“You will sign a nondisclosure agreement regarding the terms of our contract. It will be binding until the end of the first year. If you renew our contract, you will then receive two hundred thousand in salary every year. Health benefits, too, of course, from the start. 401(k). Everything. But you cannot tell anyone, not your parents or other family, friends, no one, about the true nature of our agreement. If my father finds out what I’m doing, it totally ruins things for me here. I need him off my back.”
“So, basically, I pretend to work for you while I’m playing your boyfriend?”
She vigorously shook her head. “No. You will be working, no pretending about it. Gorden will be the first to tell you I’m not easy to work for. I am very demanding. I am a perfectionist. I can be bitchy and a micromanager. But I also reward my staff for their successes. So you will absolutely be working for me. But you will be moving into my home and acting as my boyfriend after a couple of months, if not sooner. I want people to start seeing us together, let word of our after-hours socialization get back to my father. After a while, depending on how it’s looking, I’ll move you into my home. From there on, the act looks good.”
She leaned back and templed her fingers. “Obviously, as part of our agreement, you cannot date anyone else, on the sly or not. After the first year, if you still want to stay on, we can talk about this point and see if we can figure out a way for you to transfer to another office or something so you can have a social life outside of me. We have offices all over this country and in four other countries.” She smiled. “One year of celibacy, and your silence, is all I’m asking for.”
“I can’t tell anyone?”
She shook her head. “No. Not your parents, not your sisters, not any friends. No one. I cannot risk this getting back to my father. I cannot and will not be flexible on this point.”
He wanted to say no. He wanted to stand, thank her for her time, and leave.
He also knew he’d kick himself in the ass for refusing it. He couldn’t get the sound of his father’s choked sob out of his head.
“So, Harper,” he softly asked, “what do I have to do to get this job?”
* * * *
Inside, she was doing jumping jacks. “I’ll get Gorden in here to take you down to HR and legal, where they’ll get the ball rolling for the background checks. You can officially start Monday as long as all that checks out. Oh, and what do you drive?”
He looked confused for a moment, like he was overwhelmed. “Um, a Honda Civic. Six years old. Bought it used.”
“Still owe on it?”
He nodded.
“Just to show you how serious I am, I’ll pay that off for you, too. Any credit card debt? Student loans?”
He nodded.
She smiled. “Consider them paid in full. Bring all the paperwork with you for all that on Monday. We’ll handle it first thing. And I’ll make sure you get a corporate card for expenses. Feel free to update your wardrobe.” She picked up her phone and called Gorden to come to her office. When she hung up, she smiled at Doug. “You have no idea how glad I am that you came to the job fair today.”
He licked his lips before finally speaking. “Me, too.”
She laughed, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a while. “Seriously, you have no idea how relieved I am. This will get my father off my back, help you and your family out—we all win.”
He nodded and smiled. “Yeah.”
Gorden walked in. “You wanted me?”
She pointed at Doug. “Gorden Smith, meet Douglas Holt. Your replacement.” She’d let Gorden in on her idea yesterday afternoon, knowing he would not reveal it to her father. He hadn’t been thrilled with the idea, but agreed that he wouldn’t tell, either.
He walked over to Doug. “Nice to meet you, son.” He shook hands with Doug. “Come with me. We’ll get everything started.”
He led Doug out of the office, shutting the door behind them. Harper sat back and laced her fingers behind her head. Now, seriously, how lucky was this? As long as his story all checked out, he was the perfect candidate. And she’d be doing a good deed for someone far less fortunate than herself.
Feeling good, she went back to work.
* * * *
Doug couldn’t feel his legs. Was he really considering this? He followed Gorden to the elevator, which they took down to the next floor.
Tate.
He loved him. He’d planned on spending the rest of his life, fate willing, with him.
And now he was selling out that love…for what?
He took a deep breath as he remembered hugging his father the night before.
For my mom and dad. My sisters.
Maybe it made him a royal shit, but Tate could find someone else. His parents would never have another chance like this again. He couldn’t let them lose what they’d worked so hard for over the years.
He wouldn’t let them lose their home.
Chapter Three
Tate Gillis stretched, cracking his neck and groaning as he felt his back pop from the way he’d been hunched over the computer terminal.
One of his supervisors and best friend, Jenny Taylor, laughed. “Getting pretty hunchbacked, huh?”
“You ain’t kidding.”
“You and Doug want to go out with us tonight?”
“I’d love to, but Doug’s still down in Tampa.”
“Aww. How’s his mom doing?”
“I haven’t talked to him yet today. She was supposed to go home yesterday, but they held her another day because of her blood work results. They want to give her another round of antibiotics before they release her.” He didn’t mention the other problem and that it looked like he would be leaving. No reason to talk about it until he knew for sure.
“Oh, that sucks.”
Tate nodded and glanced at the clock. A smile filled his face. “Hey, it’s four thirty. I can blow this pop stand.”
She laughed. “You sound like medical billing isn’t your dream job.”
He rolled his eyes. “Um, yeah. Sorry, but the best about it is it keeps the lights and internet on, and has health bennies. I do appreciate you getting me the job, don’t get me wrong.”
“You mean you can’t perv porn in the dark?”
He snorted in amusement. “Yeah, but I need to recharge the darn laptop eventually.” She could joke with him like that because they’d known each other since high school. Unfortunately, at the time they were hiring, they only had one open position, and Doug had insisted he go for it since Jenny was his friend. “What time and where tonight?”
“Gator Bait, at six.”
“I’ll be there.” He tried to call Doug on his way to the car. It went to voice mail.
“Hey, babe, it’s me. I’m sure you’re probably still at the job fair. Good luck with the hunt, and I hope Mom is okay. Call me when you can. Jenny and the gang invited me to go to Gator Bait with them tonight, so if you call and I don’t hear my phone, leave a message. Love you.”
He hung up and got into his car, practically wilting as waves of heat washed over him. He sat there with the door open, engine running and A/C on full blast, waiting for it to cool off. The ten-year-old car still had some life in it, but he wished they could afford for him to get a newer one. Now, plans for that would have to be put on hold. They’d have to pour every bit of money they could into Doug’s parents.
Not that he minded. He loved them as much as he loved his own family even though he hadn’t spent a lot of time with them. They’d welcomed him into their fold with open arms the first time they’d met him.
When his car finally cooled enough, he drove back to the apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was home.
Lonely though, without Doug here.
He jumped into the shower, his thoughts lingering on Doug’s tight ass and handsome smile. When his cock started to inflate, Tate stroked it with his hand, encouraging it to full length.
He imagined it was Doug’s hand on his shaft as he closed his eyes and let the
warm water sluice over him.
He missed Doug so much. They’d made love the night before he drove to Tampa. Doug buried his dick deep inside Tate’s ass as Doug reached around him and stroked his cock. He loved it when Doug took charge and did the driving in bed.
Tate slicked pre-cum over the head of his cock as he leaned against the shower wall, memories of Doug playing through his mind—the feel of Doug’s cock stretching his rim as he slowly fucked him, the feel of Doug’s balls slapping against the back of his thighs at the bottom of every stroke…
Tate’s hand moved faster up and down his cock, his other hand tweaking his nipples. His breath grew faster as his mind raced. When he thought about the way Doug’s cock would grow harder and swell inside him just before he came, his own cock exploded, jets of cum landing on the shower wall in front of him.
He took a deep breath as he recovered. Physically, that took the edge off.
Mentally, he still missed Doug more than ever.
Pushing that away, he straightened up and finished his shower.
Chapter Four
Doug sat in his car in a public parking lot three blocks from the convention center. Around him, five o’clock traffic had built as people fled their offices for the day. Total gridlock. At this point, it would take close to an hour to get to his parents’ home in Temple Terrace.
He turned the air up to full and pointed the vents straight at his face. As of right now, he was unofficially hired. The preliminary background checks had all come back fine, as he knew they would. He’d met with Harper one more time. She told him her attorney would draw up the papers for her that night. He could come by the next morning at ten to meet her and Gorden for coffee in the lobby at her building and sign all the papers.
What the fuck am I doing?
By signing those papers, he was essentially saying a huge “fuck you” to Tate.
He was selling out. Shouldn’t he at least try interviewing with the other companies?
Who was he kidding? No one would give him the deal Harper Wells offered him. And if he refused and she found someone else willing to sell out in a heartbeat, he would have thrown away the opportunity of a lifetime.
Mom and Dad won’t lose their house. His younger sister wouldn’t have to leave the only home she’d ever known.
He laid his head on his steering wheel and cried. He was, he supposed, technically bisexual, but when he’d met Tate at school he’d fallen in love with him. The hardest thing he’d ever done was come home for spring break three years earlier and come out to his parents after he and Tate started dating.
They, and his sisters, had embraced him and Tate.
Welcomed Tate as family.
And now…
He couldn’t even tell them—any of them—why he had to break up with the love of his life.
He looked at his phone, which he’d put on silent earlier. He saw the missed call from Tate. The voice mail icon was displayed.
He played the message and cried again as he listened to Tate’s voice. How the hell was he supposed to tell him? Instead of deleting the message, he saved it.
He didn’t have the heart or the balls to call him back.
With a heavy heart and a sad sigh, he took a deep breath and headed home.
* * * *
When Doug arrived home, he was surprised, as well as worried, to see no other cars in the drive. He got out of his car and went inside the house after collecting the mail from the box by the street. He was just about to call his father when he heard a car in the driveway. When he looked out the front window, he saw his dad racing around the front of the car to the passenger side, where—
“Mom!” Doug hit the front door at a run and made it outside to help his dad get her out of the car and into the house. She used a walker, stubbornly resisting the wheelchair the doctor suggested she use. “Where’s the girls?” Doug asked him.
“They’re in Tina’s car,” his dad said. “They’re right behind us.”
“I can make it, Carl,” his mom argued as she ineffectually tried to swat away his father’s helping hand. “You don’t have to fuss over me.” But she let the two men help her inside and get her seated on the couch, her right leg propped up on a pillow on the coffee table.
Doug was glad a thick layer of bandages hid her wounds. She’d been lucky that the doctors had only amputated two of her toes and not her entire right foot.
“Can I get you anything, Mom?” Doug asked.
She looked at him and motioned him close with a sad expression on her face. She gave him a one-armed hug. He noticed her other arm still bore an IV port for medication. She was supposed to go back to the doctor the next morning for follow-up tests and IV antibiotics. “You and Tate are welcomed to move in here if you want, but I don’t want you ruining your life over us.” She patted his cheek. “You need to live your life. We can handle ours.”
He grabbed her hand, once again shoving back his guilt. “But that’s just it. Mom, I got a job today, a good one!”
His dad stopped and turned. “You did?”
“Yeah, listen to this!” He outlined the basics, the part of the story that Harper had said could be made public knowledge. He’d be working as an executive administrator, with super-crazy hours at really good pay. He left out the cash bonuses and the part about their mortgage being taken care of. Harper had assured him she would have her attorneys send out a legit-sounding letter telling his parents that their mortgage had been bought by an investment company as part of a special program for people who had previously had good payment histories and fell behind through no fault of their own.
At their afternoon meeting, Harper had also instructed Doug to get as much information as he could about his mom’s medical bills, and she would take care of those as well.
As if he hadn’t had enough incentive to make him agree to this deal.
Now, he couldn’t think of saying no, even if he would be breaking Tate’s heart as well as his own in the process.
His mom started crying and hugged him again. “I’m so proud of you, Douglas!”
His dad wiped at his eyes, which suddenly looked too bright, before clapping Doug on the shoulder. “Me, too. That’s great news, son!”
He could almost sense the weight of his dad’s worry lifting. “Dinner’s on me,” Doug announced. “Pizza fine with everyone?”
Tina and Eileen walked in at that moment, carrying their mother’s things from the hospital. “Pizza’s always fine with me, bro,” Eileen said.
That was another worry. Eileen, a junior in high school, got good grades. By all rights she should be able to get scholarships to cover her tuition, or at the very least pick up a few grants or low-interest loans for school. She wanted to be a nurse and had already applied to USF there in Tampa. Living at home would save her money.
His job would insure he could pay for her education even if everything else fell through. And he could help Tina pay off her student loans.
This is for my family, he insisted. At the end of the first year, he’d see if Harper would let him tell Tate the truth. If Tate was even still single.
And if Tate would ever forgive him for selling out like this.
* * * *
After his sisters and mother had gone to bed, Doug sat at the kitchen table with his father. It was nearly ten o’clock, and he’d taken the chicken route and called Tate earlier, when he knew his lover wouldn’t be able to hear his phone in the noisy sports pub. With his own phone on silent, he could claim he didn’t hear it. Tate was an early riser, so not calling him late would be believable. All he’d told Tate was that he’d gotten a job, his mom was home and doing well, and that he missed him.
And that he loved him. Although he was sure Tate would hate him pretty soon.
His dad smiled at him. “I’m so proud of you, son. You have no idea.”
Doug felt a little sick inside. If his parents knew the truth, they’d never let him do it. He also imagined they would most likely be ashamed of him for
selling out the way he had.
“Thanks, Dad.” He took a deep breath. “Um, about me and Tate living here—”
His dad nodded. “No problem, as long as you like. Seriously.”
“It’s not that, Dad.” He studied his hands, unable to look his father in the eye. “Tate’s not going to be moving in.”
“Why not?”
“I just…” He tried another approach. He wasn’t ready to break it to them that he’d be moving out, too. “It’s not going to be fair to uproot him. I’m literally going to be on the road weeks at a time, sometimes a month or more,” he fibbed. “I’m hardly going to be home.”
“So? He’s family. We’ll take care of him.”
His dad wasn’t making this any easier on him. “I think the only fair thing to do is to take a break from our relationship for a while, at least until life settles down a little. Besides, he’s got a decent job for now, has health benefits and everything.”
“What are you saying, son? Are you breaking up with him?”
“I don’t want to—”
“Then don’t!”
“Dad, please.” He stood. “This is my life,” he said, even though it really felt like a fib now. He was beholden to Harper Wells for a year. “I don’t want to discuss this anymore.”
His dad slowly nodded. “Okay,” he quietly said. “You’re right. I respect your wishes.”
* * * *
Doug walked into the lobby at ten minutes till ten the next morning. He passed the bank of elevators just as the doors to one car slid open and Harper and Gorden stepped out.
Her expression brightened when she spotted him. “Perfect timing!” She held out her hand with a cheery smile. He forced a smile of his own as he shook with her. “Glad to see you didn’t decide to chicken out overnight,” she joked.
“No, I know a darn good deal when I see one,” he said.
He held the coffee shop door open for her and Gorden and followed them inside. She picked a quiet corner booth. After a waitress came over to take their order, Harper opened a folder she’d had in her hand and pushed a stack of papers and a pen across the table to him.