Page 35 of Studious
“How did it go Friday night with Alden Meyer?”
How did it go?Well, boss—even though Noah’s technically my partner, not my boss—I stripped him down, put him in my bed, fed him breakfast the next morning, and got a chubby when he asked me to be his sex teacher. Other than that, it was a normal evening.
“Fine. I took him back to my place to sleep it off.”
Noah gives me a look.
I hold up my hands. “I didn’t do anything with him, I swear.”
But I might want to.
My thoughts freeze for a moment, since Alden is off-limits in so many ways. But I’ve learned not to be ashamed of every horndog idea that enters my brain, especially when it relates to such a gorgeous guy. Moving along…
“Is he going to be okay? You don’t think he has a substance abuse issue or anything, do you? Do we need to look into some employee assistance?”
Oh my God, Noah’s the sweetest boss on the planet. He genuinely cares about his employees and wants them to be well. “He’s fine. He’s a lightweight and tried to keep up with us when he shouldn’t have, that’s all.”
“But he knows he doesn’t have to, right? I don’t want him to think that’s some sort of condition of employment.”
“Relax. He was just trying to fit in.”
“He doesn’t have to do anything to fit in, though. He can simply be himself.”
I smile at him. “I’ll make sure he knows that. I think you’ll see a different Alden at this Friday’s happy hour.”
“Okay, good.” Noah leaves, looking relieved, and I wander down to Alden’s office. He’s sitting at his desk, absorbed in typing something. One of his curls is in his face—reminding me of when I put him to bed Friday night—and he looks super cute.
“Hey,” I say. “You doing okay?”
His face lights up when he sees me, and something swells inside my chest that I haven’t felt in a long time. “I am. What are you doing today?”
I tell him about the case I’m working on, and he tells me about his plans for streamlining our expense reimbursement process, and I only realize I’ve spent too long on nonbillable time when Sam comes over to ask about a motion we need to file. I wave apologetically at Alden. “See you later.”
Alden waves back, and again I get this funny wiggle in my stomach. I follow Sam to his office, where we discuss the project and divide up the work. When I finally get back to my desk, I sit down, but before I start drafting, there’s something else I need to do.
I made a list of things I hashed out with my mom—and some things that were very much not appropriate to discuss with her. But Alden can work up to actual sex. For now, he just needs to get into the right frame of mind. I think I can help him do that. I pull out my phone.
CHAPTER9
Alden
As I work through bank statements and check off transaction amounts, I keep wondering what on earth I was thinking on Saturday.
At the time, propositioning Danny seemed like a good idea. But now it seems like an exceptionally bad one. Because I’m going to see him every day in the office. And he knows what an inexperienced ninny I am.
Except he was kind about it. Except he seemed willing to help. Except I’m so desperate tonotbe so desperate.
So maybe it was a good idea after all.
He stopped by this morning, just to talk, and it was easy. Ever since I got over my initial reaction to his blazing hotness, things have been easy with Danny. But maybe they’re getting easier overall as I settle into this work environment.
A voice startles me out of my thoughts, and I see Shelby’s kind face peeking through the doorway. “How are you feeling today?”
“Uh, I’m okay,” I stutter.You can talk to guys, Alden. Even cute twinks like Shelby. You can do this. You’ve talked with him before—he’s safe.
“You were feeling no pain on Friday.”
I clap my hands over my face. “I’m so embarrassed,” I groan.
