~ ~ Zack ~ ~
Stepping into the elevator, I had to wonder what the history was between Ellis and Sasha and whether I'd done the right thing leaving them alone. However, if they were both serious, then they would need to work through their issues or walk away.
The door opened, and I went in search of James. Knocking once, I went straight in to find his office empty. Behind me came a sound of groaning, followed by a crash and some cursing and hissing. He was in his bathroom with the door ajar.
Jumping into action. "James?" Pushing the door wide open, I froze. "Fuck."
James was standing in his boxers only with a syringe in one hand and an alcohol wipe in the other. "You okay?" My eyes flicked over his bare chest, at his defined pecs, which still bore the thin, obvious scars from his top surgery.
Our gazes clashed, followed by a pause. Shock at me standing in front of him I would guess. About to apologise, he said. "Christ, Zack. Heard of knocking?"
I held up both hands in apology. "Shit, sorry James. I thought you'd hurt yourself."
Shaking his head, he ground out. "Can you give me a minute, please?" He tossed the alcohol wipe into the sink.
A sharp nod and I backed out, closing the door. A few minutes later he appeared, fastening the cuffs on his shirt. "I wasn't expecting anyone to come in. I stayed out last night and then I was in a rush this morning and I didn't get time to, y'know..."
He was clearly angry, and I didn't honestly blame him. James took testosterone injections twice weekly. But this was the first time I'd ever seen him administer it. "Sorry, it was thoughtless of me to barge in." I let out a breath. "I encroached on your privacy and you have every right to be pissed at me."
James blinked, a little startled by my apology. "I'm not ashamed of my body, Zack."
What!? I pulled my head back. "I never implied you were."
He waved it off. "Ignore me. I'm not pissed with you." Walking to his desk, he rested his butt up against it. "I was out on a date with Don. We agreed to move things forward, and it didn't go as I planned. Or rather it went exactly how I thought it might."
I wasn't one for talking or sharing feelings, but I would at least try as we had been close friends for a long time now. "You want to talk about it?" I had two hours to kill.
He ran a hand over his mouth and chin. "I think the reality of me being trans hit home." He shrugged. "And confronted with the fact that I don't have a cis-male cock hanging between my legs was a little too real."
James had suffered more than a few setbacks in the 'dating' pool and rejection hurt no matter who you were. "James, look I know—"
He held up his hand. "Can we not do this right now?" He dropped his head for a second, taking a breath and lifted his eyes back to mine. "You wanted something?"
YOU ARE READING
High Stakes
RomanceKink Club owner, Zachary Coles would openly tell you commitment and monogamy are for fools and hedonism was the only game he subscribed too. That was until he agreed to help out his long-time friend, Max Jenson and offer his son, Ellis a summer job...