Spark & Stone - Ch. 22

Chapter Twenty-Two - A Secret You Already Know

Aidan was pretty happy with how things were going, for now, as for someone like him, they could not have been better. He had tried to think of himself as being completely self-sufficient, at least after leaving home and going to live on his own.

But it wasn't fair to deny how nice it felt to go back to Heathcliff every day. The man always waited for him with a nutritious and delicious meal, a hot shower, and even hotter sex. Well, maybe he was a bit salty about the fact that Heathcliff was still not letting him top, but seeing how much he enjoyed himself as things were, he could not complain.

Was it the right thing to rely so much on someone? He liked to think that things were under control. He did this because it was convenient, and Heathcliff was involved for the exact same reason.

So, everything would, somehow, reach an end. He had no idea when that would happen and what it would mean, but it was clear as day that it was as good as a sort of vacation. Seeing how tough things were at work, the fact that he could enjoy such reprieve in Heathcliff's arms was a good thing, and he should take advantage of it while it lasted.

Who knew when he would have the occasion to have sex with a handsome man like that, who was also considerate, kind, and also so amazing in bed? Aidan would think about complete self-reliance later. For now, he enjoyed all the help he got.

And it wasn't only because Heathcliff was teaching him about sex and how to eat right. It was good for his mental health. He had no idea how others did it because it sometimes felt like everyone was perfectly fine with being entirely independent and not needing anyone.

At least, that was the image they liked to project. He had an inkling that it wasn't the case with everyone, as he had distinctively heard two of his colleagues gossiping about a third who, 'of course could put in the extra hours, with a spouse at home doing all the chores and waiting with a hot meal', their words, not his.

In a way, he was like that colleague of his. Heathcliff was as close to a spouse as he could be. Well, that was definitely a very alluring thought, but Aidan needed to get a hold of himself. That was not how things were.

Things were ... They were just friends of sorts, he liked to believe. For weeks now, they had been sharing the same space, and, with time, Aidan had transferred some of his clothes and other stuff he needed to Heathcliff's house, and he had to wonder whether he should have still paid rent where his official address was. Some days, he didn't go there even once.

Of course, he still had to pay rent. He shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? One way or another, they would part ways, and Aidan needed a safety net. Not that having a rented place somewhere could count as that. What he needed more than anything was an emotional safety net, and they didn't carry that kind of stuff at Walmart. That was something that had to be homemade, and his DIY skills were close to zero.

With a sigh, he pulled another folder from the stack in front of him. He was about to start his usual tedious task of filing information no one needed when the door to the big kahuna's office opened, and his assistant walked stiffly to where Aidan sat.

For a couple of seconds, Aidan stared at her nervously. What did she want? She could use the phone if the big guy wanted him for some reason. The woman studied him with something akin to curiosity mixed with something else in her spectacled eyes and then began talking in a hushed whisper.

"The boss wants to see you, Aidan."

Those were her words, but Aidan somehow knew, from her conspiratorial tone, that they actually meant: You're in deep trouble. How he knew such a thing was a mystery even to himself, but he had been told on occasion that he could read some people.

"Right now?"

"Yes," she replied quickly and looked to her right, then to her left, as if she wanted to make certain no one was listening to their conversation.

The office was far from empty at that hour. The enthusiasm for putting in extra hours caused by the potential evaluation had waned a little, but half the squad was still hard at work. That meant that plenty of ears were standing straighter than a Doberman's that very moment. His summoning to the boss's office would not go unnoticed. Most probably, the boss's assistant knew that well. So, all in all, the hushed voices and pretenses that no one could tell they were talking about something important were all part of a charade.

Sometimes, Aidan wished he would have the guts to go ahead and tell these people some shocking truth right to their faces. Then, hopefully, he might witness the hypocritical masks slipping, and he would get to learn who the real people were underneath those travesties.

"All right," he said and got to his feet.

The assistant added nothing else and turned on her high heels, with Aidan following closely. What could that be all about? It could be either very bad or very good. The big kahuna didn't do in-between well. He thought that to be a great trait of his personality. Aidan had a different take on it. A creative department could have used less rigidity. Although Aidan could appreciate the advantages of discipline, in certain circumstances, it could also prevent people from speaking freely.

He waited for the assistant to let him enter. His boss was at his desk, his fingers steepled in front of him, and, as usual, his glare was impenetrable. It could mean several things, and Aidan could only hope the man would not start shouting the moment the assistant closed the door. His stomach did funny flip-flops when someone was loud suddenly and for no reason.

"Spark," his boss finally said.

Fortunately, in a steady tone, not overloaded with unnecessary decibels.

"Sit," came the command.

Aidan sat right away.

"Here," the man flexed his fingers as if he had kept them that way for a long time without moving, and then pushed toward him a folder.

More things to file? Great, Aidan thought with an internal mental roll. He took it and looked inside. His eyes grew wide, and he could not keep from grinning.

"Those are some sexy numbers, Spark," his boss said, now louder than before.

"They sure are, sir," Aidan replied, with unhidden satisfaction.

His boss made a small gesture, cutting the air with one fist. "That's the kind of graphs I want to see. Erect, beautiful."

The man's choice of words was a bit funny if he thought about it. His boss turned in his chair, steepling his fingers again and looking away from Aidan. It appeared as he was looking out the window now, and Aidan could not even see his profile completely.

"I'm wondering, though. How come Heathcliff Stone is so well behaved?"

Aidan felt a sudden uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. "Well, the deal is good for him. As for well behaved, it was only a few weeks ago that he tried to throw an orgy at his house."

"Yes, I remember. How did that go, Spark? Did you have to hunt down naked men around his house?"

Aidan gulped. "No, sir. Mr. Stone's guests were civil. I didn't have to use force of any kind."

"Mr. Stone," his boss said, and somehow the way he spoke sounded mocking and annoying. "Is that how you address him?"

Aidan paused. What was that all about? Frantically, he began searching his brain for an answer that sounded right. He decided for some honesty. "We're mostly on a first name basis, sir. Since I have to spend so much time with him, he insisted that we should drop formalities."

"And are you comfortable with that?"

His boss was up to something. He could tell. What it was, that was not easy to guess.

"Yes. Why shouldn't I be? We're only eight years apart, and he's not crazy about talking formally, anyway. With anyone," he added quickly.

"True," his boss admitted with a short nod. "Is he an easy person to be around?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

With calculated moves, his boss fiddled with another folder on his desk, and, after what looked like moments of deliberation met with extreme wariness from Aidan's part, he finally opened it. With the same hesitation, he turned it toward Aidan.

There were pictures. Of him and Heathcliff. He held his breath, and stopped himself in time, as he wished to reach for the folder and check to see if there were any racy ones. But his boss was staring at him, like a hawk at its prey, even if he didn't look up to know that. He could feel it like a small laser dot set on him, ready to fire.

The picture on top of all was of him and Heathcliff at a restaurant. They had both agreed on being cautious about PDA manifestations, so nothing incriminating was there. But what about the others? Until proven guilty, Aidan decided to play it cool.

The shot had been taken from a fair distance, so the image was a tad blurry. Yet, Aidan found it strange to look at himself and the man he was sharing a bed and many other things with, from this side of the fence. It made him feel somewhat vulnerable and anxious. That was how some celebrities had to feel when paparazzi took pictures of them at the beach when vacationing privately. This felt, without a doubt, like an invasion of privacy.

Even if they weren't touching, or doing anything else that could qualify as a breach of contract, they were clearly happy in that picture. They were smiling at each other, their heads leaned towards the small empty space between them as if they were trying to reach for something they both wanted.

"I often have lunch with him," Aidan said, hoping his voice didn't sound as unnatural and stiff as it seemed to his ears.

"Please look at the rest," his boss encouraged him.

He pretended to be a bit surprised, but he began browsing through the content of the folder, slowly, with measured gestures, so that he didn't appear too impatient. The candid shots offered nothing that could make him worried. The person taking the pictures hadn't gained access inside Heathcliff's house, so there was no actual reason to consider himself in danger in any way.

"What is this all about?" Aidan questioned, measuring his words, beat by beat.

He waited, although his boss appeared to ponder on what to say next. Maybe it was some strategy to have him babble some inconvenient truth. Aidan had no intention to fall for such an easy scheme.

"Rumor has it that Heathcliff Stone found someone."

Aidan remained silent. If his boss wanted to tell him something, he should go ahead and say it, loud and clear.

"Is it true?" his boss set his hawk-like eyes on him.

"Not that I know of," Aidan replied while addressing a quick, guilty apology towards his mom and dad who had taught him not to lie.

Technically, he wasn't lying. Heathcliff had stopped teasing him - not that it served to prevent or decrease the rhythm of his falling for the guy - and that meant that his mentioning of having someone special during his livestream that time could be overlooked as a joke.

"All right. So, it was a ruse of his," his boss said, apparently mostly to himself, as his eyes moved away from Aidan. "What do you feel about homosexual people, Spark?"

"What do I ...?" Aidan lost his voice and coughed.

"You can be candid with me. Although," his boss looked sharply at him, "I must warn you that I could not tolerate even the slightest sign of homophobia in this office."

"Homophobia?!" Aidan shouted this time. "Did I somehow come across as ... Sir, I don't understand!"

The man waved as if he wanted Aidan to chill and be at ease. "It's nothing you said or did. We are more than happy with how well you keep Heathcliff Stone in check. And the results," he tapped on the folder with the graphs on his desk, "speak for themselves. And for your performance, of course."

"If it's nothing I said or did," Aidan tried to choose his next words carefully, "then did anyone else say or do something that made you think of my having something against gay people? The fact that I get along with Mr. Stone ... Heathcliff so well should be proof enough that -"

His boss put up one hand to stop him again. "I am asking this because what I will tell you next is both confidential and delicate. You see, Spark, a lot of people might make it look like they're okay with various categories of people." The man looked to the ceiling, as if some speech whisperer was there, giving him cues on how to choose his words or express them.

Aidan followed with his eyes and then shook his head. "That might be, sir, but that's not me. I do not pretend I like Heathcliff Stone."

He almost bit his tongue as soon as the words left his mouth.

His boss continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "You see, your taking our precious marketing asset to restaurants and other places where he might like to hang out may look harmless to you, but not to everyone else. Some people might interpret it as a sign that something is going on between you and him."

Aidan could feel his hands getting cold, and an unpleasant squeeze roiling his gut. "Nothing's going on," he said, his voice low and hesitant. "It's a business relationship, nothing else."

"Of course." His boss just nodded. "So here comes the delicate situation I wanted to talk to you about. You're okay with Heathcliff Stone, as long as you two are mere acquaintances that happen to get along. But what if I told you that some tabloids might say otherwise? Would your hidden homophobia rear its ugly head then?"

"What hidden homophobia?!" Aidan was rightfully scandalized right now. Even if he weren't gay, just having someone blame him of such a thing was appalling.

"You might not know about it until someone starts talking about you being in a homosexual relationship with another man." His boss pointed at him as if Aidan could suddenly grow horns and begin spouting homophobic bullshit. "Speak clearly. Would you feel offended, or attacked in the very core of your masculinity, if such a thing happened?"

Aidan remained speechless for a full couple of seconds. He could not blurt out at his boss that he was gay, as it seemed a bad idea, but the man's logic was making him beyond astonished. "I would not feel offended. Nor attacked in my masculinity, or whatever," he babbled.

"Are you sure?" His boss leaned over the table and looked squarely at him.

"Yes, I'm sure. Definitely," Aidan said quickly.

"Good." The man leaned back into his chair and threw another look at the ceiling. "Then you'd be okay with certain publications presenting you as Heathcliff Stone's secret lover, and that special someone that he talked about a few weeks ago."

Great. Aidan swallowed with difficulty. He had told Heathcliff to stop teasing him, and now his boss wanted to do it, and with the same thing. "It would be a lie, sir," he pointed out. "I am not Heathcliff Stone's special someone."

"Details, Spark." His boss rocked in his chair, causing a tinny, irritating sound. "It's good for us if Heathcliff Stone appears as someone with serious intentions about getting hitched."

Getting hitched. Surreptitiously, Aidan pinched the back of his left hand. Somehow, that morning, he must have failed to wake up and now he was walking in a dream. "I would not lie, sir," he said as sternly as he could. "If asked -"

"You don't have to do anything." His boss stopped him. "We just need to know if you mind it."

We. What did his boss mean by that? How many people were in on this? Aidan felt uneasy. Even if he were to admit he was gay, that would not make the situation more manageable. Because, as gay as he was, he wasn't Heathcliff's special someone, and no one was getting hitched.

"I don't mind it, but I don't see -"

"These pictures will get published, eventually," his boss said as he pointed at the other folder. "This works for us."

"Even if I'm someone from the company working with Heathcliff? Wouldn't that seem odd? Or, I don't know, against the company's policies?"

"Well, we don't encourage our employees to have non-contractual relationships with our business partners since their loyalties should be clear. We know that's not what's going on here, which is good for our peace of mind. As for what it's projected by media or otherwise, it's beyond our control. But if it works for us, it works," his boss said with finality. "I wanted to prevent an unforeseen reaction on your part. As long as you don't mind being talked by some tabloids as if you were Heathcliff Stone's lover, that's something we want to work with. Without anyone knowing, of course."

Aidan wanted to argue against that kind of logic. "I hope I don't have to speak to tabloids and all that."

"If they ever contact you, only two words should be left in your vocabulary when talking to them. No comment."

"Oh, I see."

"That's it, Spark. I'm glad you're not against this and that you're not homophobic. Also, it's a good thing that you're not, let's say, batting for the same team as our main marketing asset."

"Why is that?" Aidan couldn't control his mouth, ignoring his boss's efforts to sound hip for some reason.

"Because this is helpful for your career. If you had been homosexual, I would have never sent you to work with Heathcliff Stone. Instead, you would have probably shown good skills at filing reports and nothing else, as far as this particular contract was concerned, at least."

The good thing was that he hadn't blurted out the truth about his sexual orientation. Now he needed to keep it a secret.

"How would that have influenced ... things?" he dared to ask.

"I don't need drama in my office," his boss said, puffing out his chest. "Plus, it would have made me questioned your loyalty towards the company. Heathcliff Stone is a true charmer, or so I heard. He would have seduced you, without a doubt. Just to be sure," the man seemed to ponder for a second, "where are you on the Kinsey scale, Spark?"

"Nowhere near being in danger of any kind from Heathcliff Stone, sir," Aidan lied without one ounce of hesitation this time.

"Good." His boss slammed his hands against the desk, startling Aidan, like usual. "This could be the opportunity you have been looking for."

"About the promotion -" Aidan tried to interject.

"We'll see later about that. But you almost have it in the bag, Spark. Dismissed."

Aidan stood up and walked out of the office in a daze. On one hand, he should have been happy. He was finally close to the promotion he was hoping for. But, on the other hand ... What the hell was his boss thinking? Heathcliff was as family-friendly as possible, as things were. There was no need for such a charade. Should he tell Heathcliff about it? After all, the tabloids might not follow him and pester him with questions, but it was as clear as day that they would do that with Heathcliff.

***

Unlike other times, when he had no issues with driving straight to Heathcliff's house, Aidan took a longer route and watched warily for signs of paparazzi on motorbikes and whatnot at every stop. He was foolish that he was suddenly so afraid that he could make the subject of some juicy gossip, worthy of getting printed on ordinary paper that could have had better uses. But that was happening, even if only by association. Damn, couldn't some B-list celebrity have their sex tape leaked so that he could breathe right now?

As he sat in front of the door, waiting for Heathcliff to open, as usual, he stole nervous glances around him. But it looked like the street was deserted at that hour, and there were no paparazzi armed with the latest technology to snap photos of him while hidden in the beautiful rhododendron bushes populating the neighbors' lawn. Also, the air didn't buzz with the mechanical sound of drones floating nearby. Clearly, he was getting paranoid, and it was not something easy to deal with.

"Hey," Heathcliff was all a smile in the door, "are you a little late? I feel like I've been waiting for you for -"