So far, they’d spent two days on the project, and Nolan had spent most of that time either laboring over budget and purchasing paperwork, or running between his office and the conference room. He’d made sure the team had all the supplies and information they needed, ensured food orders had arrived on time, and helped assistants with rescheduling canceled appointments. In his free time he’d coordinated with the contractor for Ringside.
The constant running around had his leg throbbing to the point where he was getting concerned about the amount of painkillers he’d taken. He couldn’t remember being so exhausted since his first week of physio after the accident. Mentally and physically drained to the point that he’d gone past tired to delirious. Everything he saw was hilarious. He’d moved Ralph the spider from the farthest part of his desk to a prime location beside his keyboard. The fuzzy body was large and soft enough to act as a pillow, and if he could get over his irrational fear of the far-too-cute toy coming to life and eating his face, he might even use it as one.
No, no sleep yet.
Looking over at Zack’s closed office door and wishing for it to open accomplished nothing. Zack had been on a call for over an hour, and there were no signs of it ending anytime soon. Nolan had been gauging the success of the call based on how frequently Zack’s voice rose to a shout. It had been at least fifteen minutes since the last outburst, so things must finally be starting to go Zack’s way.
He hated seeing Zack this stressed. Knowing now about Zack’s long history with anger management, Nolan appreciated how hard he’d worked to keep his temper in check. Even his staff had noticed the change, and the management team had mentioned as much every time Nolan went to check on them.
Speaking of which . . .
It was almost 9 p.m., which meant the group looking at the invoices would be calling it a night soon. The report needed to be ready to present to Ms. Rollins in the morning; they’d assured Zack it would be finished before they left.
Nolan’s back and leg screamed at him as he got to his feet and made the now familiar journey down the hall to the conference room. Plates, mugs, and half-eaten pizza were stacked on a trolley outside the room. The kitchen hadn’t sent anyone to collect the dishes, which meant he’d have to take things down before he left for the night.
God, he was so done.
Ignoring the mess for the moment, he knocked on the door before stepping inside. The smell of alcohol, sweat, and stale pizza hit him within seconds. The group was gathered around a laptop laughing at something on the screen, their backs to the door. They hadn’t noticed Nolan yet, which was probably the only reason he saw what they were watching.
Stretched out on a bed was a naked woman, who was being fucked by a man wearing a giant horse’s head. Even if Nolan hadn’t been gay, he didn’t think he’d find anything the least bit arousing about the scene.
The man in the video whinnied loudly, and the guys watching it laughed again.
Nolan cleared his throat and waited for the group to turn around. “Mr. Anderson needs a status. But I assume you’re done with the budget completely if you’re watching porn and drinking at the office.”
“Fuck off.” Brian James, head of IT support, closed the laptop and took another drink from his mug. “We’ve been here for two days straight working our asses off. What Mr. Asshole wants us to do is fucking impossible.”
The last thing they needed was for the team to revolt. Nolan swallowed his anger and consciously relaxed his shoulders before answering. “He’s well aware of what’s being asked of you. If there was any other way—”
Brian stood, pushing past the others to get right in Nolan’s face. “I don’t fucking see him here working.”
Nolan tried not to breathe in too deeply. His heart pounded, and something tightened in the back of his throat. “He’s in his office right now.”
One of the others carefully slid Brian’s mug from his hand before it could slop alcohol on a stack of documents, then patted him in a way that was clearly meant to be calming. “Back off, Brian. The lackey’s just doing his job.”
Brian shook off the hand on his shoulder and held his ground. “You’re queer, right?”
“Brian man, come on—”
“Yes, I’m gay.” Nolan had been lucky in his life to date: he hadn’t run into many problems regarding his sexuality. Having three older, much larger brothers in high school prevented the bullying some of his friends had faced. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t been on the receiving end of his fair share of verbal abuse. It also didn’t mean he couldn’t defend himself. “Is that a problem?”
“Naw. You’re too busy sucking your boss’s cock to bother with mine.”
For the first time in his life, Nolan wanted to hit someone. Anger warred with panic, making his head spin and his blood surge. “I think you’ve had too much to drink. Your friends better get you home before you do something stupid that gets you fired. Now.”
After a few shared glances and nods of agreement, one of the group grabbed the laptop, a few backpacks, and a messenger bag, as another forced Brian out the door. The others followed suit, picking up belongings and vacating quickly. Before the last one left, he turned to Nolan. “We’ve been working our butts off and just needed to blow off some steam. We’d been asked to do the impossible.”
“I know that. But you still can’t watch porn on company equipment. And what you might not realize is that Mr. Anderson is dealing with this problem plus more.”
“You’re the only one who likes him. You know that, right? He’s an ass who doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself.” The guy shook his head, already walking toward the door again. “The report is done. We emailed it off five minutes ago.” He disappeared around the doorframe, and a few seconds later Nolan heard the others laughing down the hall, and the faint ding of the elevator’s arrival.
Nolan waited until he knew the group was gone, then turned off all the lights and fell into one of the abandoned conference room chairs. This was all too much for him, being the barrier between Zack and the rest of the world. With his eyes closed tight, he did his best to slow his breathing, and rubbed his thigh hard, willing the pain away.
How could people not see how much Zack cared about things, how much it killed him that he couldn’t do enough for people? No one seemed to realize how big his heart was.
God, he couldn’t sit in the dark sulking. There was too much to do, and whether Zack admitted it or not, he needed Nolan.
Zack’s door was open when Nolan finally made his way back to the office. He walked in, not waiting to see if Zack was busy.
Zack looked up, dark smudges under his eyes. “Hey.”
All thoughts of reports, delinquent staff, and construction jobs vanished. All Nolan saw was a man he’d come to respect, who he now considered a friend. A man he wanted nothing more than to kiss.
“Are you okay?” Zack pushed away from his desk.
Nolan couldn’t speak. His throat was tight, unshed tears squeezing at his windpipe. He’d have to let his actions say what he felt. He closed the office door before moving around the desk. Zack still sat in his chair, but his eyes never left Nolan. It was a bit awkward, but Nolan turned Zack’s seat so he could have better access, and dropped to his knees.
“What are you doing?” Zack’s voice shook as he spoke.
“I was just accused of sucking your cock.”
“What?” Zack was on his feet, ready to murder someone. “Who the hell said that to you?”
“It’s irrelevant. What it did was get me thinking.”
Zack swallowed and sat back down. “About what?”
“That I haven’t actually seen your cock. Despite everything we’ve done, the time we’ve spent together, you’ve kept your distance from me.” His fingers trembled as he fumbled with Zack’s belt, though whether it was from exhaustion or anticipation, he didn’t have a clue.
“Don’t do this.” Zack slid his hand across Nolan’s, stilling his movements.
“You don’t want me to do this?” He pressed Zack’s erection with his fingers. “You seem to be on board.”
“Who said you suck my cock?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Zack reached up and took Nolan’s face in his hands. “It matters.”
For the first time since their moment at the gym, Nolan didn’t fight the impulse to kiss him. Stretching his body, he pressed his mouth to Zack’s and moaned as Zack immediately reciprocated. Hard muscles, firm hands, and the intoxicating scent that haunted Nolan’s dreams surrounded him. Zack plundered his mouth, tongue exploring every inch of him. The intensity made Nolan’s head spin, made him want more.
He pulled back, his eyes drifting closed. “I’m going to suck you now.”
Zack ran his thumb along Nolan’s bottom lip. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I want to. I’ve wanted to since I saw you in the bathroom that first day.”
He didn’t need to look to find Zack’s belt and pull it open. His fingers still shook as he worked the zipper, but he knew now it was from excitement. The scent of arousal hit him as he reached into Zack’s briefs and wrapped his fingers around his swollen shaft.