“So, that happened.”

I sit up on the desk and scan the room.

“Yeah,” Zeke whispers, his voice carrying from his position next to me on the desk. “It did.”

I spot articles of clothing scattered about the floor and honestly can’t tell whose is whose.

“Wait…” He reaches out and touches my arm. “Don’t go yet.”

I shoot him a kind smile and let him pull me back down to him. I lay my head on his chest and listen as his heart thumps loudly.

“I want to enjoy this,” he says.

I close my eyes and try not to let myself freak out about the fact that he’s my stepbrother.

“It’s strange for me, too,” he says, reading my mind.

“Yeah?” I ask.

“I know I shouldn’t want this.” His hand strokes my hair. “But I can’t stop what I feel for you.”

“I know what you mean,” I say. I can see it very clearly now, hindsight being as it is. Zeke has always held a special place in my heart.

“I want this, Rocky,” he admits. “And I’m in… if you are.”

I hesitate. “Zeke, this…” I sit up and balance on one arm. “This is a lot to take in.”

He sits up and faces me. “I know. I don’t expect us to have this figured out right now.”

“We should talk about it some more,” I decide.

“Of course,” Zeke says. “How about tonight?”

“I have class but I can stop by afterward,” I say.

“Perfect.” He leans over and lands a sweet kiss on my lips.

I slide off the desk to start gathering and separating our clothes. I find my shirt and slip into it. I try to button it, but remember that the buttons are now gone, hidden somewhere in the dark corners of my office.

“Oh, yeah.” I laugh. “You destroyed my shirt.” I pull the torn shard off my body to inspect the damage a little closer.

“Here,” Zeke says as he slips out of his own. “Wear mine. I’ll have someone fetch a new one for you.”

I take his shirt and throw it over my arms. His scent lingers on it, filling my nose. “Thank you.” I button the over-sized shirt and tuck it into my slacks.

Zeke leans over me and plants a kiss on me once more. “I have to go do some work.”

“Okay,” I say, returning his kiss.

He walks to the elevator, his nude, sweat-covered torso glistening in the sunlight.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he says. He tosses me a wink as the doors close and my heart flutters again inside my chest.

* * *

“Hey, Rocky.”

I look up from the desk to find Logan stepping off the elevator. He holds a white paper bag in one hand.

“Logan!” I greet. I stand up and walk around the desk to meet him. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you, and…” He reaches into the white paper bag and withdraws a paper-wrapped cylinder. “To bring you lunch.”

“Oh, thank god!” I say, my stomach growling. “I was about to play quarters with the vending machine in the lobby.”

He sets the sandwich on the desk. “Pfft, that’s no lunch for the assistant of a very important executive!” he jokes. His eyes glance down my body and he raises an eyebrow. “Is that a man’s shirt?”

I look down at my body and search my brain for an excuse. “Oh, yeah…” I say. “I spilled coffee all over myself after I got here. Zeke let me borrow one of his until it gets cleaned.”

Logan nods his head, but I see a twinkle of doubt in his eye. “Clumsy twit.”

“That’s me!” I say. I hope my cheeks aren’t too pink. Lying has never been my strongest talent.

We sit down at the desk and begin enjoying our sandwiches.

“So, how is Zeke?” Logan asks.

I wash down a bite of food with a gulp of coffee. “He’s fine,” I say. “Honestly, you’d know better than I would.”

“Doubtful. We haven’t spoken much in the last few years.”

I sit up straighter. “Really? I had no idea…”

“Yeah,” Logan reaches for a napkin to wipe his lips.

“Why?” I ask.

“Oh, you know. Friends just drift apart.” I feel like he wants to say more, but he’s holding back.

“Logan, I remember what happened that summer.” It’s a risk bringing it up. But I think it would be stranger if I never mentioned it seeing how badly I wanted to talk to him about what he said at the party.

He pauses and keeps his eyes fixed on his shoes. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” I say. I want to hear more from him than that. I wait patiently for him to say something else. The seconds feel so much longer than they really are.

“Does Zeke know?” he finally asks.

“Yes,” I answer. “We talked about it.”

“What did he say?” Logan looks up at me with concern.

“He said it was a long time ago and we shouldn’t let one night of weirdness ruin our current lives. And I agree with him.” I glance up at him and hope he buys it.

The phone rings on the desk and I reach to answer it, happy for the sudden interruption.

“Zeke Belmont’s office,” I say.

“Is he there?” The voice is hurried, almost distraught.

“No, Mr. Belmont is out at the moment, but I’d be happy to take a message.” I pick up a pen and slide a notepad over. “What’s your name?”

“This is Madison.”

I glance at Logan to find him staring at me. I don’t write down her name. “And what is this pertaining to?”

“Just have him call me, please,” she says with annoyance. “He’s not answering his cell.”

“Okay, ma’am, I will pass on the message.”

“Thank you.”

I hang up.

“Who was that?” Logan asks.

“Oh, it was no one.”

I’m starting to feel like a different person. I didn’t know I was capable of lying this much.

“Right…” he says. “Well, I should get going…” He stands up and crumples his food garbage.

“Hey, Logan,” I say, reaching out to him. I place a hand on his arm. “Thanks for coming. I’ve missed you. We should do this again soon…”

He pauses mid-stand and a sigh escapes him. “Look, Rocky…” he begins. “Keep your guard up, okay?”

I sit back. “What do you mean?”

“The Belmont family… you were never one of us.”

“One of us?” I repeat.

“You know what I mean — you’re special.”

I say nothing and let the words sink in.

Logan sits back down in his chair and leans over to me. “When you left… it sucked. But I knew it was the best thing for you. You deserve so much more than what the Belmont family can give you.”

“Logan… I…”

He cups his hands over mine. “Don’t let him distract you.”

“I won’t,” I say.

He looks right through me. My heart aches within my chest. I never thought for a second that my actions would have an impact on him. He was always just an extension of the Belmont family. Was I wrong to think he was just like them?

“Good,” he says. His hand lingers in the air for a moment before landing on my cheek. “I should go,” he whispers.

“Yeah,” I say, pulling away from him. “Say hi to Becky for me.”

Logan stands up from his chair. “I will,” he says.

“Bye, Logan.”

He walks in silence toward the elevator and leaves me alone with many new thoughts.