3. Taylor
Chapter 3
Taylor
The night out on the town with Nicky had been every bit as fun as I’d hoped. And it was great to be in a new town where no one knew me or had any expectations about me either.
Before moving to Los Torros, I was working in a crew of Daddies and while that was fun it did mean that I kind of missed out on the type of fun that a Little has on a night out.
And given that I was up until recently not entirely sure of my own identity, it always felt like I was going along with things rather than truly committing and having the best time I possibly could.
So, yeah, last night with Nicky was a great start to life in Los Torros.
But last night was last night, and this morning is very definitely this morning…
‘Let me guess, you were out late last night?’ Xander says, reaching out and offering me an extra-large orange juice box. ‘Hey, I don’t blame you. And today’s not a full day either. I mean, it’s officially a day off. I just wanted to get you down to the site to go over some things.’
‘Thanks, I need this,’ I say, a little gingerly as I sip on the juice. ‘You know, I don’t make a habit of going out late before work. Honestly, the last thing I want to do is make a bad impression just as I start with your crew, Xander.’
I’m actually a little bit worried that making a bad impression is precisely what I’ve done.
I know that the Blue Collar Boys are known for their partying and fun-loving nature, but at the same time I’ve also heard that they’re one of the hardest working crews around who pride themselves on never, ever missing a deadline.
But I don’t have to worry for too long.
Xander can clearly see that I’m still feeling a little guilty…
‘Hey, trust me when I say that I’ve been out on a work night!’ Xander giggles. ‘We play hard in our crew. All I ask is that when it comes to a real workday, everyone is in top form. And based on what I’ve heard about you, I’m pretty sure that’ll always be the case.’
I smile.
My old boss was an understanding man who was a great friend too, and by the looks of things I think Xander is cut from a similar cloth.
‘Okay, right, let me show you what you’ll be doing,’ Xander says, smiling as he points me in the direction of a forklift truck and several cordoned off areas that look ripe for some foundations to be laid.
We walk through the graveled area of the site and Xander stops right in front of the impressive forklift truck. It looks like a new model, one that clearly hasn’t seen much - if any - action to date.
With its immaculate red paintwork and powerful pneumatic operating system, I can see that this piece of kit would have set Xander and his business partner Lane back a significant amount of money.
‘She’s a beauty, right?’ Xander chuckles, running his hand down the side of the forklift’s immaculate profile.
‘Sure is,’ I say, smiling from ear to ear. ‘Whoever gets to fire up this bad boy is one lucky S.O.B.’
‘Well… I guess that’s you then,’ Xander laughs, patting me on my shoulder. ‘When I spoke with your old boss, he told me all about your skills when it comes to machines like this doozy. She’s all yours. Cherish her like your favorite stuffie.’
I gasp.
To come onto a crew as a new guy and get given free run on a machine like this is pretty rare. I can feel my heart flutter a little as Xander places the keys in my hand too.
But as happy as I am, my face must be giving something away too.
Xander’s mention of the stuffie only really served to remind me that I don’t have one. I know he wasn’t trying to make me feel sad, and he probably assumed that I would already have found my Forever Stuffie, but…
‘Hey, is everything okay?’ Xander says, a note of concern in his voice. ‘I thought you’d love the chance to be in charge of Big Red?’
‘Oh, yeah, I totally am,’ I say. ‘It’s just…’
‘Yeah?’ Xander says, a friendly look in his eyes that makes me want to open up to him, despite the fact that we’ve just met.
‘I don’t… have a stuffie,’ I reply, my voice wobbling a little.
‘Not yet ,’ Xander replies. ‘You don’t have a stuffie yet. But… you will. Everyone is different. Each situation in life is unique. One day you’ll find your perfect stuffie and you won’t look back!’
‘Was it like that with you?’ I reply, feeling a ton more optimistic all of a sudden.
‘Yeah!’ Xander says. ‘Here, look.’
With that, Xander takes his shoulder bag off and opens it up to show me the most perfect little otter stuffie I’ve ever seen.
‘This is Shine,’ Xander says. ‘And he says that you’re definitely going to meet your perfect, most cuddly little friend sooner rather than later. And Shine’s rarely wrong either!’
The pair of us giggle and I feel a hundred times better.
As understanding as my old workmates were to me being a Little when I did eventually work it out and tell them, I’ve never experienced anything like this.
This might be my first day as a Blue Collar Boy, but something tells me that I’m going to be sticking around for a long, long time.
‘Okay, I’ll go and get my prep done for a meeting I’m having with Harrison Harlow,’ Xander says. ‘Trust me, this is one dude you do not want to get on the wrong side of. You stay down here and get to grips with this big beast until you’re comfortable. Okay?’
‘You got it,’ I say, my eyes widening at the thought of turning the forklift on and putting her through her paces.
This is turning out to be a wonderful morning.
Forklift fun for now, and who knows… I might even go looking for a stuffie after lunch!
* * *
‘Whoosh!’ I cry out, becoming more and more comfortable with the forklift as I get to grips with the unfamiliar control setup in the cabin. ‘This is fun!’
I’ve got a big smile on my face as I turn the truck around and bring up the forks at pace. Despite this being a new model to me, I think I’ve pretty much got a handle on how it moves and the kind of weight and operating style it will need when the real work starts.
I’ve always been fascinated by trucks, forklifts, diggers, and pretty much any machinery that involves moving heavy weight from one place to the other.
Growing up, my parents bought me all the toy trucks and equipment that I wanted. And I loved playing with them too. But in some ways, I think this is what made me struggle to fully accept my Little side.
I guess part of me thought that if I was so into all the typically macho and stereotypically boy’s toys, then I couldn’t be a real Little – even if I did have a strong desire to color, paint, and dream of a fantasy world of infinite stuffies too.
Well, that’s in the past now.
Whatever my childhood and early adulthood was like, I’ve got a chance to make a life for myself now that is a full reflection of who I am and what I’m all about.
I’m new in Los Torros, and it might be the one chance I get to start totally fresh and put the real me out there.
‘Phew, I think that’s me all done,’ I say, making one final maneuver on the forklift truck and turning the engine off.
I decide to walk up to see Xander and ask if there’s anything else I need to know before I start work properly tomorrow.
With the sun beating down on me and my body very much in need of some refreshment, I walk up the gravel track with a big part of me hoping that Xander will offer another one of his delicious an XXL-sized juice boxes!
But as I walk up, I see that Xander is talking to someone.
It must be that so-called tough guy, Harrison Harlow.
Pffft .
I’m not much interested in tough guys in suits. Being around real macho construction guys back home and in my new home in Los Torros, I’m hardly likely to let some guy in a flashy suit intimidate me.
But as Harrison turns around to look at me, I feel my heart skip a beat – well, several in fact.
Wow. Wow. Wow… he’s freakin’ gorgeous.
And not only that, but the withering look he just gave me just did something very funny to me indeed.
But I can’t let myself show any signs of being scared by Harrison. Hell no. I’m going to be a brave boy and tough this out. That’ll show him.
Xander tells me to go and have a look around the site while he finishes off talking to Harrison.
I can see that my casual attitude has gotten under Harrison’s skin, so I’ll definitely take that as a win. But who am I kidding, my heart’s beating faster than after that time I nearly sent a fully loaded eight-wheeler into a ditch.
Harrison is incredibly hot.
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m having a replay of all those thoughts about hot, sophisticated Daddies again…
And I have to admit that Harrison’s suit is actually pretty impressive. I can see how well tailored it is, and that is before taking into account how well it outlines his strong shoulders, muscular thighs, and… the big, thick, length inside his suit trousers.
With his strong jawline and piercing eyes, Harrison could pass as an A-List leading man too…
‘Okay, calm down,’ I mutter as I walk toward the soon to be demolished old pool house. ‘He’s older than me, he’s hot, but… he’s also my boss’s boss. It’s a no-go zone.’
I take a deep breath and prepare myself to put Harrison out of my mind.
But something tells me that this is going to be much harder than I think.
Especially seeing as I’m going to be working on Harrison’s building project for the next couple of months. I’ve heard about taking things one day at a time, but this might just push that theory to its absolute limits – and then beyond…