“Excuse me?” I asked, needing clarification that I even heard him right.
Maybe I was reading too much into his statement. Maybe he didn’t know Chase and I fucked each other silly too many times to count this weekend.
“Don’t play dumb with me young man. I know you corrupted my son into doing disgusting things.” His harsh words were like a slap in the face. “If you want to be the firm’s next partner, you will stay away from him.”
“There was nothing disgusting about what Chase and I did.” I stood up so abruptly the chair scraped against the floor and Burkett flinched. “And how would you even know about the love we have for one another?”
The man looked like he was going to keel over and die at my words. His face turned pale and his face drooped.
“Love?” He scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“It’s the furthest thing from ridiculous. I. Love. Your. Son.” I punctuated each word making sure to get my point across. I wasn’t for sale.
“That’s bullshit! Besides you won’t be able to love him from two thousand miles away after I transfer him to the New York office. After he and Jessica get married, he’ll be running it while making a real family with her.”
“Over my dead body,” I threatened. “How do you think your son will feel when he finds out about the ultimatum you’re giving me? Or about the fact that you’re sending him across the country to get him away from his gay lover?”
“Get out of my office. You’re fired,” he shouted with a red face full of twisted rage.
“Not until you tell me how you knew about Chase and me,” I demanded. I leaned against his desk on my fists and got in his face.
Normally a passive and respectful person, I just could not possibly sit back and let him belittle one man’s feelings for another. I was tired of dealing with closed-minded people and there was no way in fuck I was letting him keep me from Chase.
Before he could answer, not that I really thought he would tell me, his secretary’s voice came over the intercom. “Jessica Kramer is on line two for you.”
“Son of a bitch,” I swore under my breath. “Jessica fucking told you.”
Ignoring his secretary as well as his incoming call, Clayton stood up and faced off with me. “That fine young woman was heartbroken that you were trying to corrupt my son. She loves him and knew he needed to be saved.”
“More like she needed to be saved from losing him,” I corrected. “Did Miss Innocent bother to tell you she was getting fucked just as hard as Chase was this weekend?”
Clayton gasped in outrage and gave me a dangerous look. “You filthy, no good… I won’t listen to your lies.”
“What? Don’t like hearing about how I fucked Chase at the same time he was fucking Jessica? Or that the bitch had my cock in her throat while Chase’s head was between her legs? There’s no lie in that truth, Burkett.” I taunted mercilessly, completely past caring about propriety.
He pressed a button on his phone and said, “Get me security.”
“Don’t bother,” I said on my way to the door.
The handle turned while my hand was reaching for it and two beefy security guards halted my departure. Bastard must have had them on standby.
“Escort Mr. Davis here off the premises.” He straightened his suit jacket and sat back down in his chair; it was like he believed he was royalty sitting on his throne and we should all bow to him.
One of the men’s hands grabbed my bicep and I pulled it away. Storming to the elevator I jabbed the button harder than was necessary. This was not at all how I thought the day would turn out and my high from the weekend was completely obliterated.
The elevator doors opened and Chase stepped off the car. His face showed confusion closely followed by excitement at seeing me standing there.
“Trev—,” he began right before his father barked out from the doorway to his office, “In my office now son.”
Chase turned towards his dad and then back to me. “I’ll see you later?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” I grabbed his hand and stopped him from leaving.
“What does that mean?” He quirked his head to the side. Confusion back on his face.
“Your father knows.”
His eyebrows flew up and shock replaced the confusion. “Knows?”
“Now son. And get this piece of trash out of here,” his father demanded again. He seemed a little more desperate for Chase’s attention now that he knew for a fact I wasn’t going to slink away.
“Whoa. Trevor isn’t a piece of trash,” Chase defended and I was rather tempted to kiss him right then and there for it. Daddy dearest would just love that.
“Jessica told him, Chase.”
“Why would she do that?” he asked me incredulously.
“Because she doesn’t want us together. He’s going to send you to New York. He offered me partner if I stayed away from you.” I spoke quickly now that the elevator was open again and security was attempting to usher me inside.
“Wait. What?” Chase shook his head and tried to comprehend all that I was saying. Just as the door to the elevator was closing in front of me, he threw a hand in between them. “Get your fucking hands off him.”
“Mr. Burkett,” the one on my right tried to reprimand him, but Chase silenced him by putting his hand up. “Let. Him. Go.”
The two guards looked at each other, and I used their distraction as a chance to pry myself out of their grips. One made to grab me but missed as I broke free from the elevator and the doors closed on them.
Chase faced off with his father for a moment. He looked so sad that my heart started breaking for him. What a harsh reality to find out firsthand what a piece of shit your father was.
“Is this true?” Chase asked the man.
“Son—,”
“Don’t son me. Just tell me if what Trevor just said is true. Were you trying to get rid of me? Hide the fact that your son likes men? Are you that ashamed of me?” His voice cracked on the last question and I desperately wanted to comfort him.
When Clayton didn’t answer, Chase took my hand in his in a show of solidarity. “I don’t give two shits if you’re ashamed of me. You want to know why? Because I’m not only ashamed of you, I’m appalled by your actions. How can you stand there and judge who I want to spend my life with?”
“Jessica is the one you want to spend your life with,” his father corrected him.
“No she isn’t. She’s someone you told me to spend my life with. I tried to love her, but I just don’t. Not in that way. And now that I found Trevor you want to take him away from me? That’s not how a father should treat his son.”
“What are you saying? That you’d walk away from all this,” he gestured around the office and then pointed at me, “for him?”
Chase turned his body into mine and looked into my eyes. There was no hesitation, no conflicted emotions, just a peace I had never seen in him before. “Yes. For him.”
With his hands on both sides of my face, Chase leaned forward and kissed me. In front of everyone, he claimed me. Off in the distance I could hear cheers and clapping, but it hardly registered. The only thing I could focus on was the feel of his lips on mine.
“You’ll regret this,” his father spat before slamming his office door behind him.
“Unlikely,” Chase murmured against my lips. “Let’s get out of here.”
Several people wished us well and congratulated us as we waited for the elevator to arrive. They far outweighed the haters shaking their heads and talking behind their hands. Not that I cared what anyone had to say.
Chase was mine.
Officially fucking mine.
Hallelujah!
“Did that really just happen?” I asked once we were alone in the elevator.