Page 25 of Daily Grind
Or driving him out of his mind. He shared a smile with Rob—then the door opened to a flood of customers.
For the rest of the afternoon, he served customers, chatted with regulars, and caught snatches of conversation with Rob, even showing him rain gear that would keep his camera safe. There were touches and glances. Laughter and warmth.
So much so that he shivered when Rob left for the evening and let a burst of cold air in. He still had another hour before close, and then all the cleaning.
The week loomed large. He fired off another e-mail to see if anyone could pick up Vance’s shifts and Miranda claimed one.Sorry I can’t do more.
So was he. But he’d make it through. He had Sunday to look forward to, and Rob’s promise to help him relax. Those whispered words from Friday slithered through his brain and into his balls.
After our next date, I’m going to find out what the rest of you tastes like.
His second shiver had nothing to do with the chill in the shop.Yes, please.
* * *
Rob slipped offhis headset and dropped it next to his laptop. One meeting down, too many to go. At least he had a half hour to get up, stretch, and grab a cup of coffee.
On his way to the kitchenette closest to his office, he rolled out his neck. Sitting for hours was killing him. He missed the days of tinkering in the lab. Long hours of functionality testing—which meant playing with actual robots.
Other engineers did that now, though he did roll up his sleeves and join them once in a while to keep his hand in. He tugged at his shirtsleeves. Wrong outfit for that, though. Business suits and hardware labs didn’t mesh well, even when he left the jacket and tie behind.
The coffee machine in the kitchenette was a pod type. Pick your flavor and size. Mix and match. He grabbed something not flavored and stuck it in the machine. Wouldn’t be as good as Brian’s and wouldn’t be served by that sandy-haired firebrand of a man.
God, how he wanted more than the little taste he’d had.
The coffee machine chugged and hissed and thudded its pod into some interior compartment. Rob grabbed his coffee and wandered over to the window to watch the traffic on Penn Avenue. Since Friday, every nerve in his body tingled at the thought of touching Brian. Unlike some of the gay men he knew, he never really had an issue with bisexual men enjoying woman. Women were people, too. Hell, back before he’d finally thrown up his hands and come out of the closet, he’d slept with some women. Pretty much cemented that it wasn’t his thing, but he didn’t begrudge men for whom it was.
But he understood the fear of rejection, of not being understood, of being used. Rob sipped his coffee, swallowed, and frowned at his reflection. He’d been there—especially when he’d made the mistake of not changing his clothes before going out or forgotten to take his watch off—the gold Rolex that signaled “one-of-us” to his business partners signaled something very different to the men he’d met at bars.
Brian hadn’t even pried into his business. He was more interested in bikes and cameras andhim.
Footsteps against carpeting. Rob didn’t turn, but glanced past his reflection. “Hello, Todd.”
“Hi, Mr. Ancroft, how are you?”
Rob closed his eyes briefly before turning around. “God,pleasecall me Rob.” Todd stood by the coffee machine clutching a rainbow mug as if it were a talisman. “Mr. Ancroft sounds like some pretentious git.”
That loosened those shoulders and Todd huffed a laugh. “Sorry.”
Rob waved the word away. “I have to thank you for recommending Grounds N’at.” He frowned into his coffee. “Except for the part where I’m ruined for this stuff now.”
Todd slipped his mug into the machine and set the contraption brewing. “Glad you enjoyed it. They brew a mean cup. Kind of does spoil you for everything else. Fazil and I hung out there all the time when we lived up the street.”
“You’ve met the owner, then?”
“Brian? Yeah. Cool guy. Very creative. He’d come up with these seasonal drinks that no one else had… then everyone else had, if you know what I mean.”
Rob took another sip, then pulled back. “I justcan’twith this stuff.” He dumped the rest in the sink and tossed the paper cup.
Todd pulled his mug out of the machine. “How much time have you been spending there?”
Not enough.Rob swallowed that, but something must have shown, because Todd gave him the mostinterestinglook, filled with a thousand questions. “I’ve spent some time talking with Brian.”
Todd was verging on a grin, but he was smart enough to sip his coffee and not say anything.
“He’s got an interest in photography and biking and—”
The smile broke through. “I’d hadn’t realized how his interests ran.”
