Chapter 8

Eight

T he past two weeks were awesome—actually, beyond awesome, in Scout’s opinion. While he and Alex agreed to keep things professional at the office, they’d gone on several more dates after hours. They wanted to keep their growing relationship between them, for now, as they got to know each other better on a personal level. Since their first date, they’d gone out to a movie, a new local art exhibit Alex wanted to check out, and bowling—something Scout hadn’t done in years. Thank God he hadn’t made a fool of himself by throwing nothing but gutter balls.

Until Alex, Scout never realized how most of the dates he went on in the past were expensive ones, in one way or another, usually with him footing the bill. And while Scout could easily afford to pay for everything, each time they went out, his new boyfriend refused to let him. They took turns or went Dutch , which Scout was okay with. He didn’t care what they did or who paid for it as long as they were together. All that mattered was spending time with the man he was falling in love with—hopelessly, irreversibly in love with.

In addition to going out a few nights, there had been other dates when they stayed in Scout’s penthouse. They enjoyed spending the evening cooking dinner together and watching TV—a movie, sports, or the latest episode of a new reality show they were both into. Scout was surprised and pleased when he learned Alex liked to play chess. Over the past six days, they tried to outwit each other on the handcrafted marble set Scout bought in Italy a few years ago. They seemed to be on the same playing level, so it was challenging to determine their next moves.

Currently, it was Scout’s turn, and he was in danger of losing his queen, so he studied the checkered board whenever he got a chance over the past thirty hours. He had a feeling he was screwed and would have to suck it up and make a move soon.

During several evenings at home, Scout entertained his new boyfriend by playing the piano. One night, he discovered Alex could sing beautifully. After finding out who his favorite artists were, Scout learned many of their songs so that he could listen to the man’s deep baritone voice as he sang along.

A knock on his office door drew his attention away from the advertising plans his marketing team had devised for Paradox-North in Seattle. They were just waiting for his final approval before setting it all in motion.

Delilah strode in and shut the door behind her. Sitting back in his chair, Scout waited for her to take a seat. From her amused expression, something was on her mind. “So, are you going to tell me if the rumors are true, or do I have to guess?”

“What rumors?”

“About you and Alex.”

Scout groaned and rolled his eyes. He should’ve known someone would figure out Alex and he were dating, and once that happened, the rumor mill would run rampant. He wasn’t surprised his secretary didn’t beat around the bush and just asked him outright. Scout loved Delilah like an aunt, and she treated him like a nephew. And she had his back—always.

“You want to tell me exactly what the rumors are?”

“I’d rather you tell me the truth so I can collect the fifty-dollar bet I made with Sarah.”

“Ah.” He wasn’t shocked or insulted by the two women betting on his love life. Sarah Nichols, the head of Human Resources, had worked at Turner Continental since the beginning and helped Scout grow the company from the ground up.

If the rumor mill had figured things out, there was no reason to continue hiding the fact that he and Alex were dating. Actually, it was a given that the current gossip wasn’t a hundred percent accurate, so he might as well set the record straight. Scout had told Alex that, eventually, their relationship would be exposed, and he had no intention of denying it if someone asked him about it. He never hid his sexuality from anyone since he came out of the closet shortly after graduating high school.

“Alex and I are dating. It just happened, and only recently.” When Delilah grinned at him, he added, “I like him, Dee. A lot. I never thought I’d find someone I wanted to spend my life with, but ...”

“But you did, and I’m so happy for you ... both of you. He’s good for you, Scout. You’ve been walking around for the past two weeks happier than I can ever remember seeing you.”

“I am happy. In fact, I want to introduce him to my folks next weekend.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “That fast?”

“That fast.”

“Damn. When you were dating that Michael idiot a few years ago, it was four or five months before you introduced him to your parents.”

“And a week later, we broke up.” Michael Davis, a lawyer, was one of only two boyfriends Scout had ever introduced to his family. He should’ve listened to his gut back then and put it off for a few more weeks. However, one of his sisters found out he was dating someone and insisted that Scout bring Michael to her engagement party. Six days afterward, Scout discovered Michael had cheated on him and told him to take a hike. The only other guy he brought home to meet his family was a guy he dated for a year in college. Things ended more amicably that time, but they’d still ended.

“Because it wasn’t meant to be. I told you then I didn’t think he was the right man for you.”

“My mom did, too, after I told her it was over.” He paused. “Do you think they’ll like Alex?”

“Of course they will. What’s not to like? He’s smart, polite, and has a great personality. It’s obvious you’re in love with him, and he’s in love with you. Well, at least it’s obvious to me. And it will be to them too. I say, go for it.”

Wow. That was the first time Delilah had ever given her stamp of approval about a man Scout dated. He was glad she had. With that, Scout made the final decision—he would take Alex to meet his parents next weekend. He’d have to check to see if his sisters could be there too.

When Alex and Scout walked into the Cock & Bull later that afternoon, many knowing smiles and looks were shot their way—especially from some of the Paradox employees. Yup, Delilah was right.

When Alex returned from running a few errands after lunch, Scout informed him the word was out about them being a couple. From the attention they garnered at the bar, it was true. Part of Alex was glad they didn’t have to hide their feelings for each other anymore, but the other part was terrified about what others would think and say about the relationship. Scout had tried to assure him that the people who mattered to them would be happy for the couple. And if anyone else had a problem with the two men’s relationship, they could take their opinions and shove them up their own asses. Alex wanted to agree with him, but Scout wasn’t the one who’d be painted as a gold-digger by some people.

“Hey, guys. What can I get you?” Austin asked as they found seats at the bar. The place would be in full swing for happy hour in another fifteen or twenty minutes.

Scout glanced at Alex. “The usual?”

“Sounds good.”

As much as he tried to act normal, Alex couldn’t shake the butterflies in his gut. While he had a great time with Scout over the past two weeks, the one thing they hadn’t done yet was have sex. A lot of heavy make-out sessions? Yes. Blow-jobs and rutting with many an orgasm. Yup, those too. Full-on sex? Nope. But he had a feeling that would change sometime during the weekend. Yeah, he’d asked Scout if they could take things slowly, but he was ready to take the relationship to the next level and hoped Scout was too.

A half-hour later, Scout got up and headed to the men’s room as Alex talked with Gino, who had the night off from bartending. The two of them had quickly fallen back into a friendship that was now stronger than it was in high school. Through Gino, Alex also reconnected with several others from back then, and he regretted not using social media more often over the years to stay in touch with more people he went to school with. Tomorrow night, a bunch of them would gather at the Cock & Bull for an impromptu reunion that seemed to grow larger by the hour as more and more old friends found out about it. Alex looked forward to seeing his old friends again and introducing Scout to them and vice versa.

The new couple were slowly getting to know each other’s friends but hadn’t had the opportunity to do the same with their families. Alex hadn’t even told his parents he was dating someone yet, but his sister, Amber, dragged it out of him one day while he talked to her on the phone and got distracted by Scout’s fine-looking ass.

“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” a male voice inquired just behind Alex’s right ear, causing him to startle. Gino’s eyes narrowed as he frowned and stared at the person behind Alex.

Turning slightly, Alex eyed the man. He didn’t recognize the blue-eyed blond, who was about five feet ten with a medium build, but the guy seemed to know Alex. He was good-looking—a pretty boy—but too much so for Alex’s taste. With his perfectly coifed hair, flawless skin, starched designer clothes, and manicured nails, the guy was undoubtedly high maintenance.

“Erik, what the hell are you doing here?” Gino asked.

Erik . Alex had heard that name several times since working at the Paradox. From the obnoxious sneer on the man’s face, as he stared at Alex, it was a fair bet he was Scout’s former assistant. The one who had an unrequited obsession with his employer and messed with Scout’s personal life, causing him to fire the guy.

Ignoring Gino, Erik glared at Alex. “I hear you’ve been fucking Scout. Don’t get too comfortable, though, bitch. He’ll use you and then kick you out when you want more from him. He’s done it before.”

Anger coursed through Alex, and he got to his feet to square off with the other man. While he usually tried to avoid office gossip, he had heard quite a bit about Erik from other Paradox employees and Gino and Austin since he started working for Scout. None of it had been good.

It also appeared the rumor mill had Alex and Scout shagging each other, even though that hadn’t happened yet.

“Look, I know who you are, and I honestly don’t give a shit about anything you have to say about Scout.”

“Oh, but you should, skank. You see?—”

Alex made a slashing motion with his hand and narrowed his eyes. “Did you seriously just call me a skank? What are you? Fifteen? Grow the fuck up. ”

“That, right there ...” Scout interrupted as he sidled in next to Alex, who glanced around to see they had acquired a rather large and rapt audience. The taut expression on Scout’s face said he barely kept his ire in check. “That juvenile attitude of yours, Erik, is one of the many reasons I was never attracted to you.”

Alex gritted his teeth when Erik took a seductive step toward Scout, lust filling his eyes. “But, Scout, I was willing to give you everything. I did give you everything. I took care of you for years. He doesn’t love you like I do—he’s probably just chasing after you for your money.” He set a hand on Scout’s crossed forearms, and Alex almost decked him. “Don’t let him come between us.”

Scout dropped his arms, breaking the contact with the other man. His eyes narrowed in disgust. “First of all, there is no us , Erik—there never was and never will be. Second, not that it’s any business of yours or anyone else’s, but I’m the one who pursued Alex into a relationship. He was reluctant to give in because he works for me. And he’s the only man I ever worked with that I’ve dated. That I ever wanted to date. He’s not greedy—he’s not after my money or what I can buy him. He doesn’t ask for anything other than my honesty and respect and for me to be his equal when we’re not in the office. In fact ...” He pivoted to face Alex, gazing into his surprised eyes. “It’s time for me to be honest about something else. I’m in love with you, Alex. Completely and utterly in love with you. ”

Stunned, Alex stood there, staring at Scout, for several moments before he took two steps forward, set his hands on the man’s shoulders, and leaned in and rested his forehead against Scout’s. Paying no attention to everyone watching them, he swallowed hard, then softly said, “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to wait until we’re alone for me to say those words back to you. The first time I say them to you, I want it to be just you and me and because the moment is right. I don’t want to say it to satisfy anyone else’s curiosity or prove to some asshole who can’t take a fucking hint that you’re mine.”

“That’s not why I said it, Alex.” Scout’s voice was just as low. “I meant every word.”

“I know you did.”

He tilted his head and brushed his lips against Scout’s. The other man groaned and lifted his hands to clutch the sides of Alex’s head before deepening the kiss. Around them, there was a roar of applause, whistles, and catcalls for them to get a room, but Alex ignored everyone except Scout. He was the only one who mattered, and later that night, Alex would show and tell Scout exactly how much he loved him too.