“Mmm…tell me these plans…”
His hand moves slowly down my body as, in between kisses, he murmurs, “I want to take you to Italy. The Amalfi Coast, the Cinque Terre, the Tuscan wine region…all of it.”
Damn, that sounds amazing. I lift my leg to wrap around his waist. “When?”
“Next summer. August.”
“That’s a really…” I let out a gasp as he rolls me to my back, his hard cock grinding against mine as he molds his body to me. “Long way away.”
“Uh huh.”
“What else?” I demand, clinging fiercely to him as we move against each other.
“Next Christmas I want to take you skiing in Aspen,” he whispers in my ear, gently tugging on the lobe with his teeth. “Or maybe snorkeling in the Caribbean. Whatever you prefer…just the two of us.”
“Next Christmas?” I practically pant. “Why not this Christmas?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to leave your mom just yet.”
Oh my god. The fact that he’s considered my mom in all of this just makes my heart melt into a giant puddle of goo. Although, I have to admit, the mention of my mother does have kind of a dousing effect.
I wrap my hands around Spencer’s face and draw him toward me for a long, languid kiss. “That’s so sweet of you to think of her,” I tell him. “But for future reference, please don’t mention my mom when we’re…you know.”
He lets out a burst of laughter and rolls off me, cuddling into my side. “I just cockblocked myself, didn’t I?”
I lift a hand to rub his face affectionately. “Kind of, yeah.”
We’re quiet for a moment, simply gazing at each other, until I break the silence saying, “All of that stuff…it sounds perfect. But it does kind of rely heavily on one thing…”
“Me coming out,” he supplies.
I nod. “Yeah.” I move my hand to gently thread my fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to pressure you. It’s completely your decision when to come out. I just don’t see how we can move forward until you do.”
He tilts his head forward and brushes a kiss over my lips. “I know. And I’ve already made up my mind to tell Emily. I’ll take her to dinner this week so we can talk about it. She’ll be able to help us figure out whether to tell HR as well.” He draws in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “And she’ll be able to help me with Dad.”
After learning all the horrible truths about Branson Cox yesterday, I know how daunting the prospect of coming out to his father must be for Spencer. I snuggle in closer to him, wrapping my arms tight around him. “Just remember, whatever happens with your dad, you won’t be dealing with it alone.”
19
Spencer
* * *
“Have you seen this?”
I glance up from my computer, where I’m supposed to be getting work done but honestly just seem to be staring at the screen while my mind wanders back to the last couple days and my amazing weekend away with Will, to see hurricane Emily has whirled into my office. Her expression is twisted with anger as she marches toward my desk, an iPad clutched to her chest. “Spencer, we are absolutely suing this time. They can’t keep making up this stuff about you!”
My brows draw together in confusion. “What is it?”
She slaps the iPad down in front of me and my eyes nearly fall out of their sockets in alarm as I catch sight of the article on the screen. It’s on that same trashy website Amelia spilled her story to a little while back and has a headline that reads Fifty Shades of Gay. Part of me wants to laugh at the pun, but the rest of me is just too unnerved by the accuracy of the article.
It’s all in there: my preference for submission, how I like to be tied down and disciplined by my male lovers, the fact that I even have male lovers… Oh yeah, and how I’m currently involved with a co-worker. Again. Because, apparently, now that this is all out there everyone’s forgotten that Amelia’s story was completely debunked just last week.
Fuck. The way this is all written makes it sound so dirty and tawdry. As though being dominated by guys is something I should be ashamed of.
I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder and then Emily’s soothing voice. “Spence, it’s okay. We’ll sue their ass off—by the time we’re done we’ll own that fucking tabloid.”
“We can’t sue,” I murmur, my eyes still locked on the screen in front of me.
“What, why not?”
I let out a heavy breath, finally lifting my gaze to meet my sister’s. “Because there’s nothing libelous in here.”
Emily blinks at me in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
I wave at the iPad. “It’s all true.”
A long moment of silence stretches between us as she just stares at me, dumbfounded. Finally, she asks, “You’re gay?”
“Okay, well, that part’s not entirely accurate,” I clarify. “I’m bi.”
“But…how could they possibly know all this?” Emily asks, gesturing to the article on her iPad. I know she’s not just skimming past my pronouncement—she’ll come back to that later once she’s had time to digest it. Right now she’s focusing on the more tangible issue of the article.
There’s only one possible explanation for the accuracy of the article, and the realization has my heart crack into about a million pieces.
Emily must be able to read the heartbreak on my face, because her expression fills with concern. “What’s going on, Spence?”
Before I have a chance to answer her, the door to my office bangs open and Will rushes in. Fuck. I hate that the sight of him still makes my heart pound, even if it does feel like it’s been ripped out of my chest and trampled on by a stampede of elephants.
Will seems completely oblivious to Emily’s presence as he walks toward me, blue eyes full of what I’m sure has to be mock concern. Jeez, I never realized he was such a good actor. “Spence, I just saw the article—are you okay?”
“Get. Out.” I tell him, the words leaving my mouth through a clenched jaw, my eyes fixed on him with a look that could freeze lava.
He rears back as if I’ve slapped him; hurt washes over his features and once again I’m furious with myself for caring that he’s upset. “You seriously think I would…?” His voice is quiet, trailing off at the end. “You have to know I didn’t do this. Spencer, I would never…” His eyes bore into mine with a look of disbelief.
“I told you to leave.” My tone is quiet but no less commanding. Not able to bear the sight of him anymore, I spin my chair around to face the Lexington Avenue view.
“Fine.” I can hear the simmering anger in his voice, but I ignore it. What does he have to be angry about?
His feet make a heavy tread across the carpet toward the door before he finally exits, closing the door firmly behind him.
Once Will is gone, Emily rounds the desk to kneel in front of me. “Spence?”
I scrub my hands over my face, releasing a long, pent-up sigh. “Can we go get drunk now, please?”