Hired, page 22
“Fuck, yes. I don’t ever get to see this anymore, the sight of my cum dripping out of someone. It’s such a sexy sight, but even more when the ass it’s coming from is so perfect.”
Jesus, how had this proper business guy such a filthy mouth on him? Sebastian kept surprising him. But Hadley was too blissed out to spend more time on it…or on anything else. Even the wet washcloth Sebastian got to clean him with couldn’t yank him out of his postorgasmic haze, that dreamy state of being where he was so fucked into oblivion that he couldn’t be bothered to care about anything.
And when Sebastian put a thick towel on the wet spot of the mattress, then positioned himself there and held open an arm, Hadley didn’t even hesitate to seek comfort with him. He snuggled close, put his head on Sebastian’s shoulder, flung his arm around his chest, closed his eyes, and fell asleep, pretending not to hear those alarm bells that were getting dimmer anyway.
24
The trip to New York had changed things between them, Sebastian felt. Before, they’d both been searching for the boundaries of whatever it was they shared, and Hadley especially had been adamant in communicating them. But now, two weeks later, they were both much more relaxed about it. They’d hung out a few times during the week, heading to Sebastian’s house after work and on the weekends.
The previous Saturday, Hadley had spent the whole day at Sebastian’s, as well as the night, since it was his brother’s turn again to use their apartment for some hot sex. They’d watched TV, or rather Hadley knitted, and Sebastian leafed through the two-year pile of magazines he’d assembled but had never taken the time to read. It had been so wonderfully normal and yet intimate on a level Sebastian still had a hard time putting into words.
All he knew was that he’d better keep that part to himself. Hadley might be less uptight about it, but he was still way more concerned about the rules of their relationship than Sebastian was, so he wasn’t gonna rock the boat. He didn’t want to lose what they had. What was happening here? He’d never felt that way with any of his hookups, but then again, not since college had he slept with guys he had affection for, so maybe this was normal?
He wouldn’t worry about it and take things as they came. His life had already changed drastically, especially at work, and he was still finding his way there. Since deciding he would step back, he was so much happier, and the weight on his shoulders, that heavy, pressing baggage, was now gone. He could breathe again. Even though he hadn’t told anyone else and was still CEO, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it made all the difference.
Even meetings weren’t as much of a torture as they had been before, though he still had to work hard to be nicer to people. That, too, was much easier with Hadley next to him, like he was now during the weekly meeting with his senior managers, making notes on his laptop while Sebastian tried to listen.
Their arms slid against each other, and their knees touched under the table, the simple contact sending a shiver down Sebastian’s spine. He was so aware of Hadley, of every subtle movement he made, every smile on his lips, even every breath he took. God, he’d become the personification of that famous song from The Police, and he didn’t feel stalkerish or guilty even for a second. He needed him. Hadley had somehow managed to open up his world and dragged him from the darkness he’d been in, and why would he feel guilty about that?
What was far more confusing was his urge to touch him even here, in the office. From the beginning, they’d been clear about the rules and boundaries, and they didn’t include any physical contact in the office. Sebastian had never expected to have problems with it, but he did. The urge to touch Hadley was much stronger than he’d anticipated. Oh yes, he lusted after him for sure, always eager to bury himself inside that luscious ass, but it seemed more than that. He wanted the connection with him, the knowledge that they were together…which they weren’t, so what was that about?
Hadley bumped his knee, and Sebastian realized everyone’s gaze was aimed at him. Oops, he’d missed that Rand had finished his summary of their financial position. He cleared his throat. “Thanks, Rand. Anything else?” He looked around the conference table, encountering expressions of shock that returned to neutral. “No? Back to work, then.”
Everyone rose, and Sebastian got up as well, but Hadley signaled him. Right. Sebastian had almost forgotten again. “Julia, can you hang back for a moment? I need to talk to you.”
Their conversation about management styles they had on the flight back from New York came to mind. Hadley had pointed out that Sebastian tended to order and command rather than ask. When Sebastian had prompted for details, Hadley had provided several examples. This way of stating a request had been one of them. So how should he word it again? “I meant, I’d like to discuss something with you,” he tried again.
Julia’s eyes widened, and she sat down. “Of course.”
So did Drew, and Sebastian frowned at him. “Did you need something from me?”
Drew startled. “No, I assumed you wanted me here for whatever you wanted to discuss with Julia.”
“Why would I need you to talk to her?”
“Because she works for me.” Drew’s tone had grown sharper.
“She works for LeClerc, not for you, but either way, I don’t need you at this moment.”
Drew’s face grew tight. “I don’t know what you’re planning on discussing with her, but you can’t go behind my back like that, undermining my authority. I’m the CTO, not you.”
Sebastian reeled back as if Drew had hit him in his face. Who the hell did Drew think he was, addressing him like that? Had he always been that much of an asshole, and had Sebastian never noticed? He blinked, his vision clearing both physically and metaphorically.
Yes, Drew had always been an asshole, but Sebastian had chosen to ignore it, hoping it would go away. He’d been drowning already, and maybe he’d known deep inside he had little credibility to speak up, considering his own mistakes. But the problem hadn’t solved itself. Instead, it had only gotten worse. And Sebastian’s behavior wasn’t above reproach, but he was trying to fix that, wasn’t he?
The words came out before he had grasped the magnitude of what he was about to do. “You’re fired.”
Drew froze, Hadley gasped, and Julia’s mouth dropped open in utter shock.
“What?” Drew said after a few beats, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “What did you say?”
The rightness of what he was doing filled Sebastian’s chest. “You’re fired. I’m finally doing what I should have done years ago, and that’s getting rid of you. You’re out. Go pack up your shit.”
“B-but you can’t just fire me!”
“Why not? Pretty sure I’m the CEO, which means I’m your boss. Also, I own this company. It’s my fucking name on our letterhead, not yours.”
Drew’s face grew red. “Your father will hear of this.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Did the man think he could threaten a grown-ass man with calling his father? “Go ahead. No, seriously, call him right fucking now. He’ll congratulate me for doing something he should have done when he had the chance.”
The veins in Drew’s neck popped up as his cheeks grew even redder. Holy shit, was the guy about to have a heart attack? Sebastian hoped not. That would complicate things a lot.
“You can’t do this to me! I have rights!”
“Yes, you do. You’re entitled to a month’s severance pay plus two weeks' notice, so we’ll give you two months’ salary and call it quits. Contest it in court if you want. That’s your money you’ll be wasting, not mine. Oh, and please do remember the six-month noncompete clause in your contract, as well as the NDA you signed for all technical information and trade secrets learned during your time with LeClerc. My lawyers will be watching you closely and will sue at any sign of you breaking these terms.” Then he turned to Hadley. “Can you call security and have them escort him out?”
He sure could and with glee too, judging by the smile in his eyes. Drew was cursing up a storm while Julia sat frozen to her spot. Sebastian tuned him out, not caring a bit about all the vile stuff Drew was spouting, referencing Sebastian’s sexual orientation, various sexual positions he preferred, and some more things he didn’t even want to remember. When security showed up—Hank in the front, earning Sebastian’s gratitude all over again—Drew calmed down enough to leave with them, but Sebastian was certain he hadn’t heard the last of the man. Whatever. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore and could throw the rest over the fence to his lawyers. One problem solved.
“How are you holding up?” Hadley asked Julia, who was hunched in her chair, her face pale.
“Shocked.” She swallowed. “I didn’t see that coming.”
Sebastian took a deep breath. “He was a dick to you, and I should’ve stepped up sooner. I’m sorry. I hope you’ll stay because I appreciate the changes you proposed.”
Julia blinked, and then a giggle broke free. “Are you kidding me? Now that you got rid of him, I’m your biggest fan.” She then seemed to realize what she had blurted out as she clamped her hand over her mouth for a second, then added, “In a completely nonstalkerish, platonic, professional way. Sir. Mr. LeClerc.”
Sebastian couldn’t help it. He threw his head back and laughed harder than he ever had in the office.
“I like her,” Hadley said when they were back in Sebastian’s office. “She’s smart.”
“Sure seems that way. I like her too.”
Hadley closed the door behind them, and when he locked it, Sebastian quirked an eyebrow. “What’s that about?”
“That”—Hadley stepped closer and touched Sebastian’s belt—“is my way of rewarding you for being a kick-ass person and a kick-ass boss.”
“Rewards? Are you implying the kind of reward I’m thinking you do?”
Hadley grinned, unbuckling Sebastian’s belt, then unzipping him. “You bet.”
His cock was already responding, but when Hadley sank to his knees and lifted his face, Sebastian grew rock hard in seconds. Oh, fuck, yes. He didn’t need to do anything. Hadley yanked his pants and underwear to his ankles, then took Sebastian’s cock out, sighing in admiration. “Damn, that’s such a beautiful dick you have there.”
“Thank you?” It felt weird to take credit for it. It wasn’t like he’d done anything to get it himself.
But then Hadley licked the crown, and all thinking ceased. Sebastian widened his stance and arched his back, presenting his cock to Hadley, who eagerly took him up on that invitation. He was going for fast, which made sense under the circumstances, wrapping his hand around Sebastian’s shaft and sucking the tip into his mouth. Sebastian fought the need to moan, which became all but impossible as Hadley increased the suction, tightening his hand around Sebastian’s cock and jacking him off. This would be over fast, and for once, Sebastian wasn’t even tempted to draw it out.
A moan did fly from his lips, and he couldn’t even care anymore. All his nerves seemed to end in his cock, his whole body focused on that one area. Hadley hummed around him, the vibration sending tingling waves into Sebastian’s balls. Hadley was so good at this, and even more, he seemed to enjoy it, dedicating himself to the task with the same enthusiasm with which he did his job.
Sebastian slapped one hand against the wall for support, his knees buckling as Hadley sped up. Oh, fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. “Close,” he grunted, but Hadley didn’t stop.
His head tilted back, his muscles tensed, and his breath was coming in harsh pants now, even though Hadley was doing the work. His lungs sawed to get enough oxygen in, so maybe he wasn’t breathing properly? He couldn’t concentrate on anything else but Hadley’s wet, hot mouth wrapped around his cock. He looked down again and found Hadley peering up at him, those moss-green eyes darker now and full of something Sebastian couldn’t identify, but that looked a hell of a lot like affection.
“Hadley,” he whispered, then again, “Hadley…”
Hadley sucked harder, and that was it. Sebastian’s vision went white hot as his balls clenched with a force that made him gasp, then moan loudly. The cum shot like a rocket from his cock, straight into Hadley’s mouth. Hadley didn’t stop, didn’t passively wait for Sebastian to finish. No, he kept pumping him, opening his mouth so Sebastian could unload onto his tongue, his lips, his face. The sight of his cum on Hadley’s lips made Sebastian’s cock jerk again, depositing the last bit of his load.
“Holy shit,” he grunted. “Holy shittidy shit.”
Hadley grinned, looking as happy as a kid who just aced the most important exam of his life. “Good?”
“If you have to ask me that after that, you're not quite as skilled as I assumed.”
Hadley gaped at him, then broke out in a wild giggle, and Sebastian grinned, thrilled that his little joke had landed. Maybe he had more of a sense of humor than he’d thought. Another thing to be grateful to Hadley for.
Hadley rose to his feet. “Let’s get cleaned up.”
“Do you have to? I kinda like seeing you with my cum on your face.”
“I bet you do, but it itches like a mother, so alas.”
“Maybe next time,” Sebastian said, holding his breath.
But Hadley smiled, then rose up to his toes and kissed Sebastian, who tasted his own cum on Hadley’s lips. “Maybe next time.”
Next time sounded good. In fact, next time sounded perfect, and Sebastian couldn’t wait. Not that he was stupid enough to say that. “If I’d known there would be rewards like that, I would’ve cleaned up my act ages ago.”
Hadley giggled all over again. There wasn’t a more beautiful sound in the world.
25
Finally, the weekend. Hadley stretched his arms above his head, smiling at the satisfying pop in his neck. Okay, he'd finished everything he'd wanted to get done, so now he could leave and forget about work for two days. Which, if he had to be honest, hadn’t been easy lately. The work itself wasn’t the problem. It had never been. But Sebastian was a whole different story.
Somehow, in the six weeks they’d been hooking up, this thing between them had become…normal? Hadley wasn't even sure what word to use. All he knew was that it had started as something casual, acting on mutual attraction. Great sex, that had been the whole idea, and in all fairness, the sex still was fantastic. Hadley had never had such sexual compatibility with anyone else. As much as Sebastian struggled with interpreting the emotions of others, when it came to anything sexual, he could read Hadley like a book.
Would they hang out over the weekend? See, that in itself was a problem, that he was half and half expecting them to spend time together outside of the bedroom. He had never agreed to that. Somehow it had happened, and he had no idea how when neither of them had intended it. Christmas had come and gone, as had New Year’s, and here they were, still hooking up. If he could still call it that.
He’d spent several evenings with Sebastian on weekdays rather than just weekends, going to his house with him after work and Ubering home late. He didn’t stay over during the week, though mostly for practical reasons, as he refused to show up to work in the same outfit and have people start rumors. But it had gotten to the point where he’d started to count on heading over there. He loved Sebastian’s house, the space, the peace, that amazing kitchen. He cooked for them, and they shared dinner, then watched a movie or TV after. They usually had sex in some form, but not always, and that was a problem too. How could he claim it was all casual and about sex when they didn’t always have sex when they were together?
So maybe this weekend, he should stay away from Sebastian. They could hook up on Saturday, but he wouldn't spend the night. He'd go home after, as inconvenient and bothersome as it was. He hated driving at night, regardless of whether he had to drive himself or take an Uber, but especially when he was so relaxed and sleepy after a good round of sex. But he would get over himself. He had to draw the line, or this thing would escalate into something neither of them wanted.
He was still packing his stuff when Sebastian came out of his office. Hadley shot him a sideward glance, then froze and straightened himself. What the hell was Sebastian wearing? Gone was his suit, and instead, he was wearing hiking pants, a hoodie, and a pair of well-used hiking boots. Was he going on a hike this weekend?
“Where are you off to? You look as if you're ready to climb Mount Washington.”
Sebastian's smile was wide. “No, but I’m going on a trip. And so are you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I'm taking you on a trip.”
“This weekend?”
“We won't be back till Monday morning at some ungodly hour.”
Hadley shook his head. He had to be misunderstanding something. “I'm not following. What trip? Where are we going?”
“That part is still a surprise. But you'll love the destination, trust me. It's for your birthday.”
A few days prior, he’d celebrated his twenty-ninth birthday, and when he’d come into the office, he’d found a big bouquet of flowers on his desk, as well as a hundred-dollar gift card to his favorite online craft store. Someone had paid attention and had done some research. So what was this about a trip? “A surprise trip for my birthday?”
“Get your brain in the right gear, honey. We need to leave within the next fifteen minutes if we want to make our plane.”
Honey? Sebastian was calling him honey now? What the fuck? “I can't just leave on a trip like this. I haven't even packed anything.”
Sebastian's smile grew even bigger. “Lagan did. I contacted him earlier this week to tell him about my plans and asked him to pack you a weekend bag. He said he put everything in there you needed, including your passport. It's in my office, in the closet. I picked it up from your house this morning.”
