Page 50 of Collin: Episodes 4-6
Collin joined in, chuckling. “You’re here because you’re hungry, aren’t you?”
Ash nodded. “You know the best food.”
“If I order takeout to the lobby, will you go get it?”
More nodding.
“All right, then.” Collin stood up and moved through the desks toward his boss. “How does Greek sound, sir?”
Mr. Reevesworth gestured to Collin to get on with it without even looking up.
Mr. Moreau was home when Mr. Reevesworth and Collin arrived, but he only stayed long enough to kiss his husband and wish Collin well before heading out the door for “drinks.” Mr. Reevesworth watched him go for a moment and then turned away, announcing he needed to get his workout in and Collin should change.
As he was about to enter his bedroom, he paused and looked back. “Do you like that room, Collin?”
“Um…you mean this one?” Collin pointed at the one he’d first stayed in. It had been days since he’d slept in it.
“Yes.”
“I mean, no strong opinions, sir.”
“It’s usually the guest room. I was thinking of moving you into one of the other bedrooms on this side of The Residency.”
“I didn’t know there were others.”
Mr. Reevesworth shook his head, smiling. “You should snoop more, pet.”
Collin dropped his eyes but also smiled. “That would be rude, sir.”
“Well, this is an invitation to snoop. Actually, I’ll show you myself.” He waved Collin toward him and walked down the hall.
On the window side of The Residency, one door down from the master suite, was another door, identical to all the others. Mr. Reevesworth pushed it open and stepped back, inviting Collin inside.
The room was simple, smaller than Damian’s or the guest bedroom. There was a twin-size bed against the right-hand wall and a desk on the opposite wall as well as a full artist table in front of the window. The place was deep and narrow so that everything was spaced apart, but the light was beautiful and the ceiling high.
“This one doesn’t have its own bathroom. You’d share the one in the hall with Damian, but you use ours so often, I don’t think it’s a problem. We can change the colors or order different furniture.”
“No, I like it; I mean, maybe, someday, I’d want to change something but…this feels more like a room I can be me in than the guest room. There’s space here. That room…”
“Is set up for short-term stays and entirely decorated with no room for you to make it yours.” Mr. Reevesworth gestured to the room they were in. “This, though, is just waiting for someone to make it into a refuge.”
Collin smiled over his shoulder, crossed the space, and wrapped his arms around his dom. “This room, please.”
“Very well, then. You can move your stuff after dinner as much as you like. But get everything in here by Sunday night so the house cleaner can reset the guest room.”
Collin changed and accompanied Mr. Reevesworth to the gym. Shelly said hello to Collin again and introduced her girlfriend, Lila.
“Isn’t Émeric here tonight?” Shelly asked. She craned her head around.
Collin dropped his eyes. “Mr. Moreau is out tonight.”
“That’s odd.” Shelly sighed. “I was going to catch his ear for something. Tell him I said hi, will you?”
Afterward, as he and Mr. Reevesworth were in the elevator again, Collin brought it up. “Why did Shelly think it was odd that Mr. Moreau wasn’t in the gym, sir?”
“Émeric is usually with me on Friday nights unless he’s traveling. Otherwise, I go out with him, or we work out together. Tonight was unusual for us.”
Discomfort slithered through Collin’s belly.
