by Maxene Novak
She walked Blake out to Alex’s desk and instructed her to show him around and let him know where he would work. Before she could turn away Blake placed his hand on her on the arm. “Let me know when I can cash in that rain check. I’m looking forward to getting caught back up. It’s been a long time.”
“Yes it has,” she agreed. “I’ll let you know.”
When Heather walked back into her office, she shut the door behind her. It was something she rarely did, but right then she needed a minute alone to get her head back on straight. Blake being there didn’t change the fact that she had a job to do. She gathered her things for her meeting and took a swallow of the coffee Alex had brought her earlier, turning up her nose when the cold liquid hit her mouth. Man, she hated cold coffee. She sat the cup back down and headed back out. When she walked passed Alex’s desk, Heather broke out into a sincere smile when she saw Alex standing there with a fresh cup of coffee, the steam rolling off the top indicating it was still piping hot and fresh. “Have I told you how much I love you?” she asked as she took the coffee from Alex’s hand.
“Not in the last thirty minutes,” Alex replied. “I was beginning to worry I’d lost my mojo.” Heather laughed and Alex just grinned at her. Alex’s witty sense of humor was just what she needed to get her head out of her ass. Well, that and the caffeine she supplied Heather with. Now she’d be able to get back to what she needed to be focused on: work.
“No, you definitely haven’t lost it,” Heather assured Alex. “I should be out of my meeting in a half an hour.”
“Do you want me to join you for this one? I’m sure I can find someone else to show the new guy around. Half of the office has been trying to catch his attention since he walked in the door.”
Heather raised an eyebrow in response.
“What, are you blind?” Alex asked sarcastically. “He’s gorgeous. Hell, half of the guys here are dying to get a shot at him.”
“No, I’m not blind. As a matter of fact, it sounds like I’m the only one with good enough eyesight to notice the ring on his finger.” Heather gave Alex a disapproving look.
Alex held up her hands. “I said half of the office. I didn’t say I was a part of that. Doesn’t mean he isn’t nice to look at.”
Heather shook her head, but she couldn’t help but grin at Alex. The girl was right. Blake was beyond nice to look at.
“So?” Alex interrupted her thoughts about Blake and his good looks. “Do you want me to come to the meeting with you?”
Heather glanced at her watch. The meeting was starting in ten minutes. “If you can get Blake set up with someone else and be in the conference room before the next ten minutes go by. You know how Renee is about anyone walking in late. I don’t want either of us feeling her wrath today.”
Alex smirked at her. “Do you not know me at all?”
Heather shrugged her shoulders and turned to head to the conference room with her laptop and coffee in tow. No doubt Alex would be right behind her. The woman was a magician. Even if Blake wasn’t so nice to look at, Alex could get anyone to do anything. She’d have someone else showing him around before Heather took a seat around the large table.
CHAPTER THREE
Blake
“How was meeting the new boss?” Evan asked Blake when he got home from his first day at Panda Publishing.
Blake put his bag down on the kitchen table and walked to the fridge to grab a water. “Turns out I already know her.”
That got Evan’s attention and he stopped prepping the steaks he was getting ready to take out to the grill and turned around to give Blake his full attention. “You’ve met her before?”
Blake shook his head and took a long drink from his water before elaborating. He could see the confusion clearly written across Evan’s face. He didn’t blame him. He’d said he knew her, then shook his head no that they’d met before. It’s just that it was so much more than that. They hadn’t just met. They’d been in love until his parents separated them by sending him away their senior year of high school. “It’s Heather,” Blake finally said.
Evan’s forehead wrinkled in thought for a minute before his eyebrows shot up and recognition registered on his face. “Wait, you mean your Heather? Your first love, Heather?”
Blake leaned back against the counter and nodded before taking another drink of his water.
“Shit! That’s…hell, I don’t know what to call it. Crazy, or fate maybe? I guess it depends on how you feel about it.”
Evan stared at him, patiently waiting for Blake to respond, or to decide how he felt about seeing Heather again after all of these years. It was just one more reason to love the guy. When Blake first realized he was developing feelings for Evan, he’d decided to tell him about Heather. He’d been so in love with her that he knew a piece of his heart would always belong to her and no one else. Blake felt like Evan deserved to know that no matter how much he might love him, he’d always share Blake’s heart with Heather. She was permanently branded on his heart and no amount of time or separation would change that.
Blake sat his water bottle down and took the few steps across the kitchen that separated him from Evan. He placed his hands on either side of Evan’s hips and pulled his husband to his body, then he leaned in and placed a sweet, lingering kiss on Evan’s lips. He smiled when he felt Evan’s arms wrap around him and press their bodies tighter together. Blake pulled away from the kiss but made no effort to separate their bodies. “I love you, very much. You know that?”
Evan gave him a crooked smile; God, Blake loved that smile. He loved this man. He reached for Evan’s left hand with his,admiring the rings they’d given each other when they were married the year before. “Yes, and I love you too.” Evan’s words drew Blake’s attention away from the memories of their wedding day. “That’s why I asked how you feel about seeing Heather again. I know how much she meant to you—still means to you.” Evan brushed his hand over Blake’s cheek, and Blake leaned into his palm, letting his eyes close for a brief moment while he soaked up his husband’s love. He was the luckiest man alive, no doubt about it.
“I’m not sure how I feel right now. I could tell that seeing me had an effect on her too, but I don’t know if it was a good or bad one. She was definitely a little flustered. Plus, she might be married. She wasn’t wearing a ring, but her last name is different.” Blake thought about the way her cheeks had turned pink when he told her she was beautiful and it made him smile. “I made her blush, so she couldn’t be completely shut off to me, right?”
Evan chuckled. “Babe, have you seen your reflection? Anyone who isn’t affected by you must be an alien, or dead.”
Blake rolled his eyes and pushed a laughing Evan away from him. Evan turned back to the steaks and grabbed the pan and tongs to head outside. Before he opened the sliding glass door Blake spoke again. “I love our life, and being your husband is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“But you love her too.” Evan looked back over his shoulder at Blake. He started to respond but Evan shook his head slightly, stopping him. “I know, Blake. I’ve always known. It’s okay because I know how much you love me. We can’t help what our hearts feel or who we love. All we can do is be honest with each other and go from there.”
Blake smiled at his husband. He could feel the warmth of unshed tears stinging his eyes and he blinked them away. He didn’t deserve this man, but he was damn glad to have him. “Thank you,” he finally said. Evan nodded and finally made it out of the house to cook their dinner.
He went back to the table where he’d left his bag and carried it into his office. Blake would make sure his work met the highest standards. He always took his work very seriously, but knowing that Heather would be the one reviewing it made him want to work even harder. He wanted her to be impressed, and he was going to make sure he did just that. After Blake got his laptop back out, he pulled up the story he’d worked on once he finally got settled in at work earlier in the day. He had already read through
the story and made notes as he went along, but he planned to give each story at least two full read-throughs to ensure he didn’t miss anything that might need a second look.
Blake delved into the story and shut out everything around him. After a while, he felt two strong hands massaging his shoulders, and he leaned his head back as Evan bent down to give him a kiss. “Dinner’s ready,” Evan said against Blake’s lips. “Come eat before it gets cold. You can get back to work once I know you’ve had a decent meal.”
“Yes sir.” Blake shut his laptop screen and got up, following Evan back out to the kitchen. He could smell the food before he made it to the table and it smelled amazing. He was glad that Evan liked to cook because he could barely boil water.
Evan had already set up both of their plates with a large ribeye, a baked potato, and steamed broccoli. “Smells great,” Blake told Evan as he took his seat.
“Of course it does. I made it.” Evan flashed a wide smile before picking up his fork and cutting into his steak. Blake laughed quietly and rolled his eyes before doing the same.
“So, how late do you think you’ll be working tonight?” Evan asked him.
“I’ve just got to finish my second read-through of this story. Heather gave me a couple short stories to review and edit as a way to test my skill level. I think she’s trying to make her own decisions about my work since she wasn’t the one to interview and hire me. I got the impression that was not something she was used to. She runs a pretty tight ship.”
“Well, I would imagine she has to if she wants to stay at the top of her game working at Panda.”
Blake nodded once. “Yeah. Publishing is a pretty cutthroat business sometimes. If you’re not producing then you’re out.”
“Then she’s lucky she has you.”
“So, what about you?”
Evan smirked. “Okay, I guess I’m lucky to have you too.”
Blake threw a piece of broccoli across the table at Evan, who quickly ducked out of the way. “You’re cleaning the kitchen, so you might want to try keeping the vegetables on your plate.”
Blake groaned, but Evan knew he didn’t mean it. Evan cooked, so he cleaned.
Once dinner was over, Blake made quick work of the dishes so he could get back to his office and finish his work before it got too late. It didn’t take him long to dive back into the story, and apparently he got lost in what he was doing because he was once again interrupted by the comforting sensation of his husband’s hands massaging his shoulders.
“Babe, I know you want to impress Heather but you’ve been in here for hours. If you don’t get some rest, you won’t be impressing anyone tomorrow when you can’t keep your eyes open at work. It’s late. Come take a shower and let’s go to bed.”
Blake covered Evan’s hands with his own and tilted his head back to look at him. God, his man was sexy. He was built like a wrestler, and with his shaved head Blake often thought he resembled The Rock. He was a couple inches taller than Blake, standing about six-foot-five, and every inch of his body was lined in solid muscle. Evan’s mother was from Ecuador and his father was Irish, which meant he had beautiful light brown skin, which only added to the whole The Rock look-alike situation. His brown eyes were warm and always full of love whenever he looked at Blake.
“I’ll quit for the night, but only if you’re offering to wash my back for me,” Blake told Evan.
He didn’t miss the way Evan’s pupils dilated as his eyes darkened and he stared back at Blake with lust clear in his hooded eyes. “I’ll wash far more than just your back, Mr. Martin.”
Evan’s voice was husky and Blake felt like it had reached out and caressed his dick behind his zipper. Yup. He was so done working for the night. He had to get his hands on his husband, and he needed it right now. Blake didn’t waste another second. He shut his laptop and stood up, grabbing Evan’s hand on his way out of the office headed towards their bedroom. He was sure that he still wouldn’t be getting very much rest before tomorrow morning, but making love with his husband all night was better than sleeping anytime.
***
Blake went in to work early the next morning. He could try to play it off like he wanted to get a head start on the second story Heather had assigned him to work, but he could have done that at home. If he was being honest, he was hoping he would run into Heather. Even if they could never get back what they had when they were teenagers, Blake wanted to renew their friendship. Heather meant the world to him, and now that they’d managed to fall back into each other’s lives, he didn’t want to just be boss and employee. Hell, maybe Evan had a point when he mentioned fate the night before. The chances of them finding each other again after seventeen years had to be extremely small. He just hoped she would be willing to at least be friends. One thing was for sure, he would need to tread carefully so she didn’t get the wrong idea about him as a married man. People generally frowned on married people who they thought were trying to step out on their spouse. Truth was, if there ever could be anything with him and Heather again, he didn’t know exactly how it would work with his marriage to Evan, but they had both always agreed they were open to the idea of polyamory if the right person came along. God, what Blake would give for Heather to be that person. To have his heart finally be whole again after all these years.
When Blake walked into the office he was disappointed to see the lights in Heather’s office were not on. Maybe she wasn’t one to come into work early. Being the senior editor in charge, she’d obviously already proven herself, so she wouldn’t have to work crazy long hours to outshine her competition. However, the Heather that Blake knew wouldn’t allow herself to get that cocky. She’d work harder than anyone who answered to her as their boss. She would lead by example.
“Good morning.” Blake turned to see Alex walking up behind him towards Heather’s office with a stack of folders held to her chest. She glanced at her watch before looking back up at him. “You’re early this morning. Are you looking for Heather for something?”
“I just thought I’d say hi since I got in early, but maybe I’m a little too early.”
Alex huffed one small laugh. “Definitely not. Heather is usually the first person here other than myself, and that’s only because I make it a point to get here before her so I can review the schedule and make sure she has what she needs for the day.”
“Okay. That sounds like her,” Blake agreed. Still, it didn’t explain her not being there right then. He wondered if she was sick.
Something in his expression must have told Alex he was still confused about Heather’s absence because she continued filling him in. If he was honest he knew it wasn’t any of his business where she was, but he couldn’t stop his curiosity. Plus, if she was sick, maybe he could call and check on her?
“Heather volunteers at the Hale Children’s Haven at least once a week. Her best friend runs it and Heather has been volunteering there since the day they took in their first child at the home. His name is Paul, and from hearing Heather talk about him it sounds like everyone fell in love with him as soon as they met him. I’m pretty sure that has a little to do with why she goes to help all of the time. I know he calls her Auntie Heather.”
Blake couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He wasn’t surprised to hear that Heather was helping out at a children’s home. She had survived a pretty terrible situation with her parents dying when they were kids, and if it hadn’t been for her friend’s family taking her in, then Heather likely would have wound up in a home herself. She was still the Heather he remembered without a doubt. No matter what she’d been through she had always had the biggest heart. It was one of the things that had made Blake fall in love with her in the first place.
A thought occurred to him as he reflected back on Heather’s past. “You said her best friend runs the children’s home. Is her name Lorie?”
“Yeah. Lorie Young,” Alex said. “I’m guessing you know her too?”
“We all went to middle and high school together. They were a
s close as sisters back then, so I guessed it would make sense they stayed friends.”
“Well, since they technically are sisters I’d say it makes complete sense.” Alex looked at him like this was something he should know.
Clearly Heather had not filled her in on their past or how his parents yanked him out of school and sent him away because they didn’t like their son dating the child of drug addicts. When he’d left, Heather was living with Lorie’s family, but as far as he knew they hadn’t mentioned formally adopting her and her last name had still been Williams. At least he understood why her last name was now Young. Lorie’s family had clearly made her an official family member somewhere along the way and she’d taken their last name. That thought put a smile on Blake’s face. Lorie’s parents were great people and Heather deserved a family that loved and wanted her. The parents she had been dealt in life certainly hadn’t given her that, so he was glad she apparently found it with Lorie and her parents. Blake hoped she would tell him about it once he convinced her they should be friends again.
“If you need her she always makes sure to have her cell on.” Blake looked at Alex but it took him a minute to come out of his thoughts and register her words. His face must have shown his confusion because Alex spoke again. “You know, if you need her for something important and she’s out of the office. If you shoot her a text she’ll get back with you as quickly as she can.”
Blake stared at her for a minute before his brain decided to work again and he smiled, trying to hide the fact that he’d let his mind wander. “Great. Thanks. If I need her I’ll give that a try.”
Alex nodded her head once in reply. “Well, I’ve got a lot of work to do, but you know where to find me if you need anything else.”
