Page 54 of Finally
“Hi, Gray.”
He didn’t recognize the voice so he darted his gaze toward the doorway. Either the receptionist or his assistant would have called him if a client were there to see him and they would have escorted them over.
“Oh. Hi, Brian.” He didn’t know why an attorney from the commercial litigation group was standing in his office, but he’d find out soon enough. “Give me a minute to finish this email.” He refocused on his work. “It’s time sensitive.”
“Sure.”
He heard his door click shut. A closed-door meeting was even more unusual than an impromptu visit from someone whose work had no crossover with his and who was too new to the firm to be on any committees. After reading over his email to make sure it’d be clear to his client, he hit send and then swiveled his chair to the left to look at the man now occupying one of the armchairs across from his L-shaped desk.
“What can I do for you?”
“Right”—Brian cleared his throat—“so this isn’t work related.” He wiped his palms on his slacks and then fidgeted with his wedding ring. “It’s, uh, personal.”
“Personal?” Gray barely knew this man. He had joined the firm as a fairly low-level partner at the end of the last calendar year, but he wasn’t in Gray’s practice area, which meant he’d had nothing to do with that process. That aside, Gray rarely talked about personal matters with his colleagues. When they socialized, it was in a professional setting, and even if the atmosphere was friendly, it wasn’t ever personal.
“Yes.” Brian sat up straighter and squared his shoulders. “You’re a very, very attractive man and—”
What the hell? Gray reared back. “Let me stop you right there.” He held his hand up. “My appearance has nothing to do with my legal skills, and we are, as I’m sure you’re aware, in the office.”
“Right. Right. But I saw your profile on Grindr. I sent a few messages but you didn’t respond, so I—”
“Oh, Jesus, stop.” The conversation was incredibly unwelcome, but the reminder was actually useful. He had completely forgotten about that app and hadn’t checked it in over four months; not since he had learned Jack was finally ready to date and then started his campaign to upgrade his role in Jack’s life. The campaign was a resounding success and the past couple of months living with Jack had been the best in Gray’s life; he’d never need that app again. “I forgot about it.” He reached for his phone. “I need to delete it.” While working on his phone, he said, “I’m not comfortable with this conversation. Let’s never do it again.”
“Come on, man. You should be flattered. I’m a good-looking guy. Not as hot as you, but lots of people want to be with me.”
“You’re a married guy. I think I remember your wife from the holiday party.” He glanced up from his phone. “Don’t you have kids?” He shook his head. “You know what, never mind. It doesn’t matter. There’s nothing more for us to talk about and I need to get back to work.”
“If you’re worried about my wife, don’t be. We have an unspoken arrangement where I don’t ask her about the charges on the credit card and she doesn’t ask me what I do in my free time.”
“I’m not sure why you thought this was the right venue for you to confess something like that. Personally, I’d guard thatinformation with my life, but best of luck to you and your family.” He pointed to the door. “Leave.”
“Come on, don’t act like you’re shy. I started asking around about you after I saw your profile and I know you’re down for anything. You and I can have a lot of fun together.” He lowered his voice, making it go husky. “I’ll doanything.”
Now he was both uncomfortable and disgusted.
“I have a boyfriend.” He glanced at the large bouquet situated at the corner of his desk, not far from his monitor. In that spot, he could see it when he was working on his computer or when he was reviewing paper files. Since the first time Jack had sent him flowers, he had received a fresh delivery every week. One time he had mentioned to Jack that he didn’t know the names of the flowers, and after that, every arrangement had come with a note describing them. This week’s was pink and white lilies, snapdragons in a slightly lighter shade, and baby blue eucalyptus. They made his office smell amazing and they made him feel loved. Jack truly was the most thoughtful man Gray had ever met and he was endlessly grateful to have him in his life.
“You have a boyfriend?”
“Yes, I have a very serious boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Brian scrunched his forehead in confusion.
Gray hoped he’d slink out of his office in embarrassment and avoid him going forward. That hope was short-lived.
“I haven’t tried a threesome, but it sounds fun. Let’s do it.”
He gasped at the gall and obliviousness.
“Brian?”
“Yes?” He leaned forward.
“Get the fuck out of my office and never talktome oraboutme again.”
“But—”
Gray turned his phone around. “I screen recorded the messages and the videos you sent. I’m not in the habit of outing anyone and I’ll keep it that way if you stay away from me.”
