Boss (4 page)

“Drink with me?” he called to the barmaid.

She twirled a stray piece of hair around her finger, cautiously accepting the drink.

“I shouldn’t drink when I’m working,” she whispered.

“Live a little.”

She tossed it back and slammed it on the counter, a warm smile spreading across her face.

“You didn’t see that,” she leaned across the bar, her voice dropping seductively.

“See what?”

She bounced back on her heels and smiled. She was gorgeous but she could have been any girl. Joshua just needed a distraction and she fit the role perfectly.

“What time do you get off?” he asked.

Squinting, she assessed Joshua. He could tell she was figuring out if she should tell him. She glanced down to the money poking out of his full wallet.

“In an hour.”

“Good.”

She leaned against the bar and his eyes quickly dropped down to her cleavage.

“Why?” she leaned in, “What do we have planned?”

“We?” he smiled, “We have planned whatever you want to do.”

“Well, that sounds like -,”

“’Scuse me darlin’, can a man get a drink around here?” she was cut off by a thick, East London accent.

Joshua spun around in his chair to discover it was the man from the booth. Joshua instantly noticed how sickeningly handsome the stranger was. His dark eyes ignored Joshua as they looked to the barmaid.

“Excuse yourself,” Joshua shot back, “we were in the middle of a conversation.”

The man stopped leaning against the bar and turned to Joshua, as if he had only just noticed he was sat there. His dark brows furrowed humorously, as a small smirk fluttered across his plump, dark lips. They were framed perfectly by his neatly clipped, black stubble.

“And now you’re not,” he laughed, his cockney accent had a mix of something more refined, smoothed over the top, “can we get some bottles of champers over at my table?”

He turned to the barmaid again, seeming to forget Joshua was even there. He didn’t know if it was the whiskey, which was causing his sudden bravery but he reached out and shoved the man’s shoulder.

“Don’t serve him,” Joshua shot at the barmaid.

“I’m just doing my job,” she mumbled, already pulling the champagne from the fridge behind the counter.

“Cheers,” his voice was deep, rich and slightly harsh.

A voice like that didn’t belong in a suit that expensive, it belonged at
Hackney Market,
selling fruit and veg.

He grabbed the bottles but he didn’t leave the bar, instead turning to Joshua. His eyes flicked up and down Joshua’s outfit, obviously judging his scruffy denim shorts and loose white vest. He had a couple of beaded necklaces around his neck, which he had picked up on his travels and matching ones around his wrists. His tattoo-covered arms were left to speak for themselves.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” the man leaned in slightly, his hot, beer-tinted breath hitting Joshua in the face, “because if you weren’t, I’d paste your pretty little arse up and down this bar.”

Joshua turned to the barmaid and snorted but she raised her hands and walked away, the seductive smirk gone.

“Are you serious?” Joshua laughed in the man’s face.

“Serious about what? You being cute or me flattening you?”

The way the man spoke made his stomach rumble in a way he didn’t recognise. He noticed how handsome the man was again, his cheeks so sharp they looked like they could cut glass.
Why does it feel so good to be called cute by a guy?
He shook those thoughts from his mind, focusing on the anger in his chest.

“You’re funny,” Joshua said flatly, “nice one.”

“I’m not joking,” he relaxed his face and placed the bottles on the counter, leaning his arm against the bar.

Just from the way the suit creased around his body, Joshua knew that his torso was perfect. He was likely a banker or a lawyer but he also looked like he should be advertising aftershave or expensive underwear on a billboard.

Joshua glanced over at the table the man had been sat at. It was filled with young guys and girls who were all stylishly dressed, not that Joshua knew what the latest styles or trends were in England. They seemed to be chatting, happy to entertain themselves in their leader’s absence. He didn’t know why he assumed that the man was the head of the group but he just had that air about him. Without saying a word, Joshua could sense his inflated self worth and ego.
I can practically smell it
. Or was that the spicy, deep aftershave that was tickling his nostrils?

“Whatever,” Joshua sighed in defeat, turning back to the bar.

He wasn’t in the mood for a fight and the adrenaline was already starting to wear off. He could feel the different alcohols mixing uncomfortably in his stomach and the jet lag was viciously creeping in.

“Is that all I get?” he smirked, “
’Whatever’
? I gave you a compliment.”

“And?”

“And it’s polite to give one back,” his dark hazel eyes focussed severely on Joshua, his thick and full brows dropping, darkening them even more.

He couldn’t decide if the stranger was for real, or not.

“It’s polite not to interrupt a conversation,” Joshua reached out and grabbed another shot.

“She was never going to have sex with you.”

“What?”

“Amy, she was never going to have sex with you,” he repeated.

She was called Amy? Had he even bothered to ask her name before he started to throw money at her? His sudden seediness made him feel uneasy.

“Whatever.”

“There you go again with the ‘
whatever
’. An accent like that only comes from the best education, and yet -,” his voice trailed off.

“And yet?”

“Well,” he looked Joshua up and down again, “here you are, dressed like this.”

He smirked again and Joshua had the strongest urge to wipe that smirk off his face. Why did he have to be so handsome and why did Joshua need to keep noticing?

“What-,” he stopped himself from saying it a third time, “how do you know she wouldn’t have fucked me? I thought you said I was cute?”

“Oh, you are,” he nodded, a hunger in his eyes, “but I see Amy do that bitey-lip thing every other night. She’s pretty and she’s smart, and she has a kid at home, so she knows what she needs to do.”

“And you know all this because?”

“I know this city,” he looked Joshua up and down again, “and I don’t know you.”

“I know this city too,” Joshua dismissed the stranger as the shininess of his expensively tailored suit caught his eye, “and I don’t know you either.”

“Ezra,” he held out his hand.

Joshua didn’t shake it. He stared at the hand in front of him, trying to figure out what angle the guy was trying to play. His nails looked perfectly manicured and soft, with just the perfect amount of white showing, and no more.

“I didn’t ask for your name,” Joshua reached out for another of the shots.

“Now you know who I am,” he didn’t move his hand, “but I still don’t know who you are.”

“And you won’t,” Joshua ran his hands through his blonde mop, tucking it behind his ears as the tiredness took hold of his mind.

“It’s polite to shake someone’s hand when they offer it.”

Who is this creep?

The corners of Ezra’s mouth turned up to form perfectly soft dimples in his dark stubble, which contrasted against his angular, chiselled face. If somebody could have created a polar opposite of how Joshua looked, Ezra was it –
But damn, he’s gorgeous
.

“Were you raised by Mary Poppins?” he winced at the shot, “I don’t care what’s polite and what isn’t.”

“Nah, me neither,” Ezra finally dropped his hand and reached out to pick up one of the shots.

Keeping his dark eyes fixed on Joshua, he lifted the glass to his lips to slowly drink it, his lids not blinking or fluttering. It transfixed Joshua how he didn’t wince or even acknowledge the alcohol. From what he could remember, the bankers and lawyers were the worst drinkers of the lot. Ever so gently, his tongue poked out, licking up the green leftovers.

“You going to pay for that?”

“Something tells me you don’t need the money,” Ezra’s eyes narrowed on him.

Ezra was trying to figure him out. He was looking at Joshua in a way that made him feel uncomfortable and he couldn’t put his finger on why. His mind kept wandering back to the compliment he had given him.
Did he say I was cute to get in my head? It’s working.
Joshua would be damned if he returned the compliment.

“Something tells me your friends are going to be missing you.”

“They’re fine,” he jumped up and sat on the stool, ignoring the two green bottles of expensive champagne on the bar.

Glancing over to the table, Joshua noticed that a couple of them were looking over but they didn’t seem bothered that they had been ditched.

“It’s not polite to sit uninvited.”

“So now you want to play by the rules?” Ezra’s hand darted down to his crotch, to adjust the tight fabric and Joshua’s eyes couldn’t help but dart down with it.

He did that on purpose.

Joshua got the distinct impression the man was trying to fuck with him, so he would have a funny story to tell the guys back at the table when he finally decided to return with their drinks.

“Are you going to tell me your name?”

“Nope.” Joshua shook his head.

“Why?”

“Don’t want to.”

“But why?”

“Because I don’t know you!”

“Sure you do. I’m Ezra,” he held his hand out again but Joshua ignored it until he dropped it.

He wanted so badly to hate the man but he had so much charisma, it was hard not to get sucked in. He reminded him of those smarmy car salesmen who somehow managed to get you to drive away in a car worth double what you wanted to pay.

“Well, Ezra, I’d like to say it’s been nice chatting, but it hasn’t, so -,”

“Come and join us,” he nodded over to the table, “we’re heading to Shoreditch later.”

“Well, I’m not,” he had completely abandoned his earlier plans to find a girl in the city.

“Why are you drinking alone?” his eyes darted to the shots.

“Because I want to?”

“Nobody wants to drink alone.”

“I do.”

“But somebody was sitting with you and he left,” his eyes narrowed to dark slits, “was he your boyfriend?”

“No!” Joshua sounded more outraged than intended.

“Good.”

So, this dude is gay?

That was his game? Somehow, this sudden admission didn’t come as a shock to Joshua because he’d sensed it from the minute he’d stood next to him at the bar.

Ezra’s thick lashes fluttered, making his dark eyes twinkle under the spotlights, just as Levi’s had done an hour ago but Levi’s hadn’t made Joshua’s stomach knot.

“I’m going home,” Joshua slid away from the bar, picking up his jacket from the stool next to him.

“Don’t leave because of me,” Ezra jumped up, grabbing the bottles again, “here, if you’re going to sit on your own, at least do it in style.”

He handed one of the bottles to Joshua and instinctively, he accepted it.
Why did I do that?

“I don’t need charity.”

“It’s a gift,” Ezra grinned, flashing his white teeth, “you look like you need a distraction.”

Is he some kind of mind reader?

“Whatever,” it slipped out before Joshua could stop it.

Ezra laughed, dropping his head slightly. He clutched the bottle with both hands and nodded to Joshua, as if to thank him for playing along.

Joshua had no idea what had just happened but he knew how much the champagne in his hands cost and there was no way he was going to let it go to waste.

Thanks for the distraction, Ezra.

The mysterious blonde at the bar intrigued Ezra Steele. A cute, twenty-one-year-old twink was rubbing his hand against Ezra’s crotch under the table but he wasn’t paying attention. The enigma across the bar had all of his attention.

Who is he?

He watched as he poured himself another glass of the £92 champagne with his colourfully tattooed hands. He was drinking it as if it was tap water. His clothes were worn, his hair was scruffy and he acted like a man who had never grown out of being a teenager but there was something behind it all.

He thought back to Adam, who had been sucking his cock less than an hour ago. Adam hadn’t been able to excite him but the blonde was just the distraction he needed.
And he’s not even my type.

“Am I coming back to yours tonight?” the twink whispered into his ear.

Ezra tore his eyes away from the blonde for a moment. The twink was cute but he was too easy. He could pick up a dozen guys like him and they would all be exactly the same. He knew he was a pig for looking at them as disposable fuck toys but he didn’t care. That’s how they presented themselves and that’s how he used them.

“What’s your name again?” Ezra asked for the second time that day.

“Ben,” he whispered, leaning in even closer.

“Ben,” Ezra nodded, “we’ll see.”

You can be my backup.

That seemed to be enough for Ben because his fingers gently brushed against the insides of Ezra’s thighs. He didn’t even know half of the people at his table but he didn’t care. They seemed to know him. It was usually enough to get him through the night but tonight he had his eyes on a more unobtainable prize.

The way the blonde had spoken to him, without fear, excited him in a way that made him want to take him straight to bed.

“Oh, you like that?” Ben whispered.

Ezra glanced down at his crotch, his shaft was starting to twitch and harden but it wasn’t because Ben was touching it. The second his mind had wandered into the bedroom and he had seen the blonde in his bed, with his beaded necklaces hanging loosely around his tanned, naked and tattooed body, the blood had rushed straight to his manhood.

“Yeah, sure.”

The blonde poured the last of the champagne into his glass and tossed it back quickly. Ezra knew that if he didn’t make a move soon, he would lose out on his golden opportunity and he knew how big London was. You could fuck your way through an entire bar full of guys and you would never have to worry about bumping into them again. Either he didn’t bump into them, or he didn’t remember them enough to realise when he did.

He looked down to Ben, who was desperately trying to jerk him off under the table. Ezra knew it was for the bragging rights. The line
‘Ezra Steele fucked me’
would be enough to get Ben laid for the rest of his twenties.

Glancing back to the bar, his stomach lurched forwards when he saw the empty seat and the empty champagne bottle. Ignoring the solid length below, he edged out of the booth and headed across to the bar, leaving Ben. With one hand, he skilfully buttoned his suit jacket and with the other he rearranged himself through his pocket.

“Amy, where did that guy go?”

She shrugged, clearly happy that the creep had left her alone, “I didn’t see him leave.”

Turning on the spot, he looked to the door and thought about running outside to look for him but he decided against it. If he had jumped straight into a cab, he could already be miles away.

Fuck, there goes my distraction.

Heading towards the bathroom, he tried to console himself. He wouldn’t be going home to an empty bed but he didn’t get to do a little chasing.

He walked straight over to the long row of marble sinks to stare at himself in the mirror. His hair was still perfectly in place, his suit was still on point and he could just about see the outline of his thick cock, still hard in his underwear.

Washing his hands, he decided that he was going to settle the bill and duck out of the back door, ditching the desperate party who had clung onto him. A couple of them worked at
Silverton Tower
but he didn’t really know them. The rest were people hoping to get close to Ezra Steele but they didn’t interest him. He wouldn’t have called any of them his friends but he didn’t even know if he could call anybody his friend.

The sound of a toilet flushing made him glance through the mirror to notice that one of the stalls had a closed door. When the door slowly opened and the blonde walked out, his heart jumped painfully into his mouth. The stranger didn’t notice him at first but their eyes quickly joined in the mirror. Ezra couldn’t conceal his smirk as the blonde rolled his eyes moodily.

“You again,” he joined him at the sinks.

“Aren’t you pleased to see me?” Ezra smiled through the mirror.

He couldn’t explain why he wanted to talk to the guy so much. He seemed dismissive and he clearly thought he was too good for Ezra. He was treating Ezra with the same distaste he used on guys but he didn’t like it when the shoe was on the other foot.

The man washed his hands quickly, trying to avoid eye contact. Ezra could tell curiosity was taking over. He started to wash his own hands, ignoring that he had only just done it.

“Did you follow me in here?” the blonde asked.

“You wish.”

I wasn’t that clever
.

“Liar,” a drunken smile flickered across the man’s lips.

“Are you going to tell me your name?”

Ezra studied him in the mirror and he looked even more stunning under the harsh strip lighting. His hair was ratty and light, tucked behind both of his pierced ears, each cluttered with studs and rings. It looked like it hadn’t had a comb or scissors near it in years but it looked strangely perfect. His face was tanned, as if he had been on a long tropical holiday, which only confirmed Ezra’s suspicions that the boy had money.
Only a rich boy would dress like that and somehow pull it off.

He was the opposite of what Ezra found attractive but that didn’t stop his cock twitching against the marble counter.

“Why do you want to know my name?”

“Because I do?”

“Why?”

“Do you always ask so many questions?”

“Do you?” he reached over Ezra and grabbed a couple of paper towels from the stand, his shoulder brushing against Ezra’s chest.

He smelled unwashed and yet that was somehow inviting.

“Yeah, I do,” Ezra shrugged, “name?”

He rubbed his hands against the blue paper towels, as if considering if he should let Ezra in.

“Why should I tell you?” he shrugged, tossing the towels into the sink.

“I’m interested.”

“But why?”

Did this kid question everything? The tiny lines around his eyes told Ezra that they were probably the same age, both in their mid-twenties, but he had the attitude of a teenager. Ezra was usually cool and collected but he found himself matching that attitude.

“Just tell me your name!” Ezra laughed.

“Or what?”

Their eyes met again in the mirror, staring each other out, neither blinking. Ezra wanted to jump into his crystal blue eyes and lose himself. He never usually noticed a guy’s eyes but it was impossible not to notice them.

With his hands still in the water, Ezra pulled them out of the sink to gently splash his fingers in the stranger’s face.

“Or else, I drench you.”

Joshua screwed up his eyes, wiping the water away from his face. He looked like he could either burst into laughter, or punch Ezra square in the face. Ezra wouldn’t have minded either way. Biting his dry lips with his straight, white teeth, he looked like he was about to laugh or swear.

“You’re so childish!” he laughed heavily, wiping his wet hands down the front of his vest.

There was a glint in his drunken eyes that he found it funny.

“You’re the childish one,” Ezra shot back.

“Am I?” the blonde stranger reached out and turned his tap on, cupping his hand under the water flow.

He tossed it at Ezra and it hit him in the face. Closing his eyes, he felt the ice-cold water drip down his skin, onto his suit. His instincts were telling him to clench his fists but he was happy he was playing along.

“You’re going to regret that,” Ezra smiled sweetly at the blonde's reflection in the mirror.

“I am?” he reached out again, cupping both hands this time, not taking his eyes away from Ezra’s.

Even more water hit Ezra in the face but this time, a wild, childlike smile filled the stranger’s lips, lighting up his entire face. It was infectious and beautiful. Ezra mirrored the grin.

“Oh, you bastard,” Ezra mumbled, “it’s on.”

He twisted the tap and he started to splash the water directly from the mouth, straight in his opponent’s direction. The stranger copied and it wasn’t long before they were both soaked, standing in puddles of their own creation. Ezra didn’t care. He didn’t care that he had soaked his £1,000 tailored suit, or that his hair was now hanging below his brows. He had forgotten all about getting the stranger into his bed, instead letting the laughter intoxicate him.

“Had enough?” Ezra called, throwing another handful of water.

“Nope,” he cried.

They continued fighting, like boys half their age, sending water jumping all over the bar bathroom. Ezra could almost imagine the faces of the men in the boardroom at work. Would they ever have thought their boss would be in a bar toilet, having a water fight with a stranger?
Graham would have a field day if he could see me.

“Okay, okay,” Ezra turned off the tap, “truce?”

He held out his hand again but this time, the stranger accepted it. His grip was firm and strong and his skin was slightly dry, despite the water. Their eyes connected and Ezra could feel his heartbeat linking with the beautiful man’s in front of him. Their eyes and hands lingered, as if neither of them wanted to break the contact.

Taking his chance, Ezra tightened his grip and yanked the stranger forwards. He was tall, almost matching Ezra in height, perhaps the same height if he wasn’t wearing his Italian shoes. He bundled forwards, their chests crashing together. Ezra didn’t let go of his hand. The look of surprise and confusion in the stranger’s eyes made Ezra’s stomach flutter but he didn’t pull away. They were so close, within kissing distance. He wanted nothing more than to lean in and take him but he stopped himself.

“Are you going to tell me your name?”

“Joshua,” he said without a second thought.

“Joshua,” Ezra nodded.

Somehow, he looked like a Joshua. He could feel Joshua’s chest rising and falling, as the hot, alcohol breath escaped his mouth in a hurry. What would he taste like?
Champagne and hormones?

Reluctantly, Ezra loosened his grip on Joshua’s hand and as if the spell had been broken, he stepped back and blinked heavily, rubbing the space between his eyes.

“Man, I feel so wasted.”

Carefully, he leaned against the soaking counter, dropping his head heavily. Ezra could tell he was putting some of it on, as if to excuse their momentary closeness. They were probably only within kissing distance for ten seconds, maybe fifteen but it felt like an eternity and then some. Ezra didn’t know how he had managed to show the restraint to not lean in and explore his mouth but somehow he did.

“Me too,” Ezra lied.

Ezra had only had a couple of glasses of champagne and his liver was stronger than that.

“I better go,” Joshua ruffled his damp hair, pulling it out from behind his ears, letting it hang over his face, “I’m soaked.”

He glanced to Ezra from under his hair, but he couldn’t hold the gaze, as if he knew he had gone further than expected. Nodding to Ezra, after a moment’s hesitation, he started to walk forwards, making sure to step wide around him.

“Wait,” he called out, reaching out and grabbing the top of Joshua’s arm.

“What?” he glanced over his shoulder, his diamond eyes piercing through the loose strands of wet hair.

One side was tucked behind his left ear, the piercings glittering in the light, the other hung loosely over his gorgeous face. His back was slightly concaved, making the wet vest cling to his stomach, revealing a faint six-pack on his slim frame.