Isaac
“You know,” I said as I peered at the buffet table. “Most of the time, when you hear ‘buffet style’ in a cafeteria, you think the worst.”
Luka snickered. “And not one person would blame you for thinking that. But, if we’re real for a second, buffets have come a long way.”
“True,” I said as I scooped dumplings onto my plate and looked at them with an appreciative grunt.
Whoever made them hadn’t been in a rush or was really good because the wrapper was thin enough that I could see the ingredients.
Of course, they could be store-bought or machine-made, but I’d find out how good they were when I sat down.
..after making a quick dipping sauce from the nearby selection, as well as getting some kimchi.
“But there’s also plenty that aren’t up to snuff. ”
“I think that’s true of most things,” he said, humming as he shifted down the line to the fried rice. “Oooh, it’s pork fried rice; hello!”
I snorted. “A fan of pork?”
“Not really, I’m not even that into bacon unless it’s in a sandwich. But whatever the hell Olly does when he makes it is amazing.”
“That the chef?”
“One of them. I’ve told Reggie the one thing he should be proud of above all else is his selection of people who make the food.”
“I’m sure he appreciated that.”
“No, he was a little offended, actually.”
“I was being sarcastic. I’d bet if he was asked to list the things he was proudest of in this place, the food selection might make the top ten, but low down.”
Luka grinned as we looked for a place to sit. “Yeah, but if I give him too many compliments, he gets all puffed up and starts bragging and stroking his own ego.”
“I think the head of the place, Mr. Shepherd, is the one doing that for him now,” I said without thinking, grimacing when Luka gave a startled noise and turned to me sharply. “Ah, forget I—”
“How did you know?” he asked, eyes going wide.
“Uhh, what?”
“That Reggie likes Mr. Shepherd?”
I squinted. “It’s not difficult. And it’s mutual.”
“It is?”
I sighed, wishing I hadn’t said anything, but at the same time, gossiping about his coworkers’ love lives was probably one of the more interesting things he did. And hell, we were supposed to be friends, and didn’t friends gossip?
I steered us toward a table in the corner and sat down. “It’s just...obvious to me, I suppose.”
“Well, I’m not arguing. I just...I knew about Reggie, but I didn’t think Marc…” He frowned. “I mean...you think they’re together?”
“It’s obvious to me because even in the short time I met them together, they were just..
. It’s hard to explain,” I said, choosing my words carefully.
“They have a gravitational pull on each other; they also pull away, but not enough to put any real distance between them. So, they just...orbit. They’re undoubtedly close, and their work relationship is t,e height of professionalism, but.
..if they haven’t slept together, they certainly want to. ”
“Huh,” Luka said, looking thoughtful. “I thought he seemed calmer lately. Even a little happier, and he keeps...singing.”
I eyed him with a smirk. “Really?”
“What?” he asked with a blank look.
I raised a brow. “I’ve been here a couple of weeks.”
“Right.”
“So, I’ve been exposed to your habits and schedule.”
“Okay?”
“Did you think I didn’t notice you had last weekend off and you came back last night all singing songs, humming, and far more smiley than usual, which is a pretty significant feat.”
He blinked, his cheeks starting to color. “And?”
“You’re obviously getting some as well,” I said with a shrug. “I also heard we had a big-time investor visiting over the weekend, and that they were a former Guest here.”
“Ummm—”
“I’m not saying they’re connected and all, but I am starting to wonder why your first attempt at being a Guide was so complicated. And I have a theory.”
He shifted in his seat, biting his bottom lip before sucking in a breath and smiling. “And, uh, who did you tell this theory to?”
“So far? You,” I said with a smirk. “But your reaction confirms what I suspected. You little skank.”
“Skank,” he muttered in a scandalized tone. “Look, it’s...complicated. If you promise to keep it to yourself, I’ll tell you the story, alright? But not here. Your room or something.”
I absolutely wasn’t going to tell anyone what I suspected and had now confirmed, but hey, I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to get more information either.
I suppose I just had to make peace with the fact that even if I was a reluctant gossip, I wasn’t all that reluctant to hear gossip.
But I would make sure to tell Luka I had never planned to tell anyone. ..after he told me the story, that was.
“Deal,” I said with a snort and looked up as two familiar faces slid into the seats across from us, making Luka sigh.
“You always seem so happy to see me,” Clay said with a smirk.
“He’s probably always waiting for one of your oh so effective pick-up lines,” I told him, picking up a dumpling and taking a bite.
Yep, it turned out that whoever made them knew what they were doing; the filling was full of flavor and moist, while the skin was thin but with some bite.
“That was sarcasm, just so we’re clear.”
“Thanks,” Clay snorted. “I wouldn’t have figured that out on my own.”
“I can’t always assume that you understand me,” I told him with a smile. “Especially because anytime we’re around each other, you have the look of someone who’s imagining me without my clothes on, if not more.”
“Oh, definitely more. I’ve seen you half-dressed in the locker room, so I have a pretty good idea what you look like.”
“But not a complete one.”
“No, and what a shame that is. I’d love to have the full picture for, you know, later.”
“Later,” I said dryly. “When you’re locked away like a fourteen-year-old boy who got turned down for a date to the dance, just you and your hand.”
“Hey, he’s been more faithful than a lot of my exes,” he said with a smirk.
Luka eyed me warily. “How do you put up with this?”
“Easily,” I said, thinking that even if I kept shooting him down, I liked the attention.
In the past couple of weeks, he had been a constant presence, and while, yes, him being a walking boner could get irritating at times, it wasn’t terrible.
It didn’t hurt that, despite his perverted attitude, he wasn’t actually a creep.
I’d caught him looking at me in the locker room, but it had been a quick glance, and he’d looked away before it turned into leering.
He might not be afraid to make comments, but he had never pushed too far, and he hadn’t tried to put his hands on me.
Maybe it wasn’t just because he was harmless; maybe it was because I was attracted to him and not sure what to do with it.
Sleeping with someone as myself rather than some role was sometimes a feat.
Of the handful of times recently that I’d tried, most of the attempts had been met with internal revulsion at the very idea.
Only once had I been able to sleep with someone, and it had been an old friend-with-benefits that I was comfortable enough around to take things at my pace rather than a pace set by someone else, or their expectations.
I wasn’t blind or stupid; I could see he was a good-looking man, and I suspected he might be a lot less horny than he let on.
Sometimes he could actually hold his dirty commentary, and I saw a man who was down to earth, more thoughtful than even he knew, and had a knack for making people smile and feel good about themselves.
During those moments, it was a lot easier to imagine pulling him somewhere quiet and alone.
This was not one of those moments.
“And unclench your butthole,” Clay told Luka with a smirk. “I don’t hit on taken men.”
Luka frowned. “What makes you think I’m taken?”
“My thoughts,” Clay said with a shrug.
Cade shook his head. “I know it’s hard to believe, but sometimes, he actually thinks about more than just fuckin’, I promise.”
“Hey, what do you mean it’s hard to believe?” Clay asked in outrage, glaring at his friend. “You’re supposed to back me up when other people are busting my balls, not take a swing.”
“Ya are what ya are,” Cade said with a good-natured chuckle. “Why should I pretend you’re anythin’ but?”
“That’s actually really sweet,” Luka said, and Cade beamed. “In a weird, ball-busting way, but sweet all the same.”
It was easy to see why Cade and Clay got along so well; they balanced each other and played off of each other seamlessly.
Clay might complain that the other man was giving him shit, but I’d bet that under his complaint, there was a genuine connection and an understanding that Cade was ribbing him.
I hadn’t figured out what Clay brought to the table, but it was obviously something, and I’d bet it was significant.
As happy-go-lucky and warm as Cade was, I sensed there was a lot under the surface, maybe more than he knew.
He was certainly loyal, though, and it wasn’t oftenI met people who were blindly loyal, so whatever it was Cade had done or said in the past was clearly enough to warrant loyalty.
“What?” Clay asked, sensing I was looking at them. “Changing your mind about me?”
“Changing my mind would require me to have something new to consider. So far, all you’ve done is be horny and act cocky,” I said with a smirk.
Cade snickered. “It’s okay, Clay. He’s just tryin’ to figure us out.”
“What’s there to figure out? He already seems to think he’s figured me out,” Clay scoffed.
I smiled. Yeah, there was definitely a lot more going on in that head than people thought. “It’s an old habit of mine; try to figure out what makes people tick.”
Clay tilted his head, a rice cake covered in sauce hanging from his fork. “Why? Weren’t you just...you know, sleeping with people?”
“Clay,” Luka said, jabbing his fork at him. “C’mon, there’s being horny, and there’s being an ass.”