“Good riddance. There’s nothing worse than the sight of a desperate man. He reeks of it.”
I had little idea of what to expect. Armi was much more fashionable than I could ever hope to be and fit seamlessly into Frisco’s world. But his smile seemed genuine enough when he sat down, and I took my coffee from the corner of the desk and faced him.
“You heard the news then,” I said to him. “That Frisco’s been fired.”
His brows rose. “That answers my first question,” he stated without answering mine. “You two are close.”
I quirked a brow. “Should I assume you two were as well?”
My question startled him for a moment; then he smiled broadly. “So it wasn’t simple gossip. You’ve managed to beard the lion in his den.”
I grew tired of the back-and-forth. “You and Frisco had a relationship, I gather?”
His smile grew brighter. “Oh, no. I just gave him blowjobs. On the rare occasion, we had sex. But there was never anything there except both of us being horny at the same time.”
God, that sounded depressing. And wrong.
Armi interrupted my musing. “Don’t let your mind go that way. I can see what you’re thinking, but I assure you, Frisco never used his position to get me to have sex. I said no as many times as yes. I did what I wanted until I didn’t want to anymore.”
Now I was confused. “And he was fine with it?”
“Yes, of course. I met a man and fell in love. I wouldn’t cheat on him, and Frisco respected that.”
“But you still work—I mean, worked—for him.” That was a part of the equation I found hard to wrap my mind around.
Obviously Armi didn’t, as his brows knitted together. “Why wouldn’t I? Frisco was a great boss, and I enjoyed working for him. I learned so much about the industry, not only about reviewing, but why he was so critical. What made one dish perfection and another impossible to eat.” A charmingly crooked smile tugged at his mouth. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m not pining away for him. I love Tarik, and we have a great relationship. Frisco was nothing more to me than I was to him—an enjoyable way to pass the time until the right one came along.”
“Maybe that’s all I am as well,” I blurted out, then immediately wished I could snatch the words out of the air.
“No,” Armi said, turning thoughtful. A manicured finger tapped his cheek as he settled into the chair. Long legs stretched out in front of him, and even with my bargain-basement sense of style, I could tell his shoes cost more than my suit. “I don’t think so. See, Frisco hasn’t been himself for a while. I’ve noticed the change. He’s been restless and uncertain, and that’s not him. I thought it was his best friend finally meeting someone and the two of them not spending as much time together. Now I’m not so sure.”
Gossiping might be wrong, but this insight into Frisco’s psyche fascinated me and I couldn’t help but be intrigued. “So what do you think it is?”
Armi gave me a smile. “You. I think he’s fallen for you, and the stupid man doesn’t realize it.”
“We haven’t been together that long, so you’ll have to guess again.” Admittedly, my foolish heart jumped a little.
“Oh, I know. A year ago he couldn’t mention your name without cursing. You weren’t his favorite person.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “I’m aware. He wasn’t number one for me either. It’s kind of bizarre how things ended up.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But I’m a great believer in fate. And when he was put on the new project of reviewing restaurants outside his normal golden circle, he bitched and moaned so much, you’d have thought he was being sent to the North Pole. Then he stopped and became almost a different person.”
“How so?” My coffee and all the emails waiting for me sat forgotten.
“He turned softer. A bit less confrontational and ready to jump to conclusions. It’s hard to say if you didn’t know him before, but what I’m trying to tell you, before I go”—he stood and tugged at his suit jacket sleeves—“Frisco is more than charm and sex. He rarely let me see the hidden side of him, but even the brief glances I had gave me an insight. It’s my belief he’s been hurt badly, and it’s crippled his ability to form lasting intimate relationships with people. But he doesn’t lie—he never once led me on or anyone else he’s been with that there would ever be more than sex. I’ve seen people get wrapped up in a fantasy that they’ll be the one to change him, and he goes dark on them until they get the message.”
“Is that what happened with Matt?” I had to ask. “He was trying to dig up dirt on what’s going on between me and Frisco. He seemed almost desperate.”
Armi wrinkled his nose as if a bad smell had risen. “That one was trouble from the start. I told Frisco not to touch him, but he had one too many and refused to listen. At the office Christmas party, no less. Everyone knows that’s a one-off.” He rolled his eyes. “Plus, Matt is a fool.”
“He seemed rather persistent, and he did say that Frisco had made the rounds here.”
Serious once again, Armi braced his hands on my desk and gave me a hard stare. “He’s no saint and never claimed to be. But I can tell you what he is: incredibly, fiercely loyal to his friends and the people he cares about. People see what they want. At a glance, you might think he’s frivolous and self-centered, but there’s so much more. It takes a real friend to peel the layers and see the lost man underneath. I count myself lucky to be inside his small circle of trust.”
After Armi left, I shut the door, put my phone away, and wrote up several reviews and articles. With my work completed, I checked my phone, and seeing a text from Frisco, allowed myself a moment to look. When I clicked it open, it was a picture of him cooking in the kitchen and a message.
Dinner. Bring the wine.
