Max huffed out a laugh just as the glass door of the office opened again and another man stepped inside. His face was familiar, though I couldn’t work out why. He was handsome, with tanned skin, a pointy chin, and curly brown hair, but there wasn’t anything spectacular about him that would make him stand out to me, not like Mark.
The newcomer paused when he saw us—or more accurately me—and his eyes widened. “Oh. Hello.”
Mark groaned, slapping a hand across his face. “I’m never going to hear the end of it.”
“The end of what?” I whispered but raised my hand in a half wave at the stranger. “Hey, name’s Camden. I’m Mark’s….” I glanced at him and smiled. “I’m the guy Mark’s seeing.”
We weren’t exactly boyfriends yet, right? We played, and he spent most of his time at my house, but we hadn’t put a definition to it yet.
“Really?” The man strode over to us and placed his hands on his hips. “Is this who Max was talking about a few weeks back? He mentioned a big guy coming to see you.”
“What did you tell him?” Mark gaped at Max, who laughed behind his hand.
“Nothing, I swear. I didn’t even know who he was. I just told Jaxson a big guy came to see you, and you both went to the bathroom for a while. And then we stopped to harass him at work. Committed some fraud by pretending to be city inspectors.”
“Oh my God, Max!” If I thought Mark’s face was red before, it was nothing compared to now. He rounded on the stranger. “I swear, Jaxson, it’s not what you think. We didn’t….” He blanched.
Jaxson laughed, his face lighting up in amusement. “It’s fine. Vane and I always have fun times in his office.”
Realization dawned on me. This was Jaxson Bell, who happened to be the mayor’s fiancé. There was a big deal about it a few months ago because a story was written about them, and they had admitted they were engaged. Back then Vane Elwood was the deputy mayor and he’d made national news; he’d also been both destroyed and celebrated in the media. So far, he’d been a good mayor after taking over for his disgraced predecessor, Ross Midberry. Though if you asked me, the whole Midberry sex scandal had been blown out of proportion. He wasn’t the first politician to hire a prostitute, and he wouldn’t be the last.
“I don’t want to know that.” Mark gasped, and Jaxson laughed harder.
“Then there’s a certain someone who Vane caught giving a blow job to his boyfriend.” Jaxson’s gaze went to Max, and Max’s eyes widened.
“I can neither confirm nor deny that’s what was happening,” Max said quickly, his cheeks taking on a rosy hue. “Fake news.”
Everyone chuckled, including me. Jaxson walked over to me, fired off his name, which I’d already caught anyway, and held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet a man who keeps Mark on his toes who isn’t my fiancé. I thought Mark had enough dealing with Vane at work that he’d never find a man for home.”
I placed the wrapped sandwich on my knee, and then I took his hand, shaking it. “What can I say? I basically told Mark this was happening, and all he could do was hold on.”
Jaxson’s brows rose, and I saw the inappropriate thoughts flashing across his face with a wicked smile and dancing eyes, but somehow he managed to purse his lips and keep the comments to himself. “Glad to hear that. Mark deserves it.”
“Are we done talking about me while I’m in the room?” Mark muttered, and Jaxson laughed again. He let go of my hand and nudged Mark.
“It’s only because we care about you. You’re a hard worker, and Vane wants to keep you around for a long time.”
It wasn’t difficult to notice the adoration that swept over Mark. He smiled tenderly, and I was glad he had friends like these two guys. Life was a lot harder without good people in your corner. “Thanks, Jax. I’ll even forgive Vane and Ross for letting me be taken by Madam Winters.”
Jaxson winced. “Yeah. I told Vane that wasn’t fair, but he thought it was in your best interest. He didn’t want you to be lonely anymore. We all found someone, he wanted you to as well. He wouldneversay it because that’s not a Vane thing to do.” He snorted. “But he really does want you to be happy.”
Mark nodded, rubbing his arm nervously. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Well, you can assure Mr. Elwood that I’m taking good care of Mark,” I said, watching as all eyes turned on me. “I like him a lot, and I’ve never met anyone who’s made me feel the way he has in a short amount of time.”
“That’s good to hear.” Jaxson’s grin nearly broke his face. “I will leave you alone to have lunch.” He leaned into Mark, and I didn’t miss him whispering, “Is he that big everywhere?”
Mark gasped and poked him, and Jaxson jumped out of the way, laughing. He waved as he headed to the door I assumed led into the mayor’s office. He knocked once before he entered, sending us a wink as he slipped inside.
“Fun guy.” I chuckled, unwrapping my sandwich and taking a large bite. The chicken melted in my mouth and the coleslaw gave it the perfect mixture of flavors, and I moaned as the taste exploded on my tongue.
“Good?” Mark nearly bounced on the couch, his food clutched in his hand. One bite and he had the same reaction as me, his eyelids sliding closed in bliss. “Wow. This is amazing.”
“Way to make me jealous,” Max said from where he still sat behind the desk, stacking papers in a perfect pile.
Mark took another bite, nodding. “You need to go to this place. This is the best sandwich I’ve ever tasted.”
“Good, yeah?” I was already half finished with mine because I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I took that first mouthful, and now I couldn’t stop. My stomach growled and I devoured the food like a man who hadn’t eaten in months. Luckily I was able to keep the aluminum foil around it until the very last bite so I didn’t have to touch it with my not-so-clean hands.
