Men of London 05 - Cross to Bare (8 page)

“Thank you so much for seeing me,” Brook said. “I wanted to apologise personally to you for Keith’s behaviour and assure you that the company certainly doesn’t think the same way he does.” He grinned wolfishly and at that sexy sight Lenny’s heart gave another stutter. He’d seen that look before when Brook was fucking him.

Shit, shit, shit. Stop with the damn sex stuff.

“So,” Brook leaned down and opened his briefcase, drawing out a file. “I took the liberty of drawing up an explanatory proposal based on your last meeting with my team. I made sure to reflect your offer of ten percent as well, although I’m not sure we need that much based on what I’ve seen of your business accounts so far. You run a very tight and profitable ship here. Perhaps we can see if this is more to your liking?”

He pushed the folder across the desk, sat back and waited.

Leslie stared at Lenny, his expression one of pure dread. His face mirrored what Lenny was feeling on the inside and hoped Leslie’s expressive face didn’t give rise to any curiosity on Brook’s part.

How long can I keep up this bloody voice? And when he looks into my eyes, he’s going to know. They aren’t your usual shade and he’s stared into them often enough.

Lenny got a lot of compliments on his eyes, especially when he highlighted them with mascara; a deep shade of aqua, they were a standout. Other than his dick and arse, Brook had been enamoured with them.

Leslie was fidgeting nervously, staring anywhere but at Brook. Lenny took a deep breath and levelled his eyes at Brook, pitching his voice higher then picking up the folder lying on his desk. He looked down at it, glad of the excuse to leave that chocolate-brown gaze behind.

“Thank you. I’m very appreciative you took the time to do this.” He didn’t want to say too much because his natural voice was low and husky. If he said any more, he had a feeling he’d fuck it up.

Brook’s face creased in a frown and he stared at Lenny intently. Lenny ignored it, along with Leslie’s sudden hiss of breath, and carried on pretending to read the proposal. In truth, Lenny couldn’t see anything, only a blur of words. He tried to concentrate and made thoughtful nods now and then to show he was considering the document. He felt the curious gaze on him as he pseudo-read.

Then the silence was broken. “Excuse me for asking this, but do I know you from somewhere?” Brook leaned forward and his stare became more focused. “I have this feeling we’ve met before.”

Lenny swallowed and waved a hand. “No, I don’t think we’ve met before. I think I’d recognise you.” He cleared his throat and stared fixedly down at the desk. His insides churned and he’d never felt so nauseous. Not even when he’d eaten some bad chicken in Honk Kong one business trip and coughed his lungs up.

“Huh. I guess so.” Brook smiled and sat back. Both Lenny and Leslie breathed a sigh of relief. “So what do you think of the proposal? Do you think it might better meet your requirements?”

Lenny nodded desperately. It was an extremely generous offer and he’d be an idiot not to take it. He needed time to recover himself. “It gives me something to think about, certainly. Can you leave it with me and I’ll get back to you?”

Brook looked a little nonplussed. “Well, of course I could do that. Don’t you want to discuss it now then? Do you have any questions?”

Yes. How the fuck did I get myself into this situation?

Lenny made a humming noise, an inane sound that made him wince. “I’m really not feeling very well at the moment, sorry. Perhaps we can reschedule this meeting?”

Brook stood up, his face concerned. “You do seem a little out of sorts. Maybe some water might help?” He reached over and picked up the water jug on Lenny’s desk, and poured a glass into a tumbler next to it.

With shaking hands, Lenny reached out for it, trying to smile as he did so but his face felt frozen, so who knew what it looked like—the Joker gone wrong perhaps.

“Thank you, that’s sweet of—oh, thundershit. Fuck it.”

The glass had slipped from his hands and spilled all over the desk, and all over Lenny, ice cold water flooding his crotch. It was Leslie’s soft shriek of horror that alerted him to what he’d done. In his flustered state, Lenny had completely forgotten to use the higher-pitched voice for those last few swear words. He’d also uttered his catchphrase swear word, and Brook no doubt would recognise it. He’d had said it often enough, even in bed when writhing beneath his magnificent, sweaty body. He looked straight up and met a startled gaze, one that was slowly turning to disbelief.

Resigned, his gaze locked on confused brown eyes as he knew with dread in his heart that he’d definitely been rumbled.

There’s no getting out of this one.
The thundershit has hit the fan.

“Lenny?” Brook’s stunned face made him wince. Leslie was sitting stock still, face pale, biting his bottom lip as he glanced between the other two men. Brook stood up, tension radiating from his wide shoulders.

“Leslie, would you mind leaving us alone for a minute?” Lenny’s throat was dry and his heart clamoured. Hell in a hand basket. At least he had his own voice back.

“Of course, boss.” Leslie stood up and shot him a sympathetic glance. He turned to Brook and fixed his vivid blue gaze on him.

“He’s still Lenny under there,” Leslie said softly. “Please remember that.”

With one last reassuring smile at Lenny, whose throat had tightened at the sincerity and caring in those words, Leslie left the room.

Once Leslie had left, gently shutting the door behind him, the two stared at each other. Lenny’s heart beat rapidly, his hands clammy. He had no idea why he was so nervous. After all, he was who he was and normally anyone who didn’t like it could fuck off. This was Brook though; it was different.

“Tell me.” Brook’s taut words broke the silence. “You want to tell me the hell why you tried to hide from me just now?”

Lenny closed his eyes briefly and opened them to see Brook’s face tight with fury, his eyes fierce. “I didn’t know how you’d feel about it. I wanted to tell you about Laverne at dinner on Saturday night when we met. Not have you find out this way.”

“So instead you thought you’d treat me like an idiot, put on that stupid high voice and play me for a fool? You didn’t trust me enough with the truth, no matter how I might have taken it?” Brook’s jaw clenched, the angry tic in it evident.

Lenny raised his hands helplessly. “I never meant to make you feel foolish. I didn’t think—”

Brook laughed harshly. “Oh, you got that right. You didn’t bloody think at all. Your employee seems to think I’m some sort of arsehole who’ll judge you badly for dressing up. Where the hell would he get that impression?”

Lenny swallowed. “I might have mentioned something to him you said a while back…” his voice trailed off at the incredulous look Brook gave him.

“What the hell did I say for you to think I’d be like that?” Brook levelled a stare at Lenny that, had it been a ball, would have thwacked him between the eyes and caused grievous bodily harm.

Lenny smoothed nervous hands down the front of his blouse, noticing how the other man’s eyes followed them, and his eyes narrowed at the gesture. He looked…a little distracted at seeing the boobs across Lenny’s chest.

“We were watching Ru Paul, remember? You said it wasn’t your cup of tea, and you wouldn’t want your man dressing up like a woman and put on display like that.”

Brook looked a little taken aback at the reminder. Some of the tension left his body as he ran a hand over his short black hair. “Well, yeah, I might have said that. I’m a pretty old-fashioned guy and you threw me a bit. Doesn’t mean I’d be a dick about someone who
did
like that sort of thing though. Each to his own and all that.” He scowled. “Is that why you blew me off? Because you thought I’d get all funny about it?”

Lenny had nothing else to say other than the truth. “Yes.”

The word hung in the air like a bad smell.

Brook nodded. “I’m disappointed in you. It might have been a bit of a shock to find out you were”—he waved a hand at Lenny—“Laverne, but it would have been my choice to figure things out. I’m not that much into the cross-dressing thing but—” His jaw clenched. “I really liked
you
.”

Lenny’s heart sank at the past tense. “I was going to tell you when we had dinner on Saturday night. I’d made up my mind already that whatever happened, I’d accept it. I really like you too.” If Brook noticed Lenny’s use of the present tense, he didn’t acknowledge it. Instead he leant down to pick up his briefcase. He stood observing Lenny for a moment then inclined his head.

“I’ll leave the proposal with you to have a look at,” he said quietly. His face was sad. “I’m still interesting in doing business with you as Laverne Debussy-Smith. I think it could be good for us both.”

Lenny’s throat burned. “But not interested in doing business with me in other ways,” he managed to get out. “Because of this.” He waved down his front and Brook shook his head.

“Not because of that. First because you broke up with me because you presumed you knew what I’d be like before you even gave us a chance. Then today, you lied to me about who you are. That doesn’t bode well for ‘resuming’ anything, does it?”

He turned to walk out the door. Lenny took a deep breath.

Here goes all or nothing.

“Wait.” Lenny moved around the desk to stand beside Brook. “When I saw you…I’m sorry I tried to pull the wool over your eyes. I panicked.” He raised his hands in frustration. “I didn’t want to tell you like this, here, in front of an employee. I thought if I could hide it for now, it would have been so much better telling you over a glass of wine and a good meal. Please let me still have that chance, with just the two of us. Then you can tell me how you feel about it, and I’ll be fine with whatever you have to say.”

Lenny held his breath as he waited for Brook’s reply. He held it so long, he felt his chest tighten. When Brook remained stoically silent, Lenny exhaled then added. “And to be clear—at dinner I’ll be Lenny, not Laverne. I don’t wear this persona out of work.” He hastened to qualify that statement with blabber. “Well, unless I’m at a fashion event where everyone expects her of course. Or out on the catwalk, talking to my prima donna models, or doing something else Laverney.” He winced at using that word but it fit. “But weekends and out of work and in bed, of course, although you know that already, I’m all Lenny.”

He saw the faint turn up of Brook’s mouth at the corners at that last comment and Lenny took heart in that small sign of forgiveness.

Then Brook nodded and Lenny’s heart gave a thump of relief. “Okay, let’s still meet for dinner. But I’d rather make it dinner at my place than a restaurant. It’s more private and we can talk. Can you come over for eight?”

Lenny nodded. “Of course. I’ll see you there then.”

Brook gave a curt nod then his lithe frame disappeared out the door. Once again, Lenny gave a sigh of relief. He’d barely had time to turn to go back to his desk to take another drink from his brandy stash when a fragrantly scented dervish came whirling into the room.

“Oh—my—God, that was epic—epically bad.” Leslie’s hands fluttered like flags in a gale. “How did it go? What did he say? Is he mad? He didn’t look that mad; he even had a teensy weensy smile. Is everything okay?”

“Leslie, my love.” Lenny’s head hurt. “Please shut the fuck up. I need a damn drink.” He plonked down into his chair, removed the brandy bottle from his drawer and took a swig from it.

Leslie regarded him with flashing eyes as he sat down in the visitor chair. “Tell me, damn it,” he snapped. “You don’t get to put me through that awful experience with that dreadful camp voice—I think I threw up in my mouth a bit, it was that bad—and then tell me to shut the fuck up.”

“I do actually,” Lenny said drily. “I’m your boss.” He took another swig from the brandy bottle and then passed it to his protégé. He gave a silent snigger, expecting him to knock it back and choke, but instead, he was left gaping at the sight of Leslie swallowing it down like a champion. When the bottle was passed back to him with a smirk, it was far emptier than it had been.

“I’m good at drinking and swallowing,” Leslie remarked slyly, no doubt seeing his look of disbelief. “And I happen to love brandy.”

Lenny raised the bottle towards him. “Touché, little one. Touché.” He drank deeply, and then put the bottle on the desk.

Leslie raised perfectly manicured eyebrows quizzically. “So?”

“We’re still having dinner on Saturday night, at his place.” Lenny murmured.

Leslie shrieked in glee.

Lenny winced. “It’s early days yet.”

Leslie shook his head vehemently. “He’s seen you as both people and still wants to have dinner. That’s a good sign.”

Lenny sighed. “I hope so. I don’t want to fuck this up any more than I have.”

“You didn’t fuck anything up.” Leslie’s tone was adamant. “To quote you, today was a major thundershit of a day which turned out better than expected.” He grinned as a cheeky smile lit his face. “He is damn hot though. I can see why you fancy him.”

“Yeah, he is.” Lenny agreed. “Now, chicken, perhaps you should leave my office and let me finish this day in some semblance of peace. I’m sure you have some shelves to pack, or some orders to process.”

Leslie stood up. “One word of advice. Please don’t
ever
use that horrible voice again. You sounded like a chipmunk on crack.” He gave a wicked smile and flounced out of the room, leaving Lenny wondering in bemusement what a chipmunk on crack might even sound like.

He contemplated the brandy bottle and then gave a sigh and tucked away the now half-empty bottle in his drawer. He had no desire to be pissed getting home on the tube tonight. The last time he’d done that, instead of getting home to his beautifully converted ground floor apartment in an old warehouse in Shoreditch, he’d ended up in Tower Hamlets, and that experience had been as scary as hell. He still didn’t have any idea how he’d ended up in the slummier part of the city. Luckily he’d not encountered any trouble and gotten out of there fast. No, he’d be a good lad and finish the day off in style. Then he’d go home and probably jack off thinking of Brook and bask in the thought that in a couple of days’ time, he’d be with him. Hopefully things would work out for the best. Or not. Lenny gave a mental shrug. One way or another he’d know whether he needed to move on.