Page 22 of Knockin' Boats
“Yes, really, Mr. Sex on a Stick,” a sassy barista called from behind the counter. His dark hair was styled within an inch of its life, and his T-shirt read:I’ll swallow your bait, Mr. Fisherman. “You want a taste of something in my shop? Preferably me?”
Mel giggled beside me. “I can’t believe you’ve never been here. Danny is a hoot.”
“Yes,” Danny said, tone dry. “I’msucha hoot.”
I chuckled. “I’ll need a minute to look over the menu.”
“Passed up for my drinks once again,” he said with a put-upon sigh. “Let me know when you’re ready to order.”
Danny walked away to give us a few minutes.
I glanced up at the menu. “Holy shit, these drink names.”
Caramel Cockiato, Mocha Me Moan, Daddy, A Latte Licking, All-American Alpha, Spit-Roasted Blond, Flat-on-your-back White…
“Seriously,” Mel said, “how have you not been here?”
I shrugged. “You know how Sawyer gets. It’s a small town, and I never really needed to come over. Not if it meant…”
“Upsetting him?”
“Yeah.”
Mel slung her arm around my shoulders. “You can’t live your life to appease him, you know.”
“I know. I’m not.” My chuckle took on an edge. “Clearly. I’m invading his life, making nice withhisfriends.”
“Those don’t sound like your words.” She took one look at my face and read the truth there. “Do I need to have words with him? Because I will. I’m not afraid to give it to him straight.”
I smirked. “He might like that a little too much. Yougiving it to him straight.”
She elbowed me in the gut, making me grunt. “You know what I mean.” She huffed. “Let’s order.”
Danny returned as if by magic, which meant he’d probably heard every word we exchanged. “What can I get you? It’s not too late to choose me.”
“Tempting,” I said. “But I have to go to work with a guy who hates my guts. What’s your drink recommendation for that?”
“Depends,” Danny said. “Do you want to sex up this guy?”
Mel coughed to disguise a laugh beside me.
“No,” I said firmly.
“Too bad,” Danny said. “The Bend-Over Breve or Cinnamon Do-Me would have been perfect. But if not, then I’d suggest the All-Americano Alpha to keep you strong.”
I pulled a face. I liked sweet drinks, so the Alpha wasn’t happening. “Give me the Mocha Me Moan, Daddy.”
“Oh, you know I will,” he purred.
Mel ordered a Latte Licking.
“Just out of curiosity, how do you deal with the homophobes? Or like…just the prudish types when they come in?”
Danny pointed above his head to a second panel of the menu labeledFamily-FriendlyDrinks.“I don’t get much trouble withhomophobes. I’ve got a rainbow sticker on the window, and if they make it past that, they take one look at me or my T-shirt and hightail it out. It saves me a lot of time and trouble. But most folks just roll with it. If families come in with kids, I just point them to the other menu.”
“Huh. Well, it’s fun.”
Danny set my mocha on the counter, then started Mel’s drink. “Life isn’t worth living if it’s not fun, right?”
