Between The Tides Of Pain & Rapture | MxM

Chapter 17

The next morning at 7:10 a.m., Nathan awoke to an empty bed. He groaned deeply while his eyes wandered. Although Logan was nowhere in sight, the shower sprays were on, so he must've been taking a bath. For a young man in his twenties, he was truly well-disciplined. He didn't act his age, then again, he owned a multimillion-dollar company, and it was expected of him. Unlike Nathan, who was a grown man in his thirties whose only purpose was to wallow in self-pity and do jack shit all day. Was he complaining? No, not really, though today—of all days—he lacked the motivation to get out of bed, so possibly.

He stretched his arms out, reaching for his phone on top of the dresser. His left eyebrow quirked and his face instantly lit up when he noticed a text from Matthew:

Matthew: 6:01 A.M.: How's Nashville? You up for a couple of drinks when you get back? Need to talk to you about something important :)

Something important?

Nathan wondered what that meant. He hoped nothing was wrong with his friend, he didn't bother to respond right away, though. It wasn't because Logan ordered him to stop talking to the only friend he made since he moved to Evanston. He didn't give two fucks about what the younger man ordered. It was simply because he was late. Today was the real estate event at the JW Marriot, and it was happening in the next three hours. The thought crossed him once or twice not to bathe, but he smelt an awful lot like sex, gross— and dried semen—so dragged his weary feet out of bed to grab his suit from his suitcase, and through half-opened eyes, he made his way to the bathroom and swung the door open, completely forgetting Logan was still inside.

"You came for a second round of last night, sweetheart?"

Suddenly, a shocked gasp left his lips at the sound of Logan's flirtatious voice, and his eyes bulged wide, instantly awake from his walking slumber. Oh no! He took a step back at the sight of Logan, naked as the day he was born with tight, sexy, muscles, a stiff length, and a cocky smile on display. Nathan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry before he spluttered, "You—You have no shame." And he slammed the door shut to the sound of Logan's laughter as his face colored red.

Despite the embarrassment he felt as he tied on a robe and rushed outside of the suite, wanting to get as far away from Logan as possible, it was the first time he heard the younger man's laughter in years. It was just as he remembered; soft and light—a bust of fresh air, not the demeaning stare that accompanied it. It caused his insides to heat from knowing Logan's laughter was because of him.

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The moment Nathan's lips touched the champagne glass, his face turned sour and he coughed before setting the glass back down on the buffet table and opting for a cupcake instead, tossing the entire chocolate cake into his mouth to rid the godawful taste of the liquor. With a full mouth, his eyes wandered elsewhere to the gathering in the center where his colleagues were, and Logan, alone, encircled by businessmen. The younger man wore a striking black suit with satin on the edges and gold cufflinks, a compliment to Nathan's plain grey. His blue eyes were on Nathan, watching him with a deep interest until Nathan felt goosebumps riddle his body, compelling him to turn away from the dominating stare.

He knew that look, Logan would definitely take him tonight.

"Enjoying yourself, Mr. Das?"

Nathan sighed before he looked beside him. An odd expression must've clung to his face because Sashia rolled her eyes. What was she doing there? And what did she want? He knew when a co-worker didn't like him. Sashia was the worst of them all, she didn't like anyone at the company and always seemed to think she was better than everyone else. She often criticized his work and made him feel he couldn't do anything good enough. If he hadn't once been a boss to others when his family owned their business, he might've believed her.

"Very much," he answered with a tight smile, bluntly showing his displeasure.

Shasia stared at him in disbelief for a second before she said, "Well aren't you getting braver by the day... Already think you own the company?"

At this, Nathan quirked an eyebrow. What the hell was she talking about? "If you're going to speak in riddles, might as well speak to a—"

"I know what you're doing," she interrupted with an accusing glare. "You're sleeping with the boss."

Oh.

Oh.

So that's what this was about, Nathan should've figured.

"It's not what it looks like," he defended, although he knew it was exactly what it looked like.

Rather stiffly, Sashia said, "Cut the crap, Das. You can't talk your way out of this. We all saw it. Is this how you plan on getting to the top?"

Nathan sighed and asked, "What do you want?"

He knew the moment Logan made a spectacle at the receptionist's desk yesterday about his whereabouts and then made it known they were sharing the same hotel room, his colleagues would start looking at him differently. He just wished it wouldn't have come to this—he never wanted any of this.

"I didn't want to say anything," Sashia said. "But as a woman, I just want to warn you that what you're doing to your wife isn't right. You're a married man for God's sake—and you're cheating on her with a man! Do you have no shame? No decency? I swear, it's people like you who make me sick. You need to stop this or else this isn't going to end well for you."

Nathan turned his eyes away from her because he knew tears were already coating them. He was ashamed and deeply embarrassed because he knew he was in the wrong. But what was he to do? Logan blackmailed him. The man had completely lost his bloody morality and decency, leaving Natahn to look like the cheating bastard.

Should he tell her he had no choice?

He didn't like this woman, yet his tongue itched to speak the truth. He stopped himself with an effort, though, and said, "What I do is no one's business."

Sashia seemed a bit stunned before she said rather drily, "Do you even know Anderson?"

"I know him enough."

"Clearly you don't because then you would know how easily he replaces men. You're not special, Das... He will replace you and then you will have nothing left by then because your wife will know what you've been up to."

The woman's words stung more than Nathan would like to admit. He feared she might've been right. Logan was only using him because he blamed him for what happened between them, he said it himself. He thought nothing of Nathan other than a cheap whore whom he could use to satisfy his needs, whom he could easily discard once he had enough. At the end of the day, whatever Logan was doing, was just a game. This thought pained Nathan dearly because no matter how hard he tried to hide it, he knew his heart yearned for the younger man, but they were now different people with different views. Nathan was still stuck in his old ways, whilst Logan had moved on to greater things in life. He always had it in him.

"I wish he would replace me," Nathan muttered, refusing to look the woman in his eyes. He didn't want to see his reflection, he knew he wouldn't like what would be staring back at him. "I wish he would leave me... I never wanted any of this to happen, you know."

"Then put an end to it," Sashia said, this time soundly deeply concerned. "It's not too late."

At the sound of her soft voice, Nathan couldn't help to look at her, shocked at her concerned tone. He knew she noticed the tears glossing in his eyes, and he knew she felt pity for him. "I don't know how to," he answered.

Sashia sighed before touching Nathan's arm. "Listen Nathan, I don't know what Anderson had done that made you believe you can't leave him, but there is always a way. If..." She paused, letting go of his arm before pinching the bridge of her nose. "If he's done something. You can ask for help."

Ask for help.

Did he want help?

He didn't know.

One thing was certain, though; he was frightened of Logan, of what the younger man had become.