Teasing Jonathan (3 page)

“Ever guard anyone famous?” Kai asked.

“Yes.” Jonathan wasn’t about to give names or details of any of his jobs.

Kai smiled as if delighted with Jonathan’s non-answer. “I bet you do a great job.”

Jonathan cleared his throat to speak.

“Coffee!” the barista shouted.

He let out a breath. Saved from making a fool of himself.

“Don’t leave!” Jonathan ordered. He stood up quickly and rushed to get his drink. He returned in record time, narrowly missing spilling the drink when the lid popped off unexpectedly. He set it down and refastened the top before anything could tip out.

When he’d finally finished, he found Kai watching him with an amused expression. A smile teased the corners of his lush mouth.

“I believe I owe you breakfast,” Kai said out of the blue.

“Why would you owe me breakfast?” he asked, trying to pull his attention back to the conversation and not wander off to bedroom gymnastics with a total stranger. Random pick-ups weren’t really his thing—hell, men weren’t even always his thing—but this particular man had him more hot and bothered than a string of strippers.

“You saved my life when you yanked me out of the way. The least I can do is buy you a meal.” He nodded his head towards the restaurant across the street. “If you’d prefer dinner, I can get us reservations there if you’d like.”

Jonathan’s gaze followed where Kai indicated. Callum’s restaurant, Trio, had a waiting list a mile long and Jonathan knew he should at least pretend to be impressed. Instead, he laughed.

“I can! I’ve got a standing reservation,” Kai protested. The flash of temper in his eyes only fuelled Jonathan’s attraction. He liked his men with a little fire in them. Sometimes he even enjoyed it a lot.

Jonathan shook his head. “How much did Callum charge you for that honour?”

He knew Callum’s restaurant had a level of prestige to uphold and some people paid quite a bit to make sure they could always get in. Callum called them his gold circle members. They paid a yearly membership and received exclusive invitations when Callum held private chef dinners. Jonathan admired the marketing strategy and he knew it was one of the reasons, according to Sin, that Callum had absolutely no debt, a minor miracle when running a business.

“You know the owner?” Kai asked.

Jonathan could listen to him talk forever. He took a sip of his coffee to hide his infatuation. Clearing his throat, he confessed. “He made me the breakfast I had to drop in the street.”

He still kind of mourned the loss of his food. As an omelette it had been good, but as a breakfast sandwich it had been amazing. He’d mention that to Callum when he saw him next. Callum would probably make it even better.

Kai frowned and sat up straight. Irritation crossed his features. “When did they start making breakfast? Why wasn’t I informed?”

“Because he only makes it for me when my boss drags me out of bed early. I work for Callum’s husband Sinclair,” Jonathan explained.

“Wow. I thought to impress you and now I’m the one impressed. Not many people get a private meal without having to pay for it.” Kai smiled.

Jonathan flushed as he remembered how poorly he’d treated Callum when they’d first met. He hadn’t thought his job assignment of watching Callum was important enough until he’d learned how much the chef meant to his boss. A year after that incident, he now knew Callum had an almost godlike status in the culinary community and gave away a lot of his money to youth organisations.

“If you ever get a chance for him to make you breakfast, ask for his eggs Benedict. They’re like an orgasm on a plate,” Jonathan replied. No one cooked eggs like Callum.

Kai laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jonathan’s phone rang. He answered it without taking his eyes off Kai. “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Patrick’s hard voice snapped Jonathan out of his absorption with Kai.

“Sorry, sir. I was held up. There was a hit and run incident and I was a witness to the event,” Jonathan explained. He forced his gaze away from Kai. If he stared at the gorgeous man any more, he’d probably become one of those stalkers.

“Were you hurt?” Concern softened Patrick’s sharp tone.

“No, sir. I’m just picking up some coffee before I head in,” Jonathan fibbed.

“Good grab me some coffee, black… Oh, and Arthur wants a mocha with whipped cream. We have a client who’ll be in the office soon and I want you properly briefed before he shows up.” Patrick’s voice softened then Jonathan heard his boss begin to tease Arthur about his drink choice.

“I’ll be there in a little bit,” Jonathan said, cutting into their conversation. If he waited for Patrick to stop teasing his husband, he’d be waiting a while.

“Good.” Patrick hung up.

“Are you in trouble?” Kai asked, his warm green eyes reflecting concern.

“No. As long as I bring them coffee I’m good.” If Arthur was working out of the office today, Patrick would mellow the hell out. Arthur would poke and prod until Patrick calmed down over whatever had irritated him. The two men balanced each other well. However, that didn’t mean Jonathan wanted to be on either of their bad sides.

Kai pulled out a business card and wrote a number on the back before handing it over. “Call me. I’ll take you someplace else for dinner or breakfast.” Kai flashed him a wicked smile. “Or maybe both.”

Jonathan grinned and accepted the cardboard rectangle. It had the feel of high quality paper stock. He ran his fingers along the embossing logo. Kai’s gaze followed the motion.

“Thanks. I’ll call as soon as I find out my schedule for the rest of the week. I never know when I might need to go out of town.” If it took this much prep just for the customer meeting, Jonathan doubted it would be an easy job. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a long one. He needed to see Kai naked almost desperately and he doubted anyone else would do.

A slight downturn of his lush mouth conveyed Kai’s disappointment, but he nodded his understanding.

Jonathan stood. Unable to resist, he walked around the table, leant down then kissed one of Kai’s high cheekbones. The smell of expensive cologne discreetly dabbed on met his nose. He resisted the urge to nestle in and enjoy his stay. “I’ll definitely see you later.”

Kai’s soft gasp followed Jonathan as he went to get the rest of the coffees. Patrick damn well better appreciate his caffeine this morning. The temptation to play hooky, drag Kai home and fuck him until their knees turned to water taunted him, but he couldn’t blow off work. He had bills to pay.

When he finally had all their drinks tucked into a cardboard tray, Jonathan turned around, only to find that Kai had left and a pair of giggling teens had taken his place.

Damn.

Disappointment crushed him like an anvil on his chest. Shaking it off, Jonathan straightened his spine, refusing to allow this minor setback to bother him for long. He had Kai’s number and the man had shown definite interest. Overall, it had actually been a stellar morning despite narrowly avoiding being the target of vehicular manslaughter.

He wondered how quickly it would be considered too eager to call.

Chapter Two

Kai slumped behind his desk and stared at the contract once again. He knew the words were supposed to make sense but right then they only slurred together in his mind until they formed a jumble of symbols he couldn’t decipher. Dyslexia was a bitch sometimes. Even with the mild form he had, whenever he became too tired, the words swam together. Three hours of reading papers consisted of two hours too many.

A knock had him calling out. “Enter.”

Michelle Orlen, Kai’s personal assistant, walked into the room in her navy blue suit with the gold-coloured buttons—a surprisingly staid outfit for a woman with a streak of pink in her hair and a diamond nose stud.

“Need to do dry cleaning?” he asked as she walked into the room.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “What makes you think that?”

“Because that’s your I-have-nothing-to-wear outfit,” Kai replied.

Michelle laughed, a surprisingly girlish sound from a woman who relished her kick-ass attitude. “You do know me, don’t you, Mr Stromwell?”

He’d given up on having her call him Kai three years ago when he’d hired her. She didn’t see it as respectful to call her boss by his first name. Her military father apparently had had strict rules regarding that growing up and some things from her childhood she couldn’t shake. Well, except for one night after she’d kicked her husband out and Kai had taken her to the bar down the street to celebrate. Apparently when drinking with the boss, first names were acceptable.

“What’s on the table for this afternoon?” Kai asked with little enthusiasm. Usually he loved his job, but lately all he’d received were crackpot ideas for get rich quick schemes, instead of solid business ideas. Work frustration added to the sexual tension already there from not grabbing hold of Jonathan and screwing him in the café’s restroom. He’d taken a look at the big man with the sunglasses and had wanted to rub against him and see if Jonathan could lift him up against the wall while he fucked him hard. Although they were close in height Jonathan appeared to have twice Kai’s muscle mass.

An even better vision of Jonathan bent over Kai’s black leather couch at the proper height to screw revved up his excitement. He took a long, slow breath to calm his cock and push back his excitement. He’d be happy with any naked combination. Jonathan struck Kai as a top, but he’d met more than one big strong man who’d mix it up.

“I’ve got a stack of proposals for that conference call you have at three.” She dropped them on his desk with a thud, jerking him out of his delightful daydreaming.

Kai sighed. He barely remembered the days when he used to get excited about finding a new company and helping it out. Now they all ran together in his mind as one hopeless project after another.

“A few were recommended by the board.” She pulled off the top three of the group and set them to one side.

“Thanks. Nothing better than turning down the board’s pet projects to start my week off right.” Kai grimaced. The last twenty ventures the board had set their hearts on had been duds. Either owned by a friend of a friend or just plain bad ideas. He was beginning to think someone on the board was purposely trying to sabotage him. It might be time to clear out the advisory panel and start again from scratch. Kai owned controlling shares in his company. He could get rid of them all if he chose. Unfortunately, replacing them would be a challenge and not one he had time for right now.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Michelle said. She gave him a wink before turning and leaving his office, not quite at a flee, but Kai got the impression she didn’t want to hang around and listen to him bitch.

After starting the company ten years ago, Kai had an excellent track record of picking the right businesses to fund. His portfolio creeping towards the billion-dollar mark attested to his success.

However, lately the lustre of finding the right company and helping it reach the next level had started to fade. Kai was ready to try something new. The only excitement he’d had in his life recently involved a certain bodyguard. The memory of Jonathan’s strong grip pulling him away from harm stayed in his mind. Later when he removed his shirt, Kai had no doubt he’d find bruises from Jonathan’s fingers.

Kai smiled.

His annoyance over the day faded as he imagined Jonathan’s body laid out on his bed in all his muscled glory. Kai shifted uncomfortably as his cock hardened in his slacks.

“Damn.” He wished he were some place where he could take care of his growing problem, but his reputation would definitely take a hit if someone discovered him jacking off in the men’s bathroom. He preferred to be seen as a powerful businessman instead of a creepy pervert.

Pulling the stack of files closer, Kai flipped through the first few and tossed them to the left to be rejected later. The ones needing closer examination he placed to the right. Michelle would send out the rejection slips to people who didn’t make the cut, with explanations on the reason why. Only the top few would be invited to give their pitch. The company didn’t have time to personally meet with all the businesses requesting funds.

Reading the portfolios, Kai remembered the first few business plans he’d received when he’d first established Angels by Stromwell using a small inheritance from his grandfather. They were all multimillion-dollar companies now. He used to enjoy finding the right diamond in the rough business to help get on its feet. Now the idea of walking away from it all sparkled like a shining promise before him.

Kai rested his head against the back of his leather chair, closed his eyes and imagined Jonathan. He wondered about the age distance between them. The bodyguard appeared pretty young. He wondered if Jonathan would be open to a relationship.

Kai laughed.

Relationship? They hadn’t even had dinner yet.

Kai’s phone rang. A quick glance at the display showed an unknown number. He quickly snatched it up and pressed the button to connect.

“Hello!” His heart fluttered a bit as he waited for a response.

“Hello, Kai. Is this too soon to call?” Jonathan’s endearing nervousness floated across the line.

“Not at all. I was thinking about you,” Kai confessed.

“Oh good. I was hoping you’d be available to go out this Saturday?”

Kai’s gut twisted. Saturday? Five days away? He didn’t think he could survive that long to taste Jonathan on his tongue or to slide his hands across the bodyguard’s hard body.

“Are you going out on a job then?” Maybe Jonathan had to go out of town. The amount of disappointment he felt surprised him.

“No, why?” The shock of gunfire came across the line. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back later.”

The line went dead.

“Jonathan!”

What if someone had shot him? Sweat beaded on Kai’s forehead and his hand shook as he set the phone on the desk.

“Problem?” Michelle had wandered back into his office, another stack of files tucked under her arm.

“I heard gunfire when he hung up,” Kai said. His voice shook with fear.