“Okay. Now check your phone. I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”
He stepped around Geoffrey and grabbed him a mug, ignoring the different kind of twisting in his stomach at the broad smile that graced Geoffrey’s face at the offer. It was like his entire being lit up at that small gesture. Had no one ever done anything for him? Was he just that accustomed to doing things for other people, having them just take him for granted and take advantage of him?
Sven couldn’t deny that he liked that idea of being there to do little things for Geoffrey. He liked even more being the only person doing these things for him.
“Oh shit,” Geoffrey whispered.
Sven quickly put the mug on the counter and turned to find Geoffrey standing just a few feet away, holding his phone so tightly his hands shook while his face lost its beautiful flush.
“What’s wrong?” Sven moved to his side, putting his hands on both of Geoffrey’s shoulders.
“The bastard…the fucker stalking me…he sent another message,” Geoffrey bit out. He held up his phone so that Sven could see the picture of them kissing in the alley. It was a little grainy due to the poor lighting and looked as if it had likely been taken from a distance and then enlarged. But it didn’t matter. There was no mistaking that Sven had lifted Geoffrey up and was kissing him as if he meant to inhale him completely.
With a shaking finger, he reached out and scrolled the picture up so he could read the message.So sad you got a new guy.
Get rid of him.
Or I will.Sven carefully lowered the phone so that he could meet Geoffrey’s worried gaze. “He won’t touch me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Sucking his lower lip into his mouth, Geoffrey worried it with his teeth for a second before shaking his head. “That’s not all.” He turned so that he was standing next to Sven and held up his phone so that Sven could look over his shoulder as he opened the rest of his texts. At least four other people had texted him the picture, stating that they had received it anonymously. Some people mocked him, making fun of the fact that Geoffrey had stated they were just friends while others were merely curious about his love life. He then opened one of his social media apps and showed that the picture was already circulating there thanks to his friends.
“The bastard shared it with all the right people that I’m friends with, knowing that they’d immediately share the picture on social media. I’m so sorry.”
He could hear Geoffrey speaking, was even vaguely aware of the words, but they sounded like they were echoing from the end of a long tunnel. This was bad. So fucking bad. Sven stumbled to the dining room table and half fell into one of the chairs. It wasn’t so much that the world knew that he was attracted to Geoffrey. Hell, that didn’t bother him in the slightest.
It was that he’d broken company policy, broken rules that he respected and thoroughly supported. While he knew that Royce had seen him, he’d never feared that the other bodyguard would tell their bosses. Sven had chastised himself over it and swore that it would never happen again while he was on the job with Geoffrey.
But this…
Everyone at Ward Security knew. He had to talk to Rowe. Face the music.
“Sven. Sven, please. Talk to me.”
He looked up to find Geoffrey standing right next to him, fear putting the tension back in his shoulders.
“I need to talk to Rowe.”
“Will he fire you over this?”
“I don’t know. I broke the rules.”
“That’s bullshit!” Geoffrey jerked away, pacing to one of the windows looking out on the courtyard and pool. The sky was gray and overcast, the promise of a summer shower hanging over the area. He turned back, pointing at Sven, his finger shaking in his rage. “You know that the COO was screwing around with Lucas Vallois when he was guarding him. Andrei is now engaged to the man. And…and Rowe, he’s dating, no living with, one of his employees! They can’t fire you over something they are doing! If he fires you, I’ll call my lawyer. We’ll fucking sue them into the ground!”
Sven stood and placed his hands on his shoulders. Geoffrey instantly quieted, but there was still a fine trembling in his body. “Look at that picture again. Anyone could have sneaked up on us. They could have stabbed me and then you before either of us reacted. I’m supposed to keep you safe and I was completely oblivious to the whole world.”
“Royce was there,” Geoffrey protested, but with only half of his earlier vehemence.
“But it wasn’t Royce’s job to keep you safe right then. It was mine.”
Geoffrey shook his head, but he didn’t pull away. “This is all my fault. Fuck. I never wanted you to lose your job. I—”