Chapter 2: Distraction

WADE’S POV

By the time we got home from work, Pa had dinner set. After we showered, we sat down to eat, and my mind wandered back to my angel only to be jolted back to reality by Auden’s foot pressing on mine.

“Pa is speaking to you, moron,” he whispered.

“Wade, what has you distracted? You haven't touched your food,” Pa scolded.

I looked at my plate and for sure I had just been playing around with the spaghetti. “I’m tired, Pa. Nothing much. Your food is always delicious,” I responded hurriedly.

His piercing gaze made me look away and gobble down the meal in silence. My body burned with need every time I thought of my angel. Later that night, I sat by the window of my room, staring out at the night sky. I had always been attracted to men, but this angel made me burn. Sleep eluded me and I was up before Pa and Auden the next day.

Our drive to work was usually quiet, but Auden kept glancing at me in question. I sighed and muttered, “What the f*ck are you looking at, moron?”

He smiled and stated, “I thought I would never see the day that the mighty Wade Malkiel would have a crush. So, who is he?”

I turned to him in surprise and looked away feigning ignorance. “Crush? What the hell are you blabbering about?”

“You can lie to everyone, but as your best friend, I know that look. Are you going to confess or do you want me to investigate? It would be better if you just fessed up. It's the effortless way out.” He smirked.

“You are grasping at straws. I am just worried about work and our lazy boss.” The statement made Auden groan since we had reached the art gallery.

Hours later, the gallery manager's secretary informed me that I had been summoned to the office. Everyone’s surprised look made me worry. But I knew the lazy b*stard wanted to lash out at me as usual.

I walked into the office and he watched me in disdain. “Wade, do you know the mistake that you made?”

He was trying to intimidate me. I gave him an innocent look and responded, “No, sir.”

“You need to know your place. I want you to share all your ideas beforehand in all meetings related to the events.” His voice sounded threatening.

“Yes, sir,” I pipped in agreement. This man was a complete nincompoop. My eyes blazed in anger, and he must have seen this before I forced a fake smile.

“That will be all. You are dismissed.” He waved his hand to shoo me away.

“Thank you, sir.” I stood and walked out of the office. I needed a breather as I took the stairs down to the open garden in the gallery. Pacing up and down, I calmed myself. “Pa, you expect too much from me,” I internally said.

“Care to share your thoughts? Why did Mr. Winston summon you?” Auden had arrived at the garden.

“Our lazy boss wants me to give him all my ideas before any event or meeting. He wants to gag me and use my ideas to shine,” I said with displeasure.

The laughter that boomed from Auden evoked a smile. “What did you expect? You outshone him in the last meeting. And he is an old guy who does not want to keep up with the current art trends.”

“And yet Pa expects me to be humble and play nice. Auden, you know very well those two vocabularies are nowhere near my character.”

“Calm down, brother, you know why we need the job. We can't have Pa overseeing our business anymore. And bills are pilling, and he is growing old,” Auden reasoned.

“Yes, I know,” I responded.

We stood in silence for a minute and then I turned to him. “Thank you. What would I do without you?”

Auden nodded in acknowledgment as we walked back to the office.

Two days later, early afternoon, the manager rushed to the curator's office and announced, “Elaine Everette is here for a meeting about the gala dinner. I expect you to attend the meeting and be professional.” The last word was drawled out and he specifically stared at me. I knew what that meant. Be professional by keeping silent.

We all met in the meeting room and Elaine was enthusiastic as usual. Auden’s neck was already red from embarrassment especially when she greeted him by his name and smiled. It was the only thing that kept me sane in the meeting as I suppressed a smile from the way he was acting like a boy in love.

After the meeting was done, Mr. Winston instructed that I remain behind and clear the mess in the meeting room. I knew he was blocking any interaction I could have with Elaine. I finished cleaning up when the door opened and when I turned around my angel stood at the door.

He looked surprised to see me and I remained dumbfounded staring at him. He cleared his throat and was about to speak when we both heard Elaine’s laughter in the corridor. He turned around and left, whilst the door closed by itself.

I finally confirmed my feelings. I’m attracted to him. I pulled a chair and sat down since my legs felt wobbly. Shaking my head, I wondered if it was customary for feelings to be this powerful.

I made up my mind to try and spend more time around him to ascertain what I was feeling. Rushing out of the meeting room, I walked around the gallery but never caught sight of him. Giving up, I went back to the curator's office to work.

I’ve rarely slept since the first night I laid my eyes on my angel. Sleep eluded me again as images of his face haunted me after our second encounter. My body burned in need, and lust struck my core. Pa and Auden noticed my behavior change but I kept silent as I was not ready to delve into it.

Day by day, getting to the gallery early and leaving late, I hoped that I would get a glimpse of him but this did not materialize. But I remained hopeful since the gala dinner would have all the elite socialites in attendance. The event kept me busy and distracted as we planned every detail with Auden.

On the evening of the event, guests streamed in numbers. The abstract paintings of Gozo were the highlight of the evening. The guests seemed pleased and with that, I was content I had made the right choice. I could hear the gallery manager receiving all the praises of a well-organized event.

Feelings suffocated, I walked to the gallery balcony for some fresh air. The place was hidden and could only be accessed by staff, so I knew I would be alone.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the night air. I loved the smell of the sea and opened my eyes and stared at the garden. It was steeped in moonlight, the flowers and trees all seemingly asleep under the bright sky.

I finally felt calm, that is until the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I knew I was not alone. I turned around and leaning on the corner of the balcony was my angel. This was surreal. How long had he been standing there?

I took a step toward him, and he raised his hand to stop me. I smirked at him, and he laughed. The sound went straight to my groin. I took in his features. This time I was alert and not dazed.

His hair, his eyes, his nose, his cheekbones down to his collarbone. His silky hair shone under the moonlight giving him an ethereal look. I lingered on each feature before finally locking on his lips. I stared at his perfect mouth and his lips parted slightly as I felt his intake of breath. He smiled shyly under the soft moonlight and my breath hitched in my throat.

The world was spinning for just the two of us.

What was this? Lust or Love?

I wanted to take him right there. Shower him with kisses, press kisses all over his body until he writhed with pleasure. He must have read the desire in my eyes because he took a step back and shook his head motionless, with his deer-like, expressionless eyes that showed fear and uncertainty.

I was undeterred as I rubbed my lips with the meaning so clear. I would have him one way or the other. He looked back at me in shock, his nostrils flared, and he tilted his head sideways. His eyes racked my body from head to toe. I noticed that his eyes lingered on my crotch. My c*ck pressed hard against my pants and I was not going to hide it. I could see a blush rising on his cheeks and then the color of his neck changed.

He looked away and turned around, the view of his back made me stagger back. How could a man be this sexy? He was not helping the situation at all. I groaned out loud forcing him to turn around. Our eyes clashed. The feeling was mutual. We were both fighting for control. He raised his hand to signal he was leaving, and I had no choice but to nod in acceptance.

I was way over my head for sure as he left the balcony. Grinning like a fool, I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes in bliss. Willing my body to calm down and my hard-on to disappear, I spent an hour on the balcony. When I strolled back to the event, guests had already started leaving.

Auden spotted me and rushed over to whisper, “Where have you been? The gallery manager is looking for you.”

“I felt suffocated and when out for some air,” I responded.

“Are you okay? What's going on?” he asked in concern.

“I shall tell you later.” I finally had the confidence to confide in Auden about my angel.

We walked toward the gallery manager who was standing next to Elaine. She smiled when she spotted me and moved forward to greet us. “Wade, congratulations on your selection. I must say that the guests are incredibly happy. All the paintings have been sold for a high price.”

Auden nodded in appreciation while the gallery manager raised his eyebrows in a warning. “Thank you so much, Miss Elaine. But the credit goes to my boss, Mr. Winston. With his guidance, we were able to be successful.”

Auden’s suppressed laughter came out as a cough and Mr. Winston’s chest rose in a boastful way. “Thank you, Wade. You are a model employee.”

Looking at Elaine Everette’s face there was displeasure, but she managed a smile and said, “You all did a good job. Thank you so much for your support. My time is up. I need to find my brother so that we can leave.” She bid us farewell and left.

We remained standing waiting for Mr. Winston to speak but he just shook his head and waved his hand to dismiss us. Cleaning up the gallery took hours. I’m thankful the next day was a weekend we would sleep in and rest.

By 3 a.m. we had finished the cleanup and left the gallery for home. After a shower, we went down for dinner. Pa was asleep and Auden and I decided to have the meal in the backyard. Relaxing over a couple of beers, Auden finally popped the provocative question.

“Wade, it's time to fess up. What the hell is going on?”

“I met someone at the gallery. Auden, he impresses me. I don’t know his name or where he comes from. But every time our eyes clash, I want to have him, own him, and make him mine. And mind you, it's only the second meeting. The worst part is that I am scared he comes from the elite society.”

Auden knew how much I hated the elite society.

“F*ck, you are screwed. What are you going to do, Wade?”