Nikolas had begun to laugh.Ben was obviously trying not to.
“—he’s leaving his job to be a house husband, because Nigel wants them to adopt—is this really that funny, guys?Seriously?”Kate reckoned she had her answer to the question that had annoyed Ben.Outhardly described these two.They seemed entirely unable or unwilling to see they’d embraced exactly this lifestyle.Sure, they weren’t florists or chefs—Nikolas’s wealth kept them nicely in denial about the mundane business of working at all—but they were gay, for fuck’s sake, so why they were finding Nigel and Justin so amusing was beyond her.It irritated her.It hadn’t been funny reading about Nigel, a forty-eight-year-old man, crying.Not at all.Why should his life be so bloody difficult, when all he wanted was the same things she did—someone to love, children…?
Ben had stopped chuckling and was watching her.He rested the back of his hand against her cheek.“What’s wrong?Kate?You’ve gone white.”
She shook her head.“Nothing.I’m…It’s nothing.”
Nikolas slid his chair back a little.She could sense him trying to read her hesitation and resolutely tapped the bio she’d handed him.
“I’m going to ring Tim, see if Michael’s back.Study these.”
* * *
Nikolas watched her leave.“What was she saying to you before I came in?”
“Nothing important.”
Nikolas knew that tone, however, and kept glancing at Ben thoughtfully as they pretended to be studying their folders.Eventually, Ben hissed, “Stop it!”
Nikolas huffed.“I’m not convinced my definition of what’s important between you and Kate coincides with yours.Tell me what she said.”
“She wanted to know if I was out.”
“Out of what?”
The wince of pain was noticeable.“The closet.”
Nikolas was quiet for a while, pondering this then clarified hesitantly, “She wanted to know if you were gay?”
“Yes.”The word was barely audible through Ben’s locked jaw.
“Strange question.”
Ben let out a long breath of relief.“That’s what I thought!”
“Out of the blue?Just like that?”
“I know!”
“Were you doing anything to lead her to think you might be?”
“What like, for fuck’s sake?I was making tea!”
“That’s not particularly gay, I agree.I think she’s just reassuring herself.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t wantheranymore so there must be something wrong withyou.All women do it—every man is gay if he’s not interested in them.”
Ben appeared slightly floored by this as if he’d been following the argument so far but had now been left stumped.“I guess.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I won’t.”Ben pushed his chair from the table and stood up.“I’m going for a run.”
Nikolas considered Ben with narrowed eyes as he left.
He’d committed a tactical error.He made it a rule never to leave Ben alone with Kate.Which he conceded might seem to contradict his recruitment of her in the first place.After all, he could have employed any computer expert—it didn’t have to be Ben’s ex.But Nikolas had studied the art of war.He’d read Sun-tzu and Machiavelli and entirely agreed with them: enemies were best kept close.
