Free Second Time Around by Simone Jaine

resettling himself on the edge of the desk so he didn’t knock the intercom again. “Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?” he asked rhetorically. “I know. We were discussing your good mood.”
    “No we weren’t,” Alec disagreed, his focus on the file he had just opened.
    “Yes, we were,” Rufus contradicted.
    “Don’t worry about it, I think it has gone now,” Alec murmured as he started reading.
    While he read Rufus picked up a pen and embellished his earlier caricature of Leonora with horns and a trident. Just as he was adding the final stroke Leonora barged back in and placed a mug of hot coffee near Alec’s hand.
    “It’s blacker than usual because I used up the last of the milk and can’t be bothered to scrounge around the other companies in this building for more,” she told him.
    “Thanks,” Alec said then took a sip and grimaced.
    “Is something wrong?” Leonora asked, her eyes narrowing.
    “It’s a little strong,” Alec admitted. “But don’t worry it’s the thought that counts.”
    Leonora beamed smugly at Rufus.
    “Where’s mine?” Rufus asked her.
    “I told you. I’m. Too. Busy. Besides, we’re out of milk,” Leonora said then practically skipped out of the room to ensure Rufus didn’t have enough time to ask her to get some.
    Rufus sighed and Alec stopped reading.
    “What?” Alec said.
    “How come you get coffee and I don’t? She’s my PA too,” he complained.
    Alec studied his partner. Physically Rufus was incredibly good looking, not that Alec would ever admit it aloud. Blessed with good genes that made him tall and toned, Rufus had slightly long, sun bleached hair and bronzed skin from weekends spent surfing. No one looking at him would guess that he was in his early forties.
    In addition, he had dark blue eyes that Alec had overheard more than one woman exclaim over. Sometimes Alec found it hard to take, especially when they were out socially because he often felt overlooked by women while in Rufus’ presence. On occasions Alec had been tempted to start carrying a high school photo of his friend around – from before he had his teeth straightened and whitened.
    Rufus also had no trouble finding women as his two divorces attested to. Alec sometimes wondered about the divorces as Rufus still got on well with both ex-wives. But then he was such a genuinely nice guy it would be hard to hate him.
    At the moment he was a serial dater which was effortless on his part because women were always giving him their number. He never seemed to get beyond a handful of dates with any of them and because of this Alec had given up keeping track of the women’s names.
    Perhaps Rufus’ problem was that everything had come too easily to him, Alec mused. Maybe he should encourage Leonora to keep him humble.
    He thoughtfully pushed his coffee towards Rufus.
    “You want a coffee? Here, have mine. I promise you that you haven’t missed anything.”
    Rufus accepted the mug on principle and took a cautious sip.
    “Mmm,” he said determinedly, even as one of his eyebrows shot up and his cheek twitched.
    “You know you would probably have Leonora eating out of the palm of your hand if you stopped baiting her,” Alec said as he continued to read.
    “I don’t bait her,” Rufus replied indignantly then took another mouthful of coffee.
    “Then what’s with all the darlings and sweeties?” Alec asked. “You don’t speak that way to anyone else.”
    “But she enjoys it,” Rufus said brushing Alec’s observation off.
    “No. I think that Leonora is a professional and doesn’t like being talked to like she is a nineteen fifties housewife,” Alec corrected. “In fact unless I’m mistaken she’s probably retaliating right now,” he added as Rufus pinched his nose and took a large gulp of coffee.
    He waited for Rufus to swallow before he gestured to the mug in Rufus’ hand.
    “I wouldn’t be surprised if she laced that coffee with something.”
    “But she