great,” he said quietly, feeling privileged to be in on the ground floor of this outfit. “But your tie is crooked.” He set his briefcase down and straightened Sean’s tie and collar, and paused, his hands on Sean’s collar. Sean’s hands were full of his gift basket, so Zach did all the work, leaning forward and kissing him softly.
When he pulled back, they both smiled into each other’s eyes for a moment. “You’re going to do great,” Zach said, and Sean grinned.
“You already made it a good day!”
Ding!
Z ACH BROUGHT him coffee every morning that week. After that initial shock, he got used to knocking on the door and walking into various stages of chaos (the worst being when Sean’s alarm had failed to go off and the entire household was naked and running in six different directions. Zach had simply shouted “I’ve got your lunch and coffee!” and then sat down in the corridor until Sean emerged.)
Sean hadn’t been wearing anything exciting—just his basic teaching suit—but as he’d emerged from his apartment every morning, the smile on his face to see Zach waiting for him— that had been pure magic.
On Friday morning, the elevator opened to the lobby with Sean in full cry about his students, and the ones who were already troublemakers and the ones who were terrifyingly smart, and it wasn’t until the traitorous “Ding!” that they both realized that, per their usual custom, their time together was at an end.
Zach—as usual—gestured Sean ahead of him, but once they cleared the elevator, Sean turned around.
“This can’t be the end for the week,” he said, smiling, and Zach shrugged.
“It’s Friday—I’m usually late on Friday.”
“How late?” Sean’s eyes were anxious, and Zach ducked his head shyly.
“After I work out and everything, around nine or ten.”
Sean’s face lit up. “Make it nine thirty,” he said, taking charge, and Zach blushed.
“Should I come get you?” He dreaded thinking about that apartment in the evenings, but he’d do it.
“If you need to,” Sean said, and then he captured the back of Zach’s head with his hand and kissed him, hard and deep enough to make Zach open his mouth and moan, then pulled back. “You’re a little better at kissing, but we still need to work on it.”
Zach nodded dumbly, and he swallowed, knowing what this meant, but so, so ready for it. “I could really use more kissing lessons,” he said, hoping.
Sean’s smile was sweet, and it pulled up at the corner. “Well, I’d be willing to tutor you after hours.” He kissed Zach pertly and then pulled away. “But first, our day awaits.”
Zach almost skipped to work.
“And here’s your coffee,” he sang, putting Leah’s coffee and croissants on her desk. “And what do you have waiting for me?”
Leah looked at him apologetically and gestured to his office. Three people sat there, two middle-aged women in tears and a thin-faced young man looking close to tears himself. “Zach, it’s bad.”
Zach blinked. “Bad. Explain bad.”
“They run the school’s GSA. The kids asked for a list of books they could read—these guys got a list of books from their local YA librarian, and the parents complained. Bam! Yesterday morning, they get taken out of their classrooms.”
Zach blinked. “That’s….”
“Heinous. Yeah, I know. But there’s three of them, and Edward doesn’t get here for another hour. It’s you and them. I’ve rescheduled most of your stuff until Monday, and I’ll get Lori here to mind the phones while I go in and take notes, but baby, we’re talking a two-hour interview and all the shit that comes after.”
Zach sighed. “Well, enjoy your coffee,” he murmured grimly. “I’m going to go get pissed off.”
Leah surprised him with a giggle. “ That’s something. You know? A year ago, I would have said you don’t have it in you, but now? Kick ass and take names, kemosabe—I’ll just watch you work.”
And work he
When he pulled back, they both smiled into each other’s eyes for a moment. “You’re going to do great,” Zach said, and Sean grinned.
“You already made it a good day!”
Ding!
Z ACH BROUGHT him coffee every morning that week. After that initial shock, he got used to knocking on the door and walking into various stages of chaos (the worst being when Sean’s alarm had failed to go off and the entire household was naked and running in six different directions. Zach had simply shouted “I’ve got your lunch and coffee!” and then sat down in the corridor until Sean emerged.)
Sean hadn’t been wearing anything exciting—just his basic teaching suit—but as he’d emerged from his apartment every morning, the smile on his face to see Zach waiting for him— that had been pure magic.
On Friday morning, the elevator opened to the lobby with Sean in full cry about his students, and the ones who were already troublemakers and the ones who were terrifyingly smart, and it wasn’t until the traitorous “Ding!” that they both realized that, per their usual custom, their time together was at an end.
Zach—as usual—gestured Sean ahead of him, but once they cleared the elevator, Sean turned around.
“This can’t be the end for the week,” he said, smiling, and Zach shrugged.
“It’s Friday—I’m usually late on Friday.”
“How late?” Sean’s eyes were anxious, and Zach ducked his head shyly.
“After I work out and everything, around nine or ten.”
Sean’s face lit up. “Make it nine thirty,” he said, taking charge, and Zach blushed.
“Should I come get you?” He dreaded thinking about that apartment in the evenings, but he’d do it.
“If you need to,” Sean said, and then he captured the back of Zach’s head with his hand and kissed him, hard and deep enough to make Zach open his mouth and moan, then pulled back. “You’re a little better at kissing, but we still need to work on it.”
Zach nodded dumbly, and he swallowed, knowing what this meant, but so, so ready for it. “I could really use more kissing lessons,” he said, hoping.
Sean’s smile was sweet, and it pulled up at the corner. “Well, I’d be willing to tutor you after hours.” He kissed Zach pertly and then pulled away. “But first, our day awaits.”
Zach almost skipped to work.
“And here’s your coffee,” he sang, putting Leah’s coffee and croissants on her desk. “And what do you have waiting for me?”
Leah looked at him apologetically and gestured to his office. Three people sat there, two middle-aged women in tears and a thin-faced young man looking close to tears himself. “Zach, it’s bad.”
Zach blinked. “Bad. Explain bad.”
“They run the school’s GSA. The kids asked for a list of books they could read—these guys got a list of books from their local YA librarian, and the parents complained. Bam! Yesterday morning, they get taken out of their classrooms.”
Zach blinked. “That’s….”
“Heinous. Yeah, I know. But there’s three of them, and Edward doesn’t get here for another hour. It’s you and them. I’ve rescheduled most of your stuff until Monday, and I’ll get Lori here to mind the phones while I go in and take notes, but baby, we’re talking a two-hour interview and all the shit that comes after.”
Zach sighed. “Well, enjoy your coffee,” he murmured grimly. “I’m going to go get pissed off.”
Leah surprised him with a giggle. “ That’s something. You know? A year ago, I would have said you don’t have it in you, but now? Kick ass and take names, kemosabe—I’ll just watch you work.”
And work he
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