Sam swallowed. “Apparently I have to start looking for a new job, because he isn’t
prepared to have his
gay
son working in his company.” He grimaced. “And that’s the polite version.”
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Mark didn’t know what to say. He’d hoped against hope that Sam had it wrong, that his
dad wouldn’t prove to be a complete arsehole. But for him to fire his own son…. Mark could
only imagine the pain that Sam was going through. A thought occurred to him.
“How did your mum react? Is she like your dad?” He held Sam’s hand, stroking it.
Sam shrugged. “I didn’t think so, but he wouldn’t let me talk to her. I could hear him
yelling at her when she wanted to know what was going on.” His chin dropped to his chest and
he sagged back into the sofa. “This is such a mess.”
Mark shifted uncomfortably. “And it’s all my fault.” His chest felt tight when he thought
of the pain he’d brought into Sam’s life.
Sam jerked his head up, his eyes blazing. “Don’t you
ever
blame yourself for this. I
meant what I said last night. We both knew it was never going to end well, but we can deal with it—together.” He jutted out his chin. “Understood?” Those beautiful blue eyes gazed intently at him.
Mark leaned toward Sam and kissed him softly on the lips. When they parted, he met
Sam’s gaze. “Understood.”
The door opened suddenly and both men jumped. Sonia came into the room, looking
flustered. Her eyes went wide when she saw the two of them sitting so closely together, Sam’s
hand clasped firmly in Mark’s. She gave Sam a quick nod and then turned to Mark.
“I’m sorry to intrude, but I really think you need to get out here now. Sam, too.”
Mark’s eyebrows shot up. They got up quickly and walked into the salon. Mark stifled a
groan as he saw who was waiting by the reception desk, her fingernails tapping against the
counter. Becky stood with her back to them, immaculately dressed in a linen jacket and pants.
Even from the rear, her body language was plain. She was clearly not in a good mood. Mark
glanced around the salon. There were only a few ladies being seen to. He puffed out a sigh of
relief. This was not going to be pretty, and the fewer observers, the better. He walked slowly
toward her, Sam behind him.
As they neared her, Becky whirled around, her eyes gleamed malevolently when she
caught sight of Mark. When Sam appeared from behind him, she gave him an intense, fevered
stare.
“I might have known
you’d
be here,” she flung out at him.
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Sam opened his mouth to speak but Mark laid a warning hand on his arm. He could
already see the expression on Marie’s face from the doorway of the kitchen. She stared in
astonishment at Becky.
“What do you want,
Becky
?” Mark struggled to keep his tone polite, although his hands
itched to slap the bitch when he thought about how she’d treated his Sam.
Becky walked slowly across to Mark, until she was standing so close to him that he let
out an involuntary shiver. She leaned closer, her breath puffing into his face. “I’ve come to
warn you to stay away from Sam.” Her eyes were cold. “You leave him alone, or else.”
Mark held himself straight and looked her in the eye. “Or else what? Is that a threat,
Becky?” He kept his voice low. In his peripheral vision he saw Marie moving toward them.
Everyone in the place had their attention focused on them.
“I could make life very difficult for you here,” Becky hissed. “You might think
differently about being with Sam if you lost your job because of him.” Her eyes glittered. “I
could make that happen, y’know. I know people on this island.”
Mark wanted to laugh at this deluded woman who clearly believed she wielded that
much power. Before he could say another word, Sam stepped in.
“Becky, you need to leave now.” He spoke quietly, but Mark picked up the slight tremor
in his voice. “I’ve already told you—we’re through.” The decisive edge to Sam’s voice made
Mark’s chest swell with pride. This was not the same Sam who had sat in the salon all those
weeks ago.
Becky’s eyes narrowed. “I will talk with you later.”
Sam met her gaze head on. “We have nothing to talk about. I made my feelings clear on
Saturday night and nothing has changed.” He gave her a sad smile. “Except that I have to tell
you, I spoke with Dad this morning, so your bargaining chip is useless.” Then his face
hardened. “I’ll be sure to give my regards to Donald when I ring him later today. I’m sure he’s going to be very interested in what I have to tell him about his daughter. And show him, of
course. The photos we took on Saturday of my face should prove useful when I visit the police
station, too.”
Becky blanched. Inside Mark was singing.
Oh, you beautiful man
…
“Sam, you wouldn’t….” Her words trailed off. She gazed beseechingly at him, all trace
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“Sam, you wouldn’t….” Her words trailed off. She gazed beseechingly at him, all trace
of anger melted away.
To Mark’s surprise, Sam took hold of her arm and began to lead her away from Mark
toward the door of the salon. Mark followed. No way was he letting Sam go through this alone.
He glanced across at Marie who was watching the proceedings with a disapproving look. As
Sam walked Becky toward the door, Marie’s face cleared. She was obviously relieved to see the
back of Becky. Mark could understand that. Becky struggled, but Sam held her arm firmly.
Mark marveled at this new, stronger Sam.
They got to the door and Sam reached around Becky to open it. He let go of her arm and
gestured to the street. “Bye, Becky. I don’t expect to see you again, but it’s a small island. You never know.” Mark watched her stumble into the street. Becky’s face was white.
From his vantage point behind Sam, Mark could hear her panicked tone, so different
from earlier. “Are you really going to talk to Daddy?”
Sam nodded, his expression grave. “I’m sorry, I have to. You need help.” When her eyes
widened, he gestured toward his face. “Doesn’t
this
tell you something?” Her gaze dropped and she flushed. “You know I’m right.” She mumbled under her breath and Mark couldn’t catch the
words, but her inability to look Sam in the eye told him a lot. Becky pulled her linen jacket
tightly around her body. With a final slow nod at her, Sam stepped back into the salon and
closed the door. He turned to face Mark, his shoulders sagging. Despite his apparent
confidence, the encounter had clearly taken its toll on him.
Mark regarded him with shining eyes. “I am
so
proud of you.”
Sam flushed and opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the sound of
Sam’s phone ringing. He pulled it from his jean’s pocket and looked at the screen, becoming
very still. He flipped it open, his hands shaking. “Mum?”
Mark gaped. He watched Sam’s face break into a joyful smile as he listened intently to
his mother, interjecting now and again. The call only lasted a minute or so, but the change to
Sam’s expression was enormous. When he’d finished, he put the phone back into his pocket and
turned to Mark, his face glowing.
“Mum said, whatever Dad may say, she still loves me.”
Mark let out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s great.” At least Sam wasn’t cut off from
his family entirely. “Does she think your dad will come around?”
95
Sam shrugged. “I don’t really know. To be honest, I’d be surprised if he did. He’s not
one to change his mind once he’d made it up. Knowing that Mum’s in my corner makes it more
bearable, though.”
He stepped closer to Mark, and Mark caught his breath at the look in those eyes. “But
having you by my side?” Sam reached out his hand and cupped Mark’s cheek tenderly, and
Mark couldn’t help leaning into that touch. “That makes my life perfect.” Before Mark could
say a word, Sam drew Mark to him and kissed him. Mark closed his eyes and melted into the
kiss, dimly aware of noises from the people around, soft gasps and murmurs of surprise. He
couldn’t have cared less. Sam was kissing him, not holding back as he deepened the kiss, and
the rest of the world simply faded into the background.
Until he heard Sonia’s heartfelt exclamation. “Oh my God, that’s so
beautiful
.”
Mark let out a low murmur as Sam pulled away, a sheepish grin on his face. “I think
we’re creating a scene,” Sam whispered, “so maybe it’s time I got out of here.”
Mark felt a stab of disappointment. “Do you have to go?” The last thing he wanted to do
right now was work. Even as he said the words, however, he knew he was being unreasonable.
Sam chuckled. “Er… yes? I have to start looking for a new job, for one thing. And then
start looking for a new place for us.” He leaned in and kissed Mark once more, his lips warm
and soft. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Name it.” Mark was in such a good mood, he’d agree to anything right now.
“Would it be all right if I moved in with you ’til then? I don’t want to waste another
second being apart from you.” Those breathtaking eyes pleaded with him.
Mark beamed. “Oh God, yes.” The thought of Sam moving in filled him with joy. And
then he had an idea. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his key ring. He fiddled
with the ring for a moment as he worked two door keys off it. Mark opened Sam’s palm and
pressed the keys into it. “Key to the main door. Key to my flat. There’s a spare set at home.”
There was no mistaking the look of joy on Sam’s face. He grasped the keys tightly.
“Thank you.” He leaned in and kissed Mark lightly on the lips. “In which case, I’ll be waiting
for you when you get home.” He winked. “So hurry home to me, okay? I’ll have dinner
waiting.” He leaned closer to whisper in Mark’s ear. “And after dinner, I have something special planned.”
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Mark’s pulse raced as he considered what that might be. Sam’s gaze was smoking hot,
leaving him in no doubt that whatever he had in mind, Mark was going to enjoy every minute
of it. Sam’s eyes glittered and Mark’s cock hardened.
Oh God
. He went weak at the knees.
And with that, Sam turned to the ladies who were watching and gave them a cheery
wave. “Bye, ladies.” He grinned as he stepped out of the salon, waving through the window at
Mark as he set off down the street. Mark watched him until he was no longer in sight.
Mark felt so light, he could have floated across the salon. The salon. Oh hell—he
suddenly remembered where he was. He glanced around at the faces which regarded him, all of
them smiling, even Marie. Sonia beamed at him, her eyes sparkling. She winked at the staff.
“Looks like our Mark finally found his Prince Charming after all!” Snickers and
chuckles greeted her words.
Mark reddened and then gruffly cleared his throat. “Okay, time I did some work, I
think.” He glanced up at the clock. Five hours to go until he could go home—to Sam’s arms.
* * * * * * * * * *
plate with a contented sigh. He’d arrived home to the strange experience of being buzzed into
his own flat, since Sam had his keys, only to be greeted by a wonderful aroma as he climbed the stairs to the top floor. Sam was leaning over the bannister, watching his approach, the mouth-watering smell emanating from the open door behind him.
Sam blushed. “I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.” He’d prepared chicken breasts in a delicate
white wine and cream sauce, along with brown rice and broccoli. The flavor had been sublime.
Mark lifted the tray from his lap and placed it on the floor, before leaning across to kiss
Sam on the mouth. “I loved it,” he murmured as he pulled away from the kiss. “I feel positively spoiled.”
Sam winked. “Then you’re going to love this.” Mark’s eyebrows lifted as Sam got up
from the couch and went to the fridge. When he pulled out a bottle of champagne, Mark’s eyes
lit up. Sam flushed. “I thought it would be nice to celebrate us deciding to live together.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Mark said wholeheartedly. He got up and went to the cupboard
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“I couldn’t agree more,” Mark said wholeheartedly. He got up and went to the cupboard
where he kept his glasses and withdrew two tumblers. He looked sheepishly at Sam. “Okay, I
need to buy some wineglasses, I get it.”
Sam snickered. “What does it matter what we drink it out of? It won’t change the taste
of the champagne, will it?”
Mark’s heart swelled with love. His man—eminently practical.
My man
. Damn, that
sounded good. Sam poured the champagne and handed him a tumbler. He brought his glass to
Mark’s and clinked it lightly.
“To us.” The words were uttered softly, Sam’s gaze fixed on Mark.
“To us.” Mark’s reply was equally soft. They drank the bubbling gold liquid, its taste
bursting into life on Mark’s tongue. He took Sam by the hand and led him to the couch, where
they sat and sipped their champagne.
“This is wonderful.” Sam leaned back into the couch and sighed happily.
Mark couldn’t agree more. “So, what are your plans?”
Sam tilted his head. “Plans?”
“For a job. Moving in here. Stuff like that.”
Sam stretched out his long legs. “I rang round a few games design companies this
morning and one of them expressed an interest. They want me to interview next week.”
“That’s great,” exclaimed Mark.
Sam waved a finger. “Don’t get carried away
just
yet. This isn’t a done deal, all right?”