When Adam left the office that Friday, he found the smiling face of William waiting for him. As he reached him, he was smothered in William's strong embrace. They hadn't seen each other for many weeks. They decided to go to a restaurant near Adam's home; this would also make it comfortable to prepare for that evening's event. After ordering a delicious hot pot, sitting down at the table, they told each other about the latest happenings: job changes, updates from their old friends, and their respective families. Having been friends since high school, their respective families had also grown closer, and it was not uncommon for them to be together on several occasions. Even Margaret, William's younger sister, had become Claire's best friend. "How's George doing in Ottawa?" asked William as he dipped a piece of tripe into the pot of boiling broth. "We spoke just this morning. First, George spent a good five minutes complaining about the bitter col

William turned a threatening glance towards Maylin. Adam, for his part, was distraught and didn't know how to counter the slander he had just expressed without being rude to his boss. The tension between them was palpable. The ambassador was about to intervene when he was interrupted by a loud laugh. Astonished, the group turned to look at Lord Dashwood, who was laughing heartily. "My dear girl, it is unlikely that two young men of such high performance as Mr. Carter and Mr. Blake could be a couple." Externalized the man. "Indeed, they are very close, but they are certainly not romantic partners. And believe me... I'm an expert on the subject," he concluded, winking at the girl. Her cheeks flushed violently when she heard this tacit confession; offended and embarrassed, Maylin left the group without a word to anyone. Her mother ran after her, apologizing to everyone. Adam and William giggled under their mustaches, trying not to be noticed. Then, once

A resounding thump echoed inside the apartment. With one fluid movement, Shàng Wèi trapped an incredulous Adam between his body and the front door. Thin, eager lips assailed the prisoner's mouth as large hands crushed his slim waist against the wooden surface. Mouth, jaw, neck, shoulder blades were marked mercilessly. Every inch of skin was marked by a long trail of kisses and bites. It was impossible to remain insensitive to such an assault, but Adam tried to resist anyway. With shaky hands, he tried several times to push Shàng Wèi's body away from his own. But, unfortunately, the attempt at rebellion did not stop the latter's eagerness. On the contrary, it seemed to spur him to intensify his test of strength. With the entirety of his body, he had succeeded in pinning him down while willing hands snuck under his shirt to caress his turned back. It was clear that only one of them could win that fight—body against body, mind against mind. Neither was w

"I'll be going then," Lizzie said, picking up her purse from the back of the counter. "Are you sure you don't need a hand? I can stay a few more minutes." Claire cast an eye toward the antique grandmother over the literary nook. It was already marking 10 p.m. "Go ahead; it's very late. You opened up by yourself this morning; you need to rest. Besides, it's only a few chairs to set up. As soon as I'm done, I'm closing up." Claire answered her. "See you in the morning, boss. Have a good night." Lizzie wished her. After greeting the girl, Claire went back to setting up the room. That evening, they hosted one of their Meetings with the author, so they kept the library/tea room open past closing time. The turnout of customers and curious people had been terrific, and they had to increase the number of seats to accommodate as many as possible. Those kinds of initiatives were attracting more and more people, and the work for the two girls wa

Adam picked up the calendar to mark the newly agreed appointment for the following day. Then, with regret, he noticed that Christmas was only a few days away. It was amazing how time had flown by; he had been in Beijing for almost two months now. Work had absorbed him so much that he had forgotten that Christmas was not a holiday in China. Still, a working day like any other and, as such, he would not be able to spend the holidays with his family as he does every year. He would break the news that evening at the group call. In fact, even managing to organize a call with the whole family was an epic feat. Everyone's work schedules and the fact that they lived in four different time zones didn't make it easy, Especially since the two most problematic time zones were his and George's, thirteen hours apart. This meant that, in turn, the two brothers had to put up with their sister's rants and their mother's worries as soon as they woke up. It was torture