Unforgivable - 19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Corey smiled when he heard the phone buzz in his office. It must be Jason confirming whether he could make it tonight. After a wonderful couple of days with each other, the real world, with jobs and clients, made itself known. The lawyer called Corey earlier to tell him one of his deals was falling apart, and needed some attention. They’d planned to have dinner then go to see the new Underworld movie. Neither was sure they were going to like the film, but it was still fun to see the half-naked werewolves, and leather clad vampires running around on-screen.

“All right, Annie,” Corey said as he washed his hands. “I want you to go home and try some of those exercises I demonstrated. We can reassess your progress during your follow-up next month.”

“Thank you, Corey,” the older woman responded, gingerly rising from the exam table with Corey’s help.

“You’re welcome. Don’t forget to book an appointment with Liam before you leave.”

He waved goodbye, and then headed for his office. Annie was his last appointment for the day, but there was a never-ending pile of paperwork to do before he could leave. Grabbing his phone, he felt a twinge of disappointment reading Jason’s text that he couldn’t make their date. Although deflated, he had to admire the man’s work ethic.

“You look like someone kicked your dog,” Liam quipped, sitting in the chair across the desk. “Trouble in boyfriend-ville?”

“Boyfriend-ville?” Corey responded with a laugh.

Liam shrugged. “I stand by my question.”

Corey gave him a crooked smile. “No trouble, just a change in plans.”

”Your hunky lawyer has to work late?”

“Yep,” Corey said with a sigh. “It’s the life of a lawyer. Can’t be helped.”

“So what are you doing tonight?”

“I’m not sure. Making grilled cheese, and watching reruns of Criminal Minds?” he joked.

“While Derek Morgan is hot, how about coming out with me to the Vikings game?”

“Hockey?” Corey was surprised. “Since when do you like hockey, much less voluntarily go and watch a game?”

His assistant blushed and looked away from Corey’s stunned gaze. “Aleksei asked me to come.”

Suddenly things were becoming clearer. “Aleksei? That wouldn’t happen to be the dark-haired guy from the bar with the tattoo sleeve on his right arm?”

“Yeah,” Liam replied, looking bashful. “That’s him.”

“Are you dating?”

“Not exactly dating.”

“Oh?”

“Alek and I have known each other for a couple of years. I didn’t realize until recently he was gay. He’s….” Liam hesitated, clearing his throat. “He’s not exactly out.”

“Oh, Li…” Corey felt badly for his assistant. It was hard enough to find someone in their area, and then to have the complication of the man being in the closet? It could be difficult for his friend, who made no apologies for his sexuality. “It must a good sign that he invited you to watch him play tonight?”

“I hope so.” Liam flushed with obvious pleasure. “I really like this guy.”

“When did you realize he was gay?” Corey asked, knowing there must be a story there. He’d always wondered how closeted men found partners… especially in a city as small as theirs.

“New Year’s Eve actually.” Liam’s mouth turned up in a smile, and his eyes lost focus, as if he were reliving that night. “I was going to say hi on my way to the bar. I was only a few steps away when Zach stopped to invite me to some party he was having. He made a joke about me joining him and Bry in a three way.” He stopped talking to roll his eyes.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Corey scoffed, shaking his head. “What did you say to him?”

“I didn’t even get a chance to reply. Alek came up and asked if Zach was bothering me.” Liam chuckled. “After he chased Zach off we ended up talking for over an hour. I felt bad for bothering him because he was supposed to be working, but Alek said he wanted me to stay close in case ‘any other assholes’ tried to hit on me. His words.”

“So you two are close?”

“Not at all,” Liam replied, shaking his head. “I was surprised by his reaction. Zach was a pig, but he wasn’t doing anything inappropriate. Alek and I catch up when we see each other, but it’s not like we hang out in the same circles. I wouldn’t have even said we were friends.” A fond smile curved the young man’s lips. “He’s always been protective of his sisters, but I never expected it to spill over onto me.”

“Sounds like someone has a crush,” Corey teased.

Liam snorted. “Who wouldn’t?” He sighed dramatically, flopping back in his seat. “Did you see that body? Those tats? Just… damn.”

Corey laughed. “All right, I concede he’s good looking, and protective. It still doesn’t explain how you found out he was gay. He could just be the big brother type.”

His assistant’s blush, which hadn’t quite faded, deepened again. “I, umm… I went home with him.”

“Really?” Corey’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Liam wasn’t a one night stand kind of guy, so hooking up at a bar was unusual.

“Yeah.” They young man’s hand touched the side of his head. “I was on my way to the bus stop, and almost got hit by some jackass racing down the street.”

“Oh my God, are you all right? Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“We didn’t have five minutes to talk all day, and I’m feeling much better now. I jumped out of the way and hit my head on the curb. Alek was outside and witnessed the whole thing.”

“Come on,” Corey said, standing. “Let’s go to the exam room. I can check your neck and back.”

“I’m fine, really,” the younger man protested, gesturing for Corey to sit back down. “Alek called an ambulance, and made me go in to get checked over. The doc said I had a concussion, and sent me home with instructions to come back if my symptoms got any worse.”

“He let you leave alone?” Corey was shocked. Normally a person with a concussion needed to be observed, especially overnight.

“No.” Liam’s eyes lit up with pleasure. “Alek insisted on taking me home so he could keep an eye on me.”

“Handsome, protective, and a guardian angel.” Although Corey was teasing his employee, he was grateful Liam had someone there for him. The young man had grown up in the area, raised by a single dad who had died the year before. As far as Corey knew, Liam had cousins out east, but they weren’t close. “Seriously, that was really nice of him.”

“I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he insisted.”

“Good. I’m glad he did. You shouldn’t be alone after a hit to the head.”

“That’s what he said.” Liam’s voice become soft. “He took me home and we sat on his couch for a while, just talking. One thing led to another….”

Corey grinned. “He got a little hands on with his caregiving, did he?”

“You could say that.” He didn’t think he’d ever seen his assistant blush so much before. All of the man’s blood supply must have rushed to his face and neck.

“How ‘in the closet’ is he?” Corey asked, concerned his friend seemed to be smitten already.

“Deep in the closet…,” he answered with a tired sounding sigh. “Like back in the far corner, burrowing into the wall kind of deep.”

“Liam….”

“Don’t, Corey. I know what you’re going to say.” His assistant stood and began pacing behind his chair. “His sisters know, but his father and grandfather are pretty homophobic. He’s opening his own garage, and his dad co-signed his loan, and….”

“And he’s worried his dad might pull his support if the family found out,” Corey finished. “I get it. It’s a terrible situation for you, though.”

Liam looked sad as he sat back down. “I can be patient,” he said, rubbing his palms over his face. “Hell, we’re still so new… we could end before we even start. All of this could be moot.”

“You said his sisters know? What do they think?”

“Elena and Nat are very supportive, apparently.” Liam smiled again. “Ellie is a sweet girl. She’s a vet tech at the clinic where I bring Tux for his check-ups. Tux loved her immediately.” Corey cringed. He’d met the man’s cantankerous cat a couple of times, and had the claw marks to prove it. “We hang out once in a while… lunch dates, bar buddies… that sort of thing. I met Alek through her. Their older sister, Nat, doesn’t live in the area, but he said she just wants him to be happy.”

“At least there’s hope they might be able to soften the blow,” Corey offered.

“I know this is going to be tough,” the young man turned his gaze on Corey. “But we just click. We like the same movies, have similar tastes in music. He loves sports, and I love to watch athletes….”

Corey snorted a laugh. “That’s something to build on.” He gave his friend a sympathetic smile. “I really do hope it works out for you. Just be careful, all right? I’d hate to see you get hurt.”

“I appreciate that.” Liam stood again. “So can you come to the game with me? I might feel less awkward if I had someone with me who actually understood the rules.”

Grinning, he nodded. “Sure. It might be fun. I hear the men’s league games are pretty competitive.”

Before Liam left for the day, they made plans to meet at the arena around seven. Corey shot a quick text to his boyfriend, letting him know his plans. Seconds later Corey’s phone rang.

“Since I had to cancel you’re going to ogle hockey players?” Jason’s teasing voice made Corey snicker.

“Damn right. If I can’t stare at your hot body, I need some sort of eye candy.”

“I’m wounded,” Jason responded with a loud sigh. “So easily replaced.”

“You know you’re irreplaceable.” Corey became serious. “How late do you think you’re going to be?”

“Several more hours yet. We should have something to send out tonight though.”

“Tell you what.” Corey lowered his voice, even though he knew no one else was around. “I should be home by eleven. If you’re done, and aren’t too tired, why don’t you stop by? I’ll make it worth your while.”

“An offer I can’t refuse.” Corey could hear the smile in his boyfriend’s voice. “It’ll give me something to look forward to.”

After hanging up the phone, Corey hurried through the rest of his work, and then headed home to shower and change. Although he missed Jason, he was looking forward to hanging out with Liam. They saw each other at work, but hadn’t spent a lot of time together outside of the office lately, and he missed the man’s friendship.

“What’s a hat trick again? It has nothing to do with their helmets, right?”

Corey stifled a laugh, not wanting to embarrass his friend. “No,” he said, pleased with how steady his voice sounded. “Nothing to do with the helmets. It means a player scored three goals in one game.”

“So Alek needs one more goal for a hat trick?”

“Exactly.” He clapped Liam on the back. “You’re getting it.”

“Imagine if I were as interested in the game as I was the players?” the young man whispered with a wink.

Corey continued to explain the game to Liam, impressed with how quickly the young man was picking up the terms and the rules. He’d even managed to figure out what being off-side meant, and complained along with the rest of the Viking’s fans when the refs missed a clear infraction. What pleased Corey most, though, was during every stoppage in play, Alek would look up into that stands where they were sitting. The attention didn’t go unnoticed by Liam, who flushed with pleasure each time. The man’s crush seemed to be quickly developing into something more serious. Corey only hoped his big-hearted friend didn’t get crushed.

The game ended with Alek’s team winning, and Liam cheering loudly beside him. They waited in the lobby while the players changed out of their uniforms, chatting about their coming week, and Corey’s trip to the cabin.

“You’re lucky. I would love to go on a romantic getaway.”

Corey laughed. “I don’t know how romantic it’s going to be with Drew and Pierre around.”

“Please,” Liam scoffed. “They’re going to be too busy with their own dates to care what you and Jason are up to.”

“Liam,” a quiet, deep voice said, drawing their attention. A tall, handsome man, with a scar from his right eye and down his cheek, fidgeted nearby.

“Alek!” Liam jumped up, pulling Corey along with him. “I want you to meet my boss, and friend, Corey Smyth.” He stopped in front of the taller man. “Corey this is Aleksei Petrov.”

“Call me Alek, please.” The man held out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Alek.” Corey took the offered hand. “That was a great game. You played really well.”

“Thank you,” the man responded, looking proud of his hard work before nervousness creeped into his expression. “Liam and I are going out for pizza. Would you like to come?”

“No, thank you.” Corey could see how badly Liam wanted some time alone with the man. “My boyfriend is stopping by later, so I should get home.”

Alek looked surprised at Corey’s admission. It was obvious he didn’t hang around a lot of people who were open about their sexuality.

“Say hi to Jason, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Liam waggled his eyebrows comically.

“That’s not a very long list,” Corey retorted. “You two kids play safe now.” Alek looked anxiously around the room, as if worried someone might overhear their conversation. Corey wondered if the hockey player was uncomfortable with the sexual joking, or if it was the nature of the teasing that bothered him. Praying again that his friend knew what he was doing, Corey said his goodbyes.

At home, sipping a glass of wine, he mulled over Liam’s situation. Would it beneficial if Aleksei was around more openly gay men? It could help him become more comfortable with his sexuality. Maybe he and Jason could have Liam and Alek over for dinner? Resolving to discuss the plan with his boyfriend later, he put Liam out of his mind, and turned his head when the door opened.

“Holy shit,” Jason said as a cold blast of air made Corey shiver. The blonde quickly shut the door. “You’re naked.”

“Welcome home, Jase.” His grin promised hours of wicked fun. “I said I would make it worth your while, and I always keep my promises.”

A big thank you to my friend and editor, Gary.  He managed to get this chapter edited so I could post on time, even though I got it to him late.     Thank you to those who read and support this story.