Chapter 7 Seven #2
Seven stood, snagging his now empty shake cup, walking to the break room just to calm his racing pulse.
He stood at the sink, thoroughly washing the cup, lost in thoughts of the very man he’d gone there to forget.
Seven sucked in a shocked breath as heat enveloped him, a steady weight pressing him into the counter.
Enzo. Desire zipped through him, his blood igniting as his hips settled right against the curve of Seven’s ass.
“What are you doing? We’re in public,” Seven managed, bracing himself against the counter as Enzo’s solid frame pressed him farther over the sink.
“Hm?” Enzo asked distractedly, one beefy arm reaching up to open the cabinets above Seven’s head. “Oh, just grabbing some coffee. We’re out over there.”
Fucking liar.
Enzo pretended to rifle through the cabinets above while his other hand snaked around Seven’s waist. His mouth fell open in a silent moan as Enzo shifted, grinding himself against Seven’s ass in a way that had fireworks exploding behind his eyelids and his toes curling in his shoes.
“Just grab your coffee already,” Seven said in a heated whisper, even as he let himself melt into the heat of Enzo’s body and the spicy scent of his cologne.
“Sorry,” Enzo purred right against his ear. “This box just seems to be fighting me.”
“The box isn’t going to be the only thing fighting you if you don’t get off me, you perv,” Seven said around a soft laugh.
Enzo dropped his arms to cage him in, nosing just behind his ear teasingly. “You were the one who brought up my slutty forearms. What did you think would happen? This is on you for being so flirty.”
Seven was so caught up in Enzo that he didn’t register the sound of heels on the hardwood floors until it was too late.
Seven shoved Enzo away from him unceremoniously, whipping around to see which of their colleagues had caught them.
Fucking Drucilla. She floated past them like a ghost, her white dress swinging around her knees, like she was some ethereal creature in an ad for luxury perfume.
She didn’t even acknowledge them until Seven started to say, “We were just…”
He let his words die as she cut her razor sharp gaze in their direction.
“I don’t have enough words in the English language to even begin to describe how little I don’t fucking care about your weird awkward mating ritual,” she said in her usual flat affect.
“Just keep it in your pants. Nobody wants their lunch with a side of your unwashed genitals.”
“What?” Seven managed just as Enzo sputtered, “Unwashed?”
“You heard me,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee from the pot that was, in fact, not empty at all. Seven eyed Enzo, his mouth forming a hard line.
When her cup was full, she turned gracefully, floating back towards the door. When she was almost there, she turned, somehow looking down her nose at them, even though they were both taller.
“You do realize Lourdes moved the seminar to ten, right?”
Seven’s eyes widened as he glanced at the large clock on the wall. “Seriously?”
“No, I’m joking,” she said flatly before rolling her eyes when they stared at her in confusion. “Yes, seriously. You have, like, fifteen minutes to kill your raging boners. Get it together.”
They both looked down at their crotches. When they looked back up, she was gone.
Ten minutes later, they were sitting side-by-side in the Blackwood, Thorne & Fairchild auditorium for their annual Workplace Harassment seminar.
A woman with a brutal pixie cut and a face like a sour lemon stood before them wearing a khaki-colored suit that made her look like the warden from some eighties reform school movie.
Seven had a feeling she sucked the joy out of every room she entered.
Including this one.
After a brief introduction that had Seven’s lids drooping, the lights lowered and a grainy training video began to play behind her.
Seven was almost positive that it was shot in 144P by Thomas Edison himself.
There was no other explanation for the terrible quality.
They clearly hadn’t updated these training videos in at least a decade, which made it impossible to take the scenarios unfolding seriously.
On the screen, a man with a receding hairline and a baby blue suit loomed over a woman with a Princess Di haircut and a high-neck floral dress with lace trim everywhere. The man—her supervisor—was attempting to give her a very awkward shoulder massage. Gross.
Seven’s phone vibrated in his lap just as Enzo flipped his screen down. Seven gave him a hard side-eye then turned it over, looking around before opening the message.
Law Daddy
Imagine leaving your little house on the prairie only to be harassed by this leisure suit-wearing loser.
Seven snorted, then coughed to muffle it when several people turned to glare at him.
Seven
You never offered me a neck massage. All I got was a fancy pen and a duck that dresses better than you do.
Law Daddy
Nobody dresses better than I do. Besides, I didn’t know I was allowed to touch you.
Seven
Were you not the one trying to bend me over the break room sink twenty minutes ago?
Law Daddy
That was an accident It’s not my fault your juicy was in the way of the coffee refill.
Seven
Juicy? Ew. You know you love this
Law Daddy
You have no idea. I’ve built a shrine It’s in the supply closet. Wanna see it when this is over?
Seven
The jury’s still out. But I’d be willing to hear arguments in my chambers.
Law Daddy
I did like being inside your chamber.
Seven
Nevermind. You don’t deserve to touch me.
Law Daddy
Nooooo. Give me another chance. Your ass looks amazing in those pants. Let me worship it
Seven
I’m gonna raise my hand and go show these texts to Matron Mama Morton up there.
Law Daddy
Wait, did you just make a Chicago reference?
Seven
God forbid a guy try to add a little class to our flirting.
Law Daddy
So you admit it? We’re flirting?
Seven
I admit nothing
This time, it was Enzo who was reprimanded for laughing.
He did his best to look contrite as the next scenario started to play: a boss attempting to abuse his position of authority to force his secretary—a woman with comically-large anime breasts—into letting him “have his way with her.” It was kind of depressing.
The clothes changed, but the problem never did.
Maybe Seven was part of the problem. He couldn’t take this video seriously, even though it was a very serious issue. But Seven also would never abuse his position of power, should he ever have any.
He opened his phone once more, far more interested in teasing Enzo than trying to sit through this painful video.
Seven
If only he’d offered her a contract.
Enzo looked at him, practically clutching his pearls, shooting off another rapid-fire text.
Law Daddy
Wooooooooooooow.
Seven
That seemed to soothe his ruffled feathers some.
Seven
Where do they find these actors? This dude is two seconds away from twirling his handlebar mustache and threatening to tie her to a set of train tracks.
Enzo laughed softly, shifting his weight so he was leaning into Seven, his arm draped over the arm rest so his fingertips could brush his thigh.
Seven couldn’t hide his shuddery breath, already at a low simmer from their encounter in the break room.
It had been months since Enzo touched him, and now, he never wanted him to stop.
Seven
Are you inappropriately touching me during a workplace harassment seminar?
Law Daddy
I prefer to call it giving you a hands-on demonstration.
Seven
You’re being awfully presumptuous…Daddy.
Enzo shifted in his seat again then tried to subtly adjust himself.
Law Daddy
Call me Daddy again and I’m going to commit a workplace violation.
Seven should have shut it down. He knew he was playing with fire. But he just…didn’t want to. As he’d already admitted to himself at least a hundred times, when it came to Enzo, he was weak.
Seven
You gonna drag me into the supply closet and ask to show me your briefs?
Law Daddy
I’m much more interested in your briefs. Namely filing a motion to remove them.
Was Enzo implying what he thought he was implying?
Seven
Motion denied.
Enzo made a sound like a disappointed cartoon character, forcing Seven to bite back a smile.
Law Daddy
Objection. Counsel is being deliberately combative.
Seven gave Enzo a hard once-over, then licked his lower lip before dropping his gaze back to his phone.
Seven
Counsel is doing no such thing. I can’t grant your motion when the plaintiff has no briefs to remove.
Law Daddy
Fucking hell. When this is over, please let me plead my case in private.
Seven
I’m afraid you’re gonna have to file a motion to compel.
Seven was now painfully hard in a room full of his colleagues. He’d lost the plot of this little game of theirs. He was going to end up spending his lunch break jerking off in the bathroom.
Law Daddy
I’m fully ready to make my submission.
Submission. Submissive. How far was Enzo willing to go to prove that he wanted Seven as more than just a sub?
Seven
I’m afraid I’m only willing to hear oral arguments today.
Enzo groaned low, leaning his weight into Seven’s space, but this time, it was a poor attempt to hide his own growing erection. Seven was just happy he wasn’t the only one suffering. Did that make him a bad person?
Law Daddy
Defense is willing and eager to submit to plaintiff's demands. I’ve heard my oral arguments are quite…compelling.
Seven’s pants were cutting off circulation to his now throbbing erection.
Seven
I think we’ve exhausted the legal puns.
Law Daddy
Are you kidding? I’m just getting started. I haven’t even mentioned a hung jury yet.
Seven
If only the rest of the world knew what a dork you are.
Seven wasn’t prepared for Enzo to whisper in his ear, “You didn’t think I was a dork when you were raking your nails down my back that night.”
Seven had to bite his lip to hold back the moan climbing up this throat.