Page 2 of Ex-Factor

Nicky stared at his hand a moment, noting it was just rough enough to pleasantly rake Nicky’s smooth skin with his strong caresses. Nicky remembered him working with those hands, squatted behind his motorcycle, shirt off, hands covered in grease… and Nicky imagining the grease smears on his body as Jack fondled and groped him…

“Nicky?”

“Huh?” Nicky blinked and his cheeks heated. “Oh. I-I’m sorry. Of course.” His hand trembled as he dug into his jacket and produced the resumé, handing it over. Jack’s fingertips brushed his skin and electricity sparked through his body. His cock hardened a bit more, stretching the crotch of his tight, white pants and he felt slight dampness as his member leaked into his shorts.

Jack appeared oblivious to his state ofunrest.He scoured the paper quickly and laid it aside. “Everything looks in order.”

Nicky frowned. “Just like that? You’re going to give me the job?”

He shrugged and glanced at the paper. “Well, unless you’re lying about being able to type and take shorthand and…” He startled Nicky with a wink. “… possibly fetch me a cup of coffee now and then, I think you’re good to go.”

Nicky eyed him. “And you’re okay with hiring amalesecretary?”

“Sure. Why not?” The corner of Jack’s mouth corked, and Nicky nearly exploded in his nice white pants.

“Well, it’s just… I took you more for someone who…”

“Who would have a hot-ass lady secretary?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

Jack leaned forward and steepled his fingertips. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”

I doubt that.“Maybe,” Nicky murmured, a tad confused by the man’s behavior. Maybe hedidn’tknow Jack as well as he thought. The man hethoughthe knew would have never givenhim this job; he would have laughed him out of the office, slinging homophobic slurs after him.

Nicky didn’t know what to think of all this. Was itpossibleEvan’s big brother was cut from a different cloth than Evan after all?

“Thank you.” Nicky stood. “For the job. I thought… because of Evan… you might…”

Jack cleared his throat and picked up a pencil, twisting it between his fingers and then tapping the eraser tip on the desk. “Well, that was between you and Evan. And in truth, my bro can be quite the little prick sometimes.”

Nicky frowned, growing more confused by the moment. “You accused me of turning your brotherfag.And later, he told you and all his asshole friends that Itrickedhim into fucking me like he didn’t know I was aguyor something. Trust me,he knew—and he liked it.A lot.”

Jack smiled, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “Oh, I know. It was kind of hard not tohearhow much he liked it when he was pounding your ass in the bedroom next to mine. And he was gay as shit long before he hooked up with you.”

“So… what?” Nicky shook his head, a bit miffed. “You just didn’tlikeme and that’s why you talked shit to me all the time? Tried to make me think I was just aphaseto Evan and before long, he’d be out banging chicks?”

Chuckling deeply—a raspy sound that raked the surface of Nicky’s skin, igniting erotic tingles—Jack leaned back and grinned. “Is that what I told you?”

“Yes,” Nicky mumbled stiffly. “Frequently. Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten.”

Jack splayed his hands and smiled. “My apologies for being a jerk.”

“You were more than a jerk,” Nicky whispered, a tightness in his voice. “You were a homophobicdick.”

“Then…” He leaned forward. “… my apologies forthat.”

Why was he apologizing? That wasn’t Jack’s style. Granted, Nicky hadn’t seen the man in a few years, but in his experience, leopards didn’t change their spots.

“Why did you hate me?” As soon as the question was out, Nicky realized it was the one question he’d wanted to ask Jack since first meeting him.Whyit was so important to have the answer, he didn’t know—what the fuck did he care what Jack Rydal thought of him?

Apparently, you care some—or why bother asking?

Nicky didn’t like that notion.

Taking a deep breath, Jack stretched back in the chair, crossing his arms behind his head, and gazed at Nicky through slitted eyes. He exhaled. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.” Nicky didn’t want to be intrigued by what Jack had to say, and he didn’t want to be standing there with a raging hard-on that his tight pants couldn’t conceal—but one rarely got what they wanted.

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