It's Who You Know Ch. 02

With the most throaty scoff he could manage, he hung up on me. I slid the phone into my pocket and leant my hands on the windowsill. There was a long silence, just little sounds of Tyler's fiddling.

"What was that?" he finally asked. I hadn't heard his tone be careful yet.

Finishing my scowl at the window, I turned back to the room. "My uncle."

"Sounded like he was in a good mood."

"If you think I'm a rich cunt, you'll love to meet that man."

I saw some tight muscles in his jaw relax, and he managed a smile. "Who's Marcus?"

"My cousin."

"Big family business, is this?"

"My uncle runs the sister company," I replied, resuming my place against the desk. "Long story short is we produce and he supplies. He likes to keep it in the family. Keeps it safer, he thinks. So long as the family stays loyal."

"What are you? Some mafia?"

"He seems to think so." I watched Tyler turning something between his hands. "He hates me."

Tyler did one of those brief scoffing laughs, but I didn't smile back.

"He hates my lifestyle choices. Amongst other things."

There was a very long silence, and I cursed myself for saying anything at all. One bad phonecall was no reason to start getting all personal on the man while he was simply fixing my computer.

He suddenly broke it with that careful tone again. "Amelia told me you inherited this company from your father."

My arms crossed. "Sort of." I was aware of the thud of my heart as I considered what to tell him. "I built this on the money he left behind. He died, some years ago."

Tyler looked up into my eyes. "I'm sorry."

I gave my head a shake. "It's been long enough. None of this would have taken off without the help from my uncle, though. And Amelia's father. He was always good friends with my father."

Those brown eyes could be so warm, creasing with genuine affection as he smiled at me again. I think my heart skipped a beat and I swallowed. This beautiful man was sitting on the floor of my office, taking an actual interest in everything I said. It wasn't a common occurance.

He started to fix parts back into the computer case. "I can get a spare power supply and see if this boots up."

"Thanks."

"Are there any important files on there?"

"Everything is usually backed up on the server."

"Even your porn folder?"

I chuckled. "You think I'd keep that on a work computer?"

The mischievous curl of his lips was back. "I'm not judging you."

He got to his feet and leant against the desk beside me, finishing off the cold remains of his coffee. That same silver chain was still nestled around his neck and chest. I wondered if he had any idea how attractive he looked in those sleeve-rolled, buttons-undone shirts.

"I wanted to thank you," he started, eyes fixed on the floor.

"For what?"

"For hiring me."

I stared at the side of his face. "Amelia was going to hire you no matter what I said. I simply gave my blessing."

"Well, thank you." He looked up, but at the opposite wall, not me. "I didn't know I could start feeling so different after only a month. I needed this."

"You're welcome." My eyes were wandering down his figure. Even the snug fit of his jeans was attractive. What was he doing to me?

"I've... been through a rough patch recently."

"Sounds like things have been rough for you since you were nineteen."

The whites of his eyes showed vividly for a moment. His mouth was a straight line in his face. He tossed me a glance, I continued.

"I know what you went through with Zack."

His eyes narrowed with his stare at the wall. "How much?"

"Probably everything."

He turned the mug in his hands, and his voice dropped in volume. "He still has that gun. He kept it."

"I know."

He let out a long, slow, inhale and exhale. His head finally turned to me. "Why do you know so much about me, and I know nearly nothing about you?"

His eyes were perfectly level with mine. That day had been full of ups and downs. I wasn't thinking straight. I know I wasn't because I slid a hand across his stomach, gripped his waist, and tugged him towards me.

I kissed him.

His lips were a soft contrast to his facial hair. My hand felt the heat of his body, firm flesh beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. He dropped the mug. I heard it hit the floor. He was fumbling, chaotic, and my grip tightened because I was sure he would pull away.

He kissed me back.

His hand gripped the nape of my neck. His body pressed into mine. My God. I wanted his shirt off, I wanted to know what was under there. My hand moved up his torso until I felt his skin, the chain. He breathed in a shuddering gasp when I touched his throat. That aftertaste of the coffee. I gave his tongue one long stroke with mine until sanity screamed in the back of my mind.

Stop.

I remembered where I was. I tried to pull away but his fist was clenched in the lapel of my suit. His eyes opened when our lips parted and I held his shoulder. He released me. My hand slid down his chest.

His brow was high and eyes wide with shock. He was panting. Yet his open mouth was somehow smiling. I didn't know what to do.

"Sorry," I said.

Worry seeped into his expression. He took a step back. "Shit."

I looked away and swallowed, an embarrassingly loud gulp in my throat.

"I'll go, er, get that supply," Tyler stammered.

"Okay."

He stumbled over the things on the floor. "Shit," he said again at the door, before disappearing out.

I sank down into my chair. Shit, indeed.

---

Tyler

What the fuck just happened? In almost no time at all I was outside Amelia's office and my heart was still pounding too hard in my chest. Maybe because I had almost been running.

She frowned at me when I rushed in through the door and headed for the shelves at the far end.

"What are you doing?"

"Need a new power supply for Darren."

"No, no. I'll send Jenny to finish whatever he needs. I need you here."

I stopped. I didn't want someone else to go and fix his computer. As shocking as the whole thing might've been, I wanted to go straight back there for a second kiss. I just tried to push the whole thing away and turned to face her. My blood suddenly felt thick and sluggish.

Amelia beckoned for me to sit, so I did. She poked numbers into her phone and told whoever Jenny was to go to Darren's office. Then she called Darren and told him to expect her. She started talking to me about something and I was hardly listening.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

I frowned at the desk with my vacant stare before looking up to her. "Darren's gay."

"Um, yeah. You only just figured that out?"

She looked at me with so much suspicion, but didn't push it. Just put some keys in my fingers and told me to go down to the labs.

*

I felt so drained when I got home that night. A nagging tension pulling at every muscle in my body. Why did I run from his office like that? To leave something up in the air like that, so unfinished, was maddening. I had lost my cool so bad.

I tried to make a stir fry but could barely stomach it. I couldn't even concentrate on the TV. In the end I dragged myself into my room and laid on my bed in the growing darkness. Fucking hell.

I couldn't even sleep as I stayed there motionless for however long. My thoughts went in circles and circles. Replaying what had happened. Trying to understand it. This man...

My phone vibrated somewhere on the duvet beside me. My hand found it and lifted it to my face. There was a text from an unknown number.

"Tyler, it's Darren. I'm sorry about today."

My heart raced straight away. No, no. The amount of typos from my fumbling fingers... Took me so long to write out a simple message.

"What are you sorry about?" I replied.

I breathed, deeply. In, out. It seemed an eternity until there was another reply.

"I want to get to know you better."

Oh fuck. Was it possible for my chest to feel this tight? My thumbs hovered over the screen until I sucked up the courage to enter my message.

"So do I."

I dropped the phone and buried my face into a pillow. I was sick with nerves. I was a teenager all over again. I couldn't stand the wait for the reply. What the fuck. Overthinking every little thing.

Why wasn't he replying? I stared at it until it vibrated.

"You're a good kisser."

Oh shit. What the fuck? What the fuck was going on? What was I supposed to tell Zack and Amelia?

"So are you."

How was this happening? There was another long silence without a response and I couldn't take it. The only way I knew to handle things was dive in deep. I started typing again.

"Ffs I'm freaking out here. Can I see you? What's your address?"

"No."

"Can I call you?"

"No."

I stared at the screen, then another message came through.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok."

I went through the options to add his number into my contacts, then just laid there. Staring at his name.

This man, this rich cunt. The company CEO, with the cold eyes that gave me butterflies. He was interested in me. Holy shit.

*

I didn't sleep very well. The next day was the first time I turned up late. It didn't seem to matter because Amelia was running about all over the place and I didn't see her for the first hour or so.

That morning was a drag. Talk about a distraction. I read a whole page of something and realised I'd taken nothing in. Pumping up with caffeine didn't seem to help, just made me even more aware of the sick nerves making my hands tremble.

I was too tired to feel okay. I wasn't tired enough to be beyond caring.

He said he would see me. When? Where?

The door opening made me jump. Amelia poked her head inside. "Ty, I'm going out."

"How long?"

"A while. I might not be back before it's time to pick up David, so if it gets to five, make sure you lock everything up." She smiled and shut the door again with a little wave of her fingers.

Perhaps five minutes later my phone vibrated against my leg. I couldn't get it out my pocket fast enough. I could see the little icon of a text as I unlocked it. It contained one word.

"Lunch?"

I glanced at the top right of the screen. Exactly 12.

"Yes."

Why was he always so slow to reply? Was he doing it on purpose? I was starting to type something else when his response came through.

"Come to my office."

I was out the door in a flash. Those nerves changed into excitement and anticipation. All my brain power went into ensuring I wasn't somehow making my inner thoughts obvious. It was steadily growing into summer and it was a warm day, but I was sweating more than normal.

I rapped the door with my knuckles then hooked my thumbs into my pockets. And waited. When he opened it I just wanted to laugh, I was so giddy.

It was the first time I had seen him without the jacket of his suit. He wore a black waistcoat over the white shirt, its sleeves pushed up from his wrists. The waistcoat hugged his body to perfection, giving him the appearance of a statuesque masculine shape. Broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted. Jesus Christ. That v-shape.

He stepped aside to let me in. The door sounded shut and there was a slight snick of a key turning in a lock.

Oh my God.

I spun, he smiled. But that smile somehow looked more of a smirk to me, like I was prey and he'd got me where he wanted. The nerves were taking over and I backed into the wall. He followed. His hand touched my side again and those eyes came so close.

His lips met mine and my breath hitched. It was slower, gentler, almost an apology for yesterday. It was... soothing. There was no tongue. I felt his hand on my chest, on top of my heart, as if he was feeling for when I was calm. He pulled away with an exhale of hot breath on my mouth. He smelt like spearmint.

No. Where are you going? I gripped his waist and yanked him back to me. His chuckle vibrated through the kiss. He pressed me against the wall, his fingers closed around my wrists, and for a moment he pinned me with his body, a brief exertion of dominance that left me breathless.

He stepped back. Was he taller than me? I thought we were the same height, but he made me feel so small with something so subtle.

I needed to say something. He just stared at me with that smile. Those eyes.

"If this is how you want to get to know me, I like it."

Did I have to sound so croaky? At least the amusement flickered across his face. He moved over to his desk and beckoned for me to sit opposite. The windows were open, letting in a refreshing breeze.

"Jenny fixed your PC?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied, arms folded on the desk. "It turns on, at least."

"Sorry I didn't come back, Amelia wouldn't let me."

"You wanted to come back?"

I frowned. "Of course."

"I thought I'd scared you off."

"No."

He sat back in his chair, fiddling with a pen. His legs stretched out, like I remembered at the restaurant - I flinched when our feet touched, but I didn't pull away this time. Just enjoyed the sensation of his leg brushing, then pressing against mine, top of his shoe hooked around my calf.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"What?"

"I can order something from the canteen up here."

"Perks of being the boss, huh?"

He gave me a grin and made a short phonecall. I watched his every move, somehow feeling as though I had permission to do so, that I was allowed to simply sit and take him in.

"So you're gay," I started as he placed the phone back into the receiver.

"Yes."

"I didn't know."

"Zack and Lia never mentioned it?"

"No."

He leant his head against a hand and rubbed his temple, studying me the whole time. "Do you have a shit gaydar or something?"

I scoffed. "You don't exactly make it obvious."

"I don't?"

"No."

His eyebrows rose for a moment, then settled back to their normal state. "Are you actually gay?"

The defensive feeling rushed up out of nowhere. I sat forward in my chair. "How much have they told you about me?" This was bothering me. Did he know every dirty secret about the past I was trying to move on from? Had I been a subject of gossip?

His eyes sharpened at my bristling posture. "Not much."

"Seriously."

"Passing comments from Zack that you 'weren't exactly straight'."

"I'm bi."

His hand curled into a fist and he rested his cheek against it. "Do you have a... preference?"

"No."

He looked up at me from beneath those thick eyebrows, as if expecting more. I wasn't sure what to say.

"I just... like people, Darren. Sometimes they're male and sometimes they're female."

He finally smiled. I was so terrified of turning him off me. I needed to do something to gather my composure. Charm. Charm.

"If I have any preference at the moment, it's you."

Well that was smooth. Christ.

His leg seemed to move reassuringly against mine. "I'm sorry they never told you much about me. I don't know why. In fact, I think I'm offended."

"Maybe I just never asked the right questions." With a pang of guilt I realised that I had actively avoided the subject of 'their boss' for a long time. Then a strange feeling followed, that he might have been taking an interest in me long before I was willing to acknowledge his existence.

Wow, did I feel like an asshole.

"So you're out and open?" I asked.

"Yeah. I mean I don't go about screaming it at the top of my lungs, but most people know."

"Well that's cool." I meant it. The insecurities of closeted types didn't really do much for me.

Darren stroked along the bearded line of his jaw to his chin. "But I'd rather keep this out of the work place."

I understood, sort of.

"I want to see you after work," he continued. "Tonight. Do you want to go out to eat?"

"Like a date?"

"Yes."

"Where do you wanna go?"

"How about where we met?"

I grinned. I had wanted to see that restaurant at night. One of his hands found mine on the desk and stroked over my fingers. Damn, this was almost too good to be true.

---

Darren

Amelia called me towards the end of the day while my hands were full. I tried to balance the phone between my cheek and shoulder.

"Yes?" I asked.

"So I've just got away from Marcus," she said.

"How did it go?"

"It's not salvageable but I did what I could."

"You're a star."

I dropped the box onto the table while Harry tried to sloppily sign-language something to me. I just nodded.

"Zack left to get David," I continued into the phone.

"He told me, thanks. Do you need me to come back there and pick you up?"

"No, it's fine. I'm going out."

"Oh, nice! Have you seen Tyler at all? I left him alone to do my job all afternoon."

"I saw him at lunch. Not heard any complaints."

Harry held up a silent hand to me in goodbye and I returned it, then left for my office.

"He came to the shocking conclusion that you were gay yesterday," Amelia said.

"I told him," I replied. "We spoke a bit. You know, you can tell him some things about me, Lia. He wouldn't ask so many questions then."

She chuckled. "What do you think of him?"

"He's a hard worker."

"Yes, he is. I think I might need to lay off him a bit. He looked exhausted this morning."

I went through my pocket for my key. "And you never did warn me that he looks like a model."

"Oh, of course. Sorry, I tend to forget about that. He's not really my type."

The door thudded shut behind me and I glanced at my watch. 16:40. "Yes, we all know your type. Six-foot-four with a fur pelt of a chest."

She giggled. I knew what expression she'd be pulling, the way she grinned and bit her bottom lip whenever someone reminded her what a hunk her husband was. "Anyways," she said. "Be careful you don't give Tyler any ideas. He does like men, you know."

I shook my mouse to wake up the computer screen, grinning to myself. Yes, I knew. "I can handle myself. I need to sort a few things before I leave. Have a good weekend."

"You too, Darren."

I started typing out a lengthy email to my uncle, but couldn't finish it. I was too distracted, kept watching the time. 16:45. 16:50. 16:55. I saved the draft to finish at home and a text came through as though perfectly on cue.

"So where you at?"

"You parked normal spot?" I replied.

"Yup."

"Brt."

---

Tyler

He came walking along with that graceful saunter, suit jacket tucked over an arm, and I had to resist the urge to honk at him. What a sexy man.

He clambered in beside me, leant across to give me a quick kiss, then started loosening the red tie about his neck. I had been watching the carpark empty while I waited. Lots of people were trying to get out ten or fifteen minutes early. It was Friday afterall.

"So where's your Lamborghini?" I asked.

"At home," he said, tossing the jacket and tie onto the backseat.

"How did you get in this morning?"

"Got a lift."

"With who?"

"Zack."

I frowned. Fair enough. He was pulling his phone from his pocket with one hand, undoing the top button of his shirt with the other. I hoped he'd keep the waistcoat. I liked it.

"You remember where it is?" he asked me while he flicked through his screen.

"Yeah." I went to turn my key in the ignition but he was calling someone.

"One minute." His fingers drummed the dashboard while he waited for them to pick up. "Hey, Diana. Is it busy tonight? ... Yes. Just for two... Yes... Why don't you ask Tracy if she remembers him?" He hung up and gave me a smile. "All good."

I remembered his tension from before, when I pissed about revving and jerking the gears, so I focused on keeping the car smooth the whole drive there. There was some rush-hour traffic to sit through. He didn't talk much, mostly staring out the window with this look on his face I couldn't quite decipher. I didn't mind. Sometimes his presence felt so intense that the silence was fine, and kept my head straight.

I hadn't been on a real date with a man. Not like this. Would it be a night of being stared at? A suave restaurant was a different environment to the pounding music and flashing lights of a dance floor, where sex drives ran high with liquor and drugs. Nobody really cared where you were sticking your dick, so long as they got some too.