Page 26 of The Swap After Hours

My body slumped as I closed my eyes and softly thumped the back of my head against the concrete wall. I am his boss. It would be wrong. I am his boss. It would be wrong. I repeated those phrases in my head, like a mantra as I forced myself to stay still when all I really wanted to do was go after him, to chase him down and demand answers. Like what was it he’d felt when he saw me with that other man? Was it simply seeing two men together that had made him question himself or was it something more?

I waited until I was sure he must be gone and then I slid out of the closet. The smell of sex permeated the air, and I could hear low, sensual groans coming from a couple of the bedrooms as I made my way down the hallway, but I didn’t bother to stop. I was no longer in the mood. At least not for anyone there.

Feeling grumpy and frustrated, I decided to head home. I had no idea what work would be like on Monday, but it was bound to test my patience.

CHAPTER 10

DONOVAN

The glass-encased boardroom reflected the late afternoon sunlight, casting a warm glow over the sleek, modern furnishings. I sat at the polished table, flipping through a stack of documents with a focused expression.

As I scanned through the financial reports, my gaze occasionally flickered towards Trevor, who was busy arranging the presentation slides on the large screen at the front of the room.

“Trevor, could you check the latest projections for Q3 again?” I broke the silence, my tone professional.

“Of course, Mr. Marshall.” He nodded, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he pulled up the requested data. He glanced over at me, our eyes meeting briefly before he turned his attention back to the screen.

Things had been awkward between us all morning, neither of us saying all that much. As we worked side by side, our proximity seemed to amplify the underlying tension between us. My eyes drifted in his direction even more than usual. I couldn’t help but admire the way his brow furrowed in concentration, the way his lips pursed slightly as he focused on the task at hand.

“Here are the updated figures.” He handed me a printout of the revised projections, our fingers brushing briefly as the papers exchanged hands. A jolt of electricity shot through me at the contact, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Thank you.” My voice was barely above a whisper. Our eyes locked, the air thick with words that needed to be spoken. I knew he had to have questions and I had several of my own. In fact, they’d kept me up all night once I’d gone home from the party.

All day yesterday, I’d been consumed with thoughts of him. The vulnerable look on his face as he’d explained his presence at the party and the dejected look when he’d left were seared into my brain. Was he okay? Did he have anyone else he could talk to about his sexuality? I knew his roommate was his best friend, but could he talk to him about this? My thoughts hounded me relentlessly until I’d finally fallen into an exhausted sleep the night before.

Time seemed to stand still as we stared at each other, the world outside the boardroom fading away until there was only the two of us, bound together by an invisible thread.

“We should probably…” Trevor’s voice trailed off as he swallowed nervously, his cheeks flushing with a rosy hue.

“Yes, you’re right.” I cleared my throat, tearing my gaze away from his and forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. “We need to finalize the numbers before the meeting starts.”

We busied ourselves with the remaining preparations, but the tension between us continued to simmer just beneath the surface. Eventually, the board members began to file into the room. I could feel Trevor’s eyes on me as I stood before them at the head of the table, but I forced myself to focus on the quarterly board meeting.

Two hours later, we found ourselves alone again. “I think the board was impressed with the projections,” Trevor said, breaking the silence as he stacked the papers neatly on the table. The meeting had gone splendidly—thanks largely in part to my incredible assistant.

“Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without your help,” I replied sincerely.

A timid smile spread across his face, like a peace offering of sorts and I felt something in me soften as our eyes met. I could feel my resolve beginning to falter, but somehow, I just didn’t have it in me to care.

Finally, I cleared my throat, breaking the silence once more. “Listen, I was thinking…maybe we could…grab dinner tonight? I know you have questions. I can see them in your eyes.”

Trevor’s eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of hope dancing in their depths. “I do actually. Thank you. Dinner would be nice,” he replied, a shy smile playing at the corner of his lips.

“Great! Let’s go.”

As we gathered our belongings and made our way out of the boardroom, I felt a surge of anticipation—along with a healthy dose of nerves. I’d never spent time with any of my employees outside of work-related events and a part of me still worried that I was about to make some colossal mistake.

But Trevor wasn’t like other employees. There was some inexplicable connection between us I’d never experienced before—with anyone and I couldn’t wait to spend more time with him and hopefully figure out what it was.

“Holy crap! This is your car?” Trevor sputtered as I led him over to my assigned parking space.

I eyed him curiously as I clicked the key fob, bringing the car to life. “It is. Why?”

His eyes were huge as he walked around it, checking it out from different angles, an appreciative grin on his face. “Dude, this is a Porsche GT3! These things start at around a hundred and fifty grand!”

“Yes, I’m aware,” I deadpanned.

Trevor rolled his eyes and laughed, the sound echoing in the nearly empty garage. “Well, yeah, I guess you already know that. But I mean, damn, this is one sexy car.” He seemed to catch himself then, straightening as if he’d suddenly remembered I was his boss. “Sorry, Mr. Marshall. I didn’t mean?—”

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