“Oh, plenty,” Tanner smirked.
It was odd having another person in his office. It had been a while since he’d shared an office space with anyone else, let alone shared that space in his own home. He was constantly aware of Tanner’s presence; it affected the air around him, and not in a completely comfortable way.
Ace sat in the chair he kept for his rare office guests and watched Tanner do some incomprehensible things at lightning speed on his laptop.
The site was really coming together well. Erik hadn’t steered him wrong by pointing him in Tanner’s direction for this. Ace found a couple of typos and some alignment issues that Tanner set about fixing.
“So, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Tanner said, his eyes rapidly scanning the code on the screen. “You’re not from the area, you didn’t go to KU. What the hell brought you to Lawrence at all?”
Ace chuckled. “You say that like it’s a small town you’re ready to leave behind.”
“Well, sorta,” Tanner said. “I mean, it’s a cool place and a great school, but I can’t wait to get to a bigger city. Like you did. Why did you ever leave Atlanta?”
Because I couldn’t bear to be in Cameron’s zip code any more. Because I’m a coward. Because I’m not like you, kid.
“It was Olive and Vince’s fault, actually,” Ace said, completely skirting the memories that still weighed down his heart.
“You mean Dr. Boyer?” Tanner asked a little distractedly. “I had him for American History. Gave me an A. Really dry sense of humor.”
And that sums him up, I guess. All the important bits, anyway.
“I met them when I was living in Baltimore. We were kind of each other’s family for a while there.” Ace smiled, thinking back to that drafty, creaky brownstone near the university where they had all lived. God, that was a decade ago. Tanner must have been in middle school. “I visited them once they moved to Lawrence, and I just kinda fell for the place.”
“I just can’t imagine settling for this place,” Tanner said in a carelessly dismissive way. “Just one more semester ’til graduation, and I am outta here.”
Yet another reason Ace shouldn’t bother with him. Why get even a little close to someone – even if only for physical comfort – just to have to let him go soon?
It would be different if he were Tanner’s age, but Ace was thirty-three, firmly rooted in this funky town in a funky old house and a not-so-funky mortgage. There were times he envied the clueless twenty-two-year-olds out there.
“Anywhere in particular?” Ace asked.
“Wherever the money is,” Tanner said firmly. “I figure a comp sci degree and a business minor will be a good combination for a high-paying job.”
Ace frowned. That was probably a fair assessment of his prospects. But it was a little disconcerting to know that all his passion was for making a buck, not for the work itself.
“You could use some more content on the results page,” Tanner said, changing the subject and pulling Ace’s attention back to the screen. “Like testimonials or something. Do you have any e-mails from clients where they talked about how awesome you are? Or can you ask some people to tell you how awesome you are?”
Ace smiled. “I’ll check my files. I’m sure I can find something.”
“It’s not critical for the launch or anything,” Tanner said. “But you don’t want to leave it empty very long or you’ll look all unfinished.”
“Got it. Anything else I need to do?”
“Nope. How about we make this sucker live?”
Ace breathed deeply and nodded with a smile. So satisfying to cross a big item off the to-do list.
A few more clicks, and Tanner pulled up the new site online for him to see.
“Thanks so much, Tanner,” Ace said. “This is just what I needed.”
“I’m glad to help,” he replied. “Um, also glad to get paid.”
“Right! Sorry, yes, let me get my checkbook.”
He wrote out the check as Tanner gathered up his files and laptop.
“I’ve got just enough time to hit the gym before my last class,” Tanner said. “I was worried that I wouldn’t make it today. I hate missing a day.”
“You don’t look like you miss many days,” Ace said with a small smile.
Tanner looked at him with a knowing eye.
“Now that you mention it, and I hope you don’t mind my saying this, Ace,” Tanner said. “I know you’ve got a good body, but you could do more.” He lightly ran his hand down Ace’s flank, and Ace quickly moved out of reach. Tanner sounded like a house appraiser, his eyes casting about for potential flaws. Ace fought the urge to suck in his stomach. He wasn’t obsessive about working out, but he made sure to get some exercise every day, usually a run.
Clearly, that wasn’t enough for the young man who was eyeing him up and down. Tanner had a tight, compact body that screamed of hours spent at the gym. He was pure eye candy.
God knows Ace liked hard candy. Every once in a while.
Tanner was, what, twenty-two? A senior in college. Sculpted and all planned out. He made Ace feel old, especially in this moment of being evaluated.
“I hate to break it to you, kid, but thirty-three is not twenty-two,” Ace said. “I’m doing pretty good for an old guy.”
Tanner licked his lips. “You’re not that old. I could help you put some more definition in your abs,” he said, stepping closer.
“You could come to my gym this Saturday,” he continued. “I’m usually there for a few hours in the morning. Plenty of time to really do some work on you.”
Ace swallowed down his growing annoyance at Tanner’s attitude. “I’ve got a client meeting on Saturday,” he said with a shrug and a smile. Congratulations, Steven: the ‘maybe’ setting just got moved to ‘yes.’
“Another time, then, I hope,” Tanner said. “I think there’s a lot more we could do together.”
Oh, just come out and say it, kid. The calculating junior businessman in front of him was probably trying to have his Ace and keep his business too.
Tanner reminded him about getting some testimonials as he gathered his bag.
“Think some more about the gym,” Tanner said, turning back to him at the door. “I’d be happy to show you some moves.”
Temporary eye candy or a permanent closet case. Rock and a hard place. Ace shifted his stance at the thought of the hard place he craved and the rock in front of him.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ace said with a faint smile. He closed the door and leaned heavily against it.
Tanner was a hottie, no doubt. And his body definitely pushed some buttons.
Instead of giving in to the available, hot-for-him, built young man who had been standing in his living room, Ace couldn’t get his mind off the closet case who pretended not to know him after fucking him until he nearly fainted.
Figures.
Maybe Erik was right. Maybe the memory of Cameron was hamstringing his life. He didn’t want Cameron back. That book was closed. But he was still drawn to a man who clearly was taking pages from Cameron’s playbook.
And now he was going to see him again on Saturday.
Back to the hard place.
*****