Chapter Fourteen #2
They smiled, and this time, when Finn turned to leave, Lucas didn’t stop him.
On his way out, he spotted his other boss, Tyler, heading into Lucas's office. Finn knew that most people couldn’t tell them apart, but he could.
Although they were both serious men, there was a playfulness to Lucas that Tyler lacked.
Besides, Lucas had shoulder-length hair while Tyler wore his short.
Finn didn’t work much with Tyler, but whenever he did, he learned a lot and could see that the man was head over heels in love with his husband, who came first above everything, even business.
He was starting to understand what that felt like. He wouldn’t say he and Prince were in love yet, but it sure felt good to be deeply admired.
"What's got you smiling like that?" Tyler, his brother, asked him.
"Because I am the motherfucking bomb, my guy," Lucas complimented himself using old slang.
"You're showing your age," Tyler deadpanned. "But seriously, what's up? I just saw Finn leaving your office. Don't tell me you're crushing on him. I don't want Tucker to hurt the kid."
Lucas playfully smacked Tyler on the back of his head. "Quit being an idiot. Nah, I just gave him some good advice. Besides, Tucker isn't the one I'd have to worry about. Old Sull has that in the bag."
Tyler's eyes widened in shock. "Old Sull as in Prince Sullivan?"
"One and the same."
Tyler whistled. "How the fuck did they meet? I doubt they run in the same circle."
"He's Bevin's best friend," was all he needed to say, and Tyler got the gist of it.
"Well, good for them. So what advice did you give Finn?" Tyler leaned against the desk next to Lucas.
"I told him to go after his dreams and not be scared of taking chances."
Tyler nodded. "Good. That kid is going places. If you hadn't grabbed him up, I would have."
"Yeah," Lucas agreed. "So why did you come in here?"
"I'm heading out on a Seeker's training mission, so you will have to hold things down for a while."
"Alright."
Seekers was a secret organization that did not primarily work for the government but took on tasks that law enforcement agencies like the FBI and CIA could not.
The organization was started by top families to hunt down the notorious scientist Leap, who had developed the serum that changed the entire world.
While the organization should have been disbanded after Leap was killed, the families felt it was still needed and passed the duties down to their children as time went by.
Lucas and Tyler were part of Seekers, having taken over from Asher, their father.
A thought came to Lucas then. Why had Prince never become a Seeker agent, given that his father and grandfather had both been ones?
Maybe that was something he could ask him the next time they saw each other.
"This is the first time in days I've seen you. It's like you moved in with my dad. I'm surprised he doesn't have you tied to the bed, or he's not here clinging to you like glue," Bevin said, scanning the menu. "Does he know we're meeting? And you're treating me to dinner too. So what gives?"
Finn smiled. "Your dad knows everything, and he doesn't mind that we're meeting alone. It's not like we're doing anything crazy. I just want to treat my business partner to dinner."
Bevin paused and looked up, his eyes bright. "Finn, don't fuck with me."
"Do I ever kid about money? I'm being for real. I told you I'd think it over, and after reading through the contract with different eyes, I decided to take you up on your offer. But I want us to be equal partners, not this eighty-twenty split."
Finn set his menu down and looked at Bevin seriously. "I don't know what the future will hold for us, but honestly, I can't think of a better person to take a chance with."
"Why does it sound like you're proposing marriage?" Bevin shivered exaggeratedly. "Keep that shit for my dad."
Finn rolled his eyes. "Don't make me regret it."
Bevin chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll have my lawyers rework the contract.
I know you're finishing up your internship, and since we both plan on skipping the graduation ceremony, we can get right to work.
Until we have an official contract, I can update you on everything we've been working on. Oh, and give you this."
He reached behind him and pulled out his wallet, taking out a black credit card and handing it to Finn, who stared at it as if he had seen something like it before.
Then it hit him. The card looked exactly like the one Prince had left for him to use while he waited for his replacement card.
It made Finn realize he had never returned it to him.
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"That's our business card. It's unlimited, so don't worry about what you spend. It's actually a Sullivan Conglomerate that owns the company, so basically, you're spending the family's money. Only Sullivans get the black card. Everyone else gets a different one."
Bevin hadn’t realized that he had just blown Finn's mind. Unlimited. What the hell? Why would Prince have done that when they were not even together yet?
Finn turned the key, opening the door to the apartment Prince had rented, sitting between the university and Finn's job.
Although he had gotten through the rest of dinner with Bevin, his mind kept going back to the black card that had been burning a hole in his wallet ever since.
He had never used it, but he wanted things to make sense when it came to Prince.
The second he entered the apartment and set his things down, however, he heard soft jazz playing in the background.
Turning the corner, he stopped, and a smile graced his lips when he saw Prince sleeping on the couch with Gray curled comfortably on his chest. Both the cat and the man looked so cute that Finn couldn’t help but pull out his cellphone and snap a few pictures.
Just as he was about to snap another, he noticed that Prince's eyes were open, watching him with what could only be described as adoration.
Something clicked into place in that moment for Finn, and he no longer cared what the card was for or why it had been given to him.
It made him realize, just as Lucas had said, that he was not alone.
He had never been alone. There was always someone by his side.
From his grandmother, to Bevin, and now Prince.
There was always someone encouraging him, pushing him to believe in himself when he could not.
"Hi," Prince whispered. "You're home."
"Mhm," Finn murmured, setting his cellphone down, toeing off his shoes, and taking off his coat and jacket.
He walked over to the couch, gently picked up Gray, and set him to the side without waking him. Then he lay down on top of Prince, who wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed his forehead. Finn buried his face in Prince's chest, breathing in his scent, feeling comfortable and happy.
"Yeah, I'm home."