The Law of Attraction (9 page)

“So why don’t you tell him that? He probably thinks you just want a convenient fuck. Maybe he’d feel differently if he knew this meant something to you.”

“No. I have way too much to lose. I can’t make myself any more vulnerable than I already have.” It wasn’t in Alec’s nature to show his hand, professionally or personally. Knowledge was power, and although he might be drawn to Ed, he didn’t know if he could trust him.

“What are you going to do, then?”

“Back to plan A, I suppose. Pretend that nothing ever happened, act like the professional I’m supposed to be, and hope I get over this ridiculous obsession soon.” Alec turned the glass in his hand. He’d emptied it again already and the whisky in his veins was stirring him up, dragging his emotions too close to the surface. “Sometimes I wish I could find the courage to be honest about who I am.” His voice betrayed him, going tight and hoarse as he fought back the loneliness that threatened to swamp him with miserable self-pity.

“Oh, darling.” Belinda put her glass down and scooted along the sofa so she could put her arm around Alec and pull his head down to her shoulder.

“Life would be so easy if I was really in love with you,” he murmured.

She chuckled. “Apart from the little detail that I’m not in love with
you
. Never have been, never will be. I adore you, but you’re not my type.”

Alec laughed. “Good point.”

Belinda’s type was rather more feminine than Alec. She had a penchant for androgynous-looking men—preferably blonds.

They slipped into a relaxed silence, and Alec let her hold him, enjoying the sensations of a warm body against his and gentle fingers combing through his hair. He realised how starved he was of touch as comfort poured into him, temporarily filling and soothing the empty space inside.

Plan A went fairly well for a few days. Alec continued to push Ed hard in the office, demanding 110 percent in everything he did. Much to Alec’s frustration, Ed rose to every challenge and accepted each Herculean task with grace. It drove Alec crazy, because Alec wanted Ed to lose his cool. He wanted to see his temper flare, to have Ed push back and rebel. Alec wanted an excuse to yell at him, to relieve some of the unbearable tension between them.

Finally, on the Thursday night of Ed’s third week, Alec had his chance.

They were the only two left there that night, working in one of the breakout rooms that led off their main office space. It was nearly ten, and even the cleaners had been and gone.

Alec had insisted Ed stay and go through the draft purchase agreement to check for errors. The agreement had been drafted by Alec, checked by James, and already approved by Katherine before coming back to Alec for a final read-through. Alec had said he wanted one more person to look it over before it went out to the clients. Ed had agreed, but when Alec refused to let him finish the work at home, Ed had done a poor job of hiding his irritation. He was currently hunched over his laptop with his back to Alec and his chin resting on his hand as he scrolled through the document.

“Okay, I’m done.” He spun around on his chair, stretching his arms up and arching his spine. “It looks perfect. I didn’t find anything that needs changing. Can I go home now?”

“Are you sure?” Alec asked.

“Yes. I’m sure.” Ed’s tone was carefully controlled, but there was a flare of challenge in his blue eyes that made Alec’s heart beat faster.

“That’s odd. Because when I went through it earlier, I noticed that all the references to the Vendor and the Purchaser in clause six are the wrong way around.”

“What?” Ed turned back to his screen and started scrolling again. He rubbed his eyes and glared at the screen. “No way. Where?”

Alec got up and moved to stand by Ed’s shoulder. He pointed at the offending word. “There.”

Ed pushed his chair back and stood. His face was red and he clenched his fists. “You knew about that error all the time and you left it in there. For what? To test me?”

“This is your job, Ed. Don’t be a baby about it,” Alec said dismissively. He held Ed’s furious gaze, a thrill of excitement and anticipation rippling through him as he waited for Ed to lose it. He could practically hear the time bomb ticking as Ed got closer to detonation. “Yes, it
was
a test, and you failed.”

“I missed one detail, an error you knew was there all along. I’ve been here for nearly fifteen hours today, Alec. I can hardly see straight!”

Alec shrugged. “Even one tiny error in the paperwork reflects badly on our firm. It makes us look unprofessional.”

Ed took a step closer. Right up in Alec’s face now, he yelled. “You’re a fine one to talk about being
professional
.” He spat the word out. “For two weeks now, you’ve been on my back, giving me the shittiest of shitty jobs, and I’ve put up with it because I know that’s how it’s supposed to be. I’m the newest on the team. I need to prove I can hack it. But this
isn’t
professional is it, Alec? It’s personal. You’re punishing me for fucking you, and it’s not bloody
fair
. Because I didn’t know, okay? When I let you pick me up in that bar, I didn’t know you were going to be my new boss. And believe me, if I’d known what a controlling arsehole you are, I’d have run a mile before I’d have let your cock anywhere near me!”

He finally stopped for breath, panting and flushed.

They stared at each other. Stags locking horns. Alec’s heart pounded as though he’d been running, and a heady cocktail of hormones and adrenaline coursed through his system. He brought his hand up and grabbed the front of Ed’s shirt, balling it in his fist, pulling him closer. Ed’s pupils dilated, but he didn’t flinch away.

Alec kissed him.

Ed’s mouth was open and slack with surprise, and as Alec tried to force his tongue inside, Ed twisted away so that Alec kissed his neck instead. He tasted the sweat of Ed’s anger and felt the beat of the pulse in his throat. There was a vibration and he realised Ed was chuckling.

“Jesus Christ,” Ed said in a hoarse voice. “Please tell me this isn’t happening.”

But then suddenly Ed was grabbing Alec and pulling him closer, and they were kissing in a furious clash of teeth and tongues as they stumbled back towards the nearest hard surface—which happened to be the edge of a desk. Ed’s arse hit the wood, and Alec lifted him, pushing between Ed’s thighs so their cocks aligned. He ground against Ed’s hardness and Ed groaned. Ed untucked Alec’s shirt at the waist and slid his hands under the fabric, digging his fingers so hard into Alec’s skin he’d leave marks.

Alec found Ed’s neck again and bit down, retaliating.

“Don’t leave a mark where people can see this time, you fucker,” Ed hissed.

Alec pushed up the front of Ed’s shirt and bit his chest instead. He sucked on a nipple and then on the sensitive skin beside it, drawing a mark to the surface that would last for days. Then he moved to attack Ed’s mouth again, kissing him deep and dirty, his hands in Ed’s hair holding him in place as their hips moved together in a rhythm born of desperation.

Alec realised Ed had worked a hand between them and pushed it down the front of his trousers, jerking himself off. Ed didn’t have much room to manoeuvre, but from the sounds he was making, it was obviously working. Alec was close too. He could probably come like this, with his tongue in Ed’s mouth, grinding against the back of his hand, but he wanted more.

Before he could think better of it, he slid to his knees on the plush office carpet and started to open Ed’s fly. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d got down on his knees for someone, and it sent a long-forgotten shiver of delight through him. There was a freedom in giving pleasure like this, in allowing someone else to have him this way. Ed looked down, his eyes wide and pupils huge as Alec freed his erection from his trousers and underwear.

When Alec took Ed into his mouth, he imagined how this would look to someone walking into the office right now. Alec Rowland, Senior Associate, on his knees sucking the temp’s cock. The thought of the spectacle they must make only turned him on more as the fear of discovery rippled through him. The risk was tiny. The only person in the building would be the night security guard, and he rarely left his desk. But there was a risk, nevertheless, and it only heightened Alec’s arousal. He sucked Ed hard and fast. Now was not the time for slow and leisurely.

It seemed to be working for Ed. He slid his hands into Alec’s hair. “Oh my God,” he moaned.

A jolt of electric need arrowed down to Alec’s groin. He shoved his hand down his own waistband so he could grip his cock while he sucked, humping into his fist as he spiralled into mindless pleasure, his control slipping.

Ed’s gaze caught the movement of Alec’s arm. “Oh fuck, you’re—God, Alec. You look so….”

He never finished the sentence, because he started to come. The pulse of Ed’s dick and the taste of his release tipped Alec over and he shot into his hand and his underwear in a hot, sticky mess as he moaned around Ed’s cock. Shame and satisfaction mingled, making him feel oddly vulnerable as he finally pulled off and pressed his face into Ed’s hip while he caught his breath. He couldn’t meet Ed’s eyes, but he breathed in his scent as his heart rate settled and his breathing slowed. Ed’s hands were still in Alec’s hair, stroking lightly in an echo of Belinda’s hands the week before, a touch offering comfort and affection. Alec’s heart ached with wanting more of it. Was this what happened when you finally realised what you were missing out on?

“Alec?” Ed’s voice was soft, and when Alec lifted his head to meet his gaze, Ed smiled uncertainly and stroked Alec’s cheek. “Did you… um, want me to return the favour?”

“Too late.” Alec pulled his wet hand out of his trousers and held it up. A thick web of come stretched between his thumb and forefinger.

Ed’s lips quirked in amusement. “Oh, yeah. I wondered. I wasn’t sure.”

Alec flushed. “It’s been a while.” He got to his feet and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his hand. “And that was disturbingly hot.”

“Disturbingly?” Ed glanced up from fastening his fly.

“Being down on my knees isn’t my usual MO, especially not on the office carpet.”

Ed’s lips twitched again as he hesitated for a moment, and then he grinned outright and said in a bold rush, “You look good on your knees.”

Alec felt a confusing rush of arousal and irritation. That seemed to be his permanent state around Ed. “Yes, well. It can’t happen again.”

The smile left Ed’s face abruptly. “No, of course not.”

There were so many things Alec wanted to say:
I care about you. I want you, but I’m not as brave as you
. Instead he fell back on the easy explanation. “We need to keep this professional from now on.”

“Fine by me,” Ed said, but there was an edge to his voice that told Alec he wasn’t the only one with mixed feelings.

Ed turned away and started to pack up his stuff. There wasn’t anything left to say, so Alec did the same.

They waited for the lift together in silence.

The doors slid closed, trapping them in the small space, and Alec’s gaze strayed to study Ed’s reflection in the mirrored wall. He turned to Ed and lifted a hand to smooth his hair back into place where it was still ruffled from his hands earlier.

“Thanks.” A ghost of a smile lit up the tired shadows on Ed’s face.

The hint of stubble on Ed’s cheek glinted golden in the light. Alec resisted the urge to brush a kiss over it. “You look knackered,” he said.

Ed raised an eyebrow. “I wonder who’s to blame for that?”

“You did well this week, Ed.” Alec patted Ed’s shoulder, needing to touch him one more time. “Catch up on some sleep this weekend, because the next few weeks are only going to get harder.”

CHAPTER SIX

Ed hadn’t believed Alec when he said the work would get harder. He thought he’d already reached the limit of what the team could handle, but as the date for the final negotiations grew closer, the pressure increased.

Nearly two weeks had passed since the crazy night when Alec had blown him in the office and then stayed on his knees afterwards, hiding his face while Ed stroked his hair. Every time Ed looked at Alec, he remembered it vividly and was assaulted by a blend of tenderness and desire. But he was strung out on caffeine and adrenaline, and his brain was so stuffed full of facts, figures, and contract details that he didn’t have much space left to try and sort through his feelings about Alec.

They hadn’t been alone together since that night—whether by accident or design, Ed wasn’t sure. He thought maybe Alec was avoiding him, and reluctantly accepted it was probably for the best.

The atmosphere between them had been easier, at least. The sex had softened something, smoothed away the spiky edges of their antagonism. Alec had been more courteous, more prone to smiling during their interactions. He was also more likeable than before, which only made it harder for Ed to accept that nothing could ever happen between them. Even though he knew it was stupid and it could never work out, Ed couldn’t help entertaining occasional wild fantasies where Alec wanted him for more than a one-night stand or risky office sex.

Something in Alec called out to Ed. He was so aloof, so utterly in control of every situation in the workplace. But Ed had seen beneath that surface. He’d glimpsed the complexity of the man beneath the facade, and the loneliness and vulnerability he’d seen there made him want to smash a hole in those walls so that he could climb inside and pull Alec out. It hurt to think he’d never get the chance.

When he arrived at the office on Wednesday morning, Katherine was there, talking with Alec. Ed went to his desk and powered up his laptop, but the sound of his name drew his attention to their conversation.

“Take Ed with you,” she was saying. “It’ll be good experience for him to sit in on the meeting.”

“I’m not sure there’s any need,” Alec replied. “We’ve already concluded most of the negotiations via conference call as you know. The meeting in Edinburgh is really a formality because Mackenzie wants to meet Maxwell in person. I think Ed’s time would be better spent here, helping James with the last bits of paperwork.”