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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

Security SCREWDRIVER

An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers PO Box 2545

Round Rock, TX 78680 Copyright 2008 by Mike Shade

Cover illustration by Shawn Clements Published with permission

ISBN: 978-1-60370-723-7, 1-60370-723-9

www.torquerepress.com

All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.

First Torquere Press Printing: May 2009 Printed in the USA

Security

By Mike Shade Chapter One

Kendrick Templeton was thirteen minutes older than his twin brother Basil.

They looked as alike today at twenty three as they had when they were first born. Any differences, and there were a few, were intimate and hidden from view. They were both 5'11", both slender, their bodies muscled in the same wiry, understated way.

They kept their hair styled in the same cut; at the moment, it was short and spiked out all over the place, blond except for the roots, which were dark. Those were dyed, too. Only Kendrick and Bay knew what color their hair really was and they weren't sharing.

They even had the same bright green eyes, though they wore colored contacts as often as not. Today's were this cool aquamarine blue. The shade made Kendrick hard whenever Bay looked at him. Sexy color.

Anne, the woman who ran the household for their father, had left a message asking them to meet in her office at ten a.m.

Ken glanced at the grandfather clock as they drifted from their rooms down to the main floor where Anne held domain over the house from her little office with its big desk and enormous filing cabinet.

10:23.

Not bad.

Not bad at all for him and Bay, and it was a testament to Anne herself that they were as early as they were.

It was a good thing she worked out of the house, too.

Bay was dressed in a pink muscle shirt and orange swim trunks with white flowers. Ken’s trunks were gold with silver shot through them and he'd foregone a shirt in favor of showing off his new nipple ring. He hoped Anne would tattle on him to the old man.

They were going to go swimming after she shared whatever new decree was coming down from on high. It was the only time she formally asked for them to meet her, otherwise she'd search them out and talk to them.

Ken was already picturing Bay without the shirt, the swim shorts clinging to his ass, so he was a little taken aback when they walked into Anne's office to find the room full of people.

All right, two plus Anne was hardly a lot of people, but with him and Bay and those imposing filing cabinets? It seemed pretty damned full.

Bay stepped up close, their arms brushing. "Hey, Anne."

Anne smiled at them, her pale eyes fond and amused. "Good morning, boys. Going to the pool?"

Two new pairs of eyes met theirs -- one set as black as pitch, the other a bright, clear blue-green.

"Seems like it," Bay answered, sharing a glance with him. Who were these guys and, though they weren't bad looking, why did they also look like trouble?

"What's up?" he asked, turning his attention back to Anne as if the new guys weren't even in the room.

"This is Mr. O'Neal and Mr. Patterson." She pointed to the stocky little carrot-top and then to tall, dark and stunning. "They have been employed by your father to be your personal protection."

He looked at Bay and then at the two guys and then back at Anne. "Our what?" Surely he hadn't heard right. The old man had tried this when they'd turned fifteen and the last nanny had fled in terror.

"Personal protection. As in, they are your new shadows." Anne gave the two asshole guys a smile. "Mr. O'Neal, Mr. Patterson -- this is Basil and Kendrick Templeton."

Bay went tight next to him and Ken came to his twin’s rescue. Nobody called Bay "Basil" except him.

"Name's Bay. And we don't need shadows. Thanks for coming, I hope it wasn't too much trouble, good-bye now." He and Bay turned as one and headed out the door. Fuck this shit.

The little red-head? Could
move
.

The door was shut, a solid body before it. "You two got nowhere to go 'til the Missus finishes her spiel, boys."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Bay demanded.

"This isn't your house, get the hell out of our way," Ken added, backing his twin up completely.

"Boys. Your father is quite insistent. There have been threats and you know he will not have you compromised. These men are going to protect you. You'll simply have to get used to it." Anne's voice was implacable.

Bay leaned against him and they both looked back at her. Fuck this shit indeed.

"Fine," Ken said, "but we're not rearranging our lives for anyone. They're going to have to keep up."

"I imagine Simon and I are more than capable of that, sir." Tall, dark and studly had a voice like melted chocolate.

Damn.

Bay gave him a look that said this could be fun. Ken couldn't but help grin back. He'd just been thinking the same thing.

He looked the stud up and down and smiled widely. "We'll see."

"Was there anything else, Anne?" Bay asked, arm briefly rubbing Ken's.

"No. Mr. O'Neal and Mr. Patterson will live in the

antechamber outside your suite. They will each have a single day off per week and..."

The red-head held his hand up. "Look. Rick does days. I work nights. I have Mondays off. Rick has Wednesday. If you go party, we both go. Easy as pie."

"What if we party on a Wednesday?" Bay asked.

"Or a Monday," Ken added, already making plans to get to as many Monday and Wednesday night raves as possible.

"Then we both go." The red-headed didn't even flinch.

"Yes, and we assure we have as much police back up as we might need, to account for our exhaustion." The melted chocolate voice was back.

Ken snorted. "Okay, whatever."

"We're going now, Anne," Bay said, walking up to Simon and stepping into his space. "Are you going to get out of our way?"

"Of course." Those blue eyes met his dead-on, completely unfazed. "I'm not on shift until eight p.m."

"Okay, Red." He looped his arm around Bay's shoulders and they waltzed out of there toward the pool.

Bay gave him a look and he nodded. The last thing they needed was a bodyguard. Two, in fact. It was going to cramp their style in a big way.

"We won't let it," Bay told him, knowing the way his mind was working.

He nodded. It wasn't like the old man to worry wart like this. No doubt he was worried he was going to have to pay out ransom money or something if they got kidnapped.

The tall man followed, quiet, giving them space. "You know he's pretty damned hot," Bay murmured. Ken nodded. Yeah, he was.

"I think I'll do him.” Bay watched the guy from under his lashes.

"No way. I'm older."

Bay snorted. "I saw him first." "We saw him together."

"Okay, okay, but I called him first."

He rolled his eyes as they went out to the pool deck. "We could do him together."

Bay stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "I bet he'd report it back to the old man."

"Jonas knows we're gay."

It was Bay's turn to roll his eyes. "I meant about
us
."

"Well, if he goes tattling, we'll say he's lying. Or that he misunderstood. Or that we were putting him on."

Bay grinned at him. "Perfect." Bay turned again, calling out to their guard, "We're going swimming. You coming in?"

"No, sir. Thank you." Dark sunglasses went on, the long body deceptively relaxed in the shadow of the deck.

Bay sighed and gave him a look.

He nodded. "I know, Bay. We'll pretend he's not there, okay?"

"I want to touch you," murmured Bay, pouting, looking at him out of those fake aquamarine eyes.

"I know. We'll go to the far end with the rocks and the waterfall; it'll give us some cover."

They slid into the water together.

The man was good, always watching, but never
watching
, periodically speaking into a little microphone.

"Who do you think he's talking to?" Bay asked. "I don't know."

"Ask."

He looked at his brother, gauging how bad Bay wanted to know and then decided he did, too and it wasn't fair to tease Bay too much when they were stressed.

He swam over to the corner of the pool closest to the guy. "Hey! Who are you talking to?"

Those sexy eyes looked over the glasses. "My... Simon. He's unpacking for me."

"
Your
Simon? Bay did you hear? Simon and Rick are

lovers
." Oh, that could be fun. Whether it was true or not.

Bay swam over, smiling. "Yeah? Sweet." Bay laughed softly.

The glasses were pushed back up, hiding those eyes with a practiced move, the firm chin lifting.

Bay whispered in his ear. "They must be. Or he would have said it wasn’t true."

He nodded, grinning at Rick a moment longer before grabbing Bay's hand and heading for the dubious cover the rocks and waterfall. They could keep the action confined to below the water. Bay followed, like he always did, laughter soft, hands warm against his skin.

He liked it rougher than Bay, who was a sensualist, but they gave each other what they needed and Bay could get off on scratching and biting him when it was called for and God knew he adored the way Bay could spend all day touching him.

He backed Bay up against the waterfall and put his hand down his twin's shorts, finding that sweet prick all hard and hot for him.

"Greedy." Bay's chuckle felt good, almost hidden in the fall of the water. One finger slid up and tweaked his nipple ring, pulled and twisted. "You think Anne will tell?"

He gasped and pressed close. "I hope so."

"You'll get the lecture about endangering yourself by going to trashy tattoo parlors..." There was another chuckle, another careful tug.

"Yeah. He's going to hate it." He winked at Bay, one hand working his brother's cock, the other sliding over warm skin and light muscles.