Borrowing His Boss

by C S Joyce

  “I think that’s a fantastic idea. I can’t believe you’d be willing to do that. We can have so much fun with this. We could pretend that...we’re engaged. No, you’re a celebrity. And...let me think...ooh, maybe you could be a billionaire?”

  I burst out laughing and let my eyes rest on Asher’s mouth—those perfect smooth lips causing all sorts of sensations in me. “I’m not sure I can pull off billionaire. I’m too uncool for that.”

  “Of course, you can,” Asher said, and he gently reached out and touched my forearm. “You can pretend to be a tech billionaire. You’ve got that geeky charm down.”

  Did Asher just say I had charm?

  I licked my lips and held my breath for a second. “I suppose,” was all I managed to say.

  “Cool, well let’s think up some more ideas and then we can go through the details later. Oh, and you can stay with me for the night if you want.”

  “Huh?”

  Asher’s eyes were bright, and he tilted his head as he smiled. “The party is in my hometown, silly. It’s nearly a two-hour drive from here. I figured it would be too far to drive there and back so we could just stay at my family home. That okay?”

  Shit. How had I not figured that bit out? The reunion would be where Asher had gone to school. That made sense. Fuckity-fuck. “Eh....”

  “Unless you don’t want to? I mean, don’t feel like you have to. There’s a hotel there, The Pearl Hotel. The reunion is being held there. I can get you a room?”

  The thought of staying in Asher’s home was too much. Too much pressure, too much stress, and too much temptation. “I think that might be better. I don’t want to be imposing on you or your family.”

  “Oh, you wouldn’t be imposing at all. My mam will love you.” He paused then, and I could see the realization on his face that imposing was not the issue. “But yeah, it’s probably easier for you to stay at the hotel. I’ll ring and book a room for you.”

  I shook my head and lowered my voice as one of the teachers entered the staff room. “That’s okay, I’ll book it myself.”

  Asher nodded and then stepped back before giving me an awkward little wave and heading for the door.

  What was I getting myself into? But I couldn’t even worry about that now.

  Asher needed me.

  And I wanted to be needed.

  Another World

  Asher

  I took the train back home after work on Friday. Christian had something to do, a parent meeting he’d said, so he was going to follow me down later. It was after seven when he rang to say he was there. I’d given him my home address and he was going to pick me up and give me a lift to the hotel.

  He was sitting in his car out front when I opened the front door. Maybe it was wrong, but I’d always sort of fantasized about him turning up and picking me up for a date. Something fun and different. Christian was a total nerd, and so cute, the way he fumbled over his words and got so flustered. He was adorable. But this wasn’t real, and I needed to remember that.

  He lowered the driver’s window and I leaned in, resting my hands on the door.

  “We have a slight problem,” I said, and I raised my eyebrows.

  “Really? With the hotel?”

  I shook my head and then nodded back toward the cottage I’d grown up in. “With my mam. She’s demanding she meets the man that gave me a permanent job and has agreed to help me out tonight.”

  Christian looked panicked and he blinked. A lot. Like, rapid blinking.

  “I, eh...she...now?”

  I straightened up, shoving my hands in my jeans and nodded. “Uh-huh. She’s got the good china out and everything. She baked fresh brown scones and she’s told my dad to change out of his riding gear if he gets back in time. She means business.”

  “Riding gear?” Christian switched off the engine and climbed out of the car, bumping his head off the door frame in the process.

  “My dad manages the local stud farm.”

  Christian was chewing his bottom lip and playing with the keys in his hand. He was so cute when he was nervous.

  “Come on, just a quick cup of tea, answer a few or five hundred questions, and then we’ll be on our merry way.”

  He smirked at that and nodded. “Okay then. One cup and a quick interrogation. Lead the way.”

  “Christian, I’m so glad you’re here. Come in, come in.” My mam wiped her hands in her apron and then practically tackled Christian into a hug. “You’re taller than I’d imagined. And Asher didn’t mention how handsome you were. Oh, you smell nice too.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Mam, stop. Let him go.”

  “What? I’m just saying he smells nice. Smell him, Asher?”

  I grinned and grabbed the kettle, filling it at the sink and knowing that Christian was probably dying at her suggestion. “I’m good thanks, no need to smell my boss. And, he doesn’t really like all that touchy-feely stuff either. So maybe stop holding his hand.”

  She was. Right there in the kitchen, holding my boss’s hand. Like, proper hand holding, with fingers interlaced and everything. Christian’s face was priceless, a mix of pure shock and total discomfort.

  True to form, my mam ignored me and dragged Christian to the large oak table in the center of the kitchen. “Take a seat and I’ll get you some food, honey. I baked this morning. Asher told me you’d agreed to come and be his date for the evening. I’ve baked scones, a nice apple tart and a loaf of bread. It’s so lovely to have you here with us. Asher’s Dad is down at the stables, a mare is in foal. But if you boys come back in the morning, I’ll do you up a breakfast and you can meet him then.”

  “I’m staying at the hotel, but thank you,” Christian said, as he nestled against the wall while my mam placed food on the table.

  “Oh no, that breakfast isn't a patch on mine. You’ll come back here for midday and I’ll feed you both. A real breakfast.”

  I smirked, knowing that my mam wasn’t offering. She was ordering. But her heart was always in the right place. “We’ll see how we’re fixed, mam. We might be hungover after tonight,” I said, sitting down at the table.

  “Ah, don’t be silly, you’ll need a good breakfast. And don’t drink too much, either.” She wrestled the teapot from my hand and started pouring the tea.

  “I was going to do that,” I argued, but she swatted my hand away with a tea towel.

  “You entertain your boss. Friend. Date. Whatever he is to you.”

  I rolled my eyes and Christian grinned. He looked so out of place in my kitchen. But he also looked right. Like he should be there.

  In my family home.

  In my life.

  With me.

  “There ya go. Sugar Christian?”

  Christian shook his head and took the china cup from my mam. “No thanks. Just some milk, please.”

  She did a strange little dance to the counter and returned with her fancy milk jug.

  “That’s only for the special visitors,” I whispered and Christian chuckled.

  “This place is beautiful. So idyllic.” Christian smiled at my mam as she sat next to him. So close, her elbow was brushing against his.

  “Asher’s father got it when he took the job on the stud farm. He was given this cottage on the grounds, a small wage and some acres of land to manage himself. We moved in the year we got married and Asher was born that first year in this house. It’s been a very happy home. Not without its hardships, mind you, but happy. You grew up in the countryside?”

  “No, I grew up in the city. My parents were both teachers. They dedicated their lives to educating those that came from less well-off areas. That’s how I ended up doing the same. It was bred into me.”

  I listened with interest as Christian and my mam chatted about public and private schools, the importance of play and creativity in education and the terrible lack of funding. I was learning things about him that I hadn’t known. And then it dawned on me that we’d never really talked. Not properly.

  Not like equals.<
br />
  Christian avoided all social nights and events so the only interactions I’d had with him were when he was the principal and I was the teacher. This was the first time we’d be out of those roles. I sipped my tea as my mam continued to interrogate him.

  “And are you in a relationship, Christian? Do you have a special person?”

  There it was, the question I knew she’d been dying to ask him. He seemed to squirm a little and his cheeks flushed. God, he was cute.

  “No. I’m still single.”

  “Oh no, that won’t do at all. You’re such a handsome man. You just need to find the right person. Are you dating my Asher or just friends?”

  Christian’s face burned red and I had to stifle my laughter. “Eh, thanks. I...we’re...work makes it...” He was so adorable when he got flustered.

  “Mam leave him alone. You know we’re just colleagues and you can’t be asking people such personal questions. Anyway, we better make a move soon. Christian needs to check in and I’m going to get changed at the hotel.”

  My mam rolled her eyes. “Fine, I was only asking. You boys have a nice time and remember breakfast tomorrow. Midday.”

  I stood up and smiled as my mam came over and took my face in her hands.

  “And remember, Ash, ignore those fools that don’t see your magic. They’re just miserable feckers. You’re perfect as you are.”

  “Thanks mam,” I said, and I leaned down and kissed her cheek. She’d been telling me the same thing since I’d been in secondary school and the bullies had zoned in on me.

  “Thanks for the tea,” Christian said, and he was about to move toward the door when my mam pulled him into another bear hug.

  “Anytime. Asher’s friends are always welcome here. Especially you.”

  I grabbed my outfit from the stairs where I’d left it hanging and followed Christian out to the car.

  “Your mother is so lovely. She’s very sweet.”

  “And nosy. But you’re right. She’s the only reason I got through secondary school.”

  I could see Christian watching me from the corner of his eye. “You had a really tough time, didn’t you?”

  There was no point hiding the extent of it any longer. I cast my eyes down to the floor and swallowed. “Yup. They made my life a living hell. Not all of them, but a group of kids in my year. I was the only openly gay kid in school. It was like having a target on my back. But to be honest, the stuff they said and did wasn’t the worst part. It was the whispers. The things I couldn’t hear. The looks, and hushed comments. Those were what eventually broke me down.”

  My nerves blazed as I felt Christian’s warm hand land on my hand, and he squeezed me reassuringly.

  “Can I ask why you’re going tonight then? I’d have thought it was the last place you’d want to be—seeing those people again.”

  I closed my eyes, letting myself savor the feel of his warm hand resting on my skin. It was so strange and yet so comforting.

  “I’m going because I need to. For me.”

  The Pearl Hotel

  Christian

  We drove to the hotel in silence, the radio playing as Asher stared out the window. I was still annoyed at what he’d told me. How could anyone be so cruel to him?

  But I knew how mean kids could be. Especially teenagers who were unhappy themselves. But the thought of Asher being bullied made me feel awake or something. As though some force had taken over and I felt defensive, annoyed and protective.

  I wanted to protect him.

  I wanted to find those little shits and...

  “Turn here, the next right.” Asher pointed to the large stone entrance and I slowed down. As we drove up the long driveway, I could make out the buildings in the half light. The setting sun outlined the shape of the hotel and it looked like a large period property. Asher sat forward as I pulled into a space and switched off the engine.

  “Asher, you don’t have to do this. You don’t need to prove anything to these people.”

  He placed his hands in his lap and let his head fall back against the head rest, a strand of his blond hair falling across his forehead.

  “I know, but I want to. I want to walk in there with my head held high and be around them without making myself small. That’s what I did—I tried to hide away, because if I was invisible maybe they wouldn’t see me. It was so damaging. And it didn’t work.”

  “I feel like finding them and giving them a piece of my mind.”

  Asher burst out laughing. “I don’t think detention or a note home to their parent’s will have the desired effect. But thanks anyway.”

  I blushed and looked away from his gaze. “Okay, well how about an ass kicking?”

  Asher’s laughter filled the car and he smiled at me with the sweetest eyes. “You’re so funny.”

  “What? I could kick their asses?” I feigned insult that he didn’t think I could do it and he giggled as we grabbed the bags from the car.

  The hotel lobby was busy, the two receptionists busily checking guests in. The lobby was a mix of elaborate art, a roaring open fire and a lot of expensive wood. The original stone floors seemed to be beautifully restored and a huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Asher shivered next to me, clutching his suit bag and a small overnight bag I hadn’t seen him bring from his house.

  “You plan on staying for a while?” I said, nodding at the small carry bag he was trying to hide.

  He smiled sheepishly. “Well, I think it looks more believable if we both stay in the hotel. Since we’re together and all.” He winked and then shivered again.

  “You’re cold. Why don’t you go wait by the fire and I’ll check in?” I needed a minute to gather my thoughts, namely how was I going to share a room with him and not say something stupid. Or do something stupid, more likely.

  “Good Evening, sir. Checking in?”

  “Yes. I’ve a room booked. It’s under the name of O’Hara.”

  “Ah yes. Room 8. The Wilde Suite. Could you please sign this, sir? Thank you.” The receptionist handed me a large key on an ornate keyring and then he nodded at the young porter. “Room 8 Brian.”

  Before I could say anything, Brian had grabbed my bag and was headed toward the huge staircase.

  “Asher follow that man,” I whispered playfully as I passed him and nodded to the porter who was ascending the steps.

  The room was beautiful with a large four poster bed, sweeping curtains, a chandelier and a magnificent roll top bath. “Wow, this place is amazing. It’s not what I was expecting at all.”

  Asher sat down on a navy wingback chair by the window and pulled his shoes off. “Yeah, it’s been here for centuries. Everyone local gets married here, or has their engagement dinner here, or christenings, and stuff. It’s the only decent place in town. But it’s seen better days.”

  I noticed the place looked a little worn, but it only seemed to add to the charm.

  “I hear someone’s bought it. Some American. But it’s all a big secret for now,” he added, and I noticed how tired he looked. I watched Asher as he unzipped the suit bag and pulled out what he was wearing. “I’ve gone with a navy suit. I think it’ll be okay. What are you wearing?”

  I grabbed my own bag and unfolded the suit bag. “A grey suit with a white shirt. That okay?”

  Asher nodded. “You’ll look handsome in that.” I noticed his eyes move to the small round box I’d lifted from my bag. “What’s in that?”

  I swallowed and braced myself. Right, this was it. I hoped he wouldn’t hate this idea. “Well, I was thinking about what you’d told me in the staffroom, about missing prom. And I thought maybe you could have a do over. Only this time there’s no chance of your date standing you up.”

  Asher’s face was pure shock. “I don’t know what to say...”

  I lifted the lid from the box and carefully removed a single perfect lily. “It’s not much but I didn’t want to go overboard. You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want. I just thought-”

&n
bsp; Asher’s body felt amazing as he flung himself against me and I stumbled back a little. Jesus, he was hugging me. Asher was touching me. His body, against mine. Oh, my...

  I tried to tilt back a little, terrified he’d notice the large growth in my trousers. But as quickly as he’d thrown himself around me Asher was gone, holding the lily as though it was some injured baby bird and making some weird sniffling noise.

  “I love it. It’s just...I can’t believe...this is...”

  I cleared my throat and started fussing with my suit. “That’s good. I hope I haven’t upset you. Anyway, I’d better get dressed. So, you know, okay.”

  Ugh, this was awkward.

  Grabbing my clothes, I headed for the bathroom.

  “Christian?”

  Asher’s soft voice stopped me in my tracks, and I turned slowly. “Uh-huh?”

  He was playing with a strand of his blond hair and his cheeks took on a rosy color. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe you did this for me. It’s really thoughtful.”

  I nodded and tried to stay composed. “No problem at all.” I stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. I needed some space to process things. Things like, how was I going to not kill the people who had hurt Asher. Or how was I going to feel when I was standing by his side, pretending to be his. Or, worst of all, how was I going to ignore the fact that I was already imagining undressing him...

  No, no, no. You can’t cross any lines tonight, I told myself as I turned on the shower. You’re his boss. Don’t even think about it.

  After a much-needed cold shower I was greeted with a plate containing the largest slice of chocolate fudge cake I’d had ever seen.

  “That’s almost an entire cake,” I said as I grabbed a fork and tucked into the gloriously rich, gooey chocolate cake. The sugar rush was instant, and I watched in total amazement as Asher stuffed mouthful after mouthful of cake into his mouth before licking the sweet chocolate syrup from his lips.

  Watching Asher lick the chocolate from his lips was like watching porn.