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“Damn that’s good,” I said.
“Heavy on the cream,” he said in a way that made my body tingle all over.
“Yeah. There’s no such thing as too much cream,” I tossed back before thinking. It was what we used to playfully say to each other over coffee years ago. He was then supposed to say,“Is that a challenge?”But he didn’t, because we weren’t those young college guys anymore, and because the privilege was no longer his. “Daniel and I use condoms,” I blurted out, because I couldn’t stand the loneliness wafting off him, or the obvious jealousy he was trying to hide. Brothers and friends spoke about these sorts of things, I told myself. “He’s peculiar.”
“Why am I not surprised,” he said, in a relieved sort of way. We’d both gotten halfway through our coffee before he spoke again. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. Daniel wanted it to be a surprise—”
“Tell me anyway. I’d rather not be surprised than to see you like this, Cole.”
“Daniel wants to whisk you away for a few days. Sounded like he wants to get your marriage back on track.”
“Oh. I mean, that’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah,” he chuckled darkly, shoving off his stool and exiting the kitchen. “It’s the fucking best, baby brother.”
Cole
LELAND SHOT HISarm out to keep the elevator from closing on me. “Are you coming or what?” he asked, forehead creased in concern.
“Ah, yeah,” I said, getting off on our floor, nodding to the receptionist before bearing left. We were approaching Daniel’s open office door, and I was surprised to find him studiously working. Not only did I expect him to still be on vacation, but he’d successfully delivered on his promise to us and was no longer shackled to our offices. His name would be added to the gold plaque over at Parker & Mitchell’s headquarters, and they’d send us a group of reputable replacements now that we’d be moving full steam ahead with their firm.
Daniel would have the option to stay on as our lead legal representative, if he wanted to. He’d earned the right to decide.
He was probably here tying up loose ends. Whatever it was had him so absorbed he hadn’t noticed our advancement. Not even with Leland obnoxiously yapping away next to me.
“That’s it,” Leland said, fed up with my sour mood. “We’re going out tonight. I hear Club Bale offers the best there is in the city.”
I didn’t bother asking the best of what. There was little I cared about these days.
Pushing through my office doors, I unwound my scarf, hanging it and my coat on the standing rack as Leland did the same. “Why doesn’t he have a tan?” I asked.
“What?” Leland stared at me like I’d grown an extra head. I’d gotten accustomed to the expression over the past few days. Ever since Jasper left for his tropical getaway with Daniel.
“Daniel,” I said, short on patience. “He spent the weekend on the beach, he should be tanned, or preferably burnt to ash.”
“I don’t know.” Leland shrugged a shoulder and moved to the loveseat in the lounge area of my office, removing his laptop from his bag and setting it on the short table in front of him. “Mind if I work from here today?” he asked. In other words, did I mind if he kept an eye on me.
His sudden nonchalant demeanor on the matter of Daniel didn’t fool me. Leland loved a grand conspiracy theory, and gossiping was his main hobby—only trumped by fucking. Any other time he’d jump at the opportunity to play detective.
“If you had to guess,” I said, settling across from him and slamming his laptop closed to get his attention, “why do you think he doesn’t have a tan?” Maybe things didn’t go so well on their trip? Maybe they never made it? Maybe Daniel spent the whole trip locked inside their suite working?
“Or,”Leland interjected, letting me know I hadn’t been speaking inside my head after all, “maybe he spent the whole trip locked in his suite fucking his husband.”
I exploded to my feet, and if my steps could have burned a trail to my desk they would have. My chair creaked as I fell onto it. I flipped open my notes for an upcoming meeting without another word.
“I don’t like what he’s doing to you,” Leland whispered.
“He isn’t doing anything to me. I knew the deal before I got here. I’m the one with the problem.” I didn’t want him disliking Jasper. They were both important to me, and I didn’t need Leland working against us.
“You want an affair with him.” He raised a palm to halt my argument. “Yes, I know you want more, but you’re not going to get it, so you’ll take anything. Even an affair you know you can’t handle.”
“I want him happy more than anything.”
“It’s time you stopped lying to yourself,” Leland said. “You want him to choose you, but for whatever reason he won’t, or he won’tyet.I know what it feels like to want something over nothing, Cole, but have you considered what seeing him leave your bed to return home to his husband will do to you?”
I’m already living it.
“We’re going out tonight. End of discussion,” he said, reopening his laptop.
