Page 32 of My Dear Mr. Corporate

“You had no idea he would be here?” I asked Tate.

“Of course not. Will you excuse me?” He dragged his eyes away from his friend for a second to turn his attention back to Jeremy and me. “Don’t go anywhere,” he told me, then leveled his gaze on Jeremy. “Don’t leave him alone. If anyone so much as looks at him twice I’ll make sure this is your last and only night of success.”

Tate barged off toward his friend before I could tell him how inappropriate it was for him to threaten our host. He left me with an apology to deal with and I couldn’t blame Jeremy if he kicked us out.

“I’m so sorry about that,” I told him. “Tate can go a little overboard. Comes with the territory of being a Rosenbaum but he won’t actually do anything.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Jeremy disagreed. “I better keep you next to me just in case. Did you say a Rosenbaum?”

I nodded. “Yeah, he’s the C.E.O. Or recovering his position as C.E.O.”

“Damn, you’ve got one of them too!” He didn’t look too happy about it. “My partner and I have a secret relationship because he’s not out yet. He’s also high profile in business and I hate every minute of it. All I want is for him to come out already, you know. Instead, sometimes I feel like he’s ashamed of all this.” He made a sweeping gesture to himself.

“Are you kidding me? You look amazing. I wish I had your confidence to pull off something like this.”

“You would look absolutely gorgeous.”

I smiled at him. “Not as beautiful as you.” I tried not to glance at Tate who was gesturing rather strongly from whatever he was saying to his friend. “Is your partner here?” I asked Jeremy to distract me from the two who seemed to be arguing.

A shadow fell over his features and I wished I hadn’t asked. Behind his glittering eyes and bright smile was a hint of sadness. “Business came up. He may still pop in later, but I’m not really counting on it.” Except that by the way he glanced at the door when it opened, he was counting on it. I felt bad for him. The poor guy was obviously so madly in love with this man who was taking him for granted.

I frowned, glancing back at Tate and Gio. They had moved from the small group where they had been standing and were together by themselves in a corner. Their conversation looked intense.

“You don’t have to worry about that one,” Jeremy remarked. “I’ve seen him around the gay bars and I’m sure he isn’t your boyfriend’s type. I see the way your man looks at you.”

I shifted my gaze back to Jeremy. “You mean you know him?”

“Sure. We frequent the same gay bars. I love the nightlife and he’s almost always on the scene. He favors a little redhead with freckles and a penchant for leather. He should be around too, but perhaps later when he gets off shift.”

“I fucking knew he was gay!” I cried in triumph.

“You mean he’s not out?” Jeremy asked stricken that he had said anything.

I shook my head. “Not that I know of. Tate is his best friend so I’m sure he would have told him.”

“You can’t say anything. I just assumed he was out. He’s always at these gay functions. I wouldn’t want to be accused of letting anyone’s secret out.”

I shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Tate has figured it out by now.”

Before he could reply a bear approached us and made his interest known by the way he grinned at me lasciviously. “Hey there, sweetie. What’s your name?”

“He’s already taken, Blake,” Jeremy replied for me. “See that gorgeous man over there glaring at you?” He used his chin to show him Tate who was indeed staring daggers through him. “By my estimate, you have five seconds to get away before he-oh snap. Too late.”

My heart lurched in my chest as Tate’s long legs ate up the distance between us, and he was by my side in a heartbeat. “Something I can help you with?” Tate snapped at the bear.

“No, not at all. I was just going.”

The man drifted away, and I smiled at Tate. He did have his uses. I sensed someone looking at us and wasn’t surprised that it was Gio. If looks could kill I would already be six-feet under. On a whim, I slipped a hand behind Tate’s head to pull him down and kiss him. I sensed his surprise, but he didn’t resist. He planted his hands firmly on my hips and kissed me back. I didn’t care one bit if it was petty as hell. If Tate could act possessive of me, why couldn’t I also stamp my own claim? Gio was more of a threat to our relationship than that nameless bear. Gio and Tate had a history that could easily become something more. The thought was chilling.

“I’ll give you pair some privacy and check on my other guests,” Jeremy announced behind my back. I released Tate’s lips to bid him farewell with a promise to grab a few things before we left.

“What did Gio want to talk about?” I asked him. “What’s he doing here anyway? This is not a place I expect to see a lot of straight guys.”

He frowned at me. “Let’s get the stuff you want and get out of here.”

It didn’t escape my attention that he deliberately ignored my question, and this alarmed me. Just what the hell had he and Gio been talking about?

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