Mel considers before relenting. “Twice a year and you stop trying to cut the good espresso.”
“Fine,” I grunt. A private jet is an extravagance, but there is a level of prestige that we need to maintain as we grow. We’ve hired one for star athletes after championship games before, and it’s much more economical to have something under regular contract.
“I need to run these numbers with the latest interest rates,” I mumble to myself.
She leans back in her high-tech desk chair. “How was your date with the soccer hotshots the other night?" she asks. “Not that either of them are bringing in a paycheck anytime soon.”
“Yes, fine,” I say brusquely. “Orlando is coming in for his contract review today.”
I wave my hand to indicate there’s nothing more to say. My only mode lately is to avoid thinking about Orlando, and I’m eager to get back to it.
It was distracting enough when I hated him for cheating on his girlfriend. When he corrected me in the elevator, though, he rose up strong, scolding me for judging what we did.
I saw his fire, and I liked it.
Mel arches an eyebrow. “What did those two do to piss you off?”
I realize how tightly I’m gripping the scotch glass and take a bigger swig. “Nothing.”
“Seriously? Nothing? Then why did you go into full bear mode just now? I haven’t seen you this tough on a client since you fired Launstein.”
“Drunk driving,” I spit out, mad at our former tennis star all over again. “It’s in the damn contract. He could have killed someone.”
“Exactly. What did these two do, except for act like a couple of jocks new to fame?”
My breath is heavy, and my jaw is set. Most people wouldn’t recognize the difference between this and my usual scowl, but Mel knows me better than just about anyone.
She leans forward, elbows on the desk. “What happened?” she asks again. “Now I’m really curious.”
I swallow. Pressure mounts between my shoulders.
The situation with Orlando isn’t just a personal problem. It’s a work problem, too.
If I’m running around and acting like an asshole to the recent client I just had sex with in a bar bathroom, I’m clearly crossing some kind of ethical and legal lines.
I finish my scotch.
“Can I ask for your discretion?”
Her eyes get wide. “Oh. It’s like that?”
I grit my teeth. There’s no one in the world I trust more than Mel.
Still, my life almost leaves my body when I say the words.
“A few days before we hired them, before Zeke even came into the office.” I close my eyes. “I had sex with Orlando.”
Total silence.
I’m not in denial about what I did, but saying it to another person makes it land with a very real thud.
“Hot damn.”
I open my eyes. Mel is absolutely grinning from ear to ear.
She leans forward, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Are you bi? Or gay? Do you regularly have sex with men?” She shakes her head slowly, gazing at me with admiring eyes. “I hadnoidea.”
I drop my voice. “I’ve never done it before,” I say gruffly. “It just… happened.”
