Furiously, he beat at his shoulder, spinning around to make sure he’d gotten the spawn of Satan as far away from him as possible. The pain in his leg was nothing compared to his loathing of spiders. When he saw the little bugger trying to scurry away, Nolan stomped near it just to make certain it wasn’t going to turn back.
Panting, he looked up to see Zack staring down at him from the ring, eye squeezed shut and face red. Nolan swayed toward him, but stopped for fear of getting closer to the spider. “Are you okay?”
Laughter exploded from Zack as he gripped the top rope with both hands. He gasped and nodded and then laughed some more.
Nolan couldn’t stop from rolling his eyes. “Yes. I’m scared of spiders. Blame my eldest brother for that.”
“The look . . . on . . . your face!” Zack tried to stop long enough to get himself out of the ring, but failed. “Spiders!”
It was weird, Nolan normally got annoyed whenever someone teased him about his fear. He wasn’t thrilled to be a fully grown man terrified of such a tiny creature, and hated when he was reminded of his failing. But seeing Zack—hard, angry, serious Zack—laughing uncontrollably, Nolan felt his heart swell. “I thought you were taking me home?”
“I am.” Zack wiped tears from his eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Nolan reached over and punched his shoulder. “There, we’re even.”
They fell into step and headed toward the door. “If you’re going to help out here, you’re going to have to get over that. There are a lot of spiders around this place.”
“I promise to do better.” Nolan grinned. “So, you’ll let me help?”
“I’ll use you as spider bait.”
Nolan punched his arm again.
Zack shook his head, and seemed to come to terms with something. “I could use the company getting this place up and running.”
Nolan knew something had changed between them, small but significant. The way they walked together, relaxed. The sexual tension was still present, but had wrapped its arms around their budding camaraderie. They were becoming more than boss and employee, or accidental kissers. They were becoming friends.
Nolan took a deep breath as they stepped outside into the Toronto night air. “Good. We’ll get started tomorrow.”
Zack hadn’t slept much after he’d gotten home that night. He’d been hard as a rock from the moment Nolan had slipped into his car until well after he’d dropped him off at his apartment. He’d tried most of the night to get Nolan out of his mind. Jerking off hadn’t helped; neither had reviewing work documents. Maybe Max was right and he’d been on his own too long. Either that or he was under more stress than he realized.
Or he could accept the more obvious explanation. He liked Nolan in a manner that went beyond professional respect. The attraction had been little more than physical when he’d first laid eyes on him, but after a month of working side by side with him, Zack knew it had grown past that. He’d let his guard down, and the strangest part was that Nolan wasn’t even his type.
Maybe that was why he hadn’t kept his emotional dukes up: he hadn’t expected Nolan to have that kind of impact. And now, Nolan had managed to insert himself in nearly every crack of Zack’s life without him fully realizing. Even the gym would no longer offer a safe haven from the attractive, funny, caring man . . .
Fuck.
What had really broken through the last of his barriers was the spider.
Dear God the spider.
His lips stretched into a smile each time his mind replayed the events. The look of horror on Nolan’s face as he tried to destroy the tiny arachnid was forever burned into Zack’s memory. Zack hadn’t laughed that way in years. Hadn’t thrown his head back and let loose a giant belly laugh.
It was a good feeling, something he’d like to experience again. That was the main reason for his purchase on his way home the previous night and his utter excitement waiting for Nolan to arrive this morning.
Yeah, he was an asshole.
The soft sucking noise of the glass office door opening sent a thrill through him. It took great effort to keep his gaze locked on his computer monitor instead of on Nolan as he strode into the office.
Nolan popped his head into Zack’s office. “Good morning.”
“Morning.”
“Need a coffee refill?”
“Please.” He held out his mug without making eye contact. “I’ve been here awhile.”
“Need me to get anything together for you?”
“Just the coffee, please.”
The moment Nolan turned the corner, Zack grinned. He wasn’t this person, not the one to buy gifts and certainly not the one to play pranks. The gurgle and pop of the coffeemaker spitting out a fresh cup sent his heart beating. It took real effort to school his features in time for Nolan to return with the mug.
“Here you go.” Nolan set the coffee down in front of Zack’s keyboard before pausing. “Are you okay?”
“Yup, just trying to finish this report.” Don’t smile. He’ll know something’s up.
“Okay.” Nolan frowned and looked back at him twice before moving over to his desk.
Zack did his best to watch without looking too obvious. Nolan went through his usual routine, setting his own coffee down, picking up the jacket he’d slung across the reception counter, hanging it up carefully, and returning to the coffee to take a slow sip as he subtly stretched out his leg.
Finally, he pulled out his chair, and—
“Fuck!”
Zack burst out laughing.
“You asshole!” Nolan picked up the giant stuffed spider that Zack’d found at the toy store and shook it at him accusingly. “Asshole.”
“But it’s so cute and fuzzy. I thought you and Ralph could become friends.”
“Ralph. Who the hell names a spider Ralph?”
“The manufacturer. It’s what was on the tag. Check the recycling bin if you don’t believe me.”
“I can’t believe you did that to me.” Nolan threw Ralph at him, and Zack barely caught it in time.
Zack threw it back, still chuckling. “I can’t believe you actually called me an asshole. Twice. Consider Ralph therapy to help you get over your phobia. I told you, there are a lot of spiders at the gym.”
The dramatic glare and eye roll Nolan threw his way were more than enough to relax him. This was the reaction he’d been hoping for—playful and accepting. A positive start to a work day that might end up more than a little stressful.
Taking a sip of his coffee, Zack returned his attention to the top of his email list. After he read the first few lines, the happy vibes he’d been cruising on evaporated.
Shit.
He’d been handling a discipline issue with one of his managers for a few months now. Complaints of inappropriate comments toward female employees and poor job performance. In this day and age, Zack kept hoping these incidents would become old news; the sad reality was that even with Compass’s clear policies, frequent trainings, and track record of zero tolerance, this shit still happened all the time.
He fired off an email to Nancy, knowing she’d have to be involved with the inevitable termination. Before he hit Send he glanced over at Nolan, who’d slid Ralph to the side of his desk in full view of Zack. Three pens were now in Ralph’s grasp, as though he were Nolan’s adorable little helper. The thought revived Zack’s smile. No matter how bad his day might get, there were small things he could hold on to, things that would make him happy.
Things like Nolan.
And Ralph.
Zack picked up his phone and dialed the HR extension, then listened through the chipper greeting before responding. “Good morning, Nancy.”
“Mr. Anderson?”
“Yes. You sound surprised.”
“No. Of course not.” She paused. “Are you okay?”
Zack pulled the receiver away from his head and looked down at it for a moment before responding. “Yes.”
“Oh good. You
just sounded different.”
“Different how?”
“Ummm, happy. I guess.” She cleared her throat. “Can I help you with something?”
“Ryan Cooper. He’s been on a PIP for about three months. I received another performance complaint.”
“Oh God, not more inappropriate comments.”
“Thankfully, no. He screwed up another deal by missing a deadline.”
“I assume you want to start termination?”
“How soon can we get rid of him?”
“Well, with the performance plan, I’d ideally like to get things documented. I need a few days to do the paperwork. It’s Wednesday and I hate to terminate right before the weekend. Can we do it on Tuesday morning? My schedule’s clear around nine thirty.”
Zack wanted the asshole gone as quickly as possible, but he trusted Nancy to do her job. “Sure. We’ll do it in my office.”
“I’ll get Janice to start the paperwork.”
One more thing done at work. One more problem solved for Compass. One more step away from accomplishing his goal of leaving the company and reopening Ringside. A few months ago, it might have bothered him more than it did today. Back then, he didn’t have Nolan around to make the days manageable, enjoyable.
Not that making him laugh should be part of the job. But something about Nolan felt so inviting that Zack forgot about professionalism around him. Let that guard down, because Nolan wasn’t just attractive but also got him. Still . . . when Zack made himself stop to think about it, was he really any different from Ryan Cooper?
He’d never intentionally said anything to make Nolan feel uncomfortable, and he certainly hadn’t suggested that Nolan’s job depended on anything that fell outside the scope of the written position description. But neither had he really checked to make sure his attentions were wanted. Not in so many words. Nolan had seemed to be on the same page, but maybe Zack was making too many assumptions.
Shit, maybe he wasn’t any different.
Nolan took a pen from Ralph and gave it a little pat on the head before turning to make a note. He was efficient, and could play the serious business professional well, but there was always an undercurrent of something more lighthearted. Whimsy, even. He had been through so much, was still working through a lot of it, but he somehow managed to have a positive outlook. Maybe Max was right, and that was exactly the appeal. Nolan might not be Zack’s usual type, but he could smile and laugh and find the humor in just about any situation. Zack hadn’t realized how much he’d been missing that kind of lightness in his life.
Maybe there was a chance.
Maybe.
He pushed those thoughts away and went back to work.
When Nolan arrived a bit later than usual Thursday morning, the light from Zack’s office was already on. Zack was head down, poring over a number of reports, when Nolan hung up his coat and went to the kitchenette to start the coffee. There were no “good mornings” or heated glances. Nothing to indicate that anything unusual had happened between them. That they hadn’t shared not one but two kisses, plus the exchange of a novelty plush spider. That Nolan hadn’t spent the last two days wondering what it would be like to go to bed with Zack.
He’d been worried things would change after the gym—that Zack, despite his words, would treat him differently. But Zack ignoring him was business as usual, and the tension he held in his shoulders lessened. He knew how to act professional, so if that was how Zack wanted to play things, Nolan had it covered.
He waited for the coffee to finish brewing, filled them each a cup, and went to face the dragon. “Good morning, Zack.”
“Nolan.” He didn’t look up.
“You have an eight o’clock appointment this morning with Jennings and Burk from purchasing, a conference call with the London office at ten, and it’s your mother’s birthday.”
Zack looked up at that. “No, it’s not. Her birthday is in March.”
“Just making sure you’re paying attention.” He somehow managed to not smile. It was cute to see Zack so peeved. “Is there anything I can get for you?” Blowjob? Handjob? Okay, this was going to be harder than he’d thought.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“I’ll be at my desk if you need me. Ralph and I have reports to read over.” He did smile then, but didn’t linger any longer than usual.
With Zack not needing him to do anything urgent, Nolan set about reviewing their calendars. He had a doctor’s appointment coming up in the next week that he might have to postpone if Zack’s meeting this morning resulted in an updated production schedule. He also had lunch planned with Nancy, and he didn’t want to reschedule on her again if he could help it.
Zack’s agenda for the coming week included all the regularly scheduled meetings, one conference call, and Ryan Cooper’s termination meeting—Nolan probably wasn’t supposed to know what that meeting was about, but it hadn’t been hard to piece together.
And that was it.
Boring for a Thursday morning.
He tried not to look over at Zack, but he could see him from the corner of his eye. Nolan normally didn’t mind the mornings when it was this quiet; the silence was a rare pleasure and usually meant Zack was in a good mood.
He opened his email and looked at the first meeting request. Mr. Chopra again. Yeah, that wasn’t happening until the budget information had been reviewed and Zack had an action plan. He sent a generic response and closed the email. When Zack coughed, Nolan turned his head. For a moment he thought his boss was going to say something, but Zack didn’t look up. Nolan stared at his email, but didn’t open the next one. Zack cleared his throat again and shifted in his chair. Nolan did his best to ignore the fantasies of what he imagined it would be like to have him pressed against his body.
And there was a cock twitch.
Bad times.
Nolan jumped from his chair, and Zack looked up. “You okay?”
Great, now Zack was going to worry that Nolan was about to have another anxiety attack. “I’m fine. Just realized the time. I’m going to be late for some training.” Nancy had been after him to complete the workplace health and safety session since his first week. The weekly orientation session was due to start, so he wasn’t even lying.
“When will you be back?”
Odd, he’d never cared about Nolan’s schedule before now.
“An hour. Maybe more. Not sure how long these HR things go.” Zack held his gaze until Nolan felt his cheeks flush. “Don’t forget your eight o’clock.”
“Say hi to Nancy for me.”
He fled, praying Zack couldn’t see the tented front of his pants.
He stayed away for a total of two and a half hours. It turned out there’d been a large roundup of delinquent employees who’d missed the training that week, and the session was packed. The moment he sat down, he regretted his impulsive flight. Janice was the trainer, and to say she was awful would be generous. Nolan might not be able to lead a training himself anymore, but he still knew how it should be done, so he was keenly aware of exactly how Janice was failing to engage her audience.
To make matters worse, his anxiety made it nearly impossible for him to stay in the room. Instead of sitting, he ended up standing by the door, ducking out periodically when he felt as though the walls were closing in around him. Once the session was officially over and everyone filed out, Janice made him stay and complete the mandatory test in the empty room.
That wasn’t the least bit embarrassing. Not at all.
By the time he made it back to the office, he was drained. For the second time since he’d started working at Compass, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to make it through the day. Life had a way of making other things happen. He was greeted by the sound of voices as he stepped back into their space.
“Nolan!” The edge was in Zack’s voice. “Come here.”
“Yes, Mr. Anderson.” He wasn’t familiar with the man who occupied the guest seat. “Is there something I can get for you?”
> “Your assistant is a man?” The man snorted, making it look as though his horrendous burgundy tie were choking him. “You got shortchanged, Anderson. You don’t even get a nice ass to look at.”
Zack’s face was stone. “Nolan, I need you to get sign-off on the two forms I left in a folder on your desk. Do that now.”
“Of course.” There was something about the way Zack stood, about the aura of disgust and anger that rolled off him in waves, that put Nolan on high alert.
Before he could turn and leave, Zack held his gaze. “Shut the door behind you, please.”
He nodded but frowned. Zack gave his head a small shake, so small that Nolan doubted his guest even noticed. Nolan’s stomach soured as he began to put the pieces together. The door clicked shut, muting the voices on the other side. When he opened the file folder and saw the termination notice, he didn’t need to hear what was being said to know what the words would be.
Shit. This wasn’t going to go well, he just knew it.
He dialed HR. “Hi, Nancy.”
“Hey, dragon slayer. I heard you finally went to the health and safety training. Thanks for that.”
“Sorry, this is a time-sensitive call. Zack is doing a termination right now, and I think we might need security.”
“Oh no. Who is it?”
He couldn’t recall the name, so he scanned the form. “Ryan Cooper from development.”
“Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Is he in there now?” He’d never heard Nancy get frantic before. “He promised me he’d wait until next week.”
The rise of voices on the other side of the door only served to underscore his concern. “Yes, he is. And it sounds heated.”
“Security is on the way. I’ll make sure that we deactivate his badge and lock out his computer access. Shit, why didn’t he wait for this?”
“I was in training. They were here when I got back. Not sure what happened.”
“Okay, they’re coming. Just keep an eye out in case something happens.”
“Fuck you!” There was no mistaking that.
“Too late.” He hung up on Nancy, knowing she’d get help here as quickly as possible.
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