*Another super long chapter
Author's Note: I'm pushing back all of my updates to 2am UK time now. It's essentially been the same time for the last 1 or 2 weeks now, and I feel bad for never making it to around midnight.
Because all of these chapters are becoming a lot meatier, and because I procrastinate, it's just too hard to meet my own midnight deadline. I hope you all understand.
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Ethan was sitting in his office one evening as he was busying himself with work. The COO has been working overtime the last couple of days, because he had a lot more free time recently.
The head of advertising was putting in place one of the strategy's Ethan had suggested, and Ethan even managed a compliment from Lewis for his improved work ethic.
Ethan's work life was so much more productive when he wasn't being so obsessive about Thomas. He may not be able to see the bodyguard everyday anymore, but that couldn't stop Ethan from at least texting Thomas whenever he wanted.
Javier walked into Ethan's office after he opened the door, and sat opposite of his son. He had a smile on his face as he joked, "It's nice to finally see you work!"
Ethan rolled his eyes as he continued working. "Knock much?"
"You heard the door turning, same thing basically." Javier laughed. The older man then pointed over his shoulder as he asked, "You going to join us at the party?"
Ethan looked through the office window and saw how lots of people were still in the office past work hours. Ethan didn't get the memo on why so many people were staying in the office this late, and Ethan was unaware why his parents were invited also.
"What's the special occasion?" Ethan wondered.
Javier shrugged his shoulders as he had no clue either. "Me and your mom were just told to be here."
Harrison was next to walk into Ethan's office as he knocked on the door first before entering. "Come on guys! Everybody's waiting!" Harrison expressed eagerly.
Ethan walked with the both of them out of his office as he shut his door closed. He put his arm around Javier as they stood besides Camilla and the many other people who were looking at Kristen.
Kristen smiled at her husband as they stood besides each other. They both gave each other a reassuring nod as Kristen then began to address the crowd. "Sorry for this last minute meeting everyone, but we wanted to celebrate our good news with a little party."
People were murmuring about what the good news could be when Tamsen eventually asked, "What are we celebrating?"
Harrison was like an energetic little puppy as he couldn't stop squirming in his spot. The smile on his face was blinding as he squeezed Kristen's hand.
"We're having a baby!" Kristen screamed.
Camilla dropped her drink onto the floor as she quickly squealed with excitement. She sprinted up to Kristen and gave her daughter a loving hug. "You're both pregnant?!"
Harrison was also swallowed by Camilla's hug as he chuckled, "She's pregnant, but I was there for the-"
Ethan nervously laughed as he understood where Harrison's joke was going. He thought that it would be best for Harrison's mother in law to not hear the end of the joke. So Ethan raised his voice by shouting out loud, "Don't finish that last part!"
Ethan joined Javier with swarming Camilla and the happy couple with congratulatory affection. Hugs and kisses were exchanged between the Shelton family as they were all celebrating the wonderful news.
"You always wanted to be a dad!" Ethan whispered into Harrison's ear as they hugged. "Congratulations!"
Harrison had tears of joy as he repeatedly nodded his head. Kristen was giggling as she wiped her husband's tears dry, and then Kristen felt herself be pulled into a bear hug from her brother.
"Careful!" Kristen laughed, "You're hugging a tiny human too!"
Ethan instantly flinched as he moved away from Kristen as if he burned himself. Horror was shown all over Ethan's face as he was terrified he hurt the baby. "I'm so sorry!"
Kristen smacked Ethan on the head as she continued laughing. She pulled Ethan back into a hug as she wrapped her arms around her brother. "Don't be dumb."
Ethan was happily spinning them around on the spot as he was beaming with joy. He was so happy for the married couple, because he knew how much they've both been trying for a baby.
"Baby Anders is going to be spoiled so rotten by everyone." Ethan hinted, as he wanted to be the best uncle he could be.
Harrison kissed Kristen on the top of her head as he then rested his hand on Kristen's belly. "Baby Anders... That's got such a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Kristen repeatedly nodded her head as she then kissed Harrison. "We're having a baby!" She squealed.
Javier pulled Ethan into a side hug as Javier put his arm around his son's shoulders. Camilla was giving all her love to the happy couple at the moment, so Javier wanted to do the same with their son.
"You ready to be called grandad, old man?" Ethan joshed.
Javier put his hand on his own chest as there was a warm feeling that multiplied when he learnt that there was going to be a new addition to the family. "I've already got the grey hairs."
Javier had so much love in his heart for his entire family. His new life goal was to see his children grow up happy with their own family, so now he wanted to focus his attention on the child that wasn't near the same milestone.
"What about you?" Javier asked Ethan. "How do you feel about all of this?"
Ethan scrunched his face as there was only one obvious reaction he had to the pregnancy. "I'm going to have a niece or nephew, that's brilliant!"
The subtext was left unnoticed by Ethan as he admired the happy couple. Ethan knew that Kristen and Harrison were going to make amazing parents, and Ethan couldn't be more happy for two of the most loving people he knew.
"Oh my god Kristen, are you ready to spend the next 8 or 9 months in maternity clothes?" Ethan teased.
Kristen loved her stylish outfits and fashion sense, as they were one of the reasons why she was the CEO of a fashion company. "We'll make something more fitting to my taste!" Kristen semi-seriously joked.
The devilish and mischievous Ethan then pointed out the unpleasant lifestyle changes of carrying a human inside of them. "You're going to become so bloated, you'll have swollen ankles, and you're going to pee all the time."
Kristen gasped at how Ethan was making fun of her at this joyous occasion. She then glared at her teasing brother as she cursed, "Now I don't regret any of my actions from Monday..."
Ethan felt the ominous tone was directed at him. Ethan became worried about Kristen's sly smile as he nervously asked, "What did you do?"
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It was late at night for Thomas when he came back home from work. Thomas was alone in the apartment as he flicked the lights on, and dropped his belongings on the living room table.
Thomas quickly took a beer out of the fridge as he then began to relax in the empty living room. Taking a sip from his beer, Thomas picked up the parcel he has been protecting since it arrived at the NG&P building this same morning.
Thomas had a wide grin on his face as he knew what he had received from Kristen. It took a lot of begging over the phone, and bribes were thrown into the mix as Thomas asked for Kristen to slightly betray her brother.
Kristen was sold when Thomas pointed out that they could both endlessly torment Ethan with it. With victory in his hands, Thomas was laughing because he had something over Ethan - the bachelor magazine.
It took a while for Thomas to find Ethan's double spread page, but he was the opposite of disappointed when his eyes landed on Ethan.
Thomas had a sense of nostalgia as he saw Ethan in front of him. He would have preferred to see Ethan in person, but this would have to do as Thomas couldn't take his eyes away from the man he was missing.
"Let's see what you were so shy about..."
Thomas knew that it was impossible for Ethan to be shy about his looks. With the amount of effort Ethan puts into his outfits, his body, and his skin care, Thomas knew that Ethan was brazen about thoroughly enjoying modelling the risqué and seductive pictures.
As Thomas continued to read Ethan's interview, it was clear to the bodyguard that the COO was being highly praised about everything Thomas thought was genuine about Ethan.
"Young, hot, and sexy Ethan Shelton has shown me an adorable side to him in my interview with this successful COO."
"There's more to this man than the smoldering looks Ethan naturally oozes."
Thomas' grin got bigger and bigger as he read Ethan's interview. He was experiencing learning about Ethan all over again, and Thomas felt smitten as the passages about Ethan were pleasantly burned into his brain.
"Ethan Shelton has reminded us why all of us have fallen in love with this bachelor."
"After learning more about Ethan Shelton, it's criminal that he isn't any higher on this list. Ladies and gentleman, Ethan Shelton is my number 1 bachelor."
Ethan was showcasing the real him in the interview, and he was letting himself be raw in front of thousands of people. Thomas admired Ethan's progress and courage as he felt proud of how far Ethan has come.
Thomas was glad that thousands of people would be able to see this side of Ethan. Thomas knew that Ethan was capable of so much more than the typical rich kid he pretends to be, because Thomas knew that the real Ethan that was hidden away was beautiful.
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Thomas nervously sat in his bed as he was taunted by hearing the video call ringing. It had been 3 days since he last physically saw Ethan, and Thomas didn't want to disappoint him when they saw each other on the screen.
It was midnight for Thomas as he was fixing his appearance on his laptop's camera. He tried fixing his hair to the way that Ethan liked it, and Thomas kept running his hand over his face because he was so nervous about seeing him again.
"Hello?"
Thomas' radiating smile naturally came out when he saw Ethan in front of him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the adorable smile on Ethan's face, and Thomas could feel the warmth inside of him flow through his entire body.
"Ethan... Hey." Thomas whispered gently.
Ethan disappeared from the screen as he quickly rushed out of view, "Thomas! Give me a second."
Thomas was puzzled when he saw some of Ethan's clothes fly across the screen. "What are you doing?" Thomas chuckled.
"I just came back from an office party." Ethan walked back into the camera shot as he said, "Let me just put some clothes on."
Thomas couldn't hide his mischievous grin as he had a glimpse of how Ethan was only dressed in his underwear. "I actually like you more like this..."
Ethan's laughter could be heard behind the screen whilst Thomas was looking at an image of the wall. Ethan soon came back onto the screen as Thomas then saw how Ethan hadn't put any more clothes on.
"It's not fair if only one of us is practically naked..."
Thomas clicked his tongue as he pretended to be in deep thought. When he saw Ethan raise his eyebrow and challenge him, Thomas stripped his shirt over his head and threw it on the ground.
"Better?" Thomas teased.
"Much better," Ethan approved. "I'm just going to take the laptop to my bed. Give me one more second."
Thomas watched how the picture on his screen was spinning around constantly, he was getting motion sickness as he watched Ethan mess around with his laptop.
Ethan eventually settled into his bed as he placed his laptop on his lap. Ethan was getting a good look at Thomas as he was appreciating the other man's charming good looks.
Ethan's mood had brightened because he couldn't take his eyes away from Thomas. "It's so good to see you again."
Thomas swallowed the lump in his throat, because he had neglected Ethan's phone call the other day. "Sorry about yesterday. Things just got hectic at work, and I fell asleep on my desk."
"Don't overdo it, okay?" Ethan was concerned about hearing why Thomas didn't call him back yesterday. But it was quickly forgotten because Ethan took comfort knowing that Thomas wasn't deliberately ignoring him. "We can't have these late night conversations if one of us pass out from work, or stress."
If they were in the same room together, Thomas would have cuddled with Ethan by now, and asked him about his day. This was the next best thing as Thomas could only look at Ethan's soft eyes through the screen. "How was the party?"
Ethan still hadn't gotten rid of his excitement as he shared, "Kristen and Harrison are having a baby!"
"Really?" Thomas could see the delight in Ethan's eyes, as Ethan's smile matched his feelings. "You're going to be an uncle!"
Ethan was continuously nodding his head as his exciting energy was contagious. "I'm going to be an uncle!"
Thomas had a warm expression on his face as he thought about how Ethan would treat the little baby. "You'll probably be one of those fun uncles that never does punishments."
Ethan laughed along as Thomas had hit the nail on the head. "It's the parent's job to discipline them. I'm just going to shower them with toys, sweets, and affection."
"I wouldn't expect anything less, Ethan..."
Ethan began to lie down on his bed as he placed his laptop on the nearby pillow. He was covering himself up with the blanket as he continued to talk to Thomas.
"How was your day?" Ethan asked.
Thomas had a Cheshire grin when he thought about Ethan's magazine spread. He held his finger to the screen as he told Ethan he was coming back.
Because Ethan was watching the screen, he got a good and clear flash of a naked Thomas running away from his laptop. "Where's your underwear!?"
Thomas eventually came back to the screen with a cheeky grin on his face. He looked down at himself to make sure that everything below his waist was no longer visible. "Just wanted to let you see what you were missing."
"Ha. Ha." Ethan nervously swallowed the lump in his throat as his mouth became dry. He then shook himself out of his horny state when he asked, "Where did you just go anyway?"
Thomas was quietly giggling on his side of the screen as he began to flick through the magazine. After finding Ethan's page, Thomas made a dramatic reveal by creating a drumroll with his fingers tapping against the laptop.
"What is it?" Ethan laughed.
Thomas knew that he was going to wipe Ethan's smile away, because he presented the magazine spread to the laptop screen. He made sure that Ethan was fully able to see himself on the paper print pages.
"How the fuck did you get that?!" Ethan screamed with horror.
Thomas was hysterically laughing as he turned the magazine back round to look over the pages. Thomas kept looking at Ethan's pictures as he explained, "It took a lot of convincing from Kristen."
Ethan felt a mixture of emotions that were swirling around his mind. He was left betrayed by Kristen breaking their sibling code, he was mortified about how Thomas had possession of his magazine spread, and Ethan was anxious because he didn't know how much Thomas had seen.
"Please burn it." Ethan pleaded.
Thomas was shaking his head as he tortured Ethan by openly ogling his photos. He even exaggerated his actions as he tiled his head to see the correct angle of Ethan on the magazine spread.
"Come on... Just get your stupid jokes out of the way then." Ethan moaned dryly.
Ethan thought that the best way to get out of this embarrassment was to be the one to initiate it. If Ethan pretended that he wasn't ashamed or embarrassed by the magazine spread, then Ethan wouldn't feel mortified when Thomas talked about it.
Thomas started it off by thanking Ethan for everything he did. "The pictures are so sexy."
"Piss off." Ethan cursed.
Thomas chuckled as he pointed at each photo on the magazine spread. He was enunciating everything because Thomas was being honest as he teased the COO. "This one is very seductive. I like how you look into the camera in this one. And I fucking love this one where you're naked on the floor."
Ethan rolled his eyes as he swallowed the laughter that was bubbling up inside of him. He didn't want to let Thomas know that he was getting to him, so Ethan kept silent as he gritted his teeth.
"But I think my favourite one is this one."
Ethan saw that Thomas was pointing to the picture with the bedsheet. He bit the bullet as he asked, "Uh huh... And why's that?"
Thomas spoke in a hushed voice as his husky tone let Ethan know how serious he was. "Because I want to see it in person again so badly."
Ethan choked on his saliva as he coughed awkwardly. "Really?"
Thomas was shameless as he enthusiastically nodded his head. "You can only imagine how much I want it to be my bed sheets - with me next to you."
Ethan was getting extremely turned on by Thomas' suggestive tone and boldness. "Fucking hell..."
Thomas bit his lip as he began to rub his own bare chest. "And I like to sometimes think that this is your hand on me..."
Without conscious thought, Ethan began to imagine that his own hand, that was softly caressing his own chest, was Thomas'.
Ethan then did a double take when he heard Thomas softly moan. Ethan was getting extremely excited about how this night was turning out. Everything Thomas was saying and doing was getting a rise out of him, because Ethan has been missing getting intimate with Thomas.
But Ethan's libido was soon crushed when Thomas deliberately covered himself up with a blanket. "What are you doing?"
Thomas smirked as he leaned towards the camera and whispered, "It's nice seeing how easy I can get you to crumble."
Ethan was left high and dry as he watched Thomas laugh at him. "You. Fucking. Tease."
"I couldn't resist!" Thomas wholeheartedly laughed.
"Fuck you!" Ethan reached besides his bed and picked up a random shirt. He then put it on in front of Thomas, so that Thomas could see he was covering himself up. "You can get blue balled too!"
"Maybe we can do this another time." Thomas hoped.
The real reason why Thomas didn't follow through with his teasing, was because he had something else on his mind. Despite the pictures being the first thing Thomas gravitated towards, it was Ethan's interview that captivated Thomas the most.
"I read your interview, Ethan - multiple times." Thomas announced.
Ethan became filled with anxiety, because Thomas' reaction to his interview was what petrified Ethan the most. He didn't know what to say that could prepare either of them, because Ethan was genuinely unsure how Thomas was going to react to his heavily expressed emotions.
Thomas remembered Ethan talking about the things he looks for in a person. He then looked at the magazine in front of him as evidence, because Thomas planned to treasure it.
"Do I make you laugh?" Thomas asked seriously.
"Shut up. You're just making fun of my sappy feelings." Ethan pouted.
Thomas saw a flash of smile before Ethan cursed him out. This encouraged Thomas to continue as he wanted to see if everything Ethan said back then stayed true.
"Do you think that I like spending time with you?" Thomas checked.
Ethan connected the puzzle pieces as he realised that Thomas was reiterating what he had said to Clarissa. Ethan was scared of seeing Thomas' reaction to his own neediness, so he threatened Thomas by saying, "I'm hanging up now."
Thomas' smile was brighter, because he thought he was even closer to breaking out Ethan's sweet and emotional centre. And so, Thomas wanted to hear Ethan communicate with him properly. "Answer the question."
Ethan was biting his tongue as he didn't want to confess how his emotions back then drove him to connect with Thomas this way. If Ethan admitted that everything was true, then Thomas would know that he was talking about him back then.
The earnest look on Thomas' face convinced Ethan to nod his head, and tell the truth. "I meant every word in that interview."
Thomas was still left stunned by Ethan's confession in person. Knowing that Ethan felt like this, and still does, made Thomas feel deeply comforted and connected with the man in front of him.
Thomas felt like his heart doubled its size, because he was able to see how Ethan honestly feels. Thomas had butterflies in his stomach because he was hoping that he met Ethan's essential criteria.
"Do you know want to know if I think about you constantly?"
Ethan was now left vulnerable in front of Thomas. Even though it was terrifying and scary, Ethan was willing to be constantly teased if he got the answer from Thomas he always wanted.
"Tell me." Ethan begged.
Thomas took a deep breath as he laid out his emotions and feelings on the line to Ethan. "I think about you... all the fucking time."
Ethan's voice was shaky with emotions as he spoke quietly. "You do?"
Thomas nodded his head as he further confessed, "I think about how much I miss seeing you everyday. I miss being able to joke around with you when we're in the same room together. And I miss holding you close, so that I can kiss you whenever I see your face."
Ethan felt like he was being beaten to death by devotion, tenderness, and affection. Everything he expressed in the interview was becoming true, because he could see it in the man behind the computer screen.
Ethan just wanted to reach through the computer screen and simply hold Thomas' hand. The man in front of him had burrowed his way into Ethan's mind and body, and this made Ethan never want Thomas to leave it.
"It's been almost 2 months since we've met Ethan, and you already drive me so fucking crazy."
Ethan had a nervous smile on his face as he didn't know how to take any of this. Heartwarming emotions were filling up inside of him as Ethan felt the same way about Thomas. He quickly became attached to Thomas because the man in front of him had a comforting and loving aura, and Ethan found peace whenever he was with Thomas.
"You're all I think about too, Thomas." Ethan confessed.
Thomas got the answer he was desperate for, because he now knew that their feelings were reciprocated. It was still early days between them, but Thomas was confident that their future was promising.
"Get some sleep Ethan, and I'll see you soon." Thomas gently whispered.
Ethan swallowed the emotional lump in his throat as he nodded his head. "You too."
Thomas felt like he might regret this in the morning, but he was willing to embarrass himself as he blew a kiss to the computer screen.
Ethan laughed in disbelief to himself, because he witnessed the stoic bodyguard become all corny and cheesy for him.
Ethan secretly loved it as silently appreciated the gesture. He smiled back at Thomas as he eventually waved goodbye to the other man.
Both Ethan and Thomas felt that the warm glowing feeling inside of them has manifested after talking to each other.
They both found comfort in knowing how the other person felt, and they both eventually fell asleep with these thoughts staying in their dreams.
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