(Joshua's POV - Wed. 18 September 2013)

"What a surprise!!" my dumbass of a friend says when he reaches our table. "I think it's the first time you haven't announced me your visit in advance, Josh..."

Of course I didn't inform him of my visit! I was expecting him to work on his accounting and paperwork at home as he usually does on Wednesdays and if I had told him, he would have found a good excuse to be in his restaurant for the occasion. What the heck is he doing here anyway? This is just my luck and when I see this intense sparkle in his eye while he looks down at Liam - a sparkle I know all too well - I understand he has guessed who my guest is.

"This is probably because we are on Wednesday and I wasn't expecting you to be here anyway..." I reply sarcastically, standing up for our usual hug. Even if the situation annoys me to the highest point, I am still happy to see him.

"I was with Matt when he called to make the reservation under your name yesterday," he quickly whispers in my ear before he withdraws from our embrace, smirking at me.

What a fucker! So he knew I was coming and since I didn't tell him, he had already guessed I was going to bring Liam! This will teach me to always tell him in advance when I make a reservation at his restaurant for business lunches or dinners.

"Hi! I'm Mark Murray and a friend of Joshua's," he introduces himself to a flushed Liam and holds his hand to him. Liam stands up and shyly shakes Mark's hand. My friend holds it for a while longer than necessary, smiling warmly and gazing at him with those devastating and penetrating eyes, causing Liam's face to turn to the brightest red I have ever seen on him.

"Good afternoon, Sir, nice to meet you..." he whispers.

"Mark, this is Liam Reed, my new assistant. Liam will replace Ally during her maternity leave," I explain since he is not really supposed to know.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Liam," Mark tells him. The blush only deepens if it was even possible, almost reaching a crimson red. Okay, I don't want him to fall for Mark's natural charms, so I need to send my friend away as soon as possible. However, it seems like my friend has other ideas in mind. "How have you been since last weekend?" he then asks me.

"I've been good..." until now, I am tempted to add. "I guess your staff must need you in the kitchen if you had to come here on your usual home-office day?" I hint at him, making him smile knowingly at me.

"Don't worry, they can pull through without me for a few minutes. Aaron told me you are up for next weekend?" I send him a scowl that clearly means he had better not play that game with me.

"Yes I am... unless I change my mind till then..." I warn him. "We don't have much time since I have a meeting at 1:30, so I'll call you later and we can discuss in more details, alright?"

"Yes, that's fine," he chuckles. "Liam, it was a pleasure meeting you, I hope to see you soon... Josh, I'll talk to you later..." And with that, he finally walks back to the kitchen.

"Sorry for this short interruption. Are you ready to order?" I ask Liam once we have sat back down.

"No problem... Hmm I honestly don't know anything about the French food... May I trust you to choose for me?" he asks meekly.

Such a good boy... You can trust me all you like, Liam... You can actually trust me with much more than choosing your menu...

"Of course, you can," I simply reply instead. I nod over to the waiter signaling him we are ready and order foie gras as a starter and coq au vin as the main course for the both of us, as well as a bottle of Evian. A glass of good wine would have been great to accompany our meal, but I rarely drink alcohol at lunch and Liam is not legal anyway.

When I asked him to book a table for two yesterday, I didn't tell him he was my guest because I obviously didn't want him to stress this over. I am happy he looks a little less tense than yesterday. My objectives for today are to make him feel more comfortable around me and for me to learn about him.

I am still a bit upset that Mark showed up, because I know he is going to show off in front of Aaron and Cam, but my mood lightens at the thought of making Liam speak about himself. I would rather just take him home and tie him up in my playroom, but I am conscious of his innocent-like character and I am willing myself to take things slowly. The last thing I need is to scare him.

"Tell me a bit about you, Liam. Where do you come from?" I gently ask, although I already know the answer from the personnel file I got from HR.

"Err... I come from many states actually..." he starts saying, blushing. "My parents are university teachers and they like moving all the time... We changed states every couple of years when I was a kid and until we moved to Chicago when I was 16. But I was born in South Carolina. I don't remember anything from there though since a year and a half later, we moved to Arkansas..."

"That's interesting... you must have seen a lot of states then?"

"Yes, but I only remember from Texas and further west... after I was five or six. Before that, I was too young."

"That's nice to have seen so many landscapes but it must have been difficult to tie friendships for you?"

I suddenly think about my own friendship with Mark, Aaron and Camden. If my parents had moved as often as his parents did, I would have never been able to tie such bonds with the guys. Liam's light blue eyes darken a little.

"No you're right... I don't have any old friends from all the states I lived in. Two years are not enough to really make friends and... my... shyness never helped," he chuckles.

I am glad to hear him open up a little even if I have to ask precise questions to get more information since he doesn't develop much. Throughout our lunch, he tells me how he was always a very solitary child and spent most of his time reading or drawing. He always had a hard time making friends when he was younger and when he was about to, it was time to move to another state.

I am surprised his parents never really worried about their son being alone all the time, but he says he never really minded because he liked his solitude and always had all the love and affection he needed from his parents. I can understand his point of view, but I am sure he must have lacked some of the childhood fun. On my side, the time I spent with Camden, Mark and Aaron when we were children was like a breath of fresh air, and with them are my best childhood memories.

Liam also explains how his parents moved from south east to south west, until they finally decided to try the northern states and settled down in Illinois when he was almost 16. It seems like it was a big relief for him since he hates the heat from the southern states - which is not surprising seeing the paleness of his skin. Weirdly enough, Liam found enough temper within him and insisted on spending his last year of high school here, although his parents were ready to move to California - which they did once he was ready to start university. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for him to do so. It is not always easy to stand up to one's parents.

"So you have been living independently for the last two years?" I ask.

"Yes... I like Chicago, and even if I don't get to see my parents very often, I want to stay here..." he whispers.

"Don't you feel too lonely without them?"

"Oh... I'm not alone... I actually live with someone," he replies with a warm smile. I feel my body implode right then. It takes all my self-control to keep a normal and calm expression when all I want to display is disappointment, anger and sadness. His file says he isn't married, but it doesn't say if he has a boyfriend - or even worse... a girlfriend. My demons inside immediately calm down though when he adds: "I live with my best friend... Shannon. We have been sharing an apartment for the past two years."

"So you do have a friend," I state a bit teasingly, now that I am more relaxed; although that doesn't mean he doesn't have a boyfriend. I really need to find this out.

"Yes, I met him when I arrived in Chicago. He was always sort of... protective of me at school. At the time my parents were about to leave Chicago, he... faced family issues, so we moved in together. That way, we could share the rent..." he explains.

"I see... So, you get to spend all your free time with your best friend or do you have a girlfriend?" I bluntly ask.

I should be more cautious. I am not supposed to ask such questions, but I really need to find out if I will have to face an additional problem in my chase. His eyes drop to his now-empty plate and his face turns red once more.

"No... I don't have a girlfriend... so I usually spend my weekends with Shannon... most of the time," he replies with a small voice. For some reason, this seems to make him a bit sad, but I don't insist because I don't want to embarrass him further.

Since he doesn't want dessert and neither do I - I'm afraid I can't have the dessert I would love just yet - I signal for the waiter to bring me the bill and once I have paid and left a generous tip, we head out to meet Tony outside.

"Thank you for the lunch, Sir..." Liam says as Tony pulls out in the traffic. "It was excellent."

"You're welcome, Liam. I'm glad I could get to know you a bit better."

"I did most of the talking..." he chuckles lightly, and I need to cross my legs to hide the sudden reaction in my groin at that sound. I think it's the first time I hear him chuckle since Ally left. This young man is way too serious and would definitely need to relax more often. I wonder how he is in the company of his friend.

"Well, that was the purpose of this lunch."

"That's not really fair though... because I don't get to know you..." he says impishly, his face turning to a deeper shade of red. Cheeky boy!! Where does this unusual courage come from? I suddenly feel like taking him over my lap and spank him, which doesn't arrange my erection.

"You'll find out in your own time," I reply with a smile.

* * *

The rest of the week goes pretty uneventful. Liam seems to feel more at ease and he totally fulfills all my professional expectations. The work he has done for the report is fantastic, almost as good as what Ally would have done, and I don't have to complain about any of the calls he transferred or appointments he made in my calendar.

On my side, the next two days are very busy with various meetings with people of the leadership team and conference calls. I keep my windows frozen all the time so that I can secretly admire him as much as I want, especially on Friday afternoon knowing that once he leaves the office I won't get to see him until the week after.

At least this is what I believe.

I have been ignoring the guys' calls throughout the rest of the week, but on Saturday morning, I eventually answer the phone when I see Aaron's name display on my iPhone. Even if I am not too keen on going to The Lost Paradise, I need to get a bit of fun with my friends tonight. Hopefully it will distract me enough to keep my thoughts away from the young man.

"Hey Ron, how are you?"

"Oh, finally you deign picking up the phone?" Aaron exclaims, sarcastic as ever.

"Fuck you, I've been busy," I reply, stopping the treadmill I was running on.

"You sound out of breath..." he says smugly. "Am I disturbing?"

"I don't know where your head lays, but no, you're not disturbing me. I was just working out and I'm not out of breath."

"Yeah, yeah... I was expecting to see you at the Diamond yesterday! You remember we're going to the other one tonight, right?"

"I was in the office until 11:00 yesterday evening to wrap up some things before I travel to California next week. And yes, I remember about tonight," I reply with a sigh.

"Eleven? Please tell me you didn't keep your very cute assistant that late on a Friday evening, did you?" he argues, insisting on my assistant's good looks.

"So Mark talked, huh? The fucker couldn't hold his tongue!" Of course, he would! What was I expecting?

"What makes you say that?" Aaron asks innocently.

"How else would you know that he is very cute?" I reply sarcastically as I head back to my bedroom.

"Touché..." he admits. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter. At least one of us was lucky enough to see the guy. Though I don't complain... I got to hear him..."

"You guys are stupid assholes..."

"And even more than you think... Cam was speaking about popping in your office next week while you're in California... to give him some company..."

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll ask Tony to make sure he has a guy blocking access from all three of you from now on. Anyway... What time and where are we meeting tonight?"

"The Chef is cooking for us tonight, so we'll meet at 8:00 at his apartment and we'll go to the club from there. How does that sound to you?"

"Sounds good! Are we going to the Black Diamond after that?" I ask hopefully. Even if I don't intend to use any Subs for the evening, I like being there and watch what is going on around. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I am a bit of a voyeur... or a lot. But it's just like watching live porn, so it would be nice while I use my hand... Don't blame me, I know I'm not the only one here!

"We'll see. I'll have to go there at some point anyway to see if things are going well."

"Okay great, I'll see you tonight then."

After my call with Aaron, I take a long shower and spend the rest of the day in my study to work. The business never stops, even during the weekends. At least it keeps my mind away from Liam. I pretty much hate the idea of not seeing him at all next week and I wonder how I have become so obsessed with him in so little time. I have never felt like this for any of the Subs I had in the past, which worries me a bit, I admit.

At 7:15 pm I leave home in my BMW Z4 and head toward Mark's place. Mark lives in a building that Pierce Constructions built just north of the Loop area a few months before he arrived in Chicago. It is definitely not the place where I would have chosen to live, although it is a nice area, but Mark wanted to live downtown and stay close to his restaurants. He is not a countryside guy and likes the busy activity of the city, while I'd rather deal with a 45-minute commute to work and back home, and enjoy the quietness of a smaller town and a garden in the evening.

As usual, Mark out-rivals any restaurant where we could have been. He serves us some delicious steaks with a wine sauce and freshly boiled green beans and jacket potatoes, followed by a succulent crème brûlée.

Of course, the guys tease me a lot about what happened on Wednesday and I playfully beat the shit out of Mark when he pulls out a picture of Liam that he was able to get from his video surveillance. This results in an endless conversation between them about the fact that 1) Liam really does look gay, 2) Liam is extremely cute (even Cam admits it although blonde is not his type) and 3) Liam is a natural Submissive. I don't know where they get their certainties from, but I only pray for points 1 and 3 to turn out true.

It is shortly after 10:30 pm when we arrive at the Lost Paradise, and there is already a very long line of young people waiting to be allowed in. Aaron has really done a great job with this club and its popularity seems to be increasing every month. He is going to do a fucking financial jump when he gets rid of it, a bit like Mark would if he sold the restaurant he bought for next-to-nothing in New York a few years ago and which now has a huge success. It seems like I taught them well since this is how I expanded my own wealth. Buy cheap establishments, do them up and sell them.

Cam drives with me while Aaron and Mark use Aaron's SUV, but we both park in the staff parking lot and meet at the back-door entrance. While Aaron goes to greet some of his staff, Camden, Mark and I go straight to the VIP room which is upstairs and has a full view on the dancefloor thanks to the two-way mirror. Aaron joins us a few minutes later and a waiter brings us some drinks.

After about an hour, my thoughts unconsciously go back Liam and somehow, I manage to tune out their conversation about the young people they have been ogling since we arrived. I surprise myself wishing I could get a hold of the picture Mark showed us. I should have thought about that and taken a picture of the blond cutie in the office. Liam wouldn't have noticed thanks to the frozen windows.

Shit! I am turning completely cheesy and that sucks. This is getting ridiculous and definitely against all my habits. I just want him as Sub and...

"Hey, look how that twink over here looks like Liam!"

The name suddenly brings me back to where I am, but I don't even know which of them said that.

"Where...?" Aaron asks.

"Right here, just in front of us..." Camden says, pointing at a spot just underneath the window behind which we are seated.

"Yes, you're right..." Mark agrees. "Josh, isn't this your assistant?" That piques my curiosity, so I get up to stand closer to the window and look down.

And there is my sweet assistant indeed, dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a black button-up shirt, only a few meters away from me. This side of the dancefloor has become the gay den as Aaron explained to us earlier, so my chest warms up at seeing him here. I wouldn't have imagined him the type of guy who goes to nightclubs though, but I am taken aback when I realize that the usually shy and slightly clumsy Liam can actually dance rather gracefully.

He is currently dancing with another guy, probably about his age, who alternatively grinds against Liam's butt or at his front and I wonder if said guy is the friend he told me about. I rest the palms of my hands and my forehead against the window and internally chuckle at the irony that once again, I get to observe him while he can't see me.

"Josh!!" Mark calls out, but I ignore him.

"I think we lost him..." Aaron chuckles. Oh yeah guys, you've completely lost me for now.

That night, I don't go to the Black Diamond with my friends when they decide to leave shortly after 1:00 am. Instead, I spend the whole night seated in a comfortable armchair and behind a window watching over a cute blond head who finally ends up alone at a table with a drink for a moment, while his friend continues to dance and French kiss a few guys; at least his friend is gay it seems.

Liam doesn't seem to get bored alone at his table, which is probably why I refrain from joining him. He just keeps looking at all the people around him, smiling. So you like watching people, young man? Well, he should know that he is being watched too because I don't move from my seat throughout the whole night; and that's until...

Published on 4 Sept 2016

I remember I was stuck on that chapter for a long moment, and the next couple ones if I remember well, because nothing really happens... But that "learning about the other" had to happen, so... that's what it is. Josh needs to earn Liam's trust before things become serious.

I'm going to edit the next one and post it too, but I warn you, I think it's the most boring chapter of the story lol No wonder it is called "A Lonely Week"... Things are going to start moving in the next chapters though :)

Thank you everyone for all the votes and comments!