Page 4 of Trapped for Christmas

Zeb would love to be in a relationship with one of Sebastian’s other friends, but he knew that would never happen. He’d been in love with Mason Reid for over two years, but the man wasn’t interested in him, although that wasn’t wholly true. Zeb knew Mason found him attractive, and his friends brought it up enough, but the man would do nothing about it. He was Zeb’s boss and nineteen years older. Not an issue as far as Zeb was concerned, but Mason was a Michelin-starred chef and owned one of the top restaurants in the country, not just in New York. Zeb was a former hustler who had lived on the streets for five years. Hardly boyfriend material for one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. In a way, Zeb was pleased Mason hadn’t just taken him to bed for one night—although he knew it would be the best night of his life. To know what it was like to have his dream man on top of him, but that it would never happen again, was not worth the heartbreak. The man was stubborn and would never break his rules for someone like Zeb. Mason was well respected in the city. He wouldn’t be in a relationship with someone who had Zeb’s background.

He had thought about quitting his job as Mason’s assistant, but he loved it and was good at it. Zeb knew Mason had created the role for him when he hadn’t been able to find his feet in the kitchen, but he’d made it his own. Mason appreciated everything he did and told him all the time. If he left, where would he go? Did he have enough experience to get another job? He wasn’t sure, and why should he leave? His best friend, Hunter, worked at Epicure as well. They’d met on the streets, although Hunter had never hustled, and he was a few years older so had always looked out for the younger kids. If Zeb left, it wouldn’t change anything with Mason, and he knew that. It was just hard to shake the fantasy out of his head.

“Any update on you and Mason?” asked Charlie.

He meant well, but it was unhelpful that his friends kept pushing for something to happen.

“I’m thinking of looking for a new job. Does that answer your question?” That might shut them up.

“What the fuck!” said Hunter. “Why am I just hearing about this?”

“It’s only an idea, and I won’t do anything until next year.”

“Is it really that bad that you need to get away from him?”

“Maybe I want to go to college and get a degree.”

“That would be amazing, Zeb. But why couldn’t you do it while you’re working? It’s what I’m doing.”

Hunter was doing his degree at culinary school alongside being one of the sous chefs at Epicure. To be that level at twenty-four said a lot about how talented he was. After leaving home at fourteen, Zeb had also left his education behind, but he’d taken an evening class and gotten his GED. It was something Mason had encouraged him to do, so he had options. The man had offered to pay for it, but Zeb would only take a loan, which he had since paid back. There’d been free options, but he’d wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. Now, he had what he needed to get into college, if that’s what he wanted. It was something he’d thought about, but he didn’t want to leave Epicure. If he did, there’d be no reason for him to ever see Mason again, and that was something he couldn’t bear to think about.

“It’s just an idea at the moment, so don’t say anything to anyone. That goes for all of you,” he said, pointing at them. “Your men are all gossips, and I don’t want this getting back to Mason through them.”

They all laughed, but nodded their agreement. For a group of successful businessmen in their thirties and forties, that lot were like a bunch of gossiping old ladies at keeping secrets. This group was just as bad, so he wasn’t completely sold that what he’d said wouldn’t get back to Mason somehow.

“Let’s talk about something else,” said Hunter. “We have two weddings next year. Have you decided on a location yet, Paolo?”

“Yeah. We’re getting married here. This is where our life is now, so it feels right, but we’ve chosen the date we reunited in London.”

Everyone oohed and aahed at that. Paolo and Max had met in conversion therapy when they were eighteen, and then not seen each other for twelve years. After they’d been reunited, Paolo had moved to New York to be with Max, and the rest was history. Zeb loved their story. Not the horror they’d been through, but how they’d found each other again after so many years. It couldn’t have happened to two nicer guys.

“Felix is up first anyway,” said Paolo.

Felix blushed, which wasn’t hard to miss with his red hair. He was marrying Ryder Quinn, one of the biggest fitness influencers in the world. Felix had his own successful photography business, but he was very much a “behind the camera” guy, which was difficult when you were marrying someone like Ryder. His fans had thankfully been welcoming of Felix, after a shaky start. It helped that if anyone bothered Felix, Ryder threatened to stop posting his thirst trap content on social media. That usually shut people up. Nobody wanted to miss Ryder working out in tight shorts. Felix was a lucky man, but Zeb wondered how he could still walk.

“Ryder’s mom is arranging everything. I’ve just told her not to be extra like her son.”

“And will she listen to that?” asked Hunter.

“Ryder gave her a hundred grand budget, so I don’t think so.”

They all laughed. Zeb knew that whatever was planned, Felix’s happiness would be at the top of Ryder’s list.

“What about you, Hunter?” asked Felix.

“Maybe one day. Need to finish college first.”

“Are you not allowed to be married and a student?”

Hunter grumbled, and the others laughed. Deacon was Hunter’s biggest cheerleader and treated him like a prince, but Zeb knew his best friend would worry that it was all going to crash and burn at some point. It was obvious to anyone that Deacon loved Hunter more than anything, and Zeb knew nothing would ever split them up, but he empathized with Hunter’s anxiety. When the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally turn their backs on you, it affects you forever.

“What’s the plan for today?” asked Zeb to take the heat off Hunter.

“Food first, and then we’re going shopping,” said Charlie. “Sebastian may have given me his card and told us to ‘enjoy ourselves’ however we wanted.”

Sebastian was a literal billionaire, but Charlie rarely spent his husband’s money. He had his own successful marketing consultancy in London. That was something Zeb wanted—financial independence. If he met someone who was financially better off than he was, which wouldn’t be difficult, he didn’t want to be a kept man. That had always happened in his previous relationships. He was attracted to older men for their experience, stability, and security, but that didn’t mean he wanted to depend on them. It was something that had eluded him so far, though. Every man he’d ever met wanted to control him.

It had been a great day out with the guys. Paolo, Charlie, and Felix had gone back to their men, leaving Zeb with his bestie, Hunter. They had a few bags, as Charlie had insisted on buying them some new clothes, and he was persuasive and made it hard for Zeb to say no. Besides, Zeb would not turn down something new to wear. Mason paid him well for his work, but he still lived in New York, which was one of the most expensive cities in the world. He shared an apartment with four other people, but he rarely saw them. Most of them worked in the hospitality industry, so all did shift work. Zeb worked Monday to Friday, and would only do weekends if needed. His was more like an office job, but he needed to be around to support Mason. The man rarely took a day off. Mason had met his friends for lunch today, but Zeb knew he would be back at the restaurant by now.