Page 1 of Havoc and Humor
Chapter 1
Mark
I held a paper plate and plastic fork in my hand. On it was a slice of decadent chocolate cake with buttercream frosting thicker than I liked, but apparently everyone else enjoyed it that way, since we always seemed to go to the same bakery for these office celebrations.
My cake had an uppercase letter “C” on it.
It was a congratulations cake. Somebody’s birthday, or maybe someone was becoming a grandparent? I couldn’t remember the occasion. It was probably buried in one of the thousand unread emails I had left waiting for me back at my desk. Either way, I was here for the party and the cake, along with the rest of my team. By the looks of it, several other teams from different floors also came for the cake.
Sawyer, my faithful employee, stood with a group of our colleagues. Laughing, smiling along with everyone else. He was good at this sort of thing. Being the center of attention, getting everyone to rally around him, building camaraderie. This celebration, whatever it was for, was probably organized by him. His dedication to his teammates was why he’d been so successful at the company and why I’d hired him for my team to begin with. With him around, any project, no matter how big or daunting, seemed feasible if we just worked hard and kept a positive attitude.
“You know, you really ought to work on being more discreet.”
I startled, nearly losing the half-eaten cake left on my plate. Even if the frosting was too thick, that would be a tragedy.
My friend Gregory stood at my side. “Where did you come from?” I asked.
“I heard there was cake.” He smirked. “And Evan and I were just about to leave. He wanted to grab some.”
“Do you know what this is for?”
“Cynthia’s birthday.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” So it wasn’t a congratulations cake. The “C” was for Cynthia.
Gregory gave me a pointed look. “Seriously, man, your emotions are all over your face. If you don’t want HR breathing down your neck and separating the two of you, you need to rein it in.”
“I don’t know what or who you’re talking about,” I said and took a bite of my cake.
I nearly had to spit it out, though, because across the room, Sawyer picked up his fork and licked the frosting off it, his tongue darting out and wrapping around the tines. His eyes fluttered closed, and no doubt he was experiencing the same burst of sugary goodness I just had. Only he looked like it was an orgasmic experience for him.
I choked and reached for the cup of coffee I had filled nearly an hour ago. It was cold now, but I didn’t mind. I need to snap my focus away from Sawyer.
Gregory patted my back. “This is what I’m talking about, man. Come on, let’s go into your office. We need to talk.”
Fuck.
I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say. Gregory and I were both VPs at the company, however Gregory was a foundingmember along with our other colleague, Greg. If he had an issue with my behavior, then I was in trouble.
The situation was even more complicated since Gregory and I were friends, and Gregory’s fiancé Evan was friends with Sawyer.
How much longer could I deny how I felt about Sawyer? The man was one of my direct reports and had been for years. The feelings I had snuck up on me, and now that I recognized what they were, they weren’t going away. Sawyer sparked a fire in me that I’d never felt before. I wanted to both protect him from the world and spank his ass until it was red from my hand.
And was it really that clearly written on my face? Shit. I was in trouble.
We stepped inside and closed the door. The frosted-glass windows allowed me to see just enough of the outside office to know who was out there but at least gave me a hint of privacy. They were the type of windows that, with a quick tap of the settings, would go dark.
Gregory crossed his arms. “Seriously, man.”
I groaned. “I know, I know. He has a boyfriend. I have a crush. It’s not a big deal. It’s fine.”
“This is way more than a crush, Mark. You’re half in love with him. You don’t just find him attractive, you want way more than that, dude. It’s amazing more people aren’t talking about it.”
I scoffed. “Since when did my friend, the proper Gregory “Don’t call me Greg” Alton, use the word ‘dude’?”
His mouth twisted. “Evan and Sawyer are rubbing off on me. I think I’ve spent too many nights at karaoke. And the situation called for it. You’re a mess.”
I loved going to karaoke with them. It was on one of those nights several months ago that I realized the desire I had to be near Sawyer all the time wasn’t just friendly and not something a boss should be experiencing.
