Thursday Afternoon, 1:13 PM

"Kelly, do something about him! That creep won't stop calling and emailing our company handle, he was even waiting outside the goddamn building this morning with an iced coffee he bought just for me. Which was delicious, by the way… But I don't know how much more blunt I could have been. It's honestly just pathetic of him at this point." James groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he only became more annoyed as the day progressed.

"James, I already told you I tried talking to him, but he just won't budge. Listen, just ignore him, Bitters will take the hint eventually. If worse comes to worst we can just file a restraining order or something, but in the meantime he's the least of our concerns." Kelly responded, taking a bite of a muffin that was part of a gift basket delivered to James, the note card being addressed from 'Reginald Bitters, a friend and an asset :)'. "Or you can just keep on stringing him along, these are really good."

Seeing as how he was already working on his third one, he had to agree. James was a bit worried that he would go over his daily carb intake, but he supposed it wouldn't hurt to let himself have a cheat day.

Regardless, it was annoying having to deal with somebody as annoying as that guy. He was tired of playing nice. Well, Kelly was playing nice, James on the other hand ended up telling Bitters that he was a loser who would die alone. He felt it was called for, seeing as how he only bought the brunet a medium coffee. James Diamond only does large.

Sighing, he picked himself up from out of his chair, getting up to throw his trash away. Remembering what Kelly had said about there being a new mail courier today, he figured he would check to see if his packages had finally come, the documents within it being crucial to his current negotiation. Making his way over to the employee breakroom, he was glad to see that the mess had been cleaned up. All the mail was finally where it should have been, the stacks of paper that had been scattered all around the tables and floors finally finding a home.

Luckily, the items he had been expecting had been delivered, so he and Kelly would just need to sort it out and get everything finished. He also noticed that a 20% off coupon to Bath and Bodyworks had been taped to the front of his mailbox, the only person who could have attached it being obvious. He tossed it to the side, not paying any attention to it. When he turned his head, however, he saw what he assumed to be the new employee.

He only got a view from the back, and James liked what he saw. The guy was tall, probably only a few inches shorter than himself. He was wearing a light blue short-sleeved dress shirt with light khaki pants, the fabric flush against the skin of his seemingly flat ass. That wasn't a detractor for James or anything, though. The guy was still hot looking, from what he could see.

When the new mail clerk turned around, though, James practically lost his breath.

It was him. The big nose, the thick facial hair, the carefree styling of his hair, the piercing green eyes, the dimples that formed as he smiled upon seeing the brunet. James was standing face to face with him.

"Oh! Hey man, do you need anything? I've been organizing this shit all morning and I think that's everything. Did you get all your mail?" the blonde asked, a bit confused at why the older male was just staring at him like that. "Dude, are you okay?"

James was more than okay, he was fantastic. Here he was, the guy he had been obsessing over for the past week, standing in front of him in all his glory. He was ecstatic to see the man, wanting nothing more than to grab him by his brown and white striped tie and pull him in, smashing their lips together as the brunet told him all about how crazy he had been driving him.

That would be unrealistic, though.

It was funny the way the mail clerk talked him, his lack of professionalism as he referred to James, his superior, as some buddy of his. The brunet found it endearing, however. It made the blonde seem so much more approachable and friendly. And also sexy.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, just admiring the handiwork you did here, the office looked like a bomb went off before you were hired. Last guy was horrible." James responded, setting his hand out in front of the blonde, and he was met with a firm handshake, the two beaming at one another. "James Diamond, charmed. And you? Got a name, blondie?"

"Kendall Knight, great to meet you ma-I mean, sir. I really appreciate it, everyone here is so nice. Wish I would have applied here sooner!" Kendall said, laughing. James joined in, not finding it particularly funny what he had said, but he was a sucker for dimples.

"I gotta get going, I'll let you get back to work. You seem cool, how about I buy you lunch one of these days, Kendall? Tell you all about the things that go on here?" James said, his hand leaning against the doorframe as he cradled his package in the other arm.

"Dude, that sounds really cool. Heh, you treat all of the mail clerks like this?" Kendall smiled, looking down as he shuffled through the stack of letters he had in his hand.

"Only the hot ones." James smirked, turning his back as he walked out of the breakroom, a quick side glance giving view at a very flustered Kendall who had dropped the mail he held in his hands.

This would be way too easy.

As he made his way back over to his personal office, ready to get to work with Kelly, he couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened.

Kendall, of all people, was the new mailroom clerk.

Was it a gift from the gods? Was lady luck on James's side? Did he have a bout of good karma? Whatever it was, James wouldn't question. The situation was just too good for him to over analyze.

Things would practically fall into place, James had Kendall like putty in his hands. It wouldn't take long, he'd take the blonde out for lunch, chatting over their meal as James learned all about him, remarking about how down-to-earth the guy was. He'd flirt a bit, maybe press his knee against his, and in no time he'd have the blonde in his bed. He'd done it so many times before that it was practically a ritual for the business man.

He did the same thing with the head secretary of their division, Camille Roberts. She was a feisty little thing, James had to admit that she was a lot harder to get than the others, the brunet having to shell out a pretty penny to woo her. It was so worth it, though, the curly-haired beauty was one of his best hook ups, the way she moaned his name sounding like sweet, harmonious music.

She was just a quick fuck, though, the two hadn't talked again after that. There weren't exactly hard feelings, but she did act awkward around him the following day, stating that she had somewhere to be whenever he was in close proximity. That was okay with James though, there were plenty of fish in the sea.

Like Kendall. Although he wasn't sure if he just wanted this to be a one-time tryst between the two. Something about the blonde just sent him reeling, and James wanted to figure it out.

Whatever it was, he would go about that path later. There were more important situations to tackle, like the ongoing deal between Diamond Cosmetics and Zevon's management. They needed to get some last minute written agreements filled out before their meeting the following week, and while it wouldn't necessarily need to be a lot of work, James and Kelly would need to read the attachments word for work, making sure no little additions to the negotiation were sneaked in.

Opening the door, Kelly taking an immediate notice to what James had in his hand, she turned her chair around, ready to get to business.

"Good, they finally came! I assume our new mail clerk arrived today, thank god. That place was beginning to look like a disaster." Kelly said, grabbing a nearby boxcutter to rip through the cardboard. "I heard he's a nice guy, kinda cute too, Kendall I believe? Apparently his résumé was just a picture of some famed athlete, but I highly doubt that, you know the stories that circulate around here."

Although it was funny if it was true, James would be a bit embarrassed if it really was what secured the blonde his job. Granted, a mailroom clerk was hardly one of the most challenging jobs, the toughest of the qualifications being basic literacy. But it would be a new low for Diamond Cosmetics if they were that desperate to hire somebody for the open position.

"Yeah, he seems okay. Would have pegged him as the slacker type, but he really busted his ass organizing those heaps of mail." James replied, leaning over Kelly's desk as the two made sense of the files in front of them. Sighing as he saw the work load the two would have to try and get accomplished before next week, leaving them hardly any time to get everything completely done, he knew there wouldn't be any time for leisure. Wooing Kendall would just have to wait.

The duo immediately got to work, reading through the hard to understand legal jargon and various terms neither had ever heard of, James and Kelly were ripping their hair out by the second hour. It was almost 4:30 and they had barely put a dent in the pile of forms, so they decided to each take half home, with Kelly going to Gustavo's and working on the legal documents while James went to his apartment and completed the various insurance forms, terms and conditions, and any other agreements.

"That's awesome, thank god it didn't cause you guys too much trouble. Give Gustavo my regards, I gotta give it to him, the man knows what he's doing." James said, leaning back against his sectional couch, his phone resting in the crook of his neck as he spoke to Kelly on the phone. It was already 12:30, James gazing out his windows as the lights of the skyscrapers painted along the dark backdrop of the city illuminated his living room. Kelly had finally gotten her part of the work finished, Gustavo once again proving to be a huge asset to the ongoing deal.

As James hung up, saying his good nights to his assistant, he threw his phone haphazardly across the cushions, sighing as he saw the piles of papers surrounding him, covering every inch of the couch and coffee table. He only had about a quarter of the work remaining, but he could have finished a lot longer ago had he stayed focused. While his laziness had played a huge role in his failing to do so, there was a certain somebody that had occupied his thought every now and then.

He still couldn't believe that Kendall, the guy he had spent hundreds on, the guy he had tossed virtual money at in return for pleasuring himself on camera, had now become the 24th floor mailroom clerk of Diamond Cosmetics. Was it a coincidence? Possibly, but James was chalking it up to something a bit more hopeful, like fate. He'd have the blonde in no time, breathing heavy under him as he slammed the poor kid's brains out, the husky groan of James's name on his lips. James had always been a noncommittal, bachelor-lifestyle living kind of guy, the brunet not being much a fan of monogamy. Maybe Kendall could change that, though? The thought didn't bother James as much as he thought it would.

Was it unrealistic? Sure, but at the end of the day, James Diamond always got what he wanted.

~ One Week Later ~

Thursday Evening, 5:19 PM

Needless to say, the meeting between the two parties went without a hitch. Hawke was thrilled that Diamond Cosmetics had fully agreed to his conditions, James plastering a fake smile as he hid the fact that his company had already found every hole in the contract, knowing that the ridiculous demands, like "70% of all royalties", wouldn't need to be fulfilled. Hawke completely screwed over his client, but James didn't feel an ounce of remorse. Dak would be getting a cool couple of million, that was more than enough for a few print ads.

Plus, he should have found better management.

After the success that Monday held, James was flying high for the rest of the week. While he still had a few more tasks left for the negotiation, teen heartthrob Dak Zevon, being the new face of Diamond Cosmetics, was essentially a done deal. Him and Kelly celebrated over drinks immediately after work had ended, bringing Gustavo along, seeing as how the whole thing had been his doing.

While of course it was a major win for the company, it was even more so a greater celebration for the business associate and his assistant. Signing on someone with as much influence and star power as Dak had was sure to make a name for the two. It wouldn't be much longer until James got a hefty promotion and raise, with Kelly also getting her share of benefits.

Work that week had been pretty laidback thereafter, the duo finally able to take a much needed break. Kelly's brother and his wife had just had their baby the day after the business deal had been completed, so the assistant was luckily able to go down to Florida and visit the two. She took a short-noticed two week vacation off from work, but it hardly interfered with anything James and Kelly had planned. She had really put her all of her effort into her work the past few months, so a short leave from the company was more than deserved.

James, on the other hand, still had some things he needed to do. Now that the contract with Dak was close to being finalized, he would need to start another project shortly after. Although he could afford to take it a bit easy for a while, it didn't mean that he could just slack off. As he spoke to the management team of Jo Taylor, breakthrough actress of the hit show "New Town High", he had a feeling that this negotiation would go a lot smoother than the previous one had. Jo's agent was a lot more agreeable and realistic, something James could appreciate. He felt a sense of accomplishment running throughout him as he handled the matters on his own, not having to rely on Kelly for helping him with the brunt of the work.

While James worked on that throughout the next three days, he also began to talk to a certain mailroom clerk a lot more. And by talking, he actually meant nonstop flirting, something the blonde wasn't shy to and often reciprocated.

As James made his way over to the breakroom to "check his mail", despite having already done so six times within the past eight hours, he smirked as he saw Kendall with his back turned from him, undoubtedly tapping away at his cell phone despite him being on the clock.

Kendall was a bit of a rule breaker here at the office, but management hardly cared. He was just some lackey who organized mail, and he was damn good at it, too. Playing games while on the job was hardly that big of a deal, as long as he accomplished what was asked of him.

Another advantage was that it gave them time to interact.

As James stood in front of his mailbox, making a "tsk" sound as he saw that it was "surprisingly' empty, he caught the attention of the blonde, who turned around and shot him a smile.

"Oh, hey James. Sorry man, nothing else came for you today." Kendall said, stuffing his phone into his pocket as though he hadn't just been obviously using it. It was funny to see how laid back Kendall was with the brunet, the two apparently being on a first name basis, despite the majority of the floor all referring to him as Mr. Diamond. James hardly cared, though, Kendall could call him whatever he wanted to. Especially if it had a sexual connotation to it.

"Damn, how about that. Oh well, I guess I'll just go and wait over in my office, but I don't really have anything to do… I'm probably gonna clock out in a bit, so I guess I can just hang with you for a bit?" James said, a crooked smile on his face as Kendall raised an eyebrow at him. "Unless, of course, you're busy. Wouldn't want to distract a working man like you."

"Actually… I'm getting off pretty soon, and I was just about to go on my break too. Well, second break. The company doesn't need to know that, though." Kendall laughed, watching as James leaned against the wall, suit jacket thrown over his shoulder as he listened to him with full attention. "You know, I think I recall you offering to buy me something to eat, is the deal still good? I know that lunch was part of the offer, but maybe I can exchange that for dinner instead? I know how you business men are with contracts and whatnot, after all."

"I suppose I might have mentioned something along the lines of that. We can head to this awesome restaurant, Chez Fancee, it's real swanky and the food is beyond delicious. How about it, blondie?" James responded, his voice smooth and alluring, the mailroom clerk smirking as he nodded his head.

"Or… we could do burgers? I know a cool little hole in the wall a few blocks away, they have the best onion rings in the world. Assuming that's up to your standards, of course." Kendall said, fast food being more than enough to satisfy him. Needless to say, he was hardly a frequent guest at any French cuisine type of establishments. Especially on a minimum wage salary.

"Sounds perfect."

The two traversed across the busy streets of New York, bodies pressed relatively close against one another, mostly due to the packed space from all the pedestrians moving to and fro down the sidewalk. James wasn't complaining, though, if anything it only worked out in his favor.

Conversation was light between the men as they walked. The occasional joke was made along the way, whether it be about whatever shady person was hawking bootlegged goods on the side, to the street performers in dirty, cheaply made costumes, obvious tourists taking pictures with them. Apart from that, a comfortable silence fell between one another as each guy was left to their own thoughts.

"Oh look, we're here!" Kendall said, pointing out a little shop with a large neon sign, the business apparently called "Buddy's Burgers", one of the D's on the sign having burned out. It really was a hole in the wall, wedged in between a laundromat and some type of floral arrangement store. James trailed behind, noticing all of the blue-collar workers and smiling families of four grabbing a late night bite to eat, feeling a bit out of place as he strolled in with his Armani 2013 collection suit and slick, dapper hairstyle, James Diamond fitting the bill of a rich spoiled brat.

Kendall, on the other hand, fit right in. From the scruffy beard and disheveled hair, to the green sweater vest over his white shirt, dark blue dickies, and a black tie finishing off his outfit, he looked like your average joe. Something James found so appealing.

They put their order in, two double cheeseburgers with sides of onion rings, which Kendall once again mentioned being the best, and while the blonde opted for a large chocolate milkshake, James went with a small diet coke. He'd have to hit the gym hard over the weekend if he wanted to burn off the calories, but he would think about that later. His main focus tonight would be on the guy standing next to him.

The inside was packed, each booth being occupied and all chairs taken, although the two were lucky to find a currently vacant table outside, the sky overcast and becoming darker, a chilly breeze in the air. There was a gas lamp next to them, so the warmth radiating from off of it definitely helped. The each took a seat, Kendall placing the electric coaster that would notify them that their meal was ready next to the umbrella, looking up at the brunet, testing his reaction.

"So? What do you think so far? Is this place awesome or what?"

"It's very, uh, cozy, I guess… Not too bad, assuming the food isn't shitty." James responded, the blonde giving a light chuckle at his comment. "Even though I feel like a stick in the mud here, it looks good so far man. Perhaps I'll hit this place up again later on."

"And perhaps I'll come with?" Kendall said, raising an eyebrow as the brunet gave him a smirk. "You'll love it though, promise."

"Heh, we'll see about that… so Kendall, I didn't just buy you dinner so that we could talk about how cool this place is for the next hour. Tell me about yourself, I hardly know anything about you."

"What, me being a mailroom clerk isn't interesting enough?" Kendall replied, looking down as he gave out a laugh. "Wow, let's see. When I'm not at the office, I'm currently enrolled part-time at the local community college, Monday and Wednesday nights. What else, uh, I don't live too far from here, me and my best friend renting a Brownstone. He's in school too, kind of a square but he has his moments. Oh! I'm actually a Minnesota native, I just moved here to New York, like, almost a year ago I believe."

"No way, I'm a Minnesota boy too! Minneapolis, you?" James said, his suspicions correct when he had seen Kendall wearing the Minnesota Wild cap from before.

"Duluth. But that's still cool! Why the move?"

"Oh, just for business. The New York division was becoming a bit more lucrative so I came over here to help out, and, well, here I am." James said, leaning back in his chair with an elbow propped up on the table, all attention diverted on the guy in front of him. "But college, eh? That's real cool man, what major? I'm guessing you don't wanna be a mailroom clerk forever?"

"Well, assuming that my plan of becoming an Upper East Side widower to my late, wealthy husband named Richard doesn't work out, I'd love to work in the music industry." the blonde said, confirming that he did indeed bat for the same team. James hadn't had any doubts about it, though.

"In Minnesota it was always hockey, hockey, hockey, and don't get me wrong, I definitely loved playing it. But… I don't know, I guess when something is forced on you so much, you kind of want to distance yourself away from it." Kendall said, James nodding his head in agreement. "Music had always been kind of a side project, so once high school was over I was able to actually venture a bit deeper into it. Figured a place like the Big Apple would be a safe starting point. Me and my friends have a band, which honestly hasn't even begun to take off anywhere, but I don't care. My mom and sister are definitely supportive, so we'll see where this goes."

*BUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZ*

"Oh hey, looks like the food's ready. Stay here, I'll go and get it, it's only fair seeing as how I dragged you here and let you pay for all of it. Back in a bit." Kendall smiled, taking the vibrating coaster with him, disappearing as he walked into the building, James turning his head away to watch the glowing city lights in front of him, a light drizzle picking up, the reflection of the skyscrapers on the wet roads.

James was fascinated by the blonde. Conversation had mostly consisted of stuff he had already heard Kendall talk about online, James pretending as though it had been the first time hearing it. But listening to it firsthand, as he saw the glimmer in the guy's eyes as he described his life to somebody who was truly interested, James could just feel himself being sucked in.

To be honest, the brunet had just been looking for a quick hook up with the blonde, wanting to live out all of the ideas he had fantasized about him for the past few weeks. But the two actually hit it off, James actually being interested in what he had to say, as opposing to just staring at his chest or package as he had done to the countless others.

Was he thinking about a relationship? Fuck no, that was never going to happen. The two men had completely differing views of the world and how they wanted to live in it, not to mention the 11-year age gap between 34 and 23.

He had a feeling it was a just matter of lust over love, if anything.

Although it was yet to be brought up, there was something he'd have to confess to Kendall sooner than later, with what he had done over the past few weeks nagging away at him. He had spent hundreds of dollars on Kendall via online transactions, watching as the younger guy got himself off for people to watch. It was an awkward thing to bring up, part of James considering never doing so.

What could he really say? "Hey Kendall, you're right, these onion rings are awesome! But not as awesome as that time I watched you put stuff up your ass online."

Well, he could, but he wasn't sure how well that'd turn out.

"And here we are! Smells delicious, right?" Kendall said, setting the tray of food down in between them, gauging the business man's reaction, grinning when he the brunet unconsciously licked his lips. "Ha, knew it."

Splitting the servings up between them, the two falling into conversation once again as they ate their dinner, they talked about random topics. Music, TV, famous people James has met, small gigs Kendall had played here in New York. It was nice, it was comfortable, it was unsettling for James as he felt himself pushing away the idea of just wanting a quickie out of the blonde.

Looking at the outside world, Kendall took notice of the sudden change in weather. "Fuck, it's already pouring! I didn't hear anything about rain tonight, and little ol' me is without an umbrella." Kendall laughed, looking down at his chest as he used a finger to wipe off the glob of thousand island dressing he had spilled on the front of his sweater vest, a large noticeable stain now present that the blonde just shrugged off.

The two had finished their food half an hour ago, having spent the rest of their time just chatting. James had successfully given Kendall his phone number, telling him that having a "powerful business contact" readily available could help him out one day. The blonde didn't buy it, chuckling as he thanked James for the "opportunity of a lifetime".

"Yeah, it's really coming down, who would have thought." James responded, checking his phone and saw that it was already 8:32 at night. "Oh man, I can't believe it's already this late. Wanna get out of here? It's raining too hard to walk back, especially without an umbrella. Plus, I don't want to fuck up my new shoes, they're leather. Let's just hail a cab."

Throwing their trash away and walking towards the bustling streets, they easily found a cab they could take. Taxi's were in abundance in New York, so it wasn't an issue of finding one, it was more of a problem actually being able to get anywhere in it, what with the horrible traffic.

Shuffling into the backseat, Kendall giving the driver the directions of his apartment, the two settled into the plush interior. The cab was pitch dark, the only source of light being the glare of the radio screen and the Manhattan lights shining through the tinted windows. A soft cyan glow faintly illuminated the backseat, enough so for them to see the lazy grins on one another's face.

They barely talked, the two enjoying the colors of the in-motion vehicles driving by and the various sites to see, tourists all over taking pictures of the destination spot.

That was fine, though, the company of one another being more than enough to end the night on a good note. Being so close to one another was nice, their shoulders pressed against one another and thighs almost touching.

For Kendall, as weird as it was, it was almost as though he could feel his heartbeat electric to his fingertips, feeling a weird sensation of jitters as he sat next to the older business man, chalking it up to the high of the night, a genuinely good time spent between one another. Besides Logan and his bandmates, he hadn't really hung out with too many people, mostly due to being so busy all the time. Dinner was a cool break from it all.

For James, on the other hand, he could feel the anticipation through his veins as thought about his next step he would make as he tried to bed Kendall. Tonight had gone without a hitch, he had Kendall wrapped around his little finger. As he sat closer, throwing his arm around the back of the seat casually, he knew that Kendall would practically be begging James to fuck him any second now.

The ride carried on, and while it seemed as though they were catching every red light, neither really cared, glad that it just meant more time to spend with some one they could get close to.

Their legs were tangled up in the small space, but neither Kendall nor James tried to inch away from the other guy, especially since there was hardly any room for them to do so.

It stayed like this for the next 15 minutes, neither saying a word as they took it all in, finding themselves entering the residential area.

"Hey, we're already here, I can see my apartment complex up ahead, so I can just get out right now." Kendall said to the driver, handing him his cab fare as he opened the door and crawled out of the vehicle. Propping his forearms against the hood of the car, he beckoned towards the brunet. "Listen, thanks again for tonight, James. It was cool getting to hang out with someone I can call an actual friend, let's not make this the last. Heh, if I had it my way, we would have just stayed up all night."

With that, he walked away, heavy rain hitting him as he made his way to the door of the Brownstone, giving one last wave as he disappeared out of sight.

James had considered testing his luck with the blonde, inviting himself in and then pounding him senseless on his own bed. Anything could have happened on a night like this, but he knew it would be better to play it cool and strike when he knew it was the perfect time.

Baby steps, James. Baby steps.

Author's Note: Thanks so much guys for all of the reviews on the previous chapters! I truly hope you're all enjoying the story, not too much longer until it's all wrapped up. ^_^