Page 36 of Poolside

Maria launched into a detailed rundown of her younger brother’s playoff baseball game, and Tommy felt like a million dollars.Thiswas what he loved. Knowing his people. They weren’t just his employees. As a manager, his job was to put the right people in the right places and then give them what they needed to succeed.

He took great pride in being a good guy to work for. He took the time to get to know everyone who worked in his branches. The sales people, the drivers, and the car preps who worked in the back washing cars all day. For the business to run, all of them needed to be on it. They needed to be a team. He hadn’t been able to figure out how to be a good husband, butfuckif he wasn’t an excellent boss.

Just then, the back door opened, and Sarah, the branch manager, walked in. She wore a blazer and slacks with heels, and had her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.

“Welcome back!” Tommy enveloped her in a quick hug. “How does it feel to be back on the grind?”

He pulled back and caught her wide but tired smile. “It’s good,” she said. “I’m exhausted, but it’s good.”

Immediately, Tommy’s head started working through solutions. “What if we have Jace open a few days a week? Give you extra time with Declan in the mornings?” Jace was Sarah’s assistant manager, who’d stepped up while Sarah was on maternity leave. Declan, her little boy, was the cutest and chubbiest thing Tommy had ever seen. He’d showered the new baby with gifts, and had sent over a few easy dinner meals for the young family in the days after Declan was born.

He took care of his people.

Sarah waved off the offer. “I’m okay for now, Tommy. Seriously. Abe is working from home, so we’ve got it covered.”

“You tell me if anything changes, okay?”

She smiled. “I promise, boss.”

Tommy pointed over to the bouquet that sat on the front counter. “I brought over some flowers and snacks for the team. Just wanted to welcome you back.”

Sarah looked up at him. “You a good one, Tommy.”

When Tommy extended a fist, she bumped her own against his.

“I’ve got to jet,” he said to the group. “James, let’s do lunch next week so we can review the material for your management qualifying test. I’ll text you.”

James shot him a thumbs up. “Thank you!”

“Go sell!” Tommy yelled as the branch door closed behind him.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket as he climbed into his car.

“Boss,” he said when he answered.

“Listen, Tommy.” Rick’s voice was too loud, and Tommy held the phone away from his ear. “I need you to get me updated numbers for the area tonight. I’ve got a call with corporate in the morning and haven’t had time to put it all together. You got me?”

Tommy stifled his sigh. He’d planned on showing up at Chuck’s house with some take out and a fresh batch of cookies. But he knew these were the moments Rick measured. When it came down to it, was Tommy willing to go the extra mile?

“I got you,” he said to Rick.

“Good man! Always doing what needs to be done.”

The line clicked, and it was silent in his car. He allowed himself a single groan before he steeled himself for the work ahead of him.You want this, he reminded himself.You’ve worked hard for this.

Guess it was leftovers and staring at his laptop instead of seeing Chuck tonight. Disappointment sank in his gut. At least he’d see him at David’s birthday that weekend.

* * *

In spite of the exhaustion that weighed down his eyelids, Tommy tossed his laptop, a box of tissues, and a bottle of lotion onto the smooth blankets of his made bed.

Heshouldgo to sleep, but he had some research to do.

He stripped down to his boxer briefs, and took a moment to make himself comfortable against the pillows before he opened his laptop and navigated to a porn site.

His fingers paused over the keys, his cursor blinking in the search bar. Swallowing, he typed“gay”and hit enter.

Holy shit. There were more naked bodies than he knew what to do with, male bodies thrusting and backs arching and dicks front and center. Neither his mind nor his body seemed to know how to react to the onslaught of dicks.

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