A teasing mood hit me, and I tapped another headshot, this time of a young man with curly black hair, liquid brown eyes, and an olive complexion. He had an interesting look. Quite frankly, the sassiness in his eyes would bring a fascinating direction to the line. “What about him? Malcom Defries. He seems interesting. He’s from London, recently moved to New York, and still part of McKay’s Models.”
“Sir.” Ana’s voice was sharp and direct, and I couldn’t help but laugh, raising my palms to him. Apparently he’d been hit with love at first sight, too, or maybe it was attraction at first sight. Either way, I was intrigued about where it could go for him. I hadn’t seen him date since he’d had his heart broken when we were young men.
“Fine. Zachary it is.” I stole another look at Malcom. “Although, I do think we need more models, and he looks like he could bring across a different feel than Zachary.”
Ana nodded, but his attention was still caught on the picture of the cute blond.
Miriam cleared her throat. “We will reach out to McKay and his people about Zachary and Malcom, sir.”
“Do it as soon as possible. I want to get up and running with this.”
Ana and I left them to it, taking the elevator down to the bottom floor of the office building we were in. The sun was long gone and the city was alive, with the night lights sparkling and the streets crowded. A group of women brushed past us, laughing as one of them apologized when she bumped into me.
I shook my head. “When did we get so old? That used to be us. We were always partying.”
Ana laughed. “We’re in our forties. The party left us.”
That wasn’t completely true, but the parties had changed. Instead of drinking the night away with cheap liquor, we went to high-end apartments with expensive alcohol and people who could further our end goals. Even when I was boss of the illegal part of the company, though, I’d hated them. The only reason I’d taken Asa to one was to get him in front of Miguel.
“What are your plans now?” Anatoly asked, but there was a knowing glint in his stare, like he already knew what my answer was going to be.
I grinned. “I’m going home to spend time with my man.” I elbowed him in the side. “You seemed interested in Zachary.”
He snorted. “I swear it’s a curse that you passed on to me when I took this job.”
“The curse that makes you attracted to models?” I laughed. “No, he’s the first one you’ve been interested in. Trust me, old friend, take a leap of faith.”
He shrugged in answer, but there was something in the way he smiled that made me think he would take my advice.
I patted him on the back. “I’m going to head home.” I started to leave, then stopped, turning to look at him over my shoulder. “Now that I’m not your boss, are you finally going to admit that you stole my fire engine?”
He flipped me the bird.
I laughed loudly.
“Get lost, Ruslan.”
I texted Asa on the way home, and he sent one in return, telling me he was already back at the mansion. Some nights he would probably prefer to stay in his trailer, but the location was close enough to the Hamptons that he had the option to come home. Without the helicopter the trips wouldn’t be possible, and I was silently thankful I was able to make them happen. I didn’t mind where we slept, as long as it was together.
By the time I arrived, the lights in the house were out, except for the one in the entrance hall, and the quietness told me he’d already gone to bed. I flicked off the light switch before I headed up the wide black marble staircase towardourroom on the third floor, which was fourth to the right. The door was slightly ajar, and I opened it slowly so as not to wake him.
He was cuddled up in the blankets, his light snores filling the silent room. Even asleep, he was beautiful, with his hair dark against the whiteness of the pillow. His glasses were folded up on the nightstand, and his chest was bare like it always was when he slept. He hated wearing anything but boxers while in bed.
Smiling at the sight he made, I rid myself of my suit and the rest of my clothes until I was in nothing but my underwear, then tiptoed to the bed. I pulled back the blankets, slipped onto the fluffiness of my expensive mattress, and immediately snuggled up close to him.
He moaned, burrowing farther into me. “You’re home.”
“Hmm. Took me a while to get through the traffic, but I’m here.” He rolled toward me, and I kissed his forehead and closed my eyes, inhaling the scent of his shampoo. The aroma was a mixture of mint and raspberry, and whenever I showered, I smelled it. He’d incorporated himself into my life in every way and I loved it.
“Did they choose a new model?” he asked in a sleepy voice.
“Yep.” I curled my arms around him and sighed, settling into the comfort he gave me. It was a strange sensation to feel so content with someone I’d met so recently, but it was exactly how Tato had explained falling in love. “Two of them. Zachary Harkell and Malcom Defries.”
He exhaled, his breath teasing goose bumps onto the skin of my neck. “I know Zachary. He’s a good guy and a hard worker. I don’t know about Malcom. I’ve heard of him, but he’s from England. There’s good things said about him, though.”
“We’ll need to talk to McKay about them. They might not be interested, but it’s a start.” I smoothed my hand down his spine, and he moaned. I kissed his cheek. “Go to sleep.”
“I thought you were going to fuck me,” he said with a small chuckle.
