Well, shit. “We should go.” Frank turned, glowering at Seth, who stood in the doorway looking amused. “Why don’t you go ahead. I’ll catch up. I need to talk to Seth a minute.”

  “Sure.” Joshua grabbed his jacket, and as soon as he was gone, Frank snatched up his own jacket and stopped in front of Seth.

  “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Long enough to know you need to marry that man,” Seth said cheerfully.

  Frank sighed. “There’s nothing going on between us, and there won’t be.”

  “Why? He’s a great guy, and there’s obviously a strong connection between the two of you.”

  “He’s young.”

  Seth gave him a pointed look. “So are you.” He sighed at Frank’s glower and stepped to one side. “The only one who has an issue with his age is you. Joshua doesn’t care. I don’t care. None of your friends care. Hell, look at King and Leo. You don’t see King hung up on Leo’s age.”

  “Leo is different.”

  “Well, yeah,” Seth agreed, smiling. “But still.”

  “I have to go.” Frank headed down the hall, calling out over his shoulder. “We’ll be back before the event manager arrives.”

  “Okay. Just think about it, Frank.”

  It seemed like all he did was think about it. The truth of the matter was, Joshua’s age wasn’t as big a deal to him as his friends thought. Plenty of gay men his age dated younger men. The age gap was one of several reasons why they wouldn’t work, the biggest strike against him being the fact that he was already in a committed relationship.

  Sapphire Sands had come between him and more than one man he’d made the mistake of caring about, men who in the beginning assured him they had no problem with his work life. Not that he ever blamed them for breaking things off, but each time he fooled himself into thinking it would be different, he’d once again find himself alone. The arguments had been the worst. Accusations of infidelity, because why else would he be at his club all night, surrounded by horny wealthy men if it wasn’t to fuck them?

  With a heavy sigh, he shook those grim thoughts from his head. He’d taken a lot of risks in his lifetime, carrying the scars of his losses. He couldn’t bear the thought of adding Joshua to that list, which was why nothing could or would happen between them.

  FOUR

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Joshua waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s fine, Frank. Stop apologizing.” As disappointing as it was, Joshua understood completely, something he’d been trying to convince Frank of since the restaurant. There was no need for him to keep apologizing.

  Dinner at the amazing little Italian restaurant down the street turned into takeout. Their food had just arrived when Frank received a call from Seth. Clients were cancelling their Winterland reservations, thanks to the raid on the club. Frank had apologized to Joshua and asked the waiter to box up their food. Less than fifteen minutes later they were back at Sapphire Sands.

  “I need to make some phone calls,” Frank said as he made his way toward the back of house area. “Can you deal with the event manager if I’m not done by the time she arrives?”

  “Of course.”

  Seth waited for them by Frank’s office door. He smiled apologetically at Joshua, then turned to Frank. “I think we can turn this around and ease their minds. Jack called. He and his cyber security team have been on the case, and they’re onto something, but Jack has a couple of questions for you before he confirms.”

  “Thanks, Seth.” Frank stopped to face Joshua. “Why don’t you go ahead and enjoy your dinner. I’ll be out as soon as I can.”

  “Okay. Let me know if you need me.”

  “Thank you.” Frank was about to walk off when Joshua caught his arm. He held one of the bags of food out.

  “Make sure you eat something.”

  Frank’s expression softened. “Thanks, sweetheart.” He kissed Joshua’s cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world and took the bag of food from him.

  What just happened? Joshua blinked up at him, but Frank seemed oblivious as he headed into his office.

  No big deal. It was only a peck on the cheek, right? Shaking himself out of it, Joshua turned and almost bumped into Seth, who stood gaping.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, it’s just…” Seth leaned in to murmur quietly, “Frank’s not a PDA kind of guy, especially at the club. When he’s here, he’s usually all business.”

  “Oh well. I’m sure he didn’t even realize he did it. He’s got a lot on his mind right now.”

  Seth hummed, his lips quirked at the corner. “You’re probably right. I better go. Make yourself at home.”

  “Thanks.” As much as Joshua wanted to do a little happy dance at the thought, he refrained from letting himself get excited. Chances were Frank wouldn’t even remember having kissed his cheek.

  Feeling a bit weird about having his dinner in the employee lounge, or at least the staging area that was serving as the employee lounge, Joshua carried his food out into the club and scanned the floor. Feeling a little naughty, he hurried excitedly over to one of the VIP sections.

  On special occasions when the Kings had something to celebrate, they’d come to Sapphire Sands, and the times Joshua had been with them, they’d been seated in one of the VIP sections. Joshua had never been a VIP of anything. His talent in cat wrangling had always been appreciated and at times coveted, because he had a knack for knowing what people needed, but he’d always been the background guy. Behind every great person was an often uncredited and underappreciated assistant.

  Not that Joshua expected any credit for doing his job, but until Colton, no other boss had acknowledged Joshua’s worth. As an executive assistant, his job was to keep his boss’s life running as smoothly as possible, both personally and professionally. He loved what he did, and for the first time ever, he wasn’t on the outside looking in.

  Sitting at the huge table and taking in the club around him, Joshua couldn’t help but do a happy little shimmy. He loved being helpful, and he loved even more knowing he was able to help Frank in some way. As he ate his incredible meal, he brought his spreadsheet up on his phone. It was over-the-top and ridiculous, but Frank wasn’t like the others. Something deep inside Joshua told him Frank was the one. The least he could do was try, and if his best wasn’t good enough, then, well, what else could he do but accept that Frank didn’t want him.

  Pushing that thought aside, Joshua dove into his dinner. He loved carbonara, and this one was particularly amazing. Maybe he’d suggest they go back for dinner one night. He’d just finished cleaning up after himself when something shimmery caught his eye. Maybe someone had dropped something. Crossing the floor, he crouched down and put his finger to the sparkling white. Was this… glitter? Why was there white glitter on the floor? He remembered the matching speck he’d wiped off Frank’s lip. He really needed to find out about this snowman incident.

  The club’s front doorbell went off, and he quickly wiped his hand on his pants, then hurried over. A petite woman dressed in a charcoal gray pantsuit and gorgeous dark curls smiled brightly at him. He returned her smile and unlocked the door to let her in.

  “Neema?”

  “Yes, and you must be Joshua..”

  “It’s so great to meet you.” Joshua took her outstretched hand and shook it. “How did you know I wasn’t Frank?”

  Her hazel eyes sparkled with amusement. “Let’s just say my predecessor was more than a little intimidated by Mr. Ramirez, and although I’m sure you can be intimidating, you’re not quite scary enough to have my colleague questioning his life choices.”

  “And you’re still here after that glowing reference?” Joshua teased.

  “Honey, Frank Ramirez doesn’t scare me. I have three teenage daughters and a Chihuahua named Hannibal.”

  Joshua snickered. “Oh, I like you. I think you and Frank will get along fine.” The back doors swung open and Frank emerged, all broad shoulders, black shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows to expose his corded forearms. His tie was gone, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, and his hair tousled from where he’d clearly been running his fingers through it.

  “Sweet heaven,” Neema murmured.

  “Yeah, he has that effect on people.” The sigh couldn’t be helped.

  Neema smiled knowingly at him. “I bet.”

  Joshua was pleasantly surprised when Frank stopped in front of him and put a hand to Joshua’s lower back.

  “You have a good dinner?”

  “It was amazing. Thank you.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned to Neema and held a hand out. “You must be Neema. I’m Frank, and you’ve already met Joshua.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, and yes, Joshua and I have met.”

  “Great. Why don’t we set up out here? My office is a little crowded at the moment with the employee lounge currently undergoing repairs.” He motioned to the same table Joshua had sat at to have his dinner. Did Frank know that? The little smirk he threw Joshua’s way said he did, and it made Joshua’s heart skip a beat. First a kiss on the cheek, now a wicked little smile? The man was trying to kill him.

  They spent the next several hours going through the entire event package Neema had organized, everything from centerpieces and table settings to menus and entertainment. It was exciting, seeing Frank’s vision come together. Joshua had been more than a little surprised when Frank asked his opinion on several design choices, and even more surprised when Frank agreed with his choices. It had been fun.

  There was still a lot to do and coordinate, but their meeting with Neema had gone exceptionally well. Some of the tension had eased from Frank’s shoulders now that orders had been confirmed. It was close to midnight by the time they were ready to go home.

  “I’ve just gotta put a few things away in the office and lock up. Then we can head out together,” Frank said.

  “Sure thing.”

  While Frank went to finish up, Joshua decided to wander the club. It took Frank a good fifteen to twenty minutes to lock up the back end of the club before he was ready to turn the lights off and set the alarm. Now that he thought about it, Frank had given him a tour of the club, but he’d only motioned toward the back rooms. He hadn’t actually taken Joshua back there.

  Curious, Joshua stepped through a set of thick black curtains that led to a narrow hall with rows of curtained-off sections to each side. Beyond the curtained-off sections were rooms, the black doors only visible against the black walls because of the strips of neon across the top of the doorways in the club’s signature blue.

  Joshua had never been in one of these rooms with anyone. He’d certainly not gotten up to anything. The times he’d visited the club, he’d seen the Kings and their significant others disappear into the back rooms at one point or another.

  The doors to the rooms were all open since they were unoccupied, and Joshua walked into the first one. The black room was just big enough for its intended purpose, with a tufted black velvet couch against the wall and a trash can beside it. A small, high-black table contained a silver tray of wet wipes, and in front of the couch sat a black coffee table with a bowl of condoms and lube in the center. The place was spotless. Considering how Frank felt about his club, Joshua wasn’t surprised. He’d have to ask Frank how he managed that.

  “I’ll just sample one of these, if you don’t mind,” Joshua said to no one in particular as he pocketed one of the condoms and a packet of lube.

  Knowing what these rooms were used for had his overactive imagination conjuring up all manner of sinfully sexy scenarios. Instead of random half-naked sweaty men in suits, one particular suited man came to mind.

  What would it be like to have Frank hold him up against the wall, kiss the breath out of him, fuck him fast and hard? With a moan, Joshua fell back against the wall. He closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down. This was bad. He shouldn’t be in here. He definitely shouldn’t be in here thinking about Frank fucking him, sinking slowly into him until he was balls-deep. Frank’s heavier weight against him would feel so damned good, and when he moved…

  “Joshua?”

  Frank’s low rumble made Joshua groan, until he realized that voice had come from outside of his head. He opened his eyes and glanced over at the door where Frank stood, his gasp caught in his throat at the heat in Frank’s eyes.

  “Hi.” Joshua’s voice came out low and throaty. He turned toward the door, his side pressed against the wall as he took in every inch of the gorgeous man.

  “What, um… what are you doing in here?” Frank asked, taking a tentative step inside the room.

  “I’ve never been in here with anyone.”

  “I know.”

  Joshua’s head shot up and he met Frank’s gaze. Had Frank been watching him? How else would he know Joshua had never accompanied anyone into the back rooms?

  “I was curious. When I stepped inside, I started thinking…” Joshua stayed where he was. If Frank wanted to do something about whatever had him looking at Joshua the way he was, like he wanted to fuck him into submission, then he’d have to make the first move. That didn’t mean Joshua couldn’t help him along.

  Frank took a step closer. “What were you thinking?”

  “Of you fucking me.” He held Frank’s gaze. “Up against the wall.” Joshua’s cock strained against his pants as Frank let out a low feral growl.

  “Is that what you want? To be fucked in some club’s back room?”

  Joshua left the wall and stopped in front of Frank. He placed a hand on Frank’s chest as he gazed up at him.

  “Sapphire Sands isn’t just some club where men go to fuck. It’s a home, a safe space. Somewhere they can be themselves and forget about the world outside. You did that, Frank. You built a community, one that helps others. So no, I don’t want to be fucked in some club’s back room. I want to be fucked here, in a place that means something to you.”

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” Frank’s smile stole Joshua’s breath away, right before his mouth on Joshua’s finished the job.

  An inferno of need erupted through Joshua as he met Frank’s ravenous hunger with his own. Never had he been kissed with such fire and passion. Joshua curled his fingers around the lapels of Frank’s suit jacket, whether to hold himself up or to keep Frank close, he had no idea, but the longer Frank kissed him, the more Joshua needed.

  Frank’s tongue tangled with his, the heat of his mouth, the feel of his lips, and his strong arms wrapped around Joshua fueled the flames raging inside him. Just as he’d fantasized, Frank pushed him up against the wall, his lips tearing away from Joshua’s to suck at his neck, then ear.

  “Oh God,” Joshua moaned, his head thrown back as Frank kissed and nibbled his neck. Joshua slipped his hand lower, cupping Frank in his slacks, his groan joining Frank’s as he palmed that big, hard cock. “I want this inside me so bad,” Joshua said, his voice hoarse and raspy. “Please, Frank.”

  Frank made quick work of their belts, unfastening and unzipping. Their pants dropped to the floor, and Joshua let go of Frank long enough to toe off his shoes and grab the supplies he’d stuck in his pocket earlier. He stepped out of his pants and shoved his boxer-briefs down. Something about seeing Frank still dressed in his suit with his leaking cock jutted up toward his stomach made Joshua weak in the knees.

  “You’re so damned sexy,” Joshua murmured, handing the supplies to Frank with one hand and wrapping the other around Frank’s cock. He ran his thumb over the pearls of precome, using it to ease the friction as he stroked Frank, their mouths reunited. Frank palmed Joshua’s asscheeks, kneading the globes before he hauled Joshua off his feet. Not expecting the sudden movement, Joshua flailed and threw his arms around Frank’s neck.

  “Easy,” Frank said through a chuckle. “I got you.”

  Joshua snorted. “Of course you do. Your muscles are obscene.” He nipped at Frank’s stubbled jaw and wrapped his legs around Frank’s waist as he was held against the wall. “And I want to lick each and every one of them. But first, I want you buried deep in my ass.”

  “Fuck. The things that come out of your mouth,” Frank said through a moan.

  “Aren’t as exciting as the things I want to go in it.”

  “You’re going to be a handful, aren’t you?”

  “You up for the challenge?” Joshua ran his tongue over Frank’s bottom lip and squeezed his cock, loving the way Frank’s eyes all but rolled into the back of his head. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

  Frank claimed Joshua’s mouth, kissing the breath out of him. Joshua was so hard, he ached. If Frank didn’t fuck him right now, he was going to lose his mind.

  “Frank, now.”

  “So bossy,” Frank growled, the smile clear in his eyes. “I kinda like it. Let’s not waste any time, then.”

  FIVE

  So much for nothing happening between them.

  Frank should have known better. The more time he spent around Joshua, the harder it was to keep his distance. When he’d searched for Joshua, the last place he’d expected to find him was in one of the back rooms. All kinds of sinful scenarios had played out in his head, but when Joshua said he wanted Frank to fuck him in the club because of what it meant to him, he’d been done.

  And then they’d kissed.

  Joshua was unlike anyone he’d ever met—always smiling, cheerful, eager to help. He was attentive and caring, beautiful inside and out. And for some reason, he wanted Frank.

  “Frank, please.”

  How the hell could he deny Joshua anything? Frank was so turned on he was in danger of coming before they’d even gotten started. Joshua’s sinewy body fit perfectly against his, and Frank couldn’t get enough of Joshua’s mouth, of his taste. He held on to Joshua with one arm, pinning him against the wall with his body as he handed the lube packet to Joshua, then carefully tore the condom packet open with his teeth. With the condom rolled onto his rock-hard cock, he held his two fingers up to Joshua, their eyes meeting. A wicked smile spread across Joshua’s face as he squeezed the lube onto Frank’s fingers.