Page 40 of One Night With The Nanny

Reid was glad it made sense to Dash because his explanation was mostly nonsense. But Reid couldn’t tell them he had felt too self-conscious when he strutted out of his closet in a sleek black wool and silk suit. It was brand new and Reid had expected to feel like James Bond, instead he felt like a toy and tawdry as he turned in front of the mirror. He knew exactly what people would think of him if he walked into a high-end establishment on Max’s arm dressed like that.

There was also the chance that someone might recognize him and Reid didn’t want anyone wondering what he was doing with a man who was clearly out of his league. So, Reid had gone to the back of his closet for the absurdly expensive blazer—the most he’d ever spent on something ready-to-wear—and matching trousers, arming himself with designer luxury. In case anyone needed reminding that Reid was doing very well on his own and wasn’t looking for a prince to take care of him.

Was he telling them, or was he telling Max?

Maybe Reid was reminding himself.

He had no reason to feel self-conscious and Reid was incredibly proud of the agency he and Gavin had built. They had had help from Walker and Giles and Gavin had been a little ambiguous about how he had kept them afloat the first few years, but Reid had run the agency well and was able to get them out of the red and into black quickly. Reid would never be tacky and boast about it, but he had invested his own money wisely—with Gavin’s advice and assistance, of course— and was secretly very well off.

It made no sense for Reid’s hands to be sweating or his heart to be racing or for him to keep checking the time. But there Reid was, hands soupy, heart beating like a bear was chasing him, and counting down the minutes to 7:00 p.m. like they were his last.

If he wanted to get technical, this was actually their fourth “date.” Reid had been over to Max’s for dinner twice and they had hooked up three times so he had a relatively good idea of what to expect from the evening.

There was a very high likelihood that they were having sex before the end of the night and Reid suspected that was the source of his nervousness. Kissing Max and being the object of his desire without Wes to hide behind scared Reid and so many of his instincts warned that he was in danger.

Not physical danger because Max could never be rude, let alone abusive.

But Reid sensed that one “real” night with Max could tip his neatly-arranged life upside down and quickly cause things to spin more wildly out of control. They knew each other now and Reid liked Max when he wasn’t naked and tied to something and that was going to make it all the more confusing the next time they were deep in each other’s orifices. They were past the point of pretending they had gotten carried away if one of them mentioned feelings or the future.

That was when things could get really messy and where Reid would be truly out of his depth.

The buzz from the intercom triggered Reid’s flight instincts and he spun toward the back door and immediately regretted his Gucci loafers. He’d never make it over the back wall with them.

“I’ll get it!” Dash said, rolling off the sofa and bounding to his feet.

“Wait!” Reid called nervously, earning an amused smirk from Gavin as Dash’s brows jumped.

“Did you forget something? Do the pocket dance!” Dash suggested. “Phone, keys, wallet, condoms…” he sang as he patted his pockets and turned in front of the intercom, then pressed the button. “Helloooo?”

“There’s a gentleman here for Mr. Marshall,” Norman answered and Reid rushed to the speaker.

“Tell him I’ll be right there. And why are you still here?” he asked.

“You might want to wait there, Reid. He has something for you,” Norman warned. “I told my wife I’d be staying a little later tonight. I heard you had a date and I wanted to see if he was up to snuff. She’ll want to know what you wore and about how nice you looked,” he explained.

“Great,” Reid sighed, then jumped when there was a quick tap at the front door.

Dash peeked through the hole and whistled. “He even looks like a prince.”

“Just open the door,” Reid muttered as he planted a hand on the wall, bracing himself. He immediately straightened and clasped his hands behind his back, then in front of him.

Dash stared for a moment, looking befuddled and Gavin coughed to cover a laugh. There was a snort and Dash shook his head as he opened the door. “Hey, there!” he said and waved Max in.

“Hi,” Reid squeaked as he shuffled back, his panic swelling as Max entered and bowed over a stunning mix of pink, white, and purple phalaenopsis orchids in what was most likely a Baccarat crystal bowl.

“Oh, my,” Reid said as he hurried and took them from Max and passed them to Dash. “Carefully place these in the fridge and I will tend to them as soon as I get back,” he whispered, crooning softly as he fondled a few of the petals. “These are stunning, Max. Thank you,” he said as he turned and lost his breath as Max smiled and took his hand.

Max was devastatingly handsome in a charcoal three-piece suit and soft gray shirt, sans tie. He had left the collar open and Reid wondered if that was the sluttiest thing a man could do or if it was just him, because he wanted to rip that shirt open and ride Max right there on the living room floor.

Reid gulped and offered what he hoped was a normal smile. “You look incredible,” he managed, then stifled a whimper as Max’s lips brushed his knuckles.

“So beautiful,” Max said, the strained, sexy rasp in his voice sending goosebumps up Reid’s arm as their gazes clung. “I thought I’d take you to my favorite place for dinner—show you my dream date.”

“That sounds…lovely,” Reid answered shakily. He heard Dash and Gavin’s whispers behind him and remembered they weren’t alone. “We should get going,” he said, glaring over his shoulder, but Dash gave Reid a thumbs-up and Gavin was grinning like a jerk. “Don’t wait up,” he told them, earning a hum of agreement from Max as he offered Reid his arm.

“I don’t plan on returning him until tomorrow morning, at the earliest,” he said, his eyes never leaving Reid’s as they strolled down the hall and turned into the foyer.

“Have a good night, gentleman,” Norman called, waving excitedly.

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