Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 9

Sebastian’s POV

The boy was in his dreams again last night.

Same blue eyes. Same reckless, infuriating mouth. Same fingers brushing against his like it was an accident. It wasn’t.

Sebastian couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Alex.

It had only been a few weeks since the kid started working for him, but it felt like he was everywhere. In the office, in his thoughts, under his damn skin. He hated how his chest would tighten whenever he saw him.. Hated the way his body reacted without permission.

He was just a paralegal. Just a kid. Blonde, bright-eyed, and too pretty for his own good. He wore his sexuality like it was a badge. Unapologetic. Unafraid. Sebastian saw it in the way he walked, in the way he sat across from him in meetings—legs slightly open, spine loose, chin up like he dared Sebastian to look.

And he did. God help him, he looked.

Having Alex over that night? That had been a mistake. Or maybe it hadn’t been. He had invited him under the guise of work, needing to finish that damn document draft they were behind on, but deep down, he knew better. He’d wanted him close. Wanted to watch the way Alex filled his penthouse with his presence. Wanted to test the line they’d both been pretending didn’t exist.

It almost happened, too.

They had both stood, tension thick in the air between them. His lips had been so close to Alex’s—just inches, barely breathing space. He could feel it, the electricity bouncing between their bodies.. Sebastian’s hand had twitched at his side. He had desperately wanted to reach out. To touch Alex’s cheek, trace his jaw, feel the heat of his mouth under his thumb.

He hadn’t wanted someone like this in years.

But then– Vanessa. f*****g Vanessa

Of course. It was always Vanessa. She always had the worst timing and her name on his phone was like a curse. The moment he saw her name flash across the screen, he snapped back to reality. And just like that, the moment where he almost kissed the pretty boy was gone. Dammit! He was back to being Sebastian King. Senior partner. Boss. Ex-husband. Closeted mess.

He told Alex to leave.

Didn’t even look at him when he said it. He couldn’t. Not with that ache still sitting on his chest. Not with the heat still prickling the back of his neck. He’d felt the confusion in Alex’s silence, but there was no space to explain. Not now. Not when he barely understood it himself.

The next morning, Alex came into the office with those goddamn documents. Sebastian didn’t let himself look too long, even though he desperately wanted to. He needed to reestablish control. Needed to remind him that he was his boss. That there were rules, and they hadn’t broken any yet. And so he was cold and dismissive, maybe even cruel. But this was who he was, and he couldn’t afford to be anything else.

He had to be.

Whatever had almost happened, whatever was happening, it had to stop. Alex was just a paralegal. Nothing more. He could only imagine the headlines if he was caught doing anything with Alex. He didn't need the distraction and he didn’t need anyone, especially not Alex, thinking he was weak.

God knows, too many already did, especially after that scandal.

That damn photo.

Ever since Vanessa leaked that damn photo of him, drunk and kissing a man in a bar whose name he couldn’t even remember. She’d lost her mind. Said he humiliated her. Said she had sacrificed everything for him. Said he made her look like a fool.

Sebastian said it was none of her business. That they hadn’t touched each other in over a year. That it was one kiss.

She didn’t care.

She leaked the photo anyway. Filed for divorce within the week. Gave the press everything they wanted. Made him the headline of every legal gossip blog for a month straight.

“Cheating Husband Exposed in Gay Bar.”

“Senior Partner’s Secret Life Revealed.”

He was still cleaning up the damage.

Clients dropped him. Whispers followed him. Some junior associates stopped making eye contact entirely. Suddenly, his name didn’t carry the same weight in court. All because of one moment of weakness. One truth he’d buried too long.

Truth is, he never should have married Vanessa. He did it to please his mother and to keep the world at bay. His mother was getting suspicious when he hadn’t brought any girl home at thirty. Vanessa was beautiful, smart, social, good on paper–and absolutely exhausting. s*x with her felt like acting and he always made excuses, leaving early mornings and keeping late nights. She noticed of course, and pressured him. She tried to be what she thought he needed. But she just wasn’t…it.

They dated for nearly two years. Married for three. Three years of hell. She was fiery, dramatic, and always watching. When she found out about that one night, that one kiss with someone he couldn’t even name and she went ballistic. Leaked that photo, filed for divorce, and promised to ruin him. And she almost did.

He had noticed how people started to act towards him.Like being with another man somehow made him less competent. As if wanting something different disqualified him from being a damn good lawyer. So he stayed low and focused on rebuilding his image.

Now he was divorced. Alone. Careful.

And then Alex walked into his life.

That boy…that kid. That infuriating, beautiful distraction.

He was undoing it.

He didn’t want him. He couldn’t want him. But he did.

That boy was dangerous. Alex made him feel too much. Want too much. He smiled like nothing in the world scared him and looked at Sebastian like he saw something worth uncovering.

What pissed him off most was that he made him want more–not just s*x. Though God knew, he wanted that too. Wanted it bad. He hadn’t touched anyone since the photo leaked, and his body ached with it. He didn’t trust himself. Didn’t trust anyone. But this? This was worse. It wasn’t just a craving.

It was a need.

It was curiosity.

It was a risk he couldn’t afford to take.

He found himself wondering what Alex’s laugh sounded like outside of work. If he wore that cheap cologne when he wasn’t trying to be professional. If he’d let him touch him. If he’d like it.

That afternoon, Sebastian had passed Alex in the hallway. Alex looked up to him–his beautiful blue eyes bright. And all Sebastian wanted to do was pin him to the wall and kiss that look right off his face.

He wanted to lose control, just for a second.

Instead, he nodded. Gave nothing away. Walked past like he wasn’t burning alive inside his suit.

But he was.

He was losing control.

Every day, every minute Alex spent in his office, he felt the edges of his restraint start to weaken. The worst part? Alex didn’t even know. The kid was probably just being himself—open, friendly, curious.

But Sebastian saw things that weren’t there. Wanted things he shouldn’t.

He lay awake at night thinking about that almost-kiss.

Thought about the way Alex’s breath hitched when their eyes locked.

Thought about what would’ve happened if that call hadn’t come in. If he hadn’t blinked. If he’d just let himself feel something for once in his life.

He gripped the edge of his desk and squeezed until his knuckles turned white.

He was Sebastian King. Controlled. Composed. Untouchable.

And this boy—this f*****g boy—was undoing all of it.

Sooner or later, he was going to snap.

And when he did… he had no idea what he’d do.