The Law of Attraction (10 page)

Ed swivelled around on his office chair to look at them, wondering whether he was going to get any say in this discussion. Apparently not.

“Take him.” Katherine’s tone implied it wasn’t worth arguing about. “I’ll have Jen book rooms for both of you. The meeting’s scheduled for Friday morning, so you fly up tomorrow evening. It could take all day to iron out the details, so I’ll have her book two nights, and you’ll travel back on Saturday. Have you ever been to Edinburgh, Ed?” Katherine finally included him in the conversation.

“No.”

“Well, it’s a beautiful city. Make sure you take some time to enjoy it while you’re there.” She managed to make that sound like an order too. “Alec can show you the sights, I’m sure.”

Ed nodded. “All right. That sounds fun.”

Ed chanced a glance at Alec, who had his poker face firmly in place. Ed hoped his own expression wasn’t giving away his inner thoughts right now, because
fuck
. Two nights in a hotel with Alec away from the workplace sounded like a dangerous, yet utterly thrilling prospect. For all their talk about keeping things professional, Ed was definitely going to pack some lube and condoms, just in case.

After work on Thursday, they got a taxi all the way from the office to Heathrow. Ed was horrified by the expense. He watched the price on the meter tick up and up and up, and he shook his head.

“We could have just got on a train and given this money to charity or something.”

“I already give plenty of money to charity,” Alec said. “And this way is much more comfortable, even if it takes ages—especially in the rush hour.”

He had a point. Although secretly Ed wouldn’t have minded being squashed up next to Alec in a crowded train carriage.

“You give money to charity?”

“Of course. I earn far more than I need. I invest some of it, and I also support causes I believe in.”

“Which charity do you support?” Ed knew it was a nosy question, but he was intrigued.

“A charity that supports homeless LGBT youth.” Alec avoided Ed’s gaze, picking at the edge of one of his fingernails. “They do a lot of good work for young people who’ve been kicked out by their families or who’ve run away because they’re afraid of what their families would do to them if they found out.”

Something about Alec’s tone set off alarm bells for Ed. “Did your parents find out about you?”

Alec’s jaw tightened. He picked at his nail again and then cursed as he drew blood by pulling on a piece of loose skin.

“Alec?” Ed pressed.

“I was caught in a compromising position at school.” Alec’s voice was quiet and he spoke quickly, as though it was easier to say the words if he got them out fast. “I was expelled. My father wasn’t too chuffed about that, as you can imagine. He used his belt on me the day I came home… called me a disgusting little queer.”

Ed’s mind flashed back to their first and only night together, and he had a sudden vivid memory of the faint scars he’d seen on Alec’s back the next morning. He felt sick. He wanted to reach for Alec’s hand and hold it, to stop Alec from hurting himself where he was worrying at the cut on his finger, but he was afraid Alec would push him away. “I’m sorry,” he said instead. “I’m so sorry.”

“Why? You weren’t the one sucking my dick in the shrubbery.” Alec’s dry chuckle had no humour in it.

Ed couldn’t bring himself to join in with Alec’s attempt at a joke. Instead he said, “And now they believe you’re straight?”

“I did a good job of convincing them I prefer girls. They were more than happy to believe me and write off my indiscretion as hormone-driven stupidity. That made me less of a disappointment.”

Ed didn’t know what to say. His mother had hugged him when he’d told her he was gay. She had told him she loved him and that all she wanted was for him to be happy. His heart hurt for Alec and the shame and hatred he still carried inside.

Alec carried on talking, filling the uncomfortable silence. “Of course, since I turned thirty a couple of years ago, they’ve ramped up the pressure on me to marry. They don’t approve of Belinda, but they’re desperate for grandchildren to carry on the Rowland name. My younger brother, Caspar, isn’t showing any signs of settling down either—and any child he fathers is likely to be illegitimate. So I’m their best hope.” Alec laughed bitterly. “Poor sods. One wayward son and one secretly gay one.” He glanced at Ed, then looked out of the window. “Sorry. I’m banging on. I don’t normally talk about this family stuff with anyone apart from Belinda.” He looked embarrassed.

“It’s okay,” Ed said. And it was. He was flattered that Alec trusted him enough to open up and say the things he’d said. “Does Caspar know you’re gay?”

“He may suspect,” Alec replied. “He knows what happened at school, and I’m not sure he ever believed Belinda’s really my girlfriend. But we haven’t discussed it for years.”

“Would he care?”

“I doubt it. He works in the fashion industry. He has plenty of gay friends, so I can’t imagine he’d have a problem with it.”

“Maybe you should tell him.”

“Maybe.” Alec changed the subject. “What’s your family like?”

“Very different to yours, by the sound of it. My mum and stepdad are pretty great. We clashed sometimes when I was a teenager, like everyone does, but they were awesome when I came out.”

“Have you got brothers and sisters?”

“Three sisters. Well… half-sisters.” Ed smiled as he thought of the girls. “They’re monkeys, especially the twins.” He launched into some anecdotes to make Alec smile, and by the time they got to the airport, the atmosphere had lifted.

On the plane, Alec took the seat by the window.

“This is so exciting,” Ed said, leaning across him to peer out of the window as the plane moved along the runway. “I haven’t been on a plane in ages, not since I went to Ibiza the summer after I did my A levels.” He blushed. “Sorry, I sound like such a hick. I expect you fly all the time, don’t you?”

“Quite a bit, yes.”

Something about Alec’s tone made Ed look at him more closely. Alec was rigid with tension. He was breathing slowly and deeply, but his face was pale and there was a tightness to his expression.

“Are you okay?” Ed asked cautiously. Alec had the look of a man who might bite his head off for asking.

The note of the engines changed as the plane sped up, and a muscle ticked in Alec’s jaw. “I’m not a fan of flying. But I’ll be a little better once we’re in the air.”

“Oh, right. Not long now.”

The engines roared; the final thrust of acceleration pushed Ed back into the seat, and his stomach swooped as the plane lifted off the runway into the evening sky.

Ed couldn’t resist leaning across Alec again to watch as the lights of the city fell away beneath them and the plane banked, curving around to head north. Exhilarated, Ed grinned at Alec, who still looked as though he were carved out of granite. “They’ll bring the drinks trolley round soon. You look like you need one.”

Alec glanced sidelong at him, and his lips twisted into a tight smile. “Yes. Apparently alcohol helps enormously in the event of a plane crash.”

Ed chuckled.

Even when the seat belt lights went off, Alec was still tense, so Ed distracted him by pulling out the draft purchase agreement and notes for the meeting tomorrow. He knew Alec would be able to focus on those, and maybe it would stop him being afraid that the plane was about to fall out of the sky.

Sure enough, Ed’s questions and queries soon had Alec focused on him rather than their surroundings. Ed hid a smile, relaxing as Alec’s tension eased.

When the cabin crew came around offering drinks, Alec asked for mineral water and Ed followed his lead. He was tired, and alcohol would only make him sleepy. He wanted to be able to focus on what Alec was saying. Tomorrow was a big day.

They landed unscathed, and Alec’s relief as the wheels touched down smoothly on Scottish soil was apparent. The colour came back to his cheeks, and he smiled sheepishly at Ed. “Thanks for not taking the piss. Whenever I fly with James, he’s a total arse about it.”

“You should see me if I’m faced with a spider,” Ed grinned. “I’m in no position to judge anyone with an irrational fear of anything. Plus hardly any spider in this country is an actual threat, whereas people
do
die in plane crashes. So your phobia is way more logical than mine.”

“You’re really scared of spiders?”

“Terrified. I literally scream like a teenage girl. Fiona, my housemate, has to save me from the giant ones in the bathtub on a regular basis.”

Alec laughed. “Thanks. I feel better now.”

“You’re welcome.”

By the time they got to their hotel, it was nearly nine in the evening.

“I’m starving,” Alec said in the lift up to their floor. “It’s a bit late for the restaurant. How about you get settled, then come to my room to go through the final details for tomorrow, and we can order room service?”

“Okay.” Ed tried not to flush at the thought of being alone in a hotel room with Alec.
You’re a professional
, he reminded himself.
He’s your boss. You’re not going there again
.

After he’d unpacked his case, Ed walked along the corridor to Alec’s room a few doors down. He knocked, and was greeted with “Come in, it’s open.”

Alec was sprawled on his bed already surrounded by papers. He was still in his shirt and suit trousers, but his feet were bare, and he had draped his tie over the back of a chair along with his suit jacket. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and dark chest hair showed at the open neck.

Ed swallowed hard, desperately trying to tamp down his libido, because Jesus Christ, Alec wasn’t making this whole professional-relationship thing easy looking like that. Ed had been tempted to change into jeans and a T-shirt but had deliberately kept on his suit jacket and tie, needing that formality to remind him of their roles. He walked to the window, allowing the impressive view outside to distract him from the sight of Alec.

“Wow, is that Edinburgh Castle?” He stared at the floodlit building, high up on its rocky crag in the centre of the city. “It’s amazing.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Ed stopped to admire it a moment longer, before turning back to Alec.

“I thought it was easier to spread this lot out on the bed,” Alec said. “But it won’t take long to go through it. We covered most of it on the flight. I’m just putting it all in order for tomorrow.”

Ed toed off his shoes and took a seat beside Alec, leaning back against the headboard and crossing his legs at the ankle.

“Oh, and here’s the room service menu.” Alec passed it to him. “Work out what you want, and then can you order? I’ll have the Aberdeen Angus steak sandwich with salad rather than chips.”

They tidied the papers away before their food came. All neatly filed and organised, ready for the meeting tomorrow morning.

“You won’t need to do anything other than observe,” Alec reassured him as he put everything back in his briefcase. “I’m not anticipating any major quibbles. I think Mr Mackenzie prefers doing business face-to-face. He’s old-school, and he’s been running this chain for thirty years. He wants to see who he’s selling to, to be sure it’s going to a good home.”

“And what if our client fails to reassure him?” Ed asked.

“He won’t. Maxwell runs a tight ship, but his reputation in the industry is impeccable and he’s very good at charming people.”

A knock on the door distracted them. A young woman, about Ed’s age, wheeled in a trolley with their meals. Ed watched as Alec thanked her, giving her a generous tip.

“Thank you, sir.” She smiled and flushed. “Can I help you with anything else?”

“No thanks. Good night.” Alec turned to the trolley, passing Ed the plate with a gourmet burger on it and picking up his own steak sandwich.

Ed noticed with amusement that the woman stole a final glance at Alec over her shoulder as she let herself out. He couldn’t blame her. Alec was worth a second look.

“Poor girl nearly tripped over her tongue,” he commented as Alec sat back down.

“What?”

“Staring at you like you were on the menu.”

“Oh.” Alec’s lips quirked. “Well, she’s out of luck.”

Aren’t we all
, thought Ed rather morosely.

They ate in silence sitting side by side on the bed with their legs stretched out. Ed looked at Alec’s bare feet next to his socked ones. It felt oddly intimate, and maybe that was what gave him the courage to ask something he’d been wondering about for a while.

“So, that first time we met… is that what you usually do for sex? Pick up randoms in clubs?”

“It works for me.” Alec’s tone was frosty.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound judgemental. I mean, I was there—right? I was up for it too.”

“So I recall.” The ice melted again and humour crept in.

Ed glanced sideways and flushed when their gazes met. “Yeah. Um. So you’ve never, like, dated or anything? Nothing more permanent?”

“You’re a lawyer, Ed. Try and sound the part. No hesitation, no deviation. Just ask what you want to know.”

“Have you ever had a boyfriend?”

Alec shook his head. “No. But I’ve never wanted one. There are fewer and fewer men who are prepared to stay in the closet these days. Boyfriends tend to want to do inconvenient stuff like be seen in public together. It’s easier to pick someone up when I want a warm body to fuck instead of my hand.” He folded his arms defensively.

His words stung. “Don’t you get lonely?” Ed pressed.

“I don’t have time to be lonely.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Believe what you like. Anyway, I assume you’re not seeing anyone? Nothing serious if you were prepared to go home with me. So, aren’t you lonely too?”

“Sometimes,” Ed replied honestly. “I don’t live alone, though. I have a housemate. But I miss being in a relationship. I had a long-term boyfriend while I was at university, but it didn’t work out.” Ed’s gut twisted with the remembered pain of that relationship breakdown. “There hasn’t been anyone serious since. I hope I’ll find that closeness again sometime.”