Chapter 7
JOEL
Ileaned against the wall of my office near the window where I could see the valet. There stood Cashman Jameson the fifth with his phone in hand. Texting a girlfriend? A boyfriend? A friend? Family?
After I spent far more time than I should on dissecting whom Cash was texting, or if he was texting anyone at all, I forced myself away from the window and sat in the chair behind my desk.
I glanced at the emails on the laptop that had stacked up during the interviews this afternoon.
I opened one and read it three times. When I realized I had no clue what the context of the email was, I decided I shouldn’t attempt to do things that would require my attention.
At least, not right now. I closed the laptop and turned my chair around so I could look out the window again.
Cash.
While I replayed the interview, I could hear his voice still clearly in my mind.
A sharp knock on my office door made me turn around to face the desk again.
The door opened and Tristen stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Without a word, he sat opposite me and we stared at one another.
Tristen gestured toward me and then broke the silence.
“So, what was that all about?”
“Remember back to the day after the Fourth of July party, I told you that I saw a young man that I’d claimed as mine before I’d even spoken to him?”
Tristen was still for a moment and then stood and ran his hand through his hair.
“Cash is that guy?”
I smiled and then proudly agreed with him. “Yes, the very one.” I stood and went back to the window and scanned the valet, hoping to spot Cash. Once I was certain that he wasn’t out there anymore, I turned to face Tristen again.
“And you switched our meetings with the job applicants. When had you seen him?”
It didn’t take a super sleuth to deduce that Tristen traded the people we were scheduled to interview because he’d already seen Cash. Tristen liked young men around the college age, and it was bonus points if the guy was actually in college.
Tristen tossed his hands in the air and said, “I was outside in the valet when he arrived. I knew the second I saw him that I wanted him.”
I smiled and then laughed.
“What?” Tristen asked as I continued to laugh. “Seriously, what's so fucking funny?” Tristen began to pace behind the chairs.
“Relax. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at the situation.”
“If I’d known he was your Fourth of July wonder boy who choked on his water—
“Coke,” I interrupted.
“Whatever. Coke. If I’d known he was that guy, I wouldn’t have switched the appointments. But I’m not going to lie, I want him.”
I nodded. “I do as well,” I said and then sat down again. Tristen took a seat, and our eyes connected.
“What do we do?”
I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow at him. Tristen was a bright man, and the resolution to this situation was an easy one.
“Simple. We make him ours.”
A smile slowly spread across Tristen’s face. “Are you sure, Joel?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“No, of course not! We’ve often had conversations about doing that; adding a third, though we never have,” Tristen commented.
“Because you’ve never exhibited such good taste before,” I replied in all honesty.
Tristen was an incredible, thoughtful man who was as kinky as fuck, and he always put his partners first. He hadn’t always made the best decisions on long-term partners and unfortunately would turn a blind eye to the point where his kindness was taken advantage of. Tristen deserved better.
Would Cash turn out to be something better? I was almost one hundred percent sure of it. We just needed Cash on board with it.