Faded in to You

by Remmy Duchene

  “Don’t say you’re sorry. We just need to fix this problem so it doesn’t happen again. I don’t want to spend time here cleansing the system and reinstalling Linx only to have you get hacked again because you did the same thing you did before.”

  “I understand how you feel. We’re losing a lot of money due to this.” Paresh eased forward to lace his fingers together. “Sitting here like this, with barely a fraction of the clients we had before… Well, honestly, it makes us dead in the water. We’ve gone from being one of the top security firms in India to not even competing. We can’t afford this screw-up a second time.”

  Thaddeus nodded. “Okay. Did you get someone to run point on PR?”

  “Yes. He’s been here for about a week now. From Twitter to Instagram, I don’t know how he keeps up. So far, we’ve had some good buzz about the place. All we have to do now is prove to people we’re sound.”

  “Good.”

  “In fact, you should meet him. Hang on.”

  Paresh left Thaddeus in the office and soon returned with a man behind him. When Paresh stepped aside, Thaddeus almost swallowed his tongue. He tried not to stare, but how could he not? This creature was tall with dark eyes, thick hair, full lips—those eyes! Thaddeus found himself rising without even realizing it. He extended his hand.

  “Thaddeus Masterson.”

  The man took his hand, gave it a quick shake then released it. “Ravinder Raja,” he said. “And I know who you are.”

  “You do?” Thaddeus sat to keep his knees from giving out under him. “How?”

  “You created Rose Linx. I’m pretty sure everyone knows who you are.”

  Thaddeus laughed. “I wouldn’t say everyone.”

  Ravinder gave him a small smile. “Is that all?”

  Paresh cleared his throat. “Actually, I was thinking since you’re both new, and, Ravinder, you speak the language, how about you help Thaddeus around?”

  “I don’t know if I will have time for that,” Ravinder said. “I still have quite a lot to do. Besides, I don’t think Mr. Masterson requires a babysitter.”

  “Thaddeus, please. I wouldn’t say babysitter.” Thaddeus was amused by all of this. For some reason Ravinder disliked him and Thaddeus wasn’t sure why. “But I do need some help navigating because of the language. If you’re too busy, I’ll just have to find someone else.”

  “Okay, then find someone else,” Ravinder said. “I really do have a lot on my plate.”

  “No, Ravinder,” Paresh said.

  Thaddeus knew the young man was not pleased and he couldn’t understand why. Still, he’d been enjoying the back and forth.

  “Fine,” Ravinder said. “If this is your wish.”

  Paresh smiled. “Thank you. I need Thaddeus to be comfortable here. The next little while is going to be daunting at best.”

  “I bet. If there’s nothing else.”

  Paresh nodded.

  With Ravinder gone, Paresh cleared his throat. “Brilliant man. Wound too tight.”

  Thaddeus said nothing. After his meeting, he toured the server rooms, checked out a few systems then frowned. They had to buy all new servers and once those were on site he’d have to code a new program to ensure they jived with the other software and still had the strength to keep hackers out. There was a lot of work to do. But even as he asked questions and answered those of the workers, he couldn’t stop thinking of the delectable Mr. Raja.

  He smiled and stepped through the office door. He glanced both ways then headed along the corridor. He happened to glance through the glass wall of one office and smiled. Adjusting his tie, he stopped at the door and cleared his throat.

  “Can I help you?” Ravinder asked.

  “I was just saying hello.”

  “I thought we already did that.” Ravinder glanced at his watch. “It’s not quitting time yet. I have tons to do. If you’ll excuse me…”

  “I understand.” Thaddeus stepped into the room and sat in one of the chairs before the desk.

  Ravinder stared at him as if he’d sprouted horns. “This is not leaving. This is getting comfortable.”

  “What’re you doing tonight?”

  “That is none of your business.”

  “On the contrary.” Thaddeus smiled. “Since you are showing me around, I would like to hit the town tonight. That means, what you’re doing involves me—heavily.”

  If looks could kill, Thaddeus knew he’d be dead.

  “If you want to go out tonight to do whatever, I’ll find someplace to drop you,” Ravinder said, turning back to his computer and tapping away at the keyboard. “Then I’ll have you picked up at the end when you’re finished doing…whatever. I have no interest in ‘hitting the town’.”

  “You are too young to be this old.”

  “I’m not old!” Ravinder glared at him.

  Thaddeus shrugged. “Well, what’re you going home to do? Read then fall asleep watching reruns of the Bollywood version of the Antiques Roadshow?”

  “I…” Ravinder’s shoulders rose and fell. “If you want to go out, I’ll take you out. Can we end this little interaction we’re having and you leave?”

  “I’m staying at the Oberoi.” Thaddeus rose and buttoned his jacket. “I’ll expect you at about eight—I’d like to have dinner first.”

  “This is not a date,” Ravinder said emphatically. “You know that, right?”

  “I never asked you out on one.” Thaddeus walked to the door and stepped through. When he was sure Ravinder’s glare couldn’t reach him, he smirked, unbuttoned his coat and headed to Paresh’s office to grab his computer. With all he’d seen of Rajput’s system, he had an idea what he needed to do. Perhaps he could load Rose Linx then code one of his old programs, maybe Tiberius, to accept the backups bi-weekly, so even if Rose Linx crashed, they wouldn’t lose much of anything.

  With that plan firmly in mind, he made for the exit.

  Chapter Five

  It didn’t seem Alfred and Lana could breathe. They were laughing too hard. Ravinder frowned at the screen before him with both his best friends. “You guys are asses.”

  “Oh, come on!” Alfred sputtered. “It’s hilarious!”

  “Of course it is,” Ravinder said. “For you.”

  “Seriously,” Lana added. “You don’t see what’s happening here?”

  Leaning back, Ravinder folded his arms. “No. Enlighten me.”

  “You think he’s hot!” Alfred and Lana chorused.

  “No, I don’t. The man’s a giant ass.” Ravinder refused to even admit to himself how delicious Thaddeus Masterson looked in that Hugo Boss suit. And who wore suits in India? The place was hotter than the seventh layer of hell and there he was, sitting at Paresh’s desk, legs crossed, looking so calm and cool.

  Yes, Ravinder loathed the fool.

  “Yeah,” Alfred said. “I felt that way about Darius the first time I met him.”

  “But you two are different. Darius wasn’t really a douche. I mean, yes, when you just met him, but after he started falling for you, he was kind and loving…”

  “You’re protesting this way too much,” Lana pointed out. “You only have to take the guy to dinner—you don’t have to pay for it since it’s not a date. Then take him to a wine bar or something to wet his whistle. It’s not that serious.”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  Both Lana and Alfred glanced at each other then back at the screen.

  “Try not to be a stick in the mud about this,” Alfred advised. “Take the advice you gave me. In all that you do, you should be yourself. But with this, be anyone else. You want this to end well and your boss may look at this as a test to see if they should extend your contract.”

  Ravinder unfolded his arms and sighed. He wanted to tell Alfred he couldn’t keep working for a man who would force him to dance with the devil but figured he was overreacting again. “Well, I have to get ready for my kidnapping.”

  “Dramatic much?” Alfred laughed. “Try to have fun. I k
now you’re all down about this situation, but it’s not every night you get to go dancing in Mumbai.”

  “And there’s a reason for that,” Ravinder said, dragging the cursor over the disconnect button and hovering. “I’ll talk to you two later.”

  Lana blew him a kiss, and Alfred waved.

  Without hesitating, he disconnected the Skype call and flopped back in his chair with a sigh. How was he supposed to have fun when he disliked Thaddeus Masterson so hard? With that question, he remembered all the advice he’d had for Alfred when his best friend was just starting out with Darius Stark. Darius was a businessman, a mogul in the industry and the media, so people tended to stay out of his way or get run over. But the moment Ravinder saw the way Darius treated Alfred… Well, it was a no-brainer for him to give Alfred all the right advice.

  Still, that wouldn’t be the case with Ravinder and Thaddeus. Ravinder knew his luck with men and Thaddeus was Mr. Big Shot—way out of Ravinder’s league.

  And why did he not like Thaddeus? Ravinder didn’t know the answer to that. The moment he’d walked into the room and saw those sexy lips on the ex-hacker, Ravinder had wanted to punch him in the throat then kiss it better.

  Tossing his hands up, Ravinder rose then closed his laptop. He plugged it back in then headed into his bedroom, trying desperately to find something to wear for the night. But a couple of hours later, as it became time for him to get Thaddeus, he merely changed his mind. When Abhay arrived to pick him up, Ravinder met his driver at the door with his robe on.

  “I’d like you to go without me,” he told Abhay. “Pick up Mr. Masterson at the Oberoi and take him to Sundara for dinner. Once he’s finished, take him to a hip and happening club.”

  “You are not coming, Ravi?”

  Ravinder shook his head. “No. I don’t feel much like partying.”

  Abhay nodded, and after his tail lights disappeared out of the gates, Ravinder stepped back inside and closed the door. He wandered into the kitchen, feeling particularly proud of himself. Thaddeus must have thought he was so smart.

  My ass.

  Turning the music on, Ravinder danced around as he made himself a couscous salad with baked chicken. The chicken took a while because he couldn’t quite figure out how to turn on the oven. Once he got it working, things went smoothly. Ravinder searched the wine shelf and found a bottle of wine that said it was made in India. That surprised him because of all the things he knew India was famous for, wine wasn’t one of them. With a shrug, he poured himself a glass of the Charosa Selections Sauvignon Blanc. After a couple of sips, Ravinder had to admit, he liked it. After setting dinner up on the island, he grabbed the file he’d brought home from the office and climbed onto the stool. He opened the folder and reached for his fork. He didn’t get a chance to put anything in his mouth because the doorbell rang.

  With a frown, Ravinder pushed the piece of chicken into his mouth then checked to ensure his robe was on properly before hurrying to get the door. When he opened it, Abhay was standing there with a grim look on his face.

  “Um—I tried doing as you said, but he insisted on coming back here,” Abhay said.

  “Who…?”

  Ravinder didn’t have a chance to get his whole question out before Thaddeus stepped into view from the side. He felt the moment his heart sank to the floor and anger mixed with a sense of disappointment flooded his system.

  “I’m sorry, Ravinder,” Abhay said.

  “It’s fine, Abi,” Ravinder said. “The man’s an ass. I’ll take it from here.”

  Thaddeus beamed at him while holding up a bag with Sundara written on it. “I heard you weren’t feeling all that hot, so I come bearing gifts.”

  Ravinder stepped aside to allow him in and gave Abhay a quick wave. “I’ll call you a little later about the weekend,” Ravinder told Abhay. “Have a good night.”

  “I will be ready,” Abhay promised. “And thank you.”

  As Abhay turned down the steps back to his car, Ravinder took a deep breath and closed the door. Thaddeus wasn’t in the foyer, so Ravinder ventured into the kitchen to find his unwanted guest. “What’re you doing here?”

  “I know you don’t pay much attention when I speak, Ravinder.” Thaddeus used Ravinder’s fork to pick up a piece of chicken off Ravinder’s plate and popped it into his mouth. “I already told you. This is delicious. You really need to listen when someone is speaking to you.”

  “Listen, you…” Ravinder stopped himself before he said something they’d both regret.

  “I do hope you’re naked under that robe.” Thaddeus’ eyes heated. “Otherwise, you’d be a terrible tease.”

  “Of all the stupid, nonsensical… Wait here.” Ravinder turned to the stairs then stopped. “Just…don’t touch anything. ’Kay?”

  The jerk was smirking at him, and all Ravinder wanted to do was reach across and punch him. Clearing his throat, Ravinder jogged up the stairs instead. In his bedroom, he covered his face with a pillow and screamed. He thought that would cleanse him of the intense dislike he had for Thaddeus. But the movies lied—screaming into one’s pillow did nothing for his mood. All it did was make him lightheaded.

  ‘I do hope you’re naked under that robe.’

  What in the hell did that even mean? Thaddeus Masterson—from what Ravinder knew and despite the flirtations—was not gay. Everyone knew who Thaddeus was, so being gay would be something Ravinder would know. So why the comment about being naked? Maybe it was because Thaddeus knew Ravinder found him attractive and was using Ravinder’s lust against him.

  If Ravinder weren’t perplexed by Thaddeus before, he definitely was in that moment.

  When he made his way back downstairs, Thaddeus was standing by the glass, staring out at the night. For a moment, Ravinder stood by the door watching him. Thaddeus was so still, almost as if he weren’t breathing. He had removed his suit jacket and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. His large frame seemed as though it was something out of a movie—sexy, rigid. Thaddeus had his hands jammed deeply into his pockets with the moonlight giving Thaddeus an almost angelic look.

  “You know, it isn’t polite to stare,” Thaddeus said.

  Ravinder jumped a foot in the air.

  “Well, if I’m impolite, then you’re an ass for pretending you didn’t know I was here.” Ravinder grabbed the remote and pressed the code to open the glass, but left the screen up. Thaddeus said nothing. He glanced over his shoulder at Ravinder, smiled then turned and stepped through the opening. Feeling like a prick, Ravinder poured a new glass of wine, freshened his and carried both to the deck. He handed a glass to Thaddeus then sat in one of the chairs.

  “Why are you really here?” Ravinder asked around a sip.

  “I told you.” Thaddeus didn’t look at him. “Besides, you’re supposed to be taking me out tonight, remember?”

  “Come on, Mr. Masterson…”

  “Thaddeus.”

  “Okay, Thaddeus. Don’t piss on my head and tell me it’s raining. We both know you don’t want to spend time with me any more than I want to with you. What’s the real reason you came here?”

  Thaddeus turned and set his wine on the glass table. He leaned his back to the rail and crossed his legs at the ankles. His dark eyes were stunning in the dim glow of the moonlight and his lips looked moist from passing his tongue over them.

  “Are you going to mistrust everything I do or say around you?” Thaddeus asked. “That could get tiring really quick.”

  “Look. I know Paresh said I should show you around, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean this.”

  “This?”

  “Me spending every spare second I have with you.” Ravinder leaned in to set his glass down. “Let me correct that—I don’t want to spend my every waking moment with you. We work together. Why do I have to see you afterward too?”

  Thaddeus said nothing. If he was hurt by the comment, he was good at masking it. He merely folded his arms across his massive chest and smiled. “Let’s eat
and go dancing,” Thaddeus said. “I hear Indian food is horrible when it gets cold.”

  Ravinder arched an eyebrow as Thaddeus walked by him and into the house. “Shit, was I just talking to myself?”

  He followed to find Thaddeus setting out dinner beside Ravinder’s meal from earlier. Taking a breath, Ravinder settled into helping. When they were finally sitting beside each other, Ravinder revisited Thaddeus’ earlier suggestion.

  “Okay, fine,” Ravinder said. “I’ll take you dancing. But we can’t stay out late. I do have some stuff I have to do tomorrow and I won’t get anything done if I don’t get any sleep.”

  “Sounds reasonable.”

  * * * *

  When Ravinder got dressed and descended the steps, Thaddeus was leaning against the wall at the base of the stairs, tapping away at his cell phone. He’d been texting back and forth with Ko. The footsteps caused him to look up.

  “Well, you clean up nicely.”

  “If I didn’t know better”—Ravinder came to a stop before him—“I’d take that as a compliment.”

  Thaddeus smirked. “You don’t know me at all. But give it time.”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  Thaddeus laughed softly and reached around Ravinder to pull the door open. He allowed Ravinder to walk through then closed the door behind them.

  The ride to the club was quiet. Thaddeus kept his eyes on Ravinder, but the man didn’t so much as turn to look at him. Ravinder had flawless caramel skin as far as Thaddeus could see. Soft-looking dark hair covered Ravinder’s arms, and Thaddeus knew the man’s chest had to be just as sexy.

  Thaddeus shook his head and turned his attention out of his window. He was in Mumbai to work, not get into anyone’s bed. But Ravinder’s lips, his hazel eyes, the way he raked his fingers through his hair when he was frustrated—all of it made Thaddeus quiver in all the most wonderful ways.

  The car slowed to a stop, and Thaddeus leaned in to see where they were. The sign outside was in Marathi, so he had no clue. Still, the place looked upscale.

  “I called ahead,” Abhay said. “You are on the list. No need to wait in the line.”