Chapter One

Arthur

“…at nine tomorrow morning, then you…”

I zoned out my Personal Assistant as she filled me in about my day tomorrow. Why should I pay attention anyway when she would be repeating the same information tomorrow morning? I vaguely heard her mention something about the Christmas office party I had no interest in, so I stole a glance at my watch and frowned. It was almost 5 P.M. If I left the office now, I would get home in time. I tapped my foot impatiently, but the carpet muffled the sound.

She continued for around five more minutes, and at that point, I decided I’d had enough. I rose to my feet, stretched across my desk and smacked her planner shut. I had not felt so satisfied in a long time at the way she startled and stared at me.

“Mr. Parrish, why did you do that?”

“I’m sorry, Paisley, but I have an emergency.” As if watching a hot naked man cleaning my pool could be considered an emergency, but she didn’t need to know what I was up to.

“Oh, why didn’t you say so?” she asked and rose to her feet, pushing her chair back from my desk. “I can send you the schedule for tomorrow to your email so you can look it over at your convenience.”

“That would be great.” I gave her a tight smile and reached for my briefcase to give her the hint.

“Well, I have a few things left to finish up before I leave,” she remarked. “I’ll get to it then.”

I breathed a sigh of relief when she walked out of my office. Finally. Paisley was an excellent PA, perhaps a little too meticulous about her duties. She rarely ever messed up, and when she did, she would correct it even before I had the chance to point it out. I couldn’t have asked for a more conscientious PA.

My computer still hadn’t finished powering off when I walked from my office. I wished Paisley a good evening and didn’t wait for her response. I breezed out of the office, and if running wasn’t undignified for a man in my position, I would have run. I lengthened my strides instead, politely nodding to anyone I passed, but making eye contact with no one lest they thought I was in the mood to chat.

I sighed in relief when I rode the elevator to the bottom deck where I was parked. I quickly located my black SUV and unlocked the door. I chucked my briefcase over to the passenger seat, not paying any mind when it bounced and slid to the floor. At least it was inside the vehicle.

I tried to calm myself down as I drove from Downtown Birmingham to Vestavia Hills where my house was located. The traffic on 3rd Avenue was the hardest to maneuver. When I caught how frustrated I was becoming because of the slow pace of the traffic, I scowled at my reflection in the rearview mirror. So what if right at this very minute I had one of the sexiest guys I’d ever come across cleaning out my pool? So what if this very guy didn’t wear underwear, and I was missing the way his shorts usually clung to his glutes and plastered to the bulge between his legs?

Once I hit the ramp which took me on US-31, the traffic freed up. The sun was mounted bright, and I lowered the visor in the car to shield my eyes from the glare. By the time I pulled onto Tyson Drive and had only a short distance left to go, I felt almost normal. I was allowing this pool boy to get to my head. Technically, he was more than just a pool boy. He took care of the maintenance of my estate in the wealthy district of Vestavia Hills. I expected my workers to earn every dime I paid them because I was generous when compensating them.

I ensured Bailey Haughton was paid handsomely for the role he played in the upkeep of my home. I might have raised his salary a time or two after feeling guilty for the entertainment he unknowingly provided me. He had inspired some of my solo sessions of pleasure. I usually avoided Haughton because how could I face him knowing how I stripped off what little clothes he had on when he cleaned my pool? How could I look into his eyes without giving away the perverted thoughts of what I wanted to do to his perfect body, and what I wanted him to do to me?

On Magnolia Road, I turned onto the long drive that led to my estate. The large brick house stood proud and tall on lawns that needed manicuring. Today Haughton would take care of the pool, then he would return another day to take care of the lawns and the hedges. I parked in the three-door garage beside my Bentley convertible and used the connecting door to let myself inside the house.

“Ah, I thought I heard you, sir,” my butler Jo remarked, appearing out of nowhere. “You arrived early today.”

I ignored the knowing look on Jo’s face. He knew entirely too much, but I trusted him. At forty-four years old, Jo was six years older than me. Tall, slender and already going bald, he was more than just a butler to me. He was a companion I trusted with my secrets. I didn’t dare to let anyone else into my life. Jo had started working for my parents, and I had kept him on when they both died.

“Bring me the regular, will you Jo?” I asked, just to give him something to do and leave me to my thoughts.

“Yes, sir.”

I rolled my eyes as Jo made his way to the bar. I’d stopped trying to convince him to call me Arthur. I had tried for too long and failed. He kept mumbling something about him and his position that I didn’t quite understand. I set off up to the master suite, using the quarter turn stairs to the second floor. The master suite was the final door down the hall. It was my luck that it overlooked the pool.

Loosening my tie, I walked over to the huge glass double doors leading out to the balcony. I immediately picked out young Haughton scooping leaves and debris from the infinity edge pool. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, which showed off how tanned and toned he was since he spent a lot of time out in the sun. Before I hired him, I’d employed a pool guy who didn’t know squat. Haughton, on the other hand, was thorough. He didn’t just skim the leaves and other debris from the surface of the pool. He vacuumed, cleaned the filters, and tested the water.

The shorts he wore were plastered to his thighs and ass. Nice, round and ready to be cupped. I swallowed the lump of desire that formed in my throat. I wanted to strip him more than I wanted my daily dose of vodka. He turned to walk toward the pump, the wet material of his shorts sticking to his groin. I had no idea what was up with him and always going commando, but I wasn't complaining. I appreciated the sight.

A knock sounded on my door, and I glanced up as Jo entered the suite, walking toward the balcony.

“Enjoying the scenery?” he asked, handing me the glass of vodka I had asked for.

“What’s there not to enjoy?” I replied, taking the glass from him. I took a sip and damn if the liquid didn’t hit the right spot going down.

Instead of leaving, Jo remained with me on the balcony, and we both watched Haughton as he emptied the net with leaves in the trash receptacle. He squatted by the poolside, his glutes tight, leaving nothing to the imagination from his wet shorts. I imagined Jo was also enjoying the view since he was as gay as me.

“He seems like a nice feller,” Jo remarked. “He takes his job seriously.”

“I noticed,” I answered. “I’ve been thinking about his bonus.”

“Bonus?”

“Yes, you know, with Christmas coming up and all. He’s done a great job with the grounds. You did a good job in selecting him. He hasn't disappointed in the least.”

“I agree.” Jo hummed in his throat as he usually did when he wanted to say something but was holding back.

“Well, why don’t you go ahead and spit it out, Jo? Stop with the hem-hawing and say your piece.”

He chuckled at my disgruntled tone. “I’ve just been wondering why such a nice, handsome young man is spending so much of his time doing this kind of job. Have you never wondered?”

In truth, I had. “It’s decent money.”

“But still, I wonder what his story is.”

“I reckon it’s none of our business, Jo.”

“I reckon it soon will be,” Jo replied and started to leave the balcony.

I scowled after him. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

He didn’t bother to spare me a glance. “It means I see the way you look at him, sir. You should speak to him sometime. He’s a bright one.”

I watched Jo leave before turning my attention back to Haughton who was setting the vacuum to work in cleaning the bottom of the pool. He stood and turned with his arms akimbo. He paused, frowning straight at me. I was tempted to move back, but he had already seen me. My heart thudded in my chest, as I wondered what was going through his mind to find me watching him. I didn't want him to think I was some kind of pervert. God forbid he discovered how I enjoyed watching him.

He waved, a short motion of his arm before turning away to get back to his work. I couldn’t tell the last time someone waved at me. I smiled a little and re-entered my bedroom. Perhaps Jo was right, and I should talk to him face to face. I had no idea if he was even gay. There was a possibility he had a lot of girls fawning over him. At that thought, I changed my mind about talking to him. Sometimes when I passed him, I would catch him looking at me, but I was never able to confirm if the look in his eyes was one of interest. It would be embarrassing to be wrong.