13. Sebastian Courtland
13
SEBASTIAN COURTLAND
Monday arrived far too quickly. I never got the chance to see Byron again during the weekend. He’d texted me once in the early evening on Saturday to say that he’d arrived home from visiting his family and that he was going to bed. But he’d at least ended the day with three amazing words.
I miss you.
On Sunday, I had a few of my own obligations to deal with—namely visiting with my sister and her family. It was good to see my niece, but I couldn’t deny that I very much wanted to escape to see Byron.
But in the blink of an eye, the weekend was over, and I was back to being the boss. Normally, that wasn’t a bad thing. I enjoyed being the CEO of Courtland Enterprises, leading us to bigger and better things. The problem was that I couldn’t be the boss and Byron’s boyfriend. Or rather, I couldn’t be his boss and his boyfriend.
Things appeared to be progressing in the right direction. It wasn’t just me initiating things. He’d taken the time to text me first on Sunday, sending along some playful, non-work-related memes. Maybe Declan was right in that I needed to start taking steps to protect Byron in the event we decided that dating and being in an actual relationship was in the cards for us.
Unfortunately, that next step was preparing for him to no longer be my assistant, which I dreaded both personally and professionally. He was my rock. He was the one who steadied me on those crazy, frantic days. Byron was the one who made me smile first thing in the morning, and it wasn’t just because I was hopelessly infatuated with him.
Not to mention, the man was a mind reader. He always seemed to know what I wanted before I asked for it. He was fast, efficient, and professional. As far as I knew, all the managers and executives loved him. He’d be a rock star no matter where in the company he ended up.
“You don’t have any managers scheduled for a lunch meeting. Is there anyone you’d like me to reach out to and see if they’re available?” Byron’s gentle but firm voice broke through my mental meandering, pulling me back to what we were doing.
My schedule. Meetings. Planning.
“Can’t I have you for lunch?”
Byron narrowed his eyes at me over the edge of his tablet in a look that was half warning and half hunger, like he couldn’t decide whether to punish or devour me. I was happy to enjoy either option. “I need to run a brief errand during my lunch hour today. If you don’t want to have a specific lunch meeting, is there something you’d like me to have delivered today?”
I waved my hand, my gaze wandering to my calendar on one screen. “Nah. I’ll figure it out later.”
“You have a lengthy break following lunch, and I’ve marked that as time to review the Paris contracts.”
“Already done. I have one more thing to check; then they’ll be ready to be turned in to legal.”
“The leisure division’s cost-cutting plan?”
I nodded. “Yes, that’ll be this afternoon, along with the Canadian marketing plan for the new winter gear.”
“Got it.” Byron stood, tucking his tablet under his arm. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go finish my final preparations for this morning’s meetings and?—”
“Actually, I was thinking,” I said, as an idea formed. “I want Kaylan to accompany me to the meetings during the first half of my day and handle the note-taking.”
I glanced up to see Byron wobble and reach back as if to catch himself on the chair he’d risen from, but he remained standing. His eyes were wide, and new lines of strain snaked across his brow and bracketed his mouth.
“I’m sorry, sir. Is there a problem?”
“No problem.”
Byron swallowed hard, and I frowned. “But if I’ve done something to make you dissatisfied with my performance…”
“I didn’t say that. I think that it’s time we gave Kaylan some more experience in tackling other tasks. This will also give him a better understanding of the company. Besides, I’m sure you have plenty of other tasks that are demanding your attention. The break from meetings will be nice for you.”
Except Byron didn’t look grateful for the break. I couldn’t quite explain what his mood was. Strangled? Confused? That had to be it. Byron wasn’t a fan of changing the schedule, but Kaylan needed more experience. Especially if he was going to one day replace Byron as my assistant. There was no time like the present to get that training in.
“Of-of course, I…I will talk to him?—”
“Wait a second.” I held up my hand, cutting him off. I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want to brush this under the rug. Something was wrong. Was it that I was including Kayan, or was there something else that was bothering him? “Talk to me. You have a problem with this, but I don’t understand. We talked about it, right? If we’re going to date, you’ll need to move to another position within the company. I’m still going to need an assistant. Kaylan would be the best choice to slide into that role, right?”
Byron’s eyes became so wide while his pale cheeks turned pink. “That’s what you’re thinking?” he demanded in a harsh whisper.
“Yes, what were you thinking?”
“That you were mad at me. That you were disappointed in my work and wanted Kaylan to handle it because you had more confidence in his work.”
My mouth just hung open. The thought had never crossed my mind. “Never. The quality of your work has never wavered. And if it did, I’d talk to you about it. I wouldn’t just replace you.”
Byron scrubbed a hand across his face before just staring down at his tablet. “I’m sorry, sir. I-I don’t know what’s come over me.”
“Byron,” I murmured and then pulled the Friend Egg out of my pocket. As I held it up to him, he shot me a dark look, but I wasn’t deterred. “Seriously, are you okay?”
“You can’t keep pulling that out at work,” he growled.
I waggled my eyebrows at him. “It’s better than me pulling out other things.”
Byron hissed and glanced across the room at the open door. “Sebastian, behave yourself. You promised.”
“Fine, but are you okay?” I repeated, holding the egg in front of me. I wasn’t putting it away until I got a proper answer.
He huffed. “I’m fine. Just…distracted, I think. It was a hectic weekend.”
That wasn’t a great answer, but I knew there was no point in trying to pursue this in the office. Thankfully, we were supposed to have a dinner date tonight. I could get to the bottom of what had happened over the weekend and try to help him feel better.
“Okay, we’ll talk later,” I murmured, wondering if we could chat prior to lunch even as I stuffed the egg into my pocket. I hadn’t expected to use it today, but it was a good thing I’d brought it.
Byron cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his tablet. “I’ll give Kaylan a heads-up about the meeting. Also, the agenda for the ten thirty meeting states that various departments will give brief proposals for new products. There was an idea that I wanted to present, if there was time.”
That was unexpected. Byron had never made a proposal before. I wasn’t even sure how the other managers would take that. Would they think he’d get preferential treatment because he was my assistant?
“Is there a specific department or division you’ve been working with?”
“No, sir. This is an independent idea that stretches across several divisions.”
“Send me the proposal. I’ll review it. If I think it’s good enough, I’ll move it along to the final decision stage for discussion.”
“Oh.” That didn’t sound like a good “Oh,” but I wasn’t sure how to explain that I was trying to save him some pain. He seemed so fragile from our other misunderstanding that I didn’t want to stomp on his sensitive feelings. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance because Byron nodded once. “I’ll go inform Kaylan that he needs to prepare for the meetings and what he needs to do.”
My assistant turned sharply on his heel and left my office, but there was a sinking feeling in my stomach that things were still off between us.
My eyes burned, and my neck was stiff. After the meetings, there was endless report reading and making notes for suggestions. I was ready for it to be done. To head home?—
No! Dinner. I had dinner plans with Byron tonight. Date number four.
How could I have forgotten? It should have been the thing to keep me buzzing all day, but it had slipped my mind. Byron hadn’t been there to remind me about it, though. In fact, I’d barely seen him all day.
Kaylan and I shuffled to the top floor after the morning meetings to find that Byron had already left for his lunch-break errand. I had only a brief message waiting to remind me to eat, along with his proposal. When I returned from my lunch, he was back at his desk, but on the phone with someone and I couldn’t interrupt him. That seemed to go on for the rest of the day, with me constantly missing him.
But the day was finished, and we could catch up during a quiet dinner.
As I was getting the chance to shut down my computer for the night, there was a knock on my door. Byron stepped in, looking as tired as I felt with a new stack of contracts for me to review.
“Legal department dropped these off. I’ve marked the places where the changes were made per your instructions,” Byron announced as he brought over the papers and sat them on the edge of my desk.
“Thank you.” The smile that had been missing from my lips returned as I watched him. “I feel like I haven’t seen you all day.”
“It’s been a busy day, sir.”
“Kaylan did fantastic this morning. You’ve done a great job training him.”
The little wrinkle between his brows smoothed. “I’m pleased to hear that you’re happy with his performance, but I can’t take credit. Kaylan is very intelligent and eager to learn everything he can about Courtland Enterprises.”
“We’re lucky to have him. Are you done for the day? Ready for dinner?”
Byron stared at me, and I got the impression that he’d forgotten we had a dinner date planned. His eyelids widened a heartbeat later, and I swore I could almost hear the memory clicking in his brain.
“Um…I have a few things left I need to see to before I can leave for the evening. Did…did you have a chance to review my proposal this afternoon?”
I sat back in my chair and spun it toward my monitor, as I turned over the best way to give him my thoughts. Straightforward had to be the best way. This was work, and I’d always been honest with Byron.
“I don’t think it’s the best option,” I stated, looking him dead in the eye. A muscle in Byron’s jaw ticked, and the silence stretched between us for several seconds until Byron nodded once.
“Could you please elaborate on where my proposal falls short?” he asked, and there was no missing the tightness in his voice.
“It’s not the direction that we want to go. While I think your proposal has some merits, I don’t believe that it’s going to provide the results we need in order to salvage the company without us needing to institute a hiring freeze and layoffs.” I held out my open hands to Byron, keeping my tone firm but gentle. “We need to hit a home run. Base hits won’t cut it.”
“But base hits are easier to get than a home run. If you put together enough base hits, you can still score. That’s how the game is won. With your proposal, it’s an all-or-nothing endeavor that possesses much higher risks for everyone. My way offers lower risks.”
“Your proposal also comes with lower reward potential,” I replied.
“It doesn’t have to. If we mobilize quickly to capitalize on an obvious winner, the rewards stand to be as great as with your home run.”
“No. I appreciate your proposal, but I don’t believe it will work.”
Something flashed in Byron’s eyes, like the world was crashing down and it was all my fault. I didn’t know what to do. As his boyfriend, I wanted to fix everything, but as his boss, I couldn’t waver on this. Right?
“Excuse me, sir,” he said in a rough voice. “Thank you for your time.”
“Byron…”
“If you don’t mind, I need to cancel our plans this evening. I’m not feeling too well. I’ll be leaving for the night.”
With my heart in my throat, I jumped out of my seat and came around my desk, darting in front of him to block his path to the door. Pinching the marble egg between two fingers, I held it in front of his face. “Please, talk to me. You’ve been off all day. I just want to understand so I can help.”
Byron stared at the egg and released a long, low sigh. His shoulders slumped ever farther. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. The egg can remind me to treat you as a friend, but it can’t force me to talk about things I don’t wish to discuss. Some things I just need to work out on my own.”
He stepped past me and continued to the door, but he didn’t get more than a step before he stopped again. I looked past him to see Declan standing in the opening watching us.
“Forgive me, Mr. Foster. Is there anything I can get you?” Byron asked, snapping into perfect assistant mode.
“No, thank you. I just needed to talk to Sebastian.”
Byron nodded. “Have a good evening.” He slipped past Declan and closed the door behind my friend.
The moment we were alone, Declan turned his glare full force onto me. “What did you do?”
“What the hell! Why do you assume I did something? I haven’t done anything.” At least, I didn’t think I’d done anything to him. Fuck, I hope I hadn’t. “This has nothing to do with us dating,” I added, because I was sure it was exactly what he was thinking.
Declan stood in front of me, his arms folded over his chest as he continued to glare. “What’s wrong?”
“We had a small misunderstanding this morning when I chose to have Kaylan in the meetings instead of him, but I explained it was to train Kaylan ahead of moving Byron to another position because we’re dating. He said he understood, but he’s been distracted. I’m guessing something happened this past weekend that he’s not telling me about.”
“That’s it?”
I shrugged one shoulder as I walked to my desk and dropped into his chair. “I turned down his proposal.”
“The proposal about focusing on mini blockbuster, limited edition products for each of our divisions?” Declan inquired.
That question jolted me upright in my chair. “He showed it to you?” Byron had made it sound like he’d not showed any of the other members of the executive team.
“We discussed it. He came to me to get some specific financial numbers to make sure his idea was workable to match our needs.”
“And it’s not,” I stated, relaxing again.
“It is, but it wouldn’t be easy. There are risks.”
“Exactly!” I said, waving a hand at Declan. I’d known my CFO would back me on this. Declan was all logic and common sense.
“However, there are fewer risks involved than with your plan.”
I lunged forward in my chair, almost coming out of my seat as I shrieked, “What?”
Declan shrugged and raised a hand. “Your plan of putting everything on a single home-run product comes with inherent problems. If it bombs, if we misread the market, we’re in a worse position than we are in now. If it wins, we win big, which will help carry us comfortably into the new year.”
My friend then lifted his other hand, holding it next to the other like a set of scales. “By contrast, Byron’s plan hinges on modifications to existing, successful products. It’s a lower-cost investment for the company. If his plan fails, we don’t have the cushion to carry us into the new year, but we will still finish in a better position than we are in now. If his plan wins, it can be easily expanded, and our marketing departments can mobilize fast enough to turn it into a home run.”
“So, you agree with him?”
My friend glared at me, his frown deepening. “I didn’t say that.”
I tried not to snarl at my oldest friend. Sometimes getting him to spit out what he was thinking was exhausting. Byron already wasn’t talking to me. Declan’s reticence was not helping.
“Two things. First, maybe part of the reason Byron came up with the proposal was to prove that he is capable of holding a more important position in the company than just being your executive assistant. You do recall that he has a master’s degree, correct? You’re talking about moving him to another department. Even as my assistant, it’s something of a demotion compared to working for the CEO, and all because he made the mistake of dating you.”
“Fuck.” I exhaled. That had never crossed my mind. In truth, the best option would be for Byron to leave Courtland and find another position somewhere else, but I didn’t want to force him out. If I were a good, thoughtful boyfriend, though, I’d be helping him to make that transition if it was what he wanted.
“Second,” Declan continued, as if he hadn’t just rocked my poor little world. “As his boyfriend, you should have left with him, taken him home, and done things to make sure he felt cared for and safe until he was willing to tell you what was wrong. Then you would solve the problem together instead of leaving him to deal with it alone.”
I stared at Declan, utterly speechless, my brain reduced to white noise. “How the hell do you know that? You know nothing about relationships. You couldn’t date your way out of a paper bag.”
“I learned it from you. You’re the one who said everyone wants to be taken care of. Even grumpy assholes like Pierce. And Byron isn’t half as grumpy as Pierce can be.”
He was right. Very, very right.
When Byron had canceled our dinner date, I should have followed him home and offered to take care of him. At the very least, grabbed a fucking bucket of fried chicken and offered to cuddle him until he felt better.
I needed to fix this.
As I jumped to my feet, I snagged my phone, wallet, and keys. “Whatever brought you here, send it in an email or tell Kaylan to make you my first meeting of the day. I need to go talk to Byron now.”
“Fine. Just try to be less of an idiot.”
Yes, that was the goal.