The day went by with Klaus seeing about his work, and Jake just observing from the corner he had been placed. Well, it was not exactly a corner, but it definitely felt like it. On the other hand, he was free to stare at the man, and that made up for everything.
He had to admit he was pretty impressed. He heard Klaus talking on the phone in a language that he was almost certain it was French. The man seemed capable of switching between foreign languages without a problem, as he was talking to his business partners. Still, he wasn't letting go of his accent, and he did not seem to make an effort to hide it. What Jake could tell was that each and every word was pronounced as correctly as possible. The man had no intention to come across as a phony.
Long conversations had taken most of the day, but Jake didn't feel particularly bored. His mind had a way of flying on its own; Diaz used to say he was daydreaming too much. Only his brother had noticed such weaknesses in him. To the outside world, he had always tried to look tougher than he was, something much encouraged by Diaz.
His daydreams were hovering, however, on forbidden territory, as he could distinctly remember the kiss from earlier, as well as the last night encounter that had him growing instantly hot. The moment he was starting to picture the entire scene and replay it in his mind over and over again, it felt like he was sliding down a toboggan, not one for kids, but for grown-ups, at the end of which lay a dark hot pools of secrets.
However, there was nothing else to do, and his mind was simply taking over any determination he might have had to resist. The man moving and talking in front of him was the root of his delight and misery. He was the same man who had kissed him, jerked him off, and rocked his world in the short span of less than 24 hours.
"Are you ready to go home?" Klaus eventually asked him with a smile.
"Am I free to go?" Jake woke up from his stupor. He had to admit he felt a bit disappointed. Maybe Klaus had just changed his mind.
"I deeply apologize. What I meant was: are you ready to go home with me?"
Klaus's home. The place where he was going to stay so he could help Diaz and the rest of the guys, if what Klaus had said was true. The place where he was supposed to learn about how to run a business, although he had the distinct impression that he was going to learn something totally different. And that was making his stomach flutter with dread and excitement.
"What if I just say 'no'?" he felt the need to at least show some opposition to the idea of being dragged around like a mindless doll.
"And risk disappointing your brother?" the blond quirked an eyebrow.
"He'll get over it," Jake shrugged, although he knew that wasn't true. His brother was going to go ballistic if he dared even mentioning he had no intention to help the gang.
"Stop being a kid. What do you think? That I'm going to drag you to my cave and devour you?" Klaus came closer and crouched so he could be on the same level with Jake who was standing on a chair.
That was exactly how adults addressed children, as if they were making a big, but endearing effort to be on the same level with a kid. He stood up, a bit briskly, almost knocking Klaus over in the process.
"No, I stopped believing in fairytales when I was nine," he said with a morose look on his face.
"What happened when you were nine?" Klaus questioned.
A brief sensation of deep hurt punctured his heart. He pushed it away.
"None of your fucking business. Let's go. I hope you have food," he added.
"Don't worry about that. Since I have every intention to devour you, maybe you could use some fattening up," Klaus joked, making him stop and stare at the other.
"I thought that was just sarcasm."
"Maybe just half ... sarcasm," Klaus grabbed his arm firmly and guided him out of the room.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jake mumbled, trying the shake off the man's hand. Klaus didn't seem to be bothered by his lame attempts, though.
"It means that the word 'devour' can be used as a euphemism for something else. And don't ask something stupid like 'what else' because I am not in the mood to hear you insulting your own intelligence."
"Intelligence?" Jake snorted. "If you really plan on teaching me stuff, you're going to have a bad day. I'm dumb as a brick."
He had no idea why he was saying things like that. It just seemed imperious to him to just contradict the man in everything he was saying.
"I rarely misjudge people. But I have to admit that since I have known you for so little time, you are like a book to me."
"An open book, you mean to say," Jake entered the elevator with the man in tow.
"A book I am planning to open and read very, very thoroughly," Klaus whispered in his ear, making his hair stand on end.
The elevator doors opened too soon, for Jake to linger too long into thinking how terribly annoying was to have the man invading his personal space like that.
He knew Klaus's limo, and the chauffeur who was waiting like a statue, with the door opened.
"We're going straight at home, Thompson," Klaus said after greeting the man. "After that, you are free."
"Thank you, sir," the man said laconically, and Jake wondered if Thompson was happy to go home and not have to stick around and put up with the blond and his whims. The chauffeur showed no emotion, so that was hard to say.
Was Thompson even guessing what had happened the other night? Jake felt sick to his stomach. Inside the car, he huddled himself in a corner to look outside the window, as the limo began to move.
Klaus seemed keen on leaving him alone for the time being. When Jake turned to stare a little at the man, he was surprised to see him with his eyes closed, his head resting on the comfortable headrest, with an expression of unexpected vulnerability on his face. Jake thought he had to be angry at the man.
But, at that very moment, he only wondered how it would feel to press his mouth against the man's soft lips and see if there was any magic there, something in the simple connection of skin on skin that could not be explained by laws of men or gods. It had definitely felt like that, a thing beyond any comprehension at the time it happened. Jake could still feel the man's taste in his mouth, and he began to wonder how it would be to explore and taste Klaus everywhere.
"If you are just going to stare, why don't you come closer?" Klaus spoke huskily, without opening his eyes and Jake turned back to his window with a huff, making the other laugh softly.
"Don't feel neglected, Jake. I need just a bit of time off to cleanse my head of all the problems at work."
"I didn't feel neglected," Jake mumbled. "And what problems? You handled everything today with no sign of worry or anything."
"There is no such thing as work without trouble. You will learn, Jake. I will teach you," Klaus offered and placed a warm hand on the younger man's shoulder.
