8
R emy chose a watch from the display in his closet, slipping it on before grabbing a simple gold chain. As he clasped it around his neck, he left the closet, stopping in front of the mirror that he now associated with fucking Lawrence in front of each time he saw it.
He looked himself over, taking in his red and black shirt, the sleeves he’d left unbuttoned and rolled up to his elbows. He’d opted for black jeans and finished the ensemble with white Christian Louboutin sneakers. Remy was taking Lawrence out, and he’d allowed the other man to choose where they would go.
Grabbing his wallet, Remy placed it in his back pocket before picking up his phone and leaving his bedroom. Lawrence texted him earlier with his address after Remy told him he didn’t mind picking him up.
Once in his car, Remy plugged the address into his GPS, discovering that the other man lived only fifteen minutes from him. He was sure the drive would be longer due to Saturday night traffic.
When Lawrence came to his condo last night, Remy would be lying if he said keeping his hands off the other man had been easy. Throughout the night, Lawrence tried several times to get Remy to give in and give him what he wanted. Any other time, Remy would have given him exactly what he asked for and more, but last night was punishment .
Remy allowed Lawrence’s touches, his soft kisses, and the heated gazes he threw Remy’s way, but before he could do much more, take it much further. Remy would always stop him. He knew that Lawrence had been frustrated. Even more so a little after midnight when Remy had sent him home.
Normally, he would have allowed Lawrence to stay, shared his bed with him, teased him, and punished him a bit more. However, Remy hadn't been sure that he wouldn't eventually give in, that he wouldn't, in the middle of the night, find himself deep inside Lawrence.
Punishment was far from Remy’s mind tonight. He'd woken up that morning from a sensual dream starring Lawrence, his dick harder than it should have been. At that point, Remy realized he was punishing himself and decided that a night was enough punishment for them both. Tonight, he would give Lawrence what he wanted, but Remy would make him ask for it.
As suspected, due to traffic, Remy pulled into Lawrence's apartment complex's parking lot twenty-five minutes later. Getting out of his car, he went inside and up to the third floor, checking the numbers until he came to Lawrence’s door.
Knocking, he waited for the other man to open the door. While he did, a woman stepped out of the apartment next door, a bag of trash in her hand, and she halted when she saw him. Remy didn't miss how she looked him over, and when her eyes came up to his, he lifted a brow at her.
She looked ashamed momentarily at being caught checking him out, but Remy didn't understand why, considering she was doing it again, not even a second later.
The door opened, and Remy turned to find Lawrence looking at him before the other man's eyes shifted to his neighbor. He didn't miss the slight tick in Lawrence’s jaw, and when his eyes came back to Remy, Lawrence rose slightly on his toes and kissed him. Remy kept the smirk from his face as they pulled apart.
“I'm almost ready,” Lawrence informed as he stepped back, allowing Remy in and closing the door. “Have a seat. I'll be out in a minute.”
“Take your time,” Remy responded as he looked Lawrence over .
He wore a black and white striped button-up that he rolled up to his forearms. The top two buttons were left undone, and a simple necklace hung around his neck. He’d tucked the shirt into black jeans, rolled to his ankles.
Remy sat on the couch, his eyes studying the different paintings on the walls. He wondered if Alijah had painted them all, but he only saw her signature or the signature he recognized as hers on two.
A few minutes later, Lawrence returned, his shoes on, phone in hand, and Remy stood, approaching him. The smell of his cologne danced around Remy as he again allowed his eyes to roam over him.
Taking his hand, Remy led them out of the apartment, stopping to allow the other man to lock the door. He hadn't realized that the neighbor from before was still in the hallway until they turned to leave. It made Remy wonder if she was returning from taking out her trash or if she’d been waiting out there.
Remy allowed Lawrence to pull him past the woman and into the elevator. Once they were on and the doors were closed, Remy turned to Lawrence.
“You know I'm gay, right?”
Lawrence looked at him with a furrowed brow. “You…what?”
“It means I don't like women,” Remy responded with a playful smirk. “So, you don't have to be jealous.”
Lawrence glared at him momentarily before scoffing. “I was not jealous. I don’t appreciate Miss Lady eye-fucking people that don't belong to her.”
“I wasn't aware I belonged to anybody.”
Lawrence narrowed his eyes at Remy but didn't say anything. He walked out when the elevator doors opened. Remy caught up to him, wrapping his arms around Lawrence’s waist and pulling him back into his chest.
“Relax, baby. I'm joking,” Remy informed him.
It amused Remy that Lawrence had gone from ignoring him to claiming him and getting jealous in twenty-four hours. Because regardless of what he said, he had been jealous .
“It's fine,” Lawrence responded, looking over his shoulder before stepping out of Remy’s arms. “Because I don't belong to anyone either.”
Remy watched Lawrence go momentarily before grabbing his wrist and pulling the other man back to him, chest to chest. He wrapped his arm around Lawrence’s waist, his free hand gripping his chin.
“I will prove you wrong right here in this hallway,” Remy told him.
“Relax, baby. I'm joking,” Lawrence turned his words back at him before smirking. “You really shouldn't dish out things you can't handle.”
Remy leaned down and nipped Lawrence’s lower lip. “Remember that tonight, when I'm making you handle everything I dish out.”
Remy released him, and they exited the building with Lawrence's hand in his. He opened the passenger side door for Lawrence, and once Remy was in, they headed to the restaurant.
When they pulled into the parking lot, Remy found a space, and they headed inside. They didn't have to wait long before they were led to their table.
Once they were left alone, Remy found himself staring at the man across from him. It felt almost surreal to him how attracted he was to Lawrence and how attractive Lawrence was in general. Remy would hazard to call the other man pretty and mean it only in the best way.
It wasn't to say that he hadn't been attracted to other men before because that would just be implausible with his sexual orientation. It simply meant that while Lawrence fell into the type of man that Remy liked to pursue, he was definitely in a class of his own.
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Remy decided to counter instead of answering.
“No, not really. I was just wondering why,” Lawrence responded with a shrug.
“I was thinking about how attractive you are.” Remy watched as a slight blush rose to Lawrence's almond-colored cheeks. “And possibly of how I plan on bending you over in front of my mirror again later tonight.”
Remy watched him shift in his seat. The other man's tongue darted out to lick his lower lip before clearing his throat. He knew Lawrence was picturing the last time Remy took him in front of that mirror. The way he'd made Lawrence watch, keep his eyes on them as Remy bottomed out each time. He could almost see the picture manifest in Lawrence’s eyes.
“And what makes you think I'll let you do that tonight?”
Remy leaned back in his chair and shrugged. “Then I won't.” His eyes locked with Lawrence’s. “After dinner, I'll take you back home.”
Lawrence didn’t respond, and Remy saw him bite the inside of his cheek as their server came to the table and took their drink order. Remy wondered if Lawrence realized he was now the one dishing out things he couldn't take.
He could have put him out of his misery, could have told him that he would give him anything he wanted that night. However, he'd already decided that Lawrence would have to ask him for it. If the younger man wanted to play coy with him, then Remy would not be fucking him tonight; because he had no intentions of chasing him. He'd already done that, and he wasn't doing it again.
He needed Lawrence to show him that he was there because he wanted to be, wanted him to be the one pursuing tonight. If he couldn't, Remy had no problem waiting until he could as long as Lawrence wasn't hiding from him or ignoring him.
They were alone again, and silence filtered between them. Remy drowned it out by looking over his menu, and Lawrence did the same. When he decided what he wanted, he looked up and found Lawrence looking at him.
“Tell me, what made you go into sales?” Remy asked.
“My mom used to say I could sell ice to a polar bear and fire in hell. It was something I was good at, and I enjoyed it. When I got my first job as a teenager, it was in a shopping mall, and we made a commission on our sales. I knew then it was what I wanted to do,” Lawrence responded. “What about you? Was business always the plan? ”
“Sort of. Initially, I pursued a business degree to go hand in hand with a law degree focused on contract law. I planned on opening my own firm. But I discovered I enjoyed the business aspect more, and when I landed the job at Cayman Industries, it made sense to stick with it. I’m good at what I do, I enjoy it, and it’s lucrative.”
“The trifecta. It’s always good when those three things align.”
“I have a question. I’d heard of Global Technologies before we met but didn’t know what they sold. By the name, one would think it created software used in daily life or something similar,” Remy stated. “But it isn’t. So, why that name?”
“Technically, it is used in daily life for several people,” Lawrence pointed out. “But when they first launched, they aimed to create smart software that powered appliances. The focus shifted when one of the founding engineer’s family members was diagnosed with kidney failure. They realized they had the technology to help make life better for others. The name had already been chosen, and they stuck with it.”
That made sense. They were already creating under that name, and Lawrence was right. What they were doing still fell under their original umbrella, but the focus had changed.
“Do you have any siblings?” Remy asked, moving to another topic.
“Nope. I was blessed to be an only child.”
Remy smirked at him. “So, you’re spoiled.”
“Not at all. What about you?”
“I’m also an only child.”
“I would ask, but I get the feeling you prefer to do the spoiling,” Lawrence said.
“It should be more than a feeling since you’ve experienced it firsthand.”
When Lawrence cleared his throat, Remy refrained from smirking again, and when he changed the subject, Remy allowed it. “So, I need to be honest with you,” Lawrence started. “Your revelation in the elevator took me a little by surprise.”
“Did it?”
Lawrence nodded. “I assumed that you were bisexual. ”
“Why is that?” Remy was genuinely curious as to why Lawrence had made that assumption. They hadn't spoken about their exact orientations, so he couldn't blame him too much for it.
“It was a feeling I got, what your aura told me, and I'm usually right, but I'm glad I was wrong this time.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes,” Lawrence responded with a nod. “It means one less gender I have to worry about.”
“There isn't anyone you need to worry about as long as you want to be here.”
The server returned with their drinks, and both men placed their orders. Remy wondered how much of the night Lawrence would spend playing shy with him.
L awrence watched Remy as he leaned back in his chair. They'd just finished dinner, and he debated whether he wanted dessert. Well, dessert in the food sense because he was, in fact, hungry for a different type altogether.
While they ate, they’d talked, getting to know one another better. The night before, Remy made it clear that their relationship could be one of more than just sex if that's what Lawrence wanted. So, he didn't see the harm in trying it and getting to know one another. He discovered that Remy was thirty-six, seven years older than he was.
Lawrence typically didn’t date men much older than him, but there was a first time for everything, and he felt he wouldn't be disappointed. He attributed Remy’s age to the way he made Lawrence feel. Though he knew that wasn't always the case. His friend Colbie’s relationship was proof of that.
“Would you like dessert?” Remy inquired as his eyes came up to meet Lawrence’s.
“I haven't decided yet,” Lawrence responded.
“Something tells me that's not quite true,” Remy replied.
He was right; Lawrence definitely made up his mind about wanting dessert. It just wasn't something that the restaurant served. Lawrence was about to respond when their server returned to the table, inquiring about the same subject.
“I think we're going to pass,” Lawrence informed them.
Remy requested that their server bring the bill, and as the young man left, those deep brown eyes came back to focus on Lawrence.
“So, you said you had the day off Monday.” Lawrence wanted to break the silence that set between them momentarily.
“I do. Unlike a certain boss of mine, I enjoy taking my days off,” Remy responded as he picked up his glass, finishing the rest of his drink.
Lawrence chuckled. “I see that changing in the very near future. I know Alijah well, and she's not going for that.”
“I'm starting to see that,” Remy responded. “She already has him taking on fewer projects personally, and he was gone three weeks. It's the most he's ever been away from the office, not working. Before two days would have given him withdrawals,” Remy finished with a playful smile, and Lawrence chuckled again.
Their server returned with their check, handing it to Remy. Lawrence wasn't sure if he should be offended or not. His way of thinking had always been that if the server gave you the check, you were the top, which made the other person the bottom. Remy clearly must have known what Lawrence was thinking because he smirked at him before handing his card to the server, who again walked away.
This time, as they waited, Lawrence allowed the silence to remain. Instead, he opted to finish the rest of his drink because what was he supposed to say to the self-satisfied look Remy had given him?
When Remy's card was returned, the receipt was signed, a tip was left, and they exited the restaurant. As soon as they were both in Remy’s car, Lawrence turned to him.
“I could have paid for dinner tonight. It was my choice to come here.”
Lawrence wasn't sure if his protest was because he felt offended that Remy hadn't let him pay or if his pride was a little bruised because even a stranger could tell their dynamics, and they hadn't even been together long…well, they weren't officially together.
“You could have,” Remy started. “But did you need to? ”
No, Lawrence supposed he didn't need to. It would have just been nice to have that option. He didn't see a reason to complain about a free meal, though it was what he was doing. Instead of responding, Lawrence turned and faced forward, pulling on his seat belt.
“If it makes you feel better, you can pay next time. I'll hand you the check once they give it to me,” Remy responded, and Lawrence could hear the smirk in his voice.
“For your and the server’s information, I'm not a bottom… all the time.” When Remy didn't respond but didn't back out of the parking space, Lawrence turned to look at him.
“I never said you were,” Remy replied. “I’ve always assumed you were a switch. You could top or bottom.”
“I'm starting to notice that we both do or did a lot of assuming,” Lawrence responded.
Remy nodded as he backed out of the parking space. “Assuming is usually all you do when you start as a one-night stand that you end up wanting more than one night from.”
Lawrence couldn't disagree with him on that fact. So, he leaned back in his seat and listened to the soft jazz music that played through the car. They'd only been driving for about five minutes when he realized the direction they were heading. He looked around to be sure before he spoke.
“This isn't the way to your condo.”
Remy glanced at him before he turned his full attention back to the road. “No, it isn't. I told you I'd take you home after dinner.”
Lawrence stared at him with a furrowed brow. He hadn't thought Remy was serious when he told him that. He'd assumed that the other man was bantering with him, teasing him. Remy had to know what Lawrence wanted. He practically spent four hours the night before attempting to get it.
Maybe Remy wanted to take their after-party to Lawrence’s apartment. Though he'd stated he wanted to fuck Lawrence in front of his mirror again, it didn't mean he wasn't entitled to change his mind; and Lawrence had no issue with getting a repeat of their first night in his bed.
“I'm fine with us going to my place,” Lawrence finally stated.
“We aren't going to your place. I'm just taking you home. ”
Lawrence refrained from groaning. “You can't still be holding out on me.”
“I'm not.” Came Remy’s simple reply.
When he didn't say anything else, Lawrence was confused. Why was he taking him home if he wasn't holding out on him? Why wasn't he taking Lawrence to his condo to bend him over in front of that ornate mirror?
Lawrence had never been in this position before. It was these new things. Things like this that had him staying away from Remy in the first place. Things that he wasn't used to, and Lawrence was not used to being denied sex from someone he knew was just as attracted to him as he was to them.
Then, Remy’s words from the night before played in his mind, the conversation they'd had. Lawrence once again turned towards him.
“I don't want you to take me home.” He paused for a split second. “I want you to take me back to your place, put me in front of that mirror, and handle me.”
Remy didn’t say a word. He turned around at the next stoplight and headed toward his condo. Lawrence turned to look out of the passenger side window and exhaled silently. Remy wanted to hear him say it and know that Lawrence was coming to him willingly. Consenting to him, and he got the feeling that tonight would make their first time together pale in comparison. While he was nervous and anxious about it, he was also very excited.