Page 238 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“Chief, if you have an accusation, make it. Otherwise, you’re wasting my time.” Declan stood to open the door.
“Very well.” O’Brien folded his notebook and stuffed it and the pencil into his pocket before heaving his ample frame from the office chair, huffing as he stood. He stopped in the doorway and faced Declan. “I’m watching you, Knowlan. Coincidences are never coincidental.” He paused. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.”
O’Brien turned and left.
* * *
Back in Ailbe’s office, Wyl and Ailbe sat to enjoy their lunch. Wyl was in front of the desk, and Ailbe was in his usual seat.
“So, how long have you been gay?” The crinkle of waxed paper crowded Ailbe’s words.
“That is an unusual question, Ailbe,” Wyl tugged at a small bag of crisps to open one end.
“You and Rod seem so different. I figured you had a military man tucked away somewhere for weekend trysts. You know, something on the side?” Ailbe bit into his chicken salad sandwich and chewed as he gazed at Wyl.
“Actually, I never dated anyone until Rod came along.” Wyl aimed an unblinking stare at Ailbe. “During my time in the Marines, I frequently got transferred, so I didn’t develop relationships. Too difficult to sever whenever I moved on.” Wyl fingered a crisp into his mouth and crunched.
“That doesn’t answer my question about you being gay.” Ailbe reached for his bottle of cola. The cap hissed briefly as he twisted it open.
“Rod is the first person I let myself be close to besides family. I never considered being gay or straight and struggled with my attraction to Rod. But we worked through that, and now I can’t imagine myself with anyone else.” Wyl bit a good-sized corner from half of his cheese sandwich.
“We’d make quite a team, you and me,” Ailbe said. “We could own the world with our combined expertise and experience.” Ailbe’s cold, calculating stare conveyed his seriousness.
“I’m on my honeymoon, Ailbe. Surely you’re not suggesting I dump my husband and set up housekeeping with you.” Wyl knew that was precisely what Ailbe had in mind.
“Be aware you have options,” Ailbe popped the last of his sandwich into his mouth.
They finished their lunch in silence. After lunch, Ailbe handed Wyl five completed projects to review. The review was quite intensive, so five hours was a lot. Wyl spent the afternoon inspecting the code, looking for any glaring errors. Occasionally, he entered the code into the computer and used an internal code-checking application to validate it. He found no errors. The work was solid and clean, and he was impressed.
By four o’clock, he returned the finished projects to Ailbe’s office.
“I’m taking off for the day,” Wyl said. “Rod and I are planning a quiet evening at home tonight.”
“Very good.” Ailbe took the stack of papers from Wyl. “You go and enjoy your evening. Come again in the morning when you’re ready. I’ll leave five more projects on the desk in that office.”
“Sounds great.”
“And think about our conversation at lunch. You could own the world.”
“Interesting proposal. See you tomorrow.” Wyl turned and headed outside, calling a cab to take him home.
* * *
Wyl entered the flat to a wonderful aroma. “What smells so good, babe?”
“Dinner for my hard-working husband.” Rod leaned in for a kiss. “How was your day with Ailbe?” Rod turned back to the stove, stirring the saucepan.
“It was good.” Wyl wrapped his arms around his husband from behind, nuzzling his ear. Based on Rod’s reaction when they had theirplay-the-gameconversation, he wouldn’t share about Ailbe’s proposition at lunch. “Is it dinner time already?”
“No. You’re smelling the sautéed onions and peppers that go into the stuffing. I’m making stuffed pork chops. They must bake for an hour, so dinner won’t be ready for a while. What did you and Ailbe do today?”
Wyl ignored the question. “How about a martini?”
“I’m always up for a martini,” Rod said.
Wyl pulled two highball glasses from the cupboard and opened the freezer for cubes from the ice maker tray. The ice clinked into the glasses. “Twist or olives?” he asked.
“I don’t think we have any lemons, so olives. And you ignored my request for details about your day.”
