by Rowan Porter
Liam snorted. “Don’t know, his personal assistant, Sarah, seems pretty fond of him.”
“From what I hear, she’s a one in a million case. A lot of people just say he’s hell to work directly under.”
“I think any man or woman who’s managed to build such a strong company is going to be difficult to work with at times. They’re the type of personalities that are going to push forward and never quit. Sure it can be exhausting, but if they weren’t like that, they might not have got to where they are in life,” Liam said.
Brandon nudged him with an elbow. “Are you being tolerant because that’s how you think successful people are or because he’s hot?”
Liam eyed him balefully. “I’d like to think I have a better head on my shoulders than to be taken in by a pretty face.”
“So, you’re saying you think he’s good looking.”
Liam continued to glare at his friend, more annoyed with the fact that his friend was right than that he was giving him a hard time. Liam was neither blind, nor as some people seemed to think, without emotions. It would have required one or both not to notice Sebastian Carlton was an attractive man, or as Liam had thought one morning when still half-asleep, sex in a several-thousand-dollar suit.
The memory of the near accident at the factory rose in his mind as he took in Brandon’s knowing smirk. The incident had been terrifying and had left Liam shaking afterward. He hadn’t been able to focus on the discussion during the meeting which had followed. Worse, it had been days, and he still couldn’t get the memory of Sebastian’s body pressed against his out of his mind.
He’d known the man was strong, and his grip around Liam had been fierce, almost protective. The feel of his broad chest against Liam’s, and how, for one moment in time, Liam had felt safe when held by him. It had been an impressive display of strength and speed on Sebastian’s part, and one that had left Liam both aroused and a little confused.
Liam cleared his throat. “Look, if you must know, the man is absolutely difficult to work with at times. He’s on the move constantly, always jumping from one thing to the next, and has so much confidence you could call him arrogant. I’m not mooning over the man because he’s good looking, I’m trying to help him keep his business growing.”
Brandon grinned. “So he’s giving you a run for your money? Good.”
Liam blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Brandon lay a hand on his arm gently. “Look, man, I love you like a brother. We lived together for years, and I’ve seen you in all sorts of places, and dealing with all sorts of things. You’re hardheaded, so blunt it hurts sometimes, and you like to do shit your way, otherwise, you’re going to kick and scream the whole way. You’re great at what you do, and the dude is lucky to have you helping him, but it doesn’t change the fact that sometimes you’re a right pain in the ass.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I should write to a committee for an award of sorts,” Liam said dryly.
“Hey, I said he was lucky to have you, didn’t I? You’re a hard worker, and you’re dedicated to what you do. Sure, sometimes you can be rough on the personal level, but if the fact that we’re still friends even after moving apart says anything, then it means I believe there’s a lot worth keeping in my life,” Brandon said.
Liam’s frown eased. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“I have my moments.”
“I’m so touched I’m even willing to overlook the fact that you said I deserve to be stressed out because you think I’m a pain in the ass.”
“You are, but you’re a special kind.”
A knock came at the door, and Liam heaved himself up. “Saved by the pizza, aren’t you lucky?”
“That’s my middle name.”
“Your middle name is Francis.”
“Yeah, please don’t mention that to my girlfriend when you finally get to meet her.”
Liam laughed at the pained tone in Brandon’s voice. His friend had always been self-conscious about his middle name, despite it being a perfectly respectable one in Liam’s eyes. Still warmed by Brandon’s words, and the inferred promise to meet the new addition to Brandon’s life though, Liam let the subject go.
He was however relieved to find the subject had changed when he returned with the pizza. With the announcement of Liam’s new job out of the way and the hotness of his boss discussed, Brandon was content to talk about just about everything else they had yet to catch up on together. Turned out Brandon had been seeing the girl for just over a month, and hadn’t wanted to tell anyone until he was sure it was turning serious. There was a new twinkle in Brandon’s eyes that he’d never seen before when the man spoke of her, and Liam thought maybe it wouldn’t be long until it moved from serious, to deeply committed.
The two talked the evening away, swinging between topics, with Brandon teasing him whenever he could. Liam’s mind, however, was on thoughts of Sebastian, and the plan he still had to formulate to help him. There was still plenty of information he had to comb through before he could confidently say he was ready to present a plan to his boss.
Yet that night, when he lay his head down to sleep, it was thoughts of a strong body against his, holding him tight, which filled his thoughts.
SEBASTIAN
I t seemed odd that Liam had only been working for him for a couple of weeks. To Sebastian, it felt as if the man had been with them since the beginning. While they were still learning how to navigate one another on a personal level, the ease with which Liam had settled into the workplace and began moving things along had been impressive.
It took only the past week for Liam to carefully arrange a couple of interviews, with both the appointments and the reporter handpicked by Liam, and Sebastian could already see a shift in attitude from the public. While Sebastian had been wary of getting on screen and talking about his past once more, he had done so, and would credit Liam with its effectiveness. Sebastian had been surprised at how easy, and afterward, difficult, it had been to talk about Lance again. It had been several years since complications from his brother’s genetic disorder had killed him, but it still left a hollow feeling in Sebastian’s chest to think about it.
Liam walked through the open door, tapping away at his phone. “I’ve finally combed through the last of the expense reports. I wasn’t expecting the whole kit and kaboodle, but I’m glad you did.”
“Anything you wanted to mention?” Sebastian asked, easing back in his chair.
Liam frowned. “No, not right away in any case. I want to let the numbers bounce around in my head a little, see if it catches on anything else before I speak up.”
Sebastian nodded, having learned in the short time they’d worked together that Liam, for all his bluntness, took his time to formulate his thoughts first. There were no quick decisions or gut feelings for Liam, everything was broken down and analyzed, both in and out of context. Only once that process was finished did Liam speak up, and usually without fear or hesitation.
Once he’d gained an insight into how Liam’s mind worked, Sebastian’s respect for him had grown even more. While just the straightforwardness on its own was impressive, it pleased Sebastian even further to know Liam put thought into what he said. It was the sort of mindset and personality Sebastian appreciated at his side, even if he’d never known before that he needed it.
“Well when something crops up in that head of yours, be sure to let me know. It’s nice hearing what you come up with, especially after the success we’ve had so far,” Sebastian told him.
Liam smiled slightly. “I appreciate it, after all, it was what I studied to do.”
There, however, was the slight problem in their relationship. Sebastian’s attempt to get Liam to loosen up had been met with mostly failure. Liam was a little easier at smiling than his first week, and Sebastian would swear the man even showed amusement in just his eyes at times. However, the guy was impossible to get a read on, at least for Sebastian. It was hard to
tell if he enjoyed what he was doing, or was just a dedicated, hardworking person.
Sebastian nodded toward Liam’s phone. “Setting up other interviews?”
Liam blinked, cheeks going pink. “Ah, sorry. Was messaging a friend of mine, old roommate who wants me to meet up with him and his girlfriend.”
It would have been the perfect opportunity to bring up the phone call Sebastian had received from Liam the week before. Sebastian had answered it, seeing it was from Liam, and wondering if something was amiss. He was amused to discover Liam had accidentally dialed his number, and just at the right time for Sebastian to learn a few things about his opinion.
Sebastian supposed he should have been irritated to learn that Liam thought he was difficult, and even possibly arrogant. Yet it was the same sort of blunt and slightly harsh opinion he’d grown used to hearing from Liam. That and it had pleased him a little to hear Liam awkwardly stumble around the question of whether he thought Sebastian was hot or not.
Instead, he shifted his computer, so the screen faced Liam. “I’ve been a little busy myself.”
Liam leaned forward to squint at the screen, blinking. “Oh. You called Zhao.”
Sebastian smiled. “He watched the interview you arranged where I talked about Lance, and how his death motivated me to start Glass Inc. He didn’t say it, but I’m pretty sure he also read the article focusing on the new wing at the factory and how it was going to bring new jobs into the area.”
“Undoubtedly, he did. From the sounds of it, he wished to see more out of you and would have kept tabs on what was happening,” Liam said.
“Well, whatever the case, he said he was quite interested in my proposal. Though there are two caveats,” Sebastian said.
Liam sighed. “I’m guessing one of them is that he wants to meet you face to face.”
Sebastian raised a dark brow. “Yes, actually.”
Liam nodded. “Makes sense. From the sounds of it, he’s the sort who prefers a personal touch to his dealings, which means a meeting.”
“Astute of you. He also made sure I knew Tyler is still in the running for having the spot instead,” Sebastian said with a curl of his lips.
Liam gave a soft laugh. “I should have guessed that would be the case. As much as Zhao seems to be the type who likes a personal touch with his dealings, he’s still a businessman. No doubt he’s going to meet your business rival in person as well, weigh the both of you against one another.”
“As long as it doesn’t require me to sit in the same room and tolerate Tyler, I’m perfectly fine with that. I’ve beaten him before, I’ll do it again,” Sebastian said.
“You’ve still yet to tell me the history between the two of you, though I’m sensing it’s a considerable one.”
Sebastian waved him off, deciding to follow through on an idea floating through his head. “Don’t worry about it. However, I am wondering what you’re up to tonight.”
Liam blinked. “Me?”
“Yes, you. It’s a Friday night, so I assumed you had plans, but I wanted to be sure.”
“Not really a plans sort of person. Was going to go home and put my feet up, maybe go over my notes and see what else we can do.”
“As much as I appreciate a man who’s willing to put the effort in, even while he’s off the clock, that sounds positively boring.”
“For you, I do get some pleasure out of it.”
Sebastian leaned back, locking gazes with Liam. “And what if I were to invite you to a celebratory dinner with me tonight?”
Liam straightened. “What?”
“It’s nice to see you can be surprised,” Sebastian said wryly.
“I suppose I wasn’t expecting you to…anyway, where?” Liam said with a slight shake of his head.
Sebastian grinned. “Why don’t you go home, get dressed up in the nicest suit you have and I’ll come and pick you up.”
“A surprise then.”
“Life is full of them.”
Liam waited a moment before nodding. “Alright.”
SEBASTIAN COULDN’T HELP but watch Liam from across the table. Personally, he thought Liam looked good whether he was looking well put together in his work outfit, or a little mussed. However, there was something special about how dignified and well-kempt he looked when sitting in a suit, his hair recently adjusted, and a freshly showered look about him.
Sebastian cocked his head. “Is the suit jacket new?”
Liam glanced at him. “Uh, yeah. Kind of lost the other one, so I had to buy a new one when I had the money. How did you know?”
Sebastian reached over, taking hold of the tag sticking out from within the folds of the jacket. “Just a guess.”
Liam’s cheeks burned as he reached to tug the tag off. “Damn it. I was in too much of a hurry, and I didn’t notice.”
Sebastian chuckled. “Don’t worry about it.”
Liam succeeded in tugging the tag off, stuffing it into a pocket. “I suppose I’m a little tense.”
“Why?”
Liam motioned around them. “As much as I deal with these sorts of people on a professional level, that’s still an arena of sorts I know well. Being out at a fancy restaurant, dressed up and needing to know how to act? That’s something completely different.”
Sebastian couldn’t help his smile at that. Perhaps Liam did look a little out of place among all the richest and most powerful in the city, but he thought that had more to do with the man’s obvious nervousness. Sebastian had no doubt Liam would be more than capable of outmaneuvering any man or woman in the building, including himself.
“I suppose it’s a little mean on my part, but it’s nice to see you get flustered,” Sebastian noted.
Liam snorted, looking down at his lap. “Is this a remark about how much of a cold fish I am?”
Sebastian winced. “Not the phrase I would have used to describe you.”
Liam shrugged. “Tell the truth and shame the devil.”
“Is that the motto that’s helped to create the brutally honest man who sits across from me right now?”
Liam smiled, shyly. “No, but it’s one I’m not afraid to pull out if necessary.”
Sebastian leaned forward, resting his arms gently on the table. “And I don’t think you’re a cold fish. Sometimes I wonder if you know what’s going on in your own head, emotionally speaking, but I don’t think you’re emotionless.”
“That would mark you as one of the few people who believed I wasn’t,” Liam said.
There was something about the way Liam said it, something soft and a little sad. Sebastian couldn’t help but wonder what people Liam had met in his past. No doubt there were those who would have called him a cold fish, and perhaps once, Sebastian might have been one of them. Yet the years had taught him what it was like to take everything you felt, and lock it away, where it was safe and in control. There at least, your feelings couldn’t be spurned, they couldn’t be wounded or hurt.
“Just because you don’t show emotions in the same way as everyone else, it doesn’t make you wrong,” Sebastian told him firmly.
Liam shrugged. “It is what it is. Some people have never been very fond of me, hell, most people aren’t.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I certainly like being around you. You’re a bit of a hard read at times, but I can see glimpses of the fire inside you. No one without passion would work as hard as you do. Plus, I remember your interview, you’re very intent on giving to others, helping them. You’re not heartless or emotionless Liam, just a little difficult to get to know.”
Liam stared at him for a moment, his lips moving slightly as he mulled over the words. Sebastian let his gaze linger on Liam for a moment longer before looking away, giving him some privacy. What he’d said was heartfelt, and he was touched to see Liam had taken his opinion to heart, rather than dismissing it because they’d known each other for a short amount of time.
Finally, Liam took a breath. “It means a lot, hearing it from you.”
Liam nodded. “I know you do your best to control your emotions, I mean hell, it’s partly what’s caused so much trouble with gaining Zhao as a client. But, your emotions are there, and you know what it’s like to lock yourself up from the world. For someone like that, and especially for someone who hasn’t known me for too long, to recognize that in me is…important.”
Sebastian motioned to the passing server for a refill of their drinks. “Good. As important as it is to me that you respect me as your boss, I find that I want you to like me on a more personal level as well.”
“That so?”
The question was simple, but Sebastian had to force his face to show no emotion as he thought about how to answer it. While he had certainly taken a liking to Liam, and wouldn’t deny he was attracted to the man, he wasn’t quite sure where that left him. It also called into question his motivations for asking Liam out to dinner.
Liam spared him from answering. “Well, I’m glad. It’s been nice getting to know you.”
Sebastian smirked. “Even if I am difficult and so confident I could be called arrogant.”
Liam paused, took a drink, then cleared his throat. “Right, so that explains the strange call to you on my phone that I didn’t remember making.”
Sebastian smiled. “No worries, I knew it was a butt dial as soon as I answered, but it didn’t stop me from hearing your conversation. I don’t blame you, however, I can be…difficult, for sure. My question is, has your opinion of me changed?”
LIAM
I t was a struggle to keep his features neutral and not to run out of the restaurant after being called out by Sebastian. When he’d seen the outgoing call to Sebastian the week before, it had struck him as odd. He couldn’t remember dialing the number, but when he was unable to figure out how it could have happened, he’d pushed it from his mind.
Now he was faced with his boss having overheard the conversation, and grinning ear to ear over it. It wasn’t often Liam regretted something that came out of his mouth, but he would easily mark this as one of those times.