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“I don’t think Tom and I have ever discussed anything serious before,” I say, unsure of how I will broach the subject with him.
“Bullshit. You told him you were gay before anyone else.”
How did I forget that? “Yeah, I did.” And he was amazing. Maybe I’m underestimating his qualities as a brother. “He said he didn’t care as long as I didn’t eye-fuck his friends,” I add, chuckling at the memory.
“And did you?”
“If you’d seen the friends he used to have you wouldn’t need to ask me that. One of them, Nate I think he was called, had a lazy eye and enough grease in his hair to fry eggs.”
“Wow. Hot.”
Sighing, I put my laptop on the floor and shuffle down the bed, rolling onto my side to face Tess. Draping one arm over her waist, I pull her in for a hug.
“Don’t get comfy,” she says. “I need a wee.”
Rolling my eyes, I jab her in the back with my finger. “Twat.”
“Bellend.”
**********
The next morning while I’m getting ready for work, I notice the copy of Promises James gave to me sitting on the kitchen counter. I left it there last night in an exhausted daze. Stroking the glossy cover, I shake my head, still unable to believe that not only have I met its author, I’ve fallen in love with him.
Opening the cover, my eyes wash over his neat handwriting.
Theodore. I can’t give you any promises, but I can give you my heart. Take care of it for me. JD Simmons.
I suck in a deep breath and hold it there, unintentionally, until I feel a little dizzy. “I’ll do my best,” I whisper to nobody. But knowing what I know now, this seems like such a huge responsibility. I hope I don’t let him down.
This book seems too precious to stand with my others on the cheap pine shelves, so I take it to my bedroom and tuck it under my pillow, where it will stay until I figure out where to keep it. I haven’t decided whether to tell Tess about James’ secret author life yet, or rather, I haven’t decided when. I tell her everything. James knows that, but I should probably ask him if he’s okay with her knowing first.
Several minutes later, my phone rings while I’m jogging down the stairwell. It’s Tom, returning my earlier call. We chat as I make my way to the car and he tells me he’s working all evening so if I need to see him urgently, I’ll need to meet him at the hospital. I agree because it is urgent. I need answers. Guidance. I need hope.
Driving to work, I’m unsure of everything, but certain of one. I can’t wait to see James’ face again.
Unfortunately, when I step out onto the marketing floor, the first face I see is Mike’s. “You’re in submissions today. They’re short staffed and the coffee machine’s packed in. You need to arrange a replacement.”
I can tell by his smug expression that he thinks he’s inconveniencing me, but in truth the thought of spending my day in submissions excites me. “No problem.” My accompanying smile makes his eyes narrow and I turn back to the lifts with a shit-eating grin on my face. Clearly, his plan was to piss me off, show me who’s boss.
He failed. Wanker.
The coffee machine issue is resolved within an hour but I stay where I am. I like it here. I like the people, the work they’re doing. Anthony is the head of the department down here and it’s refreshing to work under someone who isn’t a complete arsehole. By the end of the day, I’ve built quite a rapport with Anthony and I manage to convince him to let me sift through the slush pile. The majority of submissions are processed electronically and come through literary agents, but we still receive several hundred unsolicited manuscripts through the post every month.
After searching through them for half an hour, I agree that the majority deserve to be here, but a couple catch my eye and I stuff them in a carrier bag so I can read them at home. I’m not stupid enough to think I have any say in what happens to them, but if I believe in any of them I can try my best to fight the author’s corner.
“Theodore?”
I look up to the sound of my name. The floor is almost empty, with only myself, a woman whose name I’ve forgotten, and now James.
“What are you doing down here? I’ve been looking for you. I assumed you’d gone home.”
Standing up, I walk over to him. “They were short staffed down here,” I explain. “And Anthony said I could look through these.” I hold up the carrier bag with an eager smile on my face.
James rubs his thumb over my lips. “I like that smile.”
Coughing nervously, I take a step back. “What are you doing?” I whisper, tossing an inconspicuous nod towards the woman working at her desk in the corner of the large floor.
“People are going to find out eventually, Theodore.”
A small frown forces its way onto my face. “Not yet. I don’t want people getting the wrong idea.”
“And that would be?”
“That I’m screwing the boss to get a promotion.”
“I don’t work like that. You’ll get a promotion when you’ve earned one, just like everyone else.”
“I know that, but they don’t know that I know that, and they don’t know that you know I know that.”
James chuckles, tipping his head to the side. “You could repeat that three times and I’m still not sure I’d understand a word you just said.”
Damn, the smile on his face dives straight into my soul. Chewing on my bottom lip, I stare at him, my cock growing a little bigger with each blink of my eyes.
“If you don’t want people to know, I suggest you stop looking at me like you want to drop to your knees and suck my dick right here, right now.”
I know my nameless colleague won’t be able to hear from across the room but, regardless, my eyes dart to where she sits.
