An Uncommon Betrothal: Chapter Five

Sutton winds Alexos up tighter and tighter, until he feels about ready to break.

Cover photo credit to Lisa Fotios on Pexels.

Alexos Fox is of course quite sad when the long-time butler of his household, the man who all but raised him, retires. He is not at all prepared for the old man’s replacement: his exceedingly attractive and painfully tempting nephew, Harry Sutton.

Alexos, overcome with feelings that are simply too much to repress, tries his best to avoid him, but it seems that Mr Sutton has more than his employment on his mind as he attends his new employer with keen and concentrated focus.

CWs for period-typical homophobia and repression, internalised ableism. Erotic romance.

Chapter One / / Chapter Two / / Chapter Three / / Chapter Four / / Chapter Five / / Chapter Six

Harry placed the typewriter on the table before he pulled back the chair for Alexos, and he eased the chair back under the table as Alexos slipped his cane into its hook. Alexos kept his distance as they came back into the library, and there was a flatness to his features, as though he were struggling to control his expression.

He had removed his blazer before taking his seat, leaving him in his shirt sleeves only, and as Harry fetched the small table and folded it out at the other side of him, ready for tea in a few moments, Alexos took the links out of his cuffs and set them aside. He was very careful, very particular, about the way that he rolled up his sleeves — Harry hated to do that himself, to put them all the way up to the elbow the way that Alexos did, and would instead clip them with a band at his mid forearm, but Alexos folded them crisply, over and over, so that they were rolled almost flat to the skin.

“May I have a sandwich as well as my tea, please, Sutton?”

“Of course, sir — if I may ask, would it be possible for me to stay before I fetch it for you?”

Alexos glanced up at him.

His shirt sleeves rolled up, he had removed the typewriter from its case, removing a small roll of tools from a pocket, and a pair of rounded discs. It was partly an excuse, that much was true, but another part of Harry was genuinely interested to observe the…