Chapter Three
Sacha absently rubbed his arm, the ache an uncomfortable distraction. He sat back in his chair and sighed. Glancing out of his office window, he watched the clouds slowly drift past.
They’re like me, he thought. Drifting along aimlessly, appearing to have no destination in mind. Lost in the confusion that life brings.
But Sacha did have a destination; he simply refused to go there.
Sighing again, Sacha stood and left his office, heading towards his father’s. He needed to talk to him about Jared. His father knew the truth and had supported Sacha through all the years he’d hid the fact they were mates, but he needed Alessio’s honesty now.
He smiled and said hello to everyone he passed as he walked towards his father’s office. They had a great team working for Marchesi and Sacha had known most of them for years. The company his father started years ago in a small office had flourished, and now they were situated on three floors of an office building. They dealt in law, and Sacha specialized in corporate. Not exactly exciting but he enjoyed it.
When his father’s office came into view, Sacha glanced at the plaque on the door. A. Marchesi. Alessio to everyone. His father made sure all his employees called him by his first name because everyone was a part of his extended family.
Seeing Bernadette, his father’s secretary, he waved and nodded his head towards the partially opened door. “He free?”
Bernadette smiled when Sacha arrived at her desk. “Go in, love. He’s just finished up a call.”
Sacha smiled and pushed the door open, stepped in and closed it behind him. He walked over and sat on the chair in front of the desk, waiting for his father to finish writing up some notes.
Alessio still preferred pen and paper over his computer even though he would put his notes in later.
Black hair, with a sprinkle of silver at the sides, Alessio smiled at Sacha, his eyes crinkling at the corners. His deep blue eyes still shone brightly, and his wedding ring gleamed in the light. They shared the olive complexion of their Greek and Italian heritage.
Sacha was named after his Greek grandfather, a tradition started years ago as a way of honoring those who had passed and one Sacha intended to continue when he had children of his own. Being gay wasn’t going to stop him from a having a family.
When Alessio finished his notes, he smiled at him, reaching across the desk to grip his hand. “Sacha.”
“Father.”
A frown marred his face. “What’s wrong, my son? I can see the stress on your face.”
“Jared was injured.” As he spoke, Sacha rubbed his arm in the spot Jared had been hurt.
Alessio sat back in alarm. “Not too bad, I hope.”
“No, not according to Jared.”
Alessio smiled, raising an eyebrow. “But we both know how that boy is. He could lose his leg, and it would be a minor inconvenience.”
Sacha chuckled, nodding in agreement. When he stopped, he glanced down at the desk, then back at Alessio. “Can we talk?”
“Always, Sacha.”
He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. “Jared,” he muttered.
“Jared,” Alessio murmured wearily.
“Father, I’m just...” He trailed off, unable to find the words he needed to say.
“You need to tell him, Sacha.”
Sacha opened his eyes and looked at his father. “And lose him? You know how he’ll react.”
Alessio sighed and stood. Walking around his desk, he sat in the chair next to Sacha. “You need to live your life. Tell him. If he leaves, as difficult as I know it will be for you, you can at least move forward with your life.” He reached out and palmed Sacha’s face. “You need to do this. For you. You can’t keep living like this. You keep waiting for him, yet nothing changes.”
“Father-”
“I remember how excited you were when you first met him all those years ago. It gave me hope.”
Sacha swallowed, blinking his eyes as they filled with tears. “Yeah, I remember.”
“I had hoped over time...”
“Yeah, Father. Me too.”
“His feelings for you haven’t changed in all the time you’ve known him, and it hurts you every time he is with a woman. I’ve sat back and given you both time to adjust and hoped that something would happen to make him see you.”
“He does see me, father, just not the way I want.” Sacha blinked and a tear slipped over, rolling down his cheek. Alessio gently wiped it away, smiling sadly at him.
“You can’t keep on existing like this, pining your life away, Sacha.”
“What else can I do? He’s my mate. He’s the other half of me, and I don’t want to leave him. I don’t want to wake up knowing I’ll never see him again.”
“Tell him, and we will face the outcome together.”
Sacha breathed in sharply, the blood draining from his face. “What if he rejects me?” He bit his lip to stop it from trembling and blinked rapidly.
“I don’t know, Sacha.” Alessio shook his head. “I haven’t met my mate. That doesn’t mean I don’t love your mother because I do, very much. But to have a mate, I’ve heard is indescribable. Don’t wait-”
“What if I lose him?” Sacha blurted it out. “I’m supposed to just carry on without him?”
“I don’t know, Sacha, but isn’t it about time you found out?”
❊❊❊
As soon as he got home, Jared showered, taking time to wrap his wound in plastic to stop it getting wet. He groaned as the warm water cascaded over his skin, and he stared at it flowing down the drain.
It wasn’t clean and clear when it rolled off his body. The pink in it was his blood, and Jared paused. A few inches further across and it would have been his chest and not his arm that the kid hit.
He needed to be clean, and so he quickly washed his blond hair, wincing slightly when his finger caught on something tangled in it. When he pulled out a sliver of glass, he shook his head in confusion.
“How the fuck did that get in my hair?”
Placing it on the floor, he continued to wash away the grime and sweat that covered his body, groaning as the water eased his aching muscles. When he reached his dick, it perked up, and he grinned, giving it a few strokes and moaning at how good it felt.
He had time to spare before Sacha came home, so he poured body wash into his hand and grasped his dick, biting his lip at the pleasure that zinged through him.
“Fuck, yeah,” he muttered, stroking it hard and fast.
He wasn’t going to stretch it out. He needed to come and release some of the pent tension that coiled in his body. He pulled on his dick, biting his lip, and leaned back on the shower wall, grunting harshly.
When he came, it caught him off guard, and he slammed a hand on the wall next to him to keep upright as his come shot across the tiles. His legs shook, and he groaned, stroking more slowly now, letting his orgasm ebb.
When he had more control of his legs, he stood and finished washing his body. Turning the water off, he stepped out, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around his waist.
Wiping the condensation from the mirror, he stared at the scruff on his face. “Has to go,” he muttered, grabbing his razor.
Once he’d finished, he took the towel from his waist and, rubbing his hair dry, walked into his bedroom.
Pulling out his clothes for the night, Jared dressed in his favorite jeans and T-shirt. He needed to go out, get drunk and find someone to spend the night with.
He still had so much tension coiling in his body. He needed to work it out, and a good fuck was the answer. Hopefully, Sacha would be home soon, and they could hit the clubs together.
He threw his dirty clothes in the laundry basket and checked the time. Not long until Sacha got back, then they could go out and have some fun.
He finished getting ready, splashing his favorite aftershave on, grumbling when it stung his freshly shaved face, and then redressed his wound.
Downstairs, he heard the front door close. Sacha was home. “Sacha. I’m in my room,” he shouted. “Wanna go out?”
Grinning, he waited for a response and continued to dress. When there was no reply, Jared glanced over at his bedroom door, furrowing his brow. Why hadn’t Sacha answered? He always said something when he got home, especially if he knew Jared was already there.
He walked over to his bedroom door, opened it, and stared out along the hallway. He couldn’t see Sacha, and his frown deepened as he went downstairs.
When he didn’t find him in the living room, he strode over to the kitchen and stopped when he saw Sacha slumped on a chair by the table, head in his hands.
“Sacha.”
Sacha lifted his head and pierced him with an intense stare, red slivers appearing in his eyes. He swallowed and inhaled sharply, then uttered, “We need to talk.”