Chapter 14

 

Negan hadn’t gotten very far down the dark road for home when a set of headlights caught his attention in his rear view mirror. The way the lights sat up high and the way the vehicle kept up with his pace he knew that it was Cash’s truck and that he hadn’t been bull shitting, he was following him home. That was all very endearing but he didn’t have time to stop in his driveway to thank him for his thoughtful gesture. He needed to get down to his basement in a big ass hurry without any hesitation. Now was not the time for an explanation. He had enough on his mind about the entire situation as it was. How could this entire day that he had spent with Cash gone the way that he had provoked it to go? He should have let Cash go from the beginning but it was those big damn doe eyes of his that had him uncorking that bottle of wine. The plan was just to admire and long for him and his sex from a distance. He just wanted to be friends. But no. He had went after him and worse off yet, he now regretted going back up to the cabin to kiss him despite how his testosterone coursed threw his body for more. It was a stupid fucking move. He had let his desires over ride the logic of his condition. He couldn’t be with Cash. He couldn’t be with anyone. That was the life that he had chosen when he succumbed to his immortal heritage. He couldn’t be with anyone and and yet, there he sat with what little blood he had left in his veins engorged down into his groin. Negan tilted the rear view mirror to take the shine out of his eyes and picked up his phone to call home. Tony had been pacing the floors for hours, checking his watch and looking out the windows for any sign of his boss. He’d been gone all day so when his phone rang in his suit vest pocket, he jumped to answer. “Are you alright, Sir?” Tony questioned looking out the window pane at an empty street below him. “I’ve been concerned.” He added. “Yes and No. I need you to unlock the basement entry for me as well as the cooler. I won’t have much time.” Negan answered. Tony could hear in his voice that he was quite wasted. “Are you sure that you wouldn’t rather me open the barn doors instead? Given your state of depletion, a live host might be better, Sir” Tony suggested in great concern as he rushed for his key ring to do as what was ordered of him. Negan nodded knowing that Tony was correct. A starvation such as this, his thirst would best be quenched draining the life from a warm host but he couldn’t risk it with Cash on his tail. If Cash got the notion to follow him up his drive and he could bank on the fact that he would, it would be easier for him to lose Cash at the back loading dock rather then if he turned to his barn. If Cash saw him stumbling to his barn it would raise some serious questioning seeing as how to Cash’s knowledge he was merely ill and what would he be doing going to a barn? There wasn’t enough time either for Tony to go out to a stall and bring something in for him either. What he kept refrigerated would have to get him threw and it would. “I don’t have time. Officer Howlett is tailing me home. I need you to divert his attention so I can get to my cooler.” Negan explained listening to Tony’s hustle echo down the steps and unlocking doors as he went. “Is there trouble with the officer?” Tony asked hitting a light just inside the morgue door. “In some ways yes but he’s unaware of the issue.” Negan added closing his eyes behind the wheel for just a moment. “I don’t understand, Sir.” Tony asked with his shoulder holding his phone tight to his ear with it hunched so he could unlock the cooler door: “We shared a lovers first kiss.” Negan answered drawing his heavy lids open to watch the road once more. Tony’s jaw dropped in pure shock. One, that his boss had just openly shared that with him and two, which was even bigger yet, that he had actually done it and now he wanted details. “So, Officer Howlett is gay?” Tony dared to ask with wide eyes. “For the moment at least he thinks he is.” Negan shared thankful that he could see the amber lights shining in his home on the horizon up on the hill. “What does this mean, Sir? Please don’t leave me guessing here.” Tony begged now finally unlocking the bolted door that had once been used for the hearse entry. “We’ve chosen to date.” Negan answered and felt the subtle smile form on his lips. Tony instinctively screamed and was just as quick to apologize. “I’m sorry, Sir. My apologies.” He rushed and coughed clearing his throat to find his formality. Negan however smiled. “No need. I’m thankful for your excitement.” He spoke quietly. “Permission to speak freely, Sir” Tony asked unable to contain himself and swung open the heavy door into the dark, cobble stone loading dock to wait for his boss to pull in. “After I’ve fed.” Negan weakly chuckled. “I’ll count it as my holiday bonus.” Tony eagerly offered. “I see your headlights.” He straightened and pulled down the hem of his vest taunt as he watched his boss begin to climb the steep slope of the drive to find the descend to the dock. “You’ll get your bonus.” Negan assured him of. He was thankful to have himself a friend. “If it’s all the same, Sir, I’d rather the juicy details.” Tony laughed stepping back just inside the door so that his boss’s truck could pull up entirely as well as to ready himself to lock his boss in immediately as soon as he’d cross the threshold. 

Cash watched as Negan’s tail lights disappeared down a driveway so he pulled his truck up along side the curb below to wait for a sight of Negan making it to his door safely. His cab was toasty warm as he sat idling with the thoughts of the days events and that evening sinking in. He had kissed a man. He not only had kissed a man, he throughly had enjoyed it too. He raked his fingers threw his thick, dark hair and then adjusted himself to watch out his window. His thoughts wandered to how Negan’s erection had felt cradled next to his own when he had pulled Negan in flush to his hips. Their kiss had feverishly deepened then as they had pressed themselves against the others length. He blew out hard threw his nose fogging the glass. Still no sight of him walking to his front door. Maybe there was a side door? There had to be with a house this big and that old. In fact, he figured there to be multiple doors and he wouldn’t be surprised if there were secret passage ways too. Negan really couldn’t get any sexier he thought but he loved old architecture and in this moment couldn’t wait for a personal tour of the mansion. The lights were all on in the house but he had yet to see any activity moving about. Maybe Negan had passed out in his driver’s seat? He really did hate to over step himself considering the fact that Negan had made it clear to him that he had this handled on his own. Negan was also a man and he didn’t know if that line should be tested but the bottom line was, was he was concerned. “What the fuck. Get pissed. I don’t give a fuck. You’re my boyfriend now, right?” Cash questioned himself and simultaneously turned his truck off and swung open his door. “I’m not going to let you sit there while you’re having a goddamn heart attack or something.” Cash explained to thin air as he made his way up the driveway. He noticed that there were plenty of lamp posts but none were lit and figured that had to be for the Canton Police Department’s benefit. Assholes. He ground of his jaw while his eyes adjusted to the night walking up along side Negan’s truck to look inside. Thankfully the bucket seat was empty. Squinting his eyes he scanned the wall till he saw a strange vaulted door and that had to be the door that Negan had used. It was as Cash wrapped his sturdy knuckles on the door that he remembered that this house had once served as a funeral home and that his assumptions were correct. He was at the hearse entry. 

The knocking without a doubt Negan knew to be Cash. “Get rid of him.” He graveled darkly to his butler with a thickly coated throat. “Of course, Sir.” Tony obliged with a head nod to his boss’s hunched over back that kneeled closely to the damp cement floor. 

Tony hurried up the basement steps taking them two at a time in order to bring Cash’s knocking to a haunt. The kitchen entrance service door was closest he chose to call from as his leather soles shoes slid across the freshly waxed floor. He needed that knocking to cease so his boss could acquire the silence that he required. He took another hurried step to slide himself to meet the wall and briskly started flipping the switch on and off in order to alert the officer’s attention. Cash indeed had seen the flickering light and stepped back from the door to follow the light. “Holy shit, you’re huge.” Tony hushed to himself watching Cash walk towards the entrance that he needed him to use. Tony had once guessed his boss to take interest in a man such as himself. He’d be business minded with a suave and debonair disposition but laying eyes closer on the officer he was mistaken for quite the opposite. He never in a million years would’ve guessed his boss to take a shine to such a brute, mountain of a man and dressed down at that. His boss liked fine threads. “Opposites attract. Apparently so.” Tony decided to himself. He may have guessed entirely wrong for all these years but that hadn’t  hindered his excitement to meet the man that had finally broken threw his boss’s wall. The officer had to be pretty damn special and he got to meet him all to himself. Minerva had excused herself to her quarters for the evening and his boss was obviously contained in the basement. Tony couldn’t help but feel both privileged and excited at the same time. He wasn’t leaving Cash the opportunity to lay another hand on a door that without a doubt would echo and opened the door for him instead. “Officer Howlett I presume?” Tony greeted with a smile that couldn’t be helped. “Yes.” Cash answered taking in the man that he had only seen from a distance in his drive the day before. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Tony Stratton.” Tony introduced welcoming Cash inside and extending his hand. “Cash Howlett.” Cash accepted in greeting and took Tony’s hand in his and met the grip to accompany his bright eyes with his own. “You’re Negan’s driver.” Cash clarified. “His butler.” Tony embellished resting his hands subserviently behind his back. If this worked out, he’d be in his service as well. Cash nodded looking briefly around the beautiful kitchen. What in the hell did Negan see in his hole of a wall cabin or himself for that matter when his butler looked just as distinguished as Negan did in his what one piece was missing from his designer 3 piece suit. “I hate to bother you u but I’m stopping in to check on Negan.” Cash said finding his focus over the momentary feeling of incompetency. “That’s very kind of you.” Tony gently smiled in response. Cash felt a bit awkward speaking freely so soon but he assumed that his butler already knew where Negan had been all day anyway. “Negan and I spent the day together” Cash began as Tony nodded in understanding. Tony found Cash’s shyness and the color that quickly flooded his cheeks adorable. Yes, he was smitten with his boss. It was plain as day. “Well, the day had went well and and then up until about an hour ago, he started to get real weak and pale. He mentioned something about his sugar or his blood pressure and to play it safe I followed him home. I just want to make sure he’s ok.” Cash explained in his most professional tone that he could muster when his admiration he knew shown all over his face. “Sugar. Blood pressure. Slick.” Tony thought to himself. “Yes. He unfortunately has a condition.” Tony clarified. “I’m trained in first response obviously given my profession. I can take his vitals to make sure he will be ok or if he needs medical attention. He didn’t look well at all.” Cash said straightening his shoulders. Tony instinctively gave the aww puppy dog eyes and turned down lip. “That’s so kind of you.” He said and reached his hand for a moment to grace Cash’s elbow a moment before returning it behind his back. “Mr. Coldwell will be just fine I can assure you. He just requires rest right now.” Tony respectfully declined. Cash nodded to himself and pushed the sleeves of his plaid shirt up his muscled forearms. “I will tell him that you stopped in and that you send your best.” Tony offered even though he wanted everything to invite him in further for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine if only just to be nosy but he couldn’t. This was a very big deal and he just could not be happier. “That would be nice. Thank you. But should you need me, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.” Cash added reaching in his back packet for his wallet to give Negan’s butler one of his new business cards. Tony accepted it and ran his thumb over the raised ink. “This is very kind of you. I’m sure you’re well aware of Mr. Coldwell’s reputation here in Canton.”  Tony added. “I am and that’s going to change here real quick like. Please give Negan my best.” Cash ended to excuse himself with and knocked his knuckles over top his card that Tony had laid on the counter.