The slate haired twenty-something male shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His cobalt eyes shifted about the room. To the tall windows on his left through which he saw high heaped clouds that hung friendly in a deep blue sky. To his right where more people trickled into the already stuffed auditorium. It was hot, and his white shirt started to stick to his back. He took his sport jacket off and folded it over his old leather messenger bag on the seat next to him. He dismissed another vulture that had set his sight on the empty spot. But this one did not take to his authoritative glare and snatched up his belongings and flopped down into the seat.

"Reserving seats is not allowed," he said in a matter-of-fact tone and dropped the bag and jacket right back into his lap. The slate haired male was momentarily stunned into silence and gaped at the profile of the blonde male.

"Excuse me," he stammered. The blonde waved it away with a small hand gesture.

"No need to apologize. I get that you'd want to save this seat. Seems it's pretty full," he looked about the room and whistled through his teeth. "Must be a some impressive guest lecture today," he murmured to no one in particular.

"I… I wasn't apologizing," the slate haired male replied, astounded by the ridiculous assumption. "I was expressing my surprise over your lack of morals and manners. I was saving this seat for someone, hence the bag and jacket I placed on it," he gestured to his belongings in his lap.

The blonde puckered his lips for a second before smiling mischievous. "Well isn't that a damn shame for you than? Now you'll have to make due with me. I'm Alois, by the way," he reached out his hand. The other swatted it away with a disgruntled frown. Alois shrugged. "Talking about manners," he muttered insulted.

The slate haired male sighed at the clever turn of phrase and held out his hand. "I am Ciel. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I suppose."

Pale blue eyes peered at him for a second before the reserved attitude melted away and Alois shifted in his seat, leaning closer into Ciel and nodding at the white board. "You know if this Michaelis is a hottie?"

The corner of Ciel's mouth twitched. "I have not given that much consideration," he replied awkwardly and tried to inch away from the blonde as much as his seat allowed. A voice calling out his name saved him from other questions he did not care to think about and both he and Alois gazed at the doorway.

"That your friend?" Alois snapped a finger up at the girl who was waving exuberantly.

Ciel arched an eyebrow and spared him a sardonic look. "No, people spontaneously react to my presence like that." Alois and Ciel watched the girl push and climb her way up to the middle row and when she got there, she blinked surprised at Ciel.

"I thought you were saving me a seat?"

"I did," Ciel replied and send a reproachful look Alois's way. "I was saving you a seat. He took it," he made a wearily hand gesture at the blonde figure next to him. The girl's green eyes rolled over and looked at the other male. He winked and granted her a careless smile. She raised her chin up and glared down on him past her nose.

"I believe that this seat was reserved for me," she insisted in a passive aggressive tone and folded her arms over her chest in a defensive manner. "And I am not keen on people showing a lack of manners."

"Is that so? I didn't see your name written somewhere on this chair," he pointed out obnoxiously. He bit on his straw and took a sip of his freshly squeezed orange, making a loud slurping noise. "And then what is it exactly that you are keen on?"

"Gentlemen would stand up for a lady."

"Ladies know better than to arrive late when they are keen on getting themselves a seat."

"You are unbelievable," she threw her hands in the air and turned to her friend. "Are you going to say something about this, Ciel?" She whined.

"If you are going to say something, Ciel, I suggest you'd do it fast. Judging by the fuzz up front, the guest of the hour has arrived and the lecture is about to start." Alois nodded to the front where the Dean had marched to the door and was talking to a yet to identify male.

"I don't know what to say Elizabeth," he cocked his head to the girl who was tapping her foot impatiently and scowling at the blonde male next to him. "But he did have a point about reserving seats. It's a free lecture, it's not like we bought these chairs."

"You tell him Ciel- wait, what?" She snapped her head around and looked Ciel in the eye. He shrugged his shoulders with what was supposed to be a helpless and apologetic smile. She threw her hands in the air and growled irritated.

"Fine, then I'll just stand here," she turned her back to the males, crossed her arms and stared stubbornly to the front of the auditorium. Her presence was in the least appreciated and from the back of the room people started calling that the blonde ditch had to move. Elizabeth was able to ignore it until a fumbled piece of paper hit her in the back of the head. She whipped around and snarled at the mass. "Who did that?!"

"Elizabeth, please," Ciel sunk back into his chair, covering his eyes with his hand. "Just go and have a seat somewhere else. There were still empty chairs in the front."

"But I don't want to-" She began. Ciel rudely interrupted her.

"Stop turning this into a scene and just do it," he hissed low and gave her an insisting look. She bit her tongue, turned on her heels and stormed off, down the stairs and straight out of the room. Ciel regretted the fall out but he was not here to listen to her bawl about some seat he was supposed to save. He told her to be here on time.

"Women," Alois raised next to him. Ciel agreed with him in a low hum and a short nod of the head. The talking in the room grew quiet and stopped completely when the Dean cleared his throat. All eyes zoned in on the balding male and he had to wipe some sweat off his forehead with a red handkerchief he retrieved from his pants pocket.

"What an impressive turnout we have today, but I can safely say that was not a surprise. I think a massive introduction will be superfluous because his legacy has preceded him. So without further ado I present to you the head of Michaelis house of publishing, Mister Sebastian Michaelis."

All eyes went to the door and in walked a tall man. Dressed in a fine gray suit, white shirt and a thin navy tie, he looked exactly like you'd expect from an impressive and important Director of Publishing. His black tresses fell elegantly around his handsome face and his crimson eyes scanned the room and he halted diplomatically to receive the applause. He smiled with natural charisma and walked up to the Dean to shake his hand again. After, he silenced the room by simply raising his hand.

"It is with great pleasure that I get to stand here at the profound Queen Mary University. You are the future of writing, editing and publishing and some of you will indubitably create even greater things than I have done," he paused to scratch his cheek and after a ten second silence, he chortled low. "I'd like to say that I had a very informative and clever speech planned but I do not. My head of publishing will be infuriated to learn I came unprepared," he entrusted them with a wink. "But I will try to make the absolute best of it."

Ciel rolled his eyes with exasperation while the rest of the auditorium did not seem to mind that they had come for nothing. He sighed, and dropped his pen and paper into his lap and reclined against the back of his seat. This could become a glorious waste of his precious free time.

He scanned the infamous entrepreneur through his lashes. He couldn't be much older than thirty which would've made him in his early twenties when he started his company. He now wished he had done his homework on him like he was told. Than he could determine if he should really be impressed by him or not. Meanwhile, Sebastian had told something about publishing, things almost everybody in the room probably already knew but which they did not have the heart nor breath to say to the stunning male. And as if he caught air of the deliberately unspoken words, he dragged a hand through his black hair. It was the third time already and Ciel took it as a signal of either boredom or anxiety.

"I can only gather that most of you already knew everything there is to know about publishing, but I am presumptuous enough to assume that there might be some amateurs here as well," and with that, he won back a little of Ciel's respect. He had to admit that the man had a perfect sense of timing.

"Isn't he a dish?"

Ciel cocked his head to his right and caught Alois practically drooling. The blonde's eyes were fixed on Sebastian, as if he was in some kind of trance as he watched the director talk with unwavering devotion.

"He looks alright, which I guess is required of a man in his position." It was the only reply Ciel could think off without exposing too much of his true opinion.

"You know," Alois suddenly sat up and squinted. "I think I saw him at my building," he raised his hand as if he was covering the top half of the director's face. "That's him! I definitely saw him get on the elevator this morning. A business owner," he whistled through his teeth. "I could've done worse."

Ciel choked on the sip of water he just took and coughed in his hand to mask most of the disrupting noise. Alois arched an eyebrow at him and assisted by slapping him on the back, all the while whispering that he should keep it down because he couldn't understand a word Sebastian was saying.

"You. Have. Done. Him?" Ciel said between each cough. Alois's expression went from irritated to mighty interested and he once again leaned into him to share some information Ciel already knew he did not want to hear.

"I ran into him while going home, you see, I was coming back from this fabulous party a friend from college threw last night near Piccadilly"

"Cut to the chase, please," Ciel interrupted to subvert any none related stories and stay right at the topic. Alois gave him a look and clacked his tongue in vexation.

"Alright," he sighed and looked around to see if no one had the audacity to try and overhear them. "I am not completely convinced, but something tells me I might be seeing him at my door. Tonight."

Ciel pursued his lips at the inside scoop. "Really?" His eyes wandered to the director and a wide grin bubbled up in the corner of his mouth. "Now that is very interesting news." He glanced over the page with questions that was in his lap and pondered a mere second if he could or not. Than he decided he could, and without paying further attention to what Alois was saying, he raised his hand in the air. Sebastian stopped his speech and looked him in the eye.

"Do you have a question already?"

"Yes I do."

As Ciel started to form his reply, the Dean stood and walked to the microphone. "Questions will have to wait until the end of the lecture."

"No, no," Sebastian waved it away. "That is quite alright. I like an audience that is interactive. Please," he made another short hand gesture. "Could you stand up and continue?"

Ciel pushed himself up and got to his feet. "My question is as followed. Has your gay sexuality ever intervened or held you back while you were building a publishing empire?"

People around him started to talk and accuse him. Ciel ignored it and looked Sebastian straight in the eye. The director's face was stoic and for a moment Ciel feared he wouldn't even answer. The Dean already rose up to give him a piece of his mind but Sebastian held up his hand, stopping him in his way over. Clearing his throat, the muscles in his face relaxed and Sebastian chuckled amused.

"That is a very interesting question and one I am not afraid to answer, but first, would you tell me your name so that I can address my interrogator properly?"

"My name is Ciel."

"Ciel?" Sebastian repeated the name in his low honey-like voice. "That is a very interesting name, very engaging. It suits the equally interesting question perfectly. I think it would be necessary to mention that I bare no ill feelings to homosexual people; everybody to their own. Which leads back to your question whether my gay sexuality has intervened with building my publishing house; no, it has not. I am not a homosexual man, nor do I believe someone's sexuality should have anything to do with making it big in the business world. It's hard to admit that in this reality, sexual preferences could build or make a person, but I reject those superseded ideas. People should be measured by capability, not sexuality. Does that answer your question?"

"It does," Ciel replied. Sebastian offered him a smile and asked to nobody in particular where he left off in his story. Ciel bit on his lip, reconsidered for a moment and raised his hand again. It was not surprise he saw in the eyes of the director. It was amusement.

"You had another question, Ciel?"

"Yes I have," he lowered his hand and ignored the scornful looks that were send his way. "I wondered. In an economy as this one, where companies are radically revising their vision in order to continue to exist or go bankrupt all together, how is it that public records show that your publishing house has made more these past quarters than in bygone years? How is that with online niche marketing with which writers could target a much wider audience, they still come to you to get published? Writing their stories online and getting it published for free could prove to be much more lucrative than going through the process of getting it published by a publisher who will share in the profit. I guess my question is," he paused and looked Sebastian up and down. "What is your appeal?"

Sebastian's expression changed for a mere second and Ciel was sure he was the only one who witnessed the mysterious gleam that flickered through his crimson eyes. It was irresistibly attractive. This question might have struck a chord that would lead to more useful information.

"In all honesty, Ciel, I do not know what my personal appeal is. But as far as the company goes, I can tell you that we offer a fair deal when it comes to all of our writers. It's a well known publishing house that stands for quality and endurance. Anyone can get an ebook published, there is no trick to that. But if you don't have the correct means to promote that work, it'll be as lucrative as writing a story and saving it on your computer. We know the market, and we have the right channels to promote new products to its fullest potential. I assume that is only more than attractive for upcoming writers and that they are more than willing to pay the price that comes with it in order to see their work out there. Was that the answer you were looking for?"

Ciel grinned and just nodded. It was exactly what he wasn't looking for. This was a rehearsed speech without hidden layers or words the left room for interpretation. It was what he could've expected and he was glad Sebastian did not disappoint.

"Thank you, Mister Michaelis," he replied politely. "I appreciate you took the time to answer my questions."

Sebastian cocked his head and squinted at him. Scrutinizing him thoroughly. "You do not seem to satisfied with the answers I gave you, Ciel."

Ciel bit his lip. "Well you see. I am looking to start my own publishing company and I guess I was looking, or maybe even hoping for some advice that would give me a clear picture on how to do that successfully. But, it is only more than natural that you don't give away your secret to success."

Before Sebastian could reply several more hands rose up in the air. His eyes were locked with Ciel's for a few more moments before he turned his attention to the others. Ciel had noticed how he had unconsciously held his breath in those few tangible moments. Shaking his head at the notion, he sipped at his water and told himself to focus on all the other answers Sebastian provided in that remaining thirty minutes.

After a long applause, he left with the Dean before anyone would find the audacity to take up more of his time. Ciel starting gathering his belongings and stuffed them carelessly in his bag.

"Wasn't that inspiring?"

Ciel cocked his head to Alois and shrugged, nonchalance in the entire gesture. "I guess I had expected something more... substantial and useful," he replied with little enthusiasm. Alois scrutinized him for a second, got up and swung his bag over his shoulder.

"Probably depends what you wanted out of this. I need to find a company where I can do my internship for my final year and Mister Michaelis did not disappoint. Two open spots for what must be hundreds of applicants," he seemed to do the equation in his head. "That might proof to be somewhat difficult."

Ciel hung his bag over his shoulder. "I wouldn't start counting your lucky stars yet. I am more than positive that there will be numerous of suitable applicants," Ciel said upon passing the blonde.

"That is true," Alois agreed while turning on his heels and following the slate haired male down the aisle. "But there is probably one thing that will absolutely work in my favor. He lives in my building, and the look he gave me this morning was more affirmation than all the lucky stars in this universe."

Ciel cringed at the idea and crinkled his nose. "That is the type of information I do not need to know," he snapped over his shoulder. Alois seemed to ignore it, captured in his own daydreams and humming the tune from sexual healing. Ciel sighed vexed and muttered intelligible words to himself.

"Say. You were pretty much interrogating him back there."

The comment came out of the blue and Ciel had to repeat it in his own head before the words sunk in. "Of course I was. I came here to learn something, not to listen to things I already learned in college."

"Did they teach you in college that Sebastian Michaelis is gay?"

Ciel stopped dead in his track and Alois bumped into him with a muffled groan. The slate haired male whipped around on his heels and looked the blonde up and down. "Looking back, that might've been terribly wrong of me. It should not matter, like he said."

"No matter," Alois waved it away and winked saucy. "I was rather curious about it as well only I did not have the guts to ask him something like that during a lecture that addressed the professional requirements and skills one must have to become a Director of Publishing. It was very ballsy, and he did not seem to mind. On the contrary, he seemed very much engaged by you."

Ciel frowned, feeling an unfamiliar pang in his chest. A faint warm feeling tumbled around in his stomach and it made him terribly insecure. He cleared his throat hard, turned and headed towards the door again. "That was not the point of that question."

"Was there a point to it then?" Alois replied in an annoying singsong voice while skipping after him. "You sure you that information was not for personal gain?"

"No!" Ciel shot back while pushing his way through the crowd and away from the blonde. Alois followed him effortlessly, caught up with him at the door and blocked his way out.

"You fascinated him. I could see it in his eyes. Teach me how to do that."

Ciel arched an eyebrow and tilted his head back. Alois made another plea and bargained with treating him to a cup of coffee at a nearby espresso bar. Ultimately there was no point in joining the blonde for coffee, but he could certainly use a warm drink to wash away the strange anxiety that ensnared his heart.

"One cup of coffee. If you promise to not speak of him in that sexual healing manner."

"Agreed," Alois affirmed with a nod and a broad grin. "Come on," he grabbed his sleeve and dragged him through the hallway towards the entrance.

On his way back to the office, Sebastian retraced the entire speech and no matter how he looked at it, he kept coming back to the peculiar Ciel. The intense cobalt blue of his eyes kept appearing in front of him, messing with his head. He found that he tried to analyze the words the young man had spoken. Had there been hidden questions inside his questions or was did he just fabricate all of that inside his own imagination?

He smoothly maneuvered the black Maybach into his private parking space and sat there for a couple of moments, holding the steering wheel and staring through the front window. The cold leather of the wheel tinkled against the warm palms of his hands. A strange sensation. His imagination was running riot with all kinds of images and involuntarily his left hand cupped his clad bulge. He squeezed and groaned exhausted at it. It was pleasurable, but could not please anymore. He rocked into the warm palm of his hand, the friction of his pants rubbing against his erection a sad comfort.

A group of employees past in front of his car and waved. He greeted them with a short nod, his entire self calm and collected while he unzipped his pants and pushed his hand down his boxers. They might be able to catch a glimpse of what he was doing, but none would have the courage to confront him with it. And even if they did, he probably couldn't find a fuck to give. He closed his eyes and recalled Ciel. His handsome face with fine aristocratic features. The full lips and cheeky eyes. He groaned, feeling an unexpected surge of desire wash over him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back, groaning and rolling his hips with more determination. Through lidded eyes, he saw William stalk over and one more thought of Ciel's perfect and pearl white smile pushed him over the edge. He came, groaning loud through clenched teeth.

William opened the door and poked his head in. "What are you sitting out here for? How did the speech go?"

Sebastian had effectively covered up his reprehensible activities and was the example of professional composure as he got out of the car, shut the door and locked it. He turned to his right hand man and remembered what Ciel had asked him. There was one business secret that he would keep at all costs. William was a literary genius and he was one of the two reasons, himself being the other, that this company was still effectively making more profit than similar companies. One did not work without the other but Michaelis House Of Publishing would not exist anymore without William.

He stuffed one hand in his pants pocket and placed the other on William's shoulder and squeezed it, physically trying to show his appreciation towards the brunette. "It all went well very well. How would you feel towards grabbing a bite to eat at the River cafe? It's been too long since we had lunch together."

William shook his head and repositioned his glasses. "We can't. You have a phone conference with Charles Gray from the Barcelona firm in half an hour and a staff meeting at four."

Sebastian closed his eyes for a second. After, he inhaled and followed William, who was already discussing the topics of interest of the weekly staff meeting, up the steps towards the front door.

That night, after a long day of boring meetings and sinful thoughts of Ciel, Sebastian arrived at his building and entirely ready to dig up a service from the yellow pages. Stepping into the elevator, images of this morning came drifting back and he pressed the button to his floor. He felt his blood pumping a little bit harder with every floor he covered and adrenalin was soaring through his body when he tumbled out of the lift and turned right instead of left. His head throbbed with lust, and so did his erection. He pounded on the door, placed both hands on the wooden frame and panted heavy while waiting for an answer. It came and he heard the lock click. The door opened and the blonde blinked at him. Sebastian straightened himself, loomed over the frail figure and smirked in a diabolic manner.

"Take your clothes off," he whispered in his husk voice.

The blonde's lips curled into the same seductive smile he had shown Sebastian this morning and without question, he started to walk backwards, undressing himself as he went. Sebastian watched him for a few seconds, his eyes following the moves sharply. When the male dropped his pants and stood completely naked in the middle of the room, Sebastian could no longer remain composed. He licked his smirk, stepped over the threshold and slammed the door shut.

I would like to thank the people who reviewed and added this to their story favorites. It means a lot. I hope you are enjoying this so far and will continue doing so in the future. There might be grammatical errors, but I will have to check for those in the morning. I first have to finish an article for work.

Please review, it would make me terribly happy!