Page 33 of Matteo's Mettle
“S-sorry,” I inhale sharply as he twists his tongue and teases the sensitive head of my dick on his next upwards movement. He can spank me later for this final slip of my tongue.
That thought is almost enough to send me over the edge, but I manage to last a few more bobs of his head and curls of his fingers before I unravel, crying out something unintelligible as I spend myself in his mouth.
I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this man, this perfect Daddy, but I’ll do everything in my power to keep him.
Chapter Twelve – London
“Hayes, you got a minute?” My boss, Stanley, asks, poking his head into my shared office space.
I know there’s only one real way to answer that question, so I smother a rueful glance at the half-completed budget estimation for my next project and paste on a solicitous smile. “Sure.”
I push back my chair and get to my feet, following him into his office. His is surrounded by the same frosted glass as the boardroom, affording him additional privacy. I close the solid door -painted white like all the others- behind me and take one of the two uncomfortable seats in front of his desk.
Stan steeples his fingers together, seeming to channel Monty Burns as he observes me from the other side of the glass and chrome surface. “You’ve been kicking goals left and right since you moved into the planner role,” he begins, and a part of me relaxes at the compliment.
I’m not being fired. This is a good thing.
“I try,” I shrug.
His thin lips quirk upwards. Stan’s in his late sixties now and he reminds me a lot of my grandfather. He’s short, balding, and stocky. His eyes are a watery sort of blue color, and he’s not exactly an imposing figure. Still, he holds all the power here even if he is a pretty good boss, all things considered.
“I’ve noticed,” he tells me after an almost awkward stretch of silence. “Which is why we’re lookin’ to move you to the new office.”
I blink. “What?”
He seems to take my shock as a good sign, even though it’s really not. “We’re lookin’ for someone to manage the team over there. Someone who knows what the company expects of its staff, and who has shown themselves to be a real go-getter. I can’t think of anyone better to represent us, London.”
This is high praise, especially coming from Stan, but my gut churns with indecision. On the one hand, another promotion so early into my career is kind of amazing. On the other? Taking it means moving to the other side of the country. Away from my friends and my life here.
Away from Matt.
Sure, we’ve only been together three months at this point, but just the thought of walking away from him makes me feel sick.
“I…I don’t know what to say, Stan.”
He chortles, missing my blatant reluctance to accept the offer. He’d probably think me insane to turn it down. Part of me knows that it would be crazy if I did. “I know you’ve only been a planner for a little while, but -let’s be honest- you’re runnin’ rings around Tom, and we know you’ll be a good fit for the new site.”
“I appreciate that you think so. Really, I do…”
Now my boss’s expression begins to fall. He stares back at me, incredulous. “So, what’s the problem?”
“You want me to move across the country, right?” He nods. My shoulders slump. “I…” I lick my lips. “My partner is here. I don’t think he’ll move with me.”
There’s a flash of surprise on Stan’s face, and I realize belatedly that he probably had no idea I was gay. I’ve always been private about my love life. I don’t anticipate any sort of discrimination or anything, but I guess I figured it was easier to remain discreet. Still, even if I was dating a woman, I’d raise the same issue.
Stan leans back in his chair, rubbing his chin and jaw with his palm contemplatively. “I didn’t realize you had a relationship to consider, to be honest.” He sighs. “That does throw a spanner into the works, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I exhale. I offer him an apologetic grimace. “I’m sorry. I really would love the job, but…” I trail off.
Once again I remind myself that I’ve only known Matt for three months. It seems like no time at all in the grand scheme of things. Will I regret turning down this epic career opportunity for something that could end tomorrow?
Guilt washes over me almost immediately at that thought. Matt and I are solid. Yeah, our relationship got serious really quickly, but that’s the nature of the lifestyle. And I get far more out of being with him than I ever will from a job. A job I never really planned on having to begin with. I did a psych degree, for fuck’s sake!
“Talk to your partner before you turn me down, son.” Stan interrupts the whirlpool of thoughts in my head. His tone is understanding and patient. “And I’ll see what sort of flexibility we’ve got up our sleeves here.”
Really? Does Stan have that much faith in me that he’d even consider turning the role into something more flexible? Just him saying as much sends azingof pride up my spine.
No, I mightn’t have seen myself in this kind of job when I graduated college, but I’m damn good at what I do.
