Chapter 4
GAbrIEL
Over the following days, my Highway Hottie went radio silent.
It had been two days, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
He almost seemed like a figment of my imagination: a suit-wearing specter I could use to hang all my daydreams on.
It got to the point that I was worried that if we did ever bump into each other again, he wouldn’t live up to my fantasies.
In a city as big as LA, we’d never see each other again, but if I ran into him at the bars one day, I wasn’t going to let him leave without going down on him at least once.
Just to get him out of my system.
It was Thursday morning when I made a quick stop for supplies at The Gnomery, my favorite neighborhood garden center, on my way to work.
My plant babies deserved the best. I had become good friends with the owner, Fiona, since I came in so often.
She started giving me the small business discount when she found out about my bitters brewing hobby, and in exchange, I brought her samples from each batch for free.
“Great to see you,” Fiona called out.
“I have a new flavor for you,” I said, making my way to the counter. “I think it’s going to be my summer special, lavender hibiscus.”
“Oh, what a treat!” Fiona’s box braids were tied back behind a light blue handkerchief, and she wore a pair of olive green coveralls. “Any serving suggestions?”
“Gin, I think.” I turned to where I knew I’d find my favorite soil blends, then stopped. “Or tequila. Everything tastes great with tequila.”
Fiona’s laughter followed me down the aisle.
I’d picked out everything I needed, plus a pretty terracotta pot, and was standing at the checkout counter when I heard the bell chime over the front door.
“Be right with you, Taylor,” Fiona called out to someone behind me.
I froze.
No way this was my Taylor. But sure enough, when I turned to look, there was no mistaking him—tall, tailored suit, reddish brown hair—standing by the pretty display of fairy houses Fiona always decorated.
The pot I was holding slipped from my fingers, crashing onto the concrete floor and breaking into pieces.
“Oh shit,” I whispered.
Taylor turned at the sound, and he was just as hot as I remembered.
I wished he were getting a better second impression.
My hair was a disaster, and I was dressed for work at the botanical gardens—a white polo with our logo, khaki cargo pants, and thick-toed boots.
I could finally see the color of Taylor’s blue eyes, the freckles across his cheeks, and the way his suit fit every line of his lean body to perfection.
My cheeks heated when I remembered the promise I made to myself just this morning. A blow job in the back aisles of The Gnomery had not been on my bingo card, but if he’d let me…
Fiona’s movement seemed to break the spell I was under as she rounded the counter, holding a broom. “Are you ok, Gabriel?”
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” I quickly knelt to start collecting the broken pottery. “It slipped right through my fingers.”
I glanced up at Taylor through my lashes.
His cheeks flushed, and I couldn’t help imagining whether it continued under his buttoned-up collar.
My tongue darted out to lick my lips, and I watched his eyes follow the movement.
Of course, he could simply be embarrassed for ghosting me, but in case the blush was from the sight of me on my knees, I’d play into it a little.
Turns out I hadn’t been exaggerating the chemistry, at least on my end.
Taylor cleared his throat and loosened his tie, his pink cheeks darkening to red. Oh, it was so on.
“It’s no problem,” Fiona said, her voice pulling me away. “Let’s get you another pot and a fresh bag of this potting soil, shall we?”
“You don’t need to—” I start.
“Nonsense.” Fiona waves a dismissive hand.
Taylor finally spoke, a playful seriousness to his words. “Are you sure you should be giving away inventory in front of your accountant?”
He made his way toward us, his movements brisk and precise.
“Oh, hush, you,” Fiona replied, threatening him with her broom. “I get to run this business however I want. All you do around here is make sure I won’t lose the farm if I get audited.”
I chuckled as I took the broom out of Fiona’s hands. Time to go in for the kill. “Careful, I’m taking this guy out tomorrow, and I want him in one piece.”
Fiona’s eyebrows shot up.
Taylor quickly added, “We met recently.”
“Small world.” She pressed her lips together in a smile and hustled away down one of the aisles, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Taylor, let me go find those papers I had for you—and Gabriel, I’ll grab your pot and soil. Be right back.”
Subtle as a sledgehammer, that woman. I loved her for it, because now I had my opening.
“It’s nice to meet you, officially.” I brushed my hand off on my pants before reaching out to offer it.
He gave a little squeeze before letting go, and I melted. It was going to be so fun to take this put-together man apart.
“Likewise,” Taylor said.
“So, tomorrow night?”
“What?”
“For our date.” I smiled up at him, stepping a little closer.
“I work late…”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re trying to get out of our agreement,” I teased.
Taylor worried his lip between his teeth and avoided my eyes.
I wanted to take that plump lip in my mouth instead, treat it with a little more care.
I brushed my fingers against his hand. It was a touch so light it could be explained away as unintentional, but I felt it in every fiber of my body.
I took one step closer. “It’s fine if you don’t want to go out.
I think you’re stunning, but I’m not going to force you into anything if it’s one-sided. ”
“It’s, uh, definitely not one-sided,” Taylor replied, giving a little self-conscious grin. “You think I’m stunning, do you?”
“Hell, yeah. Even better up close than from my car window.” My eyes dropped to his lips, and I heard his breath catch. “So, about that date…”
Fiona slammed her office door as she made her way back to the checkout counter. Taylor startled and stepped back, and I felt a cool breeze in place of the warmth from his body. I was a confident guy, but I wasn’t going to pressure anyone to go out with me. I mentally started writing him off, but…
He touched my elbow and leaned in to whisper, “Tomorrow.”
Fiona passed me my purchases before handing Taylor a manila envelope. “Here are those receipts you asked for. I’m sorry I couldn’t figure out the online portal. You know I’m hopeless with technology.”
“It’s fine. It wasn’t out of my way to swing by for them,” Taylor said, taking the envelope. He flipped through the contents with a small smile. “I know you wanted an excuse to see my face.”
“I wasn’t expecting to see you at all, actually,” Fiona said, her lips pursed. “A coworker of yours called yesterday to say you’d been in the hospital.”
I hovered by the front door, pretending to be fascinated by the seed carousel and not at all in their conversation. A hospital visit? Why did that make my chest ache? I didn’t even know this guy.
That explained why he’d stopped texting.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Taylor said. “I’ll call if I have any other questions while I’m working on your return. It’ll probably be the first or second week of February.”
Ok, so he clearly didn’t want to talk about it, and I certainly didn’t know him well enough to ask.
“Sure thing.” Fiona pushed Taylor toward the door. “Now get out of here.”
I squinted into the sunlight as I stepped outside, adjusting the large pot in my grip as Taylor followed. If I flexed my biceps a little extra for the benefit of my audience, that was within my rights. “Were you serious about tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I should be able to meet you around eight p.m.” Taylor typed away on his phone.
Maybe he would ghost me a second time, especially since he was glued to his phone. I felt a buzz in my pocket.
“I just sent you a calendar invite,” he said as he slid his phone into his pocket.
I wanted to ask about the hospital. I wanted to ask why he was working so late. I wanted to kiss him. Instead, I simply said, “Works for me. You going to buy me dinner?”
“I met a boy,” I whispered conspiratorially to Magdalena, as I misted her large Monstera leaves. She remained as stoic as ever, hard to impress as she was.
The little jungle I’d created in my tiny apartment was like an oasis. I had twinkle lights hung over the top of the greenhouses like indoor stars, and the walls were painted a warm coral color, making me smile every time I opened the front door.
“He’s kind of shy and funny and has the prettiest blue eyes.”
I pulled up my phone to show Magdalena the selfie he’d sent me, but she was unmoved. Maybe she wasn’t into guys; that’s the only reason I could think of as to why she wouldn’t immediately be in love.
Not that I was in love, either. Obviously.
“Do you think I can really do this whole dating thing?” I toyed mindlessly with the gold hoop in my nose. Magdalena didn’t answer, and I sighed. “No, you’re right. I’m overthinking. It’s just a casual dinner at a bar. Maybe some dancing if I’m lucky. No pressure.”
I continued misting the plant babies. Several hung from the ceiling in macramé hangers.
Then, I had the greenhouse cabinets, the smaller pots lining my TV console, and several bigger floor pots lined up under the windows.
They all had names and personalities, and I liked to imagine the telenovela-style dramas that unfolded between them while I was at work.
I should have known I’d end up working with plants, but it was a long, winding road.
When I finally made it into the bathroom to brush my teeth before bed, my eyes landed on the bathtub full of oranges I’d completely forgotten about.
My winter bitters flavor was orange agave, and it was my most popular.
However, those damn oranges were standing between me and my ability to take a shower—something I definitely needed to do before my date with Taylor tomorrow.
I wasn’t trying to disrupt the cocktail industry or anything. It just felt good to make something delicious and share it with friends. Downtime made me itchy, and I’d had many hobbies come and go, but this one had stuck so far.
Even though part of me wanted something in my life to be permanent, I never let myself get too attached. Whether it was hobbies, careers, or people, things always ended. I was waiting for the spark, for something to consume me. Why bother settling without that burn-the-world-for-you feeling?
“You couldn’t have reminded me about this earlier?” I called out to Magdalena in accusation as I stared down the oranges.
Silence. Typical.
I was tempted to call Taylor so he could keep me company while I worked.
It was a strange impulse, considering we’d barely interacted.
There was definitely a spark, though, and I was prepared to chase it.
What did Taylor get up to on a Thursday night?
I connected my headphones and hit dial. No overthinking.
While the phone rang, I began gathering oranges into my largest stock pot, carrying from the shower to the kitchen sink to wash and juice them.
“Gabriel?” a groggy voice said.
I glanced down at my phone and realized that it was after midnight. Ok, so I should probably have tempered my impulsiveness long enough to check the time.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“Is everything ok?”
“Yeah, everything is fine. I’m elbows deep in a bathtub full of oranges and thought it’d be nice to have your company, but I don’t want to interrupt your sleep. We can talk tomorrow.”
“A bathtub full of what?” His voice was husky with sleep. “I’ll be honest, this is the strangest booty call I’ve ever received.”
My mind finally processed that I was mostly naked and he was in bed, and suddenly, that was all I could think about.
Was he naked, too? He’d looked so goddamn good in that suit when he showed up at The Gnomery, all long, elegant lines.
I couldn’t help imagining what he might look like dressed down.
He seemed the type to have silk pajamas or some shit.
“Gabriel?”
I’d been internally panicking for too long, so I panicked externally instead. “I really wasn’t trying to booty call you, I swear. Please go back to sleep and let me die of embarrassment in peace.”
Taylor chuckled softly through the phone. “It’s fine.”
I could hear Taylor shuffling around in his sheets, and I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from asking him what he was wearing. “It’s not, but I appreciate you saying that. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Gabriel,” he said in that sexy, sleepy voice.
Did he get bedhead, or was his hair always perfectly in place? I got half-hard just imagining it.
“Sweet dreams,” I said.
By the time I piled the bucket of peels and the gallons of orange juice into the fridge, it was close to three in the morning.
I stepped under the shower spray to rinse off the sticky orange juice residue.
I was still mortified that Taylor thought I was trying to booty call him.
While I was trying to sleep with him eventually, a midnight ‘u up?’ was not my style.
I might have made a fool of myself, but I wouldn’t let myself regret it.
I shivered and ran a soapy hand over my body, finally palming my hardening cock.
My breath quickened. I leaned my free arm against the shower wall for support as I let my mind wander into sexy territory, filling with my usual shower spank bank material of wet, soapy bodies.
A pair of particularly compelling blue eyes invaded my imagination.
Hey, Taylor was the one who put the idea of a late-night booty call in my mind. I was just running with it.
I whimpered, tracing my thumb over the head of my cock, sliding the foreskin around.
Fantasy Taylor pressed against my back, his arm reaching around to take control of my handjob, whispering in my ear with that deep, scratchy voice. Those soft, delicate fingers wrapped around me. The pounding stream from the shower head above became kisses on the back of my neck.
A moan fell from my mouth.
If only he were here to hear it.
Speeding up my strokes and tightening my grip, it wasn’t long before I was painting the tile with my release.