The Law of Attraction

I’m not gay.

Everyone knew things like that happened at public school. Alec’s only mistake was getting caught.

Afterwards, Alec made damn sure he never got caught again.

He stepped out into the cold evening air and breathed in deeply. The scent of city streets and car exhaust made him long for the clean air of the countryside. Maybe once he’d closed this deal, he could have a weekend away in a place where buildings didn’t block the sky.

CHAPTER FOUR

“So, how did it go?” Fiona asked as soon as Ed got through the door of their flat.

“Uh. Okay… sort of.” Ed didn’t even stop to take his coat and shoes off before collapsing on the sofa in the living room. He paused to gather his thoughts, and Fiona spoke again before he could elaborate.

“I made some soup, there’s enough for you if you want?”

“Oh God, yes please.” Ed’s stomach growled at the thought of food, and he realised it was about eight hours since he’d eaten lunch.

Fiona studied him, a mixture of sympathy and amusement on her face. “You look knackered. I’ll heat some up for you while you get out of that suit, then you can tell me about your day.”

Five minutes later, Ed had curled up on the sofa again, dressed in slobbing-around-at-home clothes with a hot mug of soup and toasted cheese sandwiches.

“You’re an actual angel,” he told Fiona. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, tell me what it was like. I want to know everything.”

“Well… it was what you’d expect. Swanky offices, terrifyingly efficient people everywhere. But it was amazing too. I’m so excited just about being there, about being part of the organisation. This is what I’ve always wanted. I still can’t believe I’m doing it.” Ed paused to sip his soup. He was deliberately saving the best of his story till last. Ed couldn’t resist spinning it out for maximum drama. If his life was going to be a soap opera—and apparently it was turning out that way—then he was damn well going to enjoy spilling the juicy details.

“And your boss?” Fiona asked.

“Yeah, about him….” Ed side-eyed her and felt the curl of his lips give him away. He had no idea why he was laughing. It wasn’t funny. It was a fucking nightmare, to be honest, but he had to laugh about it—because crying wasn’t going to help. “Remember the guy I fucked on Friday night?”

She frowned. “Mr Tall, Dark, and Sexy? Sure, I remember—” The light dawned and her expression turned from confusion to half horror, half glee. “Nooooo!” She covered her mouth with her hands, eyebrows shooting up to her hairline.

“Yep.”

“Oh my God. Oh. My. God!”

Ed nodded. That pretty much summed up his thoughts on it. He’d been reeling ever since he first clapped eyes on Alec that morning. What were the chances? Of all the guys in London he could have picked up, it had to be his new boss.

“Did he recognise you? Did he say anything? Holy fuck, this is huge! Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course he recognised me!” Ed said, offended. “He ignored me all day, and then he got me alone in the toilets and warned me not to say anything to anyone—like I would. But I think he’s as freaked out as I am, maybe even more because he’s in the closet. I actually felt a little sorry for him, even though he was a bit of an arsehole about it.”

“Wow. Is he married or what?”

Ed’s stomach lurched. He hadn’t even considered that. “I don’t think so?” Alec’s flat had looked like the home of a bachelor, and unlike James, Alec had no photos on his desk of a wife and children. “No. I’m pretty sure he isn’t. But he’s definitely not out, at work or anywhere. He told me.”

“So with you showing up, he must be shitting himself.”

“Yeah, exactly. So anyway, I told him I wouldn’t say anything, and he seemed to relax a little. But it’s going to be very weird working with him with that hanging over us.”

“And you liked him too.”

Fiona cut right to the heart of Ed’s dilemma. Because despite everything, he couldn’t help feeling drawn to Alec. They’d been such a good fit sexually. His body responded to Alec even when his brain told him it was a terrible idea. And during the conversation in the toilets, he’d seen a flash of vulnerability in Alec that only made him more appealing. The chink in Alec’s armour had showed Ed a hint of a lonely man, and it made Ed want to get closer to him. If things were different, he’d probably be tempted to try.

“Yeah, well. He’s my boss now, so I’ll have to let that go. This job is my priority.”

Ed’s first week at Baker Wells flew by in a blur. The learning curve was like scaling Everest, but it was thrilling to be working at such a prestigious firm. Alongside the mundane duties of filing, copying, and coffee making that fell to him as the newest on the team, Ed also had to read vast quantities of paperwork to get him up to speed with the deal the team was working on.