“That’s your bed?” Clint stopped and blinked at it. It didn’t even look big enough to hold Evan, let alone the two of them together.
He colored beautifully and lowered his gaze. “This is my living room, my bedroom, and my dining room. If you turn and walk a few feet to your right, you’re in the kitchen. It isn’t much, but if you want to live downtown, you have to make certain sacrifices.”
“I know your salary. You can afford better.”
“Not if I want to dress like I own Kelley’s instead of work there.” He motioned at his expensive suit.
“Come here, gorgeous.” Clint cupped Evan’s neck and pulled him close enough to nip at his lower lip. He then kissed him, releasing the hunger that had been threatening his control since they met. He slipped Evan’s jacket off his slender shoulders and, knowing better than to simply toss an Armani jacket aside, reached out until he found something to hang it on.
He reached up to take careful consideration of the buttons on Evan’s shirt. When Evan grabbed each side of the shirt and ripped, sending buttons flying, Clint pulled back with a grin.
“Seriously? What happened to dressing like you own Kelley’s?”
Evan shrugged. “That’s the great thing about working at a department store. I can easily get another shirt. With my employee discount, it’s practically free.”
“I’ll have to have a word with your boss.” Clint did the same to his, loving the roughness of literally tearing the shirt from his body. He kissed Evan with unbridled hunger, devouring his lips and getting drunk off his taste. They made their way onto the bed.
Evan had somehow gotten Clint’s pants undone without him knowing. He reached into Clint’s silk boxers, wrapping his fingers around the stiff flesh, drawing a moan from them both. Clint mirrored the movement, taking Evan’s semi-hard dick and stroking, bringing it back up to the nice firmness he had before climaxing in the car. Kicking off the rest of their clothes, they melted together, skin to skin, kissing hard and long.
Clint laid them down, never breaking the contact until he had Evan on his side. He then flipped so they were both staring at each other’s erections.
“Beautiful.” Licking his lips, he then swiped his tongue across the head, lapping up the glistening drops of pre-cum as they trickled out.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Evan groaned as he sank his lips down on Clint’s cock.
“Yes.” Clint rocked his hips, pumping into Evan’s sweet, hot mouth as he sucked, pulling Evan’s hard flesh between his lips until he buried his cock clear to the back of his throat.
Ah shit, Evan tasted better than Clint could have ever imagined. He’d never had anything taste so sweet. When Evan pulled out and then sank his cock into Clint’s mouth, they both moaned in unison. Evan buried his cock until the head hit the back of Clint’s throat, and Clint mimicked the move.
Evan groaned and rocked his hips, quickening his pace. Clint matched his rhythm, and soon they were working each other with fervor, sucking flesh and pulling it out, rolling tongues around the edge of each head, then diving back down. Their hot flesh melted together, the sweat glistening, mixing together, and keeping them nice and slippery.
“Clint. Oh, Clint. You’re going to make me come.”
“Wait for me. I’m close.”
Evan quickened his pace, and the cum boiled in Clint’s balls. He was going to come and come hard. “Evan, I’m about to pop. If you want to pull back, now would be the time.”
“Not a chance.”
There was something highly erotic about a man not afraid to taste his lover’s release. “Shit, Evan. Just like that. Oh, Jesus. Yes!” Clint lost his rhythm as the first of his orgasm rocked through him. He shot his seed over and over, thrusting into Evan’s mouth as he rode out his climax.
“Clint!” Evan stiffened and filled his mouth. Clint drank it down and begged for more. They consumed each other’s climax until neither had anything left to give. He then turned so they both had their heads on the pillows.
“Evan,” Clint whispered as Evan curled into the arms of his lover. He leaned down and kissed the top of Evan’s head. Sweet Jesus, even his hair tasted incredible.
Hair?
Jesus. He was going under. And fast.
Evan buried his face into Clint’s neck. “That was amazing.”
His breath whispered across Clint’s sensitive skin and sent chills peppering along his body. He pulled Evan closer and closed his eyes.
“Should we just stay here tonight?” Even as he asked, Clint felt uneasy. He couldn’t make sense of the overwhelming emotions threatening to take over and make him bawl like a damn baby.
“I’d like that.” Evan snuggled closer.
Another thing that made no sense, Clint’s need to keep Evan close. He wasn’t a cuddler. He’d take a lover and have his way, bringing them both so much pleasure they’d be exhausted by the time the play session ended. His partners never seemed to mind, not after Clint handed them a wad of cash to keep their mouths shut.
He hated having to sneak around. Hugging Evan, keeping him close and safe in his arms, Clint reflected on his life. For his entire adult life he’d lived this lie. He didn’t want to do it anymore. In less than a week, Evan had somehow changed Clint. The man was out and proud. No one judged him for it, at least that Clint saw. He wanted to be able to take Evan to nice restaurants, not under the guise of his personal assistant, but as his partner. His lover. Maybe even his husband someday.
Evan’s breathing had regulated, long and deep. It had made it into the mid-eighties today, and was at least that in this apartment. Clint knew better than to ask if he had A/C. They’d sleep above the covers tonight. Tomorrow, they’d stay at Clint’s. And every day after that.
He lifted Evan’s hand and kissed it before placing it across Clint’s chest and covering it with his to hold it securely as he closed his eyes.
“You asleep?” Evan’s question caught him before he’d completely drifted off.
“Almost. You okay?”
“I don’t want this to be our only time together.”
He hugged him even closer. “It won’t be.”
“I’ll sign it.”
He stiffened and then quickly recovered as he grinned and kissed the top of Evan’s head. “We haven’t done a trial run in the playroom.”
“I don’t care.” Evan cuddled closer and let out a breath, tickling his skin. “If that’s what I need to do to be with you, I’ll do it.”
“I’ll have the contract drawn up. When do you want to start?”
“Tomorrow.”
“I have that thing.”
“The auction is next Friday, not tomorrow.”
“It’s tomorrow.” He knew his own schedule.
Evan laughed lightly. “If you say so.”
“I know so.” He did, damn it. “Now, go to sleep.”
“Yes, sir.”
15
Evan stretched and reached for Clint, disappointed to find that side of the bed empty. He sat and glanced around, finding a note stuck to the fridge. His apartment was so small he didn’t have to get out of bed to read it.
Went for coffee.
He showered, shaved, and slipped into his favorite dark blue suit. Still, no Clint. Where the hell did he go for coffee? There was a Starbucks right around the corner.
He’d just finished putting the bed up when Clint walked in, a coffee tray in one hand, the other holding his phone to his ear. Of course. Always working. “It’s okay, Donald. I’ve been getting along fine without you.” He closed the door and snagged Evan’s gaze. “Just fine.”
Evan took the tray and the bag he had tucked up under his arm, setting them on the kitchen counter and peeking in to see what he’d picked up for breakfast. Broken bagels, deformed pastries, and semi-crumbled muffins. All casualties of being carried like a football. He grabbed a bagel and picked at it as he listened in on Clint’s call.
“I’ll have Angela hire me a driver for tonight’s event. Yes,
I do. It’s that charity thing Hailey signs me up for every year to be auctioned off like a piece of meat.”
“That’s next week,” Evan sang under his breath.
“What?” He circled, searching the walls.
“What are you looking for?”
“A calendar.”
Evan removed the Kelley’s calendar off the wall next to the fridge and handed it to him.
Clint nodded in thanks. “What’s the date? You sure? Yes, you definitely know my schedule better than I do.”
Evan rolled his eyes. The man may be the head of a huge company and worth billions, but he still needed an entire team to keep him in line. Donald had been Clint’s driver for years. Angela his executive assistant. Then along came Evan, who seemed to be filling both roles now.
“No, I’ll call Hailey to confirm. Enjoy that new grandson. See you in a week.” He ended the call, a perplexed expression accenting his worry lines. “That was my driver, Donald. He’s spending an extra week in Texas. First grandbaby.”
“He confirmed the date, didn’t he?” Evan accepted the coffee.
“Apparently the auction really is next Friday. Who knew?”
“I knew.”
He ignored the remark and leaned in, stealing a nice, lingering kiss. “I’m due in the office in a couple hours. I’ve already called for a driver.”
“You sure? I could swing you by your place so you can change before dropping you off.”
“I have extra suits at the office.” He acted like it was normal to keep a change of clothes where he worked. Just how many nights out did he have that warranted a walk of shame to the office the next morning?
“Cancel the driver.” Evan grabbed his keys. “I got this.”
They had plenty of time, so Evan took him the scenic route. Besides, he’d been dying to see what new stores had popped up at Pacific Place since his last visit. Situated close to Westlake Shopping Center, Pacific Place was smaller with high-end stores like Barneys New York and Tiffany & Co. They were Kelley’s kin.
“I’ve always loved that place.” Clint nodded at the five-story building housing the best shopping had to offer. His phone buzzed, and he read the screen before thumbing a reply. No wonder he needed a driver. He was never not working.
“Me, too. Did you know they make it snow in the atrium every night during the holidays? If Kelley’s had been smart, they would have taken the realtors up on their offer to relocate and be the shopping center’s main attraction. Instead, Kelley’s turned them down, so the realtors offered it to Barneys.”
“Ouch. A store like Kelley’s is wasted in the heart of the city’s business district.”
“Any store is wasted in that area. It’s no wonder we’re going under. People go to that area to work, not shop.” He sighed, wishing he had a way to turn back time. If the Kelley’s had just relocated in the late 90s, they wouldn’t have had Duke Enterprises come in and take over.
Wait. He didn’t need a time machine. He needed someone with connections. Connections and money. Eyeing Clint, he weighed his options. If he asked him to invest the capital needed to move an entire store across town, not to mention the money it’d take to secure the new location, and it failed, it would cost Duke Enterprises millions.
If it didn’t fail, if the store flourished—and in Evan’s heart he knew it would once it moved to a location with like-kind retailers—Clint Duke would net his company millions.
It was worth a try. He had to ease into it so it didn’t seem like he went this way for this purpose. He circled around to make another pass. “Look at the size of that parking garage. I bet it’s full every day.”
Clint lifted his attention to the building and back down to the phone in his hands. “That’s a whole lot of shoppers.”
“It’s too bad we couldn’t find a way to get them over to Kelley’s.”
“Thousands of shoppers?” Clint laughed and shook his head. “You’d be better off moving the store here.”
“Really?” He whipped around so fast he made the car swerve. No way was it that easy. “That’s impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible.”
“How would you go about moving a store the size of Kelley’s to a new location?”
Clint studied the area as Evan made yet another pass. “First, I’d downsize, get rid of the things already well-established here. The bar would be gone, as would everything on the first floor.”
“You’d cut the entire floor? That’s where we put all our clearance merchandise.”
“When someone says Tiffany’s, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?”
That was easy. “Jewelry. Expensive jewelry.”
“And Barneys?”
“Clothes. Also expensive.”
“Cartier. Armani. Prada. The list goes on. They all have one thing in common.”
“A high price tag,” Evan answered, picking up where Clint left off. “You don’t want Kelley’s to be the first name that pops into your head when you think discount.”
“That’s exactly what we’re doing by placing all those clearance items front-and-center as the first thing shoppers see when they walk in. Don’t look at me like I came up with those answers. I talked to my sister. She’s the one with the answers when it comes to shopping.”
“What else would you—or she—change?” Evan couldn’t circle the block again without it being too obvious, so he turned toward Belltown.
He focused on his phone as he spoke. “I’d double the size of your department and open it up to other stores. Hailey thinks it’s a mistake, but I don’t.”
That shocked him. He loved the sound of a larger department, but opening their services to other stores? “Wouldn’t that mean I’d have to know their inventory?”
“You’d have to know your client,” he countered. “The other stores would be thrilled and go out of their way to help.”
Evan laughed. Retail was cutthroat. He’d caught associates changing codes as they rang up a sale, cheating their coworker out of the commission. “I doubt they’d welcome us with open arms.”
“Exactly what Hailey said. I’ll tell you what I told her. Personal shoppers for any store at Pacific Place. Kelley’s pays their salary. The client pays their commission. Neither takes away from the other store’s bottom line. They get the sale without any of that pesky overhead.”
The more he did think about it, the more he loved the idea. It was brilliant. Evan fell silent the rest of the ride as he played it out in his head. By the time they pulled up to Clint’s office building, excitement bubbled in his veins. It could work. It could really work.
Clint opened the door and stepped out. “Thank you for the ride.”
“Should I pick you up?”
“No. I’ll have a service drop me at the penthouse when I’m done here.” He brought the phone to his ear as he closed the door. “Clint Duke. I’m late for what? Why wasn’t that on my schedule? It was? Damn it. Stall. I’m heading in now.”
Clint didn’t even bother to wave. Now Evan knew how sports wives felt during football season.
He pulled away from the curb and took one more spin around Pacific Place, imagining it as his way to work. He’d have a reserved parking spot in the giant garage. He’d greet all the morning people with a smile and reserve his greeting until the afternoon for the rest. He’d have lunch in the atrium every day. With double the personnel, he and Patsy would be able to take their lunches at the same time again.
Playtime was over. He took his time driving to Kelley’s. The farther away from Pacific Place he drove, the more he couldn’t let this go. He had to find some way to convince Clint to move Kelley’s.
He had to.
“Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, Suzanne.” Clint opened the folder Angela had put together on the openings inside Pacific Place. He focused on the space across from the restaurant. It was open, with several floors available for expansion. More importantly, it got him in the door. With the right numbers and a hell of
a lot of manpower working around the clock, they’d be in their new location by Black Friday. It was aggressive, sure. But so was Black Friday.
“Mr. Duke, I spoke with the mall’s leasing company. They’re thrilled to have Kelley’s Department Store as part of the Pacific Place family. They’re even willing to negotiate relocating existing stores if you’re interested in expanding the existing square footage. I’ve never seen them so happy to welcome another store.”
Offering ten percent above asking price and an extended lease would do that.
“Where should I bring the paperwork? I can deliver it myself if you’d like.”
“No need for the special trip. Have it sent to my office. Angela will take care of it. Thank you, Suzanne.”
“No, thank you, Mr. Duke. And, if I may, I’d like to express my gratitude for giving me this opportunity to work for Duke Enterprises again.”
Again? He had no idea she’d ever left. Suzanne had been with Duke Enterprises since Clint was just a kid. “Of course. Good day.” He didn’t like surprises and hit the intercom. “Angela, please come in here.”
“Yes, sir.” She walked in, her tablet in one hand and a bag of something that smelled amazing in the other. Her hazel eyes were accented by beautiful black skin and high cheekbones, and shined whenever she smiled. “Unless I’m mistaken—and I’m rarely mistaken—you haven’t eaten anything all day. I got you an ahi salad. Extra ahi.”
“Perfect. I’m starving. I got so caught up in this deal, I completely forgot to eat.”
“And that’s different than any other day?” She set out their lunches before taking a seat on the other side of the desk. “Before you ask if I knew, the answer is yes. Your father had Suzanne fired shortly before he died.”
“Why?” He stabbed at the fish and took a bite. Oh, Dear God. It melted in his mouth. “Did she screw up?”
“He thought she was too old. The sweeter the view, the sweeter the deal. Those were his exact words.” She dipped her fork into the side of dressing and dug into the salad. “I thought you knew.”
“Too old? Weren’t they the same age?”
Evan Page 15