***Grey's POV**

Four weeks have passed since Mr. Spectacular has taken his position with my company.

Those weeks have been full of late nights and early mornings. We have quickly fallen into a routine of carpooling. Mak has been a pillar of knowledge, exposing new and innovative terms to increase our profit margins.

Every minute I spend with the young genius leaves me craving more. Not only is his body alluring, but his mind is expansive. The energy he releases during meetings and the insight he instills has quickly become invaluable.

Mark has commented, on more than one occasion, that Mak could rise the ranks within Parker, Inc. I could not agree with him more.

Mak's hunger for knowledge in our corporate world drives all of us to expand our horizons.

I find myself leaning back and allowing Mak to take my reins. His presence relaxes the strict business policies I have come accustomed to. The weight of my responsibilities to my company has simply become more bearable with Mak by my side.

Mark has slipped into a comfortable friendship with Mak. The three of us are almost always together, both inside and outside the office.

Every day a new facet of what makes Mak himself comes to light. I still get star-struck with each new bit of information I discover.

He is an open book regarding his interests, distaste, and even the most minute details of his mind. The only portion I have not managed to extract from him pertains to his family.

Mark has brought it up in conversation but, I get the sense the subject is off-limits. I'm not often one to pry and especially do not want to delve into uncharted waters in this field.

The hours in which the three of us are not within one another's presence, we are usually texting. Aside from that, life has taken on a new venue. One filled with my best friend and the man I am quickly finding has made a home in my heart.

The flirtatious banter and sarcastic remarks are shot off faster than fireworks on the Fourth of July. All three of us have become so relaxed; it's hard to believe I am their boss.

Of course, when clocked in at the office, we immediately set aside our friendships when work becomes necessary.

The fact is, work doesn't seem much like a task any longer. And, I love that.

The only issue I find myself with is my feelings. Mak and I may flirt and occasionally send each other wanton glances. But, I have not discovered a smooth way to bridge the gap between office and friends, friends and lovers.

I am obviously a selfish man because I want it all.

The other issue lies with my lack of knowledge. Although I am open about my sexuality, I am not sure Mak is privy to that information. Moreover, I honestly don't know that he is gay, straight, or bi-sexual.

I could always go with the fact that he could be turned. But, seeing how that line of thinking pisses me off, it's safe to say I will not be embarking on that type of journey.

"Mak, can you step into my office, please?" I speak thru the intercom.

A few seconds later, I hear the door to my office being opened. My cheerful and sexy assistant pops his playful being into my office.

"Hey Grey, what can I get for you?" Mak smiles widely.

"Can you pick up lunch for the three of us?" I request. I have asked this of him a couple of times. But, today I need him away from the office for a few minutes.

"Absolutely; where am I headed?" Mak takes his usual seat on the corner of my desk.

"What are you in the mood for?" I ask.

"Hmmm, sandwich?" Mak shoots back at me.

"Phillies?" I fire back.

"Yes!" Mak grins widely.

"Ok, take my card and my keys. Grab three Phillies and three drinks, please. And thank you." I toss Mak the keys to my car. The Aston Martin.

"I freaking love driving your baby." Mak beams.

"Be careful." I throw him a stern look.

"I won't hurt your car." Mak shakes his head.

"I wasn't worried about the car." I wink.

Once I hear the elevator door, I walk out of my office. I head down the hall towards Mark's. Without bothering to knock, I walk inside and throw myself down on his couch. I prop my feet up and throw my wrist over my eyes.

"What's wrong, Grey?" Mark breathes out.

"Nothing." I sigh.

"Yeah, and I am the pope. Spill it, boss man." Mark laughs while he takes a seat in the wingback chair beside me.

"I'm sure you realize I have a crush on Mak," I start.

"Correction, you are in love with Mak." Mark chuckles.

"I have feelings for him." I send Mark a challenging glare.

"And?" Mark throws me a skeptical look.

"I can't figure out how to approach him," I admit.

"Grey. You are both adults. This can't be that hard." Mark huffs.

"Well, I don't even know if he likes me like that," I argue.

"Are you shitting me right now? You two have so much chemistry. Bill Nye is jealous." Mark bellows.

"Just give me your infinite dating wisdom." I roll my eyes.

"Ask him out. Simple." Mark shrugs his shoulders.

"Seriously? That's your advice." I groan.

"Do you want me to do it?" Mark raises his eyebrow.

"No. Yes. I mean no. That would be awkward." I complain.

"How about I bail on dinner tonight?" Mark offers.

"Well, that's not fair to you." I rebuttal.

"It's fine. You guys can meet me after at the bar downtown." Mark complies.

"I fucking love you." I jump up and hug Mark.

"You owe me," Mark shouts as I walk back to my office.

Perfect!

Mak comes back thirty minutes later, and we all sit in my office enjoying our lunch while watching a basketball game on my big screen.

Mak feigns stupidity when it comes to sports.

However, he is far from the anti-sport facade he portrays. Every few minutes, tormented rants break the air within the office from Mark, a slur of curse words from myself, and Mak throwing his hand down in defeat over missed calls.

Once lunch is over, I am so excited I count the hours until I can be alone with Mak.

I hope he doesn't get upset when I let him know that I'm interested in him.

By the time 5 o'clock rolls around, I realize I pretty much wasted the day thinking about my assistant.

Thank God it's Friday!

I tried to work but, every time, my mind conjured up different scenarios as to how this would play out.

I'm embarrassed to say I'm more nervous than I should be.

It's simple, really. Yes or no.

Okay, that's a fucking lie.

If Mak takes an interest in me, I will have the best night of my life. If he says no, I may have to throw down a severe case of the puppy dog eyes.

Mak pops into my office to ask me if I'm ready to lock up. I nod my head as I whisk my keys off the desk, slide my cell in my pocket, and grab my useless jacket off the back of my chair.

Mark merges with our steps as we walk down the corridor towards the elevator.

Once we step inside, I push the button for the ground floor, the reception area.

As we watch the elevator descend, Mark takes the opportunity to bail on our dinner plans.

"Guys, I'm going to meet you at the bar; something came up. Please enjoy dinner." Mark gracefully spews his bullshit for the sake of Mak.

"We can take a rain check on dinner." Mak offers.

"Don't be ridiculous. You and Grey enjoy dinner and hurry to the bar. It won't take long to handle my dilemma. Let's plan on meeting at 7:30 at Stout." Mark quickly dispels Mak's alternate plans.

"If Grey is good, I'm game." Mak shrugs.

"We will be there by 7:30," I promise.

With our plan in action, we make our way towards our cars.

I open the door for Mak and gently close it behind him as he slips in. I make my way to the driver's side and get in.

"Did you bring your clothes?" I ask Mak.

"Yeah, they are in my bag." He confirms.

"We will swing by my penthouse so I can change. You can swap outfits there. Is that okay with you?" I ask. I don't want Mak ever to feel like he has to follow me blindly.

"Sure, I have seen Mark's penthouse but, yours still eludes me." Mak shoots me an award-winning, dimpled smile.

I pull up to the gate of my apartment building and greet the security officer. He opens the black iron gate and lets us through.

We take the elevator to the top floor, and I press my thumbprint to the keypad before the door shifts open.

"Welcome to my humble abode." I bow dramatically before Mak. He rolls his eyes at my antics.

"This is anything but humble." Mak breathes out.

I point out the guest room, and Mak takes his bag before quietly closing the door.

I rush to my room and throw on my black skinny jeans with tears on the knees, a grey V-neck, and my brown casual boots. I throw on my denim button-up, leaving it open.

I take a quick look in the mirror and tousle my office hair. I play with my locks until it's messy and hopefully sexy. As I leave my room, I swap out my Rolex for a Bulova with a leather band.

I head back to the dining room to search for Mak, effectively knocking the wind straight from my lungs.

Fucking hell!

Shit, he looks incredible.

He's wearing tattered skinny jeans that hug his lean figure with black high-top boots. A dark-gray t-shirt paints across his torso, displaying the faint lines of his abs. And a light denim jacket hugs his shoulders with the collar popped, and the sleeves are unbuttoned, flipped towards his elbows.

He looks like a sin I want to commit.

I give myself a minute to let my lungs expand, and my balls deflate.

"Would you like the grand tour?" I ask him with bated breath.

"Depends." Mak raises his brow at me.

"On what?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"If you plan on being honest." Mak gives me an adorable cheeky grin.

"What might I be dishonest about?" I ask with a smirk.

I literally have no idea what he is thinking. I hope to be cocky plays in my favor.

I wait patiently as Mak takes a deep breath and expels the air, repeating the process a couple of times.

"I don't want to be disrespectful." Mak shakes his head as if dismissing his thoughts.

"Mak, I prefer to know what you have on your mind." I coddle.

"Mark ditched us." Mak huffs.

"Something came up." I shrug.

"Nothing ever comes up." Mak sees straight thru my shit.

"No, it didn't." I agree.

I wait a moment, trying to conjure up a little courage.

"Grey?" Mak looks up at me with his head tilted to the side.

"Mak." I slowly breathe out.

"Grey, I like you. And I know it's not okay to have a crush on your boss, but I can't help it. You make me" Mak begins his spill.

I take three long strides towards Mak.

I slide my fingers thru his hair and cup my hands around his face, stroking my thumbs across the perfect line of his jaws. Lightning shoots thru my fingertips at the sensation of his skin connecting with mine.

He stares at me intently.

I look into his mesmerizing hazel eyes, stunned by the look of desire reflecting behind his sexy glasses. I search for any sign of miscommunication. I see none.

"May I?" I ask huskily.

"Please." He whimpers.

And that's all the approval I need.

I close the distance between our lips and slowly capture his pink pout with my own. Our lips fit together like a lock and key. I kiss him slowly, the heat radiating between our compressed chests—his silky tendrils caressing my fingers.

An invisible pull draws our bodies closer together. Our hips are colliding, sending shocking waves of torture down my spine.

His lips are warm and soft. They feel like velvet brushing across my flesh. His scent saturates my nose. He is Effectively erasing all comprehensible thoughts. Electricity emits from the contact of his lips to my own. My heart batters against my rib cage. It is pounding mercilessly in my chest. I run my tongue across his bottom lip, pleading for entrance. He gasps, and I push my tongue into his mouth. I lick across his teeth and finally delve into the soft pallet of flesh nestled behind them. I groan into our kiss, vibrations trembling thru our connected flesh. Scorching heat consumes me.

His taste is alluring, divine, and intoxicating.

He kisses back, his lips leaving behind a blistering punishment of lust. He walks his fingertips up my shoulders. His hand weaves thru the short hair above my neck, and he pulls me deeper. My body aches with building desire. Every bone is feeling fragile, begging to collapse in pleasure.

My body erupts in tingles, and I devour his mouth in a bruising infliction of need and want.

God, I waited too long to taste him.

We move our lips in sync while I discover every single crevice. His flavor dances across my taste buds, and I hum in satisfaction. My hands tremble while I stroke his jaw. Heat and passion are coursing thru my veins. The kiss is assaulting and magical and creating ecstasy, and destroying my control.

When air becomes a necessity, I pull my lips back and rest my forehead against his.

"Jesus, have mercy." Mak pants.

"Christ." I heave the word out as my body buzzes in approval.

"Took you fucking long enough," Mak complains thru his blinding smile.