Seven sneered at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh, you think Owen’s hot? Does his wife know? I thought you preferred hot younger boys with Daddy issues and financial trouble.”
“That’s not?—”
“Should I ask Owen if you can join us?” Seven asked, making for his phone that sat screen down on the desk. “Or maybe you two would like to be alone?”
Enzo blew out an exasperated breath, already exhausted. How had this gotten so out of hand so quickly? Why couldn’t Seven just cut him some slack?
“Can you please just…behave?” Enzo asked, tone almost pleading. “I’mtryingto apologize to you.”
Seven sucked his teeth. “Apologize? For which part? Treating me like a whore or trying to pay me like one?” he asked, his voice sullen.
Yeah, he’d definitely hurt Seven’s feelings.
Fuck.
Where had he gone wrong? Had he misinterpreted what Seven wanted from him? Had Seven just wanted the occasional…what had he called it…maintenance dick appointment? A guy to have on standby to pound him into the mattress and then forget until next time? Had Enzo violated some unspoken agreement between them without even knowing about it?
Or was his mother right? And Vince. Had Seven wanted more from him? More than he was capable of giving? This was why he didn’t do relationships. Or have friends. When it came to the law, his instincts were impeccable. When it came to relationships, he was fumbling in the dark every time.
“I just want to clear the air so we don’t feel weird working in the same office,” Enzo said.
Seven shrugged. “I feel fine. Seems to me like you’re the one feeling some type of way about this.”
Enzo tried again. “It just seems like the professional thing to do since our paths are bound to cross frequently.”
“Will they? Owen specializes in cyber crimes. You work in white-collar crimes. It doesn’t seem like a lot of overlap. We can just avoid each other, okay?”
“Owen and I are?—”
“Owen and you are what? Are you friends or something? Do you guys hang out and…do whatever old guys do?” Seven asked, arching a brow like he already knew the answer and wanted to catch Enzo in a lie.
Enzo didn’t miss the dig about his age. The little brat. But Seven was right. He and Owen were not friends. They were barely co-workers. If anything, they were rivals for making partner.
“We’ve had dinner a few times,” Enzo hedged.
Seven’s brows made a run for his hairline. “That’s not what he said. He said he couldn’t remember the last time you two were even alone in the same room together.”
Enzo felt like his heart had stopped beating in his chest.
“You asked about me?” he asked, unable to hide his smirk.
Seven rolled his eyes. “Yeah. I wanted to know how often I’d be forced to endure your presence. He assured me our paths would rarely cross. Yet, here you are.”
Was that really all it was? Why did Enzo even fucking care? What was it about this kid that was like catnip to him? Vince had told him not to harass Seven or he’d end up in trouble with HR. Or worse, their mother.
“Fine. I’ll leave you alone. But I’m here if you change your mind. See you whenever, I guess,” Enzo said.
Seven huffed out a humorless laugh. “Don’t look so dejected. You’ll see me Sunday.”
That brought Enzo up short. “Sunday?”
“Mm,” he answered, tone smug. “Your mom invited me to Sunday dinners. She invited my mom, too.”
Sunday dinners. Plural. As in more than one. Jesus, his mother wasn’t even playing chess, she was playing Risk, attempting to unite two empires. What was she thinking? Sunday dinners were sacred. They were reserved for immediate family and a handful of close friends. His mother barely knew Seven. Or did she? How often did they speak since she’d gotten him this job? Would she use Seven to spy on Enzo? Or was she just playing matchmaker? He didn’t know which was worse.
She was clearly off her nut…or having some kind of mid-life crisis. Didn’t she have plenty of other kids’ lives to play with? Why couldn’t she marry off one of the others? Jericho had plenty of other kids to choose from.
Just not Seven. If any of his brothers so much as looked at Seven in any type of way, Enzo would be the one needing an attorney.
