Page 7 of Sapphire Spring

Naser grinned. “And we could shut her down over it?”

“A prospect I don’t think you should relish quite so much.But if you’re determined to, let’s discuss why.”

Naser threw himself down into the chair again, this timehard enough to make the joints squeak. He crossed his arms tightly over hischest. “Venture a guess, since you’re so determined to therapize me.”

“Well, with the caveat thattherapizeis not aword, I’d sayyou’reafraid other people here are goingto judge you for your sister’s behavior. And that raises a lot of uncomfortablefeelings because, as you’ve mentioned on a few occasions, you weren’t exactlydrowning in friends back in high school.”

Naser flinched at the truth of it.

Jonas’s gaze didn’t waver.

The man was sophisticated in ways Naser found bothcomforting and intimidating, depending on what mood he was in, and right now,Naser was in a lousy one. Jonas was also gay but had never made one peep abouthis dating life or hooking up with someone, only to mention once that he wassingle and “without prospects,” as he’d phrased it. Maybe Jonas was a privateperson, or maybe his self-discipline resulted in a firm boundary between thepersonal and the professional. Or maybe he was just infinitely more mature thanNaser. He was two decades older, after all. Whatever the case, they’d becomecloser over the few months they’d worked together, but their conversations feltdecidedly one way. Simply put, Jonas was better at delivering insight about othersthan revealing any about himself.

“High school was a long time ago,” Naser finally answered.

The air between them cooled. With a small nod, Jonas moved astack of file folders to the side on his desk and made a show of opening one.“And clearly you’d rather not discuss it.”

“You know, you’re not exactly forthcoming about your ownpast, Mr. Jacobs.”

Jonas opened a file and began flipping pages. “I have adegree in comparative literature from Georgetown. I was at the Four Seasons inDC before I came here. And before that, I worked for a while in—”

Naser had heard these statistics rattled off many timesbefore. “Corporate America. Yeah, I know, but you never mention whichcorporations.”

Jonas looked up suddenly, leveling Naser with a gaze thatlooked both vaguely amused and parental. “I apologize if the high schoolcomment was too far.”

“You know, all the corporate America line does is inspirerumors about you anyway.”

Jonas returned his attention to his file. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, the latest is you had a relationship with a closetedsports star and had to sign an NDA.”

“Well, I do love my Baltimore Ravens. Honestly. What anexciting life I lead in other people’s minds.”

Naser got to his feet. “Well, I’ll go back tomydepartment again. Focus on whatIdo for the hotel.ClearlyI can’t rise to the esteemed level of elegance and professionalism that’s ondisplay here in the office of Jonas Jacobs.”

Jonas flipped contract pages. “I am not taking this bait.”

Naser had just gripped the doorknob when guilt seized him.Jonas was his second closest work friend after Connor, and all the man had donewas show concern. In response, Naser had deflected the topic onto Jonas’smystery-shrouded past. That wasshitty, and he neededto make it right. When he turned, he saw Jonas look up from his deskexpectantly.

“I was bullied.”

Jonas straightened, nodding.

“Like every day. By these three guys.Thesethree hot, rich, football-playing white guys.”

Even as he tried to make them dim, the names strobed throughhis mind in bright red lights.

Chadwick Brody.

Tim Malbec.

MasonWorther.

He tried to blot out the images of their adolescent physicalperfection that had emblazoned themselves on his mind, his painful sensememories of their leering stares and sharp, sudden shoves, moves that hadblended desire and menace into a combination that still haunted him, stillwarped the edges of his fantasies in ways he sometimes tried to flatten withboth hands.

Jonas leaned back in his chair. “Was it racial?”

Naser shook his head. “It was about the way I walked, mostly.They called me Prancer. That was one of the nicer things.”

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