BOSS

by Ashley John

  Ezra knew Joshua had a lawyer. How else did he find out about any of this? He was so sure it was watertight. That had been one of Ezra’s conditions to taking on everything but they were springing more leaks than the Titanic and he felt as though he was about to go down with the ship.

  “Sort this out,” he snarled, “I don’t care what you need to do, just sort it out.”

  Slamming the phone into the handset, he collapsed back into his chair. He could sense Joshua on the other side of the wall but he didn’t know how to act with him around. You wanted him close, this is what you get.

  He shouldn’t have cared for Joshua. He’d made it clear he wanted everything but that didn’t explain why he’d turned up at all. He could have stayed home. He could have fought Ezra in court and probably won. Why is he here? What is he up to?

  “Can I come in?” there was a knock at the door and Ezra knew who it was.

  “You don’t have to knock,” firmly massaging his temples, he waited for Joshua to enter.

  When he did, he remembered why he was so confused. He couldn’t look at Joshua and not feel his insides turn to mush. As he watched him walk confidently towards his desk, all he wanted to do was rip the tight fitting suit off and he knew that was the problem.

  “Is this a good time? You look like you’re in the middle of something,” Joshua was already backing away.

  “I’ve always got time for you,” and he meant it.

  God, what is this man doing to me?

  Closing the door behind him, Joshua walked towards the desk, dumping the thick chunk of bound paper on top of his closed laptop. A small title read ‘Market Research For The Asian Deal by Joshua Silverton’.

  “What’s this?” Ezra poked it.

  “Market research,” he crossed his arms, “you told me to find where I fit, so I did.”

  He nodded to the file, letting Ezra know he should open it. He flicked through the pages, unsure of how to take it. It was filled with pictures of smartphones with detailed analysis. Ezra paused to read a couple of snippets on the popularity of flip phones in the Asian market. This stuff is good.

  “You did all of this?” Ezra flicked through what must have been over thirty pages of images and text.

  “Yeah,” he was somewhere between smug and proud, “I went downstairs to get a new login for my computer and then I wandered by development. This lovely girl, Ren, told me all about the new contract you’d got to design new products for an Asian phone company, so I thought I’d put my knowledge to use.”

  He flicked through the pages again. He didn’t know whether to be proud or scared. He’s no joke.

  “You did all of this in a couple of hours?” he glanced at his watch, “I left you two hours and forty-five minutes ago and you’ve put together a full market research pack. Are you for real?”

  Joshua pursed his lips, lifted his brows and nodded. It was clear what he was doing. He was telling Ezra he wasn’t going to be put in the corner to ‘find where he fit in’.

  “I’ve done six months in Japan, four in China and a couple of weeks in South Korea. You pick things up when you travel.”

  Had he expected Joshua to sit in the empty office for a couple of weeks before he got bored? Ezra didn’t know what he was going to do with him because he never even expected him to show up. Bill had described an incompetent rebel who had no interest in ever working for his money but Joshua was proving that wrong.

  If he gave Joshua a real role in the company, one of two things would happen. He’d learn to love the working life and he’d relish the challenge of it, or, he’d get a taste for power and he’d try to overthrow Ezra. That left Ezra with a difficult decision to make; did he encourage and push Joshua to prove his worth, or did he try to squash him?

  “Yeah, it’s okay,” Ezra shrugged as he flicked through the pages again, “little rough around the edges. Could be better, but I guess it’s a good first effort.”

  The deflated look on Joshua’s face practically stabbed Ezra in the gut. Its just survival. He repeated that to himself over and over but he knew it wouldn’t drown out the guilt.

  “You can’t say I didn’t try,” Joshua snatched up the paper, “I knew this was a bad idea.”

  He headed straight for the shredder and switched it on, shredding his hard work to dust. Ezra knew he could have used the information in that pack but he was more bothered about how Joshua was taking the rejection.

  It took a lot for him to come here and you’re acting just like his father.

  “Joshua, wait -,”

  “No,” Joshua tossed his hands out, “I don’t want to hear it, okay? This, this was a mistake. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think that this could work.”

  Face burning, he headed straight for the door. Jumping up, Ezra ran ahead of him to block the door before Joshua had a chance to storm through it.

  “Calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down,” he cried, “get out of my fucking way, Ezra.”

  “You think you can act like this in the real world, do you? Whenever somebody tells you to do better, you think you can flip out and leave? This is the real world of business. You’re competing against people with university degrees who will work for half what I’m going to pay you. I told you it was a good first attempt. You can’t take this world so personally or you’ll never survive.”

  Standing face to face, the anger between them was so clear. The veins bulged out of Joshua’s neck as he panted through his flared nostrils, his tan darkening with every fleeting moment.

  “You’re so full of yourself,” his lip quivered, “get out of my way.”

  “No,” Ezra laughed, “you’re not leaving here.”

  “You going to stop me?” Joshua looked him up and down, “I’ll fight you.”

  “Fight me,” he laughed again, “go for it. Knock the shit out of me and run away. Is that all you’re good at?”

  He knew he was hitting Joshua where it hurt. He wanted him to get angry. He wanted him to show Ezra how much he wanted it. He wanted to see in his eyes why he was really there. Are you here to prove yourself or are you here to throw a spanner in the works?

  “Maybe it is,” his eyes darkened, “so what? Why do you care?”

  “I don’t,” he lied, “if you leave now, it won’t affect me. What about you? What will you do? Your trust fund must be running out at your age.”

  Another blow below the belt.

  “Move.”

  The way Joshua said that almost made Ezra move. It was the voice of a man not to be messed with but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He knew it would be better if he left, because he probably wouldn’t come back. The way he was acting, he’d probably go straight to the airport. He’d leave London and he’d leave Ezra’s life and things would get a whole lot easier. What if I don’t want easy?

  “Make me,” Ezra held his ground, “hit me if that’s what you need to do. It won’t change anything.”

  “It’ll make me feel better,” he clenched his fists by his side.

  “Do it,” Ezra whispered, “show me who’s the big man here.”

  Ezra was running on pure adrenalin. He was pushing Joshua to the edge and he wanted to see if he’d jump or fly.

  “I hate you,” Joshua mumbled.

  “Good.”

  “You make my skin crawl.”

  “Even better.”

  “But -,” Joshua stopped talking.

  His angry glare found Ezra’s lips.

  “But what?”

  Before Ezra had time to notice or process the signals, Joshua was pressed up against him, pushing his spine firmly into the wood door. Fingers dug deep into Ezra’s cheeks as Joshua forced his face still. His tongue pushed its way into Ezra’s mouth before Ezra even had time to open it.

  His cock grew instantly and he could feel Joshua’s doing the same. Ezra had done so many things with many faceless twinks in his office, but this already topped them all.

  Joshua bucked his hips agai
nst Ezra’s, grinding their erections together. Their tongues did the same, each touch driving them faster towards the edge.

  He pulled away, still clutching Ezra’s face. The exposed skin around his mouth was raw from the contact with Ezra’s stubble but as the sun glowed through the grand windows and through Joshua’s fallen hair, Ezra couldn’t stop thinking about how he was the most beautiful man he’d ever seen.

  “I fucking hate you,” Joshua stared down at Ezra’s lips.

  “Shut up and kiss me again.”

  Joshua’s breath trembled as he pressed his mouth against Ezra’s. He felt the anger turn to passion as the kiss grew more and more intense. His lips couldn’t keep up with the speed Joshua was trying to kiss him. It took every ounce of his strength not to rip Joshua’s trousers down to push his inches into Joshua.

  “Why am I doing this,” Joshua muttered through the kiss, his forehead leaning on Ezra’s.

  “Because you want to,” he whispered, “you want this as much as I do.”

  With a pant, Joshua nodded in agreement as his fingers fumbled with the tricky buckle on Ezra’s trousers.

  “This is your job interview.”

  “You’re a dickhead,” Joshua growled, “you make me so angry. I could kill you.”

  His fingers were still tugging at his belt. The more he told Ezra how much he hated him, the more his cock throbbed. If he kept talking, he was going to blow his load right there in his underwear.

  Pushing Joshua’s fingers out of the way, Ezra took over and unbuckled his belt. He yanked it open and unhooked his trousers to let his cock spring forwards. Joshua’s hand quickly clasped it, jerking through the fabric. His touch was clumsy and raw but that only made it even hotter.

  Joshua’s fingertips ripped into the elastic of his underwear to let Ezra’s cock fall out properly. It took him a couple of attempts to grip around his thick and rigid member but when he did, he started to tug it from base to tip, pulling back his foreskin as he did.

  Not sure how long he could last, he grabbed a fist full of Joshua’s hair and yanked him down to his knees. With little resistance and pain in his eyes, Joshua let Ezra’s cock rest against his cheek. His blue eyes looked up to Ezra, an unsettling fear in the grown man’s eyes.

  “Suck it,” Ezra demanded.

  “I don’t think I know how,” Joshua suddenly looked vulnerable.

  There was no way Ezra wasn’t getting his dick sucked by Joshua after he’d just gotten them to that point. Using his hair like a handle, he pulled him back, grabbing his cock with his other hand. He lined it up with Joshua’s lips and after he applied a bit of pressure, Joshua’s mouth opened to him and his eyes closed.

  Oh, fuck.

  He wanted to take things slow, knowing that Joshua was an amateur at sucking dick but he couldn’t control himself. Grinding his hips into Joshua’s mouth, he felt the head hit the back of his throat as Joshua spluttered for breath.

  Ezra may have been gripping his hair but Joshua was making no attempts to make it stop. After a minute, Joshua’s fist clenched around the base of Ezra’s heavy shaft. He worked the tip with his tongue and the rest with his tight grip, forcing the control away from Ezra.

  This feels too fucking good to be his first time.

  He repeated for what felt like a lifetime. It was a never-ending wave of pleasure and Ezra could feel it coming to a head.

  “I’m gonna blow,” Ezra’s buttocks clenched, “you might wanna move.”

  Instead of moving, Joshua sped up, his tongue batting his head as the hand continued to do the work. All it took was one glance of those blue eyes for Ezra to lose his shit. Forcing himself to keep his eyes open, he let the feeling rush through his blood as Joshua took his load. Joshua’s eyes clenched but he quickly swallowed like a pro, which made Ezra’s cock twitch and spurt even more.

  “Fuck,” Ezra gasped, “fuck, Joshua.”

  He let his body flop against the door as he fought to regain his breath. Basking in the warm glow of his orgasm, a small laugh escaped his mouth as he felt Joshua standing up.

  Wiping the sweat from his lashes, Ezra opened them to see Joshua with his back turned from him. With his hands on his hips, it was clear he wasn’t sure how to feel.

  “This needs to stop happening,” Joshua dropped his head.

  Rolling his eyes, Ezra pushed his still hard cock into his trousers so he could fasten his belt. Straight guys.

  “Didn’t I mention that all employees must give the boss special favours?”

  “Fuck off, you -,”

  “I’m kidding,” Ezra laughed.

  Joshua seemed to calm down slightly but he still didn’t look like he’d recovered from giving head for the first time.

  “I should get back to work,” Joshua pointed the door, his eyes planted on the ground, “I clearly need to polish up my typing skills.”

  “Wait,” Ezra grabbed Joshua’s hand before he let him leave, “What you did was great. I was just being a dickhead to see how you’d react.”

  Joshua’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, “You fucking -,”

  “Trust me,” Ezra pulled him in close, “that was the last thing I was expecting. I thought you’d either try to kill me or leave.”

  “There’s still time.”

  Ezra looped his fingers through Joshua’s as they stared into each other’s eyes. The anger was still there in Joshua’s gaze but it wasn’t as strong. Staring into his diamond blues, Ezra felt any suspicion drift away. He didn’t care why Joshua was there, he just cared that he was.

  “Do you want to get some lunch? There’s a great little place around the corner.”

  “Are you serious? I can never tell with you.”

  “Cards on the table,” Ezra tightened his grip on Joshua’s fingers, “I just want to spend some time with you not arguing.”

  He could tell Joshua was forcefully trying to figure him out but for once, Ezra was telling the truth.

  “Fine,” Joshua blinked slowly, “I could eat.”

  “Joshua?” Ezra whispered.

  “What?”

  He let go of Joshua’s hand.

  “Kiss me again.”

  And he did. He didn’t hesitate, he just pulled Ezra’s face in and kissed him. Their tongues quickly danced together and he could taste himself on Joshua’s tongue. When he pulled away, he didn’t look shocked or confused, he looked like he knew what he was doing.

  “I still hate you,” he turned around and headed for the door.

  “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  This boy is going to be the end of you.

  After his first day working at the tower, Joshua wasn’t sure how he’d feel. He’d come to expect that whenever he was around Ezra, he wasn’t going to act right. He’d also come to accept that their relationship had somehow become a sexual one without him even intending.

  He was trying not to question it or over analyse it but that was practically impossible. Ezra was making him feel things internally and externally that he never thought possible and it was only muddying the waters.

  If I could just keep my hands off him, maybe I’d fucking get somewhere.

  “So, we can go to a bar or we can go back to my place for a drink? Your call,” Ezra said as they headed through the emptying reception of Silverton Tower.

  He didn’t know how he’d agreed to going for an after work drink with Ezra but he had.

  “Bar,” Joshua plumped for.

  He wasn’t ready to spend time in his old home just yet. His father’s ghost could still be stalking the place and he wasn’t ready to face those memories.

  “C’mon, my car is parked out front,” Ezra started walking towards the exit but when Joshua’s phone started to ring, he held back.

  “I’ll catch up with you,” he mumbled when he saw ‘Tobias Cole’ on the caller ID, “Tobias? What’s up?”

  “Joshua? Where are you?”

  “I’m at the tower,” he said, “what’s going on?”

  �
��Can you get to my office? I think we need to talk.”

  He watched as Ezra walked through the revolving doors. Part of him wanted to tell Tobias that he was busy because he secretly wanted to spend more time with Ezra but there was a panic and fear in Tobias’ voice that made him agree.

  “Change of plan,” Joshua smiled apologetically, “Violet needs me for some wedding stuff. I gotta go.”

  “Oh,” Ezra squinted, “I’ll give you a lift home.”

  “No,” Joshua waved his hand as he walked down the street, “see you tomorrow.”

  Congrats Joshua, you’ve probably just made him suspicious as hell.

  When he got to Tobias’ office on Fleet Street, the front door was already open for him and the receptionist looked like she’d gone home for the day. Tobias was sitting behind his desk with a pair of glasses on the end of his nose as he shuffled through papers by his reading lamp.

  “Knock, knock,” Joshua said as he walked in.

  “Joshua,” Tobias quickly stood up and shook his hand, “please, sit. Lots to discuss.”

  The last time he’d visited, the desk had been empty but now it was piled high with cases and paperwork. Joshua wasn’t too sure if any of it was to do with him but when Tobias started to shuffle through them he got the idea they were.

  “Have you been digging for something?”

  “I must admit, when you left, I felt bad. I knew none of this was your fault, so I started to do some digging of my own into this case. I managed to trace it back to a company up north. I knew it wasn’t like your father to go so far afield but I guess he didn’t want us catching him out.”

  Tobias seemed flustered and excited but Joshua was only confused.

  “What have you found?”

  “Well,” Tobias tugged his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, “not an awful lot. This case is more complicated than I thought it would be because there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t add up. They did everything in such a rush and yet they covered their tracks perfectly.”

  “So you call me here to tell me you’ve found nothing?”

  Tobias finally plucked a piece of paper from the bunch and passed it over to Joshua. He quickly scanned it and it looked like the final page of a contract. At the bottom of the page, it had been signed with his father’s signature.