Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(76)
Alec put the spoon back inside the bowl and raised the napkin from his lap to his lips. He then reached for his wine glass before sitting fully back in his seat. Keyes watched Alec gather himself and followed Alec’s lead, mimicking his actions by picking up the glass of water nearby before taking a hearty gulp.
“Well, first, I tendered my resignation today,” Alec said.
“How do you feel?” Keyes watched Alec closely. He doubted the resignation had anything to do with his current state of anxiety.
“Good. Really good.” Alec nodded then nodded again. “I also formally accepted the new job. I signed my offer and emailed it back to Reed.”
Keyes’s smile erupted at that news. He pushed his chair back several inches and reached for his pilsner, lifting the glass in toast to Alec’s huge accomplishment. “That’s great. Everything was like you wanted?”
“Better than. It’s ready to pick up and run with. The money was right. I toured the Layne Construction campus—it’s beautiful. I’ll office there and couldn’t ask for better. Are you familiar with the Westlake area?” Alec asked. It wasn’t the first time Alec had brought up Westlake, but it was the first time he’d questioned him about the area.
“NASCAR and country. That’s all I really know.”
Alec grinned at him and nodded, staying silent.
“So, when do you start?”
“Soon. I’ll begin immediately learning the ropes and transitioning files over. I’ll be super busy until the end of the year. Some of my staff will be relocating from the DC area. I’ll have to go up there for a couple of days…soonish. My official start date is January second but Reed’s secretary has already started making contact. My last day in the DA’s office is December fifteenth.”
“That’s great. Will they pay you for the work you’re doin’ now?” he asked.
“Oh yeah, the salary started today,” Alec added with an exaggerated nod.
“That helps.”
“It does. You know, I’ve been vocal about my shifting priorities since we met. I’d like us to live off what I make.”
Oh, the topic just took an unexpected turn. No… The talk of money stressed him out. His shop barely covered the cost of Dev’s crappy one-bedroom apartment. He’d hired all those workers to help cover all the time he was gone. He’d be forced to dig into his super-secret funds before too much longer. Keyes couldn’t see ever making much more than he made right now.
“I should be helpin’ pay the bills around here,” he found himself saying, thinking about the money he made from Fox’s side deals. He lifted his beer, taking a drink, wondering if those secret runs would continue once the club was able to shake the DA and could once again be a little more open with his brothers.
Yeah, the idea of losing that extra money had him tipping the beer, draining the glass.
“Why in the world would you ever pay a bill here?” Alec’s cool demeanor morphed to a look of disbelief, as though the suggestion were absurd. “You kept your apartment. You haven’t officially moved in.”
“Most of my shit’s here,” he stated matter-of-factly, rising, taking his plate and glass to the sink, going for the refrigerator for another beer. “I just keep that place for show. I come here every day.”
Why was he arguing against the out Alec had just given him?
“Where did you sleep last night?’ Alec countered.
That stopped him and his bravado in his tracks. Damn. Keyes looked up to see that familiar cock of Alec’s brow, proving he knew he’d won that argument.
“If you lived here, it wouldn’t have mattered what time you got out of the meeting last night, you’d’ve come to your home. Same with me going to Austin. You didn’t stay here while I was gone. If it were your home, you’d be here.”
Keyes eyed Alec closely, some of the happy from minutes ago was gone. Okay, this conversation had taken a wrong turn somewhere. He sucked at the twenty-question game Alec pulled off so easily. On that theory, Keyes remained silent until he took his seat, and then teased Alec, hoping to turn this night around.
“You think you’re so smart. Keep goin’, what’s goin’ on tonight that you’re still hidin’.”
With a cocky little move, Alec popped a shrimp bite in his mouth. His nervousness was gone as he reached for the wine bottle and poured himself a refill. “I think we can stay right on the you think I’m so smart for a minute more. Let me bask in my victory.”
That was one of Alec’s finest qualities. He didn’t allow himself to wallow in anger or stay upset for long, and Keyes barked out a laugh, choosing to contradict him. “I think I said… you think you’re smart.”
“You’ve been hanging out with me too long if you’re picking apart every detail.” Alec stood with the wine glass in hand, giving him a wink as he bent over, coming within inches of his lips. “Come on. I have more to say. Let’s do it in the bedroom.” Alec took his hand, pulling on him until he reluctantly rose. If sex were involved, he’d have gotten a kiss. So, he was back to wondering what the hell was up as he grabbed his beer for liquid courage.
Funny, he was a badass biker who had people scattering when they saw him, yet this refined man who had never seen the end of a fist somehow regularly brought him to his knees, and he didn’t even seem to care. He voluntarily let Alec continually surprise him even though he fucking hated being surprised, and that was because it made Alec happy. When Alec encouraged the twist of their hands, entwining their fingers, Keyes let that happen, too, even as his anxiety built at a rapid pace.