Asher was having a hard time remembering anyone who had ever satisfied him more than Zach, and he realized therewasn’tanyone. For all their technical proficiency, the escorts didn’t offer the warmth and lack of inhibition that Zach did. Even the hookups he’d enjoyed before his work left him with too little time for cruising bars hadn’t given him what Zach did.
“You please me better than anyone else,” he said, deciding it couldn’t hurt to tell the truth. It might make Zach blush and smile bashfully, and that would be worth the vulnerable confession.
“I’m glad,” Zach murmured, his cheeks growing flushed. Sure enough, a small smile curved his lips. “You inspire me, you know. No one I’ve been with before has ever made me want to be… naughty.”
“I like it when you’re naughty, and you’re very good at it.” Asher gave Zach’s ass a playful grope. “Now go change before we end up being naughty again. I’ll change in here and meet you at the elevator.”
“All right.” Zach chuckled gave Asher a brief, coy look over his shoulder before picking up his bag and coat, putting his ass on blatant display. He straightened, then unlocked the door and stepped out of Asher’s office, wiggling his hips once before closing the door behind him.
Asher changed into the more casual outfit he’d brought with him, consisting of jeans, a charcoal-gray cabled sweater layered over a white long-sleeved T-shirt, and boots. He folded up his suit and stored it in his duffel bag along with his dress shoes, and he put on his camel-colored overcoat and a cashmere scarf. He slung the bag over his shoulder, grabbed his briefcase, and left the office without a second look back.
There were a couple of offices with lights shining under the doors, but otherwise, their floor was quiet and still. For once, Asher was glad to have plans that didn’t involve poring over paperwork until midnight. He headed to the elevators and waited for Zach to join him.
Less than a minute later, Zach turned the corner, and he smiled when he spotted Asher waiting for him. He had donned jeans as well, ones that molded to his long legs with a comfortable, lived-in look. His black leather jacket was unzipped, revealing a dark red sweater.
“Are you ready?” he asked, his smile hopeful. “I know it’s been a while since you’ve been ice skating, but I bet it’ll come back to you quickly.”
“It’s been since high school,” Asher said, reaching out to press the Down button. “But hopefully it’ll be like riding a bike. A little wobbly at first, maybe, but then I’ll be fine.”
Zach batted his eyelashes, leaning closer and dropping his voice. “If you fall and hurt your ass, I can kiss it and make it better.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Asher replied, giving Zach a heated look.
The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped inside. As soon as the doors were closed, Asher hit the lobby button. He was tempted to use the time they had during the ride down to kiss Zach until his cheeks grew flushed again and his lips got rosy and damp, but there were security cameras in the elevators, and Asher didn’t want to give the security guards a free show.
“Do you have a plan for getting there, or would you like me to call Parker? He’ll be shocked I’m ready to leave work this early,” Asher said, chuckling. Martha and Parker had worked for the Caldwell family long enough to remember Asher as a little boy, thus they got away with chiding him for his workaholic ways.
Zach looked nonplussed. “I thought we’d get a cab, but if you would prefer your driver, I’m fine with that.”
“One of the perks of dating me is that I come with a driver,” Asher teased as he pulled out his cell phone. “It’ll probably be quicker to get a cab, since I didn’t give Parker any advance notice. I’ll call him and arrange a time for him to pick us up, though. How does that sound?”
“Sounds fine to me.” Zach chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ve never dated anyone like you before—and I mean that in a good way. I can imagine having a driver is handy when it’s snowing and there isn’t a cab to be found.”
“Definitely,” Asher replied. “Is two hours enough time? And what would you like to do for dinner?”
“What do you think of Del Frisco’s?” Zach asked, naming a steak house not too far from Rockefeller Center. “I thought we might work up a bit of an appetite with all that activity.” He paused his eyes gleaming with wicked humor. “And from the ice skating too.”
“That sounds good to me,” Asher said as he put away his phone. “I’ll call Parker from the restaurant. That way, we won’t feel like we’re on a schedule.”
The elevator arrived at last, and minutes later they stepped out of the building and into a cab. It wasn’t far to the ice skating rink, though traffic made the trip a bit longer. When they arrived at their destination, Zach quickly paid the driver, then stepped out onto the sidewalk and stood looking up at the enormous tree, his delight evident in his wide smile.
“I always love seeing the tree here,” he murmured. “Ever since I was a little kid, I thought it was magical.”
Asher stood beside him and admired the tree, its countless lights gleaming in the darkness. Memories of evenings spent skating with friends rose up for the first time in decades, and he smiled wryly at how carefree his younger self had been.
“I haven’t really paid attention to it in a long time,” he admitted. “I’ve seen it in passing, sure, but I haven’t looked at it. I’m usually too engrossed in thinking about work to notice much of the decorations.”
Zach turned to look at him, and reached out to give Asher’s hand a squeeze. “Is that why you don’t decorate your apartment?” he asked quietly. “You’re too busy to care about it?”
Asher glanced sidelong at him, surprised Zach had noticed. Then again, perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised, since Zach was both observant and sentimental.
“I don’t see the point,” he said with a little shrug. “I mean, who would see them other than me and Martha? I get plenty of invitations to holiday parties, so I can enjoy other people’s decorations if I want to. It seems like a waste of time to put up decorations when I’m not home that much, and I don’t have anyone to celebrate with.”
“It doesn’t seem like Christmas without decorations.” Zach gazed at Asher with a pensive expression. “I’d like to take you home with me next weekend, if you’re willing to come. I grew up in Princeton, and my family goes for Christmas in a big way. You’d be welcomed with open arms. If you don’t want to go, I won’t be offended, since I know you might have other plans. But I’d like to show you what a real Christmas with family can be like. I think you’d enjoy it.”
The only time Asher could remember having something like a real family Christmas was when he was young and his mother was still around. She’d tried to make Christmas special for him, and it was until she left. After that, his father had hired a decorator every year to turn the apartment into a holiday showcase, but it was for the benefit of his social circle. Asher received a pile of expensive gifts every year, but not a lot of time with his father, who was out with either his latest wife or newest girlfriend. Christmas in the Caldwell household was for adults, and the magic vanished for Asher. He hadn’t felt much interest in Christmas in years, especially once he and his father stopped speaking to each other.
“I’d like that,” he said softly, reaching for Zach’s hand. He might regret seeing the kind of festive household he’d never had—and might not ever have—but he would regret not seeing what a close family looked like during the holidays even more.
Zach’s eyes widened, and he grinned with excitement as he squeezed Asher’s hand. “It’ll be great, I promise. There’s lots of things to do, but no one will think anything of it if you need a break from all the togetherness, either. My family is laid-back, and I know you and my mom will get along great. She’ll probably try to wheedle all your secret recipes out of you.”
“Well, she cantry,” Asher said, twining his fingers with Zach’s. It struck him that he’d never done so simple a thing as hold hands with a date—a boyfriend?—in public before, and he decided he wasn’t ready to let go yet. “But she’s dealing with a brilliant lawyer. I won’t let go of any secrets without some quid pro quo in return.”
Zach chuckled. “I’m sure she’d be willing to discuss terms, but be prepared. My mother isn’t a lawyer, but she has negotiating skills that will make you sit up and take notice. I suspect by the end of the weekend, you’ll be ready to offer her a job handling plea bargains.”
“We can always use more help.” Asher tugged Zach’s hand, finding himself eager to get out on the ice. “Let’s stash our stuff and get out there. You did say you’d tend to any bruises I get, right?” he added with a teasing grin.
“I promise to kiss them all better,” Zach replied, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “No matter where they are.”
“Ditto,” Asher said, leering at Zach before leading him toward the rink. He hadn’t thought about ice skating in years, but now he looked forward to it as much as he had when he was a teenager. He’d let simple pleasures like these slip away for too long, but he wanted to break that workaholic habit, and Zach was the man to help him do it.
