Page 5 of Forbidden Lust

They said their goodbyes and went back to their respective offices. Daniel’s was in The Gherkin, which had gotten him a lot of jokes from Gavin when he first chose it. As soon as he got back to work, there were a couple of fires he needed to put out, and the rest of the day quickly got away from him. It was after ten o’clock at night by the time he got home, and all he could do was have a quick shower and crash out in his cold and empty bed.

The next day, his new friend asked Daniel if he could advise him on a professional matter. Not one to turn down a friend in need, he cleared time in his diary and made his way over to Montgomery Equity. It was impressive, what he’d built. Oscar Montgomery was one of those under thirty CEOs, but this one wasn’t a wanker who wrote annoying posts on LinkedIn about how a homeless beggar told him to get fucked so was immediately hired as chairman of the board.

“Tell me everything,” said Daniel. “Give me the full, unfiltered truth, so I know what I’m dealing with.”

Oscar described the fucked-up situation he was facing with a regulatory investigation, and it wasn’t good, but it could be salvageable depending on how they went forward from here. If Daniel had his way, Oscar would walk awayfrom this smelling of roses, but the regulators were like weeds, and would always find your weaknesses. Oscar was looking at a hefty fine, and that would be a positive outcome.

“Do you want my long-winded lawyer-type summation of the situation, or the no-nonsense straight to the point version?”

“The latter.”

“You’re fucked!”

Oscar laughed and asked for the more detailed version, but with no sugarcoating. Daniel didn’t believe in spin and bullshit. If he thought a client was fucked, he told them so, and explained how he could help mitigate the impact. He explained the facts to Oscar, because this was a serious situation.

“Is this the part where you tell me you can get me off for an astronomical fee?”

“Even I’m not that good. Look, I think what we need to do here is let them do their investigation into everyone else. I assume everyone else is thoroughly vetted?”

Oscar nodded. Daniel explained how they could tackle the situation, and what his firm could do to help, and they agreed on a way forward, with Oscar not concerned about costs. Daniel knew Oscar could afford his rates, he would tackle this one personally, with visits to the regulator, but have his team do the grunt work. It would keep costs down for Oscar. Daniel didn’t rip anyone off, especially his friends.

“What’s been happening with you and Captain Bow Tie?” asked Daniel.

He saw Oscar flush, which was adorable for such a giant of a man. He clearly had a big thing for the buttoned-up geek Daniel had seen him with at the New Year’s party. It was cute to see someone so smitten – it just wasn’t for him, no matter what Gavin said.

“That good, eh? Come on, details. I need to live vicariously through my friends.”

“I’m sure there are plenty of muscle queens queuing at your door.”

“Muscle guys don’t really do it for me.”

“So why did you agree to go on a date with me, then?”

“Because you’re hot, and I’m not dead. Plus, the whole ‘flung around the bedroom’ thing piqued my interest.”

That gave them a laugh. Oscar’s mother had set them up, and was very forward about what her son liked in the bedroom. There was something hot about taking a big guy apart, but Oscar didn’t have that vulnerability about him Daniel loved in a partner. Damn his saviour complex.

“What is your type, then?” asked Oscar.

“I’ll let you know when I see it,” he replied, standing up.

They went over some final points of the case, and what would happen next. Daniel hadn’t come over expecting to get business, but he wouldn’t turn it down. His team would be excited by the challenge.

Oscar walked Daniel out of his office and then stopped.

“Josh, what are you doing here?”

“I heard about the investigation, sir. I thought you’d need me here.”

Daniel was taken aback by the stunning young man. It was clear the boy was unwell, but it didn’t hide how beautiful he was. Golden hair and dark brown eyes, which expressed so much emotion. That boy had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and Daniel immediately wanted to ease his burden.

“I’ll see Daniel out, and then we’ll talk.”

“Who’s that?” asked Daniel as they walked towards the lifts.

“My assistant.”

“How old is he?”

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