Master (MxB) novel Chapter 11

Hayden's POV

I close Corey's door behind me and lean against it for a minute, trying to will some form of control back into my body. The sweet boy had no idea how badly I wanted to just grab him and kiss him, but I knew I couldn't do that.

I had just told him about the barbecue and he seemed okay with the guys coming over. So I'm going to go have a shower and make sure all the preparations were in place for this afternoon.

As I made my way to my bedroom, I thought through everything that I was supposed to get done before this afternoon, and I felt like I was forgetting something, but I just couldn't remember what it was, so I let it go and stripped out of my clothing and got in the shower.

Washing my body, my mind kept trying to drift back to the boy down the hall, but I refused to give into the temptation of thinking about him like that. Naked and in the shower was definitely not the best place to let your mind wander.

Once I was done washing myself, I got out and just put on a pair of swimming shorts and a shirt. I combed my hair and deemed myself ready. It's not like this was supposed to be anything special, just spending some time with my friends.

I made my way down to the kitchen and stood watching the organised chaos going on in there, as people scurried around preparing all the snacks and salads for this afternoon. Thankfully they will be long gone by the time I was expecting guests, as I didn't like too many strangers around. Call me paranoid, but my private life was my private life and I didn't need someone running to the press about something they might hear from myself or one of my friends.

I didn't really care what anyone thought of me, but if they had to report something that was said and it's taken out of context, that could cause me some problems that I would rather avoid.

I made my way around the kitchen, checking on everything and once I was satisfied that everything was in order, I thanked them and made my way to my office to check on some emails and return a few calls I seemed to have missed.

As I sat down, I scrolled through the missed calls and found one number that has tried to call me about six times, so I dialed that number first as it seemed more urgent.

I didn't have to wait long, before a soft voice answered on the other end. "Timothy speaking." He was quite abrupt and to the point, wasn't he?

I smiled as I realized who it was, remembering the sweet doctor that had seen to Corey when he was in the hospital.

"Good afternoon Doc, to what do I owe this call?" I asked and I could almost feel him fidgeting on the other end.

"Um... I'm not sure if you remember, but I have an appointment to see Corey this afternoon and I just wanted to check with you if he was still coming in today?" He asked, his voice slightly nervous.

That's when I realized what I was forgetting. How could I have been so stupid and forgotten that I was supposed to take Corey for his checkup this afternoon.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, it's been so busy and it completely slipped my mind. Now I have some people coming over. Is there any way that you could maybe come here and check on him? I can set up a room for it, so you will have the privacy you need. I will obviously pay you extra for it." I rushed out, hoping he would do that rather. Corey would be far more comfortable here at home, than at the hospital anyway.

The line was silent on the other end for a minute or two but I didn't want to break it, in case it made him say no. Eventually I heard a sigh on the other end and I couldn't help smiling at that. He really was sweet and if it wasn't for Corey and my growing feelings for the sweet boy, I would probably have tried to coax a date from the sweet doctor.

"I'll do it, but just so you know, I'm not doing this for you, or for the money. Corey has been through a lot and I want to help him. I also know that he feels a level of comfort around you that he doesn't seem to feel around anyone else, which probably means he will feel more comfortable doing this at your house anyway." He stated and I had to suppress the urge to chuckle at his tone. He was trying so hard to sound stern, but it still came out like a hissing kitten.

"Thanks Doc, see you soon then." I said and he said goodbye, before cutting the call.

Now let's hope the poor man didn't get spooked when he saw the guys. They could be a bit much, especially Randy who gave off this cold vibe, until you actually got to know him.

I made my way to one of the downstairs bedrooms and looked around. There were enough towels in the bathroom, in case they were needed, so I thought it would do for the checkup.

I heard the doorbell ring, and looked at my watch to see the time. It was just after three, so still a bit early for our guests, but just as that thought went through my head, I heard an ear piercing screech.

"Corey, my baby!" Oh god, it was Corey's friend, Tana. Don't get me wrong, she was sweet and I liked her, but she was a bit....loud.

I let out a sigh of resignation and make my way to the front door and saw the crazy girl squeezing my sweetheart in her arms. He was smiling, but I could also see the hug was hurting him, so I quickly made my way to them and gently moved him away from her.

"Careful Tana, he's still healing." I gently admonished the girl, who immediately turned to her friend, looking like a kicked puppy.

"I'm so sorry boo, I didn't mean to hurt you." She exclaimed, looking extremely contrite.

Corey chuckled and pulled her into another, softer hug. "It's okay Boo, I know you didn't mean to hurt me." He told her, before kissing the side of her head. They really did have a sweet friendship.

I was just about to tell Corey about the doctor, when I heard the door open again. Before I could say anything, Kendall's exasperated voice echoed through the foyer. "Tana, would it seriously have killed you to wait just a few more minutes before jumping out the damn car? Corey wasn't going anywhere and you could have gotten hurt jumping out like that. I don't care how slowly I was going." Oops, someone was in trouble.

Tana immediately flushed bright pink, before releasing Corey and running to Kendall. "I'm so sorry, I got a bit carried away in my excitement." She whispered and I was shocked at how she changed around Kendall. She went from crazy hyper to a docile little puppy in two seconds flat.

Kendall pulled her in for a hug and that's when Kendall realized they had a bit of an audience. I raised an eyebrow at her when our eyes met and she just shrugged and gave me a mischievous smile and a wink.

"It's okay love, but please be more careful in future, okay?" She asked as she turned her attention back to Tana.

I looked over at Corey and saw his shocked expression as he looked at the two girls, before he smiled his beautiful smile and turned to me.

I walked closer to him and put my arm around his shoulders. "Now that's the strangest combination I've ever seen in a relationship." I chuckled, before looking down at Corey. He was smiling and looking up at me, his beautiful eyes sparkling with happiness.

I almost got lost in his eyes, till I remembered about the doctor's visit, so I quickly filled him in on the conversation I had with the man and he was fine with Timothy coming here to see him. As I had guessed, he was happier to have the checkup here instead of at the hospital.

I reluctantly let go of Corey and got the girls' attention. "Okay ladies, how about we all go to the back and we can relax for a bit. The kitchen staff should be done by now, so they should be leaving soon." I said and waited for their agreement, before I gently took Corey's arm and led him out to the back.

I could see he was already a bit tired, so I immediately took him to the nearest lounge chair and helped him lie down, with some pillows propping him up. He thanked me quietly and I couldn't help myself as I ran my fingers through his hair.

He leaned into my hand for a second, closing his eyes and I smiled down at him. He was such a sweet boy. Before I could lose myself completely, I heard the bell ringing, announcing a visitor. It was either one of the guys or the doctor. I hope it wasn't the second one, because I just got Corey out here and I wanted him to relax a bit before he had to go through his checkup.

I excused myself and made my way back into the house and went to answer the door. Now you might be wondering why I do all of this myself if I have so much money, but the answer is pretty simple. I didn't trust anyone, besides my security crew.

I opened the door and smiled when I saw who it was. Randy was truly a beautiful man with tanned skin, black hair and dark eyes, but he looked so intimidating sometimes. He hardly ever smiled and he had a bitter pull around his mouth.

I honestly couldn't blame him for being the way he was though. I knew about his childhood, which was the biggest reason for his need for absolute control. He had it rough compared to myself and the others and he worked hard to get where he was today.

I pulled him into my arms for a hug and he instantly hugged back, chuckling. That was a sound we didn't hear too often from the man and it made me happier than I would ever admit.

"How are you doing, man. I haven't seen you in ages." I asked as I stepped away from him.

"Yeah well, if you had actually come to the club lately, you would have seen me. But Dean and Leo told me you had a little twink keeping you very busy the past few weeks." He smirked at me.

I was going to kill those two idiots. "It wasn't like that Randy. Corey needed my help and I gave it. He doesn't have anyone else to help him." I said, hearing the defensive tone seep into my voice.

"Chill bro, they told me everything and we would all have done the exact same thing. Now how about you get your knickers out a knot and take me to meet this little cutie that seems to have you by the balls." He chuckled and moved away towards the back door.

We had just gotten to the kitchen when the bell rang again. For fuck's sake, why couldn't they all just get here at the same time.

Randy ended up in a massive collision and had to have surgery done to his left leg as well as his abdomen, where he had internal bleeding.

"Yeah, I remember." I mumbled, the horrible memories banging around inside my head.. We had almost lost our friend that time.

"Yeah well, Timmy was my surgeon. He's a brilliant man, but some things happened to him, things he confided in me eventually, but then he told me he had managed to sort everything out and we have been texting back and forth since then. I thought everything was better for him, and he has gotten a lot better at coping with his anxiety, but something isn't right. He seems to be right back to where he was when I met him." His voice trailed off as he got lost in his thoughts.

"You like him, don't you?"I asked, smirking at my friend. He turned his face towards me and he had his normal glare in place.

"Not everyone is seeing puppies and rainbows like you are when you look at that boy you are taking care of Hayden. We're just friends." I heard his words, but I didn't believe a word that was coming out of his mouth. I saw the way he had looked at the young doctor.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night my friend. I know how I feel about Corey and I'm not shamed to admit it. Maybe you should have a good look at young Timmy and then tell me you feel nothing for that boy. Get your head out of your ass Randy, because it might just cost you the best thing that has ever happened to you." I told him, not caring that I was being a bit harsh. Randy needed to wake up before he lost something really good.

Before he could reply, the door opened and Timmy popped his head around the door. He blinked and got slightly flushed when he saw Randy, but he quickly turned to look at me.

"Can I have a word with you real quick?" He asked with his eyes slightly lowered. I looked at Randy and gave him a look that he would hopefully understand and I nodded at the doctor.

We both stepped into the room and my eyes immediately landed on Corey, who was struggling to put his shirt back on. I quickly went to him and helped him to pull it over his head, trying to ignore the sight of his creamy, exposed skin. He was still very bruised, but his skin looked like silk and I was dying to touch it.

As his head popped out through the top, I saw how flushed his cheeks were and couldn't stop the smile that was pulling at my lips.

I turned to Timmy and he seemed to be gathering the courage to say something. "Okay, so I've had a good look at all of Corey's injuries and he seems to be healing very nicely. Obviously he's still going to be in pain for a while, and can't be doing anything strenuous, but a few more weeks of rest and he should be as good as new. I'd give it another week or so, then he can return to school as well. He told me he has finals coming up." All the time he was talking, he looked down at his hands, only looking up now and then.

"Thank you Timmy. I really appreciate you coming all the way out here to have a look at him." I told him, smiling to try put him at ease. "Why don't you stay for the barbecue, as a thank you?"

I saw him about to argue, when there was a knock on the door. I knew it was Randy, so I hurried to open the door, hoping that my friend would be able to convince the nervous doctor to stay.

"Come in Randy, I was just asking young Timmy here if he would stay for the afternoon, as a thank you." I told him as I quickly ushered him into the room.

Randy looked at me blankly, before turning to Timmy. "You should stay and we can catch up for a bit. I haven't seen you in a few weeks." I heard him murmur to Timmy and the doctor's resolve instantly melted away. I smiled when I realized that Randy had neglected to tell me that he has actually been seeing the doctor from time to time. I thought it was just texting.

"Um...maybe for a little while then." he said shyly and I wanted to coo at the two of them.

The look Randy shot me, instantly put a stop to that though and I went to help Corey up and take him back outside.

I knew the other two followed us, but I didn't pay them any attention. All my focus was on Corey as I led him outside and helped him back into his chair.

The afternoon turned out to be very enjoyable and I noticed that Corey seemed to become more comfortable around my friends as time went by. Timmy was still very skittish around all of us, except for Randy and I watched them as they sat next to each other, chatting together for most of the afternoon.

Tana was her usual entertaining self, and Kendall just sat most of the time, watching the crazy girl as she swam and chatted to everyone, only stepping in when Tana got overexcited and needed to calm down a bit.

I caught Corey looking at me a few times during the afternoon and when I took my shirt off to swim, I could feel his gaze burning across my skin, caressing every inch of my body.

I couldn't wait for the day I could claim this sweet boy as my own, but for now, I decided I was going to start showing a bit more skin here at home.

I started planning on how I was going to drive my baby out of his mind, without even touching him.