomorrow," Maria gave Paul all the information. --How can we thank you?-- "No need. You are friends of the boys and we look after each other. You boys have a family now. I am going to move you into Jill's apartment. She was going to be vacating at the end of the month anyway so we will just put you two in instead. Don't worry about anything. We will give you time to get adjusted without worrying about money or anything for a bit and then we can all sit down and figure out where you want to go with your lives and how we can help get you there," Maria smiled. --Okay. Thank you.-- "Don't worry baby, things are going to be okay," Maria hung up and smiled to herself. God she loved Jill and Rye and the boys for exactly this kind of thing. When she had become manager she had become privy to a lot of information about Rye and her admiration for him had almost become worship. Hundreds of miles away Paul hung up and looked at his lover. The bruises and cuts looked painful but Trevor was smiling. He had heard some of the call and knew that things were going to be okay. "I think we are going to be okay," Paul said as he picked up the phone and called the number of the moving company. Within a few minutes everything was set up. An hour and a half later Paul and Trevor pulled up to the airport with a single suitcase holding their clothes. They were surprised to see a man in uniform holding a sign with their names on it. They approached him cautiously. "Are you waiting for two people named Paul and Trevor?" Paul asked. "Yes sir I am. Can you tell me who sent you?" the man asked just to verify these were the right men. "Well Maria said to come here," Paul answered uncertainly and the man broke into a smile. "Yes sir. The plane is waiting please follow me. My name is Jason by the way," Jason said. He led the two men through the airport to a gate that held a single small jet. Without pause he boarded and directed the men to their seats. "This is one of Mr. Encoke's private jets. We can leave as soon as you are ready. I was told you may want to have something to eat first. I can show you to the lounge or have something brought on board. The flight will only be about 2 hours," Jason said. "Ummm...." Paul hesitated. "The bill would of course be paid for by the company," the man said realizing the reason for the hesitation. Jason had been one of Rye's projects as well and he knew that these two men were also under Rye's wing so to speak. "We haven't eaten today but..." Paul looked at Trevor. Jason understood immediately. One of the men had obviously been assaulted and would probably have been uncomfortable in the lounge. "How about I go grab something and you can eat here after we have taken off," Jason said soothingly and smiled as both men nodded their thanks. After Jason had left, Trevor turned to Paul, "I don't know how we got to where we are but it's like a dream." Paul nodded, "How could we have ever thought they were trying to buy us. I feel so bad for thinking that." "Let's not okay. When this plane takes off let's leave all the bad stuff behind and just be happy," Trevor said softly as he took his lover's hand. Paul nodded and kissed Trevor softly, careful to not hurt him. A voice interrupted. "Sorry boys, but the tower just said we have to leave now or be grounded. There is a storm moving in and if we don't leave now we have to vacate the tarmac for incoming planes," Jason said as he set down several bags of food. The boys had pulled away quickly when he had spoken and were obviously frightened that he had seen them. Jason moved over and squatted in front of them. He reached for Paul's hand and gently placed it over Trevor's. "I don't know what you two have gone through, but Mr. Encoke, Rye, is the most amazing person ever. He attracts goodness to him. He saved me and it looks like he is saving you two. So let's start things on a good note. You two hold each other while I fly us out of here. If you need anything just pick up that phone and either I or my copilot will come back. Okay?" The boys were shocked by the gentleness being shown them and just nodded. They had assumed this man was a steward or someone to look after them, not the pilot. They watched as he left for the front of the plane. Soon they were off the ground and on the way to their new life. When Jason's voice informed them they could move about the cabin Paul retrieved the bags of food and the two men ate then fell asleep feeling truly safe for the first time in their lives. - Liam - The boys, minus Mark, had just entered the radio booth. Liam smiled then flipped open the cell phone. "Mr. Edwards please. Thanks." There was a short pause while Liam was tranferred. "Alan its Liam. The meeting is good for tonight but there has been a change. You need all the top brass, your lawyers and accountants. You guys fucked up this time and Westlife is leaving. Another label is ready to sign them. There will be no negotiations so come with a figure ready for the buyout. The buyout will include the remaining concerts beginning tonight. And Alan as a friend I am telling you this, make it fair, the guy that owns this label, Rye Encoke, won't think twice of destroying the company and you personally. Fair warning." Liam hung up and turned off the cell phone with a smile. He watched the display briefly as he saw the phone begin to ring then the message light flash. For no reason at all he started to hum softly to himself as he sat and waited for the boys to finish. - Briefly with the Boys - The boys filed out of the radio interview and piled into the car. They found Mark laying on the back seat asleep with a big smile on his face. He woke soon after the car started to move. "Okay fella?" Shane asked with concern. "Fine. Just needed to cry and talk to Angel a bit," Mark said as he allowed himself to be held by Shane. "We're gonna grab something to eat and head back to the bus for an hour or so before we have to head to the television station." Liam said. The boys nodded and waited as Liam and security got their food and headed to the bus. They ate together and watched the cd Rye had burned for them. The meal was silent but everyone felt betteer and even though there was some tension from what was going to happen, they all felt excited as well. In a short amount of time they were back in the car heading to the television station. - Daddy's Bucks - Alan Edwards was beside himself. The brief call he had received from Liam, Westlife's road manager, had nearly caused a heart attack. Realizing what he had to do to fix this he also had to get a stiff drink into him. This was almost going to be worse than the meeting tonight with Westlife and their lawyers. Finishing his drink he picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello George it's Alan, I need to speak to dad please, immediately." Alan was glad his voice had not squeaked or that he had not stuttered. After a brief pause. --Alan this is unexpected, how are you?-- "Up until a half hour ago I was great. Now I think I am going to be sick," Alan said truthfully, he could never lie to his father and now was no time to start. --What's happened.-- William Edwards was Alan's father and was the owner of Westlife's current label and management. Alan was made president just a year ago and had worked well. The label had flourished and grown under his hand. But now things seemed to be falling apart and Alan needed his father's help. "I got a call from Liam. The boys of Westlife have been using a statement at all appearances explaining they will no longer be answering any personal questions. One of the vice-presidents heard it and went ballistic and ordered a meeting to put a stop to it. About a half hour after that I got a call from Liam who told me that Westlife was going to buy out of their contract including the last two weeks of the current one and another label was ready to sign them. He told us the owner, Rye Encoke, is a shark and that he would destroy me and the company if I didn't treat them fairly. I am sorry dad I just don't know what to do." Alan laid it out as best he could and waited. --Rye Encoke did you say?-- "Yes, that's what Liam said." --Jesus son. Get the lawyers and everyone together. When is the meeting?-- "It's set for 5 tonight. After the tv interview and a few hours before the concert. Tonights concert is one of those late ones that doesn't start till nine." --I will be there. I am leaving now. You did well calling me son.-- "I'm sorry dad, I don't know how this happened. I'm sorry I let you down." --You didn't. You have done very well and I am proud of you. This is nothing you could have prepared for and the only reason I am coming is to offer my support. You are going to handle this. I'll be there in an hour.-- Alan hung up the phone after saying goodbye to his father and sighed. At least that went well. Now if they could just bully Westlife into toeing the line things would go back to normal. - The Angel has Landed - The boys were now talking to the interviewers for the local television stations very popular afternoon talk show. Liam was watching from the booth when he felt one of the boys phones begin to vibrate in his pocket. He quickly looked through them and opened Shane's. "Shane's phone, Liam speaking." --Liam its Rye. Where are the boys?-- "Finishing up the tv interview. It went well. Looking at them you would never know what is about to happen. Where are you?" --We just landed. Bring the boys to the Royal Garden Hotel. I own it and we will use the conference room there for the meeting. Liam is there going to be a problem getting you out of your contract?-- Liam boggled at the revelation that Rye owned the Royal Garden. It was a five-star hotel that had very few rivals in the country for luxury. "No, my contract has a special clause that let's me out with no penalty if Westlife ever leaves or is fired." --Really? Wow. More than anything else Liam that little bit of information has proven to me what kind of man you are. As soon as it's over we can sign you up. You willing to take a hundred grand cash payout for the last two weeks and then work with us to write a contract for you? I would like you working for the company in whatever role you choose.-- Liam smiled. "That will be fine. I have already told the boys I will be going with them to their new company." --They told you they were going to be owners did they? Good. How long before you get here?-- "We are finished here in 20, another 20 to get there. Give us an hour to an hour and a half. Mark is a wreck Rye. He is hiding it well and he had a good cry this afternoon, but it's taking its toll. I think he is blaming himself for everything that is happening," Liam answered. --Good man Liam. He will be okay once he's with me. Let them know as soon as possible okay.-- Liam hung up and looked at the boys. They were in commercial break and coming back the boys would be singing. Liam got an idea and quickly ran out to the cue card guy and whispered to him. Smiling he went back to the booth. On stage the boys were lined up waiting to come back from commercials. "Back in 5, 4, 3, ........." "And we are back with Westlife to perform one of the songs from their album and that they will be performing at the Garden Coliseum tonight. Here is Westlife with Bop Bop Baby." As the studio audience applauded and the cameras panned to the boys the cue card guy held up a sign. The boys eyes fell on it and they broke out into wide smiles as they began their routine. The sign said "The Angel has landed. Sends love" - Setting the Stage - The hotel staff had been told who was coming and the red carpet treatment was in full swing. Literally a red carpet had been rolled out. It was a sight to behold when 6 limousines pulled up and let out the contingent. The security was very obvious about who and what they were, flanking the lead cars and forming a walking wall around Rye, Jill and the lawyers. They didn't even stop in the lobby but went immediately to the main conference room to get set up. "Okay Rye we are gonna set up in here, why don't you head to the side room and wait for the boys. We have this completely under control and nothing is going to go wrong. I guarantee it." Joanne was now in her element and was in complete control. Rye nodded and Jill hooked her arm in his to take him to the room Joanne had indicated. "Ed, take some security down to bring the boys up. Any security they have now will have to be dismissed. Liam should be able to do that. But if their security will not leave, make sure you are able to separate them somehow and get the boys up here," Rye said. Ed nodded and held up one finger on his hand. Instantly 10 of the security men went to him and followed. The others stayed behind. Two took up places outside the door Rye had gone through while two sat with the lawyers and the last took up a position inside the main door and Matt outside the main door. Jay and Andy took seats behind the lawyers but had been given folders with papers inside them and were told that when the meeting started they were to look busy. In the elevator Ed went over plans to separate the boys from security but it was all for nothing. As Ed and the security departed from the elevator they saw the boys and an unknown man striding across the lobby. The security guys immediately placed the walking wall around the boys and at the elevator ushered them in leaving 5 in the lobby. One of them turned a key on the elevator and the elevator became private. "Ed you can't even begin to know how glad I am to see you here," Mark said as he hugged the big man fiercely. "It's going to be okay Mark. He is waiting for you upstairs. I want to warn you he has changed from when you last saw him, but I don't think it will make a difference," Ed chuckled. He thought back to his and Pup's reaction to the new Rye. Pup had gone hard instantly and complained for most of the jet ride that he couldn't lose his erection. "Is he okay?" Bryan asked with worry. "Oh yeah, it's a good change, a great change. But nothing I can say is gonna prepare you for it," Ed smiled. The elevator pinged and the group got off. Immediately everyone ran to Matt and hugged him. "Matt it's so good to see you, is Andy here? How are you two doing?" Nicky asked. "We are all good now that you are here safe. Andy is here inside. The two of us are doing great. We can talk later okay. Go inside, Joanne needs you to quickly sign some papers then you can go see Rye and Jill. Rye has changed guys and you are in for one hell of a shock," Matt smiled wickedly. The boys were getting concerned about all this talk of Rye changing but sensed that it was not a bad change. Matt opened the door to reveal a room filled with people. There were security guys that were quite obvious. A group of people at the table that were obviously lawyers and behind them Jay and Andy sat. Both Jay and Andy stood and came to the boys as they entered. Jay threw his arms around Bryan and Andy hugged Shane. "Wow I sure didn't expect all this support. I am glad our friends are here," Shane said as he took his turn hugging Jay. "Not friends, family, remember?" Andy said. The boys nodded and looked up to a woman who had come over. "I'm Joanne, Rye's lawyer handling this situation. I know you want to see him but real quick I need you all to sign this document. Basically it gives me the right to represent you in any legal situation with full control. It also is a formal declaration that any other legal representation you have is waived in this matter," Joanne handed them a document. Shane immediately took it and signed where it was indicated with the other boys quickly following suit. "Not even going to read it?" Joanne asked with a smile. "You work for Angel and we trust him with everything," Bryan simply said as he handed back the document. Joanne nodded, "Don't worry boys, this is gonna go smooth as silk and be over in about a half hour. Now go see Rye and Jill in there." The boys moved to the door indicated and opened it. Shock stopped them in midstep. - A Change of Plans - Alan Edwards stared at his father like he had grown a second head. "You want me to what?" he asked of his father. "I told you. If we fight this we will lose, big time. I want you to settle this as quickly as possible. Figure out the exact amount that would cover our expenses and set that as the price. We don't want to make a profit. You have no idea who this man is," William said. "But dad, no profit, that's just not good business," Alan argued. "Under normal circumstances its not. But these arent normal circumstances. Do you not have any idea who Rye Encoke is?" William asked. "No." "It's Thaddeus Adamson. Does that name mean anything to you?" William asked. Alan went white, "No!" "Yes. He could shut us down in about a week. Then when he got through with the company he would take us apart," William said. Alan knew of the man. Everyone in international business did. After his family had been killed he had set about destroying every business and every person associated with the killers. The killers had been part of a South American drug cartel. Within two months the drug cartel was gone and nobody who was associated with it was alive to tell the tale. He had nearly toppled several South American governments. Then he had set about becoming the controlling power for just about every major business in North America and Europe. He was also rumoured to have done the same in Australia and Japan. "Shit!" Alan exclaimed. "Now, how low can we set the price?" William asked. "Let me call the accountants in," Alan said as he reached for the phone. - Safe in the Arms of the Angel - "Angel!" Mark breathed and ran to Rye. Bryan had also moved forward but Shane and Nicky had grabbed his arm. These first few minutes were for Mark. "My fella," Rye exclaimed as he held onto Mark who melted into his arms then went weak. Rye continued to hold him as he slowly lowered Mark to the floor. Mark sobbed. "It's all my fault, I'm sorry," Mark sobbed. "No my love. Ask Shane. I knew this possibility may come up and we prepared for it. Please stop crying, you're breaking my heart," Rye murmured softly. Bringing his hand up he placed it on Mark's chest and stared deeply into Mark's eyes. Mark became calm almost immediately and moved his own hand onto Rye's chest but then reacted with a start. Rye smiled. "A surprise. Both are done. Now look into my eyes and share my strength my only love," Rye said softly so that only Mark could hear. As Mark once again met Rye's eyes the world around them faded. Their hearts beat together as their souls touched. An almost visible aura surrounded them and was felt by all. Liam actually staggered and took a step back. Outside the still open door the lawyers and others stopped talking and looked to the room sensing something was suddenly different. As if by some unspoken command the boys and Jill moved forward and lay their hands on either Rye or Mark. They became aware of their heart beats changing and of the sounds of other heart beats as they all began to beat together. It lasted for only a few seconds and then Rye chuckled sending those wonderful shivers through everyone's body. "Welcome back my boys. Missed me so much you just had to figure out a way to get me here did you?" Rye laughed as he helped Mark to stand. "Angel that was wonderful, how do you do that?" Bryan asked. "I don't know, I certainly didn't know you all would feel it. But what I really want is a hug from all my boys," Rye said as he held his arms out to Bryan. Bryan smiled and flung himself into Rye. Rye winced and pulled back slightly. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Bryan asked with fear. "A little. Not your fault though," Rye turned and looked at Liam who nodded and closed the doors as he left. Rye opened his shirt and showed off his new piercings. "They are still tender and will be for another week or two. Sorry boys no nipple play for me for a bit." "God Rye you are so beautiful," Nicky finally said. "Yeah, I boned up as soon as I saw you," Bryan laughed. He had placed one arm around Rye's waist and Mark had done the same from the other side. "I could tell Bry boy. How bout you and my fella go get comfy on the sofa while I hug the rest of my boys." Rye smiled. Mark and Bry held hands and went to the nearest sofa. "Kian Sweets. I missed you so much and so did Beauty," Rye said as he embraced Kian tightly. "We all missed you Angel. I am glad we are here, although I wish the circumstances were different. Mark would not have made it to the weekend as it was," Kian pulled back and gently kissed Rye then went to Jill and held her as they retired to a love seat. "Nicky Love. I heard you had a hard time of it too. I am sorry our leaving each other caused so much pain. But never again," Rye said as he held onto an emotional Nicky. "Angel, please don't let us ever be apart again. It was awful." Rye held Nicky for a long time then kissed him and sent him to Bryan. Rye turned and looked at Shane with a wide smile. "Angel I did the best I could," Shane started to sob. Rye took Shane into his arms gently and enfolded him in his love. "You did so well boyo. You looked after everyone. I am so proud of you." Rye held onto Shane and gently rocked him as he cried. Finally Shane had quieted and Rye looked over to Bryan and Nicky who came and took control of their lover. Rye went over and sat beside Mark, pulling him into an embrace. "I want you boys to know that this is not your fault. None of it. I had wanted to do this all before you left but thought that it was not a good idea. I wish now I had, things might be better now. But this is going to be over soon so let's put it all behind us," Rye said. "We are costing you so much money Angel, it's not right," Nicky said. "Yes, well about that. I am afraid I have to tell you all something. It's not really a lie, well it is a lie by omission but....." Rye stumbled. Shane spoke up, "What Rye didn't tell us is that he has much more money than we all first thought. That figure we saw at the club was only North American interests. He also has businesses around the world. What we saw was a small fraction of what he really has." The boys looked at Shane and then Rye. Rye held his breath and waited for the accusations or the anger but it never came. Instead everyone smiled and went back to holding their respective lovers. Rye sighed. "So a couple of weeks till they heal huh? I guess that's okay, I can find other parts to play with," Mark whispered into Rye's ear causing Rye to laugh out loud. "You two are talking about making out aren't you?" Bryan asked with a smile. Both Mark and Rye nodded. "How long til everyone gets here?" Kian asked. Rye looked at his watch. "An hour and a half." "I just wanta stretch out and take a nap. This day has been exhausting and we still have the concert tonight," Kian said. Everyone else nodded and soon 7 people were sprawled out on sofa's and couches sleeping. ...to be continued.