Hired, page 16
Did he like being CEO? How had he never asked himself that before? It had always been assumed he’d follow in his father’s footsteps, and he’d never questioned that choice. Though back then, LeClerc had been a hell of a lot smaller, much more intimate. His father had always held an active role in the research and development of new products, and Sebastian had tried to do the same. Except he never seemed to have the time, not enough anyway. Not since Hadley had arrived had he been able to make time to do what he really loved: working on the concept of the Snow Buddy.
Oh god.
That was it.
How the fuck had he not seen this?
The joy he’d experienced back in college hadn’t been merely from the friendships. It had also been because of the technology, the constant tinkering with robots, improving James, and doing whatever he could to win the competition. And even now, all he wanted was to work on the Snow Buddy. He’d put more hours into the development of the Mow Buddy than anything else, even at the expense of his other tasks.
“I’m… I think I just had another epiphany,” he said, his mind still reeling with the implications.
“I could see it on your face. Do you want to talk about it?”
He couldn’t, not right now. He was too close to breaking point as it was. He cleared his throat. “Remember that hug you offered last week? Is that offer still valid?”
Hadley’s entire face softened, his eyes shining with warmth and acceptance. “Always.”
Sebastian wasn’t even sure who got up first and how they did it, but then he was in Hadley’s arms, and even though Sebastian was the bigger and taller one, he was being held, being hugged. The tears that had been burning in his eyes forever finally escaped. He was crying, and yet somehow, a spark of happiness took root inside him at the same time, as if something valuable and precious had been planted.
17
What would Sebastian be like today? Hadley pondered that question during the Uber ride to Sebastian’s house. He’d left after that hug, when Sebastian had told him he’d take a shower and get back to bed. Hadley wasn’t sure what had happened to the man, but he’d been shaken up. Hadley hadn’t missed the tears Sebastian had quickly wiped off his cheeks.
And how Sebastian had held on to him during that hug… He’d clung to Hadley as if he never intended to let him go again. Hadley’s heart had been so soft for him, so full of tenderness and all these strange fluffy feelings. He’d witnessed a side of Sebastian he doubted anyone else had ever been allowed to, and it made him grateful and honored.
Sebastian had taken the next day off, and Hadley had held the fort in the office. Apparently, it had been the first day in a decade that Sebastian had called in sick, and Hadley had been fielding calls and questions from everyone ranging from the board to even Beryl, who had somehow heard the news and had called to check what was going on. He’d told everyone the same thing: he wasn’t privy to Mr. LeClerc’s medical information. All he knew was that he wouldn’t be in the office for the rest of the week.
By the end of that day, Sebastian had texted him and requested if Hadley was willing to come to Sebastian’s house the next day and work from there. Even as he’d read that text, Hadley had sensed the danger in it, but how could he refuse? He worked for Sebastian, and if the man wasn’t well enough to come to the office, Hadley would have to go to him. Plus, Sebastian had insisted Hadley take an Uber and have LeClerc pay for it, so the money wasn’t an argument either. So of course, he’d agreed.
But when he got there, which Sebastian would he find? The grumpy one, who switched between heated looks, flirting, inappropriate remarks, and his personal brand of sarcasm and digs? Or would that softer Sebastian show up, the one who’d asked for a hug and had cried in Hadley’s arms?
The bigger problem was that he liked both. He liked it when Sebastian got all flirty with him, he liked his sarcasm, and he definitely liked it when he got all personal. Oh man, how would he ever survive today? It would be a challenge, regardless of which Sebastian he faced.
And because he hadn’t made things hard enough for himself already, he’d chosen to wear his sexiest panties, a pair of white silk ones that hugged his ass indecently. He never wore them to work, ever, but he hadn’t been able to resist putting them on today. Maybe because deep down, he was hoping Sebastian would see them? Ugh, it was all so messy and complicated.
The Uber dropped him off in front of the gate, and before Hadley could text Sebastian that he had arrived, the gate opened for him. The weather was miserable, one of those cold, endlessly gray days when it rained relentlessly until the moisture seemed to creep into your bones. And not drizzling rain, no, the kind where it came barreling down, pelting on roofs and windows and umbrellas.
Hadley hurried to the front door, where Sebastian already stood waiting for him. Even on the short walk from the gate to the front door, Hadley had gotten drenched. He should’ve used an umbrella, but that had seemed so over the top for such a short distance. Yeah, that had been a miscalculation. Next time, he’d have to risk being silly rather than getting soaked.
Sebastian closed the door behind him, then quirked an eyebrow. “Need to borrow a pair of sweat pants again?”
Hadley wanted to refuse, if only out of pride, but the truth was that he was already shivering. His dress pants were thin, and the wet fabric clung to his skin. Even his panties were getting damp, and that wouldn’t do. “I wouldn’t say no to that offer.”
“I don’t understand why you bothered to dress up in the first place.” Sebastian gestured at himself. “It’s just you and me, and clearly, I didn’t dress for success.”
Hadley hadn’t even registered it, but Sebastian was wearing sweat pants himself, paired with a faded Seahawks hoodie. So different from his usual attire. He looked yummy. The change included his hair, which was messy as fuck and made the man so much more approachable and real. Almost as if his defenses had come down, and maybe they had. “We had already established you’re smarter than me.”
Sebastian grinned. “Come with me. I have some clothes that should fit you.”
Clothes that would fit him? If they were Sebastian’s, that was doubtful. Or did he have clothes from his hookups or something? Oh, Hadley didn’t like that idea at all. But Sebastian had said he never took anyone home.
Sebastian walked into one of the guest bedrooms and pulled open a drawer. “My sister keeps some stuff in here, and she’s about your height, so they should fit.”
His sister. Hadley could live with that. Sebastian pulled a pair of pink Nike sweat pants and a white hoodie out of the drawer and handed them to Hadley.
“These look comfortable. Thank you.” Sebastian crossed his arms, staring at him, and Hadley laughed. “Get out, you perv. You can’t watch me get changed.”
Especially not with the underwear he had on, but he could hardly tell him that. If he did, he was certain he’d never get Sebastian to leave.
Sebastian laughed as well. “Hey, it was worth a try.”
Hadley closed the door behind Sebastian, then took off his wet clothes and hung them in the bathroom. Damn, this was one hell of a guest bedroom, at least twice as big as the one Hadley shared with Lagan, if not more. And that bathroom… He’d kill for a shower like that. He didn’t even need the bath, though it was luxurious, but that glass walk-in shower where three grown men would fit into? That was life goals right there.
He checked himself in the mirror, and while he wouldn’t have picked pink himself, he pulled it off. And his panties didn’t show, always something he made damn sure. When he walked back out, Sebastian was waiting for him. “I have an office upstairs where we can work.”
“How are you feeling?” Hadley asked Sebastian as he followed him across the hallway into another big room that Sebastian had made into an office with a massive desk overlooking the lake. What a view. Hadley doubted he’d even get anything done the first weeks if he had to work here, too distracted by what was happening outside.
“Tired, but otherwise okay. Had some fat-free Greek yogurt for breakfast with fresh raspberries, and I was able to make all fresh and light meals yesterday, so thank you for ordering groceries for me.”
“My pleasure. What about coffee?”
Sebastian cringed. “For your and my safety, I’ve decided to cut back slowly there. But I added the fat-free creamer you got me, so hopefully, that helps dilute it a little.”
“I appreciate your consideration. I’ll admit I was a tad worried about how you would function without your caffeine.”
Sebastian made a face. “No more banana bread for now, though.”
“That seems smart.” Hadley looked around the room. “That’s a gorgeous office you have here.”
“Aside from my bedroom and my gym, this is the room I use the most. I spend most of my evenings and the majority of my weekends here.”
His voice held an edge as if he was criticizing himself, and Hadley wasn’t sure how to respond, so he said nothing. Sebastian let out a deep sigh. “You didn’t come here to hear about my woes. Let’s get some work done.”
“I’m here for whatever you need.”
Oh shit, he’d done it again. He’d made it sound so much more suggestive than he’d meant to.
But before Sebastian could respond, his phone beeped. He frowned as he took it out of his pocket, then swiped. He groaned. “I should have known.” He looked up at Hadley. “I apologize in advance for what’s about to happen. My parents just showed up.”
His parents? Oh god, and Hadley was dressed in pink sweat pants and a hoodie. Hell, it suggested like he’d spent the night here. “I need to get changed.”
Sebastian looked him up and down. “You could, but you’d still be freezing your balls off. Your clothes haven’t dried in the few minutes you’ve been here. My parents won’t care about your outfit, trust me. But it’s your call.”
He went downstairs and opened the front door. Voices drifted up seconds later, and Hadley still stood frozen. What to do? Sebastian had a point that Hadley’s clothes would still be soaking wet, but what would his parents think? Then he straightened his shoulders. Let them think what they wanted. Sebastian clearly didn’t care, so neither would Hadley. Besides, he knew the truth, and that was enough.
When he walked down the stairs, Sebastian’s parents were still in the foyer, his mom fussing over him. “You should’ve called me the second you were home.”
“Mom, I’m fine. I was fine.”
His mom put her hands on her hips. “Sebastian Benedict LeClerc, a stomach ulcer is not fine. You are not fine.”
Oh, man, she’d middle-named him. That couldn’t be good. And indeed, Sebastian seemed to shrink, his shoulders dropping. “I know, Mom. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Worrying about my kids is my privilege, so don’t take that away from me. Now, have you been taking good care of yourself since?”
Sebastian glanced up at the stairs, where Hadley had halted halfway. “Hadley has. Hadley, come meet my parents, Timothy and Jacqueline. Mom, Dad, this is my PA, Hadley.”
Hadley shook their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My apologies for my outfit. I got soaked on the way over here this morning.”
Jacqueline waved his apology away. “No need to apologize. And thank you for taking care of my stubborn son.”
Hadley smiled. “My pleasure entirely, ma’am.”
Sebastian sighed. “You might as well come in now. I know you’re not gonna leave until you’ve wrung every last detail from me anyway.”
Hadley turned toward Sebastian’s parents. “Can I offer you a coffee? Or tea, perhaps?”
Jacqueline’s eyes lit up with approval. “Such a polite young man you are. A cup of tea sounds lovely, dear, and I’m sure Timothy would appreciate coffee. Sebastian gets his precoffee grouchiness from his father.”
Hadley hid his laugh behind his hand, but Sebastian saw it anyway. “Et tu, Brute?” he said.
Hadley snorted out loud now. “She knows you well, is all I’m saying.”
As Sebastian and his parents got settled in the living room, Hadley made his way to the kitchen, where he started up the coffee machine and filled the electric kettle with fresh water. When he’d ordered groceries for Sebastian, he’d also included his favorite lemon tea for himself, not knowing how long he’d have to stay at Sebastian’s house. He prepared the coffee for Timothy, then added tea for Jacqueline, as well as one for Sebastian. He had no idea if Sebastian even drank tea, but he’d find out.
“I should’ve made coffee and tea,” Sebastian said as Hadley served the beverages. “This is my house, and I should be the host. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
Both Timothy and Jacqueline startled at that, staring at Sebastian as if he’d spoken a different language, but why, Hadley wasn’t sure. “It’s no problem. I’m on the clock, and I’m here to help.”
“Did you just…” Jacqueline said, then shook her head as Sebastian made a hissing sound. “Never mind. We’ll discuss this another time.”
“Much appreciated, Mom.”
Clearly, Hadley was missing something, but he’d let it go. “I don’t know if you drink tea, but I figured you might want to try it.” He put Sebastian’s tea in front of him.
“I don’t, but you’re right. I need an alternative, so I’ll give it a go.”
“We can experiment with different kinds and flavors to see which one you like best.”
“Sounds good. Thank you.”
That got another reaction from Sebastian’s parents, but Hadley couldn’t keep himself from responding either. Sebastian so rarely said it that the words filled his heart, his soul, spreading warmth throughout his body. “My pleasure. I’ll work on your email while you catch up with your parents.”
“You don’t need to leave on our account,” Jacqueline said.
Hadley sent her a friendly smile. “Thank you, ma’am, but this is a workday for me, so I’d prefer to make sure Sebastian doesn’t get too much behind on his email.” He turned to Sebastian. “I’ll take your phone so you don’t get interrupted.”
Sebastian handed his phone over without a word. Hadley put it in his pocket, then went upstairs, bringing his own mug of tea, and installed himself behind Sebastian’s desk, since the man himself wasn’t there. Within minutes, he was deep into work mode, tackling Sebastian’s email, then moving on to some phone calls he had to make on his behalf. He rescheduled two more meetings, double-checked Sebastian’s calendar to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, then leaned back with a satisfied stretch. There, done. That was a good start to the day.
He checked his watch. Lunchtime. Were Sebastian’s parents still here? He hadn’t heard them leave, so he assumed they were. Should he offer to either make or order some food? He might as well, since chances were Sebastian wouldn’t think of it. The man didn’t have a practical bone in his body. He took his tea mug and walked into the hallway, coming to a full stop when Sebastian spoke.
“Dad, I need to tell you something.”
18
The night before, Sebastian had tossed and turned for hours until he’d fallen asleep, and luckily, he’d slept for a good eight hours. Hell, he’d only been up half an hour when Hadley had made his appearance. He’d been so tired, but all he could think of was the same thing that had been going through his mind all day, that insight that had struck him like lightning: he didn’t enjoy being a CEO. He loved being a research engineer. That was where his heart lay, not in management.
But what could he do about it? His father would be heartbroken if Sebastian told him the truth. Yet at the same time, the thought of having to live the rest of his life like this was unbearable. He’d lost all joy, and his work had become a duty, something that sucked up all his time and energy, leaving him with little to nothing for what really mattered to him. He couldn’t go on like this. He wouldn’t survive.
So all day and deep into the night, he’d gone through scenarios in his head. What if he waited until the Mow Buddy was a success? The company would be in an even better position for his potential successor. But would that make it harder or easier on his dad?
He could also tell him he’d continue doing it for a few more years until they’d found the right person to take over. Maybe until he was forty? But god, that was two more years, and even that period seemed so long it sat like a heavy weight on his chest.
No, he couldn’t wait. He had to tell him as soon as possible. He’d always prided himself on a good and open relationship with his parents. His father was a scientist and not prone to rash judgment. If Sebastian explained it well and provided evidence and examples, his father would understand. His mother wouldn’t even need that. She’d take his word for it and be on his side, no matter what.
How lucky he was with his parents, and it had nothing to do with their wealth or the opportunities they’d afforded him. No, it was about unconditional love, about acceptance of who he was. Surely if his parents had completely accepted him as gay, they could also understand he was an engineer and not a CEO, right?
So when his parents had shown up that morning, he’d seen it as karmic confirmation that he needed to share what was in his heart. He’d never get a better segue than this, considering he could tie it to the doctor’s advice on stress management. And so after catching them up, telling them about his ulcer and what the doctor had said, and answering a million of his mom’s questions, he took a deep breath. “Dad, I need to tell you something.”
Hid dad leaned forward in his chair, his brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“Dad, you know how much I loved joining your firm and being a part of LeClerc. I’m so proud of what you’ve built.”
“We did it together, son. But why are you saying this?” Then horror passed over his face. “You’re not thinking of selling it, are you? I know we talked about an IPO, but I don’t think—”
“I want to step down as CEO,” Sebastian blurted out, and the room grew silent.
