by S. J. Coles
“Go on then,” Kim said. “Tell me how.”
“Does it matter?”
Kim raised an eyebrow. “Seems to matter to you.”
Rick took a deep breath. “I was leaving the Hamstel Building on King William Street. I’d just flunked an interview. Another interview.” Rick shook his head. “It was absolutely pissing it down with rain. My sister’s cafe is just across the street. I just wanted to get warm and sit somewhere quiet. But I got to the till and didn’t have enough cash for my drink. It was humiliating. But then, well…Cecily Swanson was behind me in the queue. She could see I was upset. She paid for my coffee. We got talking, and I was able to tell her I studied both S&G and EBR at uni.”
Kim stared. “That’s how it happened?”
“Uh-huh. Madness, right?”
Kim moved his teaspoon about in his saucer thoughtfully. “How do you know she wasn’t waiting for you?”
Rick blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Maybe she knew you were interviewing at the Hamstel that day. Maybe she was headhunting.”
Rick laughed, even though Ella’s words echoed in his mind. “No.”
“No?”
“I’m not…well, I—” Rick fumbled on the edge of the truth. “My CV isn’t exactly world-beating. Don’t get me wrong. Now that I’ve finally got a chance, I can show everyone I’ve got what it takes. But nothing on paper would suggest I’d be worth headhunting.”
“You’re sure of that?”
Rick narrowed his eyes. “You seem very interested in how I got my job, especially for someone who claims that CVs don’t matter.”
The corner of Kim’s mouth turned up. “I’m interested in you.”
Rick rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the table between them. “Look,” he said, making his voice firm. “I…enjoyed New Year’s. Very much. And I know you said you weren’t fishing—”
“I’m not.”
“I get that there’s speculation about me,” Rick said, pulling out is wallet and not meeting the other’s eye. “But pretending to like me just to find out—” Rick was cut off by Kim reaching across the table, threading his fingers into his hair and bringing his face to his. He kissed him. Rick could smell his skin and hair, fresh and sharp, even in the over-warm cafe.
When he broke away, they were both breathing hard. The noise and clamour of the cafe fell away. All Rick was aware of were Kim’s moist, parted lips and the blue fire in his eyes. “I’m not pretending to like you, Rick.”
“You’re not on social media,” Rick managed, even though his body was fighting his brain and winning, “apart from an old Facebook profile.”
Kim’s eyes flickered. “Too much bloody drama on Grindr.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Kim released Rick and leant back in his chair. His expression had cooled. “You’re asking if I’m lying to you for some reason.”
Something dark and hard tumbled round Rick’s chest but he made himself say. “I am.”
“Is it really so hard to believe someone would like you just for you?”
“You don’t know me.”
“Nobody knows anyone when they first meet,” he went on. “But they know when they want to find out more.”
Rick chewed on the inside of his cheek. “So why all the questions about S&G?”
“It’s just small talk. What are you scared of?”
“I’m not scared.”
“Suspicious, then. Why?”
“We’re so different.”
“And why is that a bad thing?”
“Let’s just say that maybe I am having a hard time believing that someone like you would be interested in someone like me just for me.”
“Someone like me? You don’t know anything about me.”
“That’s because you won’t tell me anything about yourself.”
Kim searched his face for a long time then leant in and whispered in his ear, “Let me show you how much I like you. I bet you your advance bonus I can make you believe me.”
Rick shivered as Kim’s warm breath brushed against his ear. The sights, sounds and feel of their hurried fumble at The Savoy thrust themselves to the front of his mind.
“Right now?”
“Very much right now.”
Rick swallowed again. “Where can we go?”
“Your place, my place, I don’t care. My car’s round back.”
Rick fumbled some cash onto the table and followed Kim outside with his pulse pounding in his throat, all other thoughts slewing away like rainwater down a gutter. Kim led him round a corner and along an alley to small, private car park. He made for a sleek, black Audi parked against the far wall. Rick firmly pushed aside wondering how much the car and parking permit probably cost and focused on the lithe form of the younger man as he hurried round to the driver’s door.
He had intended to let Kim drive him somewhere, but as soon as he caught up, he grabbed Kim by the hips and shoved him against the side of the car. Rick pressed against his slight frame, already able to feel the heat of his skin and the hardness of his length through their clothing. He claimed his mouth, drinking in the involuntary noise Kim made in his throat as Rick thrust his tongue into his mouth.
Kim snaked his arms around Rick’s neck, pulling down and arching up to meet him. He didn’t know if it was Kim’s voice, his enchanting face or the intoxicating smell of his skin and hair, but Rick suddenly found he couldn’t think about anything other than how desperate he was to have his hands on this man’s flesh. He slid a hand between them and kneaded at Kim’s cock through the rough fabric of his jeans. Kim gasped, and Rick kissed him deeper.
There was a fumble and a click and Kim managed to get the back door of the car open. He clambered in, pulling Rick with him. Rick climbed on top, reaching awkwardly to shut the door behind them. The kiss continued, hot and building in desperation, their breaths misted in the cold air and steaming up the windows. Kim was roaming his hands inside Rick’s polo shirt, and he fumbled his own inside Kim’s top. His skin was smooth and warm, the muscles firm and toned. He brushed a nipple, making Kim shiver.
“You’re too big,” Kim laughed as they tried to shift and Rick’s leg caught in the footwell.
“Not a complaint I’ve had before,” he replied.
“Oh I’m not complaining,” Kim said, voice tight with arousal. “Just considering logistics.”
“Your dirty talk needs work.”
Kim snorted, mouthing at his neck and pushing at him. Rick allowed himself to be shifted and was soon sat in the middle with Kim straddling his hips. The warm weight and delicious pressure of their erections grinding together made him groan. Kim broke the kiss long enough to shed his coat and pull off his jersey. Rick took the opportunity to rid himself of his jacket, then drank in the sight, smell and feel of Kim’s toned torso with his mouth and hands. Rick noticed with surprise that Kim had a livid scar down his side and a mark, possibly an old cigarette burn, on his shoulder. He leant forward and licked at it greedily.
“Fuck,” Kim swore as Rick fumbled with the fastening of his jeans. Rick worked his hand in and grasped Kim’s hard length, watching his eyes close and chest swell as his breath deepened.
“Rick,” Kim forced out, “tell me what you want.”
“I want to see what you look like when you come,” Rick said, his voice tight, opening his own fly with his free hand and releasing his painfully hard cock. Kim moaned and reached for it, but Rick pushed his hand away. “No,” he said, “just you.”
Kim’s hot blue eyes met his for a long moment then he kissed Rick deeply. Rick worked the rigid cock, making him moan. When he broke the kiss to press his forehead against Rick’s and swear, Rick knew Kim was close and he reached for himself. He pumped them both in time, seeing, listening and smelling Kim’s mounting orgasm as his own began to sparkle and flame in the pit of his belly.
“Rick,” he gasped out, “I’m… Christ!”
Kim flung his head back, his hand tight
ening on Rick’s shoulder, his mouth opening. He let out a high, wordless noise and hot fluid spilled over Rick’s hand. His face transformed, unguarded and open in climax, making him more beautiful than ever. The sight was all it took to make Rick come hard with a deep, involuntary exclamation that may or may not have been Kim’s name.
They sat, panting in the heavy silence. The cold air began to tingle at Rick’s exposed skin. The windows of the car were misted with steam. Kim opened his eyes, heavy with sated desire and leant forward to kiss him again, gently, searchingly, almost like he was trying to tell him something. Rick was just starting to become unnerved but then Kim was clambering off him and reaching for the glove compartment. He retrieved a box of tissues and handed a few to Rick.
“Always believe in being prepared,” he said with a smile while cleaning himself. Rick smiled, wiped and tucked his softening cock back into his trousers. He leant his head against the headrest and closed his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy the empty silence that had momentarily supplanted the ever-present noise in his brain.
“Did I win the bet?”
Rick opened his eyes. Kim was sat with his head propped on his hand, smiling at him. His hair hung in his eyes. The flush of orgasm was just starting to fade from his cheeks. His eyes shone like sea ice. Rick kissed him for an answer, deciding not to ask how Kim had even known he was getting an advance bonus.
“You wanna head somewhere?” Kim asked quietly, fingers tracing the lines of Rick’s muscles through his shirt.
Rick glanced at the time on his phone and winced. “I can’t. I have some stuff I need to do before Monday.”
“Working on the weekend already?” Kim said with a half-smile as he pulled his jersey back on. “Someone’s getting ‘employee of the month’.”
They grabbed their coats and climbed out into the freezing winter air. “Want a lift home?” Kim asked, retrieving his keys from the tarmac.
Rick hesitated then stuck his hands in his pockets rather than reach for Kim’s hands, an urge so sudden and strong that it had to be dangerous. “I’m good.”
Kim’s expression became guarded. “Okay…”
“I wouldn’t make anyone drive all that way through Saturday traffic,” he said, hoping his tone was conciliatory, trying to ignore the worry drifting around in his mind. Sex with Kim was the only thing in a long time that had allowed him to focus on something that wasn’t work, the future or money—things that had been so important to him for so long that they were as much a part of him as his blood and bones. He was already needing that escape—needing Kim, too much—and it unsettled him.
“I’m getting the impression there’s some mixed feelings here,” Kim said carefully, and Rick had to look away to hide anything showing on his face, unnerved by how easily Kim seemed to be able to read him, “but are they mixed enough to allow me to see you again?”
The smell of Kim’s skin was still in his nose and he could still taste him on his tongue. The strength of his reactions was as undeniable as his need to experience them again, despite his concerns. He could no more say no to that than a starving man could turn down a five-course banquet. “I would like that.”
Kim smiled, face warm again. “So would I.”
“Besides,” Rick went on. “You now know a lot about me. I feel like you owe me.”
“I agree I owe you a bed next time,” Kim said, stepping a little closer and running his hands down Rick’s arms. “At the very least.”
Rick stomach clenched and he couldn’t have kept the smile off his face if he’d tried. “I’d say that’s a mutually beneficial proposal, yes.”
“Money men really do know the best dirty talk,” Kim breathed against his lips and drew his head down for another kiss. Rick indulged in it for a long moment—the taste, the feel and the freedom of being somewhere where it didn’t matter if they were seen—then Kim broke away.
“Sure you don’t want a lift?”
“I’m sure. I’ll message you.”
“See that you do.” He smiled, got in the car, started the engine and drove off.
Rick drifted back out onto the busy high street and watched the sleek car disappear into the slow crawl of traffic before he turned back towards the Tube station, a warm glow in his chest that even the constant splinter of uncertainty at the back of his consciousness couldn’t puncture.
Chapter Four
Rick had a hard time getting to sleep on Sunday night. Thinking about returning to an office that contained both Cecily Swanson and the envelope hidden in his bottom drawer kept him awake. He tossed and turned, the clock on his phone ticking through one hour, then two, then three. He sighed, switched on the bedside light and unlocked his phone, thinking to read the some of that week’s Financial Times articles in hopes they might bore him to sleep.
He was just launching the browser when a text from Kim pinged in.
Hey. Hope this doesn’t wake you. Not sleeping tonight. Keep thinking about yesterday. Had a great time.
Rick blinked, a rush going up his spine. His shoulders loosened instantly, and he started typing.
I’m not sleeping either. Yesterday pretty great.
He watched the dots of Kim’s incoming reply with something between ice and fire spreading through his belly.
Everything okay?
Rick bit his lip and stared at the ceiling for a while, chasing that very question for yet another circuit around his head. A sudden, powerful urge to tell Kim everything rose up inside him. He was in consultancy. Maybe he would have some insight into those accounts. Maybe he could at least tell him there was nothing to worry about. He started to type but seeing it all spelled out in words made his stomach dip. He deleted the text with a frustrated noise and started over.
Yeah, everything fine. Just thinking about what you owe me.
Is that right? Well maybe we better get this account settled as soon as possible.
He grinned.
Sounds good.
Great. When?
Rick glanced at his closed laptop and the pile of printouts and files next to his bed and tried to work out if he would even get an evening to call his own at any point before this deal was done. Then he shook his head, deciding he would make time.
Friday?
It’s a date. Now go to sleep.
Rick grinned, switched off the lamp and watched until his phone screen went dark, just to make sure no more messages came in. He closed his eyes and breathed deep the remembered smells of citrus and sandalwood, imagining a warm weight across his hips. He started counting how many minutes were left until Friday night and finally drifted off.
* * * *
“What's got you in such a good mood at this fucking heinous time of the morning?” Ella muttered. Rick showed her his phone screen. She stared, frozen, with one arm in her coat.
“Am I looking at what I think I’m looking at?”
“My banking app, yeah. My advance bonus came through.”
Ella grabbed the phone, her eyes widening. “These numbers are black?”
Rick grinned. “They are.”
Ella pressed her lips together. Her brown eyes filled with tears.
“That’s Mum’s fees and the Visa cleared. And that’s just for starters.”
Ella flung her arms around his neck. Rick smiled and held her close while she shook with laughter and sobs. She kissed his cheek and wrestled herself the rest of the way into her coat, swiping her eyes with her sleeve.
“I’m gonna be late,” she said, searching for her bag, “but it’s worth it. Well done, Rick. You officially win at life.”
“Meet me for lunch,” he called. “We’ve got some plans to make.”
“Sure. Where?”
“I’ll text you the address.”
She nodded, smiled brightly and left. Rick went to shower, feeling lighter than air.
He greeted Michaels so jocularly when he arrived at the office that the other JA looked taken aback. He shut the office door and breathed deep the scent of the fr
esh bouquet of St. Valentine’s Sacred Heart roses that stood on the table near the window, for once enjoying the rich smell. He loaded Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album on his phone, synching it with the office’s Bluetooth speakers and turning up the volume. A runner delivered him his latte right on cue and was unable to hide a blush when Rick thanked her with his best smile, the first one he’d worn in the office that wasn’t fake.
After she’d left, he fished the envelope of summary papers from the back of his bottom drawer and took it to his shredder. He lowered them into the feeder, his finger hovering over the power button. Slowly, he withdrew them again. He stared at them for a full few minutes, then, without examining his reasoning too closely, stuck the envelope to the underside of the next drawer up with tape. He shut and locked the bottom one, put the key in his pocket then put it out of his mind. He spent the rest of the morning drafting terms and comparing contemporary figures from the primary revenue streams of S&G and EBR.
“I see someone is happy with their advance.”
Cecily Swanson stood in the doorway, regarding him warmly. Rick stood, resisting a glance at the locked drawer with an effort and turned the music down.
“Don’t stop the celebration on my account.”
“Not stopping,” he said. “Just making it more inclusive. The bonus was extremely generous. Thank you.”
“Well, Dad looked at your progress reports and decided you’d earned a little more than we’d discussed.” She stepped into the room and closed the door gently behind her, never taking her eyes from his.
“Please thank him for me. And let him know we’re right on schedule. I’ll set up a preliminary terms meeting at the end of the week.”
“I’d like to be there.”
Rick hesitated. “It’s just the preliminary meeting with their JA and admin support,” he said. “There won’t be anything that needs—”