“You might feel better if you get some food in you,” Mark said. “Really! Perks me rightup.”
Drew sighed, then smiled tightly. “Alright. Fine.” He reallywashungry, and West Kitchen did a great steak. “Just a quickdinner.”
Mark’s sharky smile reappeared and his eyes glittered intensely - so intensely that Drew was sure he’d misread them. He glanced back at Mark curiously, but Mark had already turned his head, like he was appreciating the decor onceagain.
The waiter reappeared, tidying their mess and taking their dinner order. Drew got his steak, and Mark ordered some complex octopus-and-fennel dish in his faux-Italianaccent.
“Gosh, this is good!” Mark said, pouring himself a second glass of champagne. “Have some more,” he encouragedDrew.
Drew looked at his nearly-full glass and wished he’d asked the waiter to bring him a new glass of water. He took a small sip of the bitter bubbly, knowing that Bas would mock him relentlessly if he could see Drew now, wearing soggy pants and sipping disgustingchampagne.
“So! You work with Sebastian Seaver,” Mark said, and for a moment Drew wondered if he’d spoken Bas’s name outloud.
“Uh, yeah. For quite a few years now,” Drew agreed. “Seaver Tech is a great company to workfor.”
Mark shook his head sadly. “Your loyalty is commendable,” he said. “I don’t think I could doit.”
“Dowhat?”
“You know. Work with a man like…that.”
“Pardon?” Drew employed the lawyer voice at its most-frigid.
But Mark didn’t seem to get the message. “A man like Sebastian Seaver. Is it true about thefits?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Drew said angrily. He was attempting to keep his temper, but he could feel his temperature rising. He yanked the sleeves of his expensive sweater up to his elbows and took a deep drink of the champagne, shuddering as heswallowed.
“Calm down,” Mark said, all wide-eyed innocence. “I just meant that the press says he’s… you know…unstable.”
“No, I don’t know! I have never heard a single thing about that. And it’s absolutely, categorically untrue!” Drew shook his head, and anger made his vision blur, the tiny white lights of the restaurant flashing intensely in his peripheral vision. “Sebastian Seaver is agenius.”
“Alright,” Mark said mildly. “If you say so.” He smiled his stupid fucking smile, the one with way too many teeth, and watched Drew’s escalating anger like he was watching a fascinating display at a zoo. “I heard that he lost his mind after his parents died, isall.”
“You read the tabloids?” Drew demanded. “How does this not surprise me? Well, if you did, then you know I lost my sister at the same time he lost his parents. So how about a littlerespect?”
Mark put his hands up. “I apologize!” he insisted. “I’m just repeating what I’ve heard. He’s insane, but everyone covers for him because he’s a money-maker.”
Drew pushed himself to his feet, shaking with anger.No onewas allowed to talk about Sebastian that way. Ever. He braced a hand on the table, leaning towardMark.
“You just repeat what you’ve heard?” Drew mocked softly, dangerously. “Then let me give you something new to repeat. Sebastian Seaver is the best human being I have ever known. He’s loyal, he’s loving, he’s kind. He would doanythingto take care of his family. And yeah, he’s a goddamn genius, but that is the smallest part of what makes him amazing. Any person would be lucky,lucky, to have him in their life. I love him more than anything in this universe, and I’ll be damned if a twat like you runs him down in my hearing.” Drew’s knees swayed as temper had blood pounding in his ears. “And? He knows how to fucking pronounce bruschetta, you pretentiousprick.”
Drew straightened with difficulty, and Mark seemed almost amused by his distress… until he caught sight of something over Drew’sshoulder.
“Fuck,” hewhispered.
A warm, strong arm wrapped around Drew’s waist, holding him up when he would have sunk back into hisseat.
“Did you mean that?” a voice whispered in his ear — the best voice in the world, the only voice Drew wanted tohear.
“Which part?” Drew whispered, leaning back against Bas without thought. And sure enough, Bas’s solid strength held him up, supporting Drew when he would havefallen.
Bas had rested his face against the crook of Drew’s neck, and Drew felt the warmth of Bas’s breath on his skin as Bas chuckled. “I kind of expected you to be pissed that I was crashing yourdate.”
Drew stiffened and glared at Mark, who was staring around the restaurant, as if praying for reinforcements. “This date was over anyway,” he told Mark,disgusted.
Bas turned him around. “We need to talk,” he began, then he looked into Drew’s eyes and frowned. “Are youokay?”
“Ye-Yesh,” Drew said. His lips weren’t working properly. “I’m just pissedoff.”
