Page 37 of Lost Room Lawyer (Room #4)

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Nico

“Does it bother you that I’m sixteen years younger than you?” I asked as we lay naked and intertwined beneath the blanket.

Hector held my cheek and smiled. “No. I’ve always been with younger people. I don’t know… I guess I’m just not into older men.”

“Callboys.” I let the word glide off my tongue like butter as I traced my fingers along his upper arm.

“Hmm,” he hummed in agreement, closing his eyes for a moment. “Callboys.”

“Why? I mean… Didn’t you want something real?”

When Hector opened his eyes, I saw a flicker of sadness, and I regretted asking the question.

“I was married—with a wife and kids. That was real. The thing with the callboys was my way of taking a break now and then. Unforgivable to Viktoria, but… I somehow slipped into it, and before I knew it, years had passed. I never questioned whether I wanted a relationship with a man; I was too busy keeping it all a secret.”

“That must have been exhausting.”

“Hmm… I don’t know. It just happened. It felt like a massive lie.

” Hector appeared distant until he grimaced and met my gaze again.

“I didn’t expect it to last so long. I hadn’t realized how deeply I was entangled in that double life.

While I immersed myself in legal texts and performed my job, I failed to see how much I had lost touch with myself.

I thought I had everything under control, but in reality, my own web of lies controlled me.

I worked like a machine to distract myself from my own mistakes, but ironically, it was those very missteps that ultimately brought me relief. ”

In the dim light of the bedside lamp, I studied his beautiful face. He seemed relaxed now. The crease between his brows had smoothed, and his breathing was steady. The last time I saw him this relaxed was in St. Moritz, after we had sex for the second time.

By then, my fingers had reached his wrist, and I examined his hand closely. The skin was cracked and dry. Two of his fingers were bandaged. I kissed his knuckles before he could move his hand away.

“These are your lies,” I said, releasing his hand and lovingly running my fingers through his hair. “Those two weeks when we had our fun in the office did wonders for your hands. You don’t have to lie to yourself anymore.”

Hector kissed me and smiled.

“And you? Does it bother you that I could be your father?”

“When I first got involved with you, I thought you were in your mid-thirties. It was quite a shock to find out you were already forty-three. I thought about it, but the longer it went on, the less it mattered. The attraction I feel for you is so strong, it makes everything else irrelevant. You could be fifty for all I care. It doesn’t matter.

I fell in love with you. That’s all that counts. ”

“But you’re young and incredibly attractive. You could have anyone.”

“Maybe,” I said, lost in thought. “But I never wanted anyone. A relationship was never on the table for me. I just wasn’t interested.

Even when I first met you… If someone had told me back then that one day we’d be lying in bed together having this conversation, I would have laughed in disbelief.

But now everything is different,” I admitted.

“You gave me stability and made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

And, God , I’m really tired of being alone.

I want to be there for you too. To support you during this tough time.

To have your back. Not because I feel obligated, but because you matter to me. ”

Hector snuggled closer to me. “It feels so right with you. I can’t believe how foolish I was. I really thought I had to do everything I could to save my marriage.”

“Did you really want that?”

“A part of me did. At all costs. I don’t know where that part went. It’s gone now. I’ll probably have to brace myself for a hefty bill.”

“Viktoria has a good job. From what I’ve seen of her, she seems like a reasonable woman. She’s not going to bleed you dry.”

“She’s pretty shaken up right now,” he mumbled against my neck.

“She needs time to process everything, and I can’t fault her for that.

At least she’s still talking to me. As for the kids, we’re still on the same page, which is a good sign.

It gives me hope that things will remain civil.

In that regard, everything stays the same—except that I’ve moved out. ”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The house is mine; it belonged to my parents. But I would never dream of uprooting my kids from their familiar environment.”

“How did they take it?”

“I tried to explain to them today why I’ll be living in the city apartment from now on. Anger from the older one, drama from the younger one.”

“Do they know the reason?”

“Not yet.” Hector pulled away from me and rolled onto his back. “Shit… This is going to spread like wildfire. I’m going to be the huge asshole who cheated on his wife for fourteen years. If that doesn’t affect my job, I don’t know what will.”

“I’d love to sugarcoat it, but it’s not easy,” I said helplessly.

Hector turned his head toward me. “You don’t have to sugarcoat it. You don’t have to do anything. But please, believe me, the thing with the callboys is over—has been for a long time. I would never betray you like that. Never.”

Holding my breath, I stared at him. I had seen him convince judges before, but this was different. His deep voice still echoed in my head, unraveling me.

He was serious.

I licked my lips and nodded. “I’m serious too,” I replied cautiously.

“But?” he asked, a bit apprehensive.

“Looks like I also need some time to adjust to this new situation,” I admitted.

Hector laughed and snuggled with me.

Yes, I was serious.

I wanted him.

As inexperienced as I was in relationships, he had certainly made enough mistakes and wouldn’t expect me to get everything right from the start.

“I got a message from Bruce Lee today,” Hector said as he gently ran his fingers over the back of my head. “There’s a poker game next Friday.”

“You sound like that’s worrying you.” I swiveled my neck to face him. “Don’t you want to go?”

“I do. It’s just… I want to go with you, but…”

I couldn’t help but smirk. “You’re at a loss for words. That’s not like you.”

He nervously moistened his dry lips. “The thought of sitting at the same table with you, pretending we don’t know each other…”

“Corvo and Rossi,” I said nostalgically. “How did you come up with that name? Do you like crows?”

Hector laughed. “Yes, uh, no, I wasn’t actually thinking about crows. Corvo is the westernmost island of the Azores. It’s small and breathtakingly beautiful. My grandfather grew up there. I’ve wanted to go back for a long time, but it just never happened.”

“Maybe we can go together.”

“That would be nice.” Hector’s voice softened. “But maybe we should start with something small first. Like a poker game or something.”

This time, I was the one who laughed. “Don’t overthink it. The guys there are just in it for the game. They want to drink cognac, smoke cigars, and…”

“I want that too!” Hector interrupted.

“Oh yeah?” I gave him a kiss. “Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“They’ll definitely notice me staring at you the whole time. If you stare at me, they might see it as respect for my age, but if I stare at you, I’m just the old lecher.”

I burst into laughter. “You just need to keep a poker face.”

“Oh, is that all it takes?” Hector rolled over onto me, staring deep into my eyes. He must have felt how fast my heart was beating. Just the sight of him left me breathless.

“What an idiot I was,” he whispered. “I should have realized how dangerous you were at the last poker game.”

I brushed my thumb across his luscious lips. “You have no idea,” I replied with feigned nonchalance.

Hector was the one who had turned my world upside down. I knew he was much better at keeping a poker face. I could already see myself sitting at the poker table next Friday, turning into a lovesick teenager and swooning over him across the table.

“We’ll see…” I said with a laugh. “We’ll see.”

The end.