Beats of the Heart - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Miles was still holding onto Shawn's hand as he led him downstairs. As much as he had been working, his living area was untouched except for his bedroom. Miles flushed a little, realizing he had to bring Shawn to his bedroom to help him. It had been over six months since he had invited another man to his room.
Not that they would linger in his bedroom... unfortunately.
Miles groaned, trying to shake out that train of thought. He didn't need to think about Shawn in his bedroom.
"I'm really alright," he murmured, fighting the intrusive thoughts.
His forehead had stopped bleeding, and his throat was not as raw. He didn't admit that his shoulder hurt like a motherfucker, and his back was killing him.
Shawn raised an eyebrow as they walked to his bedroom. "You're wincing every time you take a step."
Fuck. Shawn was right.
"I'll be alright," he tried again.
"I'll be the judge of that."
Miles shook his head but regretted it immediately. A headache pulsed against his temples, causing him to groan. Instead of arguing, he pulled Shawn through his bedroom to his en suite.
Don't think about the bedroom. Or the bed. Or Shawn in the bed.
Miles could feel the heat burning his cheeks as he leaned against the counter in his bathroom. He kept his eyes downcast, afraid that Shawn would see the thoughts running through his head.
He flinched when he felt Shawn's hand against his forehead. "Do you have a fever?"
"No," Miles' voice cracked. He coughed lightly. "Just... uh... embarrassed about this whole situation."
Shawn's fingers trailed down his cheek to his jaw. Miles closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.
"Let's just focus on getting you cleaned up. Do you have a first aid kit here?" Shawn said gently.
Miles pointed to a cabinet behind him. As Shawn looked through it, he called out, "Take off your shirt."
"We haven't even had our first date, and you're trying to get me naked." Miles attempted the joke but immediately regretted it because it skewed his thoughts further down the inappropriate road he was trying to avoid. He buried his face in his hands.
Inside voices should always remain on the inside, he reminded himself.
"Just ignore me," he groaned. "Apparently, I'm a mess with no filter today."
Shawn laughed, set the first aid kit on the counter next to him, and then boxed Miles in with his arms. "Maybe next time I'll take you out on that date."
Miles' head jerked up, and he found himself lost in Shawn's gaze. He had known Shawn's eyes were dark, but now he could see they were deep chocolate brown.
"Next time?" He mustered out.
Shawn grinned. "When you call me, we can plan it."
Miles wince. "Fuck! I was going to call today, but the fucking studio and now this." He pointed to his cut.
Shawn's chuckle warmed Miles. "I get it. But seriously, I need your shirt off."
Miles blushed again, unbuttoned his shirt, and shrugged it off.
"Goddamnit, Miles," Shawn muttered as he looked at the red marks on his stomach and the bruises forming on his shoulder and back.
Miles took a look at his reflection in the mirror and cursed. It was pretty terrible to look at. He was going to be sore for a while.
"Don't tell the others it's this bad," Miles requested quietly. "Phase is already blaming himself."
Shawn sighed, grabbed a wet towel, and cleaned the blood from his face. "Who did this?"
Miles bit his lip. Would it be terrible to rely on Shawn? Could he trust him? With his history, he had to rely on himself, but Shawn had been the constant factor that disrupted his insistent need to do everything on his own.
The argument from The Lunar over a decade ago replayed in his head, and he recalled how Shawn explained he could care without strings attached.
"What's going on in your head?" Shawn asked and lightly tapped Miles' forehead.
Miles chuckled. "Nothing. Just... you haven't changed one bit."
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't matter if I'm that shattered 18-year-old kid you saw sitting at the bar or a busted-up business owner. You care, even if you don't know me well," Miles shook his head with humor in his eyes. "I still think it's suspicious."
"Even now? After all this time?" Shawn said with a growing smile.
"Perhaps." Miles breathed out a laugh but winced from the pain caused by the sudden movement. "Fuck. Brian and his goon really did a number on me."
Shawn caressed Miles' cheek gently, making Miles instinctively close his eyes. "So Brian did this to you."
Miles jolted, and his eyes snapped open. "I... fuck."
The smile was robbed from Shawn's face, and his eyes reflected anger that was not directed toward Miles. "What did he want?"
Miles released a long exhale, wanting to curl up and become smaller than ever. "The usual. To take over Dirge. But he's gotten to be a little excessive. He now owns all the recording studios I prefer using."
"What else?" Shawn's voice was a little lower than normal.
Miles gave Shawn a pleading look. He didn't want to show off his vulnerabilities and weaknesses. He was already embarrassed by being roughed up, but he hated admitting that Brian could strong-arm him. However, Shawn was unflinching.
"He's determined to take me down," Miles relented, looking up at the ceiling.
"How?" The question was quiet, deceptively gentle. However, Miles could hear the tremor of anger Shawn was trying to conceal.
Miles hesitated, but Shawn made no move to rush him for answers. "Marketing and the media. I don't have his money, resources, or PR team. It wouldn't take much effort to succeed."
Shawn was silent and ran his hands up Miles' arms until they wrapped around the back of Miles' neck.
"What if you did have the resources to fight back?" Shawn asked.
Miles lowered his gaze from the ceiling to look at Shawn. "Are you offering Aura's resources?"
"Yes," he whispered his reply.
Miles chuckled. "Brian said that you would seduce me. You'd make me lower my guard, and then you will take everything."
Shawn tensed for a second, but it only lasted a moment. He let go of Miles and placed a bandaid over the cut on Miles' eyebrow. "I admit I can snipe businesses and take what I want. I can and will be merciless, but I'm not a manipulator. I hope you know I'm a better person than that."
Miles smiled. "I know. I trust you."
Shawn brushed his thumb over the bandaid. "I would never force you to join Aura, but I am sincere when I say that Dirge would be a great fit for Aura. Dirge is exactly what I need to take a step further in the music realm. I see every one of your DJs as an asset that deserves investment. You found and nurtured an amazing group of people. Without a doubt, I want them to be a part of Aura. But I know that they would not be the same without you. You have an uncanny ability to tap into their potential, and I would be a fool to take you away from them, so I would love to lure you over to Aura as well."
Miles laughed lightly. "Is that so?"
"That's my sales pitch," Shawn grinned. "But even if you decline me, I would still like to help you."
"How?"
Shawn shrugged. "Ask me for anything, and I will see if I can provide it."
"Performing at the Grammys?"
Shawn nodded. "I know a couple of people who owe me favors."
"A concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater?"
Shawn grinned. "I can get that for you with my eyes closed. Come on, give me a difficult request."
"Ownership of Aura." Miles gave a sly grin.
Shawn raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want it?"
Miles laughed. "Hell no. That sounds like a nightmare."
Shawn smiled brightly. "Fine. Let's do an easy one. Do you need a recording studio?"
Miles bit his lip. "I have Requiem's, but it's not ideal. I need to upgrade and expand it."
Shawn placed his hands on Miles' hips. "I have a few offsite ones. Use them whenever you want."
"But what do you want in return?" Miles' brow creased.
"You'll owe me a favor." Shawn's eyes had a mischievous glint to them.
"That sounds ominous."
Shawn laughed again, his fingers lightly brushing Miles' hips.
"Think about it. One favor for unlimited time at one of my studios," Shawn urged. "And I promise I will not ask you for anything that could harm you, your DJs, or your business."
Miles was still contemplating it. "And nothing illegal?"
Shawn bristled. "Really... what kind of person do you think I am?"
"I... um... I'm coving my bases." Miles shrugged awkwardly.
The corner of Shawn's lip quirked up. "I swear, just one perfectly legal favor."
Miles nibbled on his bottom lip as he considered it. It wasn't a bad deal for him. It was more than advantageous. He was lost in thought when Shawn's thumb pulled Miles' lip to stop him from biting it.
"Thoughts?" Shawn asked with his thumb still lingering on Miles' lip.
Miles flushed. "I don't know." His voice was unbearably soft.
Shawn's hand brushed against Miles' jaw. "Promise you'll think about it then?"
"I promise."
"Good," Shawn grinned as if he was holding onto a treasure. "Now it's time for something else."
"What do you mean?"
"It's time to put Brian in his place." He pulled out his phone and called a number in his contact list. "Scott, schedule an emergency meeting tomorrow with the other VPs. I want to propose our takedown of Eclipse."
Miles held Shawn's arm in a panic. He didn't know the details of dismantling a large company like Eclipse, but he knew it would be an expensive risk.
"Wait, Shawn. You don't have to."
Shawn shook his head and placed his hand over his phone. "We have been working on it for a couple of years, but we have never found a good time to pull the trigger. Today's incident is more than enough to motivate me."
He turned his attention back to the call. "No, Scott. I want an irredeemably ruined image. Cut off his contacts and partnerships. Block his connections. Sink his stocks. And when he's on his knees, we will absorb it all."
Miles nearly shuddered. He was truly planning on taking everything from Brian. As a small company owner, he should have been intimidated. How easy would it be for Shawn to take over Dirge? He could have swooped down at any time since Dirge's conception. However, he never did. He had only asked for partnerships and collaborations. Even now, he only asked for a favor while offering him much-needed help. Something inside of him fluttered.
Miles waited for Shawn to finish the call as he mulled over the situation. He was lost in his thoughts and didn't realize that Shawn was already off the phone. Shawn's fingers gently brushed Miles' forehead, where the bruise formed, and frowned.
Miles jolted from the touch and looked at Shawn.
"Does it bother you?" Shawn finally asked.
"What?"
"How much I want to ruin someone."
Miles tilted his head a little with curiosity. "Surprisingly, no. But why go after him? His business is already falling apart because of his mismanagement."
It was true. Too many scandals surrounded his artists, and things were collapsing rapidly. Miles suspected it was the main reason Brian was adamant in bringing Requiem over—a far-flung hope to redeem his failing company. But Miles could tell that Eclipse would fall under its own hubris eventually.
Shawn smiled slightly with a hint of ruthlessness. "I want to destroy him personally. Perhaps it's my rash anger or pure pettiness, but he has crossed my bottom line too many times. First, he and his people attacked my artists, and now he attacked the person I—" he coughed mid-way through his sentence, cutting himself off. "He attacked you."
Miles was curious about what he was going to say before he backpedaled but didn't pry.
"He could go after you." Miles voiced one of his nagging concerns.
Shawn stepped closer to him, his body nearly pressed against his. "I've seen the desperate plays of greedy people before. I set up enough contingencies in my early years to help me survive any attack. Once you have been in this business for as long as I have, then nothing surprises you anymore."
"You make it sound like you're an old man," Miles said with a laugh.
"Well, I am getting up there in age... wait..." Shawn paled a little and stepped back. "Did you say you were 18 at the bar?"
Miles paused and then laughed at Shawn's delayed reaction. "Ah... The joys of fake IDs."
"You were 18." Shawn's hand covered his mouth.
"Stop worrying. I was technically an adult when I kissed you," Miles said with a chuckle.
"You realize I am 15 years older than you, right?" Shawn groaned
Miles' smiled. "Why should I care about your age? We were and still are two consenting adults."
"But—"
Miles grabbed his arm to stop his words. "I did a lot of things I regret that night. On top of doing some illegal things, I really shouldn't have gone to the bar when I was that emotional. I ended up drinking too much and was extremely rude to a kind man who wanted to help me. But I never once regretted that kiss."
Miles gave him another smile before he went to his adjoining closet. He picked a comfortable long-sleeved shirt and quickly pulled it over his head.
"What happened that night?" Shawn asked, his voice laced with caution. He knew it was a sensitive subject.
"I was still grieving," Miles answered as he leaned against the closet doorway to watch Shawn. "Although my mom passed away months before that night, I was still having difficulty adjusting."
"Shit," Shawn said softly. "I took advantage of you. I shouldn't have kissed you if you were going through that."
Miles stormed out to the bathroom and grabbed Shawn's shirt, pulling him close. "I kissed you. Not the other way around."
"Still. I should have been patient... more aware."
"Fuck that," Miles snapped.
He twisted his fingers in Shawn's hair and captured his lips.
He started carefully, almost exploratory. He had dreamt of kissing Shawn again but didn't want to scare him away. However, when Shawn wrapped his arms around him, he deepened his kiss.
Shawn returned his enthusiasm with primal domination. He licked Miles' bottom lip, encouraging him to open up, and greedily explored. Miles moaned from the intensity.
Miles gasped when he finally pulled away, already feeling his lips swell. Shawn's eyes were hooded and burned with want.
"Any excuses now?" Miles asked with a dazed grin.
Shawn chuckled and kissed him lightly. "No. No excuses. No complaints."
"Good. Unfortunately, we have the kids waiting upstairs, and I need to discuss an important decision with my DJs."
Shawn rubbed his lips, hiding the grin that was escaping his control. "Are you kicking me out?"
"It's not like you don't know where I live," Miles responded with a playful shrug. He headed toward the stairs with Shawn following him.
"Wait!" Miles's steps faltered to a stop before they started to climb. Miles fished out his phone from his pocket and dialed the number he held on to for a long time.
Shawn's phone rang, and he laughed as he saw the new number flashing. "You finally called."
"You may have mentioned that if I called you, I might get a date out of it," Miles teased.
Shawn saved Miles' number and pulled him into his arms, kissing him again. "You absolutely will get a date."
They lingered a moment longer until they finally climbed up the stairs. When they entered the parlor, the group turned silent and stared at them. The hostility from his DJs had disappeared entirely, and they greeted them with wolf whistles and cheers.
"Christ," Miles groaned. "I'm going to fire all of you."
Shawn laughed and gave Miles' hand a quick squeeze. He went to Courtney and Rob, wrapped his arms around their shoulders, and started to steer them to the door. "Come on, kids. Let's get out of their hair."
They waved to the group and went with Shawn.
Miles was practically floating from their time downstairs. That man definitely had ruined kissing for him. No one else would be able to compare.
He brushed his lips absentmindedly when he sat at the dining room table.
"So?" Danny asked with a grin.
Miles was brought out of his stupor. He ignored what Danny was really asking about and focused on his current problem. "We have things to discuss."
Soon, Dirge's world will change.