(Joshua's POV - Fri. 11 April 2014)

"Good morning, Joshua," Tony says, holding the backseat door open for me.

"Good morning, Tony," I reply as I slip inside the car, already typing emails on my Iphone.

What a tiring week! And it is not over yet! It started with a painful Monday which was even worse than over-packed with appointments and meetings. It was also the very first day that I didn't see Liam at all in the office and it felt weird. I didn't really have time to dwell on this since I spent the first part of the morning with my prolific investment advisor talking and reviewing the millions he raked in for me. The second part of the morning was spent at our usual external auditing firm where I met with the Country Manager and discussed the opportunity to perform an extra audit of the Financial Department.

The bad news is that his teams are fully busy at the moment and that he won't be able to perform it until early May. He proposed to advise me one of his fellow competitors but I absolutely want one of his teams to do it because they already know my company and I know how efficient they are. So we agreed to schedule the audit between early and mid-May. Later this week, he sent me a detailed agenda for all the sub-departments that will be audited, as well as a list of all the documents he will need to have ready when he sends his team. However, I don't intend to give more than a week's notice to Derek with the auditors' requirements; that should be well enough for him and his team to prepare everything.

So, that means another short month before I get to know for sure if everything goes fine with the Financial guys. I can't be sure that something is going wrong in the accounts and it might not even be Derek's entire fault if there is, but I'd rather have a clear mind about it. And if I need to fire him, I'd better have some solid arguments.

Still on Monday, I didn't even get an opportunity to say goodbye face to face to Liam because he was in a meeting with the projects teams when I left the office to the airport, and then I spent three long and intense days between New York and Philadelphia. As usual I met several customers in a short time and it was quite tiresome. On Wednesday evening though, as I was going to spend the night in Philadelphia, I allowed myself a few hours off and surprised Paul and Sofia Murray, Mark's parents, with an unannounced visit to their restaurant and had dinner with them. Of course I had to tease my friend with a selfie between his parents and send it to him, which earned me a shower of insults that I admit I entirely deserved knowing that Mark keeps complaining that he hasn't seen his parents since Christmas and might not be able to visit them till next summer. We had a great time talking about childhood and work and I really don't regret this little escapade to my home town which largely made up for the rest of my busy trip.

I am glad to say that I got two more projects that we will need to deliver within the next three years, but I really need to start thinking about expanding the companies again. If new projects keep flooding in like it has been the case for the past few months, we will never be able to meet the deadlines without being snowed under with work. I might need to restructure the company and promote Allan to a real second in command position and appoint another COO to whom he could delegate some of his tasks. We will probably need more people in the projects too and I will definitely have to develop Pierce Works to hire more building site workers, and why not implement a sub-branch in the South, otherwise we are going to miss resources to perform the jobs.

The simple thought of all this upcoming work could almost give me a headache, because it will mean more hours of work and more trips which is exactly what I have always wanted, but it will also mean less time at home with Liam. I already have this trip planned for next week to Texas with Allan and some more are coming in sight. This is only when I feel the cool breeze on my face as Tony opens my door that I realize that we have arrived and I hear him chuckle as I pull myself out of the car with a sigh.

"Tony, can I see you at..." I begin, quickly checking my calendar on my Iphone, looking for a free spot, "8:30 for an update on the situation with Jeremy?"

"Sure, I'll see you then" he agrees, walking back to the driver's side to go and park the car.

Being barely seven in the morning, the hall is deserted apart from the security guard who holds the glass entrance door open for me and whom I quickly greet before I hurry to the lift. My office should remain quiet for a good hour until Ally gets in and before Tony meets me for the update.

Last week-end at the club, Aaron announced us that Gary terminated his membership at the club, or at least suspended it. He was deeply in love with Jeremy; the renewal of their contract was mostly for fun and he intended to propose him in the coming weeks. The poor man still alternates between different sorts of thoughts and I only have a vague idea of how he must be feeling right now. Somehow, Jeremy's letter and his sudden departure are like a clean break, but Gary also feels like he has been cheated upon, because if he really did leave on his own, he must have prepared this for some time now. It kind of reminds me of how I felt when I found out about Julian cheating on me and I decided to break up with him, although Gary's situation is much worse because he never had a chance to explain himself with Jeremy face to face. However, over the last few days Gary has recovered part of his strong self and is now persuaded that Jeremy wouldn't have left on his own accord and that something must have gone wrong. So, he was glad that we had started an investigation before he did and his only goal now if to find his lover and get him back.

Liam and I had planned to spend both Friday and Saturday at the club but in the end, when Friday came, I decided to take him out in the evening and we enjoyed a nice dinner at a restaurant and a movie. It allowed us to quietly relax from the busy week before we went to the club on Saturday evening. The atmosphere at the Black Diamond was still a bit tinged with gloominess but Liam still enjoyed himself thanks to the nutty-crazy Ed and Mick who managed to slightly cheer up the group of Subs, eventually making them have some fun on the dance floor for a while. In the end, Liam didn't regret spending the evening there on Saturday and on Sunday, he was almost back to his chirpy self, slacking at the gym and trying to tease me while I was working.

It is quite funny how Liam can behave differently when it is just the two of us and when we are around other people. Of course, he knows the rules at the club and at work and he always behaves perfectly in these moments, but knowing how a shy introvert he can be with other persons, I find it amazing that he feels so at ease when we are together at home, often trying to defy me or abusing of his smart mouth like he did on Wednesday evening last week in the kitchen. The little creep then thought he would annoy me by squatting my side of the bed when he knows how I dearly cherish my place. Hasn't he figured out yet how small and light he is compared to my huge self and that I only needed to shove him a little? However, he was still lucky that I had found him tired that evening and didn't want to disturb his sleep because I still got my side warm when I lied down and I hate getting to sleep on a warm mattress and beneath a warm comforter.

I am on my way to Ally's desk to bring back the four big signature books of documents that I just verified and signed when she arrives and once she has prepared some coffee, we have our brief morning meeting in my office. We mostly review some details of my trip to Texas with Allan for next week and we quickly discuss the possible expansion of the company and she brilliantly suggests that I organize a brainstorming meeting with the key leaders that she will try to schedule for the week after next. At this stage I only need Allan, Kelly from Communications, Conrad from Pierce Works and herself to participate so that should be quite easy to have this on the Monday afternoon.

The meeting with Tony goes pretty quickly too. Unfortunately the investigation on Jeremy's departure hasn't progressed much. All that we know is that the house where he was doing some renovation work with a couple of other guys is situated in a little town outside of Chicago and that the last emissions from his mobile phone were tracked a few streets away from the site. Tony sent one of his men in the area with a picture of Jeremy to ask people if they recognized him, but nobody did. The guy also searched the bushes and trashes in case Jeremy had gotten rid of his mobile there but he didn't find it. Since the area has no surveillance systems, the private detective we hired tried to broaden the research but it was unsuccessful and now he is trying to get some information and find out if Jeremy used his passport and took a flight to another country.

Tony is very skeptical on the whole affair because Jeremy seems to have completely gone AWOL and without leaving any trace. None of his neighbors saw him on that Wednesday either apart from an old lady who did see him going to work in the morning and she didn't notice anything weird at that moment. Someone also searched his apartment with Gary but they haven't found anything particular. Gary believes that a few clothes are missing but he can't be sure. As Tony says, either Jeremy prepared his departure very well and with the skills of a great actor because nobody noticed anything in his recent behavior, or something much worse happened.

While searching his apartment, they found the access codes to his bank account and no transactions have been made since he left but they keep checking it regularly. Even if he had wanted to remain incognito, he would have withdrawn some cash before he left and the last time he did was a few days prior to his departure and for only twenty dollars. What could have happened to him?

"I know it sounds crazy, but... do you think he could have been abducted or something?" I finally ask Tony.

"It's not crazy, Joshua... These things unfortunately happen more often than we'd think..." he says worryingly. "The only evidence that we have that Jeremy left on his own accord is the letter but it doesn't fit with the rest. Everyone is convinced that his relationship with Gary was serious; he didn't really pack up; he left in the middle of a work day; he didn't withdraw cash from his bank account. All these facts don't tally with the running away theory. On another side, we don't have any evidence that he was abducted either, and yet..."

"And yet...?" I encourage him after a minute of silence.

"I don't know... It's just a feeling I have. The abduction theory is a possibility that we should consider seriously. There is that letter but it doesn't fit in the context... nothing makes sense in this affair," he explains frustratingly.

"It sucks if that's the case... But then who...? And why...?" I ask. From what I know about Jeremy, he doesn't descend from a particularly rich family and if money was the motive of the abduction, we would have already heard from the kidnappers.

"Who knows? I really have no clue. All I know is that it is an option because abductions happen not only with kids but also with adults and money is not always the purpose..." Tony says suggestively.

"I know..."

"It brings back some bad memories, huh?" Tony says softly.

"It does, but it was different... completely different," I just comment, suppressing the said memories and thinking about how I would react if Liam had been in Jeremy's place instead. I would probably go out of my mind. "Tony, next week you'll make sure to drive Liam to and from the office while I'm away, right?"

"Of course..." he replies with a chuckle, getting ready to leave my office. "I'll keep you updated on Jeremy's case. I'll speak with the private detective and ask him to enlarge the investigation on potential sources of discord; we'll have a close look at Jeremy's family and close friends, but also Gary's. He might as well be the target," he then suggests; something I hadn't thought about.

"Good idea, just do that. And thanks, Tony."

"No problem, and don't worry about Liam, I'll make sure to keep him safe and I'll drive him around myself," he adds before he leaves.

I know that it sounds stupid to have Tony drive Liam just when I am out of town because he does take the train when I am here and he is staying at his place, but that's different. When I am in Chicago, I feel like I can protect him if anything happens but when I am away, I need to have him watched by someone. I am also aware that he hates it, but I am not going to leave him any choice. This week while I was in New York, I had agreed that Tony lets him take the train because Tony was already very busy with his usual work and the investigation, but I'm not giving in for next week. No matter how angry he gets, Tony will drive him. And if he can't, he will send a guy of his team.

I suddenly feel a terrible need to see Liam right away. I cannot wait until tonight. Making some quick plans, I send him a text to be at the coffee machine on his floor in five minutes from now and I head out of my office and to the lift, asking Ally to postpone my next call and pretending that I need to talk to Allan. I ignore her frown, probably due to the fact that I would normally have asked her to call Allan and summon him to my office, and take the lift to the fifteenth floor.

This floor is a bit different than the upper ones except for the block in the middle that houses bathrooms, a coffee room and a stock room. The entire right side is a full open space with large desks for the architects and engineers. On the left side of the central block are Allan's office and a little corridor that leads to two other offices occupied by Liam and Edna and the meeting-room at the end. Allan is a bit surprised to see me and I take this opportunity to briefly tell him about the brainstorming meeting we are going to have the week after next.

"Are you up for a little coffee?" I propose him innocently.

"Our Nespresso machine doesn't have milk, you know?" he smirks.

"I'll do without the milk, let's go..." I chuckle. How childish of me, but I just don't give a fuck and I only want to see my beautiful blond head, even if only for a few seconds. As expected, when we walk into the coffee room, Liam is there, just finishing to run his own coffee. Just seeing his beautiful smile blows away all my worries.

"Oh fuck!!!!" Allan grumbles, hurrying to the other extremity of the room to shut the second door that leads to the open space, thus giving us some privacy. "You're so puerile Josh! I can't believe you used me as an excuse to meet Liam here! And I was wondering why you hadn't called me upstairs..." he seethes through his teeth in a whisper, making me laugh softly and causing Liam to flush.

"Thanks buddy..." I chuckle.

"Fucker..." he laughs out. "I guess you don't really need a coffee, so I'll get back to my work if you don't mind..." he tells me with a knowing look. "Kick him out in two minutes, Liam," he then adds, gently squeezing my boy's shoulder before he leaves the room.

"Hey..." I whisper to Liam, briefly brushing a thumb over his lips and taking back some reasonable distance in case someone walks in. "How are you doing?"

"Good, now that you're back... I've missed you," he replies with a smile.

"Same for me... I won't be able to move my late meetings tonight, so go home after work and I'll pick you up at 8:30 at your place, okay?"

"Alright... Are we going to the Diamond then?"

"More likely tomorrow evening I think. I had a tough week and I'd rather have a quiet evening at home tonight, but we can still use the playroom..." I add in a barely audible whisper and smirking at him. "I'll see you tonight, handsome..." With a wink I turn on my heels and leave the room, almost bumping into Derek. "Sorry Jones. What are you doing here?"

"Oh hmm... I'm waiting to see Allan, but he's on the phone..." he replies. I don't miss the movement of his eyes focused behind me, most probably on Liam who must be walking back to his office which is just across from the coffee room.

"Oh Liam, I almost forgot!" I call out, swiftly turning around to see my boy stop by the entrance of his office. "Can you please speak with Ally about the new reporting chart you created while she was away? I'd actually to keep that one going?" I ask him, knowing that he already did.

"Yes, Sir. I will," he replies naturally before he walks into his office.

"How are things going with Dominic by the way?" I then ask Derek, returning my attention to him. "Has he been able to manage both teams throughout month end?"

"Oh yes, it went wonderfully well!" he cheers. "He really did a great job and I'm convinced that he can handle both teams actually. If it goes on like this, by the end of the month I will speak with Connie or Elena at HR and we will amend his contract accordingly."

"Okay fine with me, if you think he can manage," I reply just when Allan reopens his door and calls Derek in.

I quickly nod at the both of them and head back to my floor. I don't really like the way Derek looked at Liam, especially as it is not the first time that it happens, but considering how low Liam and I spoke in the coffee room, I don't think he heard our conversation. He did understand that both Liam and I were in the there, but I could have been there for business matters. After all, only two weeks ago Liam was still my assistant. Whatever... I don't mind because I finally got to see Liam and it felt good even if it was too short. I get back to my floor and the rest of the day goes uneventful, jumping from one meeting to another call until 8:00.

When tony pulls up in front of Liam's building a bit later, he is already there waiting for us. I get out to hug him and kiss him, finally getting to taste his sweet lips, while Tony puts his duffel bag in the trunk of the car.

"Liiiiiiiiiiii!" Someone yells as Liam is about to slip inside the car while I hold the door for him. He turns around and smiles at a little brown-haired twink with sparkling green eyes that I recognize as his friend Shannon. This is actually only the second time that I meet him in person; the first one happened in similar conditions and in the street on a Saturday morning back in early February as I was coming to pick up Liam after a full week travelling. The boys hug each other for a few seconds. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it earlier..."

"That's fine Shan... I've left you some leftovers in the microwave," Liam tells him.

"Thank you, Bunny. Good evening, Mr. Pierce," Shannon suddenly says, acknowledging my presence.

"Good evening, Shannon," I reply, resting a firm hand on his Bunny's shoulder. Yeah, I'm kind of possessive...

"I'm sorry, Li... I wasn't expecting to finish so late. Anyway, tomorrow evening will be my last day..." Shannon says.

"Did you resign?" Liam asks.

"Yes... and no... it's complicated... I'll tell you... later..." he says, clearly embarrassed by my presence.

"Damn... so you need to look for another job?"

"Yeah, but don't worry... I'll have a look at the job offers on Sunday... Are you... coming back Sunday evening?" Shannon then asks hesitantly, averting his eyes from me.

"Hmm..."

"Rather on Monday," I intervene firmly enough, making Liam tilt his head and look at me questioningly. "I'm flying out Monday evening to Texas, remember?"

"Oh yes... true... but..." Liam begins.

"But what?" I ask, gently squeezing his shoulder.

"Nothing... Shan, I'll see you on Monday evening... Have a good week-end," Liam finally says, reaching his disappointed friend for another hug.

"Sure... I'll see you on Monday," the other one replies.

We quickly say our goodbyes and get in the car. Tony, who had returned to his seat immediately after Shannon had shown up, pulls out into the traffic and drives us home. The ride to my place is extremely silent and rather tense. Liam is obviously upset and looking out his window but he still lets me hold his hand until we get home. Tony has barely had time to park in front of the house that Liam is already out and walking to the stoop. With a sigh, I also get out, get our stuff from the trunk and follow him inside, but as soon as he pulled out of his shoes and coat, he scurries upstairs.

"Liam!" I growl but he ignores me, forcing me to follow him there. I find him in the guest room, sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms folded across his chest. I hardly stifle a chuckle at his pouting expression but I really need to get a grip on my seriousness. "What is this about?"

"I'd rather you don't play your authoritative self in front of my friend!" he blurts out bitterly.

"Play my authoritative self?" I repeat.

"You understood me well! And you know what I mean! You could have phrased it differently!" he accuses. "Besides, what if I had wanted to go back home on Sunday evening and spend the evening with Shannon?"

"I'm flying out on Monday late afternoon, Liam and you'll have the rest of the week with him!" I argue. "I thought that it was agreed that in these cases, you were to stay with me on Sunday evening!"

"I know but you could have put it differently!" he shouts.

"And you should have thought about it yourself!" I shout even louder, staring at him. There is a long minute of silence and as much as I want to punish him for speaking this way, I also want to catch up and relax from the week. Moreover, if I am completely honest to myself, I have to admit that he is partially right; I could have used a more friendly tone in front of his friend. With a sigh, I close the distance between us and squat in front of him, taking his hands into mine. "You're right, I could have put it differently and I apologize. I don't want a fight just now..." I simply say, smiling at his widening eyes.

"I'm sorry I shouted..." he says.

"Just this once I'll forget about it..." I say, leaning over to peck his lips. "Did you have dinner?" I ask, pulling him up with me.

"Yes... but you haven't..."

"Right. Let's go and see what Liz prepared..." I suggest, putting an end to this little argument with a passionate kiss.

Jeez, what a start to the week-end... What is it going to be when I tell him about Tony driving him again next week? That will probably turn into another argument, but I don't intend to give up on that one.

I don't hold any grudge against his friend, but this is annoying how his behavior tends to influence Liam's sometimes. The guy clearly lacked authority in his teenager years and someone who could push him to a more stable life. Thank God, Liam has always been serious enough not to follow him into troubles but his good influence on his friend doesn't seem to be sufficient. I don't know what happened at his work place but he seems to be out of a job again. From what Liam told me, it is not out of laziness or lack of courage, but I just don't get it that he can't find something that he likes to do for longer than a few weeks.

I should also admit that I am a bit jealous about how Liam always insists on sharing his time almost equally between him and me, especially now that I don't have him on my floor all day long. I sometimes wish that Shannon could find a job that would take him away for a couple of weeks like he did last fall, so that I could have Liam to myself a bit more freely. I am sure that Liam wouldn't mind spending all his nights at my place if Shannon was away for a little time... Hey! Maybe that's something I can help with! I think to myself, already knitting a plot in my head. Yeah, I definitely know some people who can help me with this. I could certainly use some of my relations to provide him with a well paid job, far enough from the city!

Published on 30 Oct 2016

I know a certain Dominant who is about to incur the wrath of some readers. Oh well, I never said he was perfect, right?

On a side (and more positive) note, after several messages I received and comments I read, I have made up my mind and decided that I will try and write that fifth story of the Black Moon series. Honestly I don't know if it will be any good and if I'll be able to get it right, but I have lain down a few ideas and the title of this spin-off should be The Dark Side Of The Moon. The one thing I don't know is if I write this before or after Aaron's story. Anyway, I still need to finish Twisted Moon first, so I'll just get back to that before the next update of this story, probably on Tuesday.

Have a great end of week-end and once again, many thanks for reading this story!