Eclipse - Chapter 17. I'm the Hunter, You're My Prey
Title: Eclipse
Author: CC
Story: In a love triangle caught in a complex web of power, lies, deception, hatred, and dark obsession, who will pay the highest price to find true happiness?
Rating: Rated R
Warnings: Graphic Sex, Non-Con
Pairing: Kradam
Disclaimer: This is purely fiction.
Word Count: 4210
Chapter 17. I’m the Hunter, You’re My Prey
Adam woke up to the sharp buzzing sound of his alarm clock. His head was still throbbing in pain. Was everything just a bad dream? His eyes gazed down at the clutter on his coffee table. The half empty food containers and the can of beer that Alex drank from, answered his question.
He hurriedly prepared to go to the office. Missing work yesterday already made him upset, he was not about to miss another one. After checking himself in the mirror, he felt satisfied that no one would be able to tell that he had just been through a dreadful experience. All the marks were well hidden under his clothes and the pain in his head had just remained a dull ache after taking his prescription. He left the house confident that he would get back to work without any incident.
Everything was going smoothly until he was inside the elevator. His heart started beating fast. His proximity to the scene of the crime was triggering a flashback of the sexual violation that he had suffered. He was not sure anymore if he could step inside his own office where it all happened.
As luck would have it, Allison again saved the day. Adam had forgotten all his fears when Allison barraged him with questions as soon as he stepped out of the lift. “Adam, where have you been? What happened? You better spill the beans, beau.”
His scripted reply of I’m sorry but I had a terrible headache. My phone died and I lost my charger so I couldn’t call to inform the office, did not get the chance to come out of his mouth as Allison stopped him from replying. “But before you tell me all the juicy details, you are being summoned to Mr. Kennedy’s office right about now.” Ally was pulling Adam by his wrist and leading him to the Boss’s office.
When Adam was given leave to enter the office, he went inside nervously. Adam headed to the conference table at the far end, sectioned off by large glass panels from the rest of the huge office. Alex was seated at the head of the table with Sutan on the other end. Brad and two other senior designers were occupying the seats along the sides with Brad seated to the left of Alex.
When Adam took the only remaining seat which was the one to Alex’s right and exactly opposite Brad’s, he felt that all eyes could bore holes onto his body by the way they were staring at him in shock. Adam knew that they were all wondering what a relatively new employee like him was doing in a senior staffs’ meeting. And the reason he knew was because he was wondering the same thing himself. Adam thought, Well, we would find out soon enough, won’t we?
Alex picked up his phone and spoke over the mouthpiece, “Miss Dioguardi, send Adam’s breakfast in. That simple seemingly innocent order raised a lot of eyebrows in the room.
Adam was about to protest when Alex started the meeting. “Good morning, gentlemen. I will be making quite a few changes in your assignments. I am currently trying to break into a new market and I am looking for someone with fresh ideas who will need to work with me constantly. I think Adam is the right person for the position.”
All at once the three senior designers gasped in unpleasant surprise and they could not hide the dismayed reaction on their faces. But they knew better than to voice out their disagreement. It was obvious that Alex did not call the meeting to get their opinion. A decision had been made and there was nothing anyone could do to change it. After all in Parris, Alex’s word was the law.
It was only Sutan whose poker face did not reveal any kind of reaction. Even Adam was in shock at what he heard and felt tremendously guilty for taking away this promotion opportunity that most of the senior designers had been eyeing for years.
Not in the least affected by the sudden tension that filled the room, Alex continued nonchalantly, “As my new assistant, Adam will occupy the office beside mine and Sutan will take charge of delegating Adam’s old projects to all of you. Thank you for your time. You may leave, except for Adam.”
Brad and the other senior designers kept a semblance of dignity as they quietly exited the office. Only Sutan made eye contact with Adam. And for the briefest moment, Adam saw a look of worry in his eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared.
“Congratulations, Adam,” Sutan said warmly with a smile that somehow failed to reach his eyes, and then he turned to Alex and said, “I’ll see to the immediate allocation of Adam’s projects as you requested, Mr. Kennedy.”
“Thank you, Sutan, and please make sure everyone knows that Adam will take direct orders only from me and no one else.” With a simple authoritative nod, Sutan was dismissed. And that was how Adam became inseparable from Alex. He brought him to all his business meetings, castings, photo shoots, and fashion shows where he got introduced to important people.
Alex became his mentor-showing him the ropes of how to run a business empire. He showed him the glamorous side of the business and the nitty gritty details of what actually happened behind the scenes. They ate their meals together, sometimes in the office, at times in exclusive restaurants, and at the end of the day, Alex always dropped him off at his apartment.
Adam felt really fortunate. After his traumatic experience, he only hoped for his life to attain some sort of normalcy. He did not expect that it would go beyond his expectations. All the traces of Billy’s violence had all but disappeared, including his nightmares.
He loved his work and the new knowledge he had been gaining from it. Aside from the great pay, he enjoyed a lot of benefits. Adam found it hard to believe that for every formal event he had to attend with Alex, a new designer suit was made for him, which was apparently deducted from what he could only surmise as a ridiculously extravagant clothing allowance. On top of everything his relationship with Kris was as strong as ever with regular communications on the phone. He could not wait to tell Kris in person about his new job.
Of course as with everything else, the good always came with the bad. The first few days of being Alex’s assistant had already revealed to him a lot about his boss. He was unarguably a brilliant businessman who would not settle for anything short of perfection from his people, especially since he could well afford to hire the best in the industry. And since he was meticulous and a workaholic himself, he expected all his employees to be the same. But Adam could not find any reason to complain, even if got home wasted, he considered every minute of it educational.
Adam had to also admit that his boss knew how to reward himself for working hard. He enjoyed fine dining and frequented exclusive clubs to relax. Everything he owned screamed luxury and he liked to splurge. This was an eye-opener for Adam as he was the exact opposite of Kris; being both rich was the only thing they had in common. While Kris was also generous, he was discreet and hated to flaunt his wealth. Alex on the other hand was ostentatious and enjoyed displaying his riches and power to people.
He was still perplexed at Alex’s sudden interest in him. There were several theories that popped in his mind. One was that Alex was trying to make up for what happened to him because he felt guilty and was avoiding a lawsuit. Another was that Alex probably felt pity for him and just wanted to help him. And his last guess was that Alex truly saw his artistic talent and was making sure that his business benefitted from it. Out of all these, he felt most strongly about the last. After all, Alex had shown him several times that he valued his judgment by listening to his ideas and opinions.
The first instance caught him off-guard. It happened when they were in a meeting with the important client Alex was trying to land. Adam was quietly jotting down notes while the difficult and demanding client was ranting about everything that was wrong in the dress that she commissioned a famous fashion firm to design for her.
Adam only partially agreed with her. The dress had potentials. It just needed a little bit of tweaking here and there according to what the client wanted. After all, she was the client. Adam had learned early on that the key to pleasing a client was to listen to her needs and make compromises without sacrificing aesthetics, quality, and comfort. That was why as soon as Adam learned about the identity of the client, he made his own research about her without being told.
The important client, as his research revealed, was the wife of a rich magnate who ran the biggest oil industry in Asia. Not knowing what to do with her money, she wanted to open the most luxurious shopping mall that would only carry branded items and she wanted to make teenage wear her flagship. A former dancer, pop artist, and model, Paula Abdul had impeccable but unconventional taste and she was hard to please. Equipped with this background, Adam was automatically redesigning the dress in his mind, according to the client’s tastes, but making sure he put his own spin on the design.
“Mr. Kennedy, you’ve got to convince me that your firm is the best,” said Ms. Abdul, her voice dipped in exasperation.
“Ms. Abdul, our work speaks for itself. I have the best people working for me. Adam, why don’t you show Ms. Abdul why we are considered the best in the country,” Alex said with confidence.
Adam snapped his head toward Alex in surprise. The face that stared back at him was encouraging and was egging him on. Looking at the client, Adam saw that Paula’s face had skepticism written all over it.
Despite Adam’s nerves, he stood up and faced the group. He knew he was being paid to do this, but he wished he could have at least been given a heads-up and not just thrown out to the wolves.
Several admiring and sympathetic eyes followed Adam’s every move. Paula’s business associates who were in the meeting had all seen this all too familiar scenario before. They had witnessed confident designers humiliated as Paula criticized their work. They felt most designers they had encountered deserved the disapproving treatment for being too cocky without the talent to show for it. However, they somehow felt a little sorry for the young handsome and unassuming designer who was about to be obliterated by their lady boss. All at the same time, they saw Adam’s image as another victim proceeding to the slaughterhouse. But when Adam flashed his winning smile, something made them see that this particular designer was somehow different as he immediately won everyone’s favor.
Adam’s childlike excitement to talk about his own perspective overrode his jittery nerves and he started to relax. Once he was in his element he spoke with passion and energy, “You’re right, Ms. Abdul. Although the dress looks fine, it lacks the edge to make the wearer stand out in the crowd and get noticed.” Adam paused and his confidence rose even more when he saw Paula nodded in agreement. He then continued to explain, “But with the right cut, color, and accessories...,” Adam trailed off for a dramatic pause, then picked up the stylus and started making changes directly on the design using a special computer program. Everyone watched the large screen that was projecting Adam’s work with bated breath. When Adam was done, he continued speaking, “...this dress in the rough can sparkle like the most expensive diamond.”
Everyone in the room watched in amazement as the dress took on a different aura. Paula barely recognized the old design as Adam’s magical hands transformed the dress from being a loser into a real winner. She was totally impressed. It was like the boy saw her mental picture of the dress and copied it from her. Only, it surpassed her expectations in so many levels.
It was Paula Abdul who first recovered from the shock and exclaimed, “Brilliant! Mark my words, Mr. Kennedy, this boy will be iconic!” And there was a resounding applause from everyone in the room.
Adam was flabbergasted by all the kind words, but what made him truly proud was the look of affirmation from his boss.
After the success of getting the much coveted contract came the challenging job of creating a full catalog for the client, attending a lot of photo shoots, casting of models, preparing for a fashion show, and then reproducing the goods for sale in Paula’s malls. To say that Adam’s schedule became busy was an understatement.
It took a while for Adam to get used to his new hectic agenda that seemed to careen him from one assignment to the next. There were times when instead of reporting directly to the office, Alex would tell him to go straight to the site of a fashion shoot and they would spend the rest of the day out in the field. What he found most difficult about this setup was not being able to spend any more time with Ally and Sutan. Since their last staff meeting, Adam had not spoken to either one and he had missed them terribly.
When Adam learned that they would be working at the office the next day, he was ecstatic. He set his alarm earlier than usual and planned to report early to catch up with Ally and Sutan. But when the day came, his excitement was dashed when his phone beeped and he read Alex’s message: I’m waiting in your office. I need to check your progress on the catalog.”
With a heavy heart, Adam made a beeline for his office as soon as the elevator doors slid open. In his office, he was greeted by his favorite breakfast of omelette and Starbucks coffee, courtesy of his boss, and a warm welcoming smile from Alex.
After breakfast, Adam showed Alex his work. Both were seated on stools, poring over the almost completed catalog with their arms and thighs touching. The physical contacts he had with Alex that helped him survive Billy’s attempted rape had made Adam consider this closeness as a source of comfort rather than awkwardness. Adam did not mind the intrusion of his personal space as he was naturally affectionate to his family and friends.
To Alex however, there was nothing friendly about these contacts that initially started out as subtle friendly gestures--a hand on the lower back guiding Adam to go ahead, the ruffling of the hair when Adam said something amusing, a casual hand on the nape of the neck with the other around the waist to pull Adam closer to speak softly to his ear--that became bolder and bolder as Adam showed no signs of aversions to them.
Alex could not pick which was causing him more excitement, Adam’s absolutely stunning designs that would surely bring in more profit for Parris or his physical nearness that was stirring other parts of his body. He was totally consumed by his euphoria that he did not notice Naomi quickly pranced by Adam’s office.
Naomi rushed to Alex’s office totally ignoring the stunned secretary. When she found it empty, she confronted the astounded Kara. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me Alex wasn’t inside? Do you want to get fired like the last bitch that was rude to me?”
“I’m so sorry...”
“Enough of your blabbering! Just tell me where my boyfriend is!”
“He’s in Adam’s Office, ma’am.”
“How the hell would I know who this Adam is? Are you deliberately annoying me?”
“Adam is his new assistant, ma’am and his office is right beside this...one...”
Naomi did not wait for the secretary to finish. She spun around on her heel and stormed out of the office in a huff.
“Now who is she calling rude? She only looks the way she looks, thanks to her surgeon and the thick make-up that’s covering her ugly blemishes. I’m pretty sure her bare face would look as nasty as her bad attitude. Why couldn’t everyone be like Mr. Lambert, his beauty outside is as pure as his beauty inside.” Kara vented her anger when Naomi was out of earshot.
Naomi was pissed off. Alex had not been returning her calls and the secretary was constantly answering the phone telling her that her fiancé was unavailable. She had been away for more than a week and she missed him so much. She couldn’t wait to have a sequel of the great sex they had before she left. She told herself that if she found out that the reason of Alex’s cold treatment was another woman, she would make sure to scratch out that bitch’s eyeball to teach her a lesson not to mess with her stuff.
She barged into Adam’s office and after seeing Alex with Adam, her eyes quickly scanned the room for any presence of a girl.
Out of habit, Alex and Adam were suddenly on their feet when they saw Naomi.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” Alex’s irate voice indicated his irritation for being disturbed.
In front of her boyfriend, Mr. Hyde quickly switched to Dr. Jekyll as Naomi put on her most sultry voice, “I’m so sorry, darling! I was just so excited to see you. Aren’t you excited to see me?” Naomi knew her outbursts and tantrums wouldn’t work on Alex. She approached Alex with swaying hips and gave Adam an appreciative once-over. Once she was in front of her man, she hooked her long arms around his neck in a possessive embrace and waited for a kiss.
Adam was about to leave the office to give the two more privacy when Alex’s firm hand stopped him from moving.
Instead of giving Naomi a kiss, he berated her. “Naomi, how many times do I have to remind you that I don’t appreciate being disturbed in the middle of a very important project,” Alex spoke in a stern voice as his other hand disentangled Naomi’s arms that were heavily wrapped around him like a boa constrictor.
“Fine!” Naomi begrudgingly assented and forcibly dropped her arms to her sides. Rather than leave right away though, she walked around and stopped beside Adam. Her long manicured hands reached up and slowly caressed Adam’s cheeks and pulled his head for a smack on the lips.
“It was nice getting acquainted with your delicious assistant.” She slowly dragged her tongue over her lips and wickedly smiled at the shock expression on Adam’s face. She sauntered out of the room but before closing the door behind her, she coyly looked at the stony-faced expression of Alex and softly purred, “You know where to find me when you need to have a good fuck, Bye darling.” She turned to Adam and gave him a flirtatious wink.
Naomi left as quickly as she came. The only sign that she had even been inside the office was the strong scent of her perfume that still lingered in the room. Adam could still taste the sweet flavor of her expensive lipstick on his lips. He turned to look at Alex for some sort of explanation for the bizarre incident, but his boss did not seem to find anything unusual at what just occurred as his attention was back again on the designs as if nothing had happened.
Unknown to Adam, Alex’s mind was busy readjusting his ploy. Although Alex did not consider Naomi a threat, her sudden appearance could hinder his plans. Alex had totally forgotten about her and had taken his sweet time wooing Adam. He did not worry too much though as his assessment told him that it was just only a matter of time and Adam would be ready to admit that he had already fallen in love with him. But he would not take any chance. With Naomi in the picture, he needed to expedite his strategy. After all, Adam already took the bait, he only needed to reel him in and he would be totally his.
“You’ve done a good job with these designs, Adam.”
“Thank you, Alex.”
“Ms. Abdul phoned me yesterday and said she couldn’t wait to see the catalog. Let’s give her a surprise visit now and blow her mind. What do you say to that?”
Adam smiled and just nodded excitedly in agreement.
*****************************************
After their successful visit at Paula’s place, they went to an expensive store that sold luxury watches. Adam was studying the different watches on display in glass cases and was wondering why the prices were not shown. Adam was content to just admire the watches. He knew for a fact that he could never afford such luxury. The only regret he felt was not having the money to buy one for Kris for his graduation present.
Adam couldn’t help but smile at the thought that he’ll be seeing Kris the day after tomorrow. He already planned to take a day off from work so he could personally fetch him from the airport. With his mind occupied with happy thoughts of Kris, Adam got startled when he felt Alex’s warm body behind him.
Alex spoke softly behind his ear, “I need your opinion about a gift I plan to give a very special person.”
“But Alex, how would I know what your friend would like?”
“Just pick one that you would choose for yourself.”
“I think this one is lovely,” Adam pointed to the ultra-thin watch with a small-linked white gold bracelet. It had a skeleton movement with hand-engraved decoration and jewels.
“Oh yes, I think it’s really lovely, too,” Alex agreed but was looking directly at Adam’s profile.
When Adam realized that Alex was referring to him, he blushed and said, “Stop teasing me, Alex.”
“Who said I’m teasing.” Alex waved a salesperson over.
“Please wrap that one up.” Alex took out his card and gave it to the salesclerk.
“A perfect choice, Mr. Kennedy,” the salesclerk said. When Adam heard him use Alex’s name with easy familiarity, he deduced that Alex must be a regular client of the store.
After getting the package, the two left the store and proceeded to one of the priciest eateries in the city.
Alex was given the best seat for two in the more private section of the restaurant. He ordered a bottle of Petrus, an expensive red wine to accompany their five-course meal that started with a serving of almas caviar for their hors d’oeuvre. Next came cold green salad followed by bird’s nest soup. For the entrée, Alex selected lobster fritatta, and he chose haute chocolate ice cream sundae, which was Adam’s favorite, for dessert.
They ended their meal with a cup of coffee. While Adam was sipping from his cup, Alex pulled out the wrapped box and placed it in front of Adam.
Adam carefully put his cup down and raised his questioning brows at Alex.
“Go ahead, open it, it’s yours.”
Adam looked down curiously at the package in front of him. He obeyed again without question and slowly tore the package open. He sat very still gaping at the watch he selected earlier in the store.
“Are you serious?” He turned to his side to look incredulously at Alex and then his face fell before he continued speaking, “I can’t accept this gift, Alex. It’s too much.”
“I have never been more serious in my life, Adam.” Alex removed the watch that was still sitting in the box and put it on Adam. “It looks beautiful on you. Consider this gift as a bonus for impressing Ms. Abdul and getting that contract.”
Adam was still not convinced that he deserved such as expensive gift but he really did like the watch.
Alex held his hand and said, “Adam, this watch belongs only to you. Look, it even has your name engraved on it.”
Adam turned his arm over and true enough, on the clasp was written in charming script, his name,Adam. He gasped in pleasant surprise. A sudden rush of warmth enveloped him, and happy tears sprung from his eyes. Like an excited child who just received his most anticipated Christmas gift, Adam kissed Alex on the cheek and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you so much, Alex. You’ve never been anything but good to me.”
Alex remained quiet as he hugged him back while gently rubbing his back.
“Your kindness made me feel whole again. You fill up a space in my heart that has long been empty.”
His boss sat silently still, soaking up on Adam’s declaration of affection toward him. His hand had become more daring as it shifted to start caressing Adam’s sides.
“Alex, thank you for being the brother that I never had.”
Alex's whole body froze and his hands turned rigid. His blood turned cold and he went numb all over. In his mind only one word kept repeating itself over and over again… brother!
Author: CC
Story: In a love triangle caught in a complex web of power, lies, deception, hatred, and dark obsession, who will pay the highest price to find true happiness?
Rating: Rated R
Warnings: Graphic Sex, Non-Con
Pairing: Kradam
Disclaimer: This is purely fiction.
Word Count: 4210
Chapter 17. I’m the Hunter, You’re My Prey
Adam woke up to the sharp buzzing sound of his alarm clock. His head was still throbbing in pain. Was everything just a bad dream? His eyes gazed down at the clutter on his coffee table. The half empty food containers and the can of beer that Alex drank from, answered his question.
He hurriedly prepared to go to the office. Missing work yesterday already made him upset, he was not about to miss another one. After checking himself in the mirror, he felt satisfied that no one would be able to tell that he had just been through a dreadful experience. All the marks were well hidden under his clothes and the pain in his head had just remained a dull ache after taking his prescription. He left the house confident that he would get back to work without any incident.
Everything was going smoothly until he was inside the elevator. His heart started beating fast. His proximity to the scene of the crime was triggering a flashback of the sexual violation that he had suffered. He was not sure anymore if he could step inside his own office where it all happened.
As luck would have it, Allison again saved the day. Adam had forgotten all his fears when Allison barraged him with questions as soon as he stepped out of the lift. “Adam, where have you been? What happened? You better spill the beans, beau.”
His scripted reply of I’m sorry but I had a terrible headache. My phone died and I lost my charger so I couldn’t call to inform the office, did not get the chance to come out of his mouth as Allison stopped him from replying. “But before you tell me all the juicy details, you are being summoned to Mr. Kennedy’s office right about now.” Ally was pulling Adam by his wrist and leading him to the Boss’s office.
When Adam was given leave to enter the office, he went inside nervously. Adam headed to the conference table at the far end, sectioned off by large glass panels from the rest of the huge office. Alex was seated at the head of the table with Sutan on the other end. Brad and two other senior designers were occupying the seats along the sides with Brad seated to the left of Alex.
When Adam took the only remaining seat which was the one to Alex’s right and exactly opposite Brad’s, he felt that all eyes could bore holes onto his body by the way they were staring at him in shock. Adam knew that they were all wondering what a relatively new employee like him was doing in a senior staffs’ meeting. And the reason he knew was because he was wondering the same thing himself. Adam thought, Well, we would find out soon enough, won’t we?
Alex picked up his phone and spoke over the mouthpiece, “Miss Dioguardi, send Adam’s breakfast in. That simple seemingly innocent order raised a lot of eyebrows in the room.
Adam was about to protest when Alex started the meeting. “Good morning, gentlemen. I will be making quite a few changes in your assignments. I am currently trying to break into a new market and I am looking for someone with fresh ideas who will need to work with me constantly. I think Adam is the right person for the position.”
All at once the three senior designers gasped in unpleasant surprise and they could not hide the dismayed reaction on their faces. But they knew better than to voice out their disagreement. It was obvious that Alex did not call the meeting to get their opinion. A decision had been made and there was nothing anyone could do to change it. After all in Parris, Alex’s word was the law.
It was only Sutan whose poker face did not reveal any kind of reaction. Even Adam was in shock at what he heard and felt tremendously guilty for taking away this promotion opportunity that most of the senior designers had been eyeing for years.
Not in the least affected by the sudden tension that filled the room, Alex continued nonchalantly, “As my new assistant, Adam will occupy the office beside mine and Sutan will take charge of delegating Adam’s old projects to all of you. Thank you for your time. You may leave, except for Adam.”
Brad and the other senior designers kept a semblance of dignity as they quietly exited the office. Only Sutan made eye contact with Adam. And for the briefest moment, Adam saw a look of worry in his eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared.
“Congratulations, Adam,” Sutan said warmly with a smile that somehow failed to reach his eyes, and then he turned to Alex and said, “I’ll see to the immediate allocation of Adam’s projects as you requested, Mr. Kennedy.”
“Thank you, Sutan, and please make sure everyone knows that Adam will take direct orders only from me and no one else.” With a simple authoritative nod, Sutan was dismissed. And that was how Adam became inseparable from Alex. He brought him to all his business meetings, castings, photo shoots, and fashion shows where he got introduced to important people.
Alex became his mentor-showing him the ropes of how to run a business empire. He showed him the glamorous side of the business and the nitty gritty details of what actually happened behind the scenes. They ate their meals together, sometimes in the office, at times in exclusive restaurants, and at the end of the day, Alex always dropped him off at his apartment.
Adam felt really fortunate. After his traumatic experience, he only hoped for his life to attain some sort of normalcy. He did not expect that it would go beyond his expectations. All the traces of Billy’s violence had all but disappeared, including his nightmares.
He loved his work and the new knowledge he had been gaining from it. Aside from the great pay, he enjoyed a lot of benefits. Adam found it hard to believe that for every formal event he had to attend with Alex, a new designer suit was made for him, which was apparently deducted from what he could only surmise as a ridiculously extravagant clothing allowance. On top of everything his relationship with Kris was as strong as ever with regular communications on the phone. He could not wait to tell Kris in person about his new job.
Of course as with everything else, the good always came with the bad. The first few days of being Alex’s assistant had already revealed to him a lot about his boss. He was unarguably a brilliant businessman who would not settle for anything short of perfection from his people, especially since he could well afford to hire the best in the industry. And since he was meticulous and a workaholic himself, he expected all his employees to be the same. But Adam could not find any reason to complain, even if got home wasted, he considered every minute of it educational.
Adam had to also admit that his boss knew how to reward himself for working hard. He enjoyed fine dining and frequented exclusive clubs to relax. Everything he owned screamed luxury and he liked to splurge. This was an eye-opener for Adam as he was the exact opposite of Kris; being both rich was the only thing they had in common. While Kris was also generous, he was discreet and hated to flaunt his wealth. Alex on the other hand was ostentatious and enjoyed displaying his riches and power to people.
He was still perplexed at Alex’s sudden interest in him. There were several theories that popped in his mind. One was that Alex was trying to make up for what happened to him because he felt guilty and was avoiding a lawsuit. Another was that Alex probably felt pity for him and just wanted to help him. And his last guess was that Alex truly saw his artistic talent and was making sure that his business benefitted from it. Out of all these, he felt most strongly about the last. After all, Alex had shown him several times that he valued his judgment by listening to his ideas and opinions.
The first instance caught him off-guard. It happened when they were in a meeting with the important client Alex was trying to land. Adam was quietly jotting down notes while the difficult and demanding client was ranting about everything that was wrong in the dress that she commissioned a famous fashion firm to design for her.
Adam only partially agreed with her. The dress had potentials. It just needed a little bit of tweaking here and there according to what the client wanted. After all, she was the client. Adam had learned early on that the key to pleasing a client was to listen to her needs and make compromises without sacrificing aesthetics, quality, and comfort. That was why as soon as Adam learned about the identity of the client, he made his own research about her without being told.
The important client, as his research revealed, was the wife of a rich magnate who ran the biggest oil industry in Asia. Not knowing what to do with her money, she wanted to open the most luxurious shopping mall that would only carry branded items and she wanted to make teenage wear her flagship. A former dancer, pop artist, and model, Paula Abdul had impeccable but unconventional taste and she was hard to please. Equipped with this background, Adam was automatically redesigning the dress in his mind, according to the client’s tastes, but making sure he put his own spin on the design.
“Mr. Kennedy, you’ve got to convince me that your firm is the best,” said Ms. Abdul, her voice dipped in exasperation.
“Ms. Abdul, our work speaks for itself. I have the best people working for me. Adam, why don’t you show Ms. Abdul why we are considered the best in the country,” Alex said with confidence.
Adam snapped his head toward Alex in surprise. The face that stared back at him was encouraging and was egging him on. Looking at the client, Adam saw that Paula’s face had skepticism written all over it.
Despite Adam’s nerves, he stood up and faced the group. He knew he was being paid to do this, but he wished he could have at least been given a heads-up and not just thrown out to the wolves.
Several admiring and sympathetic eyes followed Adam’s every move. Paula’s business associates who were in the meeting had all seen this all too familiar scenario before. They had witnessed confident designers humiliated as Paula criticized their work. They felt most designers they had encountered deserved the disapproving treatment for being too cocky without the talent to show for it. However, they somehow felt a little sorry for the young handsome and unassuming designer who was about to be obliterated by their lady boss. All at the same time, they saw Adam’s image as another victim proceeding to the slaughterhouse. But when Adam flashed his winning smile, something made them see that this particular designer was somehow different as he immediately won everyone’s favor.
Adam’s childlike excitement to talk about his own perspective overrode his jittery nerves and he started to relax. Once he was in his element he spoke with passion and energy, “You’re right, Ms. Abdul. Although the dress looks fine, it lacks the edge to make the wearer stand out in the crowd and get noticed.” Adam paused and his confidence rose even more when he saw Paula nodded in agreement. He then continued to explain, “But with the right cut, color, and accessories...,” Adam trailed off for a dramatic pause, then picked up the stylus and started making changes directly on the design using a special computer program. Everyone watched the large screen that was projecting Adam’s work with bated breath. When Adam was done, he continued speaking, “...this dress in the rough can sparkle like the most expensive diamond.”
Everyone in the room watched in amazement as the dress took on a different aura. Paula barely recognized the old design as Adam’s magical hands transformed the dress from being a loser into a real winner. She was totally impressed. It was like the boy saw her mental picture of the dress and copied it from her. Only, it surpassed her expectations in so many levels.
It was Paula Abdul who first recovered from the shock and exclaimed, “Brilliant! Mark my words, Mr. Kennedy, this boy will be iconic!” And there was a resounding applause from everyone in the room.
Adam was flabbergasted by all the kind words, but what made him truly proud was the look of affirmation from his boss.
After the success of getting the much coveted contract came the challenging job of creating a full catalog for the client, attending a lot of photo shoots, casting of models, preparing for a fashion show, and then reproducing the goods for sale in Paula’s malls. To say that Adam’s schedule became busy was an understatement.
It took a while for Adam to get used to his new hectic agenda that seemed to careen him from one assignment to the next. There were times when instead of reporting directly to the office, Alex would tell him to go straight to the site of a fashion shoot and they would spend the rest of the day out in the field. What he found most difficult about this setup was not being able to spend any more time with Ally and Sutan. Since their last staff meeting, Adam had not spoken to either one and he had missed them terribly.
When Adam learned that they would be working at the office the next day, he was ecstatic. He set his alarm earlier than usual and planned to report early to catch up with Ally and Sutan. But when the day came, his excitement was dashed when his phone beeped and he read Alex’s message: I’m waiting in your office. I need to check your progress on the catalog.”
With a heavy heart, Adam made a beeline for his office as soon as the elevator doors slid open. In his office, he was greeted by his favorite breakfast of omelette and Starbucks coffee, courtesy of his boss, and a warm welcoming smile from Alex.
After breakfast, Adam showed Alex his work. Both were seated on stools, poring over the almost completed catalog with their arms and thighs touching. The physical contacts he had with Alex that helped him survive Billy’s attempted rape had made Adam consider this closeness as a source of comfort rather than awkwardness. Adam did not mind the intrusion of his personal space as he was naturally affectionate to his family and friends.
To Alex however, there was nothing friendly about these contacts that initially started out as subtle friendly gestures--a hand on the lower back guiding Adam to go ahead, the ruffling of the hair when Adam said something amusing, a casual hand on the nape of the neck with the other around the waist to pull Adam closer to speak softly to his ear--that became bolder and bolder as Adam showed no signs of aversions to them.
Alex could not pick which was causing him more excitement, Adam’s absolutely stunning designs that would surely bring in more profit for Parris or his physical nearness that was stirring other parts of his body. He was totally consumed by his euphoria that he did not notice Naomi quickly pranced by Adam’s office.
Naomi rushed to Alex’s office totally ignoring the stunned secretary. When she found it empty, she confronted the astounded Kara. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me Alex wasn’t inside? Do you want to get fired like the last bitch that was rude to me?”
“I’m so sorry...”
“Enough of your blabbering! Just tell me where my boyfriend is!”
“He’s in Adam’s Office, ma’am.”
“How the hell would I know who this Adam is? Are you deliberately annoying me?”
“Adam is his new assistant, ma’am and his office is right beside this...one...”
Naomi did not wait for the secretary to finish. She spun around on her heel and stormed out of the office in a huff.
“Now who is she calling rude? She only looks the way she looks, thanks to her surgeon and the thick make-up that’s covering her ugly blemishes. I’m pretty sure her bare face would look as nasty as her bad attitude. Why couldn’t everyone be like Mr. Lambert, his beauty outside is as pure as his beauty inside.” Kara vented her anger when Naomi was out of earshot.
Naomi was pissed off. Alex had not been returning her calls and the secretary was constantly answering the phone telling her that her fiancé was unavailable. She had been away for more than a week and she missed him so much. She couldn’t wait to have a sequel of the great sex they had before she left. She told herself that if she found out that the reason of Alex’s cold treatment was another woman, she would make sure to scratch out that bitch’s eyeball to teach her a lesson not to mess with her stuff.
She barged into Adam’s office and after seeing Alex with Adam, her eyes quickly scanned the room for any presence of a girl.
Out of habit, Alex and Adam were suddenly on their feet when they saw Naomi.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” Alex’s irate voice indicated his irritation for being disturbed.
In front of her boyfriend, Mr. Hyde quickly switched to Dr. Jekyll as Naomi put on her most sultry voice, “I’m so sorry, darling! I was just so excited to see you. Aren’t you excited to see me?” Naomi knew her outbursts and tantrums wouldn’t work on Alex. She approached Alex with swaying hips and gave Adam an appreciative once-over. Once she was in front of her man, she hooked her long arms around his neck in a possessive embrace and waited for a kiss.
Adam was about to leave the office to give the two more privacy when Alex’s firm hand stopped him from moving.
Instead of giving Naomi a kiss, he berated her. “Naomi, how many times do I have to remind you that I don’t appreciate being disturbed in the middle of a very important project,” Alex spoke in a stern voice as his other hand disentangled Naomi’s arms that were heavily wrapped around him like a boa constrictor.
“Fine!” Naomi begrudgingly assented and forcibly dropped her arms to her sides. Rather than leave right away though, she walked around and stopped beside Adam. Her long manicured hands reached up and slowly caressed Adam’s cheeks and pulled his head for a smack on the lips.
“It was nice getting acquainted with your delicious assistant.” She slowly dragged her tongue over her lips and wickedly smiled at the shock expression on Adam’s face. She sauntered out of the room but before closing the door behind her, she coyly looked at the stony-faced expression of Alex and softly purred, “You know where to find me when you need to have a good fuck, Bye darling.” She turned to Adam and gave him a flirtatious wink.
Naomi left as quickly as she came. The only sign that she had even been inside the office was the strong scent of her perfume that still lingered in the room. Adam could still taste the sweet flavor of her expensive lipstick on his lips. He turned to look at Alex for some sort of explanation for the bizarre incident, but his boss did not seem to find anything unusual at what just occurred as his attention was back again on the designs as if nothing had happened.
Unknown to Adam, Alex’s mind was busy readjusting his ploy. Although Alex did not consider Naomi a threat, her sudden appearance could hinder his plans. Alex had totally forgotten about her and had taken his sweet time wooing Adam. He did not worry too much though as his assessment told him that it was just only a matter of time and Adam would be ready to admit that he had already fallen in love with him. But he would not take any chance. With Naomi in the picture, he needed to expedite his strategy. After all, Adam already took the bait, he only needed to reel him in and he would be totally his.
“You’ve done a good job with these designs, Adam.”
“Thank you, Alex.”
“Ms. Abdul phoned me yesterday and said she couldn’t wait to see the catalog. Let’s give her a surprise visit now and blow her mind. What do you say to that?”
Adam smiled and just nodded excitedly in agreement.
*****************************************
After their successful visit at Paula’s place, they went to an expensive store that sold luxury watches. Adam was studying the different watches on display in glass cases and was wondering why the prices were not shown. Adam was content to just admire the watches. He knew for a fact that he could never afford such luxury. The only regret he felt was not having the money to buy one for Kris for his graduation present.
Adam couldn’t help but smile at the thought that he’ll be seeing Kris the day after tomorrow. He already planned to take a day off from work so he could personally fetch him from the airport. With his mind occupied with happy thoughts of Kris, Adam got startled when he felt Alex’s warm body behind him.
Alex spoke softly behind his ear, “I need your opinion about a gift I plan to give a very special person.”
“But Alex, how would I know what your friend would like?”
“Just pick one that you would choose for yourself.”
“I think this one is lovely,” Adam pointed to the ultra-thin watch with a small-linked white gold bracelet. It had a skeleton movement with hand-engraved decoration and jewels.
“Oh yes, I think it’s really lovely, too,” Alex agreed but was looking directly at Adam’s profile.
When Adam realized that Alex was referring to him, he blushed and said, “Stop teasing me, Alex.”
“Who said I’m teasing.” Alex waved a salesperson over.
“Please wrap that one up.” Alex took out his card and gave it to the salesclerk.
“A perfect choice, Mr. Kennedy,” the salesclerk said. When Adam heard him use Alex’s name with easy familiarity, he deduced that Alex must be a regular client of the store.
After getting the package, the two left the store and proceeded to one of the priciest eateries in the city.
Alex was given the best seat for two in the more private section of the restaurant. He ordered a bottle of Petrus, an expensive red wine to accompany their five-course meal that started with a serving of almas caviar for their hors d’oeuvre. Next came cold green salad followed by bird’s nest soup. For the entrée, Alex selected lobster fritatta, and he chose haute chocolate ice cream sundae, which was Adam’s favorite, for dessert.
They ended their meal with a cup of coffee. While Adam was sipping from his cup, Alex pulled out the wrapped box and placed it in front of Adam.
Adam carefully put his cup down and raised his questioning brows at Alex.
“Go ahead, open it, it’s yours.”
Adam looked down curiously at the package in front of him. He obeyed again without question and slowly tore the package open. He sat very still gaping at the watch he selected earlier in the store.
“Are you serious?” He turned to his side to look incredulously at Alex and then his face fell before he continued speaking, “I can’t accept this gift, Alex. It’s too much.”
“I have never been more serious in my life, Adam.” Alex removed the watch that was still sitting in the box and put it on Adam. “It looks beautiful on you. Consider this gift as a bonus for impressing Ms. Abdul and getting that contract.”
Adam was still not convinced that he deserved such as expensive gift but he really did like the watch.
Alex held his hand and said, “Adam, this watch belongs only to you. Look, it even has your name engraved on it.”
Adam turned his arm over and true enough, on the clasp was written in charming script, his name,Adam. He gasped in pleasant surprise. A sudden rush of warmth enveloped him, and happy tears sprung from his eyes. Like an excited child who just received his most anticipated Christmas gift, Adam kissed Alex on the cheek and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you so much, Alex. You’ve never been anything but good to me.”
Alex remained quiet as he hugged him back while gently rubbing his back.
“Your kindness made me feel whole again. You fill up a space in my heart that has long been empty.”
His boss sat silently still, soaking up on Adam’s declaration of affection toward him. His hand had become more daring as it shifted to start caressing Adam’s sides.
“Alex, thank you for being the brother that I never had.”
Alex's whole body froze and his hands turned rigid. His blood turned cold and he went numb all over. In his mind only one word kept repeating itself over and over again… brother!