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  Fabian did, placing his briefcase beside him, looking

  confident and powerful.

  Braxton relaxed in the chair behind his desk and placed the

  paperwork down. He leaned his elbows on the top of it and met

  Fabian’s gaze. “I’ll work you like a dog. We’re overwhelmed.

  Brianna and I go non-stop and we need someone to shoulder the

  weight.”

  “I know. She told me. I’m not afraid of late nights or hard

  work.”

  “Will it affect your family life if I keep you here late and

  some weekends?”

  “I’m single. So…no.” Fabian didn’t crack a smile, appearing

  all business.

  “How high is your tolerance for bullshit?”

  “High. I’ve worked for many downtown offices where the

  pressure was extreme. I don’t crack under pressure, if that’s what

  you mean.”

  “Why aren’t you employed now?”

  Fabian snarled just slightly, and Braxton got a heat flash from

  the sneer, imagining pinning this fucker to the bed and

  hammering him good.

  “I’m working. But it’s a temp position. When the economy

  tanked, the firm I worked for went bankrupt. That was a year

  ago, and I have been working consistently since then, just not in

  a permanent position.”

  “Doing what? Filing?” Braxton wanted to push Fabian’s

  buttons, see if working with douche-bag clients would anger him

  or ruffle him.

  “I can file.” Fabian kept his composure. “But I enjoy a

  challenge. Working hard is what I want. The last thing I need is

  to be bored.”

  Braxton picked up Fabian’s resume and read his college

  information. “You won’t be bored here. But you will be doing

  everything. Both Brianna and I handle it all—party planning,

  premieres, red carpet events, getting publicity into the media…”

  He looked back up at Fabian. The man did not smile, once.

  “I can do anything you need me to do.”

  Yes, that would be a nice perk. Braxton gave Fabian’s

  chiseled good looks an inspection. “Well,” Braxton said,

  feigning disinterest. “You’re the first person we’ve interviewed.

  Why don’t I get back to you in a couple of days?”

  “That’s fine.” Fabian stood and extended his hand.

  Braxton took it after also standing. He walked to his office

  door and before he opened it he stood still, giving Fabian one

  more good once over, imprinting his image on his mind. The

  man was better than average in every respect and wouldn’t stay

  on the market long—the job market or the social market.

  Fabian met Braxton’s eyes as they both paused before

  exiting. The expression in Fabian’s eyes was unreadable to

  Braxton but he sensed some suspicion there. Perhaps Fabian was

  straight and had heard the gossip in the media about Braxton’s

  marauding ways. Interesting.

  “Nice meeting you.” Fabian still did not smile.

  Braxton opened the door and watched him leave. Fabian gave

  Brianna a nice grin and thanked her, then vanished out the door.

  He and Brianna exchanged glances.

  “I so want him here.” She had a pile of resumes on her desk.

  “Yeah, he’s pretty, but can he type?” Braxton winked at her.

  “Who cares?”

  “Let’s interview a few more, then decide.”

  “Okay.”

  He returned to his desk and sat down heavily, putting his

  earpiece back in his ear and exhaling deeply as he got back to

  work.

  ~

  Fabian used his key fob to unlock his car door and tossed his

  briefcase into the front passenger’s side floor. He sat behind the

  wheel and said, “Asshole.” His first impression of the ‘oh so

  famous’ Mr Todd was not good. He thought the man was

  arrogant and conceited. “Can I file? You dick.” He started his car

  and backed out of the spot, trying not to fume. He knew Braxton

  had been baiting him to react and he wasn’t happy about it.

  “And what was with the fucking leer? You creep!” Fabian

  stopped at a traffic signal and figured he wouldn’t get the job

  offer, and even if he did? Would he want to work with an

  egomaniac who wanted to add him to a notch on his bedpost?

  “No!” Fabian shut up since he was talking out loud to

  himself, angry about everything right now in his life. And this

  job interviewing was getting on his nerves.

  Chapter 3

  By five Braxton had a headache and had taken over-the-counter

  pills for it, but they weren’t working. He removed his earpiece

  and rubbed his temples, closing his eyes. He heard his door open

  and Brianna saying, “Your limo is here.”

  “Fuck. I can’t believe I have to go to that fucking party

  tonight. I feel like shit.” He slumped in the seat and opened his

  eyes.

  Brianna frowned sympathetically and sat across from him.

  “What did you think about the last three applicants?”

  He shrugged, liking Fabian, but he knew why. “You decide.

  I’ll hire a man for the wrong reasons.”

  “Hmm. Back on men?” She smiled sweetly.

  “Men, women? Who cares?” He rubbed his face and yawned.

  “Fuck. I am so worn out.”

  “Once you get to the party, have a drink and unwind. You’ll

  get your second wind.”

  “And tomorrow night I not only have the red carpet debut,

  but that ridiculous charity auction.” Braxton rested his chin in his palms on his desk. “Up for auction. Me. You believe that?”

  “Why not? You’re handsome and everyone wants you.”

  “You don’t.” He smiled sweetly.

  “Married, with kid.” She held up her wedding ring.

  “I sometimes envy you.”

  “Ha!” She shook her head.

  “I do. There’s simplicity to being straight and married. I can’t

  stand the thought of the same person in my bed night after

  night.”

  “You haven’t met the right one.” Brianna stood and looked

  out into the lobby.

  “The driver out there?” Braxton stood.

  “Yup.”

  He inhaled deeply and straightened his tie. Brianna stepped

  closer and touched his shoulder. “Hang in there. Once you have

  something to eat and get out of the office, you’ll be fine.”

  Braxton smiled at her. “What would I do without you?”

  “Go bankrupt”—she grinned slyly—“again.”

  “Shut up.” He gave her a playful punch on the arm. “Have a

  good weekend.”

  “I will. Call me if you need me.” She walked out of the office

  ahead of him.

  “Try not to work all weekend. The new person you hire?” He

  shook his head as he followed her. “I plan on working them to

  death so you can get a break.” He looked up at his chauffeur,

  someone he’d used on a regular basis for transporting himself

  and celebrities to affairs. “Hi, Scott.”

  “Mr Todd,” Scott Baldwin said, tipping his cap, a sly gleam

  to his eyes.

  Yeah, they’d messed around once. So what? The man was

  handsome and looked great in the uniform.

  “Can you lock u
p, my sweet?” Braxton asked Brianna while

  he checked his phone and could see text messages and

  voicemails piling up.

  “I can. Have fun, will you?” she said, putting her purse on her

  shoulder.

  “Yeah right. This is work, not play.” Braxton nodded for

  Scott to leave first, and followed him to the elevator. “You have

  our itinerary?”

  “I do.” Scott nodded and allowed Braxton to enter the

  elevator, holding the door for him. “Should I wait for Brianna?”

  Braxton glanced out of the elevator. “Brianna?” he yelled.

  “I’ll get the next one!” was shouted back.

  Both men stepped deeper into the lift and Scott poked the

  ground floor. “You look exhausted.”

  “I am.”

  “I have some energy drinks in the limo.”

  “Hate those. Unless you’re talking healthy ones and not

  caffeine.”

  Scott smiled, indicating he was not talking healthy ones.

  “You have booze in the car?”

  “Always do. I have a nice bottle of scotch for you.”

  “Damn you’re good.” Braxton grinned wickedly at him.

  Scott returned his lusty stare from under the brim of his cap.

  “You can have that too.”

  Braxton made a face of ecstasy and knew having sex in the

  limo would sap the last ounce of energy he possessed. They

  exited the elevator together and Scott opened the back door of a

  black stretch limousine, which had been shined to a high gloss.

  Braxton patted the handsome man’s cheek in gratitude and

  climbed in, relaxing on the bench seat and going for the booze.

  Without a word, Scott began making the rounds, picking up

  the celebrities on the route, to hit the party Braxton had planned

  for them.

  ~

  Fabian came through the door of his one bedroom apartment

  in Pasadena. Even though he was tired, he changed into his

  workout outfit and headed to the complex’s fitness center. Friday

  night and he didn’t have plans. Did that make him a loser or

  picky?

  In his twenties Fabian had cared about things like that.

  Always going out on the weekend, never coming home until the

  wee hours of the morning. Now? At thirty-five? He didn’t give a

  shit, and preferred hanging out on his own to the loud, obnoxious

  meat market clubs of WeHo.

  He had friends he could call, but most of them were in

  relationships and Fabian, although he liked his male couple pals,

  would end up bored as the pairs would begin to discuss their

  personal connections, or things Fabian could not join in

  conversations about. It neither offended him nor got him jealous,

  just bored.

  Bored.

  He’d been using that word a lot in his life recently. Even

  working temp jobs, Fabian fell into mundane routines.

  The gym was one of them. But this release was essential to

  his well being.

  He tucked his house key into his gym shorts pocket and

  headed to the ground floor. His master key opened the fitness

  room and there were several tenants already working out, mostly

  on the treadmills and stationary bikes.

  Fabian didn’t know anyone in the room, and the complex had

  over three hundred units. Though he’d lived there nearly three

  years, he hadn’t made any connections with neighbors and didn’t

  have the interest to. He stood on a mat in front of a wall of

  mirrors and began warming up, thinking about the interview with

  Braxton Todd.

  When he did, he could see his expression change to a snarl.

  Shaking his head, trying to let go the humiliation of the

  interview, which to Fabian had felt completely condescending in

  nature, he said to himself, You would hate working for a prick

  like that.

  He met his own blue eyes in the mirror and mouthed, ‘ Hate

  it.’

  ~

  “Fabulous party, Braxton.”

  Braxton glanced over his fifth cocktail, finally feeling slightly

  heady and getting close to drunk. “Thanks, Jean.”

  The grand dame of daytime television gave him an inviting

  leer. Super-cougars. The newest rage? Women in their sixties

  and seventies after men in their twenties and thirties?

  Nothing surprised Braxton when it came to sex. He was open-

  minded, and never turned his nose up at any combination of

  physical attraction. He’d had it all.

  Maybe that was his problem.

  He’d had too many types. He simply could not narrow his

  choice down to one.

  “I’d love to steal your Rolodex, honey.” She nudged him with

  her elbow playfully.

  “And I’d love to steal yours.” He smiled down at her, since

  she was barely over five feet tall even in her glittering gold heels.

  “Oh!” She whacked him on his shoulder. Her attention was

  diverted and she said, “There’s Gina. Off I go to be social.”

  Braxton raised his glass to sip and watched her walk away,

  amazed even at her age she had a pretty nice figure, which

  accounted for how she still managed to snag young meat. Not to

  mention, her bank account was as big as her fan club.

  Oh the shallowness of Tinsel Town…

  He gulped the remainder in his glass and checked his watch.

  The guests of honor were the three stars of an independent film

  that was premiering this the weekend. Even on a tight budget,

  Braxton had managed to make this a huge media event, and he

  hadn’t missed inviting any reporter or gossip columnist. They

  were all here, including his favorite local gay magazine, Judas’

  Rainbow. There was the editor Sigourney Edina, laughing and drinking her beer from a bottle. He admired that woman. A lot.

  She took chances in an age where magazines were shying

  away from supporting the real politics of the day—the gay

  marriage issue, equality for women in the workplace and

  freedom of choice.

  All hot topics. Why? Braxton was tired of wondering. He did

  his thing. Fuck everyone.

  He set his glass on a passing tray and made sure everyone

  was happy. Making his way to the band who he had hired to

  entertain, he stood beside them, caught the manager’s attention

  and was approached.

  “Everything okay, Mr Todd?”

  “Yes. Just making sure your boys aren’t boozing between

  sets. I need them ‘til midnight.” Braxton checked his watch. He

  had a long way to go until the magic hour.

  “Have I ever disappointed you?”

  “No, never. But I did see your drummer tossing shots

  between sets.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  Braxton patted the man’s back and headed to the kitchen to

  make sure the food supply and preparation was also going well.

  He entered the kitchen to see a hive of activity.

  “Mr Todd!” The head chef spotted him immediately and

  waved. “Any complaints?”

  “None. Thank you. Anything you need?”

  “A blowjob, but I can’t at the moment.” He laughed and

  removed sizzling chicken from the grill.

  “Keep up the good work!” Braxton caught his nod and left
/>
  the kitchen. He walked out of the noise and chaos to a quiet spot

  on a terrace near a pool. Resting against a low railing which kept

  the swimming pool secure, Braxton rubbed his temples and

  closed his eyes. All he wanted to do at the moment was sleep. He

  was exhausted.

  He thought about Fabian and envisioned him perfectly. As he

  did, he removed his phone from his pocket and texted Brianna, ‘ I want Fabian. Hire him. ’

  ‘ ’ was sent almost immediately.

  He smiled and pocketed his phone, staring beyond the high-

  rise buildings to the night sky, seeing no stars through the

  ambient light. “I need a fucking break.” He ran his hand over his

  hair and sighed.

  ~

  After his workout Fabian had showered and was sitting on the

  sofa in his living room with a large bowl on his lap—salad

  topped with sliced chicken breast. He cooked his own food,

  simply because the ingredients of prepared food made him

  wince. His feet propped up on the coffee table, Fabian ate his

  late dinner and pointed the remote at the television. Real Time with Bill Maher would be airing shortly, and he surfed the

  channels as he worked his way to HBO. An entertainment news

  channel flashed a picture of Braxton Todd on their screen. It

  made Fabian’s heart actually jump in his chest at seeing him. He

  paused to listen to the coverage.

  ‘… PR machine Braxton Todd is hosting a gala event in

  anticipation of this weekend’s mega movie release, ‘Capital

  Games’. The list of stars and A-List celebrities attending the

  event were caught outside by our reporters.’

  A scene of microphones being shoved into people’s faces

  followed.

  Fabian rolled his eyes, having no interest in the Hollywood

  elite. He was about to continue on to the show he intended to

  watch when they added to their news, ‘… Mr Todd is also

  participating in a cancer charity fund raising event tomorrow

  evening, auctioning himself off as a dinner date…’

  Fabian blinked and stopped eating.

  ‘… I expect the charity will do very well with hot property like Mr Todd as an auction item.’

  The segment ended and the show went to commercial break.

  He continued advancing the channel to HBO, put the remote

  down and ate more of his salad, totally shocked a man like

  Braxton would offer himself up for a charity event.

  But the more Fabian thought about it, the more it reeked of

  ego and conceit.

  I have to stop thinking about it. I won’t get the fucking job.