Page 46 of A is for Aftercare

“Is that what you want?” I ask.

He stares at me for a long time. “I want you, Sir. You know that.”

That doesn’t really answer my question.

He sits and pushes the quilt down to his waist, giving me a prime time view of his chest. "I'll go home if you want me to."

I don’t want him to. “How long have you lived with your brothers?”

He frowns and tilts his head. “We moved in together after Lexi’s mum left. Corey needed help, and Blake and I were happy to reduce our monthly living costs into the bargain.”

“You’re close?”

“Yeah, really close. It’s always been the three of us. We’re triplets,” he adds as though that wasn’t obvious. “The ABC triplets.”

I chuckle at the joke. “You’ve got no other brothers or sisters?”

“Nope. I think our parents decided three kids was enough.”

“I imagine you were a handful.”

"My brothers were. I was good as gold," Archie says innocently.

I snort.

“Don’t you believe me?”

“I’m sure you can be trouble when you want to be.”

He laughs. “Maybe. What about you? Does the great Hamish Cameron have any siblings?”

“A sister, up in Scotland.”

“And she has two boys?”

“Aye, Fergus and Keir.”

“You’re close?”

“Fairly. She still lives up in Scotland near our parents. I escaped as soon as I could and went to university. I guess we grew apart, but we still keep in touch. We end up talking on the phone once a week, mostly so she can update me on how Mam and Dad are.”

“Are you close to your parents?”

“Not really. I visit them whenever I go up. I call them once or twice a month. They live in a nursing home now, though it was fucking hard to persuade them to move to one.”

“Why?”

"They didn't want to give up their independence. Elsie lives in the house we grew up in now."

“Do you miss Scotland?”

“It’s a lot prettier than down here.” I sigh. “But living here is easier. Less travelling for book signings and things. I’ll go back when I retire.” I step into the room, shut the door, and lean against it, arms folded. “Why did you become a PA?”

Archie shrugs. “I like being organised, and I enjoy organising other people. My brothers would say I’m a control freak.”

I frown. “And yet you like to submit?”

“I think that’swhyI like to submit.” Archie stares at me. “I’m always so organised. I make sure everything’s perfect, that everything runs smoothly. Sometimes I just need to give all that control to someone else.”