Page 2 of Euphoria

“Boss,” his project manager called on his way out.

“No time now, John,” he said back over his shoulder. He stepped out of the bar right into a wall of man.

“Sorry,” the guy said. He looked the tall blond over and thought about how he was just his type. If he was actually dating right now, he might just be interested.

“No,” Colter said, “it’s my fault. I was in a hurry and not watching where I was going. Please tell me that you aren’t my three o’clock meeting.”

“Um, no,” the man said. “Actually, I’m your neighbor. I own The Kink Club over there,” he said pointing to the building next to the bar. “Or, I should say that my husband and I own the club along with our best friend.” Shit—the cute guy, who owned thebusiness next store, had a husband, so it didn’t matter if he was Colter’s type or not.

“Well, it’s good to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Colter Williams.”

“Ross Ballerini,” the guy said, shaking Colter’s hand. “Listen, if you need a hand with anything, please let us know. I can get a few guys together to help move stuff in for you if you need the extra manpower.”

“That’s generous of you, Ross,” he said. “I just might take you up on your offer.” He said it as more than a warning than an acceptance. The poor guy didn’t know what he was getting into by offering his help.

Ross seemed to pick up on Colter’s meaning, chuckling and backing away from him. “It’s good to meet you, Colter. I’ll let you get back to your day, but my offer stands. If you need any help, just holler,” Ross said. Colter nodded and watched his hot neighbor walk back over to his club.

“Shit, I forgot to ask him what he sells over at his place,” he said to himself.

He heard John’s heavy work boots stomping down the steps and he knew that he wasn’t going to get away as easily this time.

“Sorry to interrupt you talking to yourself,” John said, “but the bar top is being installed today, and I need you to sign off on where you want it.”

“Oh,” Colter said, “sure. Sorry about a few minutes ago, but I was on the way to get my liquor license.” John handed him a clipboard with the paperwork that he needed to sign, and he quickly scribbled his John Hancock onto the back page and handed the clipboard back to his foreman.

“Good luck downtown, boss,” John said. “And by the way—to answer your question, the club doesn’t sell anything. It’s a sex club.” He walked back up the stairs, not bothering to turnaround to see Colter’s expression. John could probably hear his gasp as he walked away.

Hugh

Hugh Davis wasn’t sure if managing a new bar was still his jam, but breaking up with his boyfriend, Luke, had him spiraling and he needed a fresh start. He had held so many different jobs over the years, trying to find his niche, but nothing ever stuck. Honestly, he had worked at many new bars—helping the owners to start up a new business and watching them succeed should have been enough for him, but it wasn’t anymore. The older he got, the more he toyed with the idea of starting his own place from the ground up. Of course, that would require capital that he didn’t have, so his dream would have to wait, and he would have to keep working his ass off trying to claw his way to the top.

The new bar owner sounded cool enough on the phone. Plus, the bar was right next to some funky Kink Club that he planned on checking out. He was hoping that he’d be able to find another gay guy in town, but he doubted that such a person would exist in the po-dunk town that he was stuck in.

Hugh walked into the unfinished bar and looked around. A full construction crew was working and when he cleared his throat, they all turned around to look at him. “I’m looking forColter Williams,” he said. “I have an appointment with him.” He looked down at his watch and realized that he was about ten minutes early and wondered if that was a good or bad thing. Some people hated it when others were early, and some people thought it was a show of excitement for the new job. He’d go with the latter if asked.

“I’m John, the construction foreman,” one of the guys said, stepping forward. “Get back to work guys,” he ordered. The men did as he asked, and Hugh had to admit—he was pretty impressed.

“I’m Hugh Davis.” He held out his hand to John and watched as the guy dusted off his hand on his jeans and shook Hugh’s hand.

“I hate to tell you this, but the boss left a few hours ago and I don’t know when he’ll be back,” John said.

“Oh, I have a job interview and am supposed to meet with him in five minutes. Do you mind if I wait around?” he asked.

“Sure, you can sit back in his office. It’s the only room that’s completely done. It’s dusty back there, but tolerable. Follow me,” John ordered. He liked bossy men and wondered if John was available. He was never shy about asking a man out, but he was out of his element in this town.

John showed him back to Colter’s office and told him to have a seat. He offered to call “his boss” and Hugh was grateful for that. He had a few apartments to look at and if this interview went well, he’d need to rent one of them soon. The bar looked about finished and he’d want to help with the final touches. Hugh had a feeling that was why he was called into an interview while the place was still a construction site.

“I’m so sorry that I’m late,” a big guy wearing sunglasses said. He walked into the office and sat down behind the desk in the corner of the room. “Oh, where are my manners?” he asked.He stood and offered Hugh his hand. “I’m Colter Williams, the owner.”

“Good to meet you, Colter,” he said, shaking his hand. “I’m Hugh Davis—hopefully your new bar manager.” The big guy smiled at him and Hugh didn’t miss how blue the guy’s eyes were when he took off his sunglasses or the adorable dimples that he had on each cheek.

“You okay, Hugh?” Colter asked.

“I am,” he said, trying to clear his mind of how much he’d like to lick his possible new boss’s dimples. “I guess I’m just a bit distracted after the long ride to town this morning.”

“You don’t live in town?” Colter asked.

“Not yet,” Hugh admitted. “I live about three hours from here, but I’m looking at apartments after our meeting—if everything goes well.”

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