unconventionalcourtship | Husband for a Week (R) (Love in the Air)

Title: Husband For A Week
Summary: Wanted: Husband for one week

Prapai needs to produce a spouse for his Hong Kong business deal to go without a hitch, and Sky is handsome and intelligent enough to pull it off. He needs the money, and Prapai swears he’ll be the perfect gentleman.

Keeping their hands off each other in public turns out to be surprisingly easy. It’s keeping them off in private that becomes the problem.

And that’s not the only very inconvenient complication…

Notes: Written for the 2023 Unconventional Courtship challenge, this story is based on the summary for “Wife For a Week” by Kelly Hunter.

Prapai stared at his father for longer than was entirely comfortable. Then he stared a little longer. His father, despite decades of experience as a business mogul, finally started to fidget.

“What. Did. You. Say?” Prapai asked.

“I said…that you need a husband or wife. For the Hong Kong trip.”

“I thought that’s what you said.” Prapai leaned back in his chair and stared a little longer. “That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said and I’m including the time you had your wisdom teeth pulled and you were high for a full day.”

His father sighed. “Look, if you show up single, Mr. Lau’s going to spend the entire visit trying to matchmake you with his daughter and we’ll get nothing done.”

“Tell him I’m gay.”

Raising an eyebrow, his father sighed. “That might work if you hadn’t had your picture in every gossip rag with that actress for a month.”

Prapai grinned as he remembered her. That had been a stupendous month. The things she could do with her tongue…

“Bah.” His father waved a dismissive hand at him. “I don’t know where we went wrong with you.”

“I’ll settle down eventually. I just need a little time and to find the right person.”

“Fine. But you need to have someone with you on this trip or we’re never going to close this deal without you getting engaged.”

“Is his daughter cute?” Prapai smirked.

“His daughter is over 10 years younger than you.” Arms crossed, his father met his look of horror.

Prapai shuddered. No, that wouldn’t do. He wasn’t into children.

“Good to know you have some standards.”

That stung a bit, but he didn’t show it. “Dad…”

“Find someone to pretend to be engaged to you for a few weeks. That’s all. You can have as public a breakup as you want after that.”

Prapai sighed. “Fine.”

“No, you can’t borrow Rain.”

“Yu! I wasn’t going to ask that.” Pai flopped back onto his couch and stared up at the ceiling. “Although now that you mention it—”

“Nope. Not a chance.” Phayu was firm. “Surely you must know someone who can do this?”

“What about Saifah?”

Phayu was startled enough to cough. “Um…you want my brother as your fake husband or boyfriend? How do you think he would do with several weeks in fancy business circles?”

“Mmm. Right. Never mind.”

“There was that guy last year. Right, he moved to Taiwan. What about that actr—”

“Don’t even. She hates me now.”

Phayu hummed. “Ah. Too bad. She’d be a great choice.”

“Ugh. I need someone who won’t take this too seriously but will also look the part.” Pai sighed deeply.

“And someone you haven’t already dated and dumped.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” Pai growled a bit. Why was everyone acting like he was some kind of heartbreaker? He never promised his partners anything except a good time and the majority of them understood that. “Well, you’ve been monumentally unhelpful. If you think of someone, let me know.”

“Will do.”

Sky leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms up as far as he could and listening to the snap, crackle, and pop. How long had he been working anyway? It had to be a couple of hours.

He was so tired that he was starting to get spots in his vision, but he had to keep going. This design had to be perfect if he was going to impress the partners and get his chance at buying into the firm.

Assuming he could find the money to buy shares. Shaking his head, Sky dismissed the thought. He would find the money somehow, because this was what he had wanted for so long. This would mean control over his own destiny, power to take care of himself.

When his phone rang, he picked it up and glanced at the caller. Well, it was time to take a break anyway. “Hey,” he said.

“Hi!” Rain chirped. “How’s it going?”

“Mmm. The same.”

“You sound sad, though.”

“Compared to you, everyone sounds sad.” Sky managed a chuckle.

“True. Seriously, though, what’s up?”

“Just worrying about my buy-in money, as usual. I think they’re going to invite me soon, but I’m not ready.”

“That’s perfect!” Rain said.

Sky pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it for a long moment. “How is what I just said perfect?”

“Oh, I don’t mean that! I mean that this is perfect because Pai needs a husband. Or at least a fiancé.”

Sky rubbed his eyes with the hand that wasn’t holding the phone. “Rain, can you start at the beginning and explain why you think I should get engaged to your boyfriend’s best friend?”

“Not really engaged, of course!”

“Of course,” Sky murmured.

“I don’t know all the details, but Phayu was just talking to Pai and Pai needs someone to pretend to be engaged to him so he doesn’t have to marry someone else. Some business partner wants to marry Pai off to his daughter.”

“People still do that?”

“Yeah.” Even Rain paused to think about that. “Anyway, Pai doesn’t want to marry her, but if he shows up with a ring—”

“He doesn’t need me to wear a ring!”

“This guy won’t be fooled, apparently.” In the background, someone (presumably Phayu) could be heard talking. “Phayu wants to talk to you.”

“Sure.”

“Hey,” Phayu said. “Believe it or not, what Rain said is more or less accurate.” Rain could be heard yelping a complaint, but Phayu ignored him. “Pai needs someone to pretend to be engaged and apparently you need money?”

Sky sighed. At least Phayu and Rain were architects and understood. “I think they’re going to offer me shares soon.”

An intake of breath. “At your…oh, I see. That’s why you joined a brand new firm.”

“Exactly. If I miss this chance…”

“It could be a decade or more.” Phayu clearly understood.

“Yeah. I’m close, but I don’t have enough yet.”

“Okay. I’ll give Pai your number and the two of you can discuss it.”

“Right. Thanks?”

Phayu chuckled. “It’ll be fine. Pai’s basically harmless.”

As they hung up, Sky struggled to remember more about the man other than the fact he always had someone good-looking on his arm. They’d met in passing at parties, but all Sky could bring to mind otherwise was a toothy, handsome smile. Okay then.

Pai called Sky almost instantly after Phayu suggested him. He vaguely recalled an adorable young man who kept Rain in line and was an up-and-coming architect.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Sky, it’s Prapai. Phayu gave me your number.”

“Yes, so…”

“Can we meet? Maybe for coffee? I feel like even fake dating should be dealt with in person.”

Sky laughed. “That makes sense.”

Pai gave him the address of a little café he liked and they agreed to meet in two hours, although Pai knew he would be there early. This was making him anxious and he wanted to sort it out.

Pai met Sky at the door to the café and led him to a table in the back, skidding to a halt just as he was about to pull his chair out for him. Sky gave him a strange look. “Sorry, uh, I didn’t think about this, but even if you say no, someone will probably end up getting a picture.”

Sky’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re that famous?”

Shrugging, Pai said, “No, more like infamous. It’s just the gossip columns that care. I’m an ‘eligible bachelor’ and they’ll pay people for pictures of me.”

“That’s…”

“I know.” Pai looked at him. “If you’re uncomfortable with that, you should probably leave now. I don’t usually worry about it, but I should have thought—”

“It’s okay.” Sky pulled out his own chair and sat down, looking expectantly up at Pai. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Pai blinked, unexpectedly charmed by Sky’s forthrightness. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

Pai finished explaining the background of the business trip and Mr. Lau, the man in Hong Kong who could nix the entire deal and his plans for his daughter.

Sky couldn’t help what must have been an odd expression on his face.

“She’s just turned 18,” Pai said. “And I’m 29.”

Sky shuddered. “Ah.”

“And what’s your incentive to humor me?” Pai tilted his head, waiting.

“You know how law firms and architecture firms work, right?”

Pai nodded. “Phayu’s my be—ah, I see. How much do you need?”

Taking a breath, Sky named a figure.

Pai didn’t even pause, just said, “Sold.”

“Er…really?”

“It’s absolutely worth it to me. Just the amount of money my father’s company will make…plus my desire to not marry a literal child just to seal a business deal, no matter how important the deal is.”

Sky couldn’t argue with that. “Okay. Then what’s the plan?”

Pai leaned forward, taking one of Sky’s hands into his own, a slow handsome smile spreading across his face. “Smile for the cameras.”

Through his own, significantly less real, smile, Sky muttered, “I think I might hate you.”

Pai threw his head back and laughed.

The plan—such as it was—was to spend the next three weeks ‘dating’ as if they’d just decided to go public with their relationship. Pai decided they’d been dating in secret for six months. “And don’t worry about any story about how we met. Just smile mysteriously if anyone asks.”

At the end of the three weeks, Pai would leave for Hong Kong with a newly acquired ring on his finger, he and his father would strike a very lucrative deal, and when they came back, he and Sky would ‘break up.’

It was a simple plan and as such, Sky didn’t trust it in the slightest. He was more of a ‘meticulously plan things down to the last detail’ kind of guy. But he was playing in Pai’s world, so he supposed he would have to…he winced at the thought, ‘wing it.’

Pai was absolutely correct that someone had snapped a photo of them holding hands at the table and it appeared on a news website Sky had never even heard of. Then again, he didn’t exactly follow gossip columns or newspapers that also featured people who claimed to have been abducted by aliens.

Fake dating was a lot more fun than Pai was expecting, although mostly that was because his partner in fake dating was the snarkiest, most adorable guy Pai had ever met. He had an unerring talent for leaning over to whisper something amusing in Pai’s ear at just the right moment to make him laugh, allowing someone to get a picture of them.

Sky was fun to talk to! Pai couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed just talking with someone over dinner or coffee. It had started to seem like everyone was either too snobby and rude to really chat or else they were trying to suck up to Pai and would agree blindly with anything he said. Sky was in neither of those groups. If he disagreed, he would say so, but he was only nasty about people who deserved it. He treated everyone in service jobs with dignity and Pai discovered a new kink from watching this.

The flaw in fake dating was that Sky was a workaholic.

Pai looked at Sky, who had bags under his eyes that looked like they’d packed for a month-long safari. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest?” Pai asked while he was shutting down his computer and tossing papers into his briefcase.

“We’re scheduled to be at that dinner tonight,” Sky said, glancing up from his laptop, where he’d been working for the last two hours in Pai’s office. “I came here so we could leave together.”

Sky ducked his head back over the laptop and Pai sent an imploring glance at Namtan, who was studying Sky with obvious concern. “Sir, with all due respect, I think rest might be more important.”

Giving her a quick smile, Sky shook his head. “I appreciate the thought, but I agreed to go, so we should go.”

Pai took another turn. “Your health is—”

“I don’t go back on my word,” Sky said, closing his laptop. “Now, are we going?”

Namtan shrugged helplessly, mouthing the words ‘Feed him, at least’ at Pai.

He could do that much. If this corporate event didn’t have decent food, he’d have someone cater in Sky’s favorites if he had to. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he let Sky starve? It would do wonders for their ruse anyway.

Obviously that’s why he was worried. He didn’t want anyone to figure out this was a fake relationship.

They reached the venue and shook hands with various of Pai’s peers as they entered. Sky was grateful for his excellent memory for names and faces, as he managed to recognize some of Pai’s business partners and comment on their business. It was hard to focus on recalling that information, though, with Pai doing an excellent job of playing a besotted boyfriend. It was a…distracting sight.

A waiter went by with wineglasses and Sky started to reach for one, but Pai took his hand. “Ah ah,” Pai said. “Not before some food. You know it’s bad for the ulcers.”

What ulcers? The ones Pai was going to give him before this was over? Sky squeezed Pai’s hand as hard as he could, while smiling sweetly. “You’re too good to me.”

Pai visibly suppressed his wince as he smiled back. “I know.”

When they were temporarily free from people who wanted to speak to them, Pai put a hand on Sky’s back, steering him toward a buffet. “You may not have ulcers,” Pai whispered to him as he filled a plate, “but you will if you don’t eat properly.”

“Fine,” Sky huffed. He took the plate of satay and lettuce wraps from Pai grudgingly, but after one sniff, he dug in. Pai slowly ate some coconut shrimp while Sky caught up with the…one or more meals he’d skipped in the last two days. When the plate was empty, he had to admit he felt better, although he was a little embarrassed to have eaten so quickly.

Sky looked up at Pai, expecting to see either amusement or irritation, but instead Pai looked…happy? Pleased with himself? Sky sighed. “Thank you,” he said grudgingly.

“You’re welcome.” Pai smiled, taking the empty plate out of his hand and putting it on a tray held out by a passing waiter. “Now let’s go be seen by a few more people.”

Of course. That’s what they were here for, after all. Sky wasn’t sure why, but he really wanted to drag Pai away from all of these people staring at him and talking about him. Find a dark corner and—right, mingling. They were mingling.

Sky drew the line at going to a club. He hated noise, drank very little alcohol, and didn’t dance.

“Are you sure?” Pai asked with a pout that had to be illegal in multiple countries as a controlled substance.

“Yes,” Sky said firmly.

“Then what about something more romantic, like the zoo? I love the zoo.”

“The zoo is romantic?” Sky looked at him dubiously. “What’s romantic about animals?”

Pai shook his head. “You have been sadly neglected by your former partners. And I intend to remedy that.”

Sky caught his breath at the look on Pai’s face.

It had been a while since Pai had done a zoo date, but he was sure he still had the right moves. Besides, he genuinely enjoyed Safari World.

As he’d suspected, Sky’s cynical exterior melted away shortly after they entered the park past the elephant statues. Pai held his hand, occasionally swinging their linked arms as they strolled to the carp feeding, which he’d always loved.

Sky laughed openly when the water’s surface was breached by hundreds of fish, orange and white and red and yellow shapes sliding around each other. Pai took advantage of Sky’s distraction to put an arm around his should and pull him closer. Sky gave him an amused look and allowed it.

Eventually, they tired of watching the fish and Pai led an unresisting Sky to their safari coach, which drove them through the open areas filled with animals. Sky giggled when the giraffes ducked their heads down to inspect them and smiled at the zebras pacing their vehicle.

They skipped the shows, whose trained animals Pai suspected would upset Sky. Instead, they strolled past flamingoes and brightly colored parrots in their flamboyant red, yellow, and green plumage. Sky’s eyes lit up when one landed on his shoulder and another dropped onto his hand, clearly looking for food.

He bought Sky soft ice cream in a zebra cup, which made Sky roll his eyes, but he ate it happily enough. It was a wonderful afternoon and by the end, even Sky had to admit it was romantic.

Dropping Sky off at his own apartment felt wrong, but Pai smiled at him anyway, reminding himself this was fake dating.

“Pai! Darling!” The voice rang through the restaurant’s seating area like a hunting horn, making everyone wince.

Sky looked at Pai, who appeared as if he’d been hit over the head with that horn, turning slowly to face the oncoming figure. “Um, hi,” Pai said weakly.

It was not, as Sky had originally assumed, some ex-lover come to assault them, but an older woman in a very aggressively orange dress. (The dress was nearly as aggressive as her voice.) She stomped up until she was standing over them. “I haven’t seen you in quite some time,” she said.

“Mai and I…”

“Broke up your little affair, I’m well aware.” The woman waved a hand. “But that’s no excuse for not coming to visit me.”

Pai bowed to her. “I apologize. I’ll try to come soon.”

“Come for tea,” she said. “And bring your young gentleman here. I need to make sure he’s good enough for you.” Without waiting for a response, she stomped right back out of the café, leaving the staff and patrons baffled and silent.

Sky stared at the door for a long moment. “Your ex-girlfriend’s…mother?”

Pai shrugged. “Sometimes my life is weird.”

“I’m beginning to see that.”

“Don’t worry,” Pai said with a grin. “She’ll love you once she gives you a chance to actually speak.”

“Oh good,” Sky said faintly.

Sky wasn’t terribly excited about joining Pai at the street races. He’d let Rain drag him once, back when Rain was still flirting with Phayu, and Sky had found the entire thing simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming. The noise was even worse than he expected and the general atmosphere was edgier than he preferred. There were so many people, all of whom seemed to be in a subtle competition to be cooler than everyone else. And he didn’t entirely get the excitement of watching the races.

But here he was, back at the track, this time with Phayu, Rain, and Pai. He had to admit it was a little bit fun walking in with Pai’s arm around his waist, watching other people dismiss him as insignificant until they saw who he was with. Sky snickered softly as a woman in a skintight dress almost fell over as she whipped back around in a classic doubletake.

Pai laughed with him, leaning over to speak into his ear. “Everyone is so jealous of you right now.”

“Could your ego possibly get any bigger?” Sky asked, jabbing him slightly with his elbow.

Pausing, Pai looked up, performatively considering the question before grinning at Sky. “Nope.”

“Ugh.” Sky rolled his eyes, but followed along as Pai strode forward to meet up with Phayu and Rain. The latter was almost bouncing out of his skin, held down mostly by Phayu’s arm around his shoulder.

“Sky!” Rain called. “You’re here!”

“I said I would be,” Sky said, feeling a little grumpy by comparison to his best friend’s sunshiny disposition.

Pai laughed softly, squeezing his waist. “He’s just excited to see you.”

Taking a deep breath, Sky let his irritation flow out. “Yeah.” He was here to hang out with his friends and there was no reason to be annoyed. It might not be his favorite place, but it wasn’t the worst.

Pai leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Don’t cheer too loudly for me,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows in positively the most irritating fashion.

Sky didn’t laugh as he poked Pai’s shoulder. “Don’t die in a crash.”

“Never.” Pai put a hand over his heart, then leaned over to kiss Sky’s cheek again before striding off toward the bikes.

Phayu was watching Pai walk away when Sky looked at him, but his expression was unreadable. He looked back at Sky, smiled briefly, and said, “I’d better go do my last check of the bikes.” Squeezing Rain, he let go and pushed him gently toward Sky. “Behave, good boy.”

“I always behave!” Rain said, putting his hands on his hips.

Sky exchanged long-suffering looks with Phayu, who patted Rain on the head and followed Pai through the crowd.

Rain ignored their behavior and bounced forward to grab Sky’s arm. “C’mon, let’s go get mango sticky rice before they run out.”

Shaking his head, Sky let Rain drag him into the line, where he practically vibrated in place. “So, tell me how it’s going with Pai!” he whispered in the least secret whisper in the entire universe.

Sky struggled to not look around at all the people. “Rain!” he said.

“I heard he took you to the zoo. Was it fun? I need to get Phayu to take me there.”

With a sigh, Sky gave in. “Yeah, we went to the zoo and it was definitely fun.”

“I knew you’d have a good time with him!” Rain looked super pleased with himself. “He’s a good guy.”

Sky hesitated. “You do remember…”

“Of course,” Rain waved a dismissive hand, “but that doesn’t mean you and Pai aren’t good together.”

It wasn’t entirely clear what that meant, but with the ease of long practice, Sky ignored it. “Yes, he’s been very sweet,” he said a little stiffly. He wasn’t exactly a gossip even under normal circumstances.

“I’m glad,” Rain said, appearing genuinely happy.

Taking a breath, Sky made himself relax. His best friend meant well and wanted him to be happy and he wasn’t causing any harm. “It’s been a while since I was here. How many races will there be tonight?”

Rain easily accepted the change of subject and began explaining the events. Sky was only half listening, trying to figure out when Pai would be racing, because the entire point was for him to be there to watch.

Finally getting their mango sticky rice, Rain dragged him over to where Phayu was working on the bikes. Sky sat in a chair and looked out at the crowd as Rain fed half his treat to Phayu, whose hands were mostly filled with tools or rags.

“Pai’s first race will be in about 20 minutes,” Phayu said, grabbing Sky’s attention.

“Hmm?” Sky turned to look at him.

“Rain will show you where to be.”

“Let’s go!” Rain said.

Sky couldn’t help laughing as Rain dragged him out into the crowd again and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Phayu and Saifah grinning as well.

Pushing through the crowd, Sky noticed that people got out of Rain’s way once they saw who it was. It was doubtful that Rain had noticed, but Sky was quite sure that Phayu had made some threats to anyone who bothered his boyfriend and the news had spread.

Sky sighed as Rain dragged him into a spot he claimed was the absolute best for seeing the end of the race. He was totally prepared to have to pretend excitement, which was why he was shocked when his heart was in his throat as Pai’s bike came around a tight curve tilting farther to the right than would seem entirely safe.

At absolutely the last moment, the bike righted itself and Pai slid past the finish line a good five seconds ahead of the next person. Sky let out the breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding.

Pai pulled off his helmet, his hair fluffing around him, and stood by his bike as people came to congratulate him. He seemed a little distracted, though, nodding vaguely as people spoke, until his eyes met Sky’s gaze. Sky didn’t know what to do, so he just looked back as Pai slowly grinned at him, gave him a salute, and went back to paying attention to the sycophants around him.

“Whew,” Rain said, fanning himself.

“What?”

Rain looked back and forth between Sky and Pai. “That was scorching hot. I’m surprised you didn’t burst into flames.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sky sniffed, turning away from the track, pretending he couldn’t still feel Pai’s gaze boring into him. Okay, Pai was…hot when he was racing. And when he wasn’t racing. But that wasn’t relevant.

Sky kind of wanted to sneak away to get his mind off the way Pai had looked at him, but he had to stay by the track to play dutiful boyfriend.

The second race was so easy that Pai practically coasted past the finish line and Sky yawned. But the third race…that was a one-on-one that challenged him. Sky held his breath as Pai and the other rider were almost tied halfway through, Pai seeming to sink lower over the handlebars with every meter he rode.

Was it possible that Pai might lose? Sky clenched his fists and watched, but as they came around the final turn, it was as if Pai found a final bit of speed and pulled ahead every moment and he crossed the finish line a full bike-length ahead.

Sky had grabbed Rain’s hand and was gripping it tight. He almost cheered when he saw Pai get off, looking tired and pleased.

It wasn’t the first time Pai had had someone waiting for him at the finish line, not by a long shot. He’d taken lovers from the race crowd before, so he was no stranger to either happy or sexy looks when he got off his bike.

So why was it so different seeing Sky standing with Rain, looking pleased as punch?

Was it because Sky’s true smile was so hard to come by? Because Sky was rarely impressed by anything Pai did or said? Or just because it was so different to see someone excited for him who wasn’t trying to get in his pants?

Whatever the reason, Pai felt a warm glow when he walked over to Rain and Sky and accepted their congratulations. Rain’s were, as always, effusive and sweet, while Sky’s were more subdued, but Pai knew they were heartfelt, because Sky didn’t say things to him just to be polite.

Pai was always pleased when he won his races, but tonight was just extra special. Throwing his arms around Sky, he pulled him into a hug. Yeah, it was a little bit taking advantage of Sky, who couldn’t exactly tell him to stop in the middle of the crowds, but Pai needed it at that moment. If he couldn’t hug Sky, he was going to tell him how much he’d loved having him there and he had a feeling that would go poorly.

It wasn’t the longest hug and Pai grumbled quietly when someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Go away,” he said. “I’m busy.”

“I see that,” Rain said, laughter filling his voice, “but Phayu’s coming over and I think he’d like to talk to you.”

“Bah.” Pai slowly let go of Sky, who was clearly also laughing at him, albeit more subtly. He turned just in time to see Phayu arrive next to them, raising an eyebrow at the arm Pai still had around Sky. “What do you want?” Pai asked Phayu.

“Are you sure you want to be rude to the guy who fixes the racing bikes?” Phayu’s eyebrows were both up now.

“Eh, I know you would never sabotage a bike, no matter how annoying I am.”

“He’s got you there,” Sky said.

“Whatever.” Phayu crossed his arms. “That was your last race, are you ready to head out?”

“Yeah.” In the past, Pai might have spent some time working the crowd, pondering his next sex partner, but nobody was appealing to him, even if he was free to do that. Turning to Sky, he pouted. “I want to drive you home.”

“It doesn’t make sense for you to drive in the wrong direction this late at night,” Sky said firmly. “Take your friend home and go get some sleep.”

“Fine. If you say so.” He pouted harder just for effect.

Sky rolled his eyes as Rain started to drag him away, then pulled his hand out of Rain’s. “Hang on.” He darted forward and gave Pai a quick kiss on the cheek, before running off with Rain.

Pai blinked several times in a row, nearly jumping out of his skin when Phayu cleared his throat. “Oh, uh, let’s go.” He started walking briskly toward his car.

Phayu didn’t say anything until they were several blocks from the street race. “Fake dating, hmmm?"

Gripping the steering wheel, Pai stared fixedly through his front windshield.

“I didn’t know you were such a good actor,” Phayu went on.

“Shut up.”

“But what—”

“Shut up!”

“Okay okay,” Phayu said with a shrug.

Sky was grateful that Pai didn’t have the time in his daily schedule to swoop into his office and take him out for lunch, because he could just imagine it. Pai would show up with flowers or chocolates and charm the receptionists and it would make Sky grind his teeth. Because of the waste of time, of course.

But they did have lunch together sometimes. Pai found a little curry place that wasn’t so fancy it made Sky’s head hurt but was fancy enough that they would be seen. It also had the best massaman curry Sky had ever had and that was saying a lot.

It was…fun. Fun to spend time with Pai at places like the zoo, fun to leave the office at lunchtime and not feverishly work through his lunch hour every day. Sky didn’t quite know what to do with himself.

Weirdly, Pai seemed to be having fun as well, unless he was just a better actor than Sky thought, but he didn’t think it was that. Pai didn’t seem terribly good at hiding his emotions most of the time. Even when they were unexpected emotions.

They were having gelato at a little place that Pai swore made it just like he’d had in Italy (not that Sky had any comparison, but it certainly tasted good), when a tall man, pale-skinned and angry-looking, loomed over their table.

“Lon,” Pai said in a neutral tone.

Sky stiffened. Pai was generally friendly with everyone, but it seemed this man was an exception.

“Prapai. I’m surprised you dare to show your face here.”

Pai’s eyebrows went up. “You don’t own this shop, at least not last time I checked.”

“You used to come here with me.” Leaning closer, Lon’s glare intensified, gripping the drink in his hand like it was Pai’s neck.

Pai nodded, appearing calm and collected. “That’s true. And I came here with others before you. It has nothing to do with you. I never lied to you about my intentions, but I’m sorry you have hard feelings.”

“Hard feelings.” Lon snorted. “You don’t give a shit, you just want to parade your new slut around.” And before Pai or Sky could react to the insult, Lon tipped his drink so the liquid cascaded out all over Sky’s lap.

Sky gasped from the cold and sticky feeling, unsure what to do now.

And Pai was out of his seat, holding Lon’s arm and raising his other fist. “I was trying to be polite,” he growled, “but that’s out of bounds.”

“Stop!” Sky yelled.

Pai’s jaw twitched several times, but he slowly let go of Lon, who stumbled back a few steps. “Only because you told me to,” he said softly over his shoulder to Sky. Then he turned back to Lon. “I highly recommend you get out of my sight, before I change my mind and bash your head in.”

Sky watched the other man stomp off, his brain still trying to process what had just happened. Pai had…defended him. Forcefully defended him. Of course Rain had done that before, but Rain was different. And it didn’t look like some kind of show, Pai looked angry.

Leaning over with a wad of napkins, Pai peered at him, his expression softening. “Are you okay? I’m sorry that happened. I—”

“It’s okay.” Sky managed a smile as he took the napkins and dabbed at the mess on his lap. He ignored the stares from everyone around them, focusing on getting up without leaving an even bigger mess than he already was. “I was done anyway, so let’s go.”

Pai bit his lip for an instant, which shouldn’t have been as cute as it was. “Okay.”

“It’s not your fault,” Sky said quietly, as the door closed behind them.

Sighing, Pai nodded, although he didn’t look like he agreed.

“It’s not,” Sky repeated. “If you were clear with him, it’s not your fault if he wanted something else. That’s no excuse for him to insult me.”

Pai nodded again, looking more reassured. “Let’s get you home so you can change out of this mess.”

Sky gave him a little smile, still a little dazed by the novelty of someone protecting him. Even if it was part of the charade, it still felt nice. It made Sky feel warm inside and he had to hide a grin.

They were supposed to…go somewhere? Pai leaned his head back against his chair’s headrest and tried to focus, but it wasn’t happening. It had been an extremely long and irritating day and he couldn’t bear the thought of being in public with his head pounding like he had a rock concert in his brain.

Groping around, he found his phone on his desk and opened his chat with Sky. Do you mind if we just stay in tonight? Takeout and a movie?

Sure, Sky texted back a few minutes later. I can bring Indian.

Sounds great. See you at my place at 7:30?

Yep.

With the last of his strength, Pai dragged himself out of his chair and to the elevator. It was lucky that traffic was slightly less than usual and he knew the route to his condo better than he knew the back of his hand or he might not have made it.

It wasn’t until he was standing in his shower rinsing off that he realized one teensy tiny detail: They were supposed to go out because they were fake dating and they needed to be seen.

“Fuck,” Pai said aloud, leaning his forehead against the cool tile wall. But Sky had agreed? He hadn’t said anything. Had Pai made him feel like he had to do it?

Still in a daze, he toweled off and got dressed, finishing in time for the doorbell to ring. When he opened the door, somewhat hesitantly, he was pleased to find a calm Sky, who smiled as he held up bags of takeout. Sky wouldn’t hold back if he was upset about this, right? “Come in,” he said, gesturing for Sky to follow him.

It wasn’t until they were 10 minutes into the movie that Sky remembered that this was weird because they were supposed to be fake dating. Head leaning against Pai’s shoulder, he was only about half paying attention to what was on the television screen, while the rest of him was drifting happily in a relaxed feeling he felt so infrequently. Honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this relaxed and comfortable.

And bam! That’s when his brain decided to remind him that this was fake and they were supposed to have gone out to dinner to be seen. He must have moved or stiffened, because Pai tightened his arm slightly. “Something wrong?” Pai asked.

“No,” Sky managed after a moment. “Nothing.”

Was it bad if he just…stayed and enjoyed himself? Pai had been the one to suggest it, so surely he wouldn’t be upset.

It was a great evening and Sky almost wished he didn’t have to go home at the end.

Two days later, Pai paused with his coffee cup halfway to his mouth. “Excuse me?” he said into the phone. “I’m sure I misheard you, Dad.”

A heavy sigh. “You didn’t. Mr. Lau is insisting that you bring your ‘lovely young man’ with you.”

“This is the most ridiculous—”

“I know, son. But if this goes through, we’ll be able to hire on several hundred more people.”

Pai groaned. It was true. This deal would allow them to expand and provide well-paying construction and office jobs (with benefits!) in an area that had chronic high unemployment. “Sky isn’t exactly a bored socialite. He has a job. One that he works very hard at. I have trouble getting him to take off an evening, let alone this long.”

“Do your best.”

After hanging up, Pai put the phone down, nearly knocking over his coffee. “Fuck,” he said. He took several careful deep breaths before picking up the phone again to call Sky. He just hoped the other man wouldn’t be angry. It was really too much to expect him to drop everything and fly to Hong Kong, but he had to ask.

Sky sat in his office, staring blankly at his computer. Pai wouldn’t refuse to pay him, but how could Sky accept the money if he hadn’t successfully completed his half of the deal? How could he leave Pai to deal with the matchmaking ambitions of a man who wanted his 18-year-old daughter to marry a much older man? But how the hell could he take time off so suddenly?

He was so distracted that he entirely missed when Bon, of the firm’s founders, entered his office, clearing his throat to get Sky’s attention.

“Oh!” Sky took a breath. “I’m sorry, sir, I was thinking.”

“I can tell.” Bon dropped into one of the client chairs, looking closely at Sky. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Er…yes. Why do you ask?”

“You look tired.” Bon paused. “And I can see why, considering how much work you’ve accomplished, while also dating Prapai.”

Sky froze, not even blinking. Was he in trouble? That hadn’t occurred to him, because wasn’t it none of their business who he dated?

“Relax,” Bon chuckled. “You must really like the guy, because I haven’t seen that much fear in someone’s eyes since I caught my daughter sneaking a cigarette behind the house.” He leaned back in the seat, stretching out his legs. “That was supposed to be a compliment, by the way: You’ve consistently been more productive than anyone else here, while also being caught by the tabloids on various dates.”

“Oh. Um, thank you?” Sky honestly had no idea what was going on.

“So what’s bothering you?” Bon exuded an air of bonhomie which allowed many people to forget just how shrewd he was.

“Prapai wants me to join him on a business trip.” Sky wasn’t even sure why he’d said it, except that he liked Bon and he might possibly even trust him, which was much rarer.

“Oh?” Bon’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s interesting. When do you leave?”

“What?”

Bon tilted his head. “Maybe you need a break more than I thought. When do you leave on the trip with him?”

“I wasn’t…I didn’t…”

“Oh for goodness’ sake.” Bon sighed. “Take some time off, Sky. You have at least a month of unused leave, probably more, and you look like you’d fall over in a strong wind. When you come back…you’ll be ready for bigger things.”

Sky didn’t gasp, but it was a close call.

“So, when do you leave?”

“On Friday.”

“Wonderful.” Bon smiled brightly at him. “And, if you happen to meet any likely clients on this trip, do let me know. Prapai is very well connected, after all.” Standing, he smiled at Sky. “But also, take some time off to relax.”

Sky stared at the empty doorway for a long time before he picked up the phone to call Pai back.

It was all a bit anticlimactic, as everyone wished him a good trip and assured him they would take care of everything while he was gone. Before Sky knew it, he was boarding a private plane with Pai, his father, and their team. Everyone was…nice.

The flight wasn’t terribly long and both Sky and Pai spent most of the time clearing out their email inboxes, which was…sort of weirdly amusing. Was it romantic? Or just absurd?

The whole situation was absurd, so that was probably the right answer.

“Sky?” Pai said.

“Hmm?”

“Would you like something to drink?”

Sky shrugged. “Sure, why not. I’m supposed to take a break, right?”

Checking into the hotel was unlike any experience Sky had ever had. No standing in lines, no talking to clerks, they just sailed into a hotel so expensive-looking, Sky wasn’t sure he could even afford to breathe in the lobby, were handed room keys by a waiting manager, and then led up to their room.

It wasn’t until he and Pai were ushered into an enormous suite and Sky followed him into the bedroom that Sky realized something very important: There was only one bed.

Oh for fuck’s sake, he thought. When had his life become a set of romance clic—

Then he remembered that he was pretending to date a wealthy businessman to keep him from being stuck in an arranged marriage and he sighed. Never mind.

“Something wrong?” Pai asked.

He shook his head. “No.”

Pai looked at the bed and seemed to have the same realization. “Er, I can sleep on the sofa out there. It’s very comfortable and it’s even long enough.”

“No, you can’t. Do you have any idea how much hotel maids gossip? If you sleep anywhere other than the bed, it’ll be all over town in less than 48 hours.”

Pai blinked, obviously never having thought about what the maids in hotels said about him. “Oh.”

With effort, Sky didn’t laugh at him. “It’s fine,” he said.

Pai put his hand over his heart. “I swear I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

Sky smiled. “Of course.” He sat down on the incredibly comfortable bed, watching as Pai went through what was obviously a practiced routine of retrieving his laptop and phone and charging cords, taking off his watch, and generally getting everything set up to his satisfaction on the desk. It was surprisingly adorable to watch.

Shaking his head, Sky reminded himself he wasn’t here to find Pai adorable, even if he was. “I’m going to shower,” he said.

“Mmmm.”

It wasn’t until Sky had already taken off his shirt that he remembered that they…weren’t actually dating, so maybe stripping in front of him was a bit much. Face burning, he grabbed some comfortable clothing to sleep in and his toiletries out of his bag and escaped to the bathroom as quickly as he could.

When the bathroom door closed behind him, Sky leaned against it, letting the cool wood soothe him. Clearly he was getting a little too comfortable. How would he feel if Pai had done that?

For an instant, Sky imagined Pai slowly taking off his shirt and his undershirt. Face warming again, he almost ran into the shower before it had time to warm up.

Getting ready for bed was…Pai didn’t know how to describe it. It was awkward in a way that he didn’t remember being around another person’s body since he was about 16 years old. It was also charming, because when had he last been around a half-naked person who he wasn’t planning to have sex with?

Not that having sex with Sky would be a hardship, he thought, watching Sky go to brush his teeth. He looked young in his pajama pants and soft t-shirt, but the muscle structure under the clothing was unquestionably worth a second look.

Pai tightened and released his fists, reminding himself that this wasn’t the point. But he couldn’t get the image of shirtless Sky out of his head. He hadn’t even considered that it might be difficult to sleep in the same bed, but it was going to be a challenge.

Somehow they made it through the night. Pai awoke, grateful to find he wasn’t wrapped embarrassingly around Sky, poking any portion of his anatomy in a way that might make him uncomfortable. Opening his eyes, he peered over a mound of blankets at the other half of the bed, where Sky looked to be still fast asleep. Hair askew and drooling slightly, he was cute, and Pai wanted to pull him into his arms and cuddle until...

Pai closed his eyes and thought about anything except Sky for a while. Eventually he took a deep breath and rolled over to look at his phone, which of course already had a series of reminder texts from Namtan.

Given the early hour, there was still plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast before they had to join the first meeting. Pai could only be grateful that they weren’t insisting on a working breakfast, because he needed some time to get his head in the game.

Right, meetings followed by a working lunch (he sighed) then more meetings. At least they were knocking off early so everyone would have a little time before a cocktail hour.

After this trip was done, Pai swore to himself, he was going to take a vacation. Somewhere with forests and mountains and no bloody Internet connection. He and Sky could vis—

Getting out of the bed, Pai busied himself with replying to Namtan, picking out clothing, and ordering room service for breakfast.

Sky dragged himself out of bed to have breakfast with Pai, because it seemed unfair to sleep in when Pai was going to have to go work. Yawning, he looked at the other man out of the corner of his eye as he fussed over the pineapple buns, making sure to put the biggest one on Sky’s plate.

“Mmm,” Sky remembered what he wanted to ask. “Can you send me a decent precis of this project? I don’t want to sound like an idiot when talking to other people, but I haven’t had a chance to read up yet.”

Pai looked up from his dumpling and blinked. “Certainly. That would…that’s a great idea. I’ll get Namtan to send you the executive summary and a few crucial maps.” Picking up his phone, he tapped out a message to her.

Nodding, Sky went back to eating. They chatted casually until Pai sighed, looking at his watch. “Alas, time to go.”

“Have fun.”

“Oh yes, fun. This will definitely be fun,” Pai said in a monotone.

As he went off to put the finishing touches on his clothing, Sky shook his head, smiling. Pai tried to make it sound like he hated his job, but that was so obviously incorrect.

He sat and watched the city move on with its day for a while, sipping the rest of the excellent coffee Pai had ordered. His phone dinged to note the arrival of the promised information from Namtan, but Sky decided he wanted a walk first.

After some time spent getting to know the area around the hotel, Sky finally settled down at a dim sum hall with his phone, nibbling and reading through the deal they were in Hong Kong to seal. Fortunately, he still had plenty of time to get back to the hotel, clean up, and get dressed for the cocktail hour.

Sky sipped his drink, having already decided he would only have one. The last thing he wanted to do was get tipsy and embarrass Pai! So far things were going well, though. His reading this afternoon had enabled him to contribute to conversations and he had some ideas about people who might be interested in hiring his firm. All in all a productive time.

Smiling sideways at Pai, who was chatting with the wife of one of the people on the Hong Kong side of the deal, Sky let himself consider that everything might possibly work out. A few more days and they’d be back in Bangkok and he’d buy into the firm and have the career and control he wanted.

And maybe, well, maybe Pai would want to keep being friends. Given the connection of Phayu and Rain, they would certainly see each other, so it would be nice have dinners with him. It was okay to want that much.

Absently, Sky answered a question about his job as he leaned against Pai’s solid shoulder. Things were looking up. Taking another sip of his drink, he glanced around the room. He could see Pai’s father speaking with Mr. Lau and, oh dear, that must be the young lady who Pai was supposed to be set up with.

Sky coughed into his napkin. She really was terribly young. Pretty, he had to admit, but she couldn’t possibly even be in college yet, could she? The thought of her with worldly and experienced Pai was uncomfortable.

As if sensing his thoughts, she looked up and saw Sky and Pai. Sky couldn’t look away as her gaze went over the two of them…and then she smiled at Sky. It was a genuine and happy smile and Sky relaxed. He realized it had never occurred to any of them what she wanted.

Fortunately for everyone, it looked like she was no more interested in marrying Pai than he was in marrying her. A small tension he hadn’t even realized he had disappeared at that point. Right, Pai was a catch, but that didn’t mean a teenager was interested in marrying him.

Sky chuckled and Pai gave him a questioning glance, having finished his previous conversation. “Later,” Sky murmured.

Pai grinned at Sky and Sky went back to scanning the room to avoid thinking about that grin and how it was both ridiculously smug and also very se—

The side view of a man entering the room caught Sky’s attention and his body froze. No. No no no, it couldn’t be him. Sky’s head swam with a mixture of denial and fear. How the hell would That Man be here? He had to be imagining things.

But then the man turned and it was him. It was Noom, who smiled broadly, obviously not surprised to see Sky.

Pai glanced at him. “Something wrong?”

“How did he get here?” Sky gestured with his chin.

Leaning over, Pai followed his gaze. “The one in the green suit? Hmm. I think he’s attached to a sub-contractor, working on renovating several of the buildings for our use.” Pai shrugged. “Why?”

“I…used to work with him.”

Sky tried to sound unaffected, but the look Pai gave him said he hadn’t succeeded. “Is there something I need to know?” Pai asked.

Sky wasn’t even sure how he was going to answer, but his throat closed on whatever it was as Noom excused himself from the person he was talking to and started to make his way toward them. “Hello, Sky, nice to see you!” he said in a cheerful voice. “And it’s nice to meet you officially, sir,” he said, bowing to Pai.

Pai automatically bowed back. “Yes, nice to meet you.”

“I see you’re moving up in the world,” Noom said, turning back to Sky.

The words sounded innocuous, but Sky knew what he meant. He was calling Sky a gold-digger. Or worse. “Sorry, Pai, I see your father waving for us.” He dragged Pai away, trying to ignore the smirk on Noom’s face as he clearly retreated.

Pai chose to go along with it and held Sky’s hand tightly as they made their way across the room.

“So?” Pai asked when they came to a stop in a corner.

“I, uh, I don’t like him.” Sky knew it sounded ridiculous.

“Okay.” Pai waited for a few uncomfortable moments. “Well, we’ll just avoid him then. You won’t be working on this project anyway.”

A wave of relief swept through Sky. “Thank you,” he mumbled.

Pai really wanted to know what was up with Sky and Noom. In their weeks of enforced closeness, he’d never seen Sky react like that to anyone. The man had faced down sharp-clawed socialites trying to threaten him without breaking stride. He’d encountered no fewer than five of Pai’s exes without batting an eye and if Rain could be believed, Sky was now on texting terms with at least one of them.

Noom could be one of Sky’s exes, but that felt wrong. Given what Sky knew of Pai’s past, why would he be so unhappy to see just one person he’d dated? Maybe it was some kind of torrid office romance scandal.

Pai glanced at Sky, who looked back to normal, but had a hand shaking under the table, and Pai absolutely couldn’t believe he’d been involved in a torrid office romance scandal. It just didn’t track with the man he’d been spending time with. Of course, he might have changed?

It didn’t fit. And Pai hated when things didn’t make sense. Squirming in his chair, he texted Namtan, who was across the room. Can you get me whatever we’ve got about a sub-contractor named Noom? Especially his work history.

She looked up from her phone and gave him an odd look. I’ll have it for you shortly.

Pursing his lips, Pai added, And where his work history crosses with Sky’s.

As she read his message, she froze. It was a long moment before she typed back. Is there a problem?

I hope not.

Sky knew Pai was confused, but he couldn’t do anything about it at the moment, because he was busy trying not to have a panic attack. Noom was here. He was going to be around the whole time. He was going to talk to people. He might say anything. He might lie again. Noom was good at that.

He could feel Pai’s concerned looks on the side of his face, but he couldn’t turn his head or reassure him. Any move, any word, anything might cause him to crack, and he couldn’t do that now.

So he sat politely and made small talk that he couldn’t remember moments later, smiling at anyone and everyone, trying to act the part of the dutiful fiancé. He would not allow this to be ruined for Pai, who had been nothing but sweet to Sky. And Sky knew what this deal meant, how it wasn’t just the money for Pai and his father, but the ability to employ more people. It wasn’t often that he was firmly on the side of a business, but if someone had to do this, it should be Pai.

No way was Noom going to be allowed to ruin this, Sky thought firmly. He would avoid the man, play fiancé, and go home.

Namtan sent Pai the information he’d asked for, but it wasn’t really what he needed. Yes, the two of them had worked at the same architecture firm for six months, when Sky was fresh out of college, but there wasn’t anything terribly unusual in a young graduate moving to a different job. Maybe Phayu would be able to find a clue in the move or length of time, but it seemed reasonable.

Namtan had (of course) gone above and beyond and searched various online sources to see if she could find anything about them, but without success. Noom had been a middle manager when Sky started and it didn’t look like they’d worked together on anything, although Sky was brand new enough he might not have gotten his name attached to everything he worked on.

Maybe he was blowing this out of proportion, Pai thought. It was possible that Sky just really disliked the other man for some reason that wasn’t any of his business. With a sigh, he deleted Namtan’s message. He shouldn’t invade Sky’s privacy any further.

The following day, while Pai was in meetings, Sky took the opportunity to tour some of Hong Kong’s most famous architecture. Then, despite his office telling him not to, he couldn’t help checking his work email. He found, however, that doing work was significantly more palatable when you were lying in a luxurious hotel bed with a stunning view and room service on tap.

Pai picked him up for dinner and after a pleasant evening with Pai and his father and Namtan at a local restaurant, Sky’s mood was even better. They strolled back into the hotel around 10 pm, full of good food, Pai’s hand in Sky’s.

“It’s going to be good,” Pai said softly.

Sky knew what he meant. “You really do like being able to employ people.”

Eyebrow raised, Pai glanced at him.

“Not in a power hungry way.”

That made Pai chuckle. “Maybe a little bit.”

Sky nudged Pai with his elbow. “Try that on someone else. You love making all those jobs and knowing people can support their families.”

With a little twitching shrug, Pai looked away. “I suppose. I hate all the paperwork from HR, though. Do you know just how many forms have to be filled out and signed to make sure people get paid?”

“You have an entire HR department to fill out the forms.”

“But I have to sign all of them!” Pai turned a pathetic look on Sky. “My hand is exhausted just thinking about it.”

Snorting, Sky elbowed him again. “Fine, minimize it if you like, but I know the truth.”

“The truth?”

“You’re just a big softie who wants to take care of people.”

Hand to his chest, Pai pretended to be hurt. “Don’t let the truth get out! They’ll take away my capitalist card!”

“You’re ridiculous,” Sky said as they approached the elevator. “Hey, I’m going to sit over there by the atrium for a bit. I’m not tired yet.”

“Okay, I’ll join you in a few minutes.” Pai squeezed his hand and let go. “Enjoy the almost fresh air. I’ll be down after I make some notes on things Dad said.” The elevator dinged and he went up to their suite.

Turning, Sky made his way through the marble corridor to the small nook he’d found the previous day that overlooked the atrium. It was surrounded by potted plants and flowers and made you feel almost as if you were sitting outside as you looked at the vast expanse to the other side of the hotel.

As he came around the corner, he smiled and walked toward the cushy loveseat near the railing. He passed the two large trees that marked the border of the nook, not noticing the other person until they spoke.

“There you are. And alone too. How handy!”

Sky froze, trembling. He literally couldn’t turn around but he also couldn’t move forward.

Noom circled him, eyeing him up and down, herding him farther into the nook. “You’ve certainly…grown.”

Closing his eyes, Sky tried to think. What should he do? He knew from experience that asking for help would go poorly. Nobody would believe him and he’d just be branded a liar.

“Nothing to say?”

“Not to you,” Sky said, opening his eyes.

“I’m hurt.” Noom smirked. “I’ve been so looking forward to chatting with you, too.”

“Pai is waiting for me.” Taking a step, Sky tried to get some momentum going.

“Ah ah,” Noom said, grabbing his arm as he tried to walk past. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I—” It had been so long that Sky had forgotten what it felt like when Noom grabbed him around the chest, pinching him in a place where the bruises wouldn’t show. He couldn’t help a small sound of pain.

“That was a rhetorical question, because you’re not going anywhere.”

“Let go.”

“I mean, I could, but then I’d have to tell your fiancé about all the fun we had.”

Sky fought to stand still and not react. “It certainly wasn’t fun and I didn’t consent to any of it.”

“That’s not what the partners thought. That was almost the best part: When they lectured you about inappropriate workplace behavior. Do you think Prapai will be disappointed in you when I tell him about it?”

“Leave me alone.” Sky took a breath. “Please.” It hurt to beg.

Noom chuckled. “Not when I have such a perfect chance to play with you again.”

“Please don’t. I don’t want—”

Noom leaned in. “I don’t actually care what you want.” While one arm was still locked around his chest, the other trailed up and down Sky’s body.

Biting back a whimper, Sky couldn’t help the way his body shuddered in fear and revulsion. “Don’t…”

Hand moving lower, Noom sighed at finding Sky’s cock completely soft. “I suppose it will take a little longer than I thought. I don’t mind taking my time, though.”

A momentary burst of fear gave Sky the strength to rip himself out of Noom’s arms, stumbling forward. Noom reached out, but then they both heard a voice calling.

“Sky, are you here?” Pai called.

“I’m here!” Sky replied before Noom could grab him. Without looking at the other man, he almost ran out of the nook, running into Pai.

“Hey,” Pai said, grabbing his arms to keep him from falling over. Then he got a look at Sky’s face, “Is something wrong?”

“Can we go upstairs, please?” Sky clutched Pai’s arm, begging the man to just do what he said for once.

Frowning slightly, Pai nodded. “Sure.”

Pai let Sky pull him back down the sparsely populated hallway. Just before they turned the corner toward the elevator, Pai glanced behind them, frowning as he saw Noom leaning against a marble column and looking…smug.

For a moment, jealousy reared its head, but Pai looked at Sky, who didn’t look like someone who’d been cheating on his fake fiancé. Sky looked like someone who was terrified and being chased by a monster. It made the jealousy melt away and be replaced with something he was even less familiar with: protectiveness.

Pai had never felt this need to harm anyone who hurt his previous lovers. He’d never felt this strongly about anyone who wasn’t family, except maybe Phayu and by extension, Rain. But in this moment, if Sky told him to, Pai would gladly go back and punch that smug look off Noom’s face.

Sky was completely buttoned up now, no expression on his face at all, and Pai found it rather creepy. He let Sky pull him into the elevator, but once the doors closed, Pai tugged on Sky’s arm. “Hey, can you tell me what happened?”

“Nothing.” Sky wasn’t looking at him as he punched the floor for their rooms.

“It looks like you’re ups—”

“Let it go.”

“I…okay.” Pai leaned back against the wall, staring at the back of Sky’s head.

This might not be the right time, but Pai would figure out what was going on. Nobody was allowed to make Sky look like that. Nobody.

They got ready for bed in a gloomier atmosphere than the previous evening, with Pai noticing that Sky was mostly going through the motions, with his mind clearly elsewhere.

When they finally lay in the bed, Pai spoke. “Can you please give me an idea what’s wrong?”

Sky didn’t turn over, but even in the almost nonexistent light, Pai could see Sky’s body curl up farther into a ball. “It’s nothing you need to be concerned about.”

Pai took a careful breath in and out. This wasn’t the time to snap back, when Sky was clearly upset. “I’m just worried about you.”

Sky tensed as if he was going to yell, but gradually he relaxed. “It’s fine. I’m fine,” he said quietly.

“Okay. But if there’s anything wrong, anything I can do…I know we’re not really engaged, but I hope that we’ve at least become good friends. I want to help.”

“Thank you.”

And that was the end of that. If Pai hadn’t been so tired, he suspected he would have been tossing and turning much of the night. But when Sky showed no sign of continuing the conversation, Pai gradually fell asleep.

Sky took the opportunity of the next day’s meetings to get out of the hotel and away from everyone to visit the Hong Kong Botanical Gardens. Besides the fact he doubted anyone associated with this project would be there, he knew that the gardens would make him feel better.

Coming in on Upper Albert Road, he walked past the animals, continuing to walk down the path past the pavilion to the magnolia garden. Even though the plants were well past their time, the area was saturated in the overwhelming scent. He settled down for a few moments on a bench near a Yulan magnolia, looking at the few white flowers with streaks of pink that had somehow survived past the summer.

After a while, he continued toward the camellia garden, strolling through the shady paths to look at the variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. He spent some time examining the golden camellias, rare as well as beautiful, wishing he could grow them himself.

He backtracked slightly to go to the medicinal herb garden, which seemed like something he could partially replicate at home. The tidy paths lined with informational plaques were soothing and he practiced his English as he puzzled out what each herb was intended to treat.

For at least two hours, Sky immersed himself in the world of plants, which he loved even more than he loved architecture. He imagined giving up his job, giving up everything, and retiring to the country to act as gardener to some wealthy family, spending his days pruning rhododendrons and planting rosemary and thyme for the cook.

Speaking of wealthy families, Sky groaned when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He briefly considered ignoring it, but that didn’t seem helpful.

“Hi,” he said to Pai, trying to sound normal.

“How are the gardens?” Pai asked.

Sky paused, looking around. “Are you…tracking me?”

Pai made an inelegant snorting sound. “No, of course not. But you mentioned the botanical gardens at least five times before we left Bangkok, so I took a guess.”

“Oh.” That made sense. “They’re wonderful. They have some rare plants I’ve never seen in person before.”

“I’m glad.” And Pai did really sound glad that Sky was enjoying himself. “I wish I could be there with you.”

Which was the weirdest moment for it to happen, but that was when it hit Sky. He wished that too. More than anything at this moment, he wanted Pai strolling next to him so Sky could hold his hand and show him all his favorite plants. He just knew that Pai would listen carefully no matter how much he babbled.

Pai would pay attention and smile and then he would drag the both of them to see the animals and laugh like a child at the tamarins and lemurs, reminding Sky that it was okay to have fun like this. He wanted Pai there just to be with him. He’d fallen for his fake fiancé and wasn’t that a weird thought. Not just friendship but fallen in love.

Sky stumbled over to a bench and sat down abruptly. “I…”

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just a stray thought. Never mind. How are the meetings going?” Sky sank down on the nearest bench and tried to clear his mind.

The weird tone in Sky’s voice nagged at Pai through the afternoon. He didn’t want to invade Sky’s privacy, but something was wrong and he couldn’t leave it alone.

As the negotiations picked up again, Pai leaned over to Namtan. “I need to corner that architect I had you look up.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How long do you need? I assume you want privacy.”

Pai nodded. “Not sure. Let’s try half an hour.”

“I believe he’s in a meeting room one floor below us, where they’re talking about the renovated properties.” Flipping through pages on her tablet, she nodded to herself. “Yes. Let me see what I can arrange with the admins downstairs.”

Pai was fairly sure he didn’t want to know just how much power all the assistants and secretaries and other support staff actually had. Goodness only knew that he would be utterly lost without her help and she could probably tell him anything and he would believe it. “Thanks.”

He turned his attention back to a discussion between Mr. Lau and his father, knowing Namtan would figure something out.

As people were adjourning for dinner, Namtan nudged Pai with her elbow. He followed her out of the room, bowing to several people as he left. Behind him, he could hear his father sounding startled as he called Pai’s name, but he didn’t pause.

Entering the stairwell to walk down one floor, Namtan tapped at her tablet. “Okay, when we exit this staircase, there will be a copy room to our right. Noom will be there and presumably alone. We’ll keep everyone out as long as we can, but no guarantees.”

And they were out of the stairwell, and Namtan and a woman from the Hong Kong side were ushering him into the room, closing the door behind him.

Noom looked up from a stack of papers, startled for a fraction of a second before his smirk came back. It looked even more punchable than it had yesterday. “What’s your business with my fiancé?” Pai asked, arms crossed.

“Oh! He didn’t tell you?” Noom laughed and it was probably supposed to sound amused, but it was just grating. “That’s funny, because he told me all about you and why you’re engaged.”

Pai froze. Sky wouldn’t. He wouldn’t! He was a man who would keep a secret or a grudge until it died and then visit the grave once a week with flowers. “What…”

Noom leaned forward as if to impart something important. “I know he’s just marrying you for your money, which doesn’t surprise me at all.”

It was so much not what Pai was expecting that he stayed frozen.

“I know he’s great in bed, so you might think it’s worth it, but once you’re married, well…” Noom trailed off suggestively.

This fucker didn’t know anything. Sky hadn’t told him anything and Noom was lying. What the actual fuck was going on? “Why are you so sure?” Pai croaked out.

“He tried it out first with me, of course. We were quite an item there for a bit, but when I realized he was just looking to sleep his way to the top at the firm, well…that was it for a serious relationship.” Noom tried to look piously offended by the idea but didn’t quite manage it to Pai’s eyes.

“I…see.” Pai felt like he might scream if he stayed in this room any longer. Taking a step back, he blindly reached behind him for the door handle. “I’ll…think about it.” He managed to escape the room, stumbling past a startled Namtan, who quickly followed him.

“Sir—”

“I need some time.” Pai took several deep breaths as he almost ran back into the stairwell, followed by Namtan. “I need to think.”

“Sir, stop!”

Pai whirled. Namtan had never taken that tone with him.

When she saw she had his attention, she tugged on his arm to make him look at her properly. “I can help you, but I need to know what’s going on. Did…did Sky do something?”

“No!”

“Did that man…do something to Sky?”

Pai closed his eyes. “I think so.”

Namtan let him go and he walked up one flight of stairs and out to the elevator, heading up to the roof, where he knew he could find a place to think.

Sky. He needed to think about Sky and how it felt to realize that someone had hurt Sky. Because that bullshit about Sky trying to sleep his way to the top at work was the phoniest thing Pai had ever heard. Combine that with how Sky reacted to Noom and it added up to nothing good.

Thinking about it made Pai feel terrible. He’d never felt like this before.

Pai stumbled out the elevator door and found a comfortable chair, which he sank into, staring up at the vine hanging above him, its bright orange flowers looking kind of like a bunch of funnels. Sky would know what it was called, Pai realized with a pang in his chest. And he wanted Sky there right now, leaning against his shoulder and teasing him by poking the vines in his face, then switching to telling him about the materials used to construct the hotel.

He just…wanted Sky. All the time. He didn’t want to be fake dating or meeting for occasional meals, he wanted Sky in his bed at night and in his home, no, in their home.

He remembered Lon spilling a milkshake on Sky and how he’d practically seen red. That should have clued him in, because something that petty would normally have led to a few cutting words, not a desire to beat the shit out of someone.

It still wasn’t clear what Noom had done to Sky, but he was a slimy fuck, so there were a lot of awful possibilities. Whatever it was, Pai wanted to protect Sky, to punch Noom until his face was unrecognizable, to spirit Sky away so nobody could ever hurt him again.

Huh. This was what it was like to fall in love. Phayu and Rain made a lot more sense now.

Pai rubbed his temples. He wasn’t sure how Sky felt, but right now that wasn’t important.

Sky spent another hour in the gardens, then found a place to eat. He sat in the corner of a restaurant and let his mind drift. Nobody knew him here and nobody was expecting anything from him. It was freeing, honestly.

When he was done, he started to walk with no particular destination in mind, just looking at the architecture and meandering through small parks and gardens. When his legs got tired, he took a cab back across the harbor and found a nice teahouse near the hotel. He sat there for some time, drinking tea and watching the people in the street.

Eventually, his phone chimed to remind him he needed to get back to the hotel to change for dinner. Sky sighed, dragging his mind back to reality as he paid his bill and stepped outside to find a cab.

It only took a few minutes to reach the hotel, but a row of limousines took up the entire circle in front of the hotel, mostly honking at each other and being a nuisance. Sky’s driver muttered something in Mandarin that was most likely uncomplimentary and drove around to the side of the hotel and a small entrance that allowed keycard entry.

Sky smiled and gave him a large tip, stepping out and walking between two tall pillars. A hand reached out and dragged him behind one.

“My timing is impeccable.”

Sky almost tripped over himself trying to get away from Noom. “Let go of me.”

Noom chuckled, leaning against the pillar and yanking Sky uncomfortably close. “But I had such a fun conversation with your fiancé earlier today. Why, he even came to talk to me personally.”

Sky knew he should keep walking. He knew it. He should keep lifting his legs and going forward, but for some reason they wouldn’t do it. Shaking slightly, he waited, because he knew Noom would keep going.

“I didn’t go into detail. But I could.” Noom leaned closer with every few words. “Why don’t we go to my room and talk about it. I’m sure you can convince me not to say anything.”

“No.” Sky felt his stomach roll at the very idea. “Absolutely not.”

“Then your lovely fiancé and I can compare notes on how hot you look when you’re sucking cock.” Noom laughed.

“Shut up.”

Noom put his other arm over Sky’s shoulders, leaning so close their noses almost touched. “Those were good times.”

“No, they weren’t. You’re an abusive bastard.” Sky hissed at Noom as he struggled to get the other man’s arm off him.

“But will Prapai believe that? C’mon, one last hurrah and I’ll leave you to it.”

“Go to hell.”

“He wanted to know what business I have with you. Isn’t that charming?” Noom laughed. “I told him I knew what you were doing.”

“What am I doing?”

“C’mon, it’s obvious to everyone that you’re fucking the man for his money. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Sky blinked for a good few moments before he realized that Noom had no idea what was going on. A chuckle burst out of Sky’s throat to both of their surprise. “You really don’t understand anything, do you?” He giggled, a little high-pitched and hysterical, but still real.

Noom moved faster than Sky expected, spinning them until Sky was pushed against a nearby wall. “Don’t laugh. I’m going to ruin you. One way or another.” Leaning in, he nosed along Sky’s neck.

With all his strength, Sky pushed him back. “No. Not this time. Stay the fuck away from me.” And keycard in hand, he made his way into the hotel, where others were standing, knowing that Noom wouldn’t dare make a further scene where other people could watch him.

Sky knew what he had to do. Pulling his phone out, he entered a text. Where are you?

Pai looked at his phone when it dinged, then replied to Sky. Sitting on the hotel roof. Should I come down?

Is anyone else up there?

No.

I’ll be there in a minute.

Frowning, Pai put the phone back in his pocket and waited. A minute later, Sky came around the corner, looking agitated. “What’s wrong?” Pai asked, standing.

Sky waved him back down onto the seat, coming to perch next to him in a very hesitant manner. “I need…” He stared down at his hands. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay?” Pai had a bad feeling in his stomach, but he wanted to know. He suspected he needed to know.

“It’s about…” Sky took a deep breath.

Unable to take it any longer, Pai reached out and clasped Sky’s hands between his own. “It’s okay. Whatever it is.”

Sky’s next breath sounded more like a sob, but he kept going. “It’s about Noom. He…we worked in the same firm. When I was just out of college.” His hands were shaking. “He asked me out and I said no. He wasn’t exactly my manager, but it was weird. And he was kind of creepy.”

“Still is,” Pai muttered.

Sky huffed a laugh. “He kept asking and I kept saying no. Then he started…touching me at the office. At times when I couldn’t get away from him. Finally, I gave in and agreed to go get a drink with him, hoping that I would be uninteresting enough that he would stop and he…”

Pai held onto his hands, trying to will strength through them.

“He drugged me.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. He drugged me and…did things while I was mostly out of it. And he took pictures.” Sky’s voice wobbled a bit. “I didn’t know about the pictures, but I went to the partners and told them he’d assaulted me.”

“And?” It was going to be bad, he knew it.

“He claimed I’d approached him. He’d sent things using my phone while…he sent texts and photos and made it look like I was chasing him. He showed them the pictures of me, which looked like I was a willing participant. He had it all planned out.”

“That…” Pai didn’t actually have a word for what that man was, except possibly ‘dead’ once he and Phayu and Rain were done with him.

“The firm agreed that if I left without ‘causing a fuss’, they wouldn’t blacklist me in the industry.” That’s when Sky cracked, his voice giving in to tears.

Pai put his arms around Sky and held him as he cried.

As the tears slowed, Sky spoke again. “He’s been harassing me since we got here.”

“Fuck.”

Sky sat up again. “He was threatening to tell you things.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this when you saw him?” Pai’s heart felt like it was tearing apart.

Sky laughed but it sounded like it tore at his throat. “Nobody believed me before.”

“I…” But Pai understood. How could Sky be sure? “Damn it. No, damn them. Damn them to the pits of hell.”

Sky clenched his hands in his lap after he scrubbed at the tears on his face. “I thought he might leave me alone. I didn’t think—”

“It’s not your fault. I’m sorry if it sounded like I was blaming you. I get it.”

Sky ducked his head.

“The question is what we do now. And what he’ll do now.”

“He’ll want to embarrass me. And probably you.” Sky’s face went pale. “I was just thinking about telling you, not what would come after.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Pai ducked his head, trying to catch Sky’s eyes. “Look at me, please, baby.”

Slowly Sky lifted his head.

“Thank you. Now, he’s going to try to make us feel bad, but…he doesn’t really know anything, does he?”

Sky shook his head.

“So, what can he do? What can he say?”

“He lies,” Sky whispered. “He lies and people believe him.”

Pai had a feeling he got it now. “Sky…sweetheart…you’re not fresh out of college now.”

Sky’s mouth made an O shape.

“And I work for my father. He can’t get me fired by making baseless claims about either of us.”

Sky’s face looked like a server error had occurred. Only an occasional blink made it clear he was alive.

“I doubt he can lie well enough to get you fired, but I swear if he does, I won’t rest until I’m sure you have another job.”

“Pai…”

“Phayu and Rain will help.”

“Pai, I believe you.” The words tumbled out. “I trust you.”

“I love you so much.” Pai spoke without thinking, but winced when Sky’s face did the server error thing again. “I’m sorry, I meant to be smooth about it, there was going to be flowers and a whole speech, not blurted out in the middle of a crisis.”

“Do you mean it?”

Pai didn’t have to think about it. “Yes, I do. Will you date me for real?”

“Wow.”

“You don’t have to—”

Sky put up a hand. “Give me a moment.”

Pai shut his mouth and waited, trying not to bounce his leg in impatience. He hadn’t fully realized until this moment how important Sky’s answer was. What would he do if Sky said he wasn’t interested?

While Pai was panicking, Sky reached out and touched his cheek. “Pai?”

“Yes?”

“I would love to date you for real.” He smiled at Pai and it was like a rainbow in the sky. “But maybe we should hold off a bit on making the engagement real.”

Pai laughed, tugging on Sky’s hand to pull him forward into a hug. It felt right. It felt like there was nothing that could stop them.

Sky clutched Pai’s shoulders, his mind filled with static and happiness and surprise. He’d never really thought…especially after telling Pai the whole sordid story.

He wasn’t sure how long they held each other, but eventually they both pulled back. Pai was grinning at him like a loon and Sky could feel his answering smile.

“I hate to be a downer,” Sky said. “But…”

“Oh right, there’s still an asshole to deal with.” Pai scowled, lacing his fingers with Sky’s. “I have some thoughts, mostly depending on whether you want to act first or wait for him to act.”

The very idea of acting first was so alien to Sky. He didn’t know how to respond. “How…”

Pai grinned. “I assume we want to destroy him, not just stop this, right?”

Sky nodded, still confused.

“First, I need to call Phayu.”

Still baffled, but feeling hopeful, Sky watched as Pai retrieved his phone from his coat pocket and dialed a number from memory.

“Yu, we’re going to need your help.”

It was useful that he’d given Rain a key to his condo long ago, because all his information on what Noom had done was stored on a flash drive in the bottom of a desk drawer. Guiding Rain to retrieve it would remain a mildly amusing moment in a stressful time.

“Wow,” Rain said. “Your cleaning service does such a great job on your kitchen.”

“The cleaning service hasn’t been there in three weeks and my desk is in the living room!”

“Right. Living room. Desk. How do you work with the room this dim?”

Sky rubbed his forehead. “When I work at home, I’m usually on my laptop attached to the large monitor. Please open the bottom right drawer.”

“This is bamboo. I’m looking at bamboo floors for the house I’m designing.” Sounds of rummaging came through the phone line.

Pai patted Sky on the back, leaning over to whisper, “Is he always like this?”

“No,” Sky whispered back. “Rain, did you take your meds today?”

“Files, rubber bands…hmm? Oh, no I guess I didn’t. Phayu distracted me by—”

“Stop!” Pai and Sky said.

“Okay. Anyway, under the bag of rubber bands there are some empty folders. Blank notepads. A bunch of USB wires. Oh!”

“Did you find it?” Sky asked.

“No, I found that notebook with kittens on it that you said you didn’t want. I knew you went back to get it!”

“Rain!”

“Okay okay, at the bottom there are three flash drives. One has no label, the second says ‘senior project’ and the third says ‘beach house.’”

Sky flushed, refusing to look at Pai. He didn’t want to discuss his dream house at the beach. “It’s the unlabeled one.”

“Great,” Pai said, his hand rubbing Sky’s back gently. “Take it to Phayu so you can determine what will be useful.”

“Can do!” Rain said. “Talk to you soon.”

The connection closed, but Sky stayed seated on the hotel room couch. This was…he never intended to tell anyone. He didn’t want pitying looks.

Pai continued to rub his back. “Tell me?”

“I didn’t want anyone else to know,” he said aloud.

“I know. I can’t imagine how difficult this is for you. But I’m here and my opinion of you won’t change, nor will Phayu’s.”

Sky hummed an acknowledgement.

“And can you imagine what would happen if someone tried to turn Rain against you? Or if someone made accusations about you?”

Sky couldn’t help laughing aloud at that. “He’d probably punch them.”

“And then he’d tell Phayu to punch them. And you know Phayu would do whatever Rain asked.”

Sky giggled, which was presumably what Pai had intended. “You’re right.”

“Now that we’ve established you’re not getting rid of us, let’s start planning how we’re going to grind this asshole into paste.”

For the first time, Sky started to believe he might be able to win.

Pai strictly restricted the people involved in their plan, mostly because he knew that every additional person stressed Sky further. But he knew in his soul that Namtan was a good choice.

“Would you like me to explain to her?” Pai asked. “You don’t even have to be there if you don’t want to.”

Sky shook his head. “No. I’ll do it.”

Pai wanted to ask if he was sure but had a feeling that would get him in trouble. Fortunately, at that point there was a knock on the hotel room door. He opened it and Namtan stepped in, tablet clutched to her chest like a shield and eyebrows furrowed.

At his gesture, she sat down in the chair, looking between Pai standing and Sky seated on the couch and looking miserable. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Pai glanced at Sky, who didn’t look like he was quite ready. “The good news is I figured out what Noom did to Sky.”

“And the bad news…” She looked at Sky. “Oh honey. Whatever it is…” She trailed off.

Sky looked up. “He assaulted me,” he said bluntly. “Then he convinced everyone at the office that it was my fault.”

Namtan’s eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed. The tablet in her hands clattered onto the floor and she didn’t even notice. “I’m going to kill him with my bare hands.”

Pai smiled happily at her as Sky almost fell off the couch in surprise.

“That rat…” She looked at Pai. “Tell me I get to hit him.”

“Probably not,” he said sadly. “But I’ll keep your wishes in mind.”

“We’re at least going to hurt him, right?” She looked between Pai and the still-gobsmacked Sky.

“Of course.”

“Excellent.” Her grin was sharp enough to cut glass as she leaned over to pick up her dropped tablet. “Tell me what you need me to do.”

Sky knew in theory how powerful the assistants and secretaries and admins were. He was always polite to them just because that’s the kind of person he was, but he knew that getting on their bad side had led more than one higher-up to trouble.

Knowing it in theory was different than watching Namtan arranging things like a general overseeing his army. Pai and his father listened to her obediently.

Pai poked him in the shoulder and Sky turned to look. “Hmm?”

“Phayu would like to talk to you.” Pai waved his phone. “Why don’t you take it in the bedroom?”

Sky took the phone out of his hand and walked into the bedroom. “Yes?” he said tentatively.

“Hey, how are you holding up?”

“Mmmm. I’ve been better.” Sky sat down on the bed. “But not bad, considering.”

“Good. I’ve been…reviewing the evidence you have on that drive. Including the video.”

Even though he’d known that, of course, it still felt like a punch in the gut. “Oh.”

“I wanted to tell you that I haven’t let Rain look at anything.”

Sky was speechless.

“He doesn’t need to see it and you don’t deserve to lose all your privacy.” Phayu’s voice was gentle, but firm.

Sky swallowed several times, willing back his tears. “Thank you.”

“Pai will never get anything from me either. I’m sorry you had to deal with this.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

“Hey, anything for my best friend’s boyfriend.” Phayu’s more common teasing tone was back.

“Haha,” Sky said automatically, before cutting himself off with the realization. “Oh.”

“Ah, did he finally come to his senses?”

“What?”

“Mmm, nothing. I’ll tease him later. You’re on your own explaining the change in status to Rain, though.”

“Uh…”

“Goodbye, Sky.” From Phayu’s voice, he was clearly grinning. “Good luck.”

Sky figured they didn’t have a lot of time, so they all left the suite quickly once Namtan gave them their assignments. He wished he could go with Pai, but he had the unenviable task of talking to Noom and his boss, Span, who Pai’s father had summoned to a meeting room under the pretext of a problem with the deal.

Sky paused outside the room, taking a few deep breaths. He could do this.

As he entered the room, he caught Noom’s momentary confused look, which was quickly replaced by his usual smug expression. Oh yes, this asshole thought he’d gotten Sky in trouble with Pai, didn’t he? Meanwhile, Noom’s boss just looked worried, which was the more sensible response.

Sitting down across from them, Sky gave them a polite and professional smile. “I apologize for the last-minute substitution, but my father-in-law thought it made more sense for me to handle this.”

“Handle what?” Span asked, eyebrows creasing.

“The matter of your employee here.” Sky’s smile was a bit more genuine and significantly more evil.

Span stared back and forth between Noom and Sky.

“You see, Noom here has been a naughty boy. Harassing me for the past few days, for example.”

Noom puffed up like an ugly balloon. “You’re lying. Nobody would believe that.”

“As it happens, my fiancé does believe me.” Sky snapped the words out before he could panic. “But more than that, we did a little research and found you have quite a…history at various architectural firms.”

“History?” Span was staring at Noom now. “What kind of history? We only hired him six months ago…”

“It seems that if you dig a bit, every firm he’s worked for has had an incident of accusations of sexual harassment. Or two. Or three in one case. The details are murky, but…” Sky paused to take a breath. “He always has ‘evidence’ that proves the young man in question was at fault and he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Because I didn’t do anything!” Noom said.

The tone of Noom’s voice reminded Sky of things he’d worked hard to forget, but he focused on Span. “None of the firms talked to each other. And none conducted any kind of investigation, choosing to believe him.”

Span was leaning slightly away from Noom, apparently unconsciously. “We didn’t…”

“I know.” Sky managed another polite smile. “I can provide you details. My friend Phayu…do you know him?”

Span nodded absently.

“Phayu has been making some calls, as has Pai. And his father. I believe Pai is speaking to Mr. Lau right now about the unacceptability of using a subcontractor who would keep someone like him on staff.”

Noom’s face was getting redder and angrier. “You fucking bitch,” he bit out. “You’re still upset about our little affair—”

“There was no affair,” Sky said. “You assaulted me and then got me fired. I’m just returning the favor.”

Span stood, taking a few steps away from the table. “You’ll provide me the information so I can confirm it.”

“Yes. We wouldn’t want you to be sued for wrongful termination of an employee.” Sky smiled a bit more genuinely, standing himself. He sure as hell didn’t want to be left alone in a room with Noom. “I believe that concludes our business.”

Two steps toward the door and he was almost out before Noom grabbed his arm. Instinctively, Sky turned and punched Noom smack in the face. As he staggered back, Sky glared. “Don’t ever touch me again.”

With that, he left the room and started walking. Somehow, his feet took him back to the suite, where he found a triumphant Namtan with a phone tucked between chin and shoulder and tapping away at her tablet.

“It’s done,” she said. “Everyone has seen what you and Phayu compiled and they’re comparing notes. His career is over and he’s ruined.”

Sky took a deep breath, overwhelmed by emotion. He’d never even considered this as a possible ending. He’d assumed he’d spend the rest of his career avoiding the man and having to protect himself. “Thank you,” he managed after a few moments.

Smiling, she patted the couch next to her. “You’re welcome. Now sit down before you fall over.”

“Yes, mom,” he said obediently, which made her laugh.

“Maybe you should go lie down. Pai will be here soon, he’s just wrapping up a few loose ends. But you did your part.”

“I did.” It felt weird. But good. Sky realized she had a point and went into the bedroom.

Sky was lying down, but Pai still had excess energy to work out, so he was pacing around the common area of the suite, having sent Namtan to rest, when there was a knock on the door. Slightly confused, he opened the door to find his father.

“Hello, son.”

“Is something wrong?” Pai tensed.

“No no, nothing.” His father eyed him for a moment. “Why don’t you sit down?”

Pai knew a gentle order when he heard one, so he sat on the couch, one leg still bouncing slightly as his father sat next to him.

“How is Sky?”

“Resting.” Pai couldn’t help looking toward the closed bedroom door with a happy smile. “He’s going to be fine.”

“You’re proud of him.”

“Of course!”

Dad smiled, patting his leg. “I am too. I’m proud of both of you, in fact.”

“Hmm?”

“Sky overcame his fears of that man to love you. And you overcame your fear of commitment to love him.”

Pai froze.

“It’s okay,” Dad said, chuckling. “I figured out your fake dating became real dating some time ago. And your mother, siblings, and I all approve.”

“Oh.” Pai blinked a few times. “That’s good.”

“I hope you and Sky will be very happy.”

Pai gave up trying to look cool and grinned what was probably the sappiest grin in the known universe. “We will be. I know it.”

“Me too.”

Pai whirled around at the sound of Sky’s voice, jumping up to meet him in the bedroom doorway. “How do you feel?”

“I’m fine.” Sky looked calmer. In fact, he looked more relaxed than he had in the weeks they’d spent together. Turning, he bowed to Pai’s father. “I promise I will do my best to take care of your son.”

Pai felt tears gather in his eyes and he was glad nobody expected him to say anything. Sky took one look at him and gathered him into a hug.

Distantly, he heard his father leave, but all that mattered was Sky’s arms around him. “You’ll take care of me?” he eventually managed to say.

Sky chuckled. “Well, somebody has to. Poor Namtan has been dealing with you by herself for so long.”

“She’ll be glad to have your help.” Pai hid a smirk in Sky’s shoulder. “Also, she’ll be happy to be able to force you to take time off and get some rest.”

Sky groaned performatively and Pai just laughed. Yeah, they were going to be okay.

—end—

Endnotes: Did I steal a bit of my plotline from “Bed Friend”? Well…kinda? I mean, it’s not like a sexual harassment at work storyline is super original anyway, but I’ll admit I’d just caught up with watching the show when I started writing, so there’s a significant influence here. It’s fanfic, though, so I feel like I can live with that.

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Unconventional Courtship

Husband for a Week (R) (Love in the Air)

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