Page 55 of Winning You
FRANKIE
Office days wereFrankie’s least favorite days. It meant being overly accessible to his coworkers. It meant a mountain of paperwork. It meant fielding complaints from restaurant owners who thought he was unfair.
It meant shitty food from the three places downtown that could get an order done in a reasonable amount of time.
But it did give him the opportunity to sit at his desk and think about the night before. To think about what it had been like to have Lucas falling apart in his arms, kissing him like he needed Frankie’s mouth to breathe. Holding him like he would disappear if he didn’t squeeze tight enough.
He woke with the scent of Lucas all over him, which eased the discomfort of his back pain because he was not built for sleeping on the floor any longer. He had no regrets, of course. While he hadn’t come, he’d felt more satisfied by Lucas’s presence than any session with his left hand and a warm shower, which had been his only mode of getting off since his ex left.
Leaving him that morning had been hard, but knowing that he might see Lucas again tonight eased some of the fear that he was getting this all wrong.
Leaning back in his chair, he stared out the window. They were one of the taller buildings in the area. Living in a small town meant no skyscrapers or massive apartment buildings. He could see out over the downtown shops and toward his neighborhood.
He wondered where Lucas was parked today. He knew he could go check his socials since they were always posted the night before, but he didn’t want to be tempted to go bother him at work again. Though, he thought, a grilled PB&J wasn’t the worst reason to go for a long walk.
He glanced at his clock and sighed. He really did not have the time. And frankly, if he saw Lucas, he’d struggle to keep his hands to himself, and he didn’t want to be crossing lines in front of customers.
He wanted to prove to Lucas that he could give him what he wanted—that he could be a friend, and when they were alone, give him all the benefits.
Reaching for his mouse, he wiggled it to wake his monitor up, but just as the file loaded, there was a knock on his door.
“Francisco?” Only people at work ever called him that. “There’s, ah…a chef who’s requesting a meeting with you. He seems a little upset.”
Frankie felt irritation crawl up his spine. They had a fucking protocol. He didn’t take meetings with disgruntled chefs for a reason. Several years back, there was an altercation, and one inspector ended up in the hospital with a windpipe that had been almost completely crushed, and one chef who earned three years in jail for his anger.
He stood up and walked to the door, throwing it open. “You know we don’t—oh.” The rest of his words died on his tongue because standing behind Selina was the one person he’d been desperate to see since that morning.
Lucas was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, his hair swept back into a messy bun, his left hand holding his cane tight while his right hand rested on the wall. He lifted his chin, and his lips twitched into something like a smile.
“I have several bones to pick with you, Mr. Montez,” Lucas said. “Several angry, heavy thick…bones.”
“Sir, if you want?—”
“It’s fine,” Frankie said, barely able to keep the tremble from his voice. “I’ll handle this.”
Selina looked back at Lucas, then at Frankie. “If you need me, let me know.”
“I’ll be fine.” As Selina stepped around Lucas, Frankie moved into the corridor. “Can I offer you a hand?”
Lucas reached out. “Elbow, please.”
Frankie did as he asked, kicking the door open wider with his foot before leading Lucas inside. When they were past the threshold, Lucas reached behind him and shut the door with a purposeful click. The sound was loud enough to make Frankie jump.
“Does your office have windows?” Lucas asked.
“Just the one behind my desk.”
“So you didn’t see me coming?”
Frankie moved away from Lucas’s hand and turned to face him. “No.”
Lucas bit his lip as he stepped back against the door, his hand still behind him. “So, if I were to kiss you…”
Frankie took a breath, then closed the distance between them. He put a cautious hand on Lucas’s jaw like he did the night before, and Lucas let out a small, satisfied hum and tipped his face upward.
The kiss was just as good as before. Maybe even better because Frankie had been thinking about it all damn day. Lucasmoaned softly, tilting his head to the side and wrapping one arm around Frankie’s waist.
“Okay,” Lucas said, breathing hard. “Okay.”
