Marlo let loose a string of profanity under his breath, certain that JD McDaniel was going to toss him out on his ear without hearing his proposal. He was supposed to be showing his proposal to the well sought after McDaniel to subcontract on the man’s newest commercial high-rise. Instead, he was stuck in traffic, getting a damn busy signal every time he called.
 

Truth be told, it was somewhat his fault. He’d stayed up late to finish the proposal, then topped it off by hitting the snooze button a few too many times. Of all the days this was definitely the wrong day to do it. Yet, his presentation was going to be flawless if he had the opportunity to present it. It had to be. If there was one thing McDaniel disliked, it was people who couldn’t deliver quality. He also despised people who were late, which didn’t help Marlo’s case much. He might as well just turn back around, but this job with McDaniel was a guaranteed year of work, and damn if he didn’t need that in this economy.
 

Turning into the parking lot, Marlo pulled into the first spot he could find. He walked rapidly to the front entrance of McDaniel Enterprises. The door chimed when he let himself in and the receptionist smiled warmly at him.

 

“I’m here to see JD McDaniel.”

 

“And you are?”

 

“Marlo Russell.”

 

Her smile wavered slightly. “He’s waiting for you Mr. Russell. Please wait here.”

 

Marlo squirmed, smoothing out his tie. He hoped the stupid thing was straight. Damn, was that a jelly stain on his shirt? He checked it clandestinely. Shit! It was a stain. He was never going to get the job at this rate. What was wrong with him this morning?

 

“Mr. Russell, this way please.”

 

Marlo turned at the sound of the voice. Another woman greeted him. If the two women he’d met so far were any indication, McDaniel definitely liked to make a good first impression. Not that it made any difference to Marlo. He preferred his bed partners with a little more chest hair and external body parts below the waist.

 

The woman paused outside a door at the end of the hallway. He’d been too distracted to notice before, but now he got a quick look of his surroundings. The walls were a pale tan color, soft and soothing. Large paintings decorated the walls, displaying various types of high rises and skyscrapers.

 

She opened the door, ushering him in. “Mr. Russell from M.T. Russell Inc. to see you, Sir.”

 

Marlo turned his attention to the man behind the massive desk, almost missing the soft snick of the door as it closed behind him. McDaniel had his head down, writing something on a piece of paper. The shirtsleeves of his white shirt were rolled up his forearms, revealing the makings of a tattoo, and his tie had been loosened around his neck. The sun from the floor to ceiling window behind him bounced off his brown locks. Marlo was struck at how attracted he was to this man. He tended to go for white men, typically a lot paler than the gorgeous specimen across the room from him. He loved to watch the contrast of skin against his darker hue, but something told him that this mix of this chocolate and vanilla would make the perfect swirl.

 

His thoughts froze when McDaniel looked up staring at Marlo with a frown. Glasses framed intense steel blue eyes. But that wasn’t what shocked him. It was the person they belonged to. “Holy hell! Jeff?”

 

A single raised eyebrow was his only response. Jeff leaned back in the chair, tapping his pen on his day-timer. He looked exactly as he had the last time Marlo had seen him, although a little older. His face was more matured, more stunning. “You’re a little behind schedule aren’t you?”

 

Marlo stared, commoved. The man in front of him was striking, lean and handsome. But then, he always had been. Jeff McDaniel was a few years older than he was, and back in school he’d hung around with Marlo’s brother. The two had pretty much ignored him, but Marlo had always fantasized about Jeff. He’d first found out he was gay as a result of popping wood every time he got close enough to smell the masculine aftershave Jeff wore back then. 

 

“Um, yeah. Sorry about that, traffic was a bit of a disaster this morning.” He didn’t know what to say. Did Jeff remember him? Heck, he should. After all, he was still friends with his brother, Mark.

 

Awkward silence filled the room, and Marlo had to compulsorily control his need to pace. He never did well under these conditions, uncomfortable silences made him want to jabber away. Who knew what he’d say if he wasn’t careful. He kept reminding himself how much his men were relying on him to pull in this contract. Despite him every effort, he was already trying to fight off a remerging hard on. God please, don’t let me get an erection in front of McDaniel.

 

“I suppose you know why you’re here. Have a seat. Tell me what you have to offer, why I should choose your company over the others.” McDaniel pulled his glassed off then leaned back further, sitting his pen on the desk and linking both hands behind his head. The position served to stretch out his body, bringing Marlo’s attention to the strength in his corded forearms. He did his best not to leap over the desk and drag Jeff to the floor.

 

Marlo forced himself to calm down. Bring himself back down to his element. Appreciative of the chance to redeem himself—and concerned about hiding the hard-on that was becoming more and more apparent—he sat down. When he began to outline his strategy, all the other distractions faded to the background. He discussed rates, personnel, and the scope of work they’d be performing. The whole time Jeff studied him, never taking his eyes off Marlo. A few times he interrupted, asking questions that, mercifully, Marlo was able to answer.

 

“Everything sounds good. The contract is yours.”

 

“Huh? I mean just like that?” Marlo couldn’t believe it. He’d expected to have to wait a few weeks to find out.

 

“I know what I want. You’re it.”

 

“Wow, great. I can’t wait to get started on this.”

 

“You can report to work two weeks from now.” Jeff steepled his fingers underneath his chin, his expression becoming more intense. If Marlo didn’t know any better he would say there was a hint of lust there. “Now that we have that situated, we can move onto the next order of business.”

 

“Is there something else?” He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the glint in Jeff’s eyes. He was up to something.

 

“Actually, it’s more personal than business related. I believe you had something for me when you first walked in. Or rather, you have something you need me to take care of for you.”

 

Marlo’s brows drew together in puzzlement. “I’m not sure what—”

 

“Don’t be modest. You’ve been hiding that hard dick since you came in here. Why don’t you come over here and we’ll take care of that.”

 

Marlo sat stunned. His ears had to be deceiving him. No, he was still in bed asleep, dreaming. Why the hell would he be dreaming about Jeff McDaniel.

 

“Anytime now, Marlo.”

 

Marlo blinked.  He would have pinched himself if it wouldn’t make him look more discombobulated than he already was.

 

 “Wh—what?”

 

“Marlo. Now.”

 

Marlo stood on unsteady legs. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him. Walking over behind Jeff’s desk, he stared at the other man, incapable of speaking.

 

“Good. Now, we need to get a few things straight first. This has nothing to do with business—absolutely nothing. What we do at work stays at work. Anything we do afterward has nothing to do with how you got the job. Second, you’ve been asking for this since we were in school. It’s time I did something about it.”

 

“Oh my God.” Marlo couldn’t believe it. “You knew about that?” He was sure his face was about as red as a tomato. If a person could die from mortification he would be well on his way.

 

One corner of Jeff’s mouth titled up. “Marlo, who didn’t know?”

 

“So, why didn’t you say anything—do anything? And why now?”

 

“Let’s just say it took me a while to figure out I liked men. I was always attracted to you, but didn’t realize what it meant for my sexuality until a few years later.” Jeff paused, looking him up and down. “We have done enough talking. Take your pants off. We wouldn’t want them to stain.”

 

“Are you sure about this?”

 

Jeff cocked a brow in his direction. “Do I seem like I’m not?”

 

Marlo opened his mouth but no sound came out. Jeff seemed more than sure for he was busy unbuttoning his own black slacks, sliding the zipper down and pushing them down his legs. He wasn’t wearing any underwear.

 

Biting back a moan of unadulterated excitement, Marlo quickly followed suit, shucking his pants and his navy briefs down his legs. Stumbling slightly, he managed to get his shoes off. He looked ludicrous with just the socks on, but he wasn’t about to try to get them off right now. There were more important things to worry about.

 

“Up you go, Marlo.” Jeff patted his lap, running the fingers of his other hand up and down his shaft. It was hard, thick and flushed at the head. Thank God Marlo wasn’t the only one hard enough to hammer nails.

 

Marlo still felt weird, but he straddled Jeff’s thighs, groaning at the feel of the hair-roughened skin against his own. This was why he liked men, everything about them was harder, rougher, more stimulating.

 

Jeff grasped Marlo’s cock in a firm grip, making Marlo moan and arch his back. He had to grab onto Jeff’s shoulders to prevent himself from falling backward. God, that felt good. Better than good actually. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten laid, and here was his ultimate fantasy man actually caressing him for real.

 

Jeff pressed their shafts together, skin rubbing, pre-come weeping out from both men to provide some lubrication. This wasn’t going to take long, not with the fast pace Jeff set. Marlo hung on to his shoulders, letting Jeff take charge. As boneless as he was right now, an attempt to do anything else would be a disaster. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the masculine scent of Jeff, the same aftershave he wore back when they were younger. “Oh… Jeff… oh…”

 

With a gasp and a jerk of his hips, he was coming.

 

“That’s it, Marlo. Take what you have been craving”

 

Jeff leaned forward, sealing their lips together in a kiss to muffle the groans both men couldn’t hold back. Heat splashed on his cock, and he gave an involuntary jerk of his hips again.

 

Both men panted, leaning on each other. Finally, Marlo raised his head, staring back at Jeff so close to him.

 

“God, Jeff, I never—”

 

His voice trailed off as Jeff frowned at him. “Did you forget we are at work? That is Mr. McDaniel to you.”

 

Marlo smiled, reaching around McDaniel and pinching his firm ass, stifling a moan before it slipped out. “Don’t start with me, Jeff.”

 

The sound of Jeff’s laughter was music to his ears. God, he was looking forward to working with this man.