Laurence couldn’t take anymore. He squeezed Alex’s ass and lifted him up just a little, then moved his hips until the tip of his cock brushed against Alex’s hole. Alex gasped and wrapped his arms around Laurence’s neck, and as he did, Laurence sank slowly into him. Pleasure spread with dangerous rapidity though Laurence’s gut, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold on for long. He was barely inside Alex, yet he already wanted tocome.
Breed. Fuck.Claim.
He pushed deeper. There was no resistance—Alex was already soakingwet.
“Oh fuck,yes!” Alex threw his head back and squeezed around Laurence’s invading shaft. “Oh, fuck! Give me your knot. I want to feel yourknot!”
Laurence’s cheeks burned. He held onto Alex and pushed deeper, letting Alex feel every part of him. Soon enough, he was buried in Alex’s ass, and Alex was bouncing on his lap. His dark hair shimmered blue and purple as hemoved.
Purple.
Laurence opened his mouth to speak, but something nearby started tobeep.
Andbeep.
Andbeep.
He opened his eyes, slapped the snooze button on his alarm clock, and tried his hardest to get back tosleep.
Goddamn Tuesday mornings. Didn’t they know he needed to paint amasterpiece?
18
Laurence
The alarm wentoff for the third time, and Laurence gave up on chasing his fantasy. Alex wouldn’t come back to him, no matter how much he willed his dream to pick up from where it had left off. Instead, he occupied himself with his hand, imagining how it might feel if Alex were on top of him, working out his morning wood while whispering filthy words in Laurence’sear.
It didn’t take long for Laurence to come. In the afterglow, he cleaned up and checked his phone, both excited and apprehensive to see if Alex had replied to histext.
Hehadn’t.
Laurence dropped his phone on his chest, closed his eyes, and focused on pushing the thought aside. He knew it was unlikely, but there was still a chance that Alex might get back to him. Until then, he had to focus on the immediate things in life: showering, seeing Matthew off for the morning, and getting towork.
The master bedroom had its own bath. Laurence made his way to it, stripping as he went. Off came the t-shirt he wore on chillier spring nights. Off came the boxer-briefs below it. He stepped into the bathroom, nude, and ran the shower. While he waited for the water to warm, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. His grays were still there. The first signs of wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and in his smile were still subtle, barely noticeable if it hadn’t been for his scrutinizing eye. His body ached, as it did every morning when he first got up. But, despite it all, he feltyoung.
The world was changing, and he was changing with it. His son was pregnant and the next few years were sure to be a chaotic, unruly, unpredictable mess, but it didn’t matter. Laurence had found a reason to believe that times would change yet again, and the mess he found himself in today might not be there tomorrow. Even if Alex never spoke to him again, the lesson waslearned.
He’d spent sixteen years of his life with his head buried in the sand, certain that the more he blocked out the world, the better his focus would be. Now that Alex had yanked him back out and shown him the world he was missing out on, Laurence knew better. He’d shut out the light in his life, thinking it might help him see better, when all it had done was blindhim.
He wouldn’t hold backanymore.
* * *
Shortly after ten that morning,Elaine Stanford, supervisor for the Core Critical Operations team, knocked on Laurence’s office door. Laurence looked up from the numbers he’d been crunching and offered Elaine a polite smile. “Good morning,Elaine.”
“Good morning, Laurence. You’re looking well today.” Elaine smiled back. “May I comein?”
“Of course.” Laurence scribbled down a note about where he’d left off, then gave Elaine his full attention. “Is there something I can help you with thismorning?”
Elaine looked thoughtful. After a moment’s pause, she closed Laurence’s office door. Laurence said nothing. He watched what was going on and read Elaine’s body language as best he could. She didn’t look any more uptight than usual. She was wearing the same kind of Oxford shirt she always wore, this one a pale blue that was tastefully selected to complement her charcoal-gray suit jacket. A string of pearls adorned her neck—the same ones she wore every day. Understated pearl earrings sat low on her earlobes, peeking out from behind a sensibly short haircut. Most days, she was a kind but firm influence on the CCO team who made sure that everyone stuck to a schedule. It was her job to oversee productivity—she acted as the link between the scientists of the CCO and the corporate executives who ranSynecta.
But despite her appearance, there was something different about her. It was rare that she came to see Laurence in his office, and rarer yet that she saw fit to close thedoor.
“Do you have five minutes to spare?” Elaine asked. She remained standing by thedoor.
“Of course.” Laurence didn’t have anything to fear. He was a valued member of his team who excelled in what he did. “What’s goingon?”
“It seems like Mrs. Harper has been keeping a close eye on the CCO recently,” Elaine said. Her tone was factual, but Laurence didn’t think that was necessarily a bad thing. If Elaine was bringing up bad news, he would have been able to read it on her face. “In particular, she’s been combing through your work and evaluating your position within the company. How long have you been here,Laurence?”
