Page 2 of Tempting Sebastian

“No, it’s ok. I came in to get coffee and noticed no one had started a pot so…” Jackson gestured toward the pot. “I brought in Folgers Breakfast Blend. Someone had Starbucks up here but it’s terrible.”

I watched him move and chuckled.

His head popped up and he gave me a look of surprise, saying, “What? What did I say? You laughed. You never laugh.”

His attention to my laughter made me pull it back. “I’ve never heard anyone else call Starbucks trash, other than me, that’s all.” I thought about his comment that I never laugh and scowled. “I laugh,” I said, deadpan and little defensive.

He side-eyed me, dropped a leveled off scoop into the filtered basin, and then paused midair to face me. “Mr. Moore, with all due respect, I can’t even get you to say good morning. You, Sir, do not laugh.”

I just looked at him for a moment. Hearing him saySirstarted to arouse me. My cock was getting warm and hard. I had to get out of there before it became obvious, so I said, “Um… well, I’m going to head back to my office. I’ll grab some coffee in a bit. Thanks for making it.” I nodded at him and turned, taking the quickest way to my office.What the fuck was that?I asked myself. A tent started to rise in front of my pants. Popping open my computer, I started reading through emails to calm down.

Insecure thoughts came to mind.I smiled. I said good morning… didn’t I?Then I started questioning myself and how I interacted with the employees, determined to pay more attention moving forward.

It had been about two years since I had taken an interest in anyone, so my body responding as quickly as it did, to someone standing right in of me, threw me off. I mean, it was Jackson. He wasn’t even my type. He looked too young and happy…all of the time. I wondered if he was that way outside of work, too, or if he was just putting it on for the job.

I’ve always kept my private life and work life separate to stay professional. After my on again off again relationship with my ex, Oren, we broke up. The relationship lasted for about two years. Oren was the complete opposite of me. He was into sports, going out to the bars, he loved drinking, but it wasn’t my idea of having a good time. Of course, I enjoy a drink every now and then, but not every night. He wasn’t a bad guy, we just grew apart, and there hadn’t been anyone serious since Oren.

Pulling open my email, I shot off a message to our accounting manager, Elizabeth Hart.

Elizabeth, it’s come to my attention that Jackson Hall brought in coffee for the breakroom, and I believe he paid for this himself. Can you please ensure he gets reimbursed? Let’s also make sure we have a line item in the budget to keep the breakroom supplied with Folgers Breakfast Blend coffee and any other items the staff might need. You can ask Mr. Hall what’s needed.

Thanks for your help with this,

Sebastian

He would get the coffee. Elizabeth would make sure of it. I was sifting through more emails and reading the same line over and over again because I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was enough to drive me crazy. Having finally given up, I slapped my laptop closed and leaned back in my chair, lacing my fingers together on top of my head, and smiled. Glancing at my watch, I realized I had a meeting I had to get to.Damn it.I would’ve preferred to sit with my thoughts for a while.

*

One meeting turned into three and before I knew it the day was done. On most days, I like to be the last one to leave,to make sure everyone gets out of the office on time. I’ve always believed in a good work-life balance and want my employees to be happy because happy employees work better when they’re not as stressed. Besides, they appreciate not being overworked. Life is too short for that shit.

I made my rounds around the building to make sure it was empty, stopping briefly in the showcase room. I took a moment to reflect on what we’d built over the past several years and it was truly a beautiful thing, and I was proud of it. I could see why Jackson was so happy, at least at work. Then it hit me. Wasn’t that what I wanted? Happy employees? Who was I to question it? Maybe Jackson was right. Maybe I’m too serious. I wondered why.

Turning the light off, I grabbed my bag and took the short walk to my car. My hands gripped the steering wheel as my attention landed on Jackson Hall walking to the bus stop. Not completely sure why and bordering on creepy, I followed Jackson’s bus as it made its way a few blocks away and stopped. He was the only one I knew that rode the city bus and I had never really paid attention to it before. I was curious.

I pulled over behind the bus and watched Jackson get off. Looking around, I didn’t see any homes so I couldn’t figure out why he would be getting off at that stop. Then he walked about a block before stopping in front of a brick building with large, barred windows and stairs leading up to a set of double doors. I squinted and rolled the car forward for a better look. He took a deep breath, and his shoulders slumped forward as he walked inside. When the front door closed, the sign came into view:

Day by Day: Men’s Homeless Shelter

What in the actual fuck?Jackson was homeless. I wondered how long he had been homeless and how I hadn’tknown about it? Had Ian known this? He was his supervisor. What address did we have on file for Jackson? I had so many questions. Questions that I would try to get the answers to as soon as I went in to work the next morning.

That evening, I laid in bed thinking about Jackson and how happy he was every day, despite where he was staying. Jackson Hall was a sunflower. Every single day he showed up, stood tall, despite his situation, and found the light. He amazed me. I scolded myself for being annoyed with him for so long. Then, I wanted to know more about him, and it killed me to wait.

I got out of bed and went to my computer, fired it up and did a quick google search of his name. Jackson Hall...there wasn't much of anything, and I wondered how that was possible, but given what Ididknow, I wondered what his youth was like. The search results showed where he graduated from high school, but beyond that, nothing.

I rested my arms across my stomach and stared at the computer, wondering how I was going to ask him about his situation. Was it wrong for me to ask? My eyes felt heavy and started to close. I dragged my hands down my face and shut down the computer before heading back to bed.

My sleep was restless. Tosses and turns woke me after a while, so I laid in bed thinking about Jackson. I wondered if he needed help. Would he tell me even if he did? If he told me, would he accept the help? It was irritating that I knew nothing. I would be even more pissed if Ian knew something but never said a word… or, did that make him a good boss for keeping Jackson’s personal life confidential? Was I being irrational? It felt like we should know something. If our employees are sleeping in a homeless shelter, we should feel obligated to help them out, if they want it. There were no easy answers.

I laid there until I couldn’t anymore and got up out of frustration. I pulled on a pair of sweats, a hoodie, and mysneakers, briefly stopping in the kitchen to grab water and headed to my car. Something was telling me to sit outside the shelter, just in case. In case of what? I didn’t know, but I wanted to see him leave for work the next morning. Then, I would head to work, and he would never even know I was there.

Chapter 3

Jackson

Another morning, the same as the previous one was on the horizon. I kept reminding myself I was getting closer to freedom. Closer to a life I deserved and had worked really hard to attain.

It had been rowdy the previous night. I could hear fights outside, and in the hallways, so I stayed in my bed and gripped my bag close to my chest in case I needed to run. I had one ear pod in my left ear, trying to drown out the chaos, and the left toward the door, hoping it didn’t get too out of hand. It was the downside to that life. I was always one wrong step away from death. Some nights I laid awake all night because I didn’t trust who was staying in the beds around me. Other nights, I was able to sleep semi-peacefully because there was someone like me nearby. Someone just trying to see themselves through to better days.

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