7 A Call From Puppy-Eyed CEO

Adam regretted taking a shower as soon as he was soaking in the warm water. Whatever drug those criminals had given him still lingered in his system to make him feel nauseous and so lightheaded that he was about to crash to the floor.

"Got you," Joel said as he caught his naked body before he fell. "Obviously, the shower would lower your blood pressure and have you fall into my arms."

"Let... me… go, you burly ape…" Adam cussed, but his words had zero bite to them as he slumped further into the man's arms.

Nor did he have the energy to complain as the man carefully towel-dried him and then carried him to the bed.

"Not tonight. Don't touch me." He mumbled his order before drifting into sleep.

Joel chuckled and leered at Adam's body. Truly, the man's skinny body and soft pale skin was to his liking. Watching him in such a defenseless and demure state made his lust meter surge through the roof. The man had such long lashes that delicately touched the edge of his eyelids, making his face appear more delicate.

"You are truly a beautiful creature," he whispered as he sat down next to him and brushed his cheeks. He rose with a heavy sigh and pulled a blanket over Adam to cover him, then quietly left the room.

Dark thoughts surfaced in his mind with tasks he needed to work through.

His thoughts reviewed MyCommIT's recent defeat that ensured Charles's resignation. Despite recent business reports and stock confidence loss, their market position had barely been reduced by narrow margins. Typically when a CEO was forced to resign due to some untoward business, it would drop shareholder confidence to negatively impact their market position. Something was ensuring the company didn't tank. Adam being targeted through the Camdona Gang gave him the feeling that their involvements and MyCommIT's situation was calculated manipulation. It could be a competitor to T-Strike who were leveraging the criminal organization to gain an upper hand. Naturally, this was a matter of concern.

He rummaged through his computer bag to retrieve and set up his laptop system on the dining table, then went to work. Many messages and emails were waiting for his attention, most from Gerald Leveski, who was his acting CEO in London. He opened one of the man's video messages and reactively cringed.

"Joeeel! Good Morning, or is it a good night there?" Chirped Gerald from the other end of the video screen.

Gerald was an odd sort for a CEO: a man in his thirties who still looked like a teenager and skinny like Adam, with short-cut blond hair and side-swept fringe that dangled over naturally shaped blond eyebrows that were so thin they made his round green eyes seem wide and rounder like a wide-eyed puppy, and cheeks so soft you'd want to squish them with a finger. And always that wide and overly eager grin.

The man was casually dressed in a baby blue business shirt with no tie, with the top button open. To Joel, he appeared more casual than business casual. But when it came to Gerald, looks were deceiving for the man knew his stuff and his business acumen was as sharp as his observations of people. Sometimes that pissed Joel off.

"Well, regardless of daytime, I'm here to reassure you that everything is still in order at the office. Everyone just loves me!" Gerald continued and added more chirpiness to his speech.

"But we do need to talk about Neurowall when you have the chance." Gerald's expression darkened and his grin dropped. "They're being, in a word, difficult."

Joel paused the video message and checked the time on his PC clock: guessing the time would be appropriate, he made a call to the man via their messaging app. He laid out his latest smartphone on the table and activated a call.

"Joeeel!" Gerald's voice excitedly blared across Joel's phone speaker, which made Joel wince.

"Can you greet me normally for once? And that high pitch of yours: haven't you heard of indoor voice?" Joel groaned.

Gerald laughed. "Sorry, but you know how excited I get when I hear your voice in real time. And I haven't heard it for so long."

"Anyway, what is this about Neurowall?" Joel soberly returned their conversation to business.

Gerald's voice and manner became quieter and more serious. "I attended the meeting with their Marketing Manager and CIO. In short, they want a share in our satellite networks in exchange for their nuance learning services."

Joel frowned, feeling a bad vibe run through his body. "Why? Wasn't granting them operation support for their business networks enough?"

"It should've been, but someone else has entered the game to stir up their ego." Gerald's tone matched Joel's feelings. "A player yet to properly reveal themselves. I was only able to gather so much in the meeting with them. Hey, could it be MyCommIT?"

"Not sure, but somehow I doubt it. Keep doing what you're doing and keep me informed of changes." Joel ended the call on that note.

He needed something to lift his mood, so he closed his computer and unpacked his belongings.

When he returned to Adam after having his shower, he smiled: the man was in a deep sleep on his side. The grace of moonlight, which streamed through partially opened curtains, was brushed along his skin. His mood instantly lifted with energy. But as much as he was in the mood to tease and play with the sleeping man, he wasn't cruel. Besides, Adam had gone through enough for one night. Perhaps, even throughout his entire life.

He had observed the situation with Adam from the sidelines, with the bits and pieces of information he was able to glean from Adrian, his sister, and a few others in the office. Despite the slander on T-Strike's Oceania CEO, which Adam had been stirring up through the Dehane tool, he couldn't fault the man. He was simply in love and desperate. Given the environment Adam was raised in, it was understandable the man would resort to such actions. Yet, the one person who had been involved with the slander was the one person he couldn't read clearly: Adrian's lover - Bradley James. He was a hard man to pin down as far as motives and intentions went. The Bradley James who left MyCommIT after slamming into Adrian Master's sports car had been a twitchy and mousy man, according to his sister. Yet, Simon had mentioned a few times that Bradley stood up for Adrian without backing down. Nor did he back down in weeding out the misinformation about the company. However, Bradley couldn't see Adam's love for him nor the man's involvement with the slander.

"Is he stupid or just blind sided? Or…" Joel mused in thought, some of which were dark for Bradley James.

He shook his thoughts clear from his mind. Right now was about savoring a moment he had been wanting to have since bringing Adam home. So, he cast aside his remaining business thoughts for the night and slipped into bed next to him. It felt so good cuddling up to the man and wrapping him in his arms. More so, that he hadn't had anyone in his bed for a long time.

"But for you, Adam, I'll cuddle and squeeze you tight all night long," he whispered near the man's ear, who was still in a deep sleep.

He gratefully closed his eyes.