Diego gripped an unfolded sheet of white paper in his right hand as he approached Rhea’s desk. “Do you know anything about this?”

“I try to make it my office policy to avoid reading your personal mail, so I think the answer is, ‘No.’”

Diego shook the paper so that it rattled. “It’s from an office supply chain. It’s a letter from their President. He’s regretting to inform us.”

“Cutting ties?”

“Yes, but there is no information provided that would give us any idea why. I need to call Mr…” Diego held the paper closer to his face. “Erickson.”

Rhea shrugged. “Perhaps they’ve changed their shipping plans, or it’s even possible they are considering closing down. Too many businesses have closed their doors in the last decade. I wouldn’t be happy to share that news in a letter to you.”

“I hope you’re right,” grumbled Diego. The letter put him in a foul mood. He already lamented losing the emotional high from the date with Alan the night before. It only took seconds to order a big bouquet of roses for the object of his affection. The florist assured Diego that the blooms would arrive by 9:00 a.m.”

“I did receive some good news just a few minutes ago,” said Rhea. “I hadn’t gotten around to contacting you yet.”

Diego stopped before returning to his office. “I could use the good news. Don’t make me wait.”

“Lexie Lester will be discharged from the hospital this afternoon. Her husband called me. She wanted to thank you for being there for them. I said that I’m sure that you would be happy to hear the excellent news.”

Diego turned toward his office. “Thank you. I am happy, and I’ll stop by the hospital on my lunch hour. It’ll be good to see smiling faces.” He slammed the door of the office behind him and collapsed into his desk chair. The day was already exhausting, and it was barely past 9:00 a.m. Diego felt like he’d endured a week’s worth of internal turmoil in one morning.

When he went to bed the night before, he could still taste Alan on his lips. The lips were soft, and Alan’s breath was sweet. It left Diego intoxicated. His head was in the clouds. He wanted to take Alan to bed, but he knew that he needed to proceed with care and move slowly. Diego didn’t know if his heart could handle Alan choosing to turn away.

While punching the name of the office supply chain into his online address book, Diego tried to think through the questions to ask on the phone. He wanted to be polite but also indicate he was unhappy by the turn of the events. It wasn’t likely, but Diego always thought there was a chance to lure the customer back. It all depended on the reason for their departure.

The company initially signed a direct contract, but after it expired, they used M-Trak as a shipper on an as-needed basis. Diego decided that it was possible he overlooked the need for constant customer service contact. He picked up the phone and called to speak with Andrew Erickson with apologies on his mind.

Surprisingly, Diego detected nervousness in the man’s voice as soon as he knew who was speaking. Andrew said, “I’m sorry that we had to end our relationship. I do wish you the best.”

“Is there something that I can make right to earn back your business, Mr. Erickson?” asked Diego.

Diego counted to ten in the midst of the unusually long silence from the other end. Finally, Andrew said, “No, I don’t think so. We need to make this change. I hope you understand.”

Diego didn’t understand at all. In fact, he still had no information. Although he knew it was always best to stay positive and never be confrontational, he asked directly, “What did we do wrong?”

Andrew’s speech was halting when he said, “It’s…um…it’s out of my hands. I was…told to make this change. Some…of my investors are selective about…our contracts.”

Anger welled up inside Diego. He’d encountered a similar attitude before. It happened the first time just six weeks after M-Trak opened for business. Diego made cold calls, and the shipping manager of an agriculture supply company said no almost immediately after Diego began speaking. He called Diego later from his personal phone and explained the “difficulty” of hiring a Mexican-owned shipping company in southern Minnesota.

With his right hand trembling, Diego said, “Thank you for speaking with me. If you need anything from us in the future or you are disappointed with the choice of another shipping agent, please don’t hesitate to speak with us. May we keep you on our mailing list?”

An audible sigh of relief traveled through the phone line. “Yes, of course, and I wish M-Trak all the best. I will deliver positive comments if anyone asks about our experience.”

Diego wanted to say, “You can challenge your bigoted investors, too,” but he knew that the new contract with Tar-Mor would more than make up for the loss of business with Mr. Erickson’s company.

After hanging up the phone, Diego leaned back in his desk chair and closed his eyes. He chose to purchase the chair specifically for comfort and how it seemed to cradle his body in any pose. He closed his eyes and thought of cuddling up close to Alan. It didn’t take long for his thoughts to drift into the carnal realm. He imagined himself placing kisses down the center of Alan’s chest working his way lower until he tasted the sweetness of Alan’s other head.

Diego’s hands reached inside his sports jacket, and he began to rub his chest. His nipples were firm poking into the cotton of his shirt as he thought about the taste of Alan’s lips and imagined the heady scent of his skin. His daydream was interrupted by a tone that indicated the arrival of a new personal email message.

Opening his eyes and leaning forward, Diego pulled up his account. He grinned from ear to ear when he saw that the message was from Alan. It read:

Diego considered sending a quick message in response, but he decided that it would be too dull and wouldn’t come close to expressing his true feelings. An appropriate response required more thought. He knew that he had other work to do, but Diego dove head first into searching for the best online greeting card to accompany his return message.