Behind Closed Doors

How it all started

Alex Rodriguez had never felt this kind of excitement just walking into a building before. He couldn’t believe he was going to be working for SK law, one of the biggest and most reputable law firms in the city. It was a dream come true for him.

The shimmering glass building of SK Law felt like something out of a dream, or a TV show about rich, privileged people who wore thousand dollar suits and didn’t know the price of a gallon of milk. He adjusted his tie and wiped his sweaty palms as he stepped in, trying to fit in as much as he could. He was just a paralegal, but this was a stepping stone towards achieving his dreams of one day becoming a lawyer.

With this job, he would finally be able to pay off his student loans and maybe one day, save enough to be able to afford law school. His plan was simple: put his head down, work hard, pay off debt, study, and crush the LSATS. Nothing was going to distract him from his plan. He would finally become a lawyer like these stuck-up assholes he could see striding through the lobby with their airpods in their ears.

Coming from his background, it was difficult to not feel envious of people who had had it easy all their life. People who didn’t have to work to pay their way through college, who didn’t have to graduate with a shitload of college debt hovering over their head, these private school pricks that think the world revolves around them. Yes, he was envious but he also aspires to be just like them one day.

The moment he stepped in through the immaculate glass doors of SK law, he felt like he had stepped into another world.. He watched men and women with immaculate suits and well-combed hair hurry past him as they went about their daily affairs. There were some really hot guys here too, he noted, one blonde in a blue suit who looked like he belonged on a cologne ad, and another with sleeves rolled up and tattoos peeking out who Alex couldn’t help but give a second glance.

He quickly shook the thought out of his head. He wasn’t here for that. He had no plans of getting into a relationship, not after Gabriel shattered his heart into a million pieces. He needed to focus on what he was here for. It wasn’t like people like this would give an actual damn about him. These people will never know what it feels like to come from a poor village or to worry about where your next meal is going to come from. He had worked hard enough to get himself here, among these people, and one day would become just like them.

At the reception, a woman with sleek red lipstick and an unfriendly expression took his appointment letter and sent him upstairs. That’s where he met Ruby, his supervisor, who wore glasses and a pencil skirt like they were part of a battle uniform. She offered him a handshake, pointed to an open desk, and dropped a thick stack of files in front of him.

“Welcome to the grind” she said before walking off

As he settled into his desk and began to transcribe the files, the low hum of the office buzzed around him, phones ringing, keys tapping, the occasional rustle of someone’s designer suit as they moved past. Then he heard it:

“Did you see that picture of Sebastian King kissing that guy?’

The voice came from the desk beside him. Alex kept typing, pretending not to eavesdrop, but of course, he was already hooked.

The person who just spoke was seated to his right and the lady she was talking to was seated to his left. She had smiled at him when he came in but he didn’t swing that way. He smiled back and wondered if he would have liked her if he wasn’t gay. She was cute, petite with golden brown hair and grey eyes. Too bad he liked men. Specifically, brooding, unattainable men with heartbreak in their eyes.

Like Gabriel

“I haven't seen the picture but the news is all over the place, you think maybe that’s why he hasn't been at work?” the other lady replied, whispering. This one was chubby but elegant in a flowy blouse and matte lipstick.

Office gossip, Alex was down for it. He didn’t think he would have a dose of it on his very first day. He has never met Sebastian King, but he knew he was one of the two senior partners at SK Law. The firm was named after his initials.

“ I heard he is going through a very nasty divorce right now,” golden hair said, tapping aggressively on her laptop. “Hold on. Look Here” she said

Alex instinctively turned and he froze. On the picture appearing on her laptop was a drop dead gorgeous man kissing another obscured one, his hand wrapped around his neck with a grip. He couldn't see the face of the other man as his back was turned but he could see Sebastian King and God, was he handsome.

His dark tousled hair framed his perfect face and although his eyes were closed, his long lashes graced his olive skin. His tall frame and his broad shoulders stood in contrast to the skinny man he was kissing, whose back was to the camera. It was the intensity of the grip around the other guy’s neck, the way his hand cupped it possessively, that made Alex’s throat go dry.

“Wow, so it's true?” the chubby lady exclaimed. “ Can’t believe he’s gay” she said

“No wonder he refused to look in my direction. I thought he was just like..super loyal to his wife. Not like he…you know..”

“Eats ass” the other lady supplied, looking disgusted

Alex swallowed. The harshness of her words made his stomach turn. But he couldn’t take his eyes off the photo. It wasn’t just that he was drop-dead gorgeous. It was the presence in that picture. The way he kissed, not sweet, not shy. Hungry. Commanding. Like he knew exactly what he wanted. Alex knew he was in trouble already. His heart had done a backflip just from seeing the picture of Sebastian and he knew he was going to be masturbating to that face tonight.

He had said he was not going to fall in love with anyone here. No relationships. No workplace crushes. Especially not on a man so far above his pay grade that they might as well live in different galaxies. But what the hell just happened?! Did he just fall head over heels with the picture of a man he hadn’t even seen in real life?

No, he told himself. Don’t be ridiculous.

Still, his hands shook slightly as he turned back to his screen and resumed typing. The image of Sebastian’s face refused to fade. That jawline. Those lashes. That goddamn grip on the other man’s neck.

Alex was in trouble.