by Jenna Byrnes
The official presentation over, Seth opened the floor for questions from the partners and a long discussion ensued. Evan spoke up as needed. Gabe said very little.
The longer they sat there, the more intrigued Tucker became. For the first time in months he thought of another man in a purely sexual context. A buck-naked Gabe on his hands and knees, ass exposed for a nice, hard fuck. Tucker weaving his hand through Gabe’s long hair and tugging it while riding the man like a bronco. The pictures in his mind got wilder as his imagination soared. Gabe and Seth kneeling before him, giving him a two-man blow job like he’d witnessed at the club the night before. Next thing he knew, he was sporting a raging hard-on under the table.
Where did that last image come from? He knew Seth was attached. Tucker wasn’t a home-wrecker. He was just horny, and thrilled to feel that way after so long.
“Isn’t that right, Tucker?” his father asked.
Jolted back to reality, he tried not to appear as confused as he felt. “Excuse me?”
Will shot him a look. “I said, I’d like you to oversee the day-to-day operation of the construction. You won’t have to turn over all your cases but we will want to lighten your workload so you can devote several hours a day to the project, as needed.”
He blinked. “You want—me?”
Arnie Stokes nodded. “I couldn’t think of a better man for the job. You’re the future of Dryer and Stokes. We know you’ll do what’s in the firm’s best interests.”
“Thank you, sir.” Tucker’s heart rose into his throat. He’d never imagined being given such a position of responsibility.
People rose and milled around, discussing various concepts with the men individually. Eventually Seth made his way over to Tucker and extended a hand. “I guess we’re going to be working together. It seems we might have some mutual friends.”
“I guess so.” Tucker smiled, and lowered his voice. “I was trying to recall if we’d ever ‘worked together’ in the past, but I don’t believe we have.”
“Sorry I missed out.” Seth winked. “I used to see you with a good-looking blond fellow. Is he your significant other?”
He shook his head. “Mason is gone. There’s no one right now.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d seen you around much lately, but I wasn’t sure if it might have been me. We have a one-year-old at our house, so we’re lucky if we make it to the monthly events.”
Tucker blinked. “A baby?”
Seth laughed. “A beautiful little girl.” He pulled out his phone and scrolled quickly to photos. “This is Chloe.” The smiling child sported a big flowery headband. “Her mama, Carla.” The girl and her mother, the pretty brunette Tucker remembered seeing. “And this is our family, with my husband Michael.” The final photo showed Seth, Carla, Chloe and the black man Tucker recalled from the play parties.
“Wow.” Tucker was amazed at the unusual family dynamic. “You’ll have to explain that to me sometime, when we have more privacy.” He glanced around.
Seth chuckled. “You bet. I think we’re going to get along great. And I hand-picked this construction crew, so I know things will run smoothly. Evan and Gabe are the best.”
Tucker’s gaze returned to Gabe, who still captured his interest. “Glad to hear it.” He shook his head to clear the persistent sexual thoughts. “What time will you be at the site tomorrow? I’ll meet you there and we’ll exchange cell numbers and such.”
“They start at six during warmer weather. When I go, I usually get there by eight.”
Tucker exhaled and chuckled. “Good. I can do eight. Six might be pushing it.”
“Eight is fine. I’m in and out during the course of a day, but I’ll try to start out there so you’ll know where to reach me.” He turned to the other men. “Evan, Gabe.” He motioned them over. “This is Mr. Gleason. He’ll be by about eight in the morning, and you can make sure he has your phone numbers then.”
Evan offered his hand. “Looking forward to working with you, Mr. Gleason.”
Tucker shook it. “It’s Tucker, please. I’d say Mr. Gleason is my father but I didn’t know that man. The only father I’ve ever known is Will Dryer, my stepdad.” He nodded toward the gaggle of lawyers.
Seth made a surprised face. “Ah, gotcha.”
Tucker waved his hands. “Look, I’m being upfront with you because that’s how I like to handle relationships. I make no bones about being gay, or about working for my father. Neither of those facts will be an issue with my job performance. I’m a hard worker and I’ve earned the right to be here. I think you’ll find that out once you get to know me.”
Gabe held his hand out. “I’m sure we will, Tucker.”
They shook, and Tucker could have sworn a jolt of electricity shot up his arm. Gabe’s hand wasn’t smooth like the others, but callous-worn from hard work. The strength in his grip caused a whole new flood of images to run through Tucker’s suddenly depraved mind. “Thank you.” His voice cracked. He drew his hand back and turned away in embarrassment.
“See you tomorrow, then.” Seth gathered his things and the men left.
The partners filtered back to their offices until only Will, Tucker and Martha were left in the conference room. Tucker looked at his father. “That was some surprise you pulled on me.”
Will smiled. “A good surprise, though, right?”
“Well, sure. But you could have told me, so I didn’t come off looking like such an idiot.”
His dad shook a finger from side to side. “I’m not sure that was because of my announcement. Something else was going on inside that head of yours.”
Tucker waved him off. “Nah, just processing everything. The building is gorgeous. Everyone went nuts over it.”
Martha cleared the table. “It was a hit, Mr. Dryer. You did well.”
His grin couldn’t be held back. “I did, didn’t I?”
Tucker patted his father’s lapel and told Martha, “He’s modest, too.”
“Eh.” His dad reached out and pulled him into a bear hug. “I’m doing this for you, son. Pick up the mantle now and run with it. Make me proud.”
“I will, sir.” They hugged another long moment, then Tucker pulled away and they both swiped at their eyes. Clearing his throat, he turned to the secretary. “Can I help you with any of this?”
“No thank you. I’ve got a cart in the hall to take care of it.”
Will said, “You should get with Fiona and clear your early mornings for the foreseeable future. If you need to pass off a case have her bring the files to Martha and we’ll get it reassigned.”
“Will do. Thanks.” Tucker nodded in appreciation and, with one more glance at his father, returned to his office.
He got Fiona started on his schedule and opened his laptop to look at what he was really interested in. Gabe Conner. What would the almighty Internet reveal?
The huge database they relied on for information didn’t let him down. A picture of the handsome hunk appeared on-screen, causing Tucker’s heart to flutter. He read aloud, “Gabriel Conner, aged twenty-eight. Born in Ventura, California, has one brother, parents still live there. Attended USC.” He smiled, pleased to see his alma mater. The grin promptly slipped from his face as he continued reading. “Married to Brooklyn Jefferson. Formed Martin–Conner Construction…” He scanned quickly to see if there was mention of a divorce, but the article ended shortly after.
Tucker leaned back in his desk chair. “Married. Damn it!” He spun around and stared out of his office window. “Brooklyn Jefferson.” Something clicked in his mind and he murmured, “Brooklyn Conner.” The name rang a bell, and he swirled around to scan the inter-office phone list in his drawer. “Brooklyn Conner, paralegal.”
He jumped up and paced. “Son of a bitch!” The man of his dreams was married, and his wife worked for Dryer and Stokes. What a rotten stroke of luck! Returning to his chair, he called up Brooklyn on the database and looked at her photo. A nice-looking woman with long brown hair stared out at
him. He scowled and scanned her information. No mention of divorce there, either, but also no mention of children. That’s good.
Tucker smacked the side of his head. What difference does it make? If the man was married he must be straight. Not the first time he’d developed a crush on a hetero, but this one felt especially painful. For the first time since Mason had left, he actually felt desire for someone. Damn, if his heart hadn’t make the wrong call this time.
He met with his ten o’clock appointment then found himself down on the eleventh floor where the law library and the paralegals were stashed. Tucker pretended to look for a book while scanning faces in cubicles.
“May I help you?” a woman asked, her tone suspicious.
He turned around guiltily. “I was, uh—”
“Oh, Mr. Gleason! I’m so sorry,” the short, gray-haired woman stammered. “I’m Nancy. May I help you find something?”
“No thanks, Nancy, I found what I needed. But I was going to ask Brooklyn a question. Is she here?” He paused, then added, “Brooklyn Conner?”
She gazed at him strangely. “Brook is at her desk, right over there.” She pointed.
He followed her finger and spotted the woman he’d seen online, typing at her computer. “Okay, thanks again, Nancy. Have a nice day.”
Tucker approached the desk warily. Brooklyn wore some type of headphones. For a moment, he hated to interrupt her. “Excuse me?”
She glanced up and her face registered surprise. Tugging the earpieces out, she asked quickly, “May I help you?”
“Brooklyn Conner?”
“Yes?” She eyed him as suspiciously as her co-worker had. Despite her questioning brown eyes, she was a decidedly attractive woman with a shapely figure and full red lips. He could totally see her with Gabe. They’d be a cute couple.
She continued to stare so he got to the point. “I’m Tucker Gleason.”
“I know.”
His introduction didn’t make her any friendlier. All of a sudden he felt like a complete and utter idiot. A lie tumbled from his mouth before he could stop it. “I was wondering if I could get you to research some precedent setting cases for me? I have a two o’clock with the Bates Barbecue boys, and I could use some data on trademark infringement.”
“Of course,” she said slowly. “Usually you would tell Fiona, and she’d message us down here. We’d get the data sent up to you.”
“I know.” He leaned against the wall, trying to sound nonchalant but knowing he was probably failing miserably. “I just wanted to, you know, stretch my legs.”
“Right.” She blinked. “Well, sure, then. I’ll get it and have it sent up by one thirty if that works for you.”
“One-thirty works great. Thanks. Thanks a lot.” Tucker glanced over the pretty woman’s physique one more time then hurried to the elevator and retreated to the safety of his office.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. He’d never been good with women, even after he’d decided in high school that he wasn’t interested in them. They intimidated the hell out of him. Except women lawyers. He could face them in court all day long and never break a sweat. But in a social setting, he was nothing but a sap.
Fiona ordered him a grilled chicken salad for lunch and he ate in privacy. He never once expected to see Brooklyn that afternoon, fully expecting her to message the documents up with a student runner. But when Fiona knocked on his door at one-twenty-five and stuck her head in, she said, “Brook Conner from the library has some papers for you. Want me to take them?”
Tucker blinked. “Uh, no, I’ll see her. Thanks.” He picked up a pen and pretended to be busy writing when she walked in.
“I’ve got the precedents you requested, Mr. Gleason.” Brooklyn approached his desk and offered him three bound documents.
“Thank you. I really appreciate your quick turnaround. I know it’s not how we usually do things.”
She waved a hand. “No problem. I spoke with my husband at lunch. He told me about the new project, and how you’re going to be overseeing it.”
“Oh, yes.” His last hope—that the couple had separated because Gabe had suddenly realized he was gay—had just been dashed. He offered a goofy smile and a shrug. “Yeah, right. Small world.”
“Gabe’s very excited about it. He enjoyed working with Seth a lot. Winning this bid was a big deal for Martin–Conner.”
“I’m glad. Yeah, Seth seems like a nice guy. Couldn’t talk to him for five minutes without him pulling out the baby pictures, though.”
She grinned. “He’s a very proud papa. Chloe is beautiful, but then why wouldn’t she be with Seth and Carla as her parents?”
“The kid comes from good genes, that’s a fact. He, uh, mentioned he also has a husband. I didn’t quite get that.”
Brooklyn chuckled. “Most people don’t. Seth and Michael were married about five years ago when it became legal in the state. A couple years later they met Carla and all hit it off. She lives with them now, and she and Seth had Chloe.”
“So the kid has two dads?”
“No, they call him ‘Uncle Michael’, but he loves her like a daughter. It’s very sweet, really. They’re an incredible family. We’ve been to their house for dinner a few times.”
“Dinner? Hmm.” A fleeting thought zipped through his mind. Had they done anything besides eat dinner? The idea would have caused a boner had he allowed it to take root.
“Yep, dinner.” She inched toward the door. “I should get back downstairs. I just wanted to make sure you got what you needed, and let you know I talked to Gabe. As I said, he’s very excited about working with you.”
Tucker stood and quickly moved the documents in front of his crotch, just to be safe. “Excited. Yeah, me too. Very excited.”
After watching her walk out, he returned to his chair and stacked the legal decisions she had brought him on top of the same ones he’d collected earlier. Had he gotten what he needed? Yeah, I think so.
Chapter Two
Gabriel Conner drew his hair back into a ponytail and fastened it with a cloth-covered band. Peering around the bathroom corner, he glanced at his wife who was getting dressed in the bedroom. “He said he was excited?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve asked me that three times. Yes, he said he was excited. I think getting assigned this project was a big deal for him. He’s just a junior partner, you know.”
“But his old man’s the boss.”
“True.” She stepped behind him and glanced over his shoulder, looking in the mirror to insert her earrings. “But Mr. Dryer’s a good man. He’s not the type to promote someone just because he’s family. I’ve heard from lots of people—Tucker’s secretary included—that he’s a good lawyer and he’s working his way up like anyone would have to.”
“That’s what he told us,” Gabe agreed. “He also told us he’s gay. Just spit it out right there in front of us. I thought Evan was going to shit himself.”
“He didn’t say anything, did he?”
Gabe shook his head. “We need this job too much. He knew better than to spout off and take a chance on losing it.”
She looked at his reflection. “Is he really that homophobic?”
He shrugged. “I guess. He’s made a few comments over the years, but we usually don’t talk about it. We have no reason to. I don’t know anyone who’s gay.”
Brook chuckled. “Um, excuse me? Seth?”
He shook his head. “Seth and Carla just had a kid. That doesn’t spell gay to me.”
“Bisexual, maybe. Evan never thought of that?”
“Evan knows where his bread is buttered. Seth’s brought us lots of jobs. It’s probably easier to ignore his sexual preferences now that Carla and Chloe are around.”
“I guess.” She appeared thoughtful. “We knew a gay guy in college, remember? What was his name?”
Drew Smith. Gabe would never forget it, or the way Drew had made him feel when they’d touched each other. Touched, hell. Fucked was more accurate terminology. They’
d fucked well and often in the back seat of Drew’s classic 1969 Pontiac LeMans convertible, down by the ocean. It had happened months before he and Brook had taken their relationship as friends to the next level, something that might never had happened if Drew’s father hadn’t found out about his son’s gay relationship. Mr. Smith had gone apeshit crazy and had sent Drew back east to a different school, where the change of scenery would ‘do him good’. The last time Gabe had talked to his old lover, Drew had been seeing his world history professor, and the man had been giving him lessons on plenty of things besides history.
“What was his name?” Brook repeated.
Gabe turned to face her. “I don’t remember. I need to get to work. You’re going to be early.”
“I have a lot to do, and wanted to get an early start. It’s quieter if I can slip in before everyone else.”
He kissed the tip of her nose and scooted from the bathroom. “You work too hard for what they pay you.”
Ignoring the comment, she called after him, “Don’t forget your lunch!”
“Got it,” he hollered back, pocketing his cell phone and grabbing the insulated cooler he used to stash his lunch and some water bottles.
His lime green truck wasn’t a classic like Drew’s car had been, it was just old. Two fenders were rusted out and the passenger side had a hole in the floorboard. It ran like a champ and had dual gas tanks, which meant he spent a fortune when he stopped for fuel, but he didn’t have to stop very often.
The new job site was a ten minute drive from the small house he and Brook owned. They’d been proud to sign the papers the day they’d bought it, feeling like they’d finally achieved something. They’d both graduated from college and she’d been accepted into law school, but after nearly two years they’d found they couldn’t afford it. She professed to be happy working as a paralegal, but Gabe knew her job was nothing more than a glorified legal secretary. It made his heart hurt, thinking that he couldn’t give her the kind of life she’d always wanted, but Brook didn’t complain.
