because he was on about his assistant the other day, and he sounded as sassy as you.”
I shake my head in utter disbelief at the workings of fate. “Max, what employment agency is it?”
“The Evans Agency. It’s in the building with the orange-painted windows, but I haven’t visited him in years. We normally meet at a pub.”
I start to laugh. “Well, why don’t you visit him now, and I’ll wait for you?”
There’s a long pause. “Are you sure?” he says, sounding confused. “What about lunch?”
“Oh, very sure. I’ll wait.”
I ring off, and a few minutes later, I hear the front door open and footsteps coming down the corridor to my office. I can hear Max’s voice on the phone saying, “I was in the area so I thought I’d drop in. You need to be quick though because I’ve got a lunch date and— Felix.”
He stops dead inside the door to my office, still holding his phone to his ear, and I start to laugh. He looks at me sitting behind my desk and gives his head a quick shake, as if to clear it. He ends his call, sliding the phone into his pocket. “You’re Zeb’s sassy assistant?”
“At your service.” I sketch a salute. “And you’re his nefarious stepbrother.”
He bites his lip, looking as discomposed as I’ve ever seen him. “That’s me.”
The way he says it is cautious, and my smile dies away. Zeb and Patrick appear before I can question him.
“Max,” Zeb says. “What’s going on?” He looks between the two of us. “Sorry, where are my manners? Have you two met before? This is Felix, my assistant.”
“Oh, we’ve met,” I say demurely. “But mainly in the biblical sense.”
Max’s mouth twists for a second, but an anxious expression wins out over a smile.
Zeb looks back and forth between us and then again. “Oh God,” he says faintly to Max. “You’re Felix’s mystery man.”
I instantly get my own anxious expression, because that was not a happy voice. I’m not happy either, as I remember how many secrets Zeb could spill right now. I’ve been confiding in him for three months. About his stepbrother.
My cheeks flush as the memory surfaces of me describing Max’s rimming technique.
Zeb swallows hard, looking slightly sick. I’ve got a feeling he remembers that conversation too.
“I can’t believe it,” he says again.
An uneasy silence falls. I look between the two brothers and feel a deeper twinge of anxiousness. What is going on here?
Patrick edges around Zeb in the doorway and glares at Max. “Max,” he says frigidly.
Max’s lip curls. It’s strange. I’ve never seen a look of disdain on his face before. He’s usually open and welcoming and friendly. It’s part of why I feel so safe to be myself around him.
Zeb coughs, and Max attempts a smile. “Patrick, what an adorable surprise,” he says smoothly.
“I suppose it must be,” Patrick says modestly. He looks between Max and me with an avid stare. “So, you and Felix are…?”
“They’re together, yes,” Zeb intercedes quickly.
“Really?” Patrick looks far too entertained for my peace of mind. “Together. What a complete surprise.”
“Oh, are you surprised?” Max says sweetly. “It’s hard to tell on a Thursday after the botox has kicked in.”
I want to high five this man and kiss his face off.
Patrick reddens. “Well, it’s something you could do with, Max. Faces give away so many things that we try to hide. Just think of what you could let slip with your lined complexion.” He directs a sweet smile at me. “It makes a man think. Wouldn’t you say so, Felix?”
“I thought you’d been told not to think because it gave you wrinkles,” I say, trying to stifle my unease. Something is going on here, and I have a suspicion it’s got something to do with me. My face gets hotter. It really isn’t fucking nice to be the only person who hasn’t got a clue about what’s going on.
My suspicion is confirmed when Max shoots me an awkward look and then stares accusingly at Zeb, who immediately reddens.
“Really, Patrick?” Max says, still staring hard at Zeb. "It’s so nice that you’ve been allowed an opinion on things. Personal things.”
Zeb reddens. “It’s not what you’re thinking,” he says.
“Save it,” Max snaps. “You ready?” he asks abruptly, glancing at me. There’s something working behind his eyes. He raises one eyebrow.
I jump hurriedly to my feet. “Yes, of course.”
“Aww, that’s lovely,” Patrick purrs. “An accommodating man. God knows, Max is in need of one after all these years of being in—”
“That’s enough,