“You walked away from me before we had a chance to finish our conversation.”
“I don’t know about that.” Hayden returned to his typing. “I was finished.”
Anders set his crutches down and braced his arms against the surface of the desk, sticking his face near to Hayden’s. “But I wasn’t. Tell me something.” His voice dropped to a husky growl. “Do they still call you Hungry Hayden?”
His fingers fumbled on the keyboard, and his stomach plummeted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“My hole is hungry,” Anders sang off-key. “Hungry Hayden wants to know if you’ll fill it.”
Fuck.
Somehow, by some means, Anders had seen the video he’d made. Hayden bit the inside of his cheek and remained silent.
“Tell me, Hayden, does Armand know his tight-ass, buttoned-up assistant used to spread his legs and show himself to anyone with some bucks to spend? He’ll be so disappointed.”
“I have a job to do. Please excuse me.” Hayden rose to his feet to go to the printer.
“Don’t be too sure about that,” Anders called out. “Once I let everyone know—”
Armi’s door opened, and he walked out. “Know what, Russell?”
Hayden’s heart sank. All these years he’d kept his secret, and now it was about to blow apart. He didn’t care about the job. But would Armi still stay with him after everyone—especially his mother—found out about his past? It was one thing when it was the two of them and he didn’t get into specifics, but Russell would make sure everyone would find out. How could he put Armi in the position to make the choice between the Kings and him? Pain seared through Hayden at the thought of losing Armi. But if he was going down, he wouldn’t go alone. The mask was off, the costume he’d worn torn away to reveal his reality. He was ready to fight for what and who he wanted.
“Your boy here was in a cheap porno. Selling his naked ass and dick.”
Armi crossed his arms. “And?”
Hayden could’ve cheered.
“And?” Anders sputtered. “What the hell do you mean,and? Is this who you want working here? A porn star?”
“Thanks for giving me the accolades, but I was never a star,” Hayden jumped in. “And it was hardly a career. A mistake I made twenty years ago.”
“The Internet is forever, Hungry.” Anders’s eyes gleamed. “Did you know that was his nickname, Armand? He made one movie,Hayden’s Hungry Hole, where he got it on with someone in front of the camera.”
Face flaming, Hayden glowered at a smirking Anders. “I told Armi everything already. He knows.”
That seemed to take Anders aback. “You told him? Everything?”
“Yes. The cam work and the movie. There’s nothing else. How did you find out? Those records were supposed to be sealed.”
Anders laughed out loud. “And you’re supposed to be smart. You know money talks.”
“Apparently so do old fools, like you, Russell.” Eloise walked out of Armi’s office. “Too much.”
Hayden cringed. Knowing Armi’s mother had heard everything, he couldn’t face her and kept his eyes trained to the floor, but not before seeing a group of employees standing by their desks, unabashedly listening to the conversation. Armi slipped a hand in his and laced their fingers together. “I’m not going anywhere, in case you were wondering,” he murmured.
Feeling sick to his stomach, Hayden lifted a shoulder. “I couldn’t blame you if you did.”
“You taught me to stand up for myself and fight for what I believe in. Well, I believe in you and me. Us.”
He didn’t deserve a man like Armi, but if somehow he came out of this unscathed, he’d do everything to make sure Armi knew how much he was loved.
“Eloise, I’m glad you’re here to see who your son is mixed up with.”
“Is this true, Hayden?”
Shame coursed through him, and he nodded while keeping his attention at his feet. How could he ever look Eloise Winters in the eye again? She might’ve accepted him being in a relationship with Armi, but now, finding out he’d done porn would be a death knell. He could feel his heart break into pieces.
