2
Khalil
My breath caught in my throat. I’d seen pictures of Trevor Lawrence. I’d watched videos of his performances. None of that could compare to the reality of the man himself. Lithe and slender, he walked with the inherent grace of a dancer. Even under loose-fitting clothes, his compact muscles were evident. His blond hair was tousled, like he’d just woken from sleep—which he probably had. Smoky-gray eyes scanned my body, his admiration clear in his expression.
If the circumstances were different, I’d take him up on his implied invitation in a hot minute. Sadly, he was my client and would be under my protection for the next three months. So I forced myself to give him a professional smile and held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Lawrence.”
He blinked, and a light blush stained his cheeks. He walked over and took my hand. “Please, call me Trevor. No need to stand on ceremony if we’re going to be in each other’s pockets for the next three months.”
I glanced over at Tony, who gave me a quick nod. “Trevor it is then.“
I pulled a chair out for him. “Have a seat, and I’ll get you some tea.”
He looked surprised. “Oh, you don’t have to wait on me. I can make my own cuppa.”
I smiled at him. “How about we compromise? I’ll bring everything to you, and you can make it to your liking.”
He gave me a wry smile. “Deal.”
I set the kettle on a trivet, then brought over a mug and the box of teas. By the time he’d made his selection and poured the boiling water into the mug, I’d brought over the milk and sugar.
He smiled up at me. “Thank you.“
Gesturing to the chairs around the table, he said, “Please, everyone sit. Have a cup of tea. Let’s get to know each other.”
Tony and Rory joined us while Liz excused herself, citing a mountain of work. Tony got himself a cup of coffee and said with an apologetic smile, “I’m not much of a tea drinker.”
Trevor gazed at him in mock horror. “Barbarian.”
I snickered, and Rory chuckled as we prepared our own mugs of tea.
Once everyone was settled, he looked over at Tony. “Thank you for the bait-and-switch idea. It worked perfectly. No one followed me to Edinburgh.”
“You’re welcome,“
my boss replied. “The body double reported back, saying there were a dozen reporters and a horde of paparazzi at Heathrow. They were pissed when they discovered he wasn’t you.”
Trevor seemed to get grim satisfaction from sticking it to the assholes, if his expression was anything to go by. “Make no mistake, though, Simon Davies will find his way to New York.”
Tony nodded. “We’re aware. We have reservations in your name at three different hotels and under my name at the one you’ll be staying at.”
He grinned at Tony. “I like you. You’re devious.”
Both Rory and I laughed. “You have no idea,” I said.
“For opening night, I’m sending both Khalil and Rory. That will likely be the biggest push from the media.”
Trevor nodded. “Agreed.”
“Your hotel suite has two bedrooms, so Khalil will be nearby at all times.”
His brow furrowed. “Do you think that’s necessary?”
“Unfortunately, yes,“
he replied. “My brother picked up some noise on the internet that seemed to up the risks. We’re taking precautions.”
I leaned forward. “If you don’t mind me asking, why is there such hostility toward the show, and you in particular?”
Trevor took a sip of his tea before answering. “The hostility toward the show is because we gave Oscar and Albert a happy ending. Oscar Wilde was imprisoned from 1895 to 1897 for homosexual acts. While in prison doing hard labor, he suffered an injury that ultimately led to his death three years later at the age of forty-six.”
My gut twisted. “Well shit. I didn’t know that.”
He shrugged. “Not many people do unless they’re fans of his work.“
He sighed softly. “These conservative types say Wilde got what he deserved and that we’re trying to rewrite history. As for why the hostility is directed toward me specifically?” He shrugged. “In part, it’s because the creator wrote the show with me in mind to play the lead.” He rolled his eyes. “So, of course, it’s my fault the show exists at all.”
I shook my head. “Of course.”
“Then there’s the incident with the photographer,“
Trevor continued.
I snorted. I’d seen the video of the confrontation when Trevor got in the guy’s face and insulted him in front of the whole world. “He brought it on himself,“
I said. “The woman he pushed could have been permanently injured.”
“Yes,“
he agreed. “She’s lucky it wasn’t worse. However, now Mr. Davies has decided to make my life hell.”
“We’ll keep him away from you,“
Tony assured him.
Trevor smiled wanly. “I’m sure you will.“
He set his cup down. “I’m afraid that’s all I can do for today.”
I took that as my cue. I rose and said, “How about I get you to your hotel? You can get settled and rest.”
“That would be lovely,“
he replied.
Rory stood as well. Pointing toward the workout room, he said, “I’ll get your bag.”
“Thanks.“
I went to Trevor and offered my arm. “I know it’s been a long day. You can lean on me for a bit.”
He took it with a tired smile. “Tony was right. You really are very kind.”
I shot a look at my boss, who just shrugged. “I call it as I see it.”
Rory stopped by the door with my suitcase. “I’ll go down to the garage with you.”
“Thanks.”
I was glad Rory came with us because Trevor was exhausted. He was leaning heavily on me by the time we made it to the car.
Rory leaned in and said quietly, “How about I ride with you to the hotel? I can help with the luggage, and I’ll just walk back here. It’s not that far.”
“That would be great. I appreciate it.”
I got Trevor into the back seat and buckled in while Rory took the front passenger seat. The drive to the hotel took twenty minutes, even though it was only five blocks away. Such was Manhattan traffic.
Thankfully, the hotel had valet service at the front entrance, so we could just unload and go right to the lobby. Tony had checked in remotely, so all we had to do was pick up two key cards. Trevor was practically asleep on his feet as we rode up to the twentieth floor.
When we got to the suite, I guided him to the larger bedroom, where he perked up at the sight of the king-size bed. Rory rolled in his two suitcases, setting them near the closet. Trevor waved his thanks, and we left, closing the door behind us.
I put my bag in the second bedroom and met Rory out in the living room. My friend glanced at Trevor’s closed door and said, “He’s nothing like I thought he’d be. I figured he was going to be some kind of diva. Especially after watching him take down that photographer like he did.”
I shook my head. “He grew up in London. A gay kid who’s a singer and dancer has to be able to stand his ground. Homophobes hate it when we don’t back down.“
I side-eyed him. “You should know better than to judge someone before you know them.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “You’re right. That’s probably why Tony brought him to the office first. So we’d get to know him before we started working with him.”
“No doubt.”
“I’m going to head back. I’ll see you tomorrow at the theater for the first rehearsal.”
I nodded. “See you there.”
As I unpacked my suitcase, I thought back on my initial reaction to Trevor. It wasn’t often that I felt an instant attraction to someone. It sucked that he was a client and I couldn’t do anything about it. I sort of wished for my own version of What If?