An Unlocked Heart(Collars & Cuffs Stories) (5 page)

Mr. Hart pursed fine-looking lips, considering his suggestion. Then a smile broke out across his face. “That sounds delicious, Alex,” he said appreciatively. “And a glass of Pinot Grigio Blush sounds perfect to go with it.”

Alex gave a polite nod as he started to leave, but Mr. Hart stretched out a long, slim hand to stop him. Alex tensed, surprised by the physical contact.

“Alex, you’ve been serving me for a month. Surely we’re past the ‘Mr. Hart’ stage by now? I’d like you to call me Leo, if you will.”

Alex stilled. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. Then he reconsidered. He’d grown comfortable around Mr. Ha—
Leo
, he corrected—in the past month, and although he still avoided eye contact, it was easier being around him. Yeah, he could do that.

“Very well…. Leo,” he said, and the fact that Leo’s smile notched up even more made him absurdly pleased he’d agreed.

“Thank you, Alex. I mean that,” Leo said, and Alex could hear the sincerity in his words.

Alex nodded, blushing, and headed for the kitchen.

L
EO
savored the last piece of delicate pasta. Excellent choice, the sage and ricotta blended perfectly together. He closed his eyes, humming appreciatively.

“Glad to see you still enjoy good food, Leo.”

He opened his eyes to find Sev regarding him warmly. Perfect timing. “Good evening, Sev.” He put down his fork and pushed the plate away. “Just the man I wanted to see.” He glanced around to make sure Alex was nowhere in sight. “Have you got a minute? I have to pop back to the club after this, but I wanted to speak with you first.”

Sev nodded, pulling back the chair and seating himself next to Leo. “What can I do for you?”

“I need a little information.” Quickly, Leo told him what he was after, and more importantly, why.

Sev’s smile grew wider. “Certainly, my friend.” He clasped Leo’s hand in his. “I would be delighted. Give me a moment, and I shall return with what you require.” He got up, pushed the chair neatly into place, and paused for a moment. “And, Leo? It makes me very happy to hear this from you. Very happy indeed.” The smile became a beam of delight, which proved infectious, and Leo beamed back at him. Sev took his leave, and Leo watched him cross the floor to the kitchen, grinning.

Step one accomplished.

A
LEX
glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. Only half an hour to go, and his shift would be finished. It had been a long Thursday. He’d started at eleven thirty with the lunch crowd, but his shift didn’t end until nine—not that he was complaining. He kept checking his savings account balance online, along with the rental property sites. Not long now, and he’d be able to afford a place of his own. Sev had promised he could continue working at the restaurant until a marketing job came up, but the job market was looking pretty poor right now. So many graduates on his course had no job at all. Alex counted himself
so
lucky.

“Alex, when your shift finishes, can you come to my office, please?”

Alex looked up in surprise. Sev’s expression gave nothing away, so he gave him a brief nod of agreement. Then Sev was gone, leaving Alex to rack his brains as to why he wanted to see him.

“What’s that about, I wonder?” Vittorio said, standing in the doorway, jacket slung over his shoulder.

Alex shrugged. “Not a clue.” He glanced warily at Vittorio. “You still speaking to me?”

Vittorio laughed, and Alex let out a sigh of relief. He’d been concerned Vittorio might have taken it badly. “Yeah, sure,” Vittorio said with an affable grin. “To tell the truth, it was funny.” He winked at Alex. “How was your stalker tonight?”

Alex laughed. “He’s not my stalker!” He suddenly had an idea. “Maybe you can help me with something.”

Vittorio shrugged. “Anything. Ask away.”

“What do you know about Leo Hart?”

There was a moment’s pause, and then Vittorio grinned. “Ahh, so it’s
Leo
now, is it?”

Alex mimicked Vittorio’s nonchalant shrug, but he knew he was blushing. “He asked me tonight to call him Leo,” he said defensively.

Vittorio smirked. “From where I was standing, it looked to me like he likes you. A lot.”

Alex’s heart hammered inside his ribs.

“I
have
got that right, haven’t I, Alex? You
are
gay?” Suddenly Vittorio’s face paled beneath his tan. “Oh fuck, have I got this all wrong?”

Alex’s eyes flickered up to meet Vittorio’s anxious gaze. Vittorio was clearly worried he’d offended Alex. Alex guessed his homophobe-o-meter was working after all, ’cause it hadn’t even flickered.

“Yeah, I’m gay,” Alex admitted. It was a relief to finally be able to say the words. Vittorio let out a relieved sigh. “But… are you sure about Leo? I mean….” He didn’t know how to continue. Maybe he had his answer as to why Leo kept coming back. Only thing was, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

Vittorio’s eyes were on Alex. “Oh, he’s interested, all right.” Suddenly he let out a chuckle. “Well, whaddaya know! Looks like Pietro finally gets to work with someone who bats for the same team.”

Alex’s mouth dropped open.

Surprise flared in Vittorio’s eyes as Alex met his gaze for the first time. Then Vittorio’s expression softened. “It’s okay, Alex. Nobody around here will give a damn that you’re gay. We’ve known about Pietro for years. He puts up with a lot of stick, though, being the only gay guy on staff.”

Alex sighed. It wasn’t so much people finding out he was gay that worried him, although it was a relief knowing he could be himself around his work colleagues. No, what made him cautious around new people was wondering how they’d react if he let them know the sort of things that went on inside his head.

“You asked about Leo,” continued Vittorio. Alex nodded. “Up until a few years ago, he used to come here a lot with this other guy, Gabe, who was really nice. They were obviously a couple. Talk about loved up. But then….” Vittorio hesitated a second or two before continuing. “Gabe got hit by a car one night in the city center. The driver was drunk. Gabe never stood a chance.”

Alex was horrified. Leo must have been devastated. Although he didn’t know Leo that well, his heart ached for the pain Leo must’ve gone through, losing someone he loved in so horrific a fashion.

Vittorio was watching Alex closely. “To be honest, we’ve hardly seen him since then. He’s popped in now and then, although nothing like as often as he used to. Sev was getting really worried about him, so we were all relieved when he turned up again.” Vittorio gave Alex a keen look. “But since he saw you….”

Alex felt a shiver run down his spine. “What?”

Vittorio blinked several times in quick succession. “He looks human again.”

Alex didn’t quite know what to make of that comment. He glanced up at the clock. Twenty minutes left until he found out what Sev wanted.
Sigh
.

L
EO
sat in the office at the club, gazing at the small photo frame in his hands. Gabe’s smiling face stared back at him, Leo seated behind him, arms wrapped around him. Happy days. Leo exhaled slowly, his mind on what he was about to do. It felt like such an unbelievably huge step.

“Wish me luck, babe,” he whispered to the face in the photo. He traced the outline of Gabe’s face, lifted the photo and kissed it before placing it in the desk drawer and closing the drawer firmly. He took a deep breath.

Time to move on.

A
LEX
knocked on the door to Sev’s office on the first floor and then walked in—and stopped dead in his tracks. Sev wasn’t there, but Leo was, seated in Sev’s big leather-padded chair. Alex’s face must have betrayed his shock.

Leo stood up and came around to his side of the desk. “Good evening, Alex.” He leaned back against Sev’s desk, his eyes on Alex’s face.

Alex’s brain couldn’t compute what Leo was doing in Sev’s office.
What the
…?

Leo smiled. “Your boss let me use his office for a moment. I didn’t want to do this downstairs in the restaurant or with any of your colleagues around.”

Do what
? Alex’s brain was making frantic leaps, trying to connect the dots. He waited for Leo to speak, to give him more information. Leo’s brain was clearly having issues of its own. The tall, confident man appeared
nervous
.

“Alex, I… I’d like to take you out to dinner tomorrow night.”

Oh. Fuck. Leo was asking him on a date. Alex’s body switched to its default setting: he froze.

He wanted to say yes. He was
dying
to say yes. But as a cold wave of fear rolled through him, Alex realized it wasn’t that easy. He’d never been on a date in his life. And as for dating a man…. Alex didn’t have a fucking clue what to expect. What seemed like a million thoughts raced through his brain. Leo was older than him, had more experience than him…. What if Alex disappointed him? Leo might have an inkling Alex was inexperienced, but he’d probably assume that Alex wasn’t still a virgin.

He couldn’t do it.
Couldn’t
.

“I… I’m sorry, Leo, but… I’m working tomorrow night.” The lie rolled easily off his tongue. Suddenly, he was aware of those eyes on him, coolly appraising him.

“No you’re not. I checked.” There was the merest hint of amusement in that rich, deep voice. Alex’s heart stuttered.
Damn Sev
. Leo’s next words confirmed his worst suspicions. “Sev was very helpful. In fact, he gave me your work schedule for the next month.”

So many emotions vied for pole position in Alex’s head right now. Outrage that Sev had done this without mentioning it. Astonishment Leo had even
thought
of doing it. And one more: shock. Leo wanted to know his days off for the next month? This was obviously not going to be a one-off.

“Are you going to make me wait for your answer? Do you need time to think about it?”

Alex heard the faintest nuance of anxiety in Leo’s voice. His would-be date wasn’t as confident as he appeared, it seemed.

“I… I have to help out at home,” Alex said, although he was cursing himself even as the words slipped out. Christ, Leo must think he was a real loser.

Leo moved closer to him, and all of a sudden, Alex was aware of the heat from his body. It made his head swim. He was unable to keep in the small intake of breath as Leo took Alex’s hand in his. Alex’s immediate reaction was to jerk away, but that would’ve been incomparably rude. He decided to bear it, just a little while longer. But he couldn’t make the decision to say yes. No fucking way. That was a step just beyond his reach.

Leo’s head tilted down toward him, and Alex could feel his warm breath on his face. “Say yes, Alex. It’s just dinner.” The words were whispered, intimate.

Alex was in agony. Oh, he
so
wanted to tell him, “
Fuck yes
!” But he couldn’t bring himself to get the words out. Why was he so crap at making decisions? It… was… just… dinner.

Leo’s next words sent a torrent of calm surging through him. “I’ll pick you up outside the restaurant, tomorrow night, 7:00 p.m.”

It was clear it wasn’t a request. Leo had decided. End of story. But oh, the fucking
relief
that he’d taken that decision away from him. Alex took a calming breath, and Leo’s reaction showed Alex he’d noticed. Who was he kidding? Alex was beginning to think the man noticed
everything
.

“What… what do I need to wear?” Alex stammered. Important to know these things.

“Casual will be fine, Alex.”

Leo also seemed to be breathing more easily, and for a brief second, Alex pondered on what he’d learned from Vittorio. Had Leo even dated since Gabe’s death? Could that be the reason for his nerves?

Finally, Leo released Alex’s hand, albeit seemingly reluctantly, and Alex relaxed a little. “Until tomorrow night, then.”

Alex’s eyes fluttered upward to take in Leo’s expression. The man was smiling. Alex lowered his gaze, keeping his features straight, but inside he was a writhing mass of nerves. He was going on a date… with Leo Hart.

Alex was suddenly conscious of Leo’s amused grin, as if the man was able to see his thoughts. Christ, he hoped not.

Leo stepped toward the door of the office. “Good night, Alex.”

“Good night… Leo.” And then Leo was gone, and Alex was trying to get his head around what had just happened. He still didn’t have a clue what the following night would bring, and to be honest, he just wanted to get home to the sanctuary of his room where he could think about it clearly. What was he going to wear? Where would Leo take him? And more importantly, what did he tell his parents?

He gave a snort. That one was easy. Fuck all.

Five

“Y
OU
’
RE
still not sure about this, are you?”

Leo looked up from his perch on a stool at the club bar. Thomas was standing beside him, head tilted to one side. The older man was dressed for his stint as Dungeon Master, and he looked the part: black leather trousers, black harness, a single ring on his finger. Thomas might be fifty-five, but time had been kind. He was a really good-looking man, and Leo frequently caught admiring looks aimed in his direction. The subs adored him. Thomas had trained many of them before matching a lot of them to Doms who met their needs.