The Law of Attraction by Jay Northcote

publicity, they might have got away with a stern warning. But now the game had changed. The headmaster was informed, their parents were called, and both boys were expelled immediately.
    The fallout had been ugly. Alec preferred not to remember the hour he’d spent in his father’s study the day his parents brought him home. He still carried the scars from it—on his skin as well as in his psyche—and thinking about it still made him nauseous.
    He’d only had a few months to go until his A levels, and he’d already had an unconditional offer from Oxford. Rather than sending him to another school halfway through the year, his father had kept him at home with a tutor. Alec suspected it was so that his parents could keep an eye on him.
    Alec’s already difficult relationship with his parents had become intolerable during those few months. His father’s disappointment and obvious disgust was hard for Alec to bear, and his mother had hovered on the edges of their antagonism, trying not to get involved. Eventually, Alec managed to convince his father it meant nothing—it was only a bit of youthful, hormone-driven stupidity.
    I’m not gay .
    Everyone knew things like that happened at public school. Alec’s only mistake was getting caught.
    Afterwards, Alec made damn sure he never got caught again.
    He stepped out into the cold evening air and breathed in deeply. The scent of city streets and car exhaust made him long for the clean air of the countryside. Maybe once he’d closed this deal, he could have a weekend away in a place where buildings didn’t block the sky.
     
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
    “So, how did it go?” Fiona asked as soon as Ed got through the door of their flat.
    “Uh. Okay… sort of.” Ed didn’t even stop to take his coat and shoes off before collapsing on the sofa in the living room. He paused to gather his thoughts, and Fiona spoke again before he could elaborate.
    “I made some soup, there’s enough for you if you want?”
    “Oh God, yes please.” Ed’s stomach growled at the thought of food, and he realised it was about eight hours since he’d eaten lunch.
    Fiona studied him, a mixture of sympathy and amusement on her face. “You look knackered. I’ll heat some up for you while you get out of that suit, then you can tell me about your day.”
    Five minutes later, Ed had curled up on the sofa again, dressed in slobbing-around-at-home clothes with a hot mug of soup and toasted cheese sandwiches.
    “You’re an actual angel,” he told Fiona. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome. Now, tell me what it was like. I want to know everything.”
    “Well… it was what you’d expect. Swanky offices, terrifyingly efficient people everywhere. But it was amazing too. I’m so excited just about being there, about being part of the organisation. This is what I’ve always wanted. I still can’t believe I’m doing it.” Ed paused to sip his soup. He was deliberately saving the best of his story till last. Ed couldn’t resist spinning it out for maximum drama. If his life was going to be a soap opera—and apparently it was turning out that way—then he was damn well going to enjoy spilling the juicy details.
    “And your boss?” Fiona asked.
    “Yeah, about him….” Ed side-eyed her and felt the curl of his lips give him away. He had no idea why he was laughing. It wasn’t funny. It was a fucking nightmare, to be honest, but he had to laugh about it—because crying wasn’t going to help. “Remember the guy I fucked on Friday night?”
    She frowned. “Mr Tall, Dark, and Sexy? Sure, I remember—” The light dawned and her expression turned from confusion to half horror, half glee. “Nooooo!” She covered her mouth with her hands, eyebrows shooting up to her hairline.
    “Yep.”
    “Oh my God. Oh. My. God !”
    Ed nodded. That pretty much summed up his thoughts on it. He’d been reeling ever since he first clapped eyes on Alec that morning. What were the chances? Of