Chapter 4

I felt nervous as I waited for August to come and pick me up. I wasn't sure what to give him since he brought wine when he came over and eventually settled on a box of chocolates with a mix of dark, white and milk chocolate. I had no clue what he liked, or if he even liked chocolate. Out of curiosity I had looked up the bottle of wine he bought the other day and almost fell off my chair when I saw the price. I did snoop around on social media last night and that helped me feel even more nervous about meeting him again.

He lived in high society. His father governed one of the largest districts in our city and he himself was the owner of at least two prominent companies. The photos I saw of him where he attended events he was always surrounded by glamorous looking men and women, mostly Avian. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought he was a bit of a party animal or a Casanova. Was that just a persona he displayed to the public or was that the real him?

Finally, I heard a car pull in and stepped out. I was surprised to see August get out of the car to my side.

"It's good to see you again," he said and without hesitation kissed me on the cheek and hugged me.

"Same here. I don't really know what you like or not, so I got you these."

I handed him the chocolates.

"That is very thoughtful of you, thank you. I like milk chocolate the best."

He opened the door for me and after I got in went around to the driver's side. I waited until we were on the road before speaking again.

"That is surprising...I somehow thought you'd either hate chocolate or perhaps like the dark ones."

"Is that how I look?"

"Truthfully, no. I actually don't know what to really make of you. I'm getting very mixed signals from the you in front of me and you all over social media."

"I see you were doing your homework," he smirked.

"Don't worry, I know that you shouldn't believe everything you read online without proof supporting it. I'm just trying to get a better sense of who you are. I believe there is a grain of truth in every photo. Seeing each other once in a while for a date isn't exactly enough to really get to know you."

"Is that your way of saying you want to see me more often?"

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

A pleasant silence followed as I became more aware of the interior of the car. It was super luxurious and had a very sophisticated looking screen on the dash. It was currently acting as a GPS, showing the streets in a lot more detail than probably necessary. It was showing every car on the road around us too, making it look like one of those computer games where you lock onto enemies to blow them up. Unbelievably it even showed pedestrians.

"You like it?" August asked after a while.

"Yes...I haven't been in a car like this before. Does it have rocket-launchers and all the other gizmos like James Bond's car too?"

"Some of it," August chuckled. "It will protect us 100% if we are in an accident or get attacked, so you can rest assured."

"I was actually surprised that you don't have an entourage of bodyguards following you around everywhere you go, considering that you are someone important."

"Would it make you uncomfortable if I did?" August asked, glancing at me briefly before taking a left turn.

"I guess it might make things stiffer, it's hard to be casual when you have ten men staring at you with dark glasses on."

"Well, that should explain then why we don't have ten men staring at us."

"Makes sense. And knowing that your car can hold its own makes me feel a bit better about your safety. I wouldn't want you getting offed because you left your bodyguards at home to make me feel more comfortable around you."

August laughed.

"I'm happy to know you care about me that much."

We eventually pulled into an expensive looking complex. The gate opened as we approached, and we drove down a long lane with palm trees and turned into a garage that also opened automatically. The garage had space for about 8 cars. Currently there are four, apart from this one. From the layout and how the houses were situated in the complex I knew this was his private garage. We walked into a small elevator that took us a floor up and walked out into a very spacious open plan living, dining and kitchen area. It was all glass and steel, very futuristic and minimalist and very clean. Hades would love having all this space to roam. Wait, why am I already moving into his house in my mind?!

August led me to a dining table, but I noticed that instead of at opposite ends he had set two seats next to each other. He even had a candle lit. In the kitchen there was a dish on top of a warmer plate which I assume was keeping the already cooked food warm. After seating me he served food on plates and brought it over.

I was surprised to see that it was French toast with plenty of sides. Cheese, maple syrup, jams, pickles and caramelised onions.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" August asked, looking a bit confused.

"You did make them yourself, right?"

"Of course!" he said but didn't look me in the eyes. I noticed he was blushing.

"August?"

"Well, perhaps I had someone teach me how to make this so I could make something. It had to be simple since I didn't have time to master anything more complex."

I felt my chest constrict with happiness. This man is already so busy but took the time to make something just because I asked him to.

"That...is incredibly sweet of you, thank you."

"You are welcome, now let's enjoy it before it gets cold."

I was impressed that it was made just right. With some training August could become an excellent cook, perhaps even better than pops.

We talked about all sorts of things and after stuffing myself and washing it all down with a cup of filter coffee August took me on a tour of his place. The walls of the living room area were all glass, but the bulletproof kind and also treated so we could see out but no-one could see in. It looked out onto a private garden lit up with little lights. This floor also had another room which was a gym with all the latest equipment. Pops would do his nut to have access to this. It certainly had me excited. We spoke a bit about the different machines and discussed our exercise routines. I was surprised to learn that August got up at 4 every morning to fit in an hour of exercise before heading off. I considered myself an early riser, but damn…

Some days he would visit the companies he owned, but more often he assisted his father with governance of their district. When I asked him what exactly he did, he was a bit vague about it saying that it was mostly boring administrative work.

On the other side of the gym room was another room which turned out to be a huge indoor pool. August laughed when he saw my excitement.

"If I had known you loved swimming so much I would have told you to bring your swimsuit," he teased. "Unless...um...never mind," he said as if deciding against what he was going to say.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't want to say anything to make you feel uncomfortable or scare you off, so I'll leave it at that."

"What, you wanted to say you give me permission to go swimming in your pool naked?"

August lifted an eyebrow.

"I was going to say you could borrow swimming trunks from me if you like, but... I guess that could also work."

It was my turn to feel flustered.

I followed him upstairs where he had a spacious study with a library the size of what a library would be in a small town I imagine, a spare bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and the master bedroom with its own ensuite bathroom. Everything in this place was spacious. The master bedroom had a huge bed, a comfortable carpet around it so you don't get your feet on cold tiles first thing in the morning, although these places probably had underfloor heating. The opposite wall had a fishtank from floor to ceiling with all sorts of marine life.

"Where do you throw the food in?" I asked when I realised that the tank seemingly had no top, it ran all the way to the ceiling.

"The maintenance staff look after the tank as they do the rest of the house. You will see we passed a small door on the way to the main bedroom. This gives access to the back of the tank so that it can be tended to."

"Oh wow."

I looked through the tank, trying to make out the little room on the other side. You couldn't see anything from here. It just looked like the depths of the tank just went on and on.

"Aren't you worried about someone hiding in the room back there when you are changing in here or something?"

August laughed.

"No. My phone alerts me to the presence of any lifeforms in the house."

He took out his phone from his pocket and tapped on the screen and looked at it.

"At the moment there are 68 marine lifeforms apart from the two of us in my home."

"That's is amazing, if a little bit creepy. Does an alert come through when any of the fishes die?"

"Yes, it then also promptly arranges for the dead fish to be removed and a burial rite performed before burying it in the garden," August said seriously.

I stared at him, not sure if I should be impressed or horrified.

.

"Is that a ritual thing passed down by the clan to honour all life passing on or something?" I asked uncertainly.

August burst out laughing until his eyes teared up.

"I was just joking. The app only tells me how many living things there are inside my home. It is the job of the maintenance staff to keep track of the tank's health and remove any sick fish to be treated and such."

"Okay, that makes sense," I say with a relieved sigh.

"So, what do you think of my house? Is it good enough for you?"

I looked back at August with surprise.

"This is all so surreal, like how I expect people in movies to live, not real life...but your home is beautiful."

August stepped closer to me, gently touching my face.

"Is it too soon for me to ask you for an answer?"

My heartrate picked up. I knew this moment would eventually come. I'd been thinking about it a lot over the past week.

"This will be a contractual agreement, right?"

"Yes."

"And all the things we spoke about before will be in it, about me having the option to have this...marriage dissolved after a year if we aren't happy?"

"Yes."

"Honestly, I'm afraid. I fear that what I am being offered by you is too good to be true. In my experience so far, that always turned out to be the case. I have the feeling there is more going on that I am aware of. I think you and my pops know each other better than either of you let on. But...I trust my dad with my life. I know he'd never let me get involved in anything that would put me in harm's way. And so far, you've been nothing but courteous to me."

I took a breath and slowly blew it out.

"August, I am willing to give this...to give us a chance."

When I finally looked up into his eyes I was startled at the warmth and affection I saw in them.

"I'm so glad," he said, sounding like he'd been holding his breath.

"I wasn't sure you'd say yes, or how long I'd had to try to persuade you. Like you said yourself, it is not easy to get to truly know each other just from an occasional date or visit. I would like for you to move in with me, that way we can see each other a lot more regularly. This place isn't that far away from your workplace so you shouldn't have to change your routine too drastically. There is also a very nice running trail here that I'll show you."

Wow. It was like he was thinking of everything.

"About the moving in thing... I am worried about my pops being alone. He is a detective and can throw a mean punch, but he is still just one person. And then there is also my dog, Hades. Are you sure you won't mind him running around the house?"

"Of course not. The cleaning staff will clean or replace anything necessary. About your father, I have discussed with him about securing his home and he has agreed on the condition that you agree to marry me first. I will arrange for several security upgrades as well as 24-hour surveillance to the property. Nobody will come near the property without alerting security."

I looked at him with widened eyes.

"You know, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around why you'd go so far out of your way for me. Like I said, I feel there is more to the whole story, but I doubt you will tell me if I ask and I already tried with pops. I will just have to believe that everything will be okay."

"I promise you that I will protect you and your father," August said softly right by my ear. I didn't realise that we were now standing so close to each other. His hand slid onto my lower back and the other turned my face towards him before laying a soft kiss on my lips. He hesitated as if unsure if he's doing the right thing or going to fast with me too soon.

I brought my hands up to his back, gently pulling him closer to me as I kissed him back. This was the confirmation he needed. His kisses became more intense and soon our tongues intertwined. He was a very good kisser. When we eventually pulled apart, we were both breathing hard.

"Um..." I said uncertainly.

"I won't push you," August murmured. "As long as you at least allow me to kiss and hold you I will be patient."

He gave me one last kiss at the temple before letting me go and stepping back.

"I'll take you home, unless you want to stay the night but I...can't promise that I'll be able to control myself well right now. You have no idea how happy I am, and I don't want to screw things up because of my desire for you."

I was surprised at his honesty.

"I think I'll stay the night."

"Are you sure?" August asked, stepping closer to me again.

"Yes. I want this relationship to move forward. "

"Well, then let's go swimming."

He left the room and I followed him downstairs feeling puzzled that he didn't think to change into swimming trunks. When we reached the pool room, he stripped his clothes off without hesitation and dove in. After a while, his head popped up.

"What are you waiting for? The temperature is regulated."

I removed my clothes and dropped them next to August's and as I stepped to the edge of the pool I looked up and noticed that the roof was all glass panels. During the day it would let sunlight in but now we looked up into a night sky full of stars. The pool itself had underwater lighting.

I dove in and the feeling of the water on my skin felt wonderful. I eventually reached August and he smiled at me.

"I must say you do look mighty fine."

"Thank you, and you are too. Well, the bit I saw before you jumped into the pool."

"You are welcome to look and touch as much as you like."

"Really?"

"Yes, but I get to do the same," he said with a grin.

"Only if you can catch me!" I yelled and then swam for all I was worth to the other side of the pool. I knew it wouldn't take long for him to catch up to me. His hand grabbed onto my ankle and pulled me towards him under the water. His arm snaked around me and then he kissed me.

It felt so surreal. It was like everything seemed to have slowed down and it was quiet. His braid had gone loose, and his long black hair drifted around him. The underwater lighting made water patterns dance over his skin and his turquoise tattoos that ran from his neck, over his chest, abdomen and thigh seemed to be alive. I ran my hands over them, feeling the rippling of his muscles as he moved.

Eventually we popped up to breathe. August didn't let go of me, our bodies flush against each other now. I could feel that he was just as excited as I was, his erection pressing against my stomach.

"I so much want to take you right here right now, but I know it will not be pleasant for you without proper preparation," he murmured against my ear, "And I didn't think to bring a condom and lube down with us."

I laughed.

"Well, you can't be perfect all the time, right? Race you to the deep end!" I said splashing him before swimming away.

Again, August quickly caught up to me and lifted himself out of the water before reaching his hand out to me. I let him pull me out. He kissed me briefly before leading me to a towel stand. We towelled ourselves dry before he took my hand again and led me out of the pool room back towards his bedroom.

When we reached his bed, he pushed me down on my back.

"I want to explore all of you," he said before starting to run his hands all over my skin. He started with my face, planting a gentle kiss on my lips, before sliding his fingers to my neck, shoulders and my arms. Next my chest and abdomen. He carefully avoided my erection and moved on to my hips, thighs, legs and finally my feet.

"You are beautiful," he murmured as he started peppering kisses on my skin as we worked his way up again. This time when he reached my cock, he took it into his mouth. My hips bucked from the sudden intensity of pleasure. He gently scraped his teeth on my cock, teasing and then sucking.

"August," I murmured and let my hands slide into his hair. It felt unbelievably good. His other hand squeezed and gently tugged at my balls as his mouth continued its onslaught on my head. I was already excited when we came to the bedroom, so it didn't take long for me to build up to the breaking point.

"I'm close," I said thinking he would pull it out of his mouth, but he kept sucking. I was worried that he didn't hear me.

"August, I'm gonna co..."

My words were cut off as I orgasmed, and he kept sucking and swallowing every drop. He slowly let my penis pop from his mouth. As I looked at his face to see his expression, he stared back at me and licked his lips, somehow again reminding me of a bird of prey.

He moved up until he was covering my body and kissed me. I could taste myself on his lips. He eventually sat up and reached for the bottle of lube.

"It will be easiest if I take you from behind," he said, "turn over".

I did as he said and turned onto my stomach. I could hear him put lube on his hand. His other hand started stroking my skin, following the curve of my butt, over my lower back and up to my shoulder until he was again covering me. He started kissing my shoulder and neck as his fingers that were covered with the lube circled around my butt hole and eventually, he pressed one in and slowly moved it in and out as he kept kissing and nipping my skin.

He sucked hard on a place on my neck and at the same time pressed a second finger into me. I could feel his erection rubbing against my back. He groaned softly but kept stretching me with his fingers. He then pulled them out, rolled a condom on to his shaft and settled the head of his cock against my hole.

Slowly he pressed until my chrysanthemum gave way and accepted him, until he was all the way in. He stayed still for a while so that I could get used to the sensation of fullness. He was big and I could feel every inch of him.

"Are you okay?" he asked hoarsely. I knew he was restraining himself.

"Yes, I'm fine. Go ahead."

He started moving and it felt uncomfortable, but I wanted to have this with August. To give a special part of myself to him. I had only done it twice before with my ex, Neil, so it had been a while. August kept a steady rhythm, and it didn't take long before he orgasmed too.

Afterwards we laid on the bed, just talking about all sorts of things. I asked him about his family. He had a younger brother. As a son of marriageable age of 16 he wasn't allowed to live with his parents and brother anymore. Once his brother reaches that age he'd also have to move out.

I guess it was sort of like birds getting kicked out of the nest to learn to fly.

This meant he didn't see his brother that often since they lived in the other end of the district. His parents were both Avian and were lucky to conceive August since it was difficult for Avian couples to conceive. They tried for a second child for years and eventually tried having a surrogate carry their child, but it didn't work the first time. The second time it did, with a half-avian woman being the surrogate.

I told him about how it was growing up for me with my siblings Darla and Alister. He was surprised to learn I had a brother. I told him that we didn't know where he was now, that he disappeared after dad forced him into rehab to get him off his drug addiction.

Eventually August sat up, facing me.

"Kai. I know with humans they have the ritual of exchanging rings when they get engaged and married. I want us to pick them out together sometime if that's alright with you?"

"Of course."

"Also, Avians have a slightly different tradition. I noticed that you don't wear earrings. Would you be opposed to wearing one?"

"Just one?"

He nodded.

"That should be fine," I said. I wasn't one to tolerate pain very well which explained why I didn't have any piercings.

He took out a little box from his bedside table and showed it to me. It has a dark blue stud like the one in his ear.

"So, with Avians - they wear the same earring of a pair? That is quite romantic. I had thought you just liked wearing them only in one ear," I said.

"Only women wear them in both ears, men wear them only in the left ear. Men in leadership have a second stud, that is why I wear the black one to signify my clan."

"I didn't know that. Now...I don't have a hole in my ear yet to put it in."

"I'll arrange for that. I know someone that can do it very painlessly."

"I'd appreciate that."

We cleaned ourselves off in the shower and then fell asleep quite quickly. I messaged pops that I was staying over, feeling guilty for the late notification.