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.Wasit his imagination, or had Paul walked with a slight limp this morning when he'd arrived at thebreakfast table? Was Uncle Alfred more chipper than usual?Thankfully, those thoughts were interrupted by Bernard."Sir, Augusta is on the phone fromBoston.She says it's urgent.""It's always urgent with her," Alfred growled as he rose from his chair."Probably misplaced herpearl earrings again and wants me to come flog the maids until they confess.Excuse me, boys.Ineed to go see what the old dragon wants.""Augusta? Great-Aunt Augusta?" Alex asked."None other," Paul replied.Though outwardly calm, with no one around to ensure Alex playednice, he was probably ready to bolt and run.Still, other than the nervous, sidelong glances at theclosed door, Paul hid his discomfort well.The Wish - 54Looking for a way to keep the conversation going, Alex offered, "She's still a harpy, I suppose.She was always after me to 'get married and carry on the family name.' How quickly she'sforgotten that my name is Martin, not Anderson." He cocked his head thoughtfully and mused,"Although she did try to get me to change it a few years back."Nearly choking on a mouthful of coffee, Paul spluttered indignantly, "Doesn't she know you likemen?"Alex snorted."That makes no difference to her.Her second husband was gay as blazes and theyhad two children, something she likes to keep reminding me of.Even the very thought makes meshudder.Poor man.Her last name is no longer Anderson now, either."Quiet footsteps passed outside the door and Paul, apparently reminded that they were alone, sethis cup down and pushed his chair back from the table.With an apologetic smile he said, "Well,if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."Alex was around the table in an instant, effectively blocking Paul's retreat."What's your hurry,Paul?" he purred."You told me the schedule.There's still plenty of time before you need to beanywhere." As if on cue, the grandfather clock bonged the hour.Alex added suggestively,"Hmm.looks like I have time to spare, too.I know just how we can fill it.""Alex," Paul sighed wearily."I'd hoped to get through one meal without having to deal with this.I've told you a million times: I am not taking advantage of Alfred.""Prove it.""Prove it? How?"Alex's smile held no humor."Sleep with me."Anger flashed in Paul's eyes and he hissed between gritted teeth, "I don't have to prove anythingto you, asshole.""That's because you can't," Alex murmured into his ear."I know you fucked him.I found theempty condom package on the bed this morning.You need to learn to be more discreet, or you'llscandalize the servants." With that, he turned and stalked away, leaving Paul open-mouthed andstaring.***A condom package? Alex had found a condom package? Well, as far as Paul knew, the onlyperson living in the house who'd had sex in the recent past was Alex himself.Well, Alex andpossibly Anton -- and hopefully not together.But him sleeping with Alfred? Ridiculous! Theman was like a father to him, for Pete's sake, and his own dear uncle's partner!The Wish - 55Paul fervently wished Alex would get over his irrational paranoia.They'd formed an uneasyalliance, yet whenever no one was around, the accusations began.As much as Paul hated them,he could almost understand.He'd be the same way if he thought someone was trying to takeadvantage of Alfred.It was a pity the man didn't know how to trust because, personality conflicts aside, they made agreat team: Alex running the financial side of things and Paul handling domestic issues,including making sure that Alfred made it to his appointments.Then there were times when Alex forgot to hate him and spoke to him as an equal, though thosewere few and far between.Whenever some measure of trust was gained, some new, ludicrous,imagined evidence ignited the man's suspicions all over again.Why couldn't Alex just accept thatnot everyone was out for all they could get, no matter who they had to hurt to get it?Yes, dealing with Alex amounted to "one step forward and two steps back." How Paul hated theinnuendo! Not for a minute did he believe it was real; it was as if Alex were testing himsomehow.Try as he might, he couldn't think of the right answers, either.They seemed to changefrom minute to minute.The longer he knew the man, the more Paul questioned his earlier opinions.Alex was nearlyobsessive about hiding his true self from the world, however, there were little hints if one knewwhere to look -- like certain books that were missing from the library shelves and Internetsearches that hadn't been erased.Websites dealing with heart disease and treatments had beenvisited, and the attending physician and hospital where Alfred s procedure was scheduled hadalso been researched.Most telling was a bookmark for the closest paramedic facility.Paul knew it was wrong to snoop, he really did.That still hadn't prevented him from picking upAlex's casually discarded phone one afternoon.A quick inspection revealed that phone numbersfor the doctor, hospital, and paramedics had been programmed into it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]