“He’s also been collecting a paycheck for the last three years.”
The missing money from the payroll account. “Do we know who’s behind it?”
“No. That’s why Duke Enterprises is now under TREX’s watch.”
“I thought it was for the random payments.”
“Walsh told me what those were for. I have to say, that’s way more than I ever wanted to know about my brother.”
That was more than he ever wanted his sister to know about him. He swallowed down the mortification at her knowing the truth. It was going to make their next get together very awkward. “Why does TREX care about money missing from Duke’s payroll account?”
“The total sum is substantial. They’re leaning toward Duke being a bankroll to finance terrorism.”
“Terrorism!” He swung around to face the door, expecting Clint to barge in at any moment, begging to explain. When he didn’t, Evan blew out a breath. “Are you shitting me?”
“That’s the angle TREX used to get Homeland’s permission to tap all the phones.”
“When?”
“As soon as the elevator is fixed. Apparently, it’s broken.” She laughed. “Oh, I get it. That’s why you said you were being held captive. Locked in the highest tower and all that, right? Don’t answer that. I’m going to have enough trouble sleeping after everything Walsh told me. I do not want to know what you two do when you’re alone.”
Evan didn’t want to tell her. That made them even. “Did you call to give me a heads up on the taps?”
“That and to tell you I think we have the wrong Duke under surveillance.”
“Which Duke do you think should be under surveillance?”
“Grant Duke.”
“His uncle? Why?”
“He lives in a mansion off Yesler Terrace. I’ve done a lot of digging on this. Trust me. If there’s anyone with ulterior motives, it’s that guy. After Franklin Duke died and left Duke Enterprises to Clint, Grant went after it all.”
Evan had read all about it. The battle of the Dukes had made national headline. “Why tell me?”
“Because you’re in a position to do something about it.”
“Me? How?”
“Convince Duke to pay his uncle a visit. While they’re catching up, you sneak off and find the proof we need to take down this guy.”
He closed his eyes, hating this idea vehemently. “If I don’t find anything?”
“If you don’t, your boyfriend will be sent to prison for treason. Evan, find something on Grant Duke. It may be the only thing that saves Clint.”
Evan hadn’t moved from the chair in front of the vanity, studying his reflection, since he’d ended the call that changed everything. He was no longer on assignment to stay on Clint at any cost. He was now on assignment to find a way to save him.
No pressure.
How did he get tangled up in this mess? Spying on his target. A Dom/sub relationship with his target. Falling in love with his target. Add in the complexity TREX brought to the table and it was safe to say he was in deep shit. Unfathomable fecal as his father would say.
Clint knocked on the door before entering. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.” Since he didn’t get any of the breakfast he’d brought Clint aside from the bite of a stale bagel.
“I made us tapas on the terrace. There’s wine.”
“Say no more.” He moved past Clint and hurried down the hall. If the man so much as whispered the word kneel, Evan would knee him in the balls. Neither said another word as they both walked out on the terrace.
The sun was high in the sky, warming the air, and gracing the terrace with a beautiful glow that lifted the fragrance from the flowers right into his senses. He inhaled deeply and took a moment to settle his nerves. He had to find some way to get them over to Grant Duke’s place without Clint questioning why. As covertly as possible, Evan entered an alarm into his phone he’d use to keep the man so busy he wouldn’t have time to question anything.
Clint poured them both ample amounts of a chilled pinot grigio before serving them each several different kinds of tapas. Cheeses. Olives. Little finger sandwiches. Evan hated to admit it since he wanted to stay mad at the man, but it was a pretty impressive spread.
“You did all this?” Evan asked.
“I’m a man of many talents.”
He ignored the jolt to his system at the truth to that statement, but it did break the ice. “Are we going to talk about what we said this morning?”
Clint stared at the liquid in his glass. “Do we have to?”
Now who acted like a child? “Yes.”
“Do you want to go first?” Clint smiled eagerly.
“No.”
“Fine.” He went back to staring at his wine as a seriousness set into his expression. “I don’t remember what I said last night. I was exhausted, coming down from one of the most intense highs I’ve ever experienced.”
Evan quickly took a drink to hide the jealousy of knowing he’d shared that playroom with others before him.
“I asked you to stay, something I’ve never done.” He waited for Evan to look at him. “I swear. That was a first for me. I’ve never asked a sub to stay after play. Ever.”
He didn’t know what to say. He was the first at something with him. It wasn’t a first in the playroom, but he’d take it. “Go on.”
“I was raw. Honest. Obviously to a fault.” Giving up on a half-assed attempt at a smile, he sighed and took his time taking several sips of wine. “Truth is, I really am sorry to saddle you with me.”
Evan dropped his jaw, shocked and hurt he’d think that. “How can you say that? Clint, you are an amazing man.”
“Who’s too much of a coward to take his boyfriend out on a date in public.” He stilled as realization settled into the lines on his face. “That’s it, isn’t it?” He laughed hollowly and shook his head. “That’s why you wouldn’t tell me. You wanted me to figure it out for myself. You had me punish you when you could have just told me.”
“If you didn’t come to the realization on your own, if it had come from me, it wouldn’t have as big an impact.”
“Look at us, switching it up.”
“I don’t get what you mean.”
“Usually, it’s the Dom’s role to train the sub. To teach him. But you, my dear Evan, just showed me up without me even realizing it.”
Evan smiled proudly and sipped his wine. “I guess we are both men of many talents.”
“That we are.” They toasted and fell silent. Only after they’d consumed most of the meal did Clint speak again. “What is it you want, Evan?”
What did he want? What did anyone want? “I want the fairy tale. I want the white knight riding in on his noble steed, not afraid to fight the dragon and rescue his dude in distress. I want my knight beside me, out and proud.”
“That’s not going to be a Disney movie any time soon.”
“They’ve screwed it up for everyone. No one can live up to those expectations, gay or straight.”
Clint chuckled before growing somber once again. “You know I can’t do that.”
“I know.” And that sucked.
“Where does that leave us?”
“Exactly where we were when you asked me that the first time.” Which sucked even more.
“Even though you told me you loved me? That’s right. I heard you when you said it last night.”
“I know you heard me.”
“How?”
“You’re breathing changed. I said it again in the elevator this morning, just in case you didn’t hear me the first time.”
He sighed, like hearing the words somehow burdened him, which irritated Evan to no end.
“Is it so hard for you? Or is this more of an everyday occurrence for you to have a sub fall in love with his Dom?”
“You’re not a sub in love with his Dom.”
“The hell I’m not.”
“You’re not.” Clint silenced Evan’s prote
sts with that look. “You’re a man in love with the man who loves you in return.”
Evan sucked in quickly, the shock robbing him of any other reaction. He loved him. Clint Duke—the man literally in the majority of his dreams—loved him. Holy shit. He wanted to shout it from this very rooftop, but there was the other issue.
The fact Clint was still in the closet.
“Let me ask you a question,” Clint said after grabbing a couple olives. “When did you first know?”
Evan didn’t have to ask for clarification. It was the universal question just about everyone had asked him at some time, even his boyfriends. “I was fifteen. My father was ex-military and ran a pretty tight ship, so of course, we hated each other.”
“I know that one.”
“He didn’t approve of my life choices and kicked me out when he found out.”
Clint blinked, stunned. “You mean you told him and he kicked you out for it?”
“No,” he laughed bitterly, the painful memory taking hold. “No, I didn’t actually get the chance to tell him. After being caught with Joey Blanchard, the bad boy next door, I was publicly ridiculed for being gay. Joey made up this outlandish story about how I cornered him and made him do things against his will.”
“The guy in the treehouse? First time, no lube guy?”
“One in the same.”
“Jesus,” Clint muttered.
“It was Joey’s idea to play truth or dare. But, since his family had money, by the time everything was over, I’d been labeled a sexual predator. Not officially, of course. But the damage was done. My parents wouldn’t let me babysit my little sister anymore. I was no longer allowed to even be alone with her, like me being gay somehow made me some sort of monster. My father, being the supportive man he was, said he couldn’t stand raising a sissy for a son. It was either a rehabilitation camp in upstate New York, or the streets. I chose the streets. I haven’t been back since.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Clint emptied his glass and, without a word, disappeared inside. He returned with a fresh bottle of wine and refilled their glasses before taking a seat. “But, it happened. I’ve learned to never look back. Never wish I could have changed anything. It doesn’t do any good and only leaves you feeling worse.”
“Not me. I think about stuff like that all the time.”
“What would you have changed in that scenario?”
“I would have never agreed to go to the treehouse with Joey Blanchard.” They both laughed, but it felt forced.
“And I would have come out,” Clint finally admitted, regret lacing his tone, saddening it. “From the very first moment I knew, I would have announced it.”
“It’s never too late.”
“Isn’t it?” He sounded so hollow, this shell of the man he wanted to be. “I have a certain image now.”
“Do you really want this playboy billionaire façade you’ve got going to be the image of Duke Enterprises? Come on, Clint. You’re bigger than that. Hell, you’re a dominant.”
“Why do you think I am?” he fired back in desperation. “It’s the only part of my life I can control. My father chose all our business deals. My mother chose my schools. My sister still chooses my wardrobe. Even this building.” He stood and turned in a circle. “On my eighteenth birthday, I bought the building that used to stand here, not because I wanted to, but because my father told me to. My entire life has been doing what someone else has told me to do.”
“Which is why you enjoy telling others what to do.”
He nodded.
Evan nodded in return as the realization sank in. “I’ve controlled my own destiny since I was fifteen. Worked my way up to the head of an entire department where I have to tell everyone else what to do. It’s nice not having that burden when we’re together. It’s extremely freeing. I can just let loose and be myself with you, knowing you’ll take care of me.”
“I can honestly say I know exactly what you mean. It’s a great feeling being able to take care of someone. And, for the record, I’ve never had this conversation before. I’m really glad I’m having it with you. I don’t know what it is, but you have me turned inside out. It’s pretty awesome, but it’s pretty terrifying at the same time.”
Clint and his fears. He had to have something he controlled, something he manipulated, even if that meant his own happiness. It was almost as if the man kept his sexuality a secret as some sort of protection. Over what? Over whom?
The answer was so obvious Evan almost dropped his glass of wine when it all clicked. Clint Duke sacrificed his own happiness so those he’d been with remained private. No doubt some were in the closet, maybe had families back home. If it got out that they were in a contract, whether it be Dom/sub or the more extreme Master/slave, everyone’s lives would be ruined.
As much as Evan hated to admit it, he now understood why Clint kept it all a secret. In fact, he was grateful for it since his name was now on that list.
His phone alerted him. Evan checked the screen and switched out of boyfriend mode, into assistant mode. “Time for you to shower and dress for tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Hailey’s charity auction.”
“Shit. Can’t I cancel? We’re sort of in the middle of something here.”
“You’re sort of the star attraction.” Evan stood to drag him inside.
Clint stopped him by tugging on his hand. “Just a few more minutes.” He pulled Evan into his arms and released a long, slow breath. “I need a little while longer before the rest of the world takes the only thing I want from me.”
God, how he wished he had the right to tell the world so Clint didn’t have to. The man was miserable. Evan held him close, lost in the warmth of his embrace. He wasn’t ready to say good-bye. Not yet. Not before he gave them a chance. Public or not, their relationship deserved that much. “How about we make a deal?”
“I’m listening.”
“We go to tonight’s event as Clint Duke, CEO of Duke Enterprises, and Evan McKoy, his personal assistant. We mingle. We laugh. We make the charity a butt load of money.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“We figure it out. Together.”
“I like the sound of that.”
So did he. It wasn’t a complete resolution, but it was a start.
His phone chirped again, announcing the five-minute alert. He didn’t want to, but he stepped out of Clint’s arms. Clint stepped back in and captured Evan’s lips, kissing him soundly, deeply.
“Thank you, Evan.” He kissed him again, keeping their mouths lingering.
“For what?”
“For loving me despite my fucked-up’ness.”
Evan kissed him longer, smiling. “I love you because of your fucked-up’ness.”
They walked inside, hand-in-hand. Clint pulled him upstairs, a wide grin brightening his expression. As they entered the master suite and over to the bed, Evan spotted a bagel that had rolled under the frame. At least Clint had cleaned up the rest of the food and changed out the covers. He didn’t want to have sex on this morning’s breakfast.
But they didn’t stop at the bed. Clint led him to the far side of the room, into the bathroom. He stripped them both down and turned on the shower, stepped in, and pulled Evan in with him. The hot spray relaxed the tension the morning’s activity had brought on. Clint stepped aside, granting him all the benefits of the water’s massage.
Clint took the soap and dragged it across Evan’s back, playfully nipping at his shoulder before drinking up the little droplets of water. He lathered Evan’s body, both front and back. When his hand slipped between Evan’s cheeks, he breathed in, thoroughly enjoying the treatment, loving where this shower was leading. His body responded, goosebumps dancing over his skin, his cock swelling in appreciation.
“Touch yourself,” Clint ordered. “I want your hands on your body. Show me what you want.”
He shuddered at the instruction, eager to please. He wrapped his fingers around his
rapidly expanding flesh and stroked. The soap had everything so slippery, so nice and slick.
“Slow down.” Clint took Evan’s hand in his and directed the pace. Damn it. “Take your time. Enjoy it.”
“I am enjoying it,” Evan countered and fell against Clint’s chest when his lover eased a finger into Evan’s hole. “Oh, Jesus.”
“How about now?” He replaced it with two.
“I’m definitely enjoying it now.”
Clint wrapped one arm around Evan’s chest and held them together, slowly pumping his fingers in and out of his body. Evan matched the rhythm with his strokes and closed his eyes, resting his head on Clint’s shoulder.
“That’s it.” Clint latched onto his ear as he whispered his approval. “Keep it slow. Just like that.” He lifted Evan’s leg, spreading him, and pressed the blunt tip of his cock against his hole. As he slowly slid in, not stopping until they were completely one, he continued to whisper in his ear.
Evan panted and squeezed his dick, adjusting to the invasion and fighting not to give in to the overwhelming need to explode. He trembled against the orgasm clawing to be released. When Clint rocked his hips, scraping his hard flesh across Evan’s nerves, he moaned.
“I love your noises.” Clint ran his tongue along Evan’s lobe. “I love that I’m the one pulling them from you.”
“Clint,” he whimpered, desperate to move faster.
“I love the way you say my name when you want more.” He slammed them together.
“Clint!”
“That’s it.” He thrust his fingers into Evan’s hair and gripped, pulling his head back to give him access to his neck. He trailed kisses along Evan’s throat before nipping at his chin. “Say it again.”
“Clint.” Evan glanced over his shoulder, locking gazes with his lover. This was so empowering. The man with all the answers, all the commands, handed the control over to Evan with nothing more than the request to hear his name. “Clint.”
He drove faster, holding them even closer. Evan made sure they kept their faces far enough apart so they’d never lose visual contact.
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