Page 54 of The Boy from Half Moon

I laid my hand on my bag. “You pay me what I deserve,” I reminded him.

While I wasn’t involved in any cases yet at the firm, I’d only been in my position for a few weeks. I’d been analyzing some of the firm’s other cases, making recommendations, and reviewing case law while I bided my time.

Alec didn’t intimidate me, and I wondered if that bothered him. My education and early success in my career while in Seattle are why he’d recruited me, so I didn’t concern myself with his attempts to make me feel pressured.

“I suppose I do pay you what you deserve,” he agreed, tilting his head and smiling at me. I watched as he dragged his finger across my desk and landed on the notepad I’d left there the day before. “And who would Luke be?” he asked, landing his gaze directly on me.

I’d learned that Alec liked to see if he could sense a lie or any discomfort associated with hiding one. Good luck. I was a criminal defense lawyer, and, not to mention, I’d spent nearly a decade with a man like him. I wouldn’t cave.

“Luke is no one you should be made aware of,” I answered, keeping my eyes steady while he ran his little lie detector filter through his mind. I suddenly felt repulsion for my boss.

“There’s a heart drawn around his name, Tate. I feel a smidge jealous seeing this,” he admitted. “I thought you might reserve hearts for my name.”

I’m not sure why I lied. Maybe he was pissing me off? Maybe he disgusted me at that moment. Maybe Tyler’s warnings about Alec’s past relationships came to mind. Whatever the maybe, he wasn’t getting shit from me regarding the name I’d written on my notepad.

“A patient of my mother’s,” I offered. “Those are bullet points I wrote down while we spoke of him.”

“Seems unprofessional for your mother to discuss one of her patients with you, Tate.”

Fuck! He was correct. “He’s a dear friend from Seattle. I was concerned, and she overshared,” I fibbed. “I’m hoping you’ll forget what I just admitted.”

I remained calm, still under his lie-detecting radar. Alec was a suspicious man, and this invasion of privacy was the first actual proof that I’d been right. Tyler had been dead-on, something I hadn’t initially trusted because of his own behavior, but now, I believed him.

Alec jumped out of my chair. “Forgotten!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands in that annoying way he did when he assumed he’d won. “Now that it’s out of the way, we’ll have dinner tonight. Then we’ll go to the new gay club on Central Avenue so that you can meet more of my friends.”

My first instinct was to say, ‘Not a fucking chance’, but I didn’t do that. I was free that evening, so why not go with him, buy a little more time, and see how he was around his friends? Perhaps in a friend group, he’d see me the way he saw his other friends. I would be eating a hardy meal, of course, assuring that I wouldn’t get drunk and have a repeat of my last evening out with Alec.

“I think I can do that,” I agreed.

He seemed genuinely surprised, but quickly gathered his perfected expression. “Great. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Better yet,” I replied. “I’ll meet you at the restaurant and then follow you to the club in my car.”

There was no way I’d be without my own transportation. That way I wouldn’t have to depend on him taking me home or having to fight him off over coming up for a nightcap.

“That doesn’t sound friendly, Tate. I was hoping we’d spend the weekend together at my place. Perhaps even grab brunch in Portland on Sunday.”

“We are not that type of friends, Alec,” I reminded him. “I’m more than happy to enjoy dinner and a drink with you and your friends, though. It will do me good to meet new people, possibly even form other friendships as well.”

“You’re still resisting my charms?”

“As hard as that is, Mr. Boss-man, it is the prudent course to take,” I said. “Plus, I make a wonderful friend.”

Alex crossed his arms; never a positive sign when having these sorts of discussions. I’d wanted to forego this talk today, but maybe he was going to force me to have it.

“You don’t find me attractive?” he asked.

“Untrue. You are quite attractive, Alec. However, let’s be totally upfront here,” I began, unconsciously crossing my own arms despite knowing that was bad body language. “Dating my boss, the owner of my place of employment, is something that I have always drawn a line at. It simply will not work for me.”

“But have you forgotten we’ve had sex?”

“Have you forgotten I was intoxicated?” I argued, keeping my cool when I noticed his fingers curling and then uncurling, while his arms remained crossed.

“You weren’t that out of it, Tate,” he said. “If memory serves me correctly, you were… how can I put this and keep my decorum intact? Shall we say a lively participant as you fucked my skull.”

As stunned as I was by his remark, he was right. I wasn’t that drunk, but my guard was down for sure because of the alcohol. If my resistance hadn’t been compromised, I absolutely wouldn’t have let him blow me.

“As talented as you are, that was a mistake that will not be repeated,” I stated. “However, I’m happy to vouch for you should you need a recommendation,” I jokingly added, hoping to bring the temperature down a notch.

---