by Aliana James
An idea popped into his head.
“Hey, why don’t you sublet my apartment?”
Jonas shook his head. “You know I can’t afford that.”
“You can. Think about how much you’ll save in transportation.”
“It wouldn’t work. Didn’t you tell me you had someone to sublet?”
“I did, but they changed their mind.” He leaned back in his chair and grinned at Jonas. “It’s close to Raven and ten blocks from school. It’s a win-win.”
Jonas hesitated. “I know where you live. It’s too expensive.”
The more Travis thought about it, the better the suggestion sounded. He wouldn’t have to worry about some idiot making a mess of his place. Jonas took excellent care of everything he had. And Jonas would be closer to everything and have more time to study with his commute time reduced to nothing.
“How much do you pay now?” he asked.
“Twelve hundred a month, not including utilities. It’s a studio so those aren’t much.” He had visited Jonas’ apartment once. Calling it was a studio was generous. It was a room with a wet bar and a bathroom. The thing didn’t even have a closet.
“And how much do you pay in transportation?”
“Not sure, maybe four hundred a month?”
These were numbers he could work with. He would kick in a couple hundred to make sure it covered his mortgage.
“Pay me fifteen hundred a month and everything will work out. You need this. Don’t you dare turn me down!”
Jonas’s mouth gaped open and his eyes watered. “Are you serious, honey?”
He patted his hands on the table and then squeezed. “Yes, yes, I am.”
“But my lease runs until the end of the year. That’s over two months from now it’ll be sitting empty.”
“The real estate agent hasn’t shown it in over a week. I don’t think she’s going to find someone to move in before January. And you’ll save me her commission. She’s a bitch to work with.”
Jonas laughed. “Oh my God. A two-bedroom…I’ve had such little space for… well, forever.” His voice got quiet.
Travis let him be for a moment. He recognized the emotions Jonas battled when given something special. Alec did that for him, and he wanted to pay it forward any chance he got. “There’s a living room set I scheduled to donate but I’ll leave it if you want it.”
“The brown one with the matching chaise?”
Travis smiled. Anytime Jonas came over, he curled up on that chaise like a cat. “That’s the one.”
“That’s awesome! Yes, please, I’ll take it.” He sucked in a breath. “I really don’t know what to say. Thank you, Travis.” Jonas blinked and grabbed a napkin to wipe his eyes. “Sorry I’m so emotional. I didn’t know what I would do. This helps. I’ll probably still pick up some hours but at least it won’t have to be a lot. Maybe one day a week at a coffee shop,” Jonas rambled.
“I’m sure you’ll find something.” He reached over and squeezed his hand. Jonas was no better than Travis; he tried to handle everything on his own.
He had thirty minutes before he had to get to the office and if he left now, he would just make it.
“I’ve got to get going. It’s good to see you.”
“I’ll walk out with you. I have to get to class.”
“I’ll make a copy of the keys so you can move in next week.”
Jonas stopped and Travis nearly walked right into him.
“Wait, you mean like now? I thought we were talking about January?”
“No, you were talking about January. It’s sitting there, available, so use it.”
“But I can’t pay you anything until January,” Jonas whined.
Travis placed his hand on his arm to calm him as they exited the coffee shop.
“That’s all right. Pay the utilities and then pay rent January first. I’ll work up an agreement and you can sign it, okay?”
Jonas opened his mouth to argue.
“I’m not taking no for an answer. I know how it is to be so tired and stressed that you’re not thinking straight.”
“I know you do,” he said. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He slung his arm around Jonas’s shoulder and guided him to the subway. He only had to walk a few blocks to his office building.
“You have a train to catch.”
Alec
It was strange to see Travis in the Bennett Building, much less hunkered over a conference table with a bunch of employees. Travis fielded questions and didn’t hesitate to answer them. Alec watched as he handled one employee’s request, then took a quick look at a report and answered another’s question.
Their schedules hadn’t matched up in the last few of days. To be honest, he missed Travis. He missed laughing with him over dinner, missed the cuddling they’d do on the couch, and the hot make out sessions afterward.
But he knew how Travis hated interruptions at work. When he was in the zone and focused, they weren’t welcome. He had hoped they could sneak out but the way everyone was running around it didn’t look possible.
“Does he know you’re here?” Jeanne, Travis’s secretary, asked as she smiled at him.
“No. He looks very busy.” He pushed off the wall and glanced toward the elevators.
“Please don’t go, Mr. Bennett. It’s time for lunch. There’s that Italian place you could try.” She suggested. “I’ll be right back.” Italian sounded good. She walked into the conference room and tapped Travis on the shoulder. He looked over at him and smiled. The woman glanced at her watch and at him before she replied to whatever Travis said. They both laughed as some employees joined in.
“Hey,” Travis called from the doorway. “Follow me to my office. This is a nice surprise.”
Travis entered his office and opened a desk drawer. He grabbed his wallet, his phone and threw on his jacket. Alec’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out to reply to a site manager’s question.
“Jeanne told me it’s lunchtime and I should join my husband for lunch.” He smiled at Alec. “Imagine that?”
He laughed. “Not used to people telling you what to do?”
“You mean you telling me what to do?” Travis winked. His dick perked up as he remembered the last time they were on the couch.
Travis stopped at his door and glanced at his crotch. “You good?” The bastard.
“Payback is a bitch.” He grunted. “Let’s get something to eat, please.”
They entered the elevator with a few employees and remained quiet. Travis didn’t care who knew about their relationship but told Alec that he wasn’t broadcasting it. They exited together and walked by Kane.
“Hey guys. I’m due to eat if you guys want to give me five minutes.”
Alec looked at Travis, who shot a glare at him. “Sorry, Kane. Private lunch.” Travis’s shoulders relaxed as they both waved at Kane and walked outside.
“Oh, it’s nice out today,” Travis said. “Where to?”
“Let’s go to La Trotta, I’m in the mood for Italian.”
“Sounds good.”
“What’s the deal with you and Kane? You still have a problem with him after everything he’s done?”
Travis stopped and looked at Alec. “Is it bad that I wanted to have lunch with just you?” He glanced back at the building before he continued. “I mean, if you don’t, you could text Kane and tell him to meet us.”
Alec didn’t like Travis in this mood and he missed the playful man who was upstairs a moment ago. He shouldn’t have questioned Travis’s reaction to Kane. It was like there were unspoken rules of conduct between them and without fail he broke one every time they were together. Since day one, Travis was in the driver’s seat of this relationship. It made him feel insecure, and he hated it. He was an Army Ranger; insecurity was not a good look.
“Sorry.” He mumbled and started walking toward the restaurant around the corner. This lunch would suck if both of them were in a mood.
On the way to th
e restaurant, they passed a huge candy store, sweet smells beckoning them every time the door opened and closed.
“Can we stop here for a minute?” Alec asked.
Travis looked up and shrugged.
“Come on, Travis. We’ll just be a minute.”
Travis followed him in the store as he glanced at his phone as if he was counting down the minutes until he went back to work. He knew Travis wanted to make a good impression for his grandfather and wanted to be up to speed on everything as soon as possible.
“Ugh. You of all people shouldn’t be in here.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” Travis stopped as a huge display of chocolate caught his eye. “This is bad for my waistline.”
Alec raised his eyebrows at him. “I think your waistline is perfect.”
“Sure, because I stay away from all of this crap.”
“Oh no you didn’t.” Alec grabbed his chest in mock terror. “You didn’t just call all of this deliciousness ‘crap’!”
Travis laughed as they made it through the store. His eyes skimmed over all the displays. He’d know what he was looking for when he saw it.
“Whatever you buy, I’m hiding it so you don’t eat it all in one sitting.”
“Well, that’s not fair.” Alec was the one with the sweet tooth, but maybe there was a way for both of them to enjoy a treat. He thought of the last time they were on the couch and how Travis outlined his abs with his tongue.
He’d have a huge hard-on in the middle of the store before he spotted what he wanted. That was a risk he’d be happy to take.
“Hey Travis?” he called from behind a stack of mints. In front of him stood a huge display of flavored whipped cream.
“Yeah, listen, I don’t have a lot of time—” Travis stopped as he stared at the two cans in Alec’s hands.
“Chocolate Mint or Strawberry Cheesecake?” he whispered and winked.
“Why do you want—” Travis’ eyes narrowed. A pink blush crept up his neck and into his cheeks. It was adorable. Alec held the cans and waited.
“Chocolate, definitely chocolate,” Travis answered, his face red as he glanced around to see if anyone looked their way.
Alec grabbed two cans of chocolate whipped cream, one mint and one double chocolate because, hey, you could never have too much chocolate and walked up to the register without a care in the world.
If this didn’t signal that he wanted to spend time with Travis, he didn’t know what would.
Purchases in hand, Alec held the door for Travis and they walked two doors over to the restaurant. La Trotta, packed with the lunch crowd, was a popular place. There was no way they would get a table soon. Travis glanced at his phone as it buzzed.
“Jeanne said she made a reservation under Bennett.”
Alec turned and weaved his way to the podium where a grumpy host was in an argument with a couple.
“I’m sorry, sir. There are no tables available right now. There’s a two-hour wait.” The man huffed, and the woman whined.
“Do you know who we are?”
Alec looked at them. He didn’t know who they were, but he didn’t get out much. A manager came over and glanced at the couple and then at Alec.
“Sir, may I help you?”
“Reservation for Bennett?”
The manager checked a list.
“I’m sorry, sir. We don’t have a reservation for you.”
A platter of entrées crashed to the floor in the aisle next to them. Diners started yelled as one man had red sauce plastered all over his suit. Alec glanced at the man and then back at Travis, who was looking at the scene in horror. Not his idea of a quiet lunch.
“That’s fine.” He turned to Travis. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Oh, thank God.” The noise level inside had been deafening, to the point where the traffic noise on the street came as a welcome relief.
“Let’s eat across the street.” They crossed the street and entered a narrow sandwich shop. A short while later, they both had hearty sandwiches with french fries and were happily crammed into a cozy booth in the back by the kitchen.
“What do you have planned for the whipped cream, Mr. Bennett?” Travis asked with a huge smile on his face.
“Don’t tell my husband but it involves spreading it over his body and—”
Travis cleared his throat as a woman walked past them.
Travis lowered his voice. “I think your husband gets the idea.”
They laughed. So much for keeping his hard-on in check. His dick pressed painfully against the zipper of his pants. Better to change the subject. Now.
“So, this is so good. I’ve never been here before,” he said between bites.
“They were talking about it in the office. Cynthia said it just opened. There was a bakery here before.”
“That explains it. How are things working out? Are you settling in okay?”
Travis grabbed a french fry, dipped it in ketchup, and then sucked on it. He wished he was that fry. “Things are good, actually. There’s a lot of restructuring needed but I think it’ll get there in time.”
“You don’t have to get everything done this week. Grandfather said he’d give you some time to learn the ropes,” he mentioned as he picked up his sandwich. “But it’s nice to see you smile about work.”
“It’s a good change, and it’s reminded me why I studied finance in the first place.” Travis wiped his mouth with a napkin. “It’s a little overwhelming to think of everything I’m in charge of, though. I’m going to utilize any extra time your grandfather gives me.”
“Everyone is convinced you can handle it, including me,” he said. No way was he going to let Travis think that he wasn’t in his corner. Travis was better than good at his job, and the way his mind worked fascinated Alec to no end. It was one more thing that he had learned about him since they got married.
“I spoke to Tyler earlier. Rehab is going well, and he’s hoping to get a smaller cast for his arm soon.”
“I’m sure he’s frustrated, not being able to do anything without help. I know I would be.”
“You? Frustrated is too mild a word. You forget about the time you had the flu?” Travis laughed. “All of us stood outside your room playing rock, paper, scissors to see who would go in.”
Alec rolled his eyes. “Come on. I wasn’t that bad.”
“Yeah, you were.” They both laughed. Seconds later both of them reached for their phones as they both buzzed.
“That’s weird. Executive meeting in thirty minutes,” He said.
“Me too,” Travis answered. “Let’s finish up and get over there. It’ll take us that long to get to the meeting.”
He stood and grabbed the tray with their garbage. “You’re not kidding. From my office to Grandfather’s can take twenty minutes.” Travis smirked as Alec held up the bag from the candy store. He had plans for that later.
They walked outside and both enjoyed a minute in the sun as they waited to cross the street. He had a nice lunch with his husband. He hoped that whatever his Grandfather wanted didn’t ruin his good mood.
Travis
William stood at the end of the table and greeted the executives as they entered the conference room. Travis only knew a handful of his colleagues. He still had a hard time believing he was now at this level.
Thalia came over and put an arm on his sleeve. “How are you holding up, Travis?”
“It’s good to see you. It’s been an adjustment for sure.” He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll bet.” She laughed as William called for everyone to sit. “Let me know if I can help with anything.”
“Thanks.” Alec had taken a spot diagonally across from him. He appreciated his discretion but it wasn’t as if the whole room didn’t know they were married. Sitting next to each other just made it hard for him to concentrate.
“Thank you everyone for coming. I know it’s short notice. We have Elizabeth on speakerphone as well as
Julian.” William shuffled the papers in front of him while Travis placed the names. Elizabeth Seaton ran the real estate division and Julian, Alec’s cousin, ran the restaurant division. “I wanted to introduce you to John Parker. He will be in charge of our new marketing department. As you know, we outsource all of our marketing, and it has come to my knowledge that it would be more cost-effective to create our own division. Our vision for Bennett would be in our control, so to speak.”
The reports that he had to turn over the day before yesterday came to mind. A new department meant a budget had to drawn up and approved and he needed to allocate staff to assist with accounting and coordinate with Human Resources on new hires. A world of additional work landed directly in his lap.
John spoke briefly on how he was excited to be a Bennett but Travis tuned him out. Only bringing a handful of people with him from Thomson had limited his inner circle, and those he could trust with important projects already had a full plate. He either needed to find someone worthy of a new division or take it on himself. Neither option was viable.
“Travis,” William called his name as the meeting broke and people started moving toward the doors. He glanced at Alec and saw his concern. Was it that he thought I couldn’t handle it? Or was he concerned that it was too much?
He shook John Parker’s hand and introduced himself. William patted them both on the back and walked away. Soon the conference room was empty and John picked up the paperwork from the table.
“Your office or mine?” John asked quietly.
“Mine, but I wanted to take a moment to apologize. As William was talking, I was trying to figure out who in my department could have a liaison with yours.”
“That’s okay, I thought I had said something… sometimes my mouth gets away from me when I’m nervous,” John admitted. “And I don’t have a department, not much of one. William made it seem like I have cart blanche to create one but I’m not delusional. To be honest, I have no idea how I got this job. I feel like I’m in over my head.”