Mind Your Own Business

The next few weeks were a not so pleasant cocktail of awkward glances, clipped conversations, and late nights jacking off in secret either at home or, more often than not, in the office. It was already coming up on week three, and Sydney was drained. Being constantly on edge didn’t help with his work, and people were starting to notice.



“Mr. Chase…? Any thoughts?”



Sydney blinked, straightening abruptly in his chair as though that might hide the fact that he’d been daydreaming. Again. Something that seemed to be happening more and more recently.



“Of course, sorry,” he apologized, grabbing at the mat board and holding it out at arm’s length. It was an advertisement piece for a new line of make-up products, the model a standard brunette, bright blue eyes and full lips tinted pink by one of their shimmering lip glosses. She was photographed in the usual atmosphere-less, white setting, the focus meant to be on her and her alone, but something about it didn’t sit right. He shifted the board, looking it over from different angles, letting the picture as a whole sink in. “Her dress,” he said at last. “The color doesn’t fit with her skin tone. And if you’re going to be focusing on their lipstick then the model needs to be smiling more.” He handed it back across the desk to the woman who had been giving the presentation. She was in her late twenties, blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun and blue eyes looking at him with an unnerving lack of confidence. “How about you try a wind effect on her hair.” He offered, softening his tone a little. If he was going to completely destroy her piece, he might as well throw some ideas her way while he was at it. “It’ll keep it out of her face without having to pull it back like that.”



“Sure,” She nodded, slipping the board under her arm, going out of her way not to look at it again, the disappointment in herself obvious. “I can do that. Of course. Thank you, sir.” She turned towards the door, seemingly eager to escape the humiliation of her failed attempt. Suddenly Sydney felt bad for her.



“Other than that it was good,” He tried, but she was already gone, the door to his office clicking shut before he even had a chance to finish his sentence. He groaned, leaning back in his chair and throwing an arm over his eyes. This stress was killing him. And it was turning him into an overly critical bastard, something he’d never wanted to be. That wasn’t to say he hadn’t ripped apart a presentation before. He’d just wasn’t usually keen on ripping them apart so heartlessly.



“Should I come back later?” a voice appeared at his doorway, the already painfully familiar sound making Sydney sit up with a jolt.



“Cassidy, I-” Sydney cleared his throat, settling himself down as best he could, which wasn’t much, unfortunately. “No, of course not. Come on in. What can I do you for?” He mentally cringed, hating how awkwardly that had been phrased. It’s like I can’t even talk like myself around him! Cassidy didn’t seem to notice, closing the door behind him and walking up to Sydney’s desk.



“Adidas is in the market for a new advertisement agency.” He explained, placing a folder in front of him. “Rumor has it that they’ve got their eye on Cohen right now, but it’s far from decided at this point.”



Sydney browsed the information, not quite able to pay as much attention on it as he should have been. “This would be one hell of a thing to get our hands on.”



“Agreed.” Cassidy said, a slight but undeniably attractive smirk tugging at the corner of his too kissable lips. “I thought you’d want to know.”



“Thank you, Cassidy.” Sydney swallowed, barely aware of the words leaving his mouth.



“It’s what I’m here for.” His smirk shifted into the remnants of what could have been described as a damn near cocky grin. “And if I may, Mr. Chase,” he said, leaning in and resting a hand on the desk, the closest they’d been to each other since this whole mess had started. Sydney swore he stopped breathing. “If you’re going to call me by my first name, would you do me a favor?” Sydney didn’t trust his voice, choosing to nod instead. Cassidy smiled. Actually smiled, Sydney’s heart rocketing up into his throat. He was surprised he didn’t choke and die right there. “Call me Cas. It’s a bit less embarrassing than Cassidy.”



“Sure,” Sydney breathed, not quite able to believe this exchange. Cassidy straightened, his smile fading back into that smirk, hardly there but present enough to have Sydney inching forward wanting to regain that lack of distance.



“I’ll keep tabs on Adidas and keep you posted,” Cassidy added as he turned towards the office door, already shifting back into his usual calm indifference. “Let me know if you need anything, Mr. Chase.”



“Uh, Cas!” Sydney stammered, getting abruptly to his feet, hoping desperately that he wasn’t blushing. The sound of that nickname on his lips gave him goosebumps. Cassidy turned around, tilting his head in vague curiosity. Sydney cleared his throat. “Feel free to, you know, call me Chase. I mean, don’t bother with the Mister.” He knew he sounded ridiculous but he couldn’t stop. “It’s what my friends do. Call me Chase, I mean. So, it’s cool, you know. If you do too.” He sat back down slowly, hating himself. “It’s easier. Shorter.”



Cassidy stared at him for a moment, long enough to make Sydney feel like he’d made even more of a fool of himself than he thought. But then, much like before, however with something beneath it that Sydney couldn’t place, he smirked. “Sure,” he said simply, nodding slightly before turning back towards the door. “I’ll be outside if you need me, Chase.” Sydney waited until he was gone, the door clicking shut, before releasing the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. What the fuck was that? He groaned, mortified, cheeks burning so bright he wouldn’t be surprised if it stained his skin red. It’s what my friends do? Come on!



The day dragged on, meetings seeming to last too long, all the projects lacking one thing or another, everyone needing to talk to him about this or ask him about that. It all should have been part of a much needed distraction, but for some reason, he couldn’t get that morning’s conversation out of his head no matter how hard he tried.



Cas. He’d told Sydney to call him Cas. The thought left him giddy and smiling, which, every time he realized, left him feeling pathetic and frustrated. It wasn’t as though he thought they were friends or anything… It wasn’t like he was dropping hints to get better acquainted. The man was just embarrassed by his slightly effeminate birth-name. That’s it. It’s nothing like what you’re thinking, Chase. So stop thinking it. But nonetheless, the exchange had been made. He’d offered up his own symbol of friendship and deemed the formalities between them as unnecessary, something he’d never done in as long as he’d been in charge. And there was no taking it back now.



By the time late evening rolled around, everyone on their way out if not already home for the night, Sydney’s mind was spinning with doubts and regrets and aggravations. Why had he done something so childish? This was a business environment, not a playground. This was his agency! Telling Cassidy---Cas…---to call him Chase was irresponsible and uncalled for and… and Sydney wanted to hate himself for it, but he couldn’t. Not when, every time he tried, he could hear that already familiar casualness said in Cas’ voice, an unheard chuckle underneath it. Sydney sighed in defeat, stretching upward and then over his desk, laying on top of papers and files, resting his cheek against a sticky-note with something probably important scrawled across it. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and simply feeling the chill of the mahogany against his chest, the softness of the papers against his face. He flexed his fingers once before letting his wrists dangle over the edge of the desk.



Maybe it would all be alright. Maybe he just needed to give it more time. This was something he could figure out. This was something he needed to figure out. The aspect of Cassidy Williams was simply an obstacle that needed overcoming. And Goddamnit, he’d overcome him if it was the last thing he-



“Sorry to interrupt,” Cassidy’s voice jolted him, once again, out of his mental tirade, Sydney sitting up so sharply that the array of papers beneath him scattered haphazardly to the floor around his desk.



“Shit!” Sydney cursed, getting out of his chair and kneeling to pick them up. He was certain they’d been organized for one reason or another, probably by his secretary. The same secretary who appeared suddenly in front of him, on his own hands and knees, collecting piles of the mess into his own stack. Sydney stopped, discombobulated, looking at the man as he gathered the last of the files from the floor, Cassidy finally meeting his gaze.



“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said at last, a hint of amusement in his eyes, though that tell-tale smirk was absent. “I just wanted to let you know I was heading out.”



“Oh, of course…” Sydney nodded, grabbing at his substantially smaller pile and getting to his feet. Cassidy followed suit. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He put the papers on the desk, turning away from the man to let his heart stop racing. It was unwilling to abide. Especially when Cassidy stepped up behind him, so close Sydney could feel the heat of his body radiating through the button up white, dress shirt he was now wearing; sleeves rolled up to the elbows since it was the end of the day, the muscles in his arms flexing visibly as he reached to Sydney’s side to but his own pile of the mess back on the desk. Sydney turned around without thinking, Cassidy looking at him almost knowingly, the two of them only inches apart. Sydney tried to swallow, but his throat was too dry to do so.



Cassidy took a step closer still, covering what little distance there was between them, lifting his hand towards Sydney’s face, fingers dangerously close to his cheek but not touching him. Why wasn’t he touching him? Abruptly, he felt Cassidy pull something off of his face, the man taking a step back and holding the sticky-note out too graciously. Sydney all but collapsed in humiliation, taking the sticky-note out of his hand and turning around to face his desk, placing it on top of one of the piles. Oh god, why…? Did that seriously just…? He tried his best not to groan, putting his hands on the desk and closing his eyes to calm himself down.



“Chase?” Cassidy asked quietly from behind him, the voice telling Sydney that he was still standing relatively close. He made a noncommittal noise for Cassidy to continue, again not trusting himself to speak. “You’ve been looking stressed lately.” The voice got closer. “Is everything okay?”



“It’s fine. I’m fine… Cas, thank you.” Sydney cleared his throat, taking a second to look out the window behind his desk. He didn’t do that often enough anymore, admire the view of the city from the thirty-eighth floor. He sighed. “Sorry. I’m just… Busy, that’s all.” He paused, running a hand through his hair. “Lots to think about.”



“The boss’ work is never done?” Cassidy offered, chuckling slightly, the sound of it soothing to Sydney. He couldn’t help but smile, chuckling softly to himself too. He turned around.



“Something like that.”



Cassidy had his hands in his pockets, smiling a crooked half smile that would have made Sydney melt if it weren’t the whole, humans don’t actually melt, thing. Either way, it triggered something in Sydney that he couldn’t ignore. Something that made his body react of its own accord, Sydney reaching out to grab at Cassidy’s already loosened tie and pull him in, their mouths connecting briefly but hotly, the kiss messy and surprising, Cassidy stiffening for a moment before settling into the desperation of it. Which was exactly when Sydney realized what he’d done.



“MmmF-fuck!” He gasped, panting as he pushed Cassidy back a step. “Shit… Cas… Cassidy, I… I don’t know what I,” He wiped at his mouth with the back of his frustratingly shaky hand. He cleared his throat, grabbing at the edge of the desk to steady himself. Wrong, Chase! Bad! Bad idea! Oh god, what have you done? Oh holy fucking shit! “I didn’t… I’m sorry, I-” But Cassidy didn’t let him finish, stepping back through that forced distance and placing a hand at the small of Sydney’s back, pulling him closer, smirking in that way too attractive way that left Sydney breathless. Or was it the kiss that left him breathless. Either way, Sydney was too wrapped up in this moment, this fantasy three weeks in the making come to life, for him to care.



Cassidy leaned in, biting at Sydney’s trembling bottom lip enough to make the man gasp, Cassidy taking that as his cue to reconnect their lips almost harshly, tongue delving deep into his willing, desperate mouth. Sydney could feel the edge of the desk pressing into his back, Cassidy’s hand trailing beneath his shirt and up to that area between his shoulder blades, that simple contact like fire against his skin. At one point, Sydney noticed that he’d wound his fingers into Cassidy’s hair with one hand, his free hand otherwise preoccupied in finding skin of his own to touch. Arms, hands, neck, collarbone. But that damn shirt was too restricting, not allowing him enough contact, enough to feel, see… taste. So, with eager but trembling fingers, he decided to change that, trying his best not to break the kiss while simultaneously attempting to remove Cas’ tie more completely. Something it seemed was easier said than done when so thoroughly distracted.



Cassidy chuckled deeply into Sydney’s mouth, sucking teasingly at the man’s tongue before pulling away, much to Sydney’s frazzled disappointment. Much, much calmer than his boss, it seemed, Cassidy loosed and removed his tie, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it hang open, revealing his toned, deliciously touchable chest and abs. Sydney brought a hand to that warm, waiting body, fingertips grazing shakily over collarbone, pecs, stomach, raising goosebumps along his skin. Cassidy leaned into that touch, hands suddenly working at Sydney’s clothes, the shirt falling off his arms, tie hanging limp around his neck, pants unzipped though Sydney had no clue when that had occurred.



Without warning, Cas was back on him, mouth demanding, tongue hungry, teeth clanking occasionally as he pressed closer still, hands exploring Sydney’s bare flesh greedily. When he broke away, shifting his focus to his boss’ neck, licking, biting, sucking, probably marking, a thought broke through Sydney’s lust drunk mind.



“C-Cas,” he stammered, panting. Cassidy made a noise against Sydney’s neck to let him know he was listening, the vibration of it making him shiver. “We-nhg-” Cassidy’s hand began to travel past Sydney’s navel, hand brushing just barely over his already painfully hard arousal. He scrambled to find that thought again. It was important. “The door,” he tried again. “The door, we-”



The sound of a standard, default ringtone floated up from Cas’ pocket, interrupting him. They froze for a second as though found out, before Cassidy dipped his head down and licked at Sydney’s exposed nipple with a renewed sort of vigor. “Ignore that,” he breathed against the sensitive flesh, worrying the neglected pink bud with his thumb. Sydney let his head fall back on a moan, that thought from before lost again. Something about a door. The door. His office door.



“Cas… P-Please, we-” he tried again, but that ringtone was persistent, breaking through the silence once again. Cassidy stilled for a moment, pulling back slowly, an unreadable look in his eyes. Sydney swallowed, heart beating too fast. Cassidy sighed, offering a vague half-smile of apology.



“I have to take this,” he said simply, already re-buttoning his shirt as he took a step back, straightening himself up on his way to the door. The phone still echoed impatiently from his pocket. Sydney took a breath, a step behind, unable to catch up.



“Uh, yeah,” he said, nodding dazedly. “Sure.”



But Cassidy hadn’t waited for permission, already holding the phone to his ear, halfway out the door. He glanced absently at Sydney before the door closed.



The silence that followed was deafening.



After a minute or two, Sydney began to react, mind racing with the reality of what had just occurred. Or rather, what he’d started. His pulse sky rocketed at the thought, still achingly hard cock twitching in his pants. Why had he done that? Not that he was complaining, but where had that come from?



Sydney shifted to the side a bit, glancing out his office window next to the door. Just as Cassidy walked past, still talking on the phone, but packing up his things at the same time. The scene seemed curious to Sydney. Out of place. Like nothing had happened. A fear gripped at Sydney’s chest so fiercely that he had to steady himself against the desk once again as it took him over.



That had happened, right? I’m not going crazy, right?



He looked out the window once again, Cassidy just barely in view, the man looking far less disheveled than Sydney, seeming far less frazzled, seeming like nothing had happened. Oh God… Like nothing had happened. Sydney looked away from the sight of his secretary, taking a deep breath that didn’t help. At all.



Was he so fucking horny after these two plus weeks of being around the guy that he fabricated a reaction? No. No, of course not. That’s just silly. He was standing half naked in front of his desk, for god’s sake! Could he have just done that to himself in his sudden bout of insanity? The thought screamed impossibilities and irrationalities at him, but he couldn’t shake the possibility that, maybe, just maybe, he’d made the whole thing up. Sydney placed both hands over his face, groaning into his fingers. I couldn’t have… There’s no way I… But the obvious still remained: Cassidy hadn’t come back in yet.



Abruptly, Sydney looked out the window, just in time to catch a glimpse of his mother’s assistant walking by, the woman stopping to look inside his office, face contorted in a confused sort of disgust as she passed. Sydney looked down at his shirtless state and paled, scrambling back behind the desk at the same time as he attempted to hastily re-clothe himself. Goddamnit… What is wrong with me?



The door to his office cracked open, grabbing his attention, Sydney’s hands still on his buttons, pants already zipped back into their appropriate place. Cassidy stuck his head into the room, expression back to that frustrating epitome of indifference. It took all Sydney had not to gape in shock. He was going crazy. That’s all there was to it. “You have a meeting with Salongin and Martinez tomorrow at nine.” He said matter-of-factly by way of a goodbye before closing the door again and disappearing for the night, leaving Sydney to his thoughts. His very exhausted, very disoriented thoughts.



He slumped in his chair, the shock of the night’s possible but now completely uncertain events leaving him tense and drained, any modicum of arousal absent from his body. I can’t really be going insane… Can I? He thought back to moments ago, the feeling of Cassidy’s hands on his skin, of his tongue on his chest. I couldn’t possibly have-



Just then, something bunched up into a small, forgotten pile on the floor caught his attention. He didn’t have to examine it much to figure out what it was. Sydney sighed at the sight of his secretary’s tie, the simple piece of clothing enveloping him with relief. And a strange sort of self loathing. He wasn’t crazy. He wasn’t crazy… So it did happen. Sydney leaned back in his chair, glancing at the view out his window from the corner of his eye.



I wonder if he knows that…



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A/N: Thanks to all the people reading so far! Feedback is always appreciated ^_^ My music major-dom keeps me in shackles, but I'll update as soon as I can. That's what 8 am Music History classes are for! XD If you're looking for something similarly smut-tastic, check out my Lessons Learned fic *shamelesspluglol* It's finished, it's filled with smexy timez, and it'll keep you sated till chapter three ^_~ Thanks again, you guys! Yaoi FTW!