CHAPTER FIFTEEN Tate

"You're gonna have to thank him sooner or later," Tyler said, setting the seventh bouquet on the credenza in my office. He toyed with the small envelope attached to a plastic stick in the arrangement. "Swanson's again," he muttered. "The priciest in town, boss."

Ten days had passed, and Alec had not visited my office a single time. Fortunately for me, his office was the penthouse of the fifteen-story office building, so it wasn't like we'd run into each other often. I was below that where the attorneys with privileges were housed in private offices. Truthfully, I'd enjoyed the distance, and him not dropping by, or constantly calling.

"He's a bit over the top," I said.

"True," Tyler agreed, leaning in to smell today's fragrant bouquet. "But he is persistent, and I like that in a man."

I stood and made my way to Tyler. "Good, then you hook up with him," I said, grabbing the card before Tyler gave into his suspicious mind and read it.

"I wish!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Mr. Browning barely knows I exist," he complained. "And trust me, I've tried.

I made my way back to my desk. "Sounds like there's a story there," I quipped. "Do tell."

"He'll never admit it, but he's noticed me practically stalking him at the clubs," he began, scowling at the memory. "I've even embarrassed myself in front of friends."

"Ouch," I replied. "I wonder why he isn't interested in such a young and handsome person like you?" I mused, knowing exactly why he wasn't. Alec wanted successful men. Cash-heavy men with careers that looked good on his arm. Tyler was an assistant making less than 50K a year. That didn't suit a man like Alec with his lofty goals of gay, A-list club membership.

"You're sweet, Tate. Trust me, I've tried," he admitted. "But to no avail," he added, flopping on the small sofa in my office and looking forlorn. "Wealthy men don't like me for some reason."

"That can't be true," I consoled. "You're a solid twelve."

"Then why don't you ask me out?" he asked, too direct for my liking. I hesitated too long with a reasonable answer. "See?" he squealed, putting the back of his hand to his forehead and acting distraught and campy.

"I'm your boss," I stated, waiting too long for a good answer to his question. "But I would if I weren't," I added.

Tyler brightened and sat up straight. "You would?" he asked, in a singsong voice.

"Any man would be lucky to have you," I began, suddenly remembering he'd mentioned he was seeing someone. "Hey, you told me last week you were seeing someone."

His brow furrowed. "I did? Hmmm… and I said that last week?"

"Yeah. Remember you were telling me about the hot guys at that furniture store and how one of them drove you wild? Remember?"

"Oh, yeah," he trilled. "The buff blond stud. You remember that story?"

"It was a week ago, silly."

"I'm single again," he said, displaying pouty lips. "The guy I mentioned I was dating has a needle dick."

I practically spit out the water I'd just sipped from a thermos. "What?" I gasped, wiping my mouth.

He held his pinky finger up. "Like this," he explained, scrunching his nose. "I just couldn't act like that was okay."

"Jesus!" I muttered. "I hope you were nice about it."

"Uh, maybe not? I'll try better next time," he answered, suppressing a laugh. "Maybe I should go back to the Moonies' store? There were a minimum of three or four hotties working there. Maybe I can bag at least one of them," he mused. "Although getting tag-teamed by those muscle freaks would be hot, too."

Once he mentioned going to the furniture store again, I felt anxious. Tyler was good-looking. What if Luke was there and Tyler made a move on him? My assistant was brash and pushy. He'd definitely do something like that, and I hated the thought of Luke being subjected to that approach. Worse? What if Luke liked Tyler, giving into a more aggressive approach than I was deploying?

"There's no way any of those men are gay," I said. "They belong to a cloistered religion."

"A what?" he asked. "Cloistered? Does that mean sexless, like nuns or monks?"

"Cloistered means sheltered, confined, insulated. They're most likely unfamiliar with life outside of their compound, so the idea of being gay or a guy making a move on them would be foreign to them."

Tyler stood and ran his hands over his clothing. "They haven't seen me naked yet," he quipped. "I could turn a priest gay," he boasted.

I laughed out loud. "I'm not sure that's a hard thing to do, Tyler."

Tyler moved toward the door but stopped before exiting my office. "You know what?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm horny as shit now. I'm going back to that store tonight after work. I'll let you know how successful I am on Monday."

And with that, he stepped out, closing the door behind him. I returned to my desk and gazed around the room at all the beautiful flowers. Tyler was correct. I couldn't leave Alec hanging like this. First off, it was rude. Second, and always a handicap when an office romance is pursued by one, Alec was my boss.

My thoughts did what they always did when I thought about Alec. They shifted to Luke. Alec was the better choice on paper. He was my age. He was stinking rich. He had a direction in his life that didn't involve living in a commune and marrying multiple people. I wasn't sure about the ‘marrying several people' part, but Alec surely wasn't a religious kook. Was Luke?

I pushed the intercom button on my phone. "Yes, sir," Tyler answered.

"Can I go with you tonight?"

"To the Moonies?" he asked.

"To the furniture store," I corrected. "I need new stuff for my loft."

"It's a date," Tyler confirmed. "Can you buy me dinner? I'm broke till payday next week."

"Meet you downstairs at five," I replied.