Adrian closed the door, the heavy mahogany clicking shut, leaving Alexander alone with the ringing silence and the ghost of Adrian's tears. The CEO slowly walked back to his chair, staring at the two untouched coffees on his desk. He picked up the one he'd just taken a hurried sip from and set it down hard, the ceramic clattering against the wood.
'I am not gay, and I do not like you… You're timid, clumsy, and your looks are below average.' The words, uttered only moments ago with cold precision, echoed in his mind. He'd intended them as a shield, a final, brutal assertion of dominance to squash the dangerous question. Instead, he felt a sharp, unexpected pain where his conviction should have been.
He'd called Adrian's appearance "beneath average," a blatant, calculated lie. He'd been fixated on those deep grey eyes and the stubborn set of his jaw since they met. And "timid" and "clumsy"? Adrian had just stood toe-to-toe with him, tears and all, and given him an ultimatum.
