“You’re going to need to give a little more, Sven,” Rowe said. There was no anger in his expression. Only worry. And that made Sven feel worse.
“The stalker was at Aura last night. He set off a smoke bomb and made a grab for Geoffrey.”
“Where were you?”
“Bathroom. I never should have left him alone. This is my fault—”
Rowe held up a hand and he immediately halted him. “Quinn said that he was with you at the club, along with Dominic and Royce. Where were they?”
“Dominic was covering Quinn. Royce had Geoffrey in his line of sight.”
“Royce should have closed the distance. That’s procedure,” Rowe snapped.
“I didn’t give him enough time. It’s my fault.” The words came tumbling out in a flood. He’d played the events of the night before over and over in his head. The good and the bad. “We were dancing and…I…I wanted to kiss him. I panicked. Needed to get my head on straight so I went to the bathroom. I didn’t give Royce enough time to move into position.”
A hand clamped down on his shoulder and Sven looked up to find Noah standing over him, his worried expression matching Rowe’s. He offered silent comfort.
“When you came out of the bathroom?” Rowe prodded.
“Smoke filled the club and people were rushing out. I couldn’t see anyone clearly. I thought Royce had Geoffrey. His first act would be to get Geoffrey out, so I went outside. Royce didn’t have him. He got stuck in the crush and then some girl was nearly stampeded right in front of him. He got her out and was heading back in for Geoffrey when I came out. Dominic was securing Quinn in the SUV.”
“And then Geoffrey escaped his stalker,” Noah added.
Sven nodded. “I saw him. I’d been so panicked. I didn’t think. I picked him up and I kissed him.”
Noah gave a long, low whistle as he walked back over to the counter. “And it looked like a damn hot kiss.”
“You’re not helping,” Rowe said but he was frowning at Sven. He stared at Sven, and Sven could only bite his tongue. He didn’t know what else to say. Nothing that came to mind would make it better.
“So…what are we left with? Was it just a one-time thing? Or are you dating now?”
Sven’s eyes darted down to his hands clenched in his lap. “We’re not dating really.”
“Just fuck buddies?”
“That kiss looked like a lot more than just fuck buddies,” Noah said. He turned back toward them. He had a white bowl pressed to his stomach with one hand while he stirred with the other. “And how would that work? I mean you’re a giant and Geoffrey is pretty damn short. Would it be safe for Geoffrey to work without a net?”
Rowe swore loudly, twisting in his chair to glare at his boyfriend, while heat filled Sven’s cheeks.
“You can’t say things like that! I’m telling Carol that you have to go through sensitivity training again,” Rowe said, referring to their long-suffering human resources director. The poor woman was constantly trying to get them to watch their language and make them aware of what things could open them up to a potential lawsuit.
Noah snorted. “You were thinking it.”
“Yeah, but I know better than to say it.” Rowe turned back to Sven and winked at him, easing some of the tension that had pulled tight across his chest.
“I don’t want it to be a one-time thing,” Sven admitted. “He’s fun and brilliant and kind. He…he makes me feel strong in a way that doesn’t have anything to do with my size.”
Pushing off the back of the chair, Rowe nodded as he stood. He walked over to a cabinet and pulled down three plates, while the sound of frying batter sizzled on the stove. “So where does that leave us?”
“Are you going to fire me?”
Rowe stopped in the middle of setting a plate in front of Sven. “Seriously? No!”
“Babe, you’re gonna have to get rid of that rule about fraternizing with clients,” Noah said as he flipped a pancake.
“I can’t. It’s a fucking liability.”
“Yeah, but you’ve got Andrei and now Sven.”
“It says you can’t fraternize with clients. It doesn’t say that I’m gonna fire your ass if you do.”
“But—”
“You just focus on not burning the pancakes. I’ll call Lucas’s shark lawyer Sarah later. Get her to look at our employee contract.” Rowe turned back to setting the table, muttering under his breath about Ward Security becoming a goddamn dating site. Noah just chuckled.
Taking a deep breath, Rowe looked back at Sven, his hands on his hips. “You’re not fired. But I am giving you a warning to get your head out of your ass. Both you and Royce screwed up, and Geoffrey almost paid the price.”
Sven nodded. All joking was gone from Rowe’s expression. His boss was right. “I know. I’m sorry.”