Finding Sanctuary Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  Finding Sanctuary

  ISBN # 978-1-78651-643-5

  ©Copyright Morticia Knight 2017

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright September 2017

  Edited by Sue Meadows

  Pride Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2017 by Pride Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, UK

  Pride Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  The Hampton Road Club

  FINDING SANCTUARY

  Morticia Knight

  Book six in The Hampton Road Club series

  Francesco might not know a thing about being a submissive, but for Master Theo, he’d be willing to learn anything.

  Living on the streets of 1920s Los Angeles and pleasuring men in dark alleys for his survival is not how Francesco had thought his life would turn out. But he’s filled with the hope that someday—if he learns how to be a respectable fellow—he can make a home for himself and maybe even find a man he really cares for who also cares for him. In the meantime, he hustles to get by and looks for the good where he can find it.

  Theo’s existence is safe and predictable. He indulges in his perverse nature at his friend Saul’s sadomasochism club on Hampton Road and negotiates contracts for the Hollywood players and studios. When an enticing little grifter crosses his path one day, the encounter unnerves him. Not because he gets conned, but because the refreshingly open and unaffected young man holds a mirror up to Theo’s own dreary existence. Theo might have plenty of material wealth, but his wealth of spirit can’t compare to the delightful Francesco’s.

  Theo rescues Francesco from a dire situation and brings him home. If nothing else, he can at least find the desperate young man some decent employment. Instead, they both find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. But until Theo introduces Francesco to what being a submissive means, he doesn’t dare give his heart away. Francesco has yet to discover the secrets that are hidden behind the walls of the Hampton Road Club.

  Dedication

  For everyone who has been waiting for Theodore and Francesco’s story, forgive me for how long it took! I hope you enjoy their journey to love

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Ivory: Procter & Gamble

  Camels: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

  Buick: General Motors Company

  Treasure Island: Robert Louis Stevenson

  Huckleberry Finn: Mark Twain

  Packard: Packard Motor Car Company

  Nosferatu: Film Arts Guild

  Prologue

  Theodore glanced around the large property nestled in the foothills of Altadena that Saul and Kenneth had been building on for many months. The day was comfortably warm with a light breeze that would blow strong enough on occasion to lift his carefully styled hair or make the leaves of the many eucalyptus trees dance wildly. The pungent smell of the tall, willowy trees would be more evident as the worst of the summer heat arrived. However, Saul had planned their gathering for May, when nature would provide them with a more pleasant outdoor atmosphere.

  Their closest friends from Hampton Road had been invited to a luncheon to celebrate the completion of the Craftsman-style main residence that Master Saul and his boy Kenneth would occupy. A large guesthouse with multiple sleeping areas and the workshop that Kenneth would be using for antique furniture restoration had already been built much earlier. His friend had insisted that those two structures be given priority. But now that their private residence was ready, they had moved in and handed over the keys of their Hancock home to Colin and Roddy, who had purchased it many months before.

  Theo sighed, but it was from the contentment of bearing witness to how everything had turned out so well for the Hampton Road Club owner and his boy. After all that Saul and Kenneth had endured together, it was good to see them living out their dreams—coupled with Saul’s goal of providing safe housing for young, submissive men who had nowhere else to stay.

  Theo bowed his head, a tug in his heart erasing the joyful thoughts of mere seconds before. He wondered how many young men had been lost to the streets or other horrors because they hadn’t belonged anywhere.

  “There you are, old sport!”

  Saul approached him with two tall glasses of tea in his hands, the only garnish in them being a sprig of mint leaf. Lemons were avoided in their household, as they were an upsetting reminder of when Saul had almost lost his beloved Kenneth. Kenneth had developed a strong aversion to them after the incident that had nearly cost him his life. Saul offered one of the drinks to Theo, which he accepted.

  “Thank you.” Theo raised his glass at the same time as Saul, then they each paused to take a sip. The cool liquid went down nicely and his melancholy lifted.

  “Well?” Saul made a sweeping gesture with one hand. “What is your final verdict?”

  Theo chuckled. Saul had been trying to get everyone together from the club who was well acquainted in one place at the same time for the past few weeks, but Theo’s work schedule had interfered. Several studio contracts had needed to be amended or reviewed and his legal practice was overflowing with more business as of late. The talkies had arrived, and many moving picture stars were on the verge of becoming unemployable due to a decided lack of vocal prowess.

  Theo offered Saul a sincere smile. “I applaud you both. I know this has been a labor of love, and it shows.”

  Saul deserved to have a wonderful home with his lover, surrounded by hills and tucked away so they could enjoy plenty of privacy. And he had been touched by Saul’s insistence that good, clean housing be provided for the young men at the club who had nowhere else to go. Like so many other changes Saul had made within their private sadomasochistic community, he’d helped make Hampton Road—and what went on between the Dominants and submissives—safe and modern. As the twenties progressed and jazz babies had taken the spotlight in America, Theo had been hopeful that it would eventually lead to an open acceptance of homosexuals. But nineteen-twenty-six was almost half over and he was still waiting.

  Saul considered him as he took another swallow of his tea. Theo cocked his head. “Is something on your mind?”

  Saul glanced to where several of the submissives lolled on the grass in the shade, spread out on th
e blankets and enjoying the day. Theo noted that his boy, Francesco, was in the process of taunting Aaron’s submissive, Sam, by throwing sprigs of mint at him when he wasn’t looking, then pretending he had no idea what Sam was crabbing about when he yelled at Francesco to stop. Colin, Evan and Linus laughed loudly at the show, while Kenneth seemed more concerned with checking that the food was covered so that the flies couldn’t get at it.

  Francesco loved all his friends, but Theo knew he loved Sam the most. It was why Francesco gave him the most attention—even if it sometimes meant that Sam paid for it in ways that others wouldn’t. Theo fought the tears that threatened to form. Francesco loved so deeply and yet no one knew it as well as he did. Theo marveled that even after all that Francesco had suffered, he could still have such a big heart.

  Francesco was his everything.

  “He’s so happy, isn’t he?” Saul’s voice cut through his musings.

  Theo nodded. “And I thank the heavens every day for that.”

  “Hmm.” Saul took another quick sip before continuing. “I imagine Francesco should be thanking you for that.”

  “Oh no.” Theo shook his head, his smile wide this time. “Francesco brought me to life. He showed me what it is to exist in the moment, to embrace every feeling and experience as if it were my last. Everyone wonders what would have happened to Francesco if I hadn’t helped get him off the streets.” Theo held Saul’s gaze. “But what no one realizes is that the real question should be, what would have happened to me?” Theo regarded the bright, playful, sweet and feisty boy who had captured his heart and given him the world. “It terrifies me to think how easy it would have been for me to turn away from him.” Theo faced Saul again. “What if I hadn’t bothered to find out why he was following me that day?”

  Chapter One

  Theodore kept an eye on the little ragamuffin who had been following him for at least twenty minutes. The young man—very young from the looks of it—tried to pretend as if he were innocent as pie while attempting to keep his furtive glances in Theodore’s direction to a minimum. His thumbs were hooked at the bottom of his lopsided suspenders and he idly kicked at an imaginary rock. The top button of his work shirt was missing, and when Theodore had almost managed to head him off at the end of one of the farmers market aisles, he’d noted that the blue was so faded, it had initially appeared gray to him. Another button had seemed as though it were ready to be set free and the edges of the boy’s collar were quite frayed.

  His subject had quickly ducked out of the way as if it had been his intention all along to veer off toward another stall. But Theodore hadn’t missed the filthy bare feet, the smudge of dirt on his cheek, the tear in his dungarees… Or his mop of curly black hair and wide dark eyes, his sun-kissed olive skin. He carried a bit of the imp in the way he presented himself—despite his small stature—with an air of being in complete command of everything around him and the hint of a know-it-all. Despite the attraction Theodore felt toward him, he shoved it aside. The man who eyed him was not only up to no good, he might very well be too young for Theodore to think of in a non-platonic manner. And if he truly wasn’t an adult, he might need genuine help. There was a strong possibility that he lived on the streets.

  Which is none of my concern.

  So many young men and women roamed the boulevards and alleys of Hollywood, restless souls who didn’t seem to belong anywhere or to have any purpose. Perhaps there once was a time when their future had seemed to be laid out before them like a fairytale. Perhaps they’d taken the long journey from the other side of the United States to find their fortunes in the West. He’d certainly negotiated enough contracts for actors and actresses who had sprouted from humble beginnings somewhere in the middle of nowhere, then after arriving in California had found themselves the darlings of the studios.

  Whether the fetching young man had once dreamed of coming to Tinseltown where he was certain his beauty would take him to the highest of heights, then crashed back to Earth when the fickle nature of the powerful men who lorded over Hollywood had crushed his hopes, Theo didn’t have time to get involved.

  He was a very busy man. Once he himself had arrived in Los Angeles after graduating from Harvard, he’d been able to quickly establish a lucrative career as a legal advisor. His original journey to the West coast had involved a restful vacation in warm, sunny weather on the ocean shores. The subsequent one was when he’d stayed for good. Why suffer through the ice and snow of Boston and join his father’s law firm when he could have his own practice far away from the watchful eyes of his family?

  “Excuse me, sir. But I do believe you dropped this dime.”

  Theo gazed down into the big brown eyes of the very ragamuffin he’d been observing for several minutes. The boy batted his lashes as he held up his grimy hand to Theo—a shiny, silver dime resting on his palm.

  Hmm. “I see.” Theo snatched up the coin and pocketed it, curious as to what sort of reaction he’d receive from the young man who was clearly up to some sort of grift. “I thank you kindly for your honesty.” Theo tipped his fedora then turned on his heel to stroll away. His new tagalong jumped into view after Theo had made it several steps past the bustling market.

  “Beg pardon, but I thought it was a dang shame that a nice refined gentleman such as yourself ain’t got no friends.” He came to an abrupt stop which halted Theo’s progress. He rocked on his heels as he shyly peered up at him from under his long lashes. Theo held in a snort when he batted them again. He doubted that anything about the urchin before him was shy.

  “You mean, I don’t have any friends.”

  The boy furrowed his brow as he stuck out his bottom lip in seeming confusion.

  “That’s what I just said. You ain’t got no friends. Are you thick in the head or something?”

  “What I meant was…” Theo sighed. He didn’t have time for such nonsense. “My dear lad, I’ve been called many things, but never that.”

  “Really?” The young man brightened up again and Theo noted with surprise that he’d begun bouncing on his toes as if he couldn’t keep still. “Like what? I’ve been called lots of things too. Sometimes folks are awful sore at me for stuff I don’t even understand, which means they must be wrong because it don’t make no sense. I know I’m kinda bad sometimes, but I ain’t no deevee…” He frowned again. “A deevee ain’t.” He snorted in Theo’s stead. “Whatever the tarnation that is.”

  Oh my. “I see.” Theo considered the poor thing smiling up at him. “And who might have accused you of this deviancy? Someone you offered your friendship to who wasn’t appreciative?”

  The young man nodded with great enthusiasm. “Oh yes. That happens all the time, so I have to run real fast before they whistle for a copper. But also my mama, her mean fella who kicked me out after he took the place of my papa, my older brother who beat me up when I asked if I could live there…” He scrunched his brow. “Hmm, let’s see. Oh! I know. There was also the ladies at the church who wouldn’t give me any soup, even though all the other fellas there get soup on mission day.” He tilted his head. “I never understood that. Why is giving soup a mission? Do you think they go on other missions? Maybe those missions have pieces of meat or candies. And I never meant to be a deevee ain’t, honest.” He slashed his finger across his chest twice to make an ‘X’.

  Theo blinked several times as he tried to take in everything the clearly homeless youth had blurted out with nary a breath. He also found himself biting back acerbic commentary over how he’d been treated. Most likely, he’d been cast aside for being a lover of men.

  “No. I know you didn’t mean to, and those people were wrong for accusing you of that.”

  The young man’s eyes went wide. “Gee, you really think so? Cuz I don’t want to be one since everyone hates them so much. It’s not nice when people hate you. I don’t mean to make people hate me, no sir I don’t. I hardly ever steal and I don’t sock fellas or spit at them. I don’t say cussing words if ladies are nearby…” H
e sucked in a breath as he drew his eyebrows together. “Well, there was this one time, but she was yelling some very unholy words at me because she was being friendly with a fella behind the YMCA, and I—”

  Theo shot up his hand, palm out. “That’s quite all right, no need to continue. I think I have the picture.”

  “Are you mad at me?”

  Theo shook his head in confusion. He also wondered why he was still conversing with the young man when he had much better things to be doing. He sighed to himself. Like what? All he ever did was work long, frequently boring hours or visit the mansion where his friend Saul had a secret social club that answered his own so-called deviant needs.

  “No, I’m not mad at you. Why would you think that?”

  “Because you had to stop me from all my blathering. Mama used to stuff dirty rags in my mouth to shut me up. ‘Blather, blather, blather,’ she’d say. ‘I can’t stand it,’ she’d say.” A shadow crossed the boy’s features. It was the first time he’d shown Theo anything but enthusiasm. “She couldn’t stand me.”

  “There, there.” Theo cleared his throat. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

  “She sure as heck did.” He broke into a smile, all signs of melancholy suddenly gone. “But you’re not mad at me and I’m glad. So can I be friendly to you now? It’s only a dollar and I can show you a private place where no one will catch us.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I’m very good with my hands and mouth, but I don’t do any of that other stuff and if you try to make me, I’ll kick you in the jewels so hard you’ll piss blood, so don’t get any funny ideas.” He narrowed his eyes. “You seem real nice and all, but I’ve been tricked before.”