Straight Roommate

by Mandy Harbin

  Mitchell gasped, and he wasn’t the only one. That was a lot of money. It’d take a nice little chunk off his student loan debt if he came up with a stellar idea.

  “How long do we have to come up with something viable?” Logan asked.

  “I want this decided as soon as possible. My hope is that we have an idea solidified within the month. Since this will be open to all employees at all of my companies,

  Kayden will be fielding the ideas and noting the ones he believes have merit.” Xavier softly groaned. “Figures,” he mumbled.

  Mitchell glanced around. Some of men in the room were glaring at Kayden while others were still watching Beau, but with ticks in their jaws or backs ramrod stiff. What did everybody have against Kayden? The man in question had his attention on his iPad while he continued to type as he’d done throughout the meeting. Mitchell had only seen him look up once and that was to glance at Beau during the big announcement.

  “If Kayden believes someone has a winning idea, he’ll notify me and I’ll go from there. If there are several possibilities, then he’ll gather and present those for me to make a decision. I’ll be notifying the employees at my other companies today about this opportunity and then I’ll be flying out to California for a couple of weeks. If you have questions, you’ll need to ask Kayden. He’s your contact on anything regarding this project.”

  Beau stood and Kayden picked up his iPad before rising beside him.

  “Good luck, everyone. I believe we can push our brand to the next level, but I need your help to see it through.” He turned to leave, Kayden fresh on his heels.

  “This is bullshit!” Logan hissed.

  “What pisses you off more, dude? The fact that Beau is asking everyone at the company to do your job for you or that you have to get Kayden’s approval?” Ryder asked as he crossed his arms.

  “Screw you, Ryder. Logan’s right. It’s our job to come up with products we believe men will use. It’s your job to sell them,” Xavier spat.

  “It doesn’t matter, boys. The gauntlet’s been thrown. That money is mine.”

  “Not surprised to hear you say that, Micah,” Ryder said. “But I’ll enjoy the competition.”

  Mitchell had a hard time keeping up with names as the guys kept hurling insults at each other. It was apparent these men had worked together for a while, but had no problem taking the divide-and-conquer approach when needed. Mitchell didn’t have the history these men had. Working alone on this sounded more agreeable than jumping in and trying to fit in with a new team on another project.

  And he already knew what he was going to present to Kayden as his concept. The years he’d spent perfecting his own special product were about to finally pay off.

  Now he just had to convince Kayden of that.

  * * * * *

  Kayden Wright sat in his office, staring at another proposal. Ridiculous. Why would any man want a feather-tipped cock ring? Who in his right mind would want his dick to look like a peacock?

  The last three days had been pure hell. He’d heard it all. And in this business, that was saying at lot. From bubblegum-flavored dildos to chocolate-flavored assholes— which went beyond the eww factor—the only thing he’d discovered was that he worked with idiots. He sighed as he leaned back in his leather chair. Beau would be pissed if Kayden didn’t pick something, and his boss was an irritable hothead who he did his best to keep from blowing up if at all possible. He wouldn’t be working at this job if it didn’t pay so well and allow him to live in close proximity to the hospital. Doctors and medication were expensive. He didn’t need to add gas for commuting for treatments to those bills.

  That ten thousand dollar bonus would go a long way if he were able to think of something himself. The bills would still be there, but a chunk would be gone, allowing him to breathe a little easier. Beau hadn’t said Kayden couldn’t participate in coming up with an idea, but he hadn’t come out and specifically said he could. Kayden took that as a solid maybe that he would press if he could come up with a winning idea. Beau just cared about the bottom line. But Kayden was so busy meeting with employees and studying their moronic theories on what gay men would buy that he hadn’t had time to think of an idea himself.

  A knock sounded on his door and Kayden closed the folder on his desk and sat up straighter. Here we go again.

  “Come in.”

  The knob twisted and a wavy brown mess of hair poked through just before the guy looked up and Kayden stared into light-brown eyes.

  “Um, my name is Mitch—”

  “I know who you are Mitch. Mitchell Hill. Recent graduate with a master’s degree in biochemical engineering from Louisiana Tech.” And insanely attractive, he added silently as he stood and motioned to the chair across his desk. But Kayden was used to working with hot men. Unfortunately, the hot ones were also the dickheads. “Have a seat.”

  Kayden eased down into his chair after his new company was seated.

  “It’s not Mitch.” Mitchell blushed and looked down at some papers in his lap. Kayden’s lip quirked. This would be interesting.

  “What can I do for you, Mitchell? Is everyone treating you nicely?” Not that he’d know how that felt. He was treated as a leper around here. Being the boss’s right-hand man had put him on some employees’ shit lists.

  Mitchell cleared his throat and looked up. “Yeah, no problems there. Just about everyone has stopped by to introduce themselves. I’m here to give you my idea for the bonus project Beau announced in the meeting on Monday.”

  Kayden stared before finding his voice. “Um, it’s great that you want to jump right in, but you should probably learn all the products we have available now to see what we’re about before attempting to develop something new.”

  Mitchell’s chin lifted. “I’ve spent the last couple of days researching exactly that. Besides, if you, er, we had a product already in our stable to push nationally, Beau wouldn’t be asking for new ideas.”

  Kayden pursed his lips as he watched Mitchell. The newbie had a good point. “All right, let’s hear it, but I warn you, I’ve heard a lot of ideas, so you’ll have to blow my socks off.” He wouldn’t mind Mitchell blowing something else either. Kayden frowned at that errant thought and ignored the sudden throb in his dick. It was easy to do because he always ignored it. He didn’t have time for relationships and the only men he was ever around were the guys he worked with. Beau had made his views on that perfectly clear, even if the men around here hadn’t already avoided him.

  Mitchell dug into his pocket and pulled out a little squirt bottle. From where Kayden sat it looked like a bottle of eye drops.

  “I’ve always been fascinated with lubrication.”

  There went Kayden’s dick again. Sometimes this job really sucked and not in a good way. “Why?”

  “As a teen, I used lotion to jack off with because it was convenient and my parents wouldn’t suspect anything if they’d found it in my room. As I got older and actually bought lube, I realized how expensive, and diverse, it can be. I’ve always been interested in chemistry, so I started researching everyday items I could use to make my own product. I’ve perfected both water- and oil-based versions and believe it to be better than any other lube on the market.”

  “Don’t you think lube is a little too simple? Beau wants to wow our target consumers.” A vision of feathers danced across his mind and he shuddered.

  “But lube is something every gay man uses in one form or another. Some aren’t into toys for penetration or masturbation. The simplistic value makes it appeal to everyone in our demographic. The fact that it’s better than what’s already out there is what’ll draw them to it.”

  “And why do you think yours is better?”

  “Because I’ve formulated it to be as close to seminal fluid as possible. Texture, smell, even taste. But only as flavoring.” Mitchell chuckled. “Not to drink.”

  “Hmmm.” Kayden looked up as he pondered this. It really was the first idea that seemed plausible, but it
might be too generic to work, and that was if it worked at all. It would have to do the job better than anything else out there, not to mention it would need a hook to draw consumers. But first things first… He would have to test the lube to see if the product Mitchell presented was even feasible.

  “Would you like to try it?”

  “Excuse me?” Kayden’s head whipped to Mitchell as he felt his cheeks get hot. He’d just conceded he would need to test it out, but what was the man suggesting? And why was Kayden’s heart racing? He didn’t even know if this man was gay. Oh, but he suspected. His gaydar wasn’t broken, just a little rusty.

  “Um, er, I mean I could squirt some on you—on your hand—and let you feel it.”

  Kayden forced his shoulders to relax as he nodded. He couldn’t understand his flustered reaction to the man before him, but he would ignore it. He had a job to do. He stood and walked around the desk to sit on the edge in front of Mitchell. Mitchell rose and stepped forward as he uncapped the bottle. His cologne was noticeable enough that Kayden had to force back a moan, yet light enough that he wanted to run his nose along Mitchell’s neck to find the source.

  Ignore it.

  “Lift your hand,” Mitchell rasped and Kayden obeyed, trying to remain detached.

  Cool droplets landed on his palm. He stared at them, unmoving, the sensation paralyzing him in a way he didn’t understand or want to even try.

  “Here.”

  Mitchell stepped forward, his knee brushing Kayden’s thigh. He jerked his gaze to Mitchell’s hand in time to watch him run his finger along Kayden’s palm. He shivered at the delicate contact. Oh shit.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m showing you that it doesn’t dry out easily. I applied only a small amount, but it’s enough to, well, it’s enough.” Mitchell shrugged as he blushed. As Kayden watched, the smell of sex teased his nostrils. Mitchell was right. Not only did the lube look just like cum, but it smelled like it too. It was fucking hot. “Let me see your other hand.”

  Kayden released the death grip he had on the rim of his desk and offered his hand to Mitchell, who then removed his fingers from the slick area on Kayden’s palm and wrapped them around his free hand, leaving his pointer finger exposed. Mitchell lowered Kayden’s hand and forced his finger to rub his own palm with Mitchell’s lubed digit guiding the way.

  That finger rubbing his was the most erotic thing Kayden had ever experienced. His jealous dick throbbed. He tried to breathe slowly but the air had suddenly left the room. All Kayden could acknowledge was the leg touching him and the slippery finger gliding along his. No straight man would do this, but Kayden felt an overpowering need to be sure of Mitchell’s sexuality. Since the man’s leg rested on the outside of his, he gave his bent knee a very slight lift, barely, and very quickly, caressed the inside of Mitchell’s thigh.

  Mitchell swayed toward him as the pressure of the swirling circles being drawn on Kayden’s hand increased. Encouraged, Kayden licked his dry lips and did it again. This time he rubbed his knee a little higher up the inside of Mitchell’s thigh, taking his time.

  The fingers stopped but a whimper came from Mitchell as he leaned even closer to Kayden. The hard cock that hit his knee was all the proof he needed. He should stop this. He knew he should. And he would.

  Just not right this second.

  Kayden lifted his head, his gaze seeking out Mitchell, and what he found was pure heat.

  “It looks and feels like you came on my hand,” Kayden murmured.

  Mitchell nodded as he took in a short breath.

  Kayden flattened his hand and rubbed it along the one that had been torturing him, smearing the slick all over their hands. “I love the feel of another man’s passion on me.”

  Mitchell gripped the hand rubbing his and stepped right up against Kayden. “Do you like the feel of other things on you?” the man brazenly asked, and Kayden was actually speechless. Mitchell took advantage of that and lowered his head, his lips finding Kayden’s in a hard, frantic kiss.

  Mitchell groaned as he grabbed Kayden’s head with his free hand, and Kayden was too lost to think about anything but the feel of the tongue against his, the feel of Mitchell taking charge of the kiss. The man in his arms enveloped everything. Kayden was lost. And it felt good.

  Too good.

  His cock strained against his slacks and Kayden leapt from his perch on the desk to rub his aching erection against the incredibly hot man he was with. He let go of the slippery hand holding his, ran his hand along Mitchell’s jaw and into his hair to clutch him, spreading the lube everywhere he touched. They fought for control of the kiss as each rubbed against the other. It was heaven and hell, and Kayden was happy to be at either place at the moment as long as it meant Mitchell would keep touching him.

  Mitchell broke away panting, his hot breath fanning Kayden’s face.

  He stared back. Desire for the other man spiked, but he had to get a handle on it. As the seconds ticked by, he was able to leash his need. He was at work, for crying out loud.

  “So what do you think about my idea?” Mitchell asked as he started to smile.

  Kayden felt sucker-punched and knew the color had drained from his face as he tried not to stumble from the blow of reality. This new hotshot thought he could just come in here and seduce Kayden into choosing the lube idea? And I can’t believe I fucking fell for it! He straightened and walked around to the other side of his desk while praying his knees wouldn’t give. He sat as he mentally demanded his dick to chill out. Thankfully, the fury he was feeling was making quick work of that. Too bad this asshole had the best idea, but he’d be damned if the jerk got credit for it.

  “I’ll consider it,” Kayden said as calmly as he could, happy that the rage he felt didn’t make his voice shake.

  “Um, I-I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” Mitchell started as he shifted his weight on his feet, “but I’d be happy to show you how well it works if you’re interested.”

  Kayden crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Oh, I bet you would. The manwhore probably got around a lot and fucked anybody to get ahead. He was young and obviously willing to do whatever it took to succeed. And to think Kayden actually felt attracted to him when he first came in here. Kayden refused to even think about what that kiss made him feel.

  As he stared at the fake uncertainty in the other man’s eyes, an idea formed. He could get close to Mitchell, find out what went into the lube he created and then take the credit. Teach that prick a lesson. He needed the bonus money anyway for all the medical bills mounting. And nobody would know any better. Mitchell would just call him a liar and hate him just like everybody else. Beau knew all the other allegations were unfounded. At least this time he’d come by the hate honestly.

  “How do I know you wouldn’t go crying sexual harassment to the big boss man?”

  Mitchell looked up and half smiled. “I’m attracted to you. I’m making the offer for you to try it out with me. If you’d rather me leave it with you to try with someone else or by yourself, then that’s fine too. We’re both adults. It’s no one’s business if we, er, experiment together. Besides, I’m a perfectionist and we need to make sure the formula is absolutely perfect. You know, for mass production.” He chuckled as he stared back, waiting.

  Oh, he was good. But Kayden was better. He hadn’t grown thick-skinned by being gullible.

  “I think I’m agreeable to that. And what are we going to call our new lube?”

  “Butt Butter.”

  Kayden smiled widely, the hook that’d reel in customers. “Butt Butter it is.”

  Chapter Three

  I can’t believe I’m nervous. Mitchell had paced for so long that he’d created tracks in the carpet of his living room. Kayden was supposed to be here any minute and as the seconds ticked by Mitchell was getting more and more agitated. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t had sex before. He had. Even with really hot guys. But there was just something that drew him to Kayden.

 
; The attraction felt forbidden because it was against company policy to fraternize with other employees. He also felt a little dirty when he’d suggested testing the product together. It had been a spur-of-the moment decision—one he was fighting regret on. But regardless of any resistance he should exert when it came to the pull he felt toward Kayden, Mitchell couldn’t deny the attraction was there, dirty or not.

  He also couldn’t deny he seemed to be the only employee for Beau Broussard, Inc. to feel that way. After the meeting on Monday and in the following days, just about every employee at the business office had been by to introduce himself. Said intros included the regular garble of education and experience, but the conversations he’d had also addressed office politics—and one Kayden Wright. Not one guy had a positive thing to say about him. The range had been from an eye roll at the name being mentioned to detailed stories of deceit at his hand. Mitchell listened, not wanting to get in the middle of anything, but inside he was questioning the validity of all the remarks.

  He couldn’t see them be true.

  Maybe he was just blind.

  Or maybe I’m just horny. The last couple of years he’d been so focused on finishing his master’s degree that he hadn’t dated much. And now he worked for a company whose goal was to titillate and aid in the sexual activities of men. He should’ve made more time for clubbing in college. At least that would’ve better prepared him for his job now.

  Mitchell froze when his doorbell sounded. After a few seconds he remembered how his lungs worked and took a deep breath before approaching the door. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and twisted the knob.

  Kayden had one hand resting high on the doorjamb and sported a sexy-as-hell smile. His other hand gripped his hip where the fitted v-neck tee was tucked into stylish jeans.