Zack buried his face in his hands. “I’ve ruined everything. I know I’ve said that before, but this time I mean it.”
Alexa patted his hair soothingly. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
Zack peeked through his fingers. Alexa was perched in her customary place on his desk. “How could this be for the best? I completely freaked John out, which means he’ll never call again, which in turn means I’ve lost my best client.”
“Every other time you guys talk, you think you’ve frightened him off,” Alexa pointed out. “He was probably just surprised. And if he wasn’t, is it really that much of a loss? You let this get way out of hand. I mean, you know the most important rule as well as I do.”
Zack nodded. “Never get involved with a client.”
“Never,” Alexa echoed, jabbing a bright orange fingernail at him. “Under any circumstances. And by the way, giving out your real phone number? That is getting involved.” She paused. “Has he tried to contact you?”
“Of course not. I scared him off, remember?”
Zack rubbed his temples. It had been three days since his latest disaster with John, and he hadn’t heard a word from him, professional or otherwise. Zack might as well have been a decorative plant for all the good he was at work. He was late calling clients. When he did call them, he was distracted and wooden. And he must have set a record for turning away new callers. Colette had already pulled him aside twice to ask him what was going on. He hadn’t managed to come up with a decent excuse. He had a feeling he was going to be up for one of their “random” performance reviews any day now.
“Man, this sucks,” Zack said. “I went from being the top operator to hanging by a thread in seventy-two hours flat.”
Alexa shrugged. “That’s how it is in this industry. We don’t exactly have job security. If you have a bad week, it ruins your numbers for the whole month. Just be glad we don’t do cam work. Gain five pounds, and you’re screwed.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Zack tried not to act as miserable as he felt. “It still sucks, though. I knew it had to end eventually, but I hoped . . .” He had no idea what he’d hoped would happen. He was exploring uncharted territory. No one he’d hooked up with had ever made him feel as much as John did.
Zack knew one thing for certain: there was no way they could have gone back to “normal.” They were fools for even trying.
Zack snapped out of his reverie when he noticed Alexa staring at him. “What?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Do you promise to tell the truth?”
“I guess,” Zack said, somewhat wary.
“Are you . . . heartbroken?”
“What?” Zack squawked. “What makes you say that?”
Alexa lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “I know you like John, or at least you lust him. We definitely established that after you ran into him at the club, but . . . I don’t know, your face just then was something else. You were clearly thinking about him, and you looked so ruined. You keep saying you’re upset because you lost your best client, but I’m not buying it.”
Zack started to deny it, but Alexa gave him a piercing look. He shook his head. “I don’t know. How can you like someone you’ve never really met?”
“Tell that to the millions of couples who meet online these days,” Alexa said. “Trust me, it’s possible. And you guys have met.”
“Yeah, once. For like five minutes. That’s not the same thing.”
Alexa’s mouth shifted into a thoughtful moue. “I guess not, but it’s still something.”
Zack wanted to argue further, but before he could, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced toward the far end of the room. A handful of people were crowding around the windows.
Alexa followed his gaze. “Maybe there are protestors outside.”
She slid off Zack’s desk in a fluid movement and strode toward the crowd. Zack scrambled after her.
By the time they reached the windows, a half dozen people had joined the throng.
“What’s going on?” Alexa asked a middle-aged woman Zack didn’t recognize.
“This guy’s hanging out in front of the building,” the woman answered.
“So?”
“He’s just standing there, staring up at the windows, not moving.”
“Why?” Alexa asked, sounding flummoxed.
The woman shrugged. “Dunno. He’s been out there for the past ten minutes. We’re taking bets on whether he’s a protestor or a newb who’s too scared to come inside.”
“Okay, but why the crowd?”
“He’s gorgeous.”
Alexa frowned and then elbowed her way to the window, ignoring the shouts of protest that followed her. “Let me see.” She cupped her hands around her eyes and peered through the dark tinting. “Huh, he is pretty cute. He doesn’t have any picket signs. Zack, remember that funny one we saw last time? What did it say?”
“‘Burn in Hell, Fornicating Masturbators.’”
“That’s the one. Poetry.” Alexa turned back to the window. “Maybe he’s one of Colette’s new porn stars.”
“Or a tourist,” Zack chimed in. “He might think we’re an attraction. He’ll tell all his friends back home about the naughty sex buildings they have in California.”
“Maybe,” Alexa said. “He doesn’t have a map or a camera, though. Zack, come take a look.” She forcefully parted the people separating them, and Zack sidled up to the glass. The sun wasn’t quite setting yet, so there was plenty of light. Zack cupped his hands like Alexa and peered down.
The man standing in front of the building wasn’t dressed like a tourist. In place of the usual Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants, he had on dark-wash jeans and a blue dress shirt. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, and Zack could just make out two headphone cords trailing from his ears, leading to an iPod that was clipped to his belt. The way he stood with his feet apart and his shoulders back screamed of confidence and ease.
The most noticeable thing about him, however, was that he was John.
Even from a floor up, Zack recognized him instantly.
Zack made an inhuman squeaking noise.
Six heads turned toward him. Zack blanched and stumbled away from the window as if it had burned him.
“You okay?” someone asked.
Zack scrambled to think of an excuse. “Uh, sorry. I just remembered I’m afraid of heights.”
Before anyone could question him further, Alexa grabbed his elbow.
“Are you all right?” she hissed in his ear.
“That’s John!” Zack whispered back, barely managing to keep his voice down.
Alexa’s mouth popped open. She tightened her grip on his elbow and towed him away from the crowd. Zack could feel eyes watching them, but he didn’t care. His brain had cut to radio silence.
Alexa tossed him into the break room and shut the door behind them. There was a folding table in the center of the room with a few chairs scattered around it. Alexa pushed him into one of the chairs and stood with her arms crossed.
“Zack, I need you to level with me,” she commanded. “Are you sure that’s John?”
“Of course I’m sure!”
“But you only saw him once. You said so yourself a minute ago.”
“It’s him,” Zack insisted. “It’s definitely him.”
Alexa stared hard at him. “Then we need to call the police.”
“What? Why?”
“Clients can’t just show up where we work, Zack. You know that. It’s harassment and borderline stalking. Our address isn’t even listed, so how did he find this place?”
“I don’t know, but he’s not stalking me.”
“Why are you defending him? If any of your other clients showed up here, you wouldn’t hesitate to have them removed.”
Zack couldn’t argue with that, and company policy was explicit about how to deal with clients who tried to meet employees in person.
“Okay,” Zack said. “You’re right, he needs to leave . . .”
“But?”
“But I don’t want to call the cops on him. He’s my best client, and I’m guessing this means he still wants me. I don’t want to jeopardize that by getting him arrested. Besides, Colette hates getting cops involved.”
Alexa closed her eyes. “You have it so bad for this guy.”
“I do not!”
“Fine, whatever. What do you suggest we do?”
“We?”
“Of course, cupcake. I’m in this with you.”
Zack smiled softly at her, but then his brow puckered. “Actually, I have no idea what we should do.”
“Well, you’d better think of something fast, because he’s drawing attention. If Colette notices, she’ll call the cops on him anyway, just to make everyone get back to work.”
“It’s kind of weird that he’s just standing out there, now that I think about it.”
Alexa scoffed. “More like waiting.”
There was a beat of silence. Then they both gasped.
“Check your phone!” Alexa ordered.
Zack pulled it out. Sure enough, he had a text from the number John had given him, sent fifteen minutes ago. I’m outside your work. Come talk to me.
Alexa read it over his shoulder. “I gotta hand it to the guy. He’s got swagger.”
Zack’s heart skittered across his ribs. “Should I go?”
Alexa shrugged. “It’s your call. Personally, I’d let him stand out there just to teach him a lesson about showing up uninvited, but that’s me. If we do go, however, we should try to stay out of sight. If someone spots us, it won’t be easy to explain.”
“Thank you,” Zack said seriously. Knowing Alexa had his back made him feel safer, and not just because he’d watched her make a man cry before.
Zack typed a response and hit Send: Be right there.
He grabbed Alexa by the hand and dragged her from the room without explanation.
“Zack, where are we going?”
“Just follow me.” Zack marched over to a table by the side door that was always covered with company memos and procedural pamphlets. He pretended to sort through them and gave the office a perfunctory glance. The crowd by the window had dispersed. No one was looking their way.
“Now’s our chance,” Zack said. “Let’s go.” He darted out the door, and Alexa followed. They descended the stairs in a flurry and opened the single door on that side of the building.
Alexa stopped him once they got outside. “If we walk up to him, people will see us.”
“I’ll have him come to us,” Zack answered. “Out of view of the windows.” He pulled out his phone. We’re around the corner to your left.
A wave of anxiety swept over him as soon as the text sent. Not only could he get fired for this, but Alexa could get fired too, and he was about to see John again. He didn’t have butterflies in his stomach so much as irate pterodactyls.
Zack looked at Alexa out of the corner of his eye. Her expression was blank, but he could see tension in the line of her shoulders. He really hoped he wasn’t putting her at risk.
“We should start walking that way,” Zack said. She nodded and trotted after him. When they reached the corner, Zack poked his head around. John was still there, but he had a phone in his hand and was staring at it intently. Then he looked up and locked eyes with Zack.
An earthquake couldn’t have uprooted him from that spot.
Alexa popped her head around the corner too. “Is he coming over?”
Zack swallowed. “Yeah.”
“He’s hot.”
“I’m painfully aware of that.”
John started to walk their way, and they simultaneously yanked their heads back.
Alexa scrunched her nose. “Now or never, kiddo.”
Zack wiped his brow and looked up at the building. “Are we safe? There aren’t any windows on this side, so I don’t think anyone can see us. But still. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
“Oh, for the love of—” Alexa poked her head back around the corner and shouted, “Oi! Blondie! Hurry up before he spooks!”
Zack grabbed her hoodie and hauled her back. “Fuck, Alexa, that is the opposite of helpful!”
“He’s hustling, though.” She looked Zack over. “Lean down.”
“Why?”
Alexa stood on tiptoe and ruffled her fingers through his hair.
“Alexa! Stop it!” Zack started to pat it back down, but she slapped his hand away.
“Leave it. Your hair looks best messy. It has that just-fucked sexy vibe.”
Zack was about to argue, but John came around the corner and stopped short. Zack shut his mouth and stared at him. John stared back, looking strangely surprised. He’d looked good from a distance, but up close was even better. His shirt was clinging to him, his cheeks were flushed, and in the light of the setting sun, his eyes seemed to glow.
“Hi,” Zack said without thinking.
“Hi,” John responded. He slid his hands into his pockets. “Nice to see you again.”
“You too,” Zack said. He stared at the ground, his face burning.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alexa look back and forth. Zack made no move to introduce her. “I’m Alexa, by the way. I work with Zack.”
“Zack?” John asked. “Who’s Zack?”
Zack facepalmed. “Oh fuck, I forgot.”
Understanding spread across John’s face like creeping mist. “Your name isn’t really Wesley.” He shook his head. “Of course it isn’t. That was stupid of me.”
“Sorry,” Zack mumbled. “I forgot to tell you. Well, I didn’t forget. We’re not supposed to give out our real names. Mine’s Zack, though.”
“I gathered that,” John said. His tone was neutral, like they were discussing the weather. “Nice to meet you, Zack. Or, rather, nice to meet you again.”
“You too,” Zack said. He fidgeted for a moment and then blurted out, “What are you doing here?”
John arched a brow. “I came to see you.”
“I gathered that,” Zack parroted in a teasing tone. “Why? You could have called me or asked me to meet you somewhere else. I know you couldn’t have known, but having a client show up where you live or work is basically the biggest nightmare of most sex workers.”
“He’s right,” Alexa added. “You’re breaking the most important rules we have just by being here. Even telling you Zack’s first name was a big risk.”
John’s cool demeanor slipped away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I just— I wanted to see you.”
“How did you even find this place?” Zack asked. “Our address isn’t listed.”
John looked sheepish. “It is if you email HR and say that you want to come in for an interview.”
“You did what?”
“I thought you’d be surprised.”
“Well, you’re not wrong,” Alexa cut in. “It was a boneheaded move, though. People saw you standing out here. Not to mention, faking a job application to find out where someone works is grade A stalker behavior.” To her credit, her tone was only slightly accusatory.
“I obviously didn’t think it through, and I’m sorry. I was trying to make a grand gesture, you know?” John glanced at Zack and then back to her. “I don’t want to be rude, but I was hoping to talk to Wes—Zack alone.”
“Absolutely not,” Alexa said, crossing her arms over her chest. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re an overzealous client who’s stalking one of my colleagues. You wouldn’t be the first, either. I’m not leaving him alone with you until I know it’s safe.”
John smiled, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “You’re a good friend. I understand.”
Zack’s chest swelled. John looked angelic when he smiled, like he had his own personal light source. How was Zack supposed to resist that?
Zack made a snap decision. “Alexa, I’ve got this.”
She looked at him askance. He held up a hand. “I don’t want you to leave, but I don’t think it’ll hurt for me to hear him out. Besides, we need a lookout in case someone heads this way. Go stand watch by the door, and I’ll come meet you in a minute.”
Alexa looked between them again. “All right, but if he tries anything, I’m calling the cops.”
“Duly noted,” John said.
Alexa cast one more wary look his way before leaving. Zack watched her go until she was out of hearing range. He turned back to John. They locked eyes, and Zack’s face grew hot. All the nervousness he’d felt before came rushing back. It didn’t help that John was biting his lip in a way that should have looked anxious but was actually sexy as hell. He glanced up at Zack through thick, golden eyelashes.
Zack was royally fucked.
“It’s funny,” John said softly, “I imagined what I was going to say the whole car ride here. I rehearsed it over and over in my head, and now that you’re in front of me, my mind is blank.”
Zack gulped down a breath. He leaned against the building, partly for comfort and partly because he needed the support. He wasn’t used to feeling intimidated—especially by someone shorter than him—but John had an effortless charm that was utterly disarming. He seemed shy at times with the way he blinked too much and looked down as he spoke, but his posture was dripping with poise.
“I know the feeling,” Zack said. He crossed his arms over his chest and unabashedly gave John a once-over. “There are things I’ve been wanting to say to you for weeks, but now that you’re here, I’ve got nothing.”
John took a step forward. “I’m sorry I hung up on you the last time we spoke. You took me by surprise. I hope you’re not angry.”
“I’m not,” Zack said. “I suppose we’re even for me running out on you at the club. Though I gotta admit, I was convinced I was never going to hear from you again.”
“Like I could stay away now,” John murmured. His eyes darkened with desire that Zack could feel in his bones.
Zack’s heart was thudding so hard, he was certain John could hear it. He mirrored what John had said to him before, “Would it be bad if I said I’m glad you’re here?”
John searched his face and then took another step toward him. Immediately, the tension between them spiked. Zack had to force himself to keep his eyes on John’s.
“Zack.” John swilled his name around in his mouth, tasting it. “Do you know why I came here today?”
“Tell me,” he breathed. “You’re breaking all my rules already. We might as well do it thoroughly.”
John made a frustrated noise that traveled through Zack’s whole body before pooling in his groin. “You have no idea what you do to me. When you said you wanted to see me again, I thought it was too good to be true. I never dared to think . . . after what happened at the club, but now . . .” He laughed silkily. “I can’t help but give in to it.”
“Tell me why you’re here,” Zack said again, his voice rough.
“I’m done pretending like I don’t think about you all the time. I’m done acting like you’re just some faceless guy I call when I’m lonely. I want to see more of you. I came here to ask you in person.”
John took another step forward, which put him mere inches away. With the way Zack was leaning against the wall, their faces were level. Zack was treated to an up-close view of all the different tones of blue in John’s eyes.
“So, you came here to ask me . . .?” Zack trailed off hopefully.
John tilted his head and smiled. “Zack, will you go on a date with me?”