Chapter 11
SIMON
Simon carefully cleaned the cum off Dexter’s chest. They’d been doing this for two months now, and Simon still wasn’t sure what they were.
It wasn’t friends with benefits, as they didn’t see each other outside work and Dexter’s flat.
They definitely weren’t fuck buddies, as that was too crass to describe what they had.
If anyone found out about this, Simon’s career would be fucked, but there was something about Dexter he just couldn’t keep away from.
“Are you hungry?” asked Dexter.
Simon should have said no and left, but he nodded instinctively.
“Get a shower, and I’ll have something ready for when you get out,” he said, getting up from the bed they’d been fucking in for the last hour.
Simon couldn’t stop himself from leaning in for a kiss.
He felt his dick twitch. Who said forty-five-year-olds only had one round in them?
Simon pulled away and walked towards the bathroom.
He looked back and saw Dexter staring at him, with something that looked more like affection than lust. Yeah, he shouldn’t be staying for food, but he was going to anyway.
Once he was showered and dressed, he walked into the kitchen area to a delicious and familiar smell.
“Is that your lasagne?” asked Simon.
“Yeah. I had some leftovers, so I just warmed them up in the air fryer. It takes longer than the microwave but keeps the cheese crispy. Are you in a rush?”
“No, not at all.”
Simon wanted to stay the night more than anything.
It was a line they’d never crossed, and given they usually hooked up during the week, it was easier that way.
On the weekends, Dexter was often busy with his mum or friends.
Simon sometimes had things to do, but he was often lonely.
Although he loved peace, his big house felt very quiet when he could go a full day without interacting with another human.
Dexter had never been to Simon’s house, but then he’d never invited him. It was the home he’d shared with Jared. Not that he wanted to keep the place sacred for his ex, he just didn’t want to taint Dexter with it. Not something he wanted to unpack too closely, so he just tamped down those feelings.
Jared had made another appearance at his house a week after he’d made this arrangement with Dexter.
There was still no clue to how he was getting in, so his sister and Daniel had finally persuaded Simon to take out a restraining order.
It had been challenging to prove, given the lack of any evidence that he’d been in the house, but Daniel was one of the best lawyers in the city.
Even though he practiced corporate law, being one of the best in his field meant he also knew the rest of the best. The bill had been eye-watering, but worth it, as he hadn’t heard a peep from Jared since the order was granted.
Still, Simon didn’t want to risk Jared turning up when Dexter was there and ruining what they had, no matter how precarious it was.
Work was settled after a rocky start. Simon had passed his probation. Alex regularly sang his praises over the changes he was implementing, and he was having the best sex of his life, so why did he feel like something was still missing?
Dexter put the lasagne in front of him, and Simon practically drooled.
The first bite was hot, but he was far too impatient, so he rolled the food around in his mouth to cool it down before swallowing it.
He couldn’t stop himself from letting out a moan, and when he opened his eyes, Dexter was looking at him with a smirk.
“What?” asked Simon.
“It’s not that good.”
“Oh, but it is. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re an excellent cook.”
“I can do, like, six things.”
“And all six of them are delicious,” said Simon, taking another bite and smiling.
It was true; Dexter had a few dishes he was good at and would rotate them.
In the first few weeks, they’d fucked and Simon had left shortly after.
Then Dexter had offered him food, and it had been this lasagne.
It was these moments that Simon looked forward to the most. Dexter seemed to enjoy cooking for him, and every time Simon came over, the food just needed to be reheated.
He always claimed it was leftovers, but sometimes it looked like no part of it had already been eaten.
Could there be something more here? The problem was, they got no proper time together. As Simon enjoyed the food, he vowed to find a way for them to see if there was more between them, or if it was all in his own head.
“Dexter, can I have a word, please?” he said, as the man himself walked past his office door, which was open.
Dexter had been on a mission, wherever he was going, but he doubled back and walked inside.
He had a questioning look on his face, which was understandable.
They’d had their one-to-one a couple of hours ago.
At work, things were kept strictly professional.
There was a personal relationships policy, in that you had to declare them so they could be recorded.
This was in part to protect the company if the relationship went tits up, but also to protect the employees if things got nasty, which Simon had seen with workplace breakups.
The policy didn’t ban such relationships, but Simon knew this would raise eyebrows. He was a member of the executive team, and Dexter was his direct report. Add to that, he was the chief people officer. He would be the one to discipline his executive peers if they ever did something like this.
“You can close the door, Dexter.”
His eyes darkened as he clicked the door shut. Simon loved how he was so compliant when it was just the two of them, but when they were in a meeting and Dexter disagreed with something, he would still articulate his view in an assertive yet respectful way.
“Get that look out of your eyes with an office full of people out there.”
He gave one of his wicked smiles and then took a seat in front of Simon’s desk.
“Have you heard of the CPO Summit?”
“That’s the one where they get a load of CPOs to some stately home, parade a load of gurus in front of you, and then you get hassled by vendors for three days.”
“Not quite. There’s no hard sell with this one. It’s more about the connection with other CPOs. I’d forgotten with everything going on, but the event is next month. It’s on Wednesday through Friday.”
“So, you can’t come over that week?”
“Are you pouting?”
“No,” he huffed, going red.
“You’re cute when you blush, you know.”
Dexter glared at him.
“That’s adorable as well.”
“Is that what you wanted to tell me? That you’re going on a jolly for three days?”
“Don’t get pissy. No, they just emailed me and offered a complimentary place for whoever I see as a potential CPO.”
“I don’t want to be a CPO.”
“They don’t need to know that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s a country retreat. There are some evening events, but outside of dinner, we’d be left to ourselves for networking, as they call it. I’ve also checked and we could stay on for a couple of extra nights, just the two of us.”
Dexter looked surprised, but was also trying to suppress a smile. This made Simon hope he hadn’t overstepped with his request.
“Won’t it look odd, your taking me instead of Harriet?”
“Harriet? She’s not really my type.”
Dexter snorted. “No, I mean she actually wants to be a CPO.”
Simon was surprised at that. They’d spoken about her career ambitions a few times, and she’d never mentioned she wanted to move up to CPO.
If she had, he would have found opportunities for her on their transformation project, to get her involved in things outside her reward bubble.
She’d been clear she was happy staying in her own lane, though.
“You’ve been here a lot longer than anyone else, Dexter. Nobody will question it. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just thought it would be nice to spend some time together, and not be in a rush.”
He smiled. God, he was so gorgeous. Simon knew he was fucked, but all rational thought had gone out the window the night he stormed round to his flat, unable to hold back what he wanted any longer.
“What if I just joined you for the weekend?”
Simon tried not to look disappointed. He wanted Dexter at the summit as well.
The guy would make a brilliant CPO if he stepped outside his comfort zone, and he knew Dexter would make excellent contributions at the summit.
It would be a great career opportunity for him, but he’d take whatever time Dexter gave him.
“We could make that work, but still think about the summit. I have to let them know by Friday if I want the other spot. Can you let me know by then?”
“Are you still coming over on Friday?”
“Of course.”
Nothing was going to stop him from doing that. A weekend night was rare, and they could have more time together, but he wouldn’t push about staying over, as he wanted to save it for their weekend away.
Dexter leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “I’ll give you my decision once I’ve got your cum inside me.”
He smiled and stood up, unaffected by what he’d said. He made a point of looking at his watch.
“Don’t be late for your meeting, boss,” he said, before walking out and leaving the office door open.
That fucker!
Simon was rock hard and had less than two minutes to get to the boardroom.
Thinking about his cum leaking out of Dexter wasn’t an image he should have in his mind right now.
A month ago, Dexter had asked Simon if they could ditch the condoms. Simon agreed instantly.
They’d already agreed to be exclusive, but that had taken the trust level up several notches.