New Tricks Page 16

“Everyone go back to work. Marjorie, arrange for lunch for the office. They all earned it.”

  “THAT WAS pretty amazing,” Brandon told Thomas as he took the chair next to him in the conference room to have lunch.

  Blaze came in, took one look at Brandon, and did his best silent impression of Sheldon Cooper.

  “You’re sitting in his spot.” Thomas bumped Brandon’s shoulder, and thankfully Blaze took another seat.

  “Are there assigned chairs?” Brandon gathered his food.

  “No. Sit down,” Thomas said softly before turning to Blaze. “To a great performance.”

  “Yeah. But we can’t do that every time we run into a problem,” Blaze said.

  Thomas glanced around the room. “Maybe not. But you handled the problem, and next time you’ll be able to do it without me. Word is going to get around quickly that you aren’t a pushover, and that although I’m not here every day, they don’t have room to maneuver. It’s all about what others expect, and Matthews is going to be spreading the word, whether he realizes it or not, that you’re a ballbuster.” Thomas thought all Blaze really needed was some instilled confidence and an established reputation. He took a bite of his wrap.

  “What’s the plan?” Blaze asked.

  “We’ll stay until after the contracts are signed and then fly home.” God, Thomas really was going home. Just the thought was enough to untie the knots in his stomach. He’d been back three days, and it was like he’d never left. The pressure and pace were already getting inside him, and now that he’d gotten a taste of a slower pace, he liked it. This wasn’t the way he wanted to live for the rest of his life.

  Brandon finished his lunch and stood, meeting Thomas’s gaze for a second before leaving the conference room. Thomas wondered where he was off to, but he caught a glimpse of him at Marjorie’s desk through the glass walls.

  “Those two are thick as thieves,” Blaze said once the door closed. “I’ve been wondering what they’re up to.”

  Thomas set down the last of his wrap. “They’re getting to know each other. They’ve been talking on the phone for weeks, so now they get to see each other in person.” Thomas rolled his eyes. “Lord help us all.”

  The others finished their lunches and, one by one, left the conference room to go back to work.

  Blaze nodded and glanced around. “What’s up with you and Brandon? Is there anything going on?”

  “Yes, there is. Exactly what, I’m not sure.” Thomas sighed. “Brandon is wonderful and I like him, but he isn’t going to stay my assistant—or anyone’s—for very long. He’s smart, and he watches and understands the human condition.”

  Blaze snorted. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It was his idea for you to do the talking. He sort of understood what was needed in the bigger picture, that you needed to be set up as the authority.” Thomas leaned closer. “Brandon understands me.” Just saying the words made him warm inside. “But it can’t last. He’s young and has his entire life ahead of him.” Thomas closed his eyes. “Brandon would probably smack me for saying this, but I’m getting old… or I feel old sometimes… and he has dreams. I can’t hold him back. So I’m trying to be happy for as long as I have him.”

  “This is so screwed up,” Blaze said, and Thomas raised his eyebrows, giving Blaze a chance to explain himself. “We work so damn much that the only people we spend time with are the ones we work with. But convention tells us that we aren’t supposed to get involved with them.”

  “Yeah… and I end up doing it twice.” Thomas rubbed his shoulder, not even realizing he was doing it at first. “God, I hope I’m not making the same mistake again.”

  “Brandon isn’t Angus. I like him. Angus was a total piece of crap and I hated him on sight. The guy was like a spider, spinning a web designed to catch your interest and snare you. It worked for a while too.”

  “It looks like neither of us has the best luck when it comes to our love lives.”

  Blaze turned to look out the conference room window. “Maybe that’s going to change for you.”

  Thomas shrugged. “Maybe… but I can’t count on it.”

  Blaze glared at him. “Have you seen the way he looks at you? That young man thinks you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, and don’t think I haven’t seen the way you look at him. Yet both of you are professional in the office. He defers to you in a way Angus never did. Brandon keeps work and your private life separate. And he’s smart.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “Maybe see if he’s qualified to do something else? Teach him the business, make him your partner.” Blaze clapped him on the shoulder. “Give him a reason to stay.” Blaze stood and left the conference room without another word, giving Thomas plenty to think about.

  THOMAS SANK into the sofa in the suite that evening, pulled off his tie, and sighed softly. “There’s something I want to talk to you about later.” He closed his eyes and wished the world could slow down just a little bit.

  “Would you like me to order room service for dinner?” Brandon offered as he headed into the bedroom, most likely to change clothes. “We don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to.” He sat down next to him.

  “No. This is your first time in New York. Let me put on some comfortable clothes and we’ll go out and see some things.” Thomas left the room and returned quickly, sitting back down, leaning against Brandon’s shoulder. He’d been thinking about how Brandon’s talents and energy could be better used than as his assistant, and he had some ideas. Hopefully one of them would be enticing enough for Brandon to want to stay. “I can see about tickets for tomorrow night if you want to go to a show.”

  “Aren’t a lot of them sold out already?” Brandon asked.

  “Some are, but I can still see about tickets. In this town some things are all about how much you’re willing to pay.” Thomas patted Brandon’s knee. “Give me a minute, and then you and I can head out for a few hours to have some fun.” Judging by the excitement in Brandon’s eyes, he’d made the right decision.

  Once he’d cleaned up a little, he and Brandon rode down in the elevator. The doorman got them a taxi that took them to Times Square. Thomas hated the place. It was loud and tacky mixed with a bit of farce, but everyone should see it, and from there they could walk wherever they wanted to go.

  “Jesus,” Brandon breathed as they got out, his eyes wide. He turned his head to take in everything. “This place is nuts.”

  Thomas paid the driver, and they joined the crush of people on the sidewalk. “Yes, it is. Take a look around. There’s the ball that drops on New Year’s Eve and, of course, there are all the stores. That way is downtown, and the park and hotel are in that direction.” Thomas pointed in those directions.

  “What about some dinner?” Brandon asked, taking his arm tightly.

  “All right. There are some wonderful restaurants this way.” Thomas led Brandon off the square. “What sort of food do you want?” They had eaten at the hotel the last few nights.

  “A burger. Something normal. All this fancy food is going to spoil me.”

  Thomas tightened his hold as they crossed the street with a horde of others. It was like a crush and push to move forward, and once across the street, the traffic thinned a little. He led them away from the square and down to Forty-Fourth Street. “How about good, basic steak?” When Brandon agreed, Thomas directed them to Sardi’s, and they went inside.

  The restaurant was quite busy and they were informed that there wasn’t a table, but when Thomas handed the maître d’ a fifty, one miraculously opened up. They sat down and were silently and efficiently handed their menus and had their water glasses filled.

  Brandon’s phone rang and he checked the screen, eyes widening before answering it. “Hello?” He listened and stood, excusing himself, as he headed for the door to step outside.

  Thomas ordered appetizers when the server returned, as well as some wine for both of them. He found himself watching the door as
he sat alone, wondering what was happening.

  After ten minutes, the appetizers were just arriving as Brandon returned, all smiles. “That was someone from Columbia Pictures in their promotion and marketing departments. They got my inquiry, and they watched the film and saw my promotion for it and were impressed. They want me to fly out to Hollywood next week for an interview.” Brandon sat down but continued bouncing.

  “That’s awesome.” Thomas forced a smile as he shelved what he’d wanted to say to Brandon. This was what he’d really wanted. Thomas wasn’t going to put obstacles in his way. Yes, what he’d come up with would have been good for Brandon and he might have liked it. But it wasn’t Hollywood or his dream job. “Then there’s something to celebrate.” He kept a smile on his face and tried like hell to be happy for Brandon.

  “I don’t have the job yet. It’s only an interview, but they’re flying me out and they said they’d get a hotel for me and things. So they must be pretty serious.” Brandon glanced down at the table. “Can I ask what that is? It looks like raw meat.”

  “Exactly. It’s tartare. Try it on a piece of toast. It’s got onion and a little egg and other things in it.” Thomas spooned some on a toast point and took a bite. He loved the stuff. It was one of the food surprises he’d encountered after he moved to the city.

  Brandon took a tentative bite and then fixed another. “This is good.”

  “Yup.”

  They finished the tartare and the bruschetta, which was divine. There was just enough food to take the edge off, and the waiter took their orders for dinner.

  “Everything here is good. This restaurant has been here for generations.” The pictures of famous stars on the walls attested to that. They were all autographed and framed. It was quite something.

  Brandon ordered the filet, and Thomas did the same. He’d had it before and it was mouthwatering.

  “Were they going to send you the details for next week?”

  “Yeah. Mr. Salomone said they would be in touch tomorrow with all the particulars about the plane, hotel, and car service that would be there to get me. They really made it out like I’m someone special.”

  Thomas patted his hand. “You are. Results like the ones you got are pretty rare, and they’d be a fool not to snap you up. The entertainment business is cutthroat and as tough as it gets. What’s hot today is cold tomorrow, and everyone is always hunting for the next great thing. Successful people are the ones who are able to develop the next great thing and make it something people are talking about. And that’s what you did.”

  “It helped that it was a good movie,” Brandon said.

  Thomas shrugged. “It was a good movie. Not bad, but not great either. The thing was, you made it into a great movie because you got a ton of people to watch it and talk about it. That was the real success.” He looked up as their salads arrived. They were huge, the way everything was in New York. Thomas was glad he was hungry, because there wasn’t going to be a shortage of food.

  “Thanks. So you watched the movie?”

  Thomas nodded. “After you told me about it.” He munched a bite of his Caesar salad, the dressing tangy, making his tongue tingle a little. “I liked it. The film was fun and had a message. It was good, like I said.”

  Brandon ate and talked about what the studio had told him. “They said they have a couple of positions open. It’s really exciting, and when we get back, I’m going to have to call my friends to see if they had anything to do with this.” He ate more quickly than usual, clearly excited and filled with energy.

  The main courses arrived, and Thomas found his appetite wasn’t what it had been a few minutes earlier. He ate his steak anyway but wasn’t able to finish it. Brandon, on the other hand, ate everything, chatting on and on through the entire meal. Thomas was grateful Brandon seemed willing to hold up both sides of the conversation, because he wasn’t up for any of it. He’d known something like this was going to happen and pull Brandon away toward his dreams. Thomas had just hoped he’d have more time, that was all.

  Both of them passed on dessert, and after the bill was settled, they left, wandering back toward Broadway.

  “Check out the marquees and see if there’s something you want to see.”

  “How about that?” Brandon asked, pointing to The Phantom of the Opera. “I’ve heard of that. But I think I want to look at other things.”

  Thomas loved the kid-in-a-candy-store vibe that rolled off Brandon. Thomas had been to much of the surrounding area, and he rarely noticed things any longer. They were all part of the city that he’d lived in for over a decade.

  “You saw some of the boards in Times Square. Did anything catch your attention?”

  “I’ve heard a lot about Wicked, but never saw it. The show came to Denver some years ago, but Dad wouldn’t help get tickets. Now I know he was just being a jerk.”

  “Then let’s walk that way and see what we can get for tomorrow.” Thomas led the way to Sixth Avenue, and they headed uptown. The crowd thinned out somewhat as they walked. It was a great night, and once they were above Times Square, the city seemed to settle into its normal pattern. At Fifty-Second Street, they cut over to the theater.

  Thomas approached the box office. “We’d like tickets for tomorrow night, the absolute best you have.” He smiled, and the man showed him the theater seating chart and offered a pair of tickets in the very back. “That’s all you have?”

  The man looked at him as though he’d just stepped in something. “Yes, sir. The only others available are in the third row, and they’re five hundred a seat.”

  “Then give me those,” Thomas told him, and Brandon coughed from next to him. Thomas handed over his credit card, signed the slip, and took the tickets and his card back. “Sometimes I forget just how ridiculous people can be.” They turned and left, heading to the street.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Brandon scolded. “That’s a lot of money.”

  “No. Well, it may be, but not for this. I wasn’t going to get seats way in the damn back with a pole nearby so you could spend the entire show leaning back and forth so you could see… and pay nearly two hundred a ticket for the privilege. Now we’ll have good seats, and you can enjoy the show with the characters practically dancing in your lap.”

  “Have you been to shows before? You must have.” Brandon nearly skipped as they walked toward the Avenue, where Thomas hailed a taxi.

  “Of course. I took my mom and dad when they came to town. Mom wanted to see just about everything, and Dad wanted to check out the interesting bars and out-of-the-way places. They had a good time whenever they came to visit, but they were always ready to go home. This city overwhelmed them.” After being gone for a while, he understood why it was overwhelming and how they felt. Maybe it was about time for him to go home too.

  He finally got a taxi to stop and directed the driver to the Plaza. He paid the driver when they arrived, and together they entered the hotel. Brandon was still on some kind of high, practically dancing up the steps while Thomas followed behind, doing his best to be happy for him.

  In the suite, Thomas checked his email and messages, then settled on the sofa in front of the huge television to relax. He spread out, taking off his shoes and closing his eyes. He tensed slightly when Brandon’s hands caressed his shoulders before relaxing into the gentle massage.

  “Holy Christ, you’re wound up.”

  “Yeah. It was an exciting day, but they always leave me keyed up and ready for action. For years I went from situation to situation, project to project, seeing each one through to completion, dealing with problems, and pressuring people when I needed to. It’s the way to get things done.” Thomas sighed as Brandon dug into the muscle, forcing the damn things to relax. “Oh God.”

  “No wonder you are on medication and have an ulcer.” Brandon continued massaging, going gently up his neck and to the back of his head. Thomas closed his eyes, and his entire body tingled as Brandon wound his fingers along his scalp. “Just let i
t all go. Breathe deeply and slowly, in and out. Let it all flow away.” Brandon kept his voice low and soothing, and it was working. Thomas felt the relaxation and calm start to build, and soon he was half asleep. He let the worries about what was going to happen fall away, at least for now.

  “Maybe I should go to bed,” Thomas said, though he didn’t really want to move. Brandon slowed his movements, so Thomas stayed where he was. The calm had gotten deep enough that he didn’t want it to fade. Pressure, demands, disappointments, and loneliness would all make their presence known soon enough. He could wallow in a little peace and quiet for a few hours, or for as long as possible.

  Eventually he got up, turned off the television that he’d been ignoring, and quietly went in to bed. After undressing, he closed the door and climbed under the crisp, plush sheets and bedding, surrounding himself in comfort, nearly falling asleep before Brandon joined him. Then and only then, he succumbed and rested.

  THE SHOW was amazing, and Brandon was on the edge of his seat, laughing and keyed up through the entire thing. Thomas had already seen Wicked with his parents, but he enjoyed the show very much. When it let out, he and Brandon found a diner, had a late-evening snack, and then caught a cab to the hotel.

  Brandon was still excited when they got back, and Thomas encouraged him to release some of that energy before falling asleep wrapped together in luxury, though Thomas wouldn’t have cared if they were in a Motel 6 as long as he got to sleep with Brandon’s arms around him.

  Matthews came in on time on Friday, and all the transfer papers were signed and a check handed over for the purchase of the near-derelict building that was about to be torn down to make room for new development. Thomas had half expected additional trouble, but there was none, and in the end, they shook hands. Matthews left with his money… though somewhat less than he’d hoped, and Thomas had a signed and notarized deed to the property.

  “Get the men to work as soon as you can get the permits. I want that eyesore down and carted away before anyone can raise an objection.” Thomas and Blaze shared a smile, and then Blaze handed him the demo permits.