Turning the Page (12 page)

Warmth and delight hung over him in a way Malcolm had never thought it would again. He stilled and closed his eyes, happy and contented. Hans settled next to him and rolled onto his side, sliding an arm over Malcolm’s belly and just holding him.

It took Malcolm more time than he wanted to admit to recover from the release of his life. Getting older definitely sucked, but Hans was patient, and when Malcolm could move again, he opened his eyes and nestled close to Hans, rolling him onto his back.

Hans was like a mountain of muscle. Where he was from, they grew them big and hunky.

“I’ve wanted to be able to get a good look at you for a while now.” Malcolm made little circles on Hans’s chest with his fingers, teasing his pink nipples. “You look almost as I imagined.”

“Almost?” Hans asked with a lift of one eyebrow.

“Yeah. My imagination didn’t quite do you justice.” Malcolm let his gaze rake down Hans’s belly until it came to rest on his long, thick cock, resting on a blond nest and reaching for Hans’s belly button. He leaned over Hans, kissing him as he climbed on top of him. Hans was like a furnace, generating waves of heat that felt amazing. Malcolm stretched out, enjoying as much skin-to-skin contact as possible.

“Fuck,” Hans groaned.

Malcolm flexed his hips, sliding Hans along his skin. “Yeah,” Malcolm whispered. “You know you aren’t the only one who can read others.” Malcolm rocked slowly back and forth, and Hans encircled him with his strong, powerful arms, holding him tight. God, it felt so right being held by Hans. Malcolm took in every sensation as he raised his body, straddling Hans and rolling his hips.

Hans’s chest expanded with each inhalation, and he stroked Malcolm’s thighs as Malcolm continued the slow stroking of Hans’s cock. “God,” Hans groaned.

“I may be older, but that also means I know a few things.” He slid back, wrapping his hands around Hans’s cock, stroking him hard and firm. Hans was searingly hot in his hands, and he reveled in it. He rolled his thumb over the head of Hans’s cock about every other stroke, applying just the right amount of sensation under the head to send Hans’s eyes rolling back into his head.

“Jesus,” Hans swore.

“I know.” Malcolm was enthralled by Hans’s reaction. He stroked harder while cupping his heavy balls. Damn, Hans had been gifted with an amazing cock, and maybe if things worked out, he’d feel it deep inside one day. “You’re an incredible man.”

“I hope so,” Hans said breathily.

“I know so.” He twisted his hands, and Hans gasped. “That’s it. Give it up for me just like I did you.” He locked his gaze with Hans’s, knowing that few things were as sexy as looking deep into someone’s eyes without reservation. Hans’s eyes were like a storm in a blue sky. The blues swirled and deepened the further they went down passion’s road. He knew Hans was getting close by the way his eyes widened and from the flush that spread across his cheeks. Then Hans closed his eyes for a few seconds, stilled, and cried out, shaking as he came in ribbons on his belly and chest.

The sight was beautiful, and it was enough to get Malcolm’s engine running again. He doubted he’d be able to do anything about it so soon, but that didn’t matter. It was just nice to know.

Malcolm leaned forward, capturing Hans’s lips in a deep kiss. “I’ll go get something,” Malcolm said, and Hans groaned and pressed Malcolm back onto the mattress.

“I’ll do it. I’ll be right back.”

Hans climbed off the bed and kissed him before leaving the room. Malcolm stared up at the ceiling, naked on top of the bedding. Now that the passion was spent, he wondered what Hans would want. Not knowing what was expected was strange and made him a little nervous. Before, he’d known what to expect, and things were reasonably predictable. David had been a talker. He loved to lie in bed and talk and talk after sex. Not necessarily about sex, but just talk. Was Hans like that, or was he the kind of guy who cuddled or simply rolled over and went to sleep? Malcolm knew he was probably being dumb and didn’t move.

Hans cleaned him gently before going to put back the towel and cloth. When he returned, he jumped up on the bed, bouncing Malcolm and hugging him tightly. Malcolm seemed to have the answer to the rolling over and going to sleep question.

“You want a snack? I can bring you something, and we can watch TV if you want.”

“You have a TV in the bedroom?” Malcolm had wanted one, but David was always dead set against it.

“Of course.” He got off the bed and opened the cupboard on the far side the room. He brought the remote and pulled back the covers. “Find something you want to watch, and I’ll get us a little something.”

It seemed naughty to be doing this, but Malcolm got comfortable. When Hans returned with a plate of cheese and two glasses, he set them on the table by the bed, turned out the light, and got under the covers. “I didn’t bring anything that would make crumbs,” Hans said. He handed Malcolm a glass of ice water and the plate. Then they settled in with Hans holding him close. The only other time Malcolm ever watched television in bed was when he traveled and was staying in a hotel. It was nice, and after drinking the water and eating the cheese, he fell asleep at some point, not even remembering what they were watching.

When he woke a while later, the room was quiet except for Hans’s soft snores. Malcolm rolled over, and Hans hugged him close. After that Malcolm let himself be carried away on wings of pleasant exhaustion. The pressure, worries, and everything else could stay in their various boxes for now. He could worry about the repercussions, emotional and otherwise, tomorrow. For now he was happy and felt alive, and that would do.

“MALCOLM, CAN
we talk to you?” Carolyn asked, standing at his corner office door. She had William Fisher with her. He was one of their associates, a bright young attorney with an amazing future.

“Of course,” Malcolm said as he did a quick check of his schedule and turned away from his computer. He had a meeting in ten minutes, but Ellen would come get him when the time came. “Please sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I’ve been with the firm for almost five years and….” William turned to Carolyn, who nodded. “I’ve been told that I’m on the track for a partnership, but I didn’t get the opening when Gary left, and I was wondering why. Is there more I need to do?”

“I thought it best that we address this together,” Carolyn said.

Malcolm stifled a sigh because each and every associate in the office had come to him at one point or another. They were hungry, smart, and determined. That was why they hired them.

“Nothing has changed as far as your evaluation and prospects. This time around you weren’t the top candidate.” Malcolm leaned forward. “However, it’s important that you understand that the easiest and quickest way to be made partner is to build up your client list to the point where you deserve to be a partner. There aren’t a set number of partnership positions in this firm. We can expand them if we need to. Do you understand? You could be a partner in six months as long as you have the client base to support it. Partnerships aren’t rewards or based on seniority, but on what you as an attorney can bring to the business.” He turned to Carolyn, who nodded her agreement.

“All right,” William said.

“We all know you work long hours and bill a lot of hours. That’s part of what we look at. The other is your ability to bring in business to the firm. That’s where you need to grow. The partners passing work your way isn’t what gets you a partnership.”

“I understand,” William said.

“Excellent. You’re a good attorney, and you have the potential to be a great one. That fire you have can get you where you want to go—you just need to aim it in the right direction.” The last thing Malcolm wanted to do was discourage him. Most firms pushed and pushed, but the simple truth was that all of their associates worked dang hard and had the fire it took to be a success. But patience was not one of the virtues they generally had.

William left his office, and Carolyn stood to close the door. “Sorry about that,” Carolyn said.

“It’s not a problem. They all need to know where they stand, and they get antsy when someone else gets what they think they’ve worked harder than anyone else to get. It’s part of what makes them good attorneys. Besides, they need to understand that this isn’t a faceless firm, and the last thing we ever want is another situation like what we had with Gary.”

“God, no. I did think he might have had some good ideas, but they were never presented in a way that was implementable.”

“Exactly.” A knock sounded on his door. “That’s my next meeting.”

Carolyn smiled and got up, passing his clients as they entered the office. Those were his days now—every minute he seemed to have two people who wanted his attention. He hadn’t realized how much juggling it would take to do his job well. Maybe he needed to position one of the associates to take over some of his clients so he could have the time he needed for the rest of his job.

“Congratulations, Malcolm,” Henry Peterson said as he came into the office. Ellen closed the door behind him, and their meeting began.

AT THE
end of the day, Malcolm realized he’d worked through lunch and was starved. He hadn’t had a spare minute, and he hoped one part of his job would steady out so he could have a small breather.

“Ellen and I are heading out for the night,” Jane said.

“Excellent.” He looked up from where he’d been typing frantically. “Come in a minute.” She did and closed the door. “I want to put out feelers on getting some help. I need someone I can trust to take over some of my caseload, but it can’t be any of our current associates because they don’t have specific tax experience.”

“What if you mentored one of them?” Jane asked.

“That’s possible, but I already know they’re clamoring for the more glamourous portions of the law—trial law or corporate. I could get a dozen people to fill those areas.”

“All right, but for the record, any of our associates would be a fool not to want to work with you.” She turned and left the office as Malcolm’s phone rang.

“Malcolm Webber.”

“Hi, Malcolm.” He’d recognize that happy voice anywhere.

“Hans.” He couldn’t help smiling.

“Is it a good time to call?”

“Yes. I’m just finishing up and getting ready to go home.” He was suddenly very tired, and his mind wandered to how Hans looked lying naked on the bed instead of the e-mail he was trying to compose.

“Do you have plans for Saturday?” Hans asked. “It’s been snowing, and I was wondering if you’d like to go skiing. There’s a great resort a few hours away. We could go up there and stay the night, ski—spend some time outdoors during the day and in front of the fire at night.”

“Skiing,” Malcolm asked. “I haven’t done that since I was in college.” And he’d fallen on his ass more times than he could count and hadn’t gone back again.

“Then it’s time. Come with me. We can have a lot of fun.”

Malcolm hated the thought of saying no and sounding like a killjoy. “All right,” he answered a little fearfully. The nights in front of the fire part sounded really nice. He wasn’t at all sure about the skiing and cold part. “I wasn’t very good back then.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. I promise you’ll have a good time.” Hans sounded so happy that Malcolm didn’t want to rain on his parade. “I’ll go ahead and make the reservations and get lift tickets. We’ll need to rent you equipment, but we can take care of that once we get there.”

“What time do we need to meet?”

“How about I pick you up at your place on Saturday morning? We can head on up and ski in the afternoon. I’ll make us dinner reservations as well. It’ll be wonderful. I promise. How’s your week going?”

“Pretty well. It’s been very busy, and I haven’t had more than a few minutes to breathe in days.”

“Then some fun is in order for this weekend. Leave it up to me, and I’ll pick you up on Saturday.” Hans said he’d call soon and hung up. Malcolm put his phone on his desk and went back to work on his e-mail. He didn’t have much time to worry about the weekend when he was so busy.

Malcolm worked later than he intended and didn’t get home until after eight. He’d stopped on the way home for Greek takeout and ate it in front of the television. When he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer to watch the show, he turned it off and cleaned up his mess before heading upstairs. Like he’d done a million times before, he showered and went through his nightly routine before crawling into his side of the bed.

Of course, when he wanted to sleep, he couldn’t, no matter how tired he was. Malcolm kept wondering what in the hell he was doing. He rolled over, facing David’s empty side of the bed. “I know you think I’m crazy for holding on like I am. You always said that when something happened to you, you wanted me to be happy. But am I doing the right thing?” Of course he didn’t get an answer. David wasn’t there, and no amount of talking in the dark was going to get him answers. “I like Hans. I really do. He’s fun and he understands how I feel. Let’s face it, the guy is really smart, but how can I keep up with him?”

In his mind he could hear David laughing at him. Throughout their twenty years together, David had been the adventurous one. He liked to try new things and booked them on cruises and vacations to exotic places. Malcolm went along and always had a great time. So why would things be any different now? He was out doing new things, only with Hans instead of David. Maybe he was getting old, but he didn’t have to act like it. That was for damn sure.

The next few days were even busier, and by Friday night, Malcolm fell into bed, sleeping through the night and not waking until the doorbell rang, accompanied by insistent pounding on his front door. Malcolm checked the clock and jumped out of bed. He hadn’t overslept in a decade at least. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and hurried down the stairs.

Hans’s expression was a mixture of confusion and anger. “Come in. I’m sorry,” Malcolm said as he ushered Hans inside. “I worked really late last night so I could have the weekend, and it looks like I slept through part of it. Let me go up and get dressed so we can go.” He got Hans inside and closed the door before hurrying toward the stairs.