Hired, page 11
Lagan's voice had been kind and soft, but his message hit Hadley hard, and he hung his head. Lagan was right. Hadley was excusing bad behavior, and he shouldn't. With limited exceptions, there was no reason to be rude, not on a consistent basis. So why was he defending Sebastian? Why was he trying to come up with reasons, with excuses for why he behaved that way?
“You don't think I should stay?”
Lagan took his hand and laced their fingers together. “I can't answer that for you. All I'm saying is that I want you to be honest with yourself. Honest about why you want to stay and why you feel the need to defend him.”
Hadley swallowed. He had no trouble understanding what Lagan was hinting at. “You think I'm attracted to him and that's why I'm rationalizing his behavior.”
Lagan nodded. “I'm sorry, but I do. The way you talk about him is just… I can see your conflict with yourself, your instinct to defend him versus your more rational response. And knowing what Nordin told us about him, about him being gay and super hot and the kind of guy who likes to hook up, it's not hard to get to that conclusion.”
Hadley pulled his hand back, then buried his head in his hands. “I don't know what I'm feeling. He makes me so confused. There's a physical attraction there, but that in itself isn’t new. I’ve worked with men before whom I was attracted to. But with him, there's this added layer I can't explain.”
“So maybe stop trying to, even to yourself.”
Hadley looked up. What the hell did Nordin mean by that? “I'm sorry?”
“Being attracted to him isn’t wrong. He's not married, he's not a criminal, and aside from showing some questionable behavior, I don't see major red flags. And by the way, I don’t agree with you, Lagan, about Hadley rationalizing or excusing the man’s behavior. He’s not. But he does have sharp instincts when it comes to people, and I trust he’s picking up on something we can’t see.”
Relief flooded Hadley. “Thank you. I swear I’m not condoning asshole behavior.”
“I know you’re not.” Nordin’s voice was firm. “So why the need to have all the answers now? Why not just accept that you're attracted to him and see where it leads?”
“See where it leads? You do understand he's my boss, right?”
“He's not. He's your client. You don't work for him, but for Flextechs. Worst-case scenario, he fires you. Seriously, what would Joyce do? You would be the twenty-third in a row to get fired by him. Do you really think she would have an issue with that, that she wouldn't understand this wasn't you? She's probably surprised you've managed to stay there for two weeks already.”
Oh, Hadley liked the way Nordin approached this, or was that only because he was saying what Hadley wanted to hear? Because Nordin was giving him permission to explore whatever he was feeling for Sebastian. And by the way, when had his fierce physical attraction turned into something that had feelings? He wanted to jump him, to have sex with him, for Sebastian to fuck him hard. He didn't want to be his boyfriend, buy a house together, and raise babies or some shit. This wasn't about feelings. This was about sex, pure and simple.
“Are you telling him to go for it?” Jaren asked.
Nordin shrugged. “Why the fuck not? What would be the problem?”
“I can think of several things. Sure, Joyce might not be upset that Hadley got fired, but I doubt she would condone him sleeping with a client.”
Nordin waved his hand dismissively. “It would be consensual sex between two adults. Whatever. She'd get over it. Besides, Hadley isn't looking for a relationship. He just wants the guy to fuck him. All I'm saying is that maybe if he gives in to that urge, he can fuck it out of his system.”
Jaren snorted. “I gotta tell you, man, in none of the books I've ever read did that ever work out.”
“Books?” Lagan sat up straight. “What books could you possibly be reading where this would come up?”
Jaren's cheeks grew red. “Romance books, okay? I read romance books.”
Hadley caught himself before his mouth dropped open. “That's a new development. I thought you were into the heavy classic shit.”
Jaren looked away. “I thought I was too, but Reid made me see that I was only reading that because I thought it was what I was supposed to read. I've been secretly reading romance for years. I just never told you guys.”
Hadley didn't know what to say. How could Jaren have thought they would have an issue with that? What the hell could they have against him reading romance books? Granted, it wasn't his cup of tea, but that didn't mean he would judge anybody else for reading them.
“You thought we would judge you?” Lagan asked, apparently thinking the same thing.
Jaren swallowed. “Rationally, I knew you wouldn't, but… It was one of those things that came from a deep need to be accepted, even by you guys. I'm sorry.”
“No, don't be.” This time, Lagan reached for Jaren's hand and squeezed it. “We should be sorry if we've given you any indication that you couldn't share that with us.”
“You didn't. This was all me.”
“Okay. I just wanted to make sure we hadn't said anything that would make you think that.”
“No, not at all. But I’m glad I shared this with you.” Jaren cleared his throat. “Anyway, as I was saying, I don't think it works that way. You can’t fuck attraction out of your system, but you're more than welcome to try.”
Hadley worried his bottom lip. “I don't know if I should stay or not. Maybe the best thing would be to walk away from the job and let Caitlyn return. Even though I know either she’d quit or he'd fire her within days. And then Sebastian would be right back where he started, without a PA. And the next one wouldn't be able to help him bring order into that chaos.” He groaned. “God, I keep thinking in circles. Somehow, it always comes down to me thinking I'm the only one who can help him.”
“Maybe you are,” Nordin said. “The man has spent the last two years going through assistants like lovers. None of them worked out. And then you came, and you saw something that no one else had picked up on, and within two weeks, you made more of a difference than anybody else had. He told you so himself. So why wouldn’t you think you're the only one who can help him? Clearly, you're the right man for the job.”
Lagan chuckled. “I swear to god, Nordin. You're the biggest enabler on this planet.”
“Why? Because I believe in doing what feels good? Why the hell wouldn't he? He's not breaking any laws.”
“And what if he gets hurt?” Jaren asked, looking worried.
“Then he gets hurt. All part of life. He's a big boy, Jaren. More than capable of making his own decisions. The best things in life come at a risk, and if you always play it safe, you miss out on a lot of fun.”
A strange, unfamiliar sense of resolve failed Hadley. “He's right. You're right,” he said to Nordin. “I need to stop overthinking this and follow my gut. And my gut says I need to stay in this job, that Sebastian needs me.”
“Mr. LeClerc, you mean.” Nordin shot him a cheeky grin.
Hadley rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You know what I mean.”
“So are you going to sleep with him?” Lagan wanted to know.
“That's not my decision alone, is it?”
“Sure, but I can still ask about your intentions, can't I? Do you want to sleep with him? You said he was giving signals he was attracted to you as well.”
Hadley shook his head. “I can't think about that right now. The job, that's what I want to focus on. Helping him. Setting him up for success with whoever fills my shoes when I'm gone.”
“Fair enough. Although there’s one big obstacle in your way…”
Hadley groaned. Oh god, he would have to tell Caitlyn he'd stolen her job. “She's gonna fucking kill me.”
“Nah,” Nordin said. “Not if you play it right. Didn't you say you heard she'd been close to tears already on her first day? There’s no way she would've lasted. So why not play on that, get her to confess she never liked it in the first place? Then you can swoop in and be her hero all over again, offering to stay on so she can find something else without upsetting Joyce.”
Hadley blinked. “You know, sometimes you really scare me. That’s eerily manipulative and probably also very effective.”
Nordin didn't seem offended. “Girls like her are so easy to play. And you shouldn't feel guilty either. She's manipulated you plenty of times.”
That, too, was hard to deny. “I'm gonna call her right now. It's easier for me when you guys are listening in. Less chance of me allowing her to violate my boundaries.”
He whipped out his phone and, before he could talk himself out of it, put it on speaker and told Siri to call Caitlyn. She picked up almost immediately. “Hey, babe,” she said. “Enjoying your weekend?”
“Hanging out with my brothers, as usual.”
“I'm doing a movie marathon with Jessie. You know, watching rom-coms while painting our nails and doing facial masks and stuff.”
“Sounds relaxing. Anyway, I wanted to call you to talk about the job.”
She let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, I guess duty calls again, doesn't it? Do you have something else lined up already? I know you planned to take a week off. Thank you again for filling in for me. You saved my life.”
“Saved my life?” Lagan mouthed, rolling his eyes. Hadley looked the other way to prevent himself from laughing.
“You're welcome. So how do you feel about going back on Monday? I had the impression you didn't like the job all that much.”
“That's hard to say after two days.”
Hadley looked at Nordin, who waved his hand in a “keep talking” gesture. “I’m worried about you, you know. Mr. LeClerc can be so harsh and critical.”
“Oh my god, I know, right? Nothing you ever do is good enough for him.”
Nordin held up two thumbs, and Hadley nodded at him that he understood. “I've worked for him for two weeks now, and I don't think he's thanked me even once.”
Technically, that wasn’t a lie. The gratitude had certainly been implied in Sebastian's praise on Hadley's work, but he hadn't uttered the actual words.
“He's the worst boss I've ever worked for. I don't know how I'll be able to keep working for him. I didn't mean to get sick, obviously, but I can't deny it was a relief to not have to be in his presence.”
“I can imagine. He's so grumpy. Beryl said you were close to tears, and I can totally imagine.”
Lagan put a hand on his mouth to muffle his laughter, and Hadley had to work hard himself to keep his smile off his face, knowing she might be able to hear that in his voice. She was falling for it hook, line, and sinker.
“I was! All I did was ask him what he wanted me to do next, and he damn near took my head off. Ugh, I don’t wanna go back… I know the job pays well, but no money in the world is enough to be treated like that.”
Hadley was full of sympathy. “I know, but what choice do you have? Joyce wouldn’t let you quit like that.”
Caitlyn groaned. “She can be such a bitch about this. As if I have to be okay with a client treating me like that.”
“Sure, but if you quit, who else could she send?”
He held his breath, and so did his brothers, all looking at him.
She cleared her throat. “Well, I mean, there’s you…”
He pumped his fist. Yes! Then he made his face blank again, not wanting his joy and relief to be obvious. “Me?”
“You already survived two weeks, so clearly, it’s easier for you. Oh, please, Hadley, you would do me the biggest favor ever. I’d owe you big-time.”
Nordin shook his head, a clear signal Hadley shouldn’t give in too easily lest it would arouse suspicion. “I don’t know.” He sighed loudly. “I had really looked forward to taking a week off.”
“I know, I know, but I can’t go back there. It would kill me to work for someone like him. Please, Hadley? Two more weeks and that bonus Joyce promised is yours.”
Now Nordin nodded, and Hadley got the hint. “That’s true. And I could use that money. I suppose I could do it for another two weeks.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best, babe. Love you!”
“Love you too.” He ended the call. Even though he knew she would’ve never lasted at LeClerc, he still did feel guilty about the way he’d deceived her. Had it been the right thing to do? She hadn’t seemed upset, so there was that. He shook it off.
Nordin leaned back in his chair. “And that, gentlemen, is how you play the game.”
12
The grand ballroom of the Four Seasons was loud and hot, and Sebastian took a deep sigh before he forced himself to walk in. If it hadn't been the wedding of Tom, an old college friend he’d stayed close with, he would never have entered a room with this many people, but under the circumstances, he had no choice.
Tom and Corey had been together for many years, but now that Corey was expecting their first child, they’d felt it was time to take the next step. Their actual wedding two weeks prior had been a private affair, but this Friday night, they were throwing a massive party for all their friends, with a dance floor and a DJ. Plus, an open bar and that was the second reason Sebastian had convinced himself he shouldn't skip this. With enough alcohol, he could get through anything.
He spotted the length of the line for congratulating the happy couple, did a quick guesstimate, then decided he'd try again later. It made little sense to stand in line for half an hour. The bar had a line as well, but with multiple bartenders working fast, it moved quickly. With his whiskey neat in hand, Sebastian made his way to the back of the room, as far away from the dance floor as possible. Surely the noise level would be more tolerable there. He breathed out with relief when indeed the music dimmed somewhat.
“Bas!”
Only one person in the entire world abbreviated his name like that, and Sebastian looked around to locate the voice that had risen above the surrounding conversations. Floris jumped up and waved at Sebastian. Sebastian's face broke open in a wide smile as he hurried over to the tall, blond man whose broad grin mirrored Sebastian’s. He put his whiskey on the table and hugged Floris tightly. “It is so good to see you. I didn't know you'd be here.”
Floris hugged him right back. “You would if you'd bothered to read any of my WhatsApp messages over the last few weeks.”
Shit. He'd meant to read them and respond, but every time he'd thought of it, he'd been busy with something else. “I'm sorry. I've been crazy busy. But I wasn't expecting you here.”
“Are you kidding me? I flew in for this. I wasn't going to miss out on the wedding of the century.” He let go of Sebastian, then pulled back a chair at his table. “Come on, grab a seat. We need to catch up.”
“We do. How's life been in the Netherlands?”
Floris had been an exchange student at the university where he and Sebastian had met, and their friendship had survived the distance between them. Sebastian had visited him a few times in Europe, and Floris made it a habit to pop across the pond at least every other year.
“We’ve been good. Really good. Busy, but you know what that’s like.”
“How old are the kids now, six and four?”
“Seven and five, but close enough. They're amazing. I have to admit that I wasn't as much of a fan when they were little. Sure, babies are super cute and all, but they’re also a lot of work and so dependent on you. But the older they get, the more fun it is. Jeroen, our youngest, is playing football…soccer, I mean, and I'm spending a lot of time with him on the fields. I never thought I’d be the type of guy to love it, but it's so stinking cute to see him and those little kiddies run around on the soccer fields, half of the time having no idea where to go or what to do. They trip over the ball, over their shoelaces, or over themselves, and it’s so funny. Whenever they score, it's more by accident, and it's the most adorable thing ever.”
Kids. Such a foreign concept to Sebastian, though he loved his niece and nephew. He didn't see them as much as he wanted to, but when he did, he had fun hanging out with them. Ashley especially was a riot, taking after her mother with a sharp mind and an equally sharp tongue. “I'm happy for you. It sounds like you have everything you wanted.”
“I wouldn't say everything. Anne and I have been looking for a house, but we can't find anything we like and can afford at the same time.”
“What's the problem, the housing market?”
Floris sighed as he nodded. “To get the house we want, we’d either have to shell out well over a million euros or accept a commute of over two hours a day. Houses are crazy expensive, especially if you want some space, which we do. Anne grew up in the north of the country, which is far more rural, and she wants some green around her. It's impossible to find.”
“Yeah, I read an article the other day about the overheated housing market in the Netherlands. You guys are having the same issues we’re dealing with here, with investors buying up houses and renting them out. They said Airbnb was a huge problem in cities like Amsterdam.”
“It is, although they’re trying to manage that with more rules and laws, which, of course, is the Dutch thing to do. But we'll find something. We're just not happy that we’re still renting, that's all. It’s such a waste of money. And honestly…” Another sigh. “We've been talking about moving to the US.”
Like Floris, Anne had spent a few years studying in the US, and they’d met at a Dutch meetup for the Northwest. Sebastian still thought it hilarious that two people from such a small country had met each other overseas, and Floris and Anne saw the humor in that as well.
“I’d love to have you on this side of the Atlantic, you know that. The time difference is always a pain in the ass if we want to chat.”
“I know, and we’d love to have more space for the kids to grow up. Nothing is set in stone yet, but should you come across a good job opportunity for me, feel free to let me know.”
“Absolutely.”
Floris studied him. “What about you? Still fucking your way through all the single gay men in Seattle?”
Sebastian snorted. “Not all of them. That's a bit of an exaggeration. But yeah, I try.”
