The Best

Chapter 2-3

Later that morning, a gorgeous blond sauntered in.

“Hello, darling,” the blond cooed, fluttering his impossibly long, mascaraed lashes. “I don’t remember seeing you before. Has Ransom been holding out on me?”

“No. How—”

“How long have you been here?”

“Since the beginning of the year. How may—” he tried once more.

“What’s your name, precious?”

“Rutledge. How may I—”

“Don’t be difficult, angel. Your first name.”

“Mr.”

“Fine. Be that way.” The blond pouted. “Well, whoever you are, I’m Wesley Dunlop. You’ve heard of me, yes?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t, Mr. Dunlop,” he admitted, and then asked in a rush, “How may I help you?” He didn’t smile in triumph; he was too professional for that…but he wanted to. He’d finally succeeded in getting the entire question out.

Dunlop frowned at him. “Are you sure you haven’t heard of me? The Observer had quite a nice article about me just this past Sunday.”

“Sorry, I only read the Charlotte Business Journal.” Which was a lie, but he’d known guys like this in the clubs, back when he went, who got by on their looks and expected everyone to bend over backward for them.

“If things weren’t so…” Dunlop’s expression became sour. “Tell Ransom I’m here to see him, precious.”

Parrish checked the list of people who had appointments to see Mr. Burke. “I’m sorry, you’re not—”

“I’m his boyfriend! Even if I’m not on that f*****g list, he always sees me!”

“I can’t—”

“You can!”

Before he could dial Mrs. Campbell to ask if this vision had been inadvertently left off the approved list, the man standing before him snapped.

“You just want him for yourself!”

“You’re very wrong, Mr. Dunlop.” Parrish thanked his lucky stars his complexion didn’t show every random blush. Of course he’d wanted Mr. Burke—what person with an eye in his head wouldn’t? For the first week he’d worked here, he’d had erotic dreams about his boss virtually every night, and every morning he’d wake covered in semen, because in those dreams he got to f**k one of the most powerful men on the eastern seaboard. But he’d gotten a grip, and he stopped himself from thinking of his boss in that way. “Mr. Burke doesn’t date his employees, so why would I be stupid enough to open myself to a world of hurt?”

“Are you calling me stupid?”

No, I’ m calling you blond. As tempted as he was to say those words, Parrish kept them locked behind his lips.

“You b***h! Tell Ransom I’m here or I’ll have you fired!”

“That’s certainly your prerogative, Mr. Dunlop. But I’m afraid you’ll need to make an appointment to do that.”

The blond shrieked—he literally shrieked—and Parrish pressed the button on the intercom that connected his office with Mrs. Campbell’s.

“Yes, Parrish?”

“A Mr. Wesley Dunlop wants to see Mr. Burke. However, although he’s not on the list, he insists there’s some error. Would you be able to clarify this?”

He could hear her sigh. “I’m on my way.”

“Thank you.” He took his finger off the button and looked up at the blond. “Mrs. Campbell will sort this out.”

Within two seconds she came striding out of her office. “Wesley. I must say I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Felicia, this…person…refuses to let me see Ransom! Be a sweetheart and tell Ran I’m here.” His tones had become honeyed.

“Didn’t you receive his roses?”

“Well, yes. And I wanted to thank him in person. Such lovely white roses, and they’re tipped with gold.” But he looked uneasy.

“If you got the roses, then you also got the note. Please leave now. You’re no longer welcome here, and I’d hate to call security to have you escorted out.”

“But he can’t break up with me like this! It was just a kiss!” Dunlop’s tone had taken on a decided whine.

“His terms are very explicit, Mr. Dunlop. He expects monogamy, and in return he will give it.”

Dunlop’s shoulders slumped. “But it was Valentine’s Day. How could he tell me he couldn’t see me? And besides, it was just a kiss. It didn’t even mean anything!”

“I’m sure. Perhaps the gentleman you kissed will console you.” She patted his shoulder, and said gently, “Good-bye, Wesley.”

He stamped his foot. “It’s not fair. It was just a kiss. Well, let me tell you this. Ransom Burke is going to be sorry he ever toyed with my affections.” He pivoted and stormed out of the office.

“Does this happen often, Mrs. Campbell?” Parrish asked once the blond had left.

“More often than Mr. Burke deserves, I’m afraid. I’m not telling tales out of school when I say our boss is a serial monogamist. His relationships before Wesley Dunlop—well, they could hardly be called relationships. None of them lasted more than a few months at most.”

A few months? That wasn’t a good track record. Parrish was relieved he wasn’t in love with the man.

“I didn’t realize Mr. Burke was gay. Prior to Mr. Dunlop’s arrival, you understand.” That was one of the reasons why he’d allowed himself to daydream about his boss. What harm could it do to fantasize over a straight man? “It doesn’t make any difference to me,” he hurried to assure her.

“Are you going to tell me some of your best friends are gay?” She frowned, and he was tempted to duck under his desk.

“No. I mean, some of the guys I knew in college were, but they weren’t really friends. And I’ve kind of lost track of them now anyway.” God, why was he rambling? “What I was going to say is that I’m gay, too.”

“Oh, dear. You’re not going to fall in love with him, are you? That happened with my last assistant, and it caused no end of trouble.”

“No, ma’am.” That must be the reason why the temp agency had been contacted.

Mrs. Campbell stared into his eyes before nodding. She seemed satisfied with what she saw. “As you know, Mr. Burke doesn’t date employees. He saw what happened when his father didn’t adhere to such a sensible policy.”

“What happened, if you’ll forgive my asking?”

“It nearly destroyed the company.”

Oh, wow. BB&H was a Forbes 500 company, and to have been brought that close to destruction…“I understand.” He also knew Mr. Burke was way out of his league, especially if the blond who’d just left was anything to go by. But a guy couldn’t be held responsible for his dreams, could he? “May I ask if he ever had a relationship that lasted longer than a few months?”

“He did. They were together for more than six years. Until the gentleman decided he wasn’t gay and married.”

“Oh, the man who got married on Valentine’s Day?”

Mrs. Campbell nodded.

“I feel sorry for his wife.”

“So do I.”

“Did…did Mr. Burke care about that man a great deal?

“Yes. I’m inclined to think that was why he started seeing men like Wesley Dunlop. There’s always a slight resemblance…”

“And how long has that been, if I may ask?” He wasn’t sure how much she’d be willing to reveal.

She sighed. “A little more than three years. That was a very unhappy Christmas for him.”

On Christmas? It seemed Mr. Burke had as little luck with that holiday as Parrish had.

“Mr. Burke always goes for blonds,” Mrs. Campbell was saying, “and sometimes they actually have more sense than to cheat on him. He states up front that he expects his partners to be monogamous.” She studied him thoughtfully. “I suppose you think that’s too severe a reaction to just a kiss.”

“No, ma’am. I broke up with two boyfriends for the same reason. It might have started as a kiss, but in both cases it escalated.”

“I’m glad you understand. And of course as soon as Mr. Burke learned of it—so many so-called friends are all-too-willing to pass on the information—he considered their affair ended.”

“What about the flowers?”

“He has a favorite florist he patronizes—Cupid’s Bow-quets. He has them take three dozen white roses and dip the tips in twenty-four karat gold—a parting gift, you understand—and then deliver them with a note that says—”

“Hasta la vista, baby?”

She chuckled. “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“I’m sorry I had to call in the big guns.”

“You’ll pick up on the way of it.”

Parrish certainly hoped so. Keeping Unexpected Visitors from Your Boss 101 had been one of his favorite classes, although a situation like the one he’s just experienced hadn’t come up anywhere prior to now.

His phone rang, and Mrs. Campbell said, “I’ll leave you to get back to work.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you again.”

She returned to her office, and he answered the phone. “Burke, Burke, and Hammett. This is Rutledge. How may I help you?”

And he put the day’s events out of his mind.