The Proposal

Chapter 5

When Geralt closed the bathroom door behind him, Jaskier sat down on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. Great. He hadn't even finished his breakfast and he'd already flashed his boner at Geralt. He hadn't lied when he blamed it on a natural bodily function that he had no control over, but it didn't help that Geralt, for all his faults, also happened to be a physical specimen of a man. It was like he was sculpted from marble, all bulging muscles with milky pale skin and big, powerful hands. Definitely Jaskier's type. Except for the fact that he was his boss. And he was an insufferable prick most of the time.

But not all of the time, as he had discovered to his surprise. Despite their bickering, Geralt had made last night's party bearable, even fun. Who'd have thought that his ruthless boss had a sense of humour? And when his father had pulled his usual stunt of trying to humiliate and undermine Jaskier in front of others, it felt good to have Geralt by his side. Geralt liked to act all stoic and unfeeling, especially in front of his subordinates. Jaskier supposed that it came with the territory; the publishing world was a cut-throat industry, and Geralt didn't earn the moniker Butcher of Blaviken by playing it kind or fair. You looked at Geralt Haute-Bellegarde and the last word that came to mind was vulnerable, yet glimmers of vulnerability had shone through yesterday.

The sound of the shower being switched off pulled Jaskier from his daydream and a moment later, Geralt re-entered the room with just a fluffy white towel slung low across his waist. His body was still damp, little beads of water glistening on his skin, flushed from the hot shower. Geralt ran his fingers through his damp hair, pushing it out of his face. "Bathroom's free."

Jaskier caught himself staring again, only this time he was pretty sure by the amused smile on Geralt's face he had noticed him doing it. Jaskier hurried past Geralt, his ears hot with embarrassment and something else that he'd rather not verbalise. Perhaps this holiday was going to be more challenging than he thought. When Jaskier re-entered the bedroom after a much-needed cold shower, Geralt was dressed in his handsome charcoal suit again and was draining the cup of coffee his mother had made for him.

"There isn't any way that I can talk your mother out of this shopping trip, is there?" he asked, placing the empty cup back onto the tray.

"Nope. It'll be easier just to roll with it," Jaskier advised. "My mum and grammy are just using this as an excuse to get to know you better."

"I figured as much."

"Well, see it as an opportunity to learn about my family. It'll all come in handy during the interview."

Geralt sighed and pulled on his suit jacket. "Fair point."

"Just...try to be nice. Please?" asked Jaskier. Geralt drew him an incredulous look.

"I can be nice when I want to be, you know," he replied testily.

"Fine. Prove it."

Geralt's eyes narrowed at the challenge. "You know what? I'm going to charm them so much that they'll be begging me to marry you."

Jaskier laughed as Geralt strode from the room like a man on a mission. His mother might be a soft touch but his grandmother, however sweet and innocent she appeared to be, didn't suffer fools gladly. After wishing his mother and grandmother a fun day shopping, Jaskier and his father stood on the pier and waved them off as they boarded the boat and sailed for the shore with a slightly less confident-looking Geralt in tow.

"Your boyfriend doesn't seem keen on the water," Albert mused. "I guess we won't be taking him out on any sailing trips any time soon."

"I suppose not," Jaskier agreed. Not that they planned to do any such thing after they headed back to Tretogor. "You made quite the first impression on him yesterday, father. Really welcoming."