12. Luka
CHAPTER 12
LUKA
I scanned the last stack of invoices I needed to get through before our three-week holiday break. Determined to push through the paperwork and forget everything business related until the new year, I ignored the raised voices outside our shared office.
Of course, my partner wouldn’t stay out of anything and stood, opening our office door, distracting me.
It wasn’t as though I wanted to be at work on a Friday afternoon when both me and Burton should be naked with our man. At my suggestion we skip work, Phoenix raised an eyebrow and shook his head, so I’d given up on the idea. I’d bitched enough about the paperwork I put off for weeks, so both of us understood it couldn’t wait any longer.
Making the mistake of glancing at the clock, fuck, it was only three. I sighed and started reviewing the numbers, matching them with the materials list for each job. If they did, I’d approve it for payment. I knew I had talented accountants on my payroll, but some things I would never let out of my control.
“What the fuck?” Burton growled.
It was the tone of voice which B used whenever Phoenix was under threat which made me surge to my feet and stride to the door. My steps faltered when I noticed Hale Aalto standing at our PA’s desk, pounding his fist against the surface, his face red and splotchy.
Before I stepped in and threw the fucking man out on his ass, Drew stood and leaned forward, not at all intimidated by the last asshole we expected to see.
“If you would lower your voice, you’ll notice both Mr. Horváth and Mr. Kavka are standing to your right. They have a free moment until three-thirty, so if you’d ask in a civilized tone, I’m sure they would make time for you.”
B scoffed. “The fuck we will!”
Then, as shocking as the man showing up at our offices, which until that moment, I would’ve bet money he thought we worked out of our garage without staff, was the smile plastered on his face as he noticed both of us standing there.
“Just the men I was looking for,” Aalto said.
B and I shared a look before I crossed my arms and stared down at the slimy man.
How Phoenix became the beautiful, giving, and sweet man he was today was a testament to the man himself, and had nothing to do with his father. Hale had an angle, wanting to find some way to hurt Phoenix, and until I understood his plan and figured out a way to dismantle it, I would not say shit. B didn’t have that problem.
“It’s rude to drop in without an appointment, isn’t it, Aalto? And then yelling at Drew when you didn’t get your way,” he shook his head and scoffed. “Then taking advantage of the situation because you made enough of a scene we stepped out of our office makes me want to say no.”
The desperation etched on his face made me suspicious instead of feeling any sympathy for the conniving bastard.
“Five minutes of your time is all I ask,” he said.
“Ask us with the courtesy we deserve, then,” B demanded.
Ignoring the back and forth, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text message.
How’s your day going, Sunshine?
For several seconds, I held my breath before he replied.
I’m ass-deep in a new croissant recipe and it’s not going well. The fruits are too wet, which I thought about making a jam, but once heated, oozes everywhere. And now I’m getting hard.
Unable to hide my smile, I glanced up to see the standoff still going on. B gave me a side-eye, but I nodded, letting him know our man was okay.
We’ll be over after an impromptu meeting with Hale. And I promise tonight we’ll act out every dirty thought you had today. We both love you, Sunshine.
There was a long pause. I held the weight of the world on my shoulders as I waited with bated breath for a response.
A minute later, the reply came.
I love you two more than the world. Tell Burton not to hit him. He’s not worth it. And Luka, lover, I’m not freaking out. The news was surprising, that’s all. I’ll see you soon. Back to the runny pastry!
The confidence our Phoenix gained over the months was awe-inspiring. Especially after both B and I admitted whenever we were together how much we loved him. There were moments of self-doubt and internal struggles, but we encouraged him to talk about whatever bothered him and when he voiced his worries, his insecurities disappeared.
On top of his breakthrough, the weekend of the street fair went off without a hitch.
It seemed half the population of Boston dropped by and we received over a hundred thousand signatures on a petition to stop gentrification in the neighborhood.
The restaurants did steady business while shops like Fergus’ and even Cindi’s jewelry shop were a hit.
And Phoenix and his team handed out so many samples, so he recruited us to bake. Well, mix batter as Phoenix directed us what to do before taking over when we were too slow. But despite that, it was a successful day.
Even better news came yesterday. The historical society had determined they will investigate if several of the buildings on the street qualify for historical status. If so, then Hale’s plans would fail before he started.
“Can you please give me five minutes of your time?” Hale sneered.
Finished with his fucking attitude, but needing to know what he wanted, I said, “Enough of this shit. Get in the fucking office.”
Not giving a fuck if he followed, I turned and strode to my desk, sitting down and swiping the pile of invoices off my desk and into my drawer before closing it. I also shut off my monitor.
B followed suit. He didn’t trust the man any more than I did.
The silence grew as he took a seat in front of my desk and stared.
“You’ve wasted five minutes of our time. Get on with it,” B demanded.
Not enjoying being told what to do, Hale glared at B before he cleared his throat and started the spiel he came here for.
“I’ve talked to several real estate developers who will sign a multi-year deal with your company, with the option of prosperous bonuses for jobs completed before the deadline.”
I scoffed before I asked, “In exchange for what?”
“Two conditions.”
I glared at the man and knew the precise first condition he’d demand.
“I’ll say this one time before we address your offer,” I growled, but made sure Hale Aalto met my eyes before I continued. “Phoenix is a grown man. He’s creative, intelligent, independent, and protective of those he counts as his friends and family. Despite you doing your best to tear him down and shape him into something he most definitely is not, he’s grown into a lovely and caring man who we love more than life itself.”
“Your point?” he sneered.
“His fight is our fight. For a reason I can never fathom, you want to destroy him and everything he’s worked for. Even after he became a successful real estate agent, when you told him time and time again he would fail at it. But you underestimate him, and us, for that matter. People are loyal to you because they benefit from the business relationship. But loyalty only reaches so far, as you’ll soon find out. So lay out your stipulations.”
I knew it was coming, but nothing could prevent my heart from leaping in my throat.
“I want the both of you to leave Phoenix alone. Make it a clean break where you never see him again.”
Fuck that!
“No,” I growled, “and since we don’t agree, you can see yourself the fuck out.”
Tired of this absolute fuckwad, I stood and opened the top drawer for my wallet, phone, and keys. I pocketed the first two and glanced at B, who had his backpack ready to go. As I rounded the desk, Hale blocked me and leaned his face close to mine.
“That fucking catastrophe has ruined my entire life. I want his fairy business to disappear and here’s hoping he’ll leave Boston and go somewhere no one knows me or can associate him with me.”
“You have three fucking seconds to get the fuck out of my face before I beat you down in my office and then call the cops and tell them you threatened not only me, but my business partner and our PA.”
The man had some nerve.
“So, that’s a no to my offer?”
“That does it?—”
As I stepped forward, ready to leave Aalto in a bloody mess on our office floor, B jumped on my back and held my arms down.
There was no need.
Once that asshole saw my eyes flash, he started backing away from me. At my growl; he turned and ran.
Stunned when the door slammed as he exited the building, I glanced back to see B’s hilarious expression. His mouth was open, his eyes wide, blinking every few seconds as he processed the speed at which the older man sprinted out of the building.
“Does it say something bad about me since I’m torn between laughing and chasing after him? I wanted you to pummel him, but watching him scurry out the door was hilarious,” B said.
“Nah, it doesn’t. If you hadn’t stopped me, my fist would’ve found his nose or his gut.”
Taking advantage of our closeness, I snagged a kiss and growled when B moaned into my mouth.
Drew giggled, and when we glanced at him, he gave us a thumbs up.
“That was great, but you should go see if Phoenix is okay. Knowing that ass, he’d ambush his son after trying to rattle you.”
The moment I heard Phoenix’s name, I started forward, taking B with me until he loosened his hold and dropped to his feet, sliding up next to me.
Remembering our upcoming break, I called back at Drew, “Enjoy your time off and if anyone has a question?—”
“We won’t call you, but you can think I will. Happy holidays to both of you and tell Phoenix hi for me.”
Drew, our right-hand man who handled emergencies for both of us more times than we could count, met Phoenix one day when our man brought us lunch.
Well, Arthur suggested it and drove our man because he wanted to nose around the office.
While Arthur pulled open drawers and questioned the employees in the office, Phoenix hit it off with Drew, who became a constant figure in the bakery where Phoenix and the crew welcomed him with open arms.
“We will. Thanks for everything, Drew. And don’t forget the party on Christmas Eve. We’re having it at our house instead of the bakery. Bring a date,” I suggested.
“Date? Who’s our Drew interested in?” B asked.
“Never you mind, Burton.”
We laughed as we headed toward the truck and drove away.
In our self-interest, the three of us spent Thanksgiving weekend holed up in the house, taking the girls for walks around the neighborhood, and spending the rest of our time naked and in bed. But we discovered the Monday after, Phoenix loved the Christmas season. He took the day off and raided his apartment for his decorations before buying out the local thrift and dollar stores of fairy lights, wreaths, and ornaments.
When we arrived home, it was like walking into a winter wonderland.
The eight foot tall tree sparkling with silver garland, cute ornaments, and enough fairy lights to land a plane on our roof. I worried for a minute it might be a fire hazard.
“Isn’t it great? I couldn’t bring myself to buy a tree I couldn’t replant, so I found this monstrosity and added the pine scent.”
“Oh, thank fuck! I thought for a moment the house was going to burn to the ground.”
For that, Phoenix narrowed his eyes at me before he sent me out to put up the outdoor lights, dragging B along with me after both of us kissed Phoenix breathless and promising more later.
Both of us scanned the block to see if Aalto beat us there, but I hadn’t spotted him.
As we entered the bakery, Arthur nodded toward the kitchen.
“Did he nail the croissant recipe?”
A loud groan escaped Arthur as he dropped his head down and shook it. “Now you did it.”
That’s when we heard Phoenix’s shout, “Who’s fucking idea was this?”
Chuckling, we entered the kitchen to see a mess everywhere. Flour, butter, and the scent of sweet fruit struck me before I noticed the bowls of chopped, sliced, and whole fruit.
“What about dried fruit? It still has a bit of moisture, but not enough to wreck the dough.” B asked.
A mound of dough sailed across the steel utility table, and I ducked out of the way. The throw still hit its mark when it struck B in the shoulder.
“What?”
Phoenix growled, making me laugh. I ignored the dirty apron and lifted him into my arms. He glared at B while I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent.
“Fuck, I could have just turned the dried fruit into paste and then added it! You couldn’t tell me this three hours ago?”
B shrugged. “I wasn’t aware of what you were doing.”
He reached for B and kissed him, cupping his cock and running his thumb across the denim. B groaned as he pulled away. Then Phoenix brushed a kiss on my lips for not long enough.
“Hey!”
“I promise to suck your cock until you come down my throat when we get home.”
My cock, as usual whenever Phoenix took control, pulsed in my jeans.
And like that, the three of us forgot about the outside world, including the horrible example of a father and human being.