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“Yeah, sure,” Ian said slowly as if still trying to shake free of his surprise. “Cut up these strawberries. Small but not fine, please.”
Andrei set to work, doing each task Ian set before him, checking with the young man every so often to make sure that he was doing it to his exact specifications. Occasionally, Ian would give him a tip or a trick. But within a couple minutes, Ian was smiling again, his carefree nature back in place. They chatted companionably, with Ian talking about learning how to cook and some of the disasters he’d created, while Andrei added his own tales.
As they finished, Andrei looked up to find that Lucas had set his newspaper aside and was just watching them work, a smile haunting his lips. Andrei quickly looked away, trying not to think about the strange swirl of emotions in his chest that look created. This was just breakfast. And Lucas was just a job. They’d enjoy some physical distractions, but when the job was over, Andrei would go back to his life and Lucas would go back to his. There was no overlap. No chance of their paths crossing again. Andrei was simply trying to make sure that Lucas could go back to his life with as few problems as possible when it was all over.
With that firm reminder in place, Andrei sat down with Lucas and Ian to enjoy a delicious breakfast where the conversation was no more serious than grumbling about the new streetcar construction going slower than expected and that traffic would continue to be bad into the new year. When they were done, Lucas excused himself to make a phone call, giving Ian a quick hug before disappearing up the stairs.
Ian chuckled to himself as he picked up his plate and Lucas’s and walked it over to the sink. “Always doing ten things at once. I learned a few years ago that if I didn’t bring him food, he wouldn’t eat unless it was part of a meeting. I had to threaten his new assistant to schedule more lunch meetings just for that reason.”
“Don’t tell Rowe,” Andrei blurted out as he handed over his plate.
Ian lifted his brows in surprise, a smiling growing on his face. “I thought there was nothing going on.”
“There’s not.”
“But…”
“I don’t want to lose my job over nothing.”
“I find it hard to believe this is nothing when Lucas has already threatened Snow and Rowe over you.”
Andrei lurched back a step, feeling as if the air had been knocked out of his lungs. “What?”
Ian winced. “Oh, you didn’t hear that, huh?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Rowe told Lucas he’d fired you and Lucas…kind of lost it. Snow talked him down.” Ian smoothed over the news. It wasn’t helping much since Andrei was tightly clutching the edge of the island with one hand. “Lucas can get protective at times.”
Andrei nodded, trying to organize his thoughts. “It was a stressful night.”
Ian continued to clean up the area, wiping a damp cloth over the counters even though they didn’t need it. “I feel like I should warn you about Lucas,” he started a bit awkwardly. He glanced over his shoulder at Andrei and gave him a weak smile. “He can be…difficult.”
“I’ve learned that firsthand.”
“And closed.”
Andrei leaned back against the island, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to appear relaxed when he was feeling anything but. “Seen that too.”
“Lucas doesn’t date men. Ever. He’s got these rules.”
“He seems the type to have lots of rules,” Andrei said when Ian paused.
“Actually, no, but when it comes to his sexual exploits with men, he’s got very specific rules. The only reason I bring it up is that it looks like he’s breaking his rules for you and I worry.”
Andrei smiled at Ian. “You’re worried that he’s going to get hurt.”
Ian didn’t return his smile when he turned to face Andrei. In fact, his eyes looked incredibly sad. “No.” Dropping the rag in the sink, Ian leaned against the sink, folding his arms over his stomach. “I think you could be good for him. You’re a hell of a lot better than that Breckenridge bitch. But I think Lucas will fall back into his old ways as soon as this is over and…”
“I’ll be kicked to the curb.”
“Even if he does have feelings for you.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
Ian hesitated, his frown growing deeper. “Yes, but I might not answer. I don’t like betraying Lucas’s privacy, but I also don’t like the idea of you going into this blind.”
“Is Lucas in denial about being gay?”
Peels of Ian’s laughter rang off the high ceiling, lightening the mood. “No,” Ian said, still chuckling. “Lucas knows he’s gay and accepts it in his own way. His problem is that he’s got this perfect idea of who he wants to be in the professional world, this ideal of the rich, successful man, but he’s convinced himself that that image can’t include being gay. I don’t know. Maybe he reads too much of Forbes or Fortune.”
