The Dark Side of Paradise

By jenthetrulysly and traw

Chapter 2

Waiting until Boris and Wilhem settled, Danny poured each of their guests a glass of wine before filling his own glass. He then poured some orange juice into Steve's.

Boris frowned at the fruit juice, glancing at his partner before he looked across at Steve. "Not drinking?" he sneered.

Looking up from the steaks he was removing from the grill, McGarrett smiled. "No, I don't drink, orange juice is good enough for me. Please enjoy your wine though." Steve told him cordially as he placed the platter of steaks onto the table and sat down next to Dan. "Wilhem was telling me the other day that you have just moved here recently from the mainland."

"Washington...Washington D.C., in fact." Wilhem volunteered as he picked up the platter and forked one of the pieces of steak onto his own plate.

Accepting the platter of steaks that Wilhem passed to him, Boris cast a quick, angry glare at his lover before he turned back to his hosts and smiled. "But we decided to try some island living to see what it is like. We found this little spot in paradise and have decided to stay."

After Danny and Steve had taken their respective steaks off the platter, they all began to tuck into the food. Jameson had indeed spared no expense because the steaks were Wagyu beef if the light marbling was anything to go by, and the salad fresh and crisp.

"How are you finding island living so far?" Steve began as he cut an inch square from his steak, "No one who has come here wants to leave, because of the abundance, of, ah, opportunities. There are countless pleasures to be had from these fine sandy shores."

"We haven't been on the islands long enough to make a valid judgment." Wilhem answered as he picked up his glass of wine to take a sip. "However, from what we've seen so far things are indeed very much to our liking."

"Oh, how long is that?" Danny asked after he had finished his mouthful of salad. "It doesn't take much time to get an impression of these islands. Basically what you see is what you get, in most cases."

"Certainly not long enough to make a valid judgment, no" Boris chimed in as he picked up his napkin to dab at a non-existent smudge at the corner of his mouth. He took a sip and continuing, "but we have discovered some of the pleasures on these shores that Steve has mentioned."

Irritation bubbled in Danny at the plainly lustful manner in which the smaller, exotic man was eyeing Steve. The dark haired detective looked the very picture of grace at the moment as he elegantly lifted a small morsel of meat to his mouth.. It was simply inexcusable!

The man in question smiled that smile of his, the one designed to charm the pants off women during investigations as he eyed their almost empty glasses, "Would either of you like some more wine?"

"Yes, please." Wilhem nodded enthusiastically as he passed his lifted his nearly glass towards Dan in a silent invitation to fill it up.

Lifting the decanter, Danny jumped a little as he felt Wilhem's shoe rub against his leg. Looking across at the older man, the small excited twinkle in the other man's eyes got much brighter as his foot rose a little higher and travelled along Danny's thigh. Moving his chair back and rising to his feet Danny was unable to stop a small victorious grin from flickering across his face as he heard Wilhem's foot drop to the ground. "Excuse me." he said, smiling innocently as he moved around the table and refilled Boris' glass before filling Wilhem's. Walking around to Steve's chair, he lightly ran his hand across his boss' shoulders before he sat back down.

Uncertain of what had just happened but sensing something had just occurred between his Second-In-Command and the man leering at him from across the table, Steve reached for Danny's hand and interlaced their fingers, lightly squeezing them. He looked lovingly at the younger man while silently warning him to cool his impulsive temper. The covert warning had its desired effect as he felt Danny's tense hand relax slightly beneath his own. He slowly released the breath he was holding as Danny smiled and asked their guests, "Have you checked out the beaches yet?"

The leer on Wilhem's face grew as he leaned back in his chair and eyed the curly haired man. "No I haven't but I have the feeling that I should. I gather you surf?"

"Every chance I get." the younger man answered with a grin.

"That's how we met." Steve smiled as he tenderly squeezed Danny's hand, "My bank had sponsored a surfing event on the North Shore. I was to go along and make sure we were getting our money's worth when I spotted Danny. He was one of the surfers out on the waves, and I just couldn't take my eyes off of him. He was one of the best surfers I have ever seen, in more ways than one. I arranged to meet him afterwards as part of the conditions for the bank's continuing sponsorship." Steve grinned as he released Danny's hand and placed his hand on Danny's thigh beneath the table, aware that the two men sitting opposite were watching them closely and could see what he was doing through the glass table. "A few glasses of wine as we got to know each other a little better..." He smiled, as his fingers glided higher, lightly stroking Danny. He felt Danny tense at his touch, but his young Second-in-Command covered his discomfort well as Danny turned slightly towards him, opening his legs a little wider as he placed his own hand on Steve's leg and squeezed. "Well… let's just say… my bank is quite happy to continue to sponsor future surfing events." Steve said as he continued his ministrations.

"I'm sure your bank is." Wilhem answered breathlessly as he watched Steve's fingers through the table, his own hand moving to Boris' lap.

Steve could feel how tense Danny was at that moment, and his admiration for the young detective went up by several notches. Danny had kept his features carefully schooled to keep his discomfort hidden, his movements easy and light. He was doing the best that he could in these circumstances. That was something very hard to do in itself. Steve squeezed Danny's thigh, a gentle action of reassurance and support before he removed his hand and focused to consuming the rest of his meal.

"It's very hard to afford a house in this area." Wilhem noted idly as he resumed his meal. "They are completely unaffordable to normal people."

"Unaffordable to normal people but not for my father." Danny smiled as he momentarily paused from cutting a small piece of his steak and looked across at the older man. "He was happy to buy me this just to keep me out of his hair."

"I gather that your parents are comfortably off?" Boris asked casually as he picked up the glass of wine and took a delicate sip.

The younger man laughed derisively as he placed his fork down on his plate and winked. "Let's just say that my parents will never have to worry about money. The interest on their money grows faster than they can spend it." He shrugged as he picked up the glass of wine in front of him and swallowed it in one large gulp before he looked angrily out at the ocean. "And they make sure that I always have just enough to keep me out of their lives!"

Placing his arm protectively around his young partner's shoulders, Steve pulled him closer and lightly kissed the top of his head before he whispered softly into the sandy curls, "They may want you to stay out of their lives, but you will always be in my mine." Wilhem's hand tightened on his lover's thigh as they watched Danny lift his face to Steve's and their lips met. Gently entangling his fingers into Danny's curls, Steve held him firmly as his tongue encouraged Danny to open his mouth.

Danny stiffened at the sensation but he forced himself to relax and opened his mouth just enough to let Steve kiss him, acutely aware that the other two men were scrutinising every move. The younger man resisted the overwhelming urge to break away and just stop everything, because this was incredibly wrong. Things were not supposed to end up like this. In the end though, he could hear Steve's gentle reminder of the importance of this undercover assignment echo in his mind, so he reined in most of his squeamishness and opened his mouth a little more for Steve.

The man in question felt this small yet significant gesture, and gently probed his tongue inside Danny's mouth as they kissed for a few moments. A strong hand came up behind the young detective's back to pull him a bit closer to complete the image of perfect contentment. At the end when they finally broke apart, they turned to their audience, who looked rather pleased and smug. Steve didn't need to look at Danny right now to be able to tell that the man was flushing deeply; he could feel the waves of heat rolling off the other detective's body. Straightening back up in his chair, Danny's blush deepened as he saw Wilhem leering at him. The blatantly hungry look in the other man's eyes sent a ripple of disgust through the younger man's soul, but Steve's warm hand that still rested on his back reassured him that no matter what the sleazeball sitting opposite him was thinking, Steve had his back.

Sensing his friend's deep discomfort over what had just occurred as well as the way that Wilhem was openly undressing him with his eyes, Steve gently gave Dan's back a small reassuring rub. He looked across at his guests and politely asked, "Would either of you gentlemen care for some dessert and coffee? We have some homemade apple pie and ice cream."

"We would love some." Boris answered cordially as he firmly removed his lover's hand from his lap and looked expectantly towards his partner.

Glancing back at him, Wilhem sighed at the look of irritation in the other man's eyes before he returned his attention back to their hosts and forced a small smile. "Yes, please."

Rising quickly to his feet, Danny began to clear their dinner plates as he looked gratefully towards his boss and volunteered, "I will get it, Steve."

Unable to stop a small smile from tugging at his lips, McGarrett nodded as he watched Danny's hasty retreat back into the kitchen before turning back to the two men and saying quietly, "Please excuse Danny, he's young and gets a little uncomfortable around people that we don't know." Picking up the decanter, he nodded towards the empty wine glasses as he asked, "Would you like some more wine?"

H50H50H50H50

Reaching the kitchen, Danny glanced towards the lanai to reassure himself that the men outside could not see him before he collapsed against the counter and swallowed hard. Rubbing his trembling hand over his curls, he swallowed down the hot bile that burned the back of his throat before he took a couple of deep, calming breaths. He wasn't sure if he could pull this off, and the thought of blowing this undercover assignment and disappointing Steve terrified him more then he cared to admit. He didn't know what to do. He jumped as a light hand touched his shoulder but relaxed when he heard a soft reassuring voice behind him say,

"Easy, Aikane, easy."

Danny found that for the moment he was unable to look Steve in the eye, given the way that they had been just a few moments before. They were standing close enough that he could smell Steve's cologne, which did absolutely nothing to stem the flood of memories of what they had just done. He had no idea if he would ever be able to look the man straight in the eye again. They had to work next to each other and go back to the status quo after this; Danny wasn't sure if they could. He loved being with Five-O, he truly did, but he was certain that some things could never be the same again. They hadn't even made it past the first stage of the undercover assignment and already Danny was having doubts.

He simply couldn't do it, couldn't go on with this.

Steve sensed Danny's discomfort and took a step back to give the man a modicum of personal space. He flicked his gaze briefly back to where Boris and Wilhem were sitting, glad that they were preoccupied for the moment. He turned his dark blue gaze back to Danny, who was resolutely staring at the kitchen floor. "Danno." he whispered softly, "Please look at me."

He wanted to raise a hand and lift the man's chin up, forcing Danny to meet his gaze, but that would be disastrous right now, so he settled for just waiting patiently as the young man collected his thoughts. It must have been the soft nature of his voice or the note of compassion there, for the younger man finally raised his head and the two detectives' gazes met.

"I'm sorry, Danny." Steve said softly. "Let's just get through this dinner, then we can talk."

Steve's concern helped to strengthen Danny's resolve, just a little. "I'm fine, Steve." he said defiantly as he crossed to the oven to take out the pie warming, then the ice cream from the freezer.

Steve gave his shoulder a squeeze in passing as he went to the counter to pour coffee into cups. "You're doing great so far." he reassured his partner, before they returned to their guests.

"Well, this looks delicious." Wilhem said, looking pointedly at Danny's face rather than the scrumptious food on the plates.

"Let me serve you." Steve interposed, smoothly taking the plates from Danny who returned to the kitchen for the rest.

When they were seated and enjoying their pie, Wilhem returned to the topic of surfing. "Do you go out often?" he asked Danny.

"As a matter of fact, we were going to go down to the neighborhood beach here tomorrow morning." Steve told him. "Danny gets to surf, and I get to watch." he said, with an affectionate glance at his partner.

"Yeah." Danny chimed in. "The reason I wanted my folks to buy in this neighborhood was for that beach—great surf and no tourists to compete with. Not many people know of its existence."

"Why don't you two join us tomorrow morning?" Steve invited.

Wilhem glanced at Boris, who shook his head minutely. "I'm afraid we may have another engagement," he said. "Some other time?"

"Of course." Steve said.

Picking up his cup of coffee, Danny held it in both hands, savouring its warmth as he looked across its rim and casually asked, "You both said you were businessmen, may I ask what business you're in?"

A small look of irritation flickered across the older man's face but was quickly hidden as he leaned back in his chair, "I guess you could call us jacks of all trades."

Lowering his cup a little Danny tilted his head slightly and frowned as he prodded a little more, "A jack of all trades?"

Boris studied him silently for a few minutes before he shrugged easily and laughed. "Honestly, our jobs are not that interesting. We dabble a little in the manufacturing and sales markets dealing with whatever is popular at that time."

"You're obviously successful at it." Danny challenged softly, "If you can afford to take several months off to live in Paradise."

Steve tensed as he watched both men bristle at Danny's observation but released the breath he was holding when Boris suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

Looking back at the young man who sat across from him, he grinned. "I guess you are right. I have never given it much thought." Glancing down at his watch, he gave a large theatrical yawn before he reached across and tapped Wilhem's arm before tilting his head towards the door. "Well, it's getting late. It has been...interesting...getting to know you both." he announced as he rose to his feet, slowly followed by Wilhem.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you both." Steve replied as both he and Danny stood up to walk their guests out.

"We should get together again for drinks tomorrow." Boris suggested as he shook Steve's proffered hand, holding it longer then was socially polite and lightly caressing it with his thumb. The bright glint in his green eyes spoke louder than words.

"Maybe next time we can get to know each other a little better." Wilhem whispered in Danny's ear as he sidled closer and placed his hand low on the detective's back. The younger man forced himself not to jump as he casually stepped out of the man's reach.

Steve moved to put himself bodily between Danny and Wilhem. It wasn't a frightening gesture, but it was one which clearly indicated the dark haired detective's recognition of all of Wilhem's advances on Danny; a physical reminder of the fact that Danny was his and his alone.

Boris' eyes flickered briefly between Steve and Wilhem, a satisfied smile gracing his features at the degree of separation between his lover and Danny. The look became sultry when his gaze moved to Steve, who looked the spitting image of a lover defending his own from the unwanted advances of another. Already the man was looking forward to getting home and having some time alone with Wilhem to remind him exactly whom he belonged to. "I had a very good time tonight," he said finally, grinning good naturedly.

"I sincerely hope we can do this again. Goodnight, gentlemen."

"Likewise." Danny replied in a slightly forced jovial tone. "We look forward to having you over for dinner again soon."

"Night." Steve said.

"See you soon." Wilhem said. The two detectives watched the retreating backs of the two men as they walked down the front pathway before disappearing out of the gate, blending in with the darkness of the night. Only when the front door was firmly closed did Danny sigh audibly and run a hand through his hair. Steve blew out a breath he had been holding as he considered how things had panned out. Overall, it had gone well; they had made a somewhat good impression on the neighbours who were definitely involved with the LST drug production ring if their veiled statements earlier were anything to go by. They had also acquired a promise of more plans and time in each other's company, which was more than they had hoped for prior to this.

Danny was still staring blankly at the door clearly lost in the tumultuous nature of his thoughts. The dull flush that had never quite disappeared completely returned in full force, staining his cheeks bright crimson. It didn't necessarily take strong powers of deduction to figure out exactly what the young man was thinking about. If left to his own devices, Steve was sure that the younger man would have spent most of the evening brooding over this and any issues he had with the assignment. Now was not the time for regrets nor was it the time to indulge in such uselessly morose thoughts.

"Come on, Danno." Steve said into the silence, "let's get started on the dishes."

Turning back towards the kitchen, Danny silently nodded before he followed his boss out to the lanai and began to clear the table.

Covertly watching his Second-In-Command, Steve sighed. Unless he could work out some way to help Danno become more comfortable in his role as a homosexual partner, this undercover assignment was doomed.

He paused and rubbed his hand slowly over his face in thought as he watched Danny pick up the plates and walk robotically back into the kitchen. 'But how?'