Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“Is that what I sent you on Grindr? You can’t do that.”
He had done exactly that, right before he deleted the hookup app.
“If you send someone videos and photos, they can in fact save them. You should know that. We’re also at work, which makes every part of this interaction inappropriate. You should know that too. I told you I wasn’t interested half a dozen times so no matter where we were, you should have backed off. Add that to the list of things you should but somehow don’t know. Try to learn a lesson or two from this incredibly awkward conversation.” He stood up and pointed to the door again. “Get out.”
“If I leave, will you delete everything?”
“If you stay, I’m forwarding it to the head of your practice group right now.” He waved his phone. “To start.”
That threat seemed to have penetrated the dumbass’s brain, and he finally scurried out of his office.
“What in the actual hell?” he said. Nobody else was in the room, so an answer wasn’t forthcoming.
His first instinct was to call Jack, tell him what happened, and ask if he had any thoughts on what, if anything, Gray should do about it. But hearing about someone coming onto him would upset Jack and derail his busy day, so he texted their friend Thom instead.
“Drinks after work? I want to run something by you.”
“Sure,” Thom responded. “Where?”
“Roquette. 6?”
“See you there.”
“What an idiot,” Thom said as soon as Gray finished relaying the morning’s event.
“Yep.” Gray nodded and took a sip of his espresso martini. “This is good. Are you sure you don’t want one?”
“Best not to mix beer with liquor.” He held up his pint glass. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Gray shook his head. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Do you think I need to do something, or can I leave it and hope it goes away?”
“Well, he’s not a subordinate, right? He’s a partner at the firm?”
“Yes. He hasn’t been there a year yet so he’s new, but he’s not an associate.”
“In that case, we don’t need to worry about some kind of harassment allegation.” Thom shrugged. “You scared him enough with that recording that I doubt he’ll bother you again. Hell, I’d be surprised if he says hello if you pass him in the hallway. The only issue is whether you want someone with such poor judgment at your firm, but we know a lot of guys who are great at their jobs and train wrecks in their personal lives. There’s not necessarily a correlation.”
“True. And he isn’t in my practice group. If there are issues with the quality of his work, that’s someone else’s call.”
Nodding, Thom said, “Right. I’d probably leave it.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Gray said, relieved. He raised his glass to his mouth and swallowed more of his cocktail. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Thom swirled the last bit of beer in his glass. “Did you tell Jack about it?”
“Not yet.”
He arched his eyebrows. “Not yet or not ever? You know this story is not going to land well with him.”
Gray sighed. “I know.”
“But you’re going to tell him anyway.”
“A man in my office propositioned me. We don’t work together and he’s on another floor, but I have to tell Jack it happened.”
Thom nodded. After a few moments of silence, he said, “Does it bother you?”
“Does what bother me?”
“How jealous Jack gets?” Thom looked at him knowingly. “You’ve been single all your life, and suddenly, bam, you’re in a committed relationship and living with someone after only being together a couple of months. It happened so fast we all got whiplash.” He shook his head. “Add to that the way Jack gets insecure anytime someone shows any kind of interest in you, which let’s be honest, Gray, happens a lot. That’s got to bother you.”
“You view it like we’ve been together a couple of months; to me it’s been a couple of decades. I’d say it’s the opposite of fast, more like a glacial pace, but let’s not split hairs. What matters is, Jack’s finally mine and I want to spend every second possible with him. Living with him is a dream. And, sure, it bothers me when he gets upset because I never want anything to hurt him, but it doesn’t bother me in the way you mean.” He thought about how to explain his feelings. “When he gets jealous or anxious, I view it as an opportunity to show him how much I value him. It’s like a calendar reminder to worship my boyfriend.” He grinned. “Not that I need the reminder because I’m batting way out of my league with Jack.”
***
Jack was standing in the closet, changing out of his work clothes and into sweats when he heard Gray’s footsteps in the bedroom.