Cory wakes up to the sound of his alarm, groggily opening his eyes and wishing that he could somehow get rid of the sleepiness that is trying to overtake him. He has never been a morning person and he highly doubts it is ever going to change. Cory and his brother, Judas, had recently moved to the small town of Bradbury after their parents died and everything has been going well so far. Today, Cory is starting his new job at this bakery called Delicious Delights which means he has to get up early.

As soon as their parents died, Cory had to take up the responsibility of taking care of his underage brother. Though they were given a great inheritance, Cory dropped out of college and went straight to work that way he would be able to provide and make sure that they don’t lose money. He would go back to school eventually, just not right now.

Cory rolls out of bed, running a hand through his messy hair in an attempt to make it look semi-decent. Cory is a beautiful man, there is no doubt about it, and he has always attracted the attention of both men and women.

He is not very tall though, maybe five-six, and has more of a feminine body than other males do. His hips are a little wider and he remains on the lean side with fair, unblemished skin. He has golden blonde shoulder-length hair and bright, emerald-green eyes that practically sparkle. His facial features are a little bit more delicate as well and he has long, slim fingers that many end up noticing.

He's just beautiful…

At twenty years old, he had been going to school to be a veterinarian. He’s going to wait about a year for their financials to get under control that way he can go back, and Judas would be graduating from high school to be able to join him.

It wasn’t easy but Cory would endure.

Cory takes a quick shower, washing his hair and his body clean as he tries to wake himself up in the process. Just a few moments later after he feels like he has done a good enough job, he steps out of the shower and dries off his body and hair. He hates wet hair, so it is the best thing for him right now.

Cory settles on wearing black briefs, a long-sleeved silky black shirt, black slacks and black sneakers. This is what the bakery wants him to wear. Cory pulls his hair back into a ponytail and puts on a little bit of makeup. Yes, he likes to wear makeup and he has every right to be able to do so. Cory glances in his body-length mirror, making sure everything looks in place. Cory heads downstairs and sees Judas sitting at the kitchen table, texting whoever on his phone. Today is also Judas’ first day in high school as a senior.

Judas is seventeen years old and a bit different than Cory. Judas is about two inches taller than Cory and he is more on the lean side, but he has more muscles than Cory does. Judas is more tan as well and has more scars from when he used to play sports. 

Judas has short, golden blonde hair that is a little darker than Cory’s and pretty grey eyes. Judas has definitely been more on the rougher side than Cory is, getting into fights and messing with the wrong crowd after their parents died. It was another reason why Cory brought Judas to Bradbury to get a fresh start. Cory just hopes that this time, Judas does the right thing and doesn’t allow himself to get into any sort of mess again.

“Hey, how did you sleep?” Cory asks him, putting his phone and wallet into his pocket, “I was thinking that we could grab some breakfast before you go to school before I go to work. Does that sound good?”

Judas shrugs his shoulders, a slight frown on his face, “I’m not that hungry but I could go for coffee. Is that good for you?”

“I’m not sure you need coffee but sure, let’s do that.” Cory murmurs as they end up heading out the door.

Simple enough.

They walked a few blocks towards the high school, stopping at the coffee shop so they could both get a cup of coffee. Cory could tell that something was off about Judas, but he didn’t try to pressure it out of him because that would never end good. Cory feels like Judas needed time to process his grief over their parents’ death and he had to figure out a way to cope with it in the proper way. Cory has always made it very clear to Judas that if Judas needs anything, Cory would always be there for him.

When they arrive at the high school, Judas turns around and gives Cory a smirk.

“Okay, Cory, you can go to work now. I don’t need you to walk me into the school like I’m your son.” Judas teases, patting Cory on the head like a child, “I’ll be fine.”

Cory pouts a little bit, but he respects what Judas wants, “fine. Message me if you need anything. I get off work at about four so just be home so I can make us dinner and such. Okay?”

Judas rolls his eyes, “yes, father.”

With that said, Judas turns around and heads into the school. Cory is ignoring the stares he is receiving, turning around and heading back to the café. It wasn’t too busy when Cory walked through the door but the few people in the café stopped what they were doing to look at Cory for a moment, noticing how Cory is so different. Cory is beautiful and he always turns heads.

This is no different.

Cory notices two men sitting in one of the back booths, watching him intently. Cory is a bit naïve, and he can be oblivious even in the worst of times. That’s the one thing in this world that he needs to work on, but he won’t realize this until much later. He would regret this day for not running when he could.

“Hi, my name is Cory. Today is my first day.” Cory murmurs to the guy who is standing behind the counter.

The man looks up and his entire face lights up, “hello! My name is Taylor Stone. I am the owner. I’m glad to see that you are finally here. I have been looking forward to meeting you. I hope you are ready to start.”

Taylor is a very handsome man; Cory could see that almost immediately. He’s much taller than Cory, well over six-foot but he wasn’t very big. He was on the leaner side with tan skin from obviously being out in the son. His muscles were a bit prominent through his clothing. He has short, curly brown hair and pretty pale green eyes. He has sharp features, very masculine. Taylor is the kind of guy that Cory that Cory would go for, but he obviously wouldn’t because Taylor is his boss.

Cory is quick to get behind the counter and start to learn the ropes. Taylor is a quick and patient boss, telling Cory what to do. Cory thankfully had a little bit of experience, so it wasn’t like he was going to have too much trouble doing this. He really feels like he is already getting the ropes of everything, doing his best to not let anything stand in his way. He just wants to learn how to do all of this.

“So, how do you feel about this?” Taylor asks him as it has slowed down, having told Cory to get a drink and bakery item to snack on while they go sit and talk, “you struggled just a little bit, but I don’t think that you have done a bad thing. I think that you’re learning and that is all a part of the process. I’m proud of everything that you have accomplished so far. I really wouldn’t have anything bad to say or anything to critique. You listen to what I tell you and you don’t let it hold you back.”

“Thank you.” Cory murmurs, eating a piece of his muffin, “I am really trying. I don’t know what to think but I’d like to think that I have done my best. Thank you for this opportunity. It means a lot.”

“What brought you to Bradbury?” Taylor asks curiously, tilting his head to the side, “there’s not much here so it’s surprising that someone would want to willingly come here. I know that I probably wouldn’t have but I have lived here my entire life.”

Cory just shakes his head, wondering how truthful he should be, and he ends up telling Taylor, “honestly, my parents died, and my brother ended up getting into trouble. I thought that moving to somewhere quiet would be the best bet. I didn’t want him to ruin his life due to something that we have no control over. I hate to say it is the case, but I have done everything in my power to make sure that this doesn’t happen at all.”

Cory knows this all to be true.

“He is lucky to have someone like you.” He murmurs softly, giving Cory a small smile, “I was a bit of a gangster when I was in high school, so I understand completely what you mean. I just wish that I had someone who would help take care of me when I was going through a lot. It sucks.”

Cory just shakes his head, “honestly, I’m not even sure how I am doing it so I couldn’t be certain about that at all. I keep wanting to give up, but I know that I can’t do it. Unfortunately for me, I have been through a lot already and I know there’s just no way that I’m going to be able to walk away now. I dropped out of school; I stopped doing what I wanted. I don’t even know what I want to do except to take care of my brother.”

He smiles softly at Cory when the bell dings, indicating that they have another customer. Cory rushes to his feet, telling Taylor that he can rest for a while longer before Cory heads over to the counter. Cory wasn’t paying too much attention, just trying to get this done. But when he looks up, Cory is immediately stunned at the handsome man who is looking right at him.

If Cory would have wondered what Hades, the Greek God of the Underworld would look like, this man fits the bill. He looks like some kind of gangster, dressed head-to-toe in black. The front of his shirt is opened just a little bit, exposing smooth muscle and what looks to be a tattoo. Cory can only imagine that there is a lot more on his body. His hair is jet black and a little messy, like he has run his fingers through it numerous times. His eyes are black and cold, as if he is looking right into Cory’s soul. He has chiseled, sharp features that are just perfect for him. He looks quite like an Adonis. He is perfect. He is Cory’s type…

Realizing that he might have been staring too long, Cory clears his throat and hope that he’s not blushing too hard, “good afternoon. What can I get you today?”

“Whatever you recommend, I am not picky.” He grumbles, his voice so deep that it sends an electric shock through Cory. 

Wow, even his voice is sexy.

“I recommend the coffee how you like it and the chocolate chip muffin.” Cory responds, hoping that his voice sounds even enough, “I just had it during my break, and it is really delicious.”

The man nods, obviously interested in what Cory has to say. Cory is doing everything in his power to stop his hands from shaking as he takes the money and gives back the change before making everything and getting it ready. He hands it off, nearly jumping clear out his skin when his fingers brush against the man’s and the electric shock that courses through his veins. Oh shit, he isn’t sure what he’s going to do now but this man is divine sin.

Before Cory could say anything, the man turns on his heel and walks out, the tension dissipating in the air the minute he is gone. Cory notices an odd look on Taylor’s face, as if he was worried about something, but doesn’t say anything. Cory just lets out a sigh and hopes for the best. He just can’t help but wonder if he is going to see that fine man again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Due to another worker not showing up, Cory had to stay a bit longer. He didn’t mind, having sending a message to Judas to tell him that he is going to be late. He thought that everything would be okay but when he looks at his phone, his blood runs cold when he sees numerous missed calls from Judas and a text message that makes his blood run cold.

From Judas: Cory, I really need help! I might be in trouble. Go to the Underground, I don’t know what is going to happen next. Please hurry!