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It had just turned nine forty-five, and Priest decided to head down to the lobby and maybe get himself a coffee. The flight had been particularly early, and he could use the time to do a little more reading on Logan’s recent Berivax win.
Priest walked over and hit the down button on the elevator and, just as the doors opened, his cell started to ring. He fished it out of his pocket, and when he saw Julien’s face lighting up his screen, he hit accept and brought the phone to his ear.
“Bonjour, Julien,” he said, greeting his husband in the language he had grown to love. “Comment vas-tu ce matin?”
The delicious chuckle that met his ear made Priest smile as he thought of the man, and the toned body, he’d left naked and satisfied in their bed in the early hours of the morning.
“I’m very well, but I can barely move thanks to you, mon amour. Next time, we are not waiting until you are that wound up before bringing someone in. I’m going to need to soak in the tub for an hour at least.”
As the doors started to slide shut, Priest was about to respond when he heard, “Hold the elevator, please,” and a hand reached out to stop the door.
Priest put his finger on the open-door button and a young man stepped inside. Dressed in all black, save the bright yellow tie, he looked directly at Priest and said, “Thanks. With the way my life’s been going lately, I totally thought it was going to shut on me, and I have a job interview to get to.”
“Pas de problème,” Priest said, deciding to stick to French for some reason.
“Shit, you don’t speak English. Umm, that was French, right? Uhh…merci?” the man said, pointing to the closing doors, and when he glanced back at Priest, who had now raised the phone back to his ear, the young man grimaced. “Oh, my bad, you’re on the phone. Anyway, merci, you know, for the doors.”
As the man turned away, Priest couldn’t help the smirk that hit his lips as he let his eyes wander down the back of him. He was tall and lean and had beautiful, thick hair that was a light chestnut color with caramel highlights. But it was those eyes that had instantly captured Priest’s attention. They didn’t belong on such a fresh face. They looked troubled, defeated in some way, and far, far away. He hadn’t even really been looking at Priest when he spoke. He was all up in his head.
“Joel? Are you still there?” Julien said in Priest’s ear, reminding him he was still on the other end.
“Je suis là,” Priest said, as he leaned back against the wall. “La créature la plus délectable qui soit vient juste d’entrer dans l’ascenseur avec moi.”
“A delectable creature just willingly walked into an enclosed space with you? Brave man.”
“Oui.”
“Pity I’m not out there with you, then, isn’t it?”
“En effet.” Priest chuckled, and when the young man’s body stiffened, he wondered if it was in response to him. “Tu l’apprécierais beaucoup. Jeune, grand, aussi mignon qu’une princesse.”
“Mmm, young, tall, and pretty as a princess is right up my alley. Who is he?”
“Aucune idée. Il est entré dans l’ascenseur de chez Mitchell & Madison …”
“Joel,” Julien said. “We cannot get involved with someone you’re going to work with. You know that. It gets too messy.”
“C’est vrai,” Priest agreed. “Mais il est tellement charmant. Qu’est-il arrivé à cette devise? Aime qui tu aimes? Le destin et tout ça?”
“Nice try. But no. No matter how lovely he is, if he works there, it’s a no.”
“Et s’il n’y travaille pas?”
Julien laughed. “And if he doesn’t, then that would be le destin, would it not?”
“Ça le serait, en effet.”
“Let me know how the meeting goes today. I’ve already got a couple of prospective locations to look at for the restaurant. So you just say the word, mon amour.”
“Tu me manques.”
“I miss you too. Now let me go; I need to soak my overused body.”
Priest hummed in the back of his throat, and again the young man’s spine straightened. “Je t’appelle plus tard.”
“I’ll be waiting. Love you.”
“Je t’aime aussi.”
As Priest ended the call, the elevator reached the lobby, and when the doors slid open, the young man gave a final look over his shoulder, and Priest made sure to keep his eyes down, deciding that perhaps Julien was right. Because if that man worked at Mitchell & Madison, things were about to get a whole lot more complicated…
“OH MY GOD,” Robbie said, his eyes wide. “How did I forget that?”
“You were preoccupied that day,” Priest replied.
“I was,” Robbie said. “I’d just told Logan all about the shit that went down with Nathan.”
“Nathan?” Julien said, and Robbie nodded.
“Yeah, my ex…and old boss. When he broke up with me, I had to move back in with my nonna, and Logan had set up an interview that day for me with Tate.” Robbie paused and then started to laugh. “You were totally in that elevator with me.”
