CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Tate

I'd left my office door wide open after I arrived at my office, so when Alec stood in the doorway, I had no one to blame but me.

"Why the sad face?" he asked, motioning to me to see if he could come in. I waved him in. "I caught you deep in thought, didn't I?"

"Something like that," I replied. "You know how Mondays are."

He slid into a chair across from me at my desk. "I love them," he began. "Because after another weekend where you wouldn't go out with me, I get to see you again."

It was hard not to fall victim to flattery from such a handsome man. Alec was no Luke, but he had his own qualities for sure. I saw him in a suit every workday but had also seen him dressed casually when he took me to his country club.

He was fit without being overly muscular. He was my height, though I preferred taller. He was sharp in his dress and his mannerisms. I was drawn to raw, powerful, and innocent. Alec was definitely not innocent. He wasn't Luke. That was the problem.

"What'd you do this weekend without me?" I asked, doing my best to act interested in my boss. "Anything fun?"

"A boring art exhibit, featuring boring art, with a boring date. A total blast," he quipped.

"Well, at least you had a date," I reminded him.

"Did you hear me?" he joked. "He was boring."

Alec brought his hand to his mouth and exaggeratingly yawned, closing his eyes and snoring for added effect.

"Yikes!" I exclaimed. "Remind me to stay on your good side."

His eyes popped open. "You are always on my good side. In fact, I wished you had woken up on my good side. As in on the good side of my bed," he joked.

"Remember, Alec. I cannot be trusted with fellow employees out and about," I reminded him, jokingly referring to my now-departed Assistant.

"Fuck him!"

"Thank God I didn't," I quipped. "Lord knows I'd be looking for a new job."

"Forget Tyler. I buried him in the Records Department," he said. "Now, how about you? What did you do this weekend?"

I hesitated to answer him but didn't want it to seem like I was hiding anything either. "I purchased new furniture last week, and it was delivered Saturday," I answered casually, acting like the news was tedious at best. "I unboxed my kitchen from storage and arranged the stuff in my new farm-chic cabinet."

"And did you purchase those items at the Moonies' joint?"

"It's called Ranch Furniture," I corrected, now trying to sound like I wasn't offended by his name-calling. "Like you said, great craftsmanship," I added.

"And like Tyler said, hunky cult members," he muttered. "I don't suppose one of those hunks delivered your furniture, did he?"

"Actually, two did," I replied. "They were barely there and then gone."

I wasn't exactly sure why I was defending myself to Alec. Who gave a shit if he didn't like it? Yet, I found myself guarded around him. Perhaps because I had intel regarding his dating life he was unaware I had.

"Was one of the boys the one Tyler claims you have the hots for?"

As hard as I tried, and despite knowing damn well that I blushed when caught in uncomfortable situations, I was as bright red as a lobster fresh from the pot, as soon as he asked the question.

"Well, I'm not sure who Tyler has me so taken with, not the least at a furniture store I've only been to twice, but yes, there were two men who handled my delivery. Like I said, I'm not sure who he's talking about specifically."

Alec studied me to see if I was being honest or hiding my true feelings. Once he determined, in his opinion, that I felt nonplussed by the questioning, he dropped it.

"There's no future with a Moonie, anyway. Not to mention, I don't see you joining a cult anytime soon. Am I right?"

"I can assure you I will not be joining any cults, or any group of people who can legally practice their faith on the privacy of their own ranch," I assured him, with a tiny dose of political correctness added.

He snorted his disagreement. "You haven't been around these parts long enough to know just how loony the Moonies are."

I fixed my eyes on him. "Doesn't affect me, Alec. Live and let live, I always say. So, to what, or who, do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Have dinner with me tonight. Pretty, pretty please?" he begged. "It's for charity at the country club. Dead kids. Sick kids. I don't know. Something the fuck about weak kids," he added, in his typical sensitive fashion. He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "I know you love helping kids, Tate. How ‘bout it? I can add a few more pretty pleases if need be."

"It'd be an early night?" I asked. "It's only Monday."

He was grinning ear-to-ear, about to clap his hands if I said yes. "Come on," he urged. "I know the invitation is last minute, but your boss needs a date."

I half frowned at my answer. "Black tie, I assume?" He nodded. "Okay," I muttered, exhaling dramatically. "Not out too late, though."

Alec jumped out of his chair and clapped. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "Finally!"

"As your friend, Alec," I reminded him. "You're my boss, remember?"

"Your boss… currently. Who knows who I'll be in the future?"

"Don't make me change my mind, boss man," I threatened, shivers crawling up my spine as I realized I'd just caved.

Alec dragged two fingers across his lips and threw the imaginary zipper key over his shoulder, waving his hands at me as he backed out of my office.

I spun around in my chair and stared at the parking lot, the city of Bend just beyond. "Fuck," I muttered under my breath.

I'd gone and done it now. Giving a single inch to Alec was probably a massive mistake. From what Tyler had told me, Alec was persistent, and I'd accepted an evening out for a charity event that he'd called a date. A last-minute date, but still.

As bad as my decision was, I thought about Luke and felt a warmth I hadn't recognized having in a very long time. I wasn't just wildly attracted to Luke, but I felt a protective feeling toward him. He seemed lost in a world that didn't understand him. Like he needed an ally, and I wanted to be that person for him.

"How though?" I mumbled.

What would Luke's life be like in a world that didn't see him as a whole person, but rather some kooky religious nut? Worse than that? How would his known world view him when they learned he thought he was homosexual? Certainly, that identity wouldn't mesh with his life on the ranch.

My nerves seized when another thought arrived in my mind. What would my world be like with Luke in it?