Chapter 11

I keptmy eyes on the menu to avoid looking at Wes any longer. There was something in his gaze that made me want to pour out my own story for him to evaluate. Never mind his life appeared to be in a steady sort of chaos as well. I just felt like he would know the answer to my issues, which was a weird feeling after having only known him a day and a half.

“Have you chosen a dessert?” The waitress asked from beside me, making me jolt at her sudden appearance. I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings well enough to notice her approach the table.

“Gerald?” Wes asked. “Do you know what you’d like?”

I shook my head. “It all looks good. Do you have a suggestion?”

When I raised my head, I found him grinning at me with a knowing sort of expression. I wondered if it was because he knew I was thinking of him when I was supposed to be making my decision, or if he was simply amused by my lack of focus.

“Two of the brownies and a couple small tarts, please. Thank you.” Wes handed our menus to the waitress, then folded his arms on the table.

“So…” I drawled.

“So,” he repeated. “I guess I should start at the beginning of things with Danielle.”

Wes wove a tale of years and years of dating the woman and then proposing. He told me about their work commitments, how perfect they were together on paper. He explained her father’s power and why their marriage was advantageous for everyone, even though he didn’t come from money.

As the story continued, his words shifted. They were less about happiness and positive connections, and more about loneliness, long work hours, and uneasy suspicions. He explained there were too many times he couldn’t reach Danielle despite her claiming she had nothing going on and long stares between her and the men around them. Stares that spoke of intimate knowledge of the other person.

“She’d built a network of men at her disposal. All of them, even my friends, were all too happy to come when she called,” he said solemnly.

“And you never suspected before recently?”

I couldn’t imagine how he’d have missed it. The way he watched me was so intense. I was merely an employee. Danielle had to have felt the power of his interest even if it was a fraction of this. And yet, she ruined her chances.

“Not once. She was always friendly to others. Part of her charm was that she could get along with anyone I introduced her to. Little did I know she was collecting them in her black book of booty calls.”

I snorted. “You did not just use the phrase booty call! I haven’t heard that in ages.”

“Oh, yes, I did. It’s a perfectly acceptable word given the situation. Anyway, I decided to build up evidence to prove I wasn’t going crazy when my brain decided to put the pieces together. The first video was damning enough. But then I realized she’d probably try to lie. Maybe she’d claim it was a one-time thing. I couldn’t let myself believe the lie, so I kept the camera up for three weeks.”

Wincing, I ran my hands over the tabletop. “And by then, you had plenty of proof.”

“Exactly that. I kicked her out, cancelled the engagement, and decided to move. Oh, and I fired everyone working for me. Most were either hired by her or had slept with her. Some were both. I figured cleaning house was best.”

“Which led you to me. Or rather, the job opening.” I leaned back in my seat. “It sucks that you had to go through this, but I’m kind of glad to have the work. Her loss is my gain.”

The way his lips tipped up on one side was downright sinful. Wes was far too attractive, a problem in its own right. And still, I’d accepted the job because I needed employment. I would just have to ignore his sharp jawline, sexy glasses, and teasing looks.

Easy enough considering he was fresh from his disaster of an engagement. Plus, I had no clue if he was even into men.

Not that I’d go there. Not again.

“Indeed it is your gain. So far, I’m rather pleased that this has all aligned so perfectly.”

The waitress arrived with dessert and then there was no more talking. For how much I enjoyed the sandwich he’d ordered me, I loved this even more. It was both sweet and subtle, the flavor elegantly balanced in a way Harlan would have loved.

My heart panged at the memory of my friend. I missed him and the others far more than I expected to. Not because I didn’t care for them. It was more that I thought my declaration of starting a new life would have me focused on the future only. Looking back, I couldn’t have been more foolish to think such thoughts.

Delusion.

I was full of it. Had to be, or I’d have known there was no escaping the past or the memories it held.

“Earth to Gerald. I didn’t know brownies could make someone so melancholy,” Wes teased with a worried expression.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts away. “It’s not the brownies. Just memories.”

He hummed as he shoved more food in his mouth. I chose not to elaborate any further. While I might have wanted to share with him, I felt as if doing so would be a step too far. His experiences would directly affect us and our work life. I already guessed I’d be around to help move Danielle’s stuff out of his place, which meant being abreast of the situation. It would look very unprofessional of me to not know all the details.

But my life wasn’t up for debate or examination. It didn’t change anything between us. My past and future were two separate things altogether.

I intended to keep them that way.

Sunday endedwith Wes bidding me goodbye after giving me a key to his current residence. He asked me to arrive at seven sharp on Monday so we could get an early start. Apparently, Danielle said she’d be coming at ten with the movers and Wes wanted as much moved as possible before then.

My alarm went off at six on the dot. I shut it off quickly so as not to wake Charlie or Princess Aster from their slumber. I was still staying with them a few more nights in their guest room until Wes and I got his stuff moved over. He’d offered for me to move in ahead of him, but I’d refused. I didn’t want to be in the space alone before him. It felt too… personal.

And this was strictly business.

With a schedule to stick to, I went about getting ready for the day. After the mini makeover the other day, the guys all went in together to get me some clothes they thought would fit my new lifestyle. It was mostly stretchy slacks that felt more like pajamas than dress pants and some comfortable button-down tops. They likely wouldn’t work all that well for housekeeping duties though. I’d have to plan backup clothes for those moments. Or maybe just an apron.

My mind filled with an image of me wearing only an apron as I dusted something on a shelf in Wes’s place as I climbed into the shower. The vision quickly changed to feature Wes sitting on the couch, arms spread wide as he watched me reach up to the spot I needed to clean.

It was a rather erotic situation to be in. One I’d never experienced in real life, nor had I ever fantasized such before. I didn’t quite know what to make of it. If I stopped to interpret things, I might have concluded I had feelings for Wes. Or at the very least, I wanted to have sex with him.

But that couldn’t be right. It wasn’t possible.

My libido didn’t work anymore. Not in the way it had before.

Before, I could get hard with a single thought of him. Sometimes it was just thinking of calling him by his title, and I’d be ready to bend over in an instant.

Then the sickness came. And soon after, he was gone. My coping methods only further dulled any chances I had to seek any sexual pleasure. There was the occasional random boner, but nothing that lasted. And never was it brought forth because I was attracted to someone else.

Ignoring the way my cock hardened was impossible. Besides, I was alone in the shower. It wasn’t as if anyone would know I touched myself to thoughts of Wes. Especially if I managed to keep quiet.

I bit my lip as I reached down to grab my neglected length. I rubbed gently over the smooth skin, then squeezed tight at the base. My balls begged for attention, so I tugged them a bit too.

Hot water poured over me as I reacquainted myself with my own body. It felt different this time than any other. Every inch of me felt alive, like I was one second away from catching fire despite the impossibility of such a thing.

I knew diving back into the fantasy was a bad idea. There wasn’t a single ounce of my conscious mind that would argue against it. But I wasn’t thinking with my head at that moment.

As the image returned, I stroked my cock from root to tip. Pleasure raced up my spine. It was familiar enough I could tell it wouldn’t take me long to break. My lack of orgasms made each of the few I had come quick.

In the vision, I finished the top shelf, then made my way down to the bottom. I wound up on all fours, duster in hand, as I wiggled to reach the back. My ass was on full display, while my cock was pressed tight between my legs.

The sound of footsteps echoed as I felt a presence move behind me. Wes’s voice sounded hyper realistic as he said, “Such a gorgeous view I have.” His hand ran over the curve of my backside, then he spread me open and blew against my hole.

Rapture tore through me so quickly I couldn’t hold back the low moan that slipped from my lips. At least I had the restraint to not cry out Wes’s name. It wouldn’t have been a problem in my current location, but moving in with the man and calling his name as I came might cause issues between us.

With my body sated, I worked to clean up as quickly as possible. I had no idea how long the distraction had taken me, and I didn’t want to be late my first real morning of work. This was my second chance. Ruining it because I couldn’t control my cock would be a disaster.

I stopped to grab Wes another Americano on the way, then I let myself into his place right on time. There wasn’t anyone in the areas I could see from the entry, so I called out to see where he might be.

“Mr. Joffry? Are you here?” I still wasn’t a fan of using his first name out loud, though it was fine in my head. I didn’t have a rational explanation for it. I only knew something about it bothered me.

There was no response. I worried I had the timing wrong. A glance at my watched showed I wasn’t early or anything.

Setting the coffee on the kitchen counter, I went down the hall to see if maybe he’d overslept. There was nothing to indicate Wes was even awake. I knocked on his bedroom door, my worry rising as I waited for any kind of response.

A grumble sounded out from the other side a second before the door was ripped open. “Yes?”

“Umm…” I lost my train of thought at the sight of his chest. His very delicious looking chest. One I’d really like to rub my face in and maybe fall asleep against.

Ugh. No. Bad Gerald.

“I’m here to work. For work. To start the day. You said — time.” I turned my phone his way to show the clock.

He squinted at the screen, then swore. “I guess my alarm didn’t go off. I’m sorry, Gerald. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll get put together.”

We both watched his hand move down his body. I took the minute to admire his physique, while he seemed to panic about being almost fully naked in front of me. Because yeah, the man was only in his underwear. His very small, very tight underwear.

He crept backwards slowly, as if he were a ghost disappearing into the night. Only I could absolutely see him. And the slower he went, the longer I got to take in the view.

By the time he shut the door, I felt like I couldn’t breathe right any longer. I’d been trying not to pant over the man, and in turn held my breath for far too long. After giving myself a moment to fix the irregular pattern with some manual breathing, I turned back to the kitchen.

I needed to get far, far away from Weston Joffry. At least for the moment since I had a feeling he was naked behind that door. And with the way my body had been acting over the last two days since we met, I couldn’t predict what it might do next.