“So I am,” Jordan murmured.
Rex closed the gap between them, his broad chest practically pressing against Jordan’s. He wore the worst, most mischievous grin Jordan had ever seen, and he wanted desperately to knock it off his face. To catch this cocky bastard off guard and show him that he wasn't as in control as he always assumed he was.
Whatever came over him, Jordan couldn't explain. The heat of the moment, or maybe some underlying desire to show Rex he wasn't the only one with confidence. No matter the explanation, it led to the same result.
Jordan reached a tentative hand up and cupped the side of Rex’s stubbled chin, dragging his fingertips over the bristles.
“Are you going to kiss me and convince me to stay?” Rex asked.
“No.”
Rex blinked. “Why not?”
“Because you’re going to kiss me. You’ll lift me up and set me on the counter and kiss me until you feel lightheaded. And when you’re done, you’ll say thank you and tell me that you’re committed to this club.”
Jordan waited, momentarily afraid that he’d been too forward. He’d fought too hard to take the steering wheel, and now, they were careening off the freeway.
Rex put those doubts to rest when he grabbed Jordan's behind and hefted him, dropping him on the counter gracelessly. He took Jordan’s face in his hands and studied him, stroking over his bottom lip with his thumb. As he inched his finger closer, Jordan nipped at it.
“Kiss me,” Jordan whispered.
“You're so damn bossy,” Rex muttered. Without hesitation, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Jordan’s.
For the briefest moment, it was completely wrong.
Too much tongue, not enough lips, and an awkward exchanging of breath. The moment the two found their groove, it suddenly clicked. Jordan turned his head just slightly, parting his lips to graciously welcome Rex inside. He dragged his hands up the ridges of his arms, the sensation better than any daydream could ever possibly simulate.
Rex’s beard scratched him, but it was a pleasant contrast to the softness of his mouth. Rex was an expert, skilled with his tongue in a way that sent a new wave of electric pleasure through Jordan every few seconds. He moaned against the man's lips and wrapped his legs around his hips, and when their bodies fit together like a lock and its key, any doubt that this wasn't exactly what Jordan wanted disappeared completely.
He stroked Rex’s tongue with his own, greedy for the faint taste of cranberry and the warm, wet heat that made every hair on his arms stand at full, erect attention. He didn’t care if he looked ugly or how ragged their breathing had become. Not with Rex’s arms around his waist and his forehead pressed against Jordan’s.
He forced himself back, lightheaded and unsure whether any of this was real. He opened his eyes slowly to find Rex dipping his head and attacking his neck with the same enthusiastic kisses.
That beard and that mouth. Jordan couldn’t help but picture taking a seat on both of them and letting his filthiest desires run free. The trouble he and Rex could get into… Those thoughts drove him to tighten the hold of his legs and grind his hips forward, allowing Rex to feel just how well-received this all was. The aching friction between them elicited another moan, and Jordan couldn’t determine whether it was Rex’s or his own.
Rex’s lips moved along the line of his jaw, and when he reached the curve of his ear, he lightly bit down. “Someone’s excited.” His voice was molasses thick, and Jordan’s stomach clenched at the sound.
“Two someones, I’d say,” he replied. He rolled his hips for added emphasis. Just beyond the fabric of Rex’s jeans, Jordan knew he’d find the same throb of excitement.
Rex began to speak again when a frantic knock came from the living room. In an instant, Jordan freed Rex from the vice trap of his legs and hopped down, adjusting himself. He hurried to the front door to find Charles bashfully smiling.
“Hey, Charles, what’s up?” He felt out of breath, like he’d just run a marathon. Charles picked up on something immediately, suspicion darkening his face. Jordan put on a plastic smile.
“Sorry to disturb you,” the man said, his eyes cutting to Rex in the living room. Rex waved. “I forgot my book over by the sofa. I got halfway home before I remembered I’d set it down.”
Jordan nodded and stepped aside. “Come in, please.”
“It’ll just be a second,” the older man replied. He bent over the couch and produced a small paperback. “Gotcha. Thanks, Jordan. Bye, Rex.”
“Later, Charles!” Rex called, hands in his back pocket and his lips pressed into a tight line.
When Jordan shut the door, he closed his eyes and shook his head. What they were doing wasn’t against any specific rules, but it still felt like he’d been caught with his pants down.
Rex was at his side a moment later. “I should get out of here. Got some homework to do for the next meeting.”
Jordan nodded. “Sure, sure. I’ll, uh… I’ll text you tonight?”
“Send me nudes.”
“Get out of my house.” Jordan swung open the door and pushed Rex past the threshold, fighting back the urge to join him in his laughter.
At the curb, Rex swung a leg over his motorcycle and turned to face Jordan. “I’m serious. Dirty pictures, right on my phone. Tonight.”
“Rex, I don’t say this often, but I’m going to kick your ass,” Jordan said with a grin.
“Mm, you promise?”
Jordan huffed and rolled his eyes, stomping back to the front door. He could just barely make out that Rex Bailey cackle before he slammed the door shut. In the privacy of his own home, he finally let his ear-to-ear grin free.
Five
If mornings were alcoholic beverages, Jordan would’ve considered this one a nice hot glass of cheap beer. He’d been on the phone since eight talking to his bosses, trying to work out their disagreement about his potential raise without losing his cool. Was it too much to ask for that he get paid for additional work?
The worst part was that no matter who he talked to, they all seemed to be fighting their hardest to talk him down. All the bogus excuses were grating on his patience, and before he could lose his shit entirely, he simply told John—one of the least terrible executives at the company—that he was done having this discussion.
“John, with all due respect, I can’t keep going in circles with you guys. I’m not asking to be promoted to a manager. I don’t want that, and I know you don’t have room for another one. I just want you to work with me. I’m saving you money from having to hire another employee. Kicking me a raise isn’t an absurd request.”
He was proud of himself for keeping his voice as level as he could. He’d practically smashed the banana he was eating between his fist, but from the sound of it, he was as calm as could be. He wasn’t stupid. Sherleen had taught him long ago to never let them take him there. It wasn’t until he’d started working that he realized who “they” were.
“Jordan, listen, buddy. I want to help you. I understand that you’re frustrated, but right now, it’s just not in the budget.”
“But I think it is.”