Chapter 8

“You could actually hurt him.” Xavier stopped in front of me, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from my cheek. “But I know what he sees in you. I was you, Alexander. A very long time ago. Fragile and hopeless. He helped build me up and he wants to do the same for you.”

“I just want the job. That’s more than enough for me.”

“Mhmm, well I doubt that. And it won’t be enough for Luther.” Xavier glanced over at the other man, his expression softening. “I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself, boy. Let Luther show you how the work must be done, but that is all. This cozy little thing you were beginning here? Ends now.”

“Xavier—”

“No, Luther. You may be a better judge of character than I am, but these games have caused enough damage already. Even the boy can see it.” Xavier gave me a tight smile. “If you’re successful in earning my trust, we’ll introduce you to the way we play. Until then, consider fraternizing with other employees against the rules.”

Striding across the room, Luther grabbed Xavier’s shoulder and turned him to face him. “Employees? I’m your partner, Xavier. Don’t forget that.”

“I haven’t.” Xavier glanced over at Luther’s hand on his shoulder and arched a brow until Luther let it fall. “But Alexander will be my secretary. I will set the boundaries. If he can’t respect them, then he’s of no use to me.”

“I can.” I looked at Luther, who sighed, but inclined his head. “But maybe I should get my own place and—”

“No.” Xavier’s jaw hardened. “You will be here, where you can be watched. Hopefully Luther can still do his job without giving in to temptation.”

“Until you have?” Luther shook his head and returned to the table to pour himself another cup of coffee. “I see what you’re doing. You felt like you were losing control of the situation and now you’re changing the rules to suit you.”

Straightening his suit jacket, then his sleeves, Xavier gave Luther a bored look. “The control was always mine, my man. Or have you forgotten?”

“This is nothing but another game.”

“True.” Xavier’s lips curved slightly. “Isn’t that the whole point?”

Luther’s jaw ticked. He set the coffee aside. “Come here.”

Without hesitation, Xavier went to the other man and they kissed, Luther wrapping his arm around Xavier and curving his hand around the back of Xavier’s neck. There was something about the kiss that seemed more like a battle for dominance at first, but when Xavier relaxed and leaned into Luther, the dynamics changed, becoming almost tender.

I wasn’t sure if I should stay, but I was grateful they’d let me see them like this. Their relationship wasn’t public, as far as I knew—I’d never seen them discussed in the gossip magazines I’d fished out of the trash with newspapers during the winter to keep myself warm. Sometimes I’d flipped through the magazines with headlines that caught my interest, escaping from the misery of my own life by imaging what it would be like to be the people between the pages.

People like Xavier and Luther, who seemed to have it all.

There was something complicated about their relationship, something I didn’t quite understand, and I still didn’t know what kind of role I would play. But they were being honest with one another. And with me.

Turning away from them, I went to the table to collect the dirty dishes and brought them to the sink. Rinsed them off, then loaded the dishwasher, trying to ignore the whispers between the men behind me.

Finally, I head footsteps leaving the room.

I glanced over my shoulder at Xavier, who simply inclined his head to me before he disappeared into the hall.

At the table, Luther began gathering all the food we hadn’t eaten, putting leftovers in the fridge and the rest in the trash. After a long silence, he cleared his throat. “He likes you.”

Drying my hands, I kept my head down, trying not to laugh. “He hides it well.”

“That he does.” Luther smiled and came over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Remember what he said when he offered you the job. He wants you, but he’s resisting because I complicated things.”

“I figured as much. He doesn’t want me to take his place.”

“No, he’s not worried about that. We wouldn’t be playing this way if we weren’t secure in our relationship, Alec.” Luther rubbed my shoulders. “He doesn’t want me to lose control over the situation.”

“And he wants to make sure I have none.”

Luther chuckled, lowering his hands and taking a step back. “You still don’t understand, do you?”

I frowned, not sure what I could’ve possibly missed. Things seemed pretty clear. “Don’t understand what?”

“You have all the control here. Whatever games we want to play, you can end it all by simply saying ‘No.’” His lips curved as I blinked at him. “That power will be yours until you decide you don’t want it anymore. And I’m going to teach you exactly how to use it.”