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Christian winced again but stood up with a nod. David turned and walked into his office, rubbing his forehead as he tried to figure out what he was going to do. He’d spent the better part of the last couple of days trying to figure it out. Now, there was one more wrinkle to smooth.

David motioned to one of the two comfortable chairs across from his desk. “Take a seat.”

Not bothering to see if Christian listened, David went to the cabinet at the back of the room. It was filled with bottles of expensive alcohol meant for special guests. David wasn’t one for drinking when he was working, or at all for the most part, but he thought he could make an exception this time.

“And to think, I never actually took that nap. I spent most of that hour by myself wondering what I was going to do,” David said as he opened the cabinet.

“I am sorry,” Christian said quietly.

“Yes, I know.”

And he did. Despite his frustration, David knew Christian would never mean any harm. Despite the professional distance enforced on them by their jobs, David knew Christian well enough to count him among the few people he could trust. Christian had spent the past year doing his job with a passion and dedication David appreciated and respected. Despite his curious and often intrusive nature, Christian had never done anything he knew would violate David’s trust.

Deciding on a smooth whiskey with a slight bite, David pulled out two glasses. He pulled out the tiny bucket of ice cubes from the small fridge and dropped a few into each glass.

David thought about it, added another measure to each glass, and held one out to Christian. The blond looked at the glass as though he’d never seen one before, requiring David to give it a slight shake for emphasis. Christian took it, looked at it again, and then drank. David smiled when Christian’s eyes widened, staring at the glass with wonder.

“Good?” David asked.

“What the hell is it?”

“Whiskey?”

Christian looked up, wide-eyed still. “Ihatewhiskey.”

David snorted, setting the bottle down and taking up his glass. “No, you hate cheap whiskey. I’ve yet to meet anyone who’s disliked this. Which is good because it’s a few hundred dollars a bottle.”

Christian looked at his glass, blanching. “Jesus. You’re telling me I’m drinking more than my lunch cost?”

“Probably.”

“God, it’s good, though.”

David nodded, taking his seat. “Be careful. It can sneak up on you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

They settled into silence, staring at their glasses. David evaluated his thoughts and found he wasn’t as angry as he might have been. Christian had been ready to shrink into himself and disappear, and David didn’t think that was just because he’d been caught. The last thing David wanted was to punish Christian over what amounted to an accident.

“You’re being threatened?” Christian finally asked.

David looked up, sighing. “Yes.”

“By who?”

Well, the cat was already halfway out of the bag. There didn’t seem to be much harm in letting it out the rest of the way. And perhaps Christian might be able to give him an idea of what David could do. Another perspective might help, even if it was just to pick a dollar amount and hope it was enough.

“A former lover of mine.”

Christian winced. “I thought that was the case. The guy in the video?”

“Yes.”

“I take it things didn’t end well, huh?”

David shook his head. “That’s the problem. I thought it ended perfectly amicably. It was...never meant to be serious.”

Christian smiled softly. “So, a fuck buddy.”