Chapter 28

Anthony

“Hey.”

I don’t even look up at the asshole that ruined what was sure to be a fantastic night.

“Sorry about the cockblock last night.”

Saving my work on my drafting screen, I finally look up at him. “I thought you took the week off.”

Shrugging, he fiddles with the pens in my desktop organizer. “I felt like an asshole for having you come get us. Figured I could be miserable and suffer like I knew you would be.”

My eyes want to drift to the trash where I know the empty coffee cups and energy cans are. Miserable doesn’t even begin to describe me right now.

“I didn’t mind coming to get you.”

“Because you ended up with your lips on Joey?”

It’s then that I look up at him. “Are we really going to get into this at work?”

His lip twitches, and I have to wonder if he’s seriously looking for an ass whooping.

“Besides,” I say instead, “it wasn’t a cockblock.”

“Does your dick know that?”

“We’re talking about my dick now?”

“Couldn’t really miss that beast in your sweats last night.”

“Leave it alone,” I grumble.

I knew I could’ve gotten a couple hours of sleep earlier, but my straining erection had other ideas when I got home. I’m not even mad that I spent the better part of two hours lying in the dark stroking off to thoughts of Joey. What does piss me off is Dave standing in front of me bringing this shit up at work. It took all the power I had last night not to punch him in the nose for walking into Joey’s room like he had every right to.

“I was going to talk to you about it at lunch, but you high-tailed it out of here before I could catch you.”

“I’m not discussing Joey with you.”

“I spent some time thinking about it, and I don’t really have a problem with it.”

Rolling my eyes, I lean back over my drafting table hoping he’ll take a fucking hint and leave me the hell alone.

He doesn’t.

“You have my blessing.”

Clenching my fists to keep from knocking him out, but only because I need this damn job and I know how bad workplace violence can look on a resume these days, I take four deep, even breaths before looking back up at him.

“Blessing?” He nods, stupid grin still on his face. “You’re not the one we need a blessing from.”

“I seriously don’t think God hates gay guys.”

My head tilts. What in the ever loving fuck is this guy talking about?

“Oh,” he says dragging the word out. “Not Him either. I think I can convince Jon to agree.”

“You haven’t even told him about the simple little kiss in the living room. If Jon knew that I—”

His eyes narrow, and I immediately realize my mistake. “That you did what exactly?”

“Leave it alone,” I mutter.

“You checked on him while we were at Lake Travis.”

“Can I get back to work?”

Why does he have to play Inspector Gadget out loud?

“You didn’t!” He hisses sounding like an offended church lady before he leans in. “Tell me you didn’t fuck Jon’s little brother.”

“I never said I did.”

I never said I didn’t.

“He is not going to be okay with that.”

“You need to stop trying to put words in my mouth,” I chastise before looking around to see if we’re drawing attention. Everyone seems to be in the same Monday haze that I’ve been suffering from to pay any mind to us.

“So you’re saying you haven’t?”

“I’m saying you need to mind your own business.” Now I can see why Joey was so frustrated last night at the thought of the two of us discussing him.

“Joey is my business. The dynamics of the group are my business.”

“You are so back and forth.” Now I feel like a woman sitting here discussing this shit. Is this really how guys talk to one another? I’ve never met a man so hell-bent on gossip as Dave. Yet, I’m the one who can’t seem to let it go right now. “You just said you could convince Jon that Joey and I are a good idea.”

“That was before you slept with him,” he spits. The guy at the drafting table next to mine shifts. He doesn’t look directly over to us, but I can tell we’re being listened to.

“I never said I slept with him,” I say lowering my voice and praying he does the same.

“You didn’t have to. I can read between the lines.”

“Listen, Detective Dickhead—”

His hand snaps up stopping me midsentence. “I could possibly convince him to give the idea of you guys a thought, but that was before I knew you stuck your fucking choad in him.”

Nearly coming out of my chair, I glare at him. “I’ll have you know my dick is—”

“We’re not talking about your dick.”

“That’s exactly what we’re talking about,” I argue. “You think it’s your business what it looks like, where I put, and who it comes in contact with.”

“You want to argue about your dick? The only concern I have is you not putting it places that can get both of our asses beat.”

Frustrated doesn’t even begin to describe my mood right now. “You keep mentioning you. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Do you not pay attention to a word I say?”

Not really.

“I brought you into this group, thinking you’d enjoying hanging out with some guys who enjoy baseball. I never imagined you’d go after Jon’s brother. Other than that pink shirt you wore the first week you were here, I never even would’ve thought you were gay.”

“It was mango,” I hiss through clenched teeth before I realize the ridiculousness of the situation and a chuckle slips out. “Better than focusing on Andi.”

“Don’t you even mention that out loud.” He looks over his shoulder as if speaking about the sexual tension between Jon and Andi will actually conjure up the group’s leader. “Jon is serious as fuck about the no dating within the group rule.”

“I wasn’t around when that rule was made,” I counter.

“Neither was Cooper, but you don’t see him trying to fuck Joey, now do you?”

Growling, I stand from my table. “Neither you or Cooper need to look at him again.”

“Sorry, dude. We’ve been friends with him a lot longer than you have. You’ve got no say in the matter.” He shakes his head, frustrated. “What am I saying? We’re not gay, dude, and I suggest for everyone’s sake that you don’t be gay either.”

“You’re not the one he’s fu—”

Crashing back down to my chair, I stop myself before the words actually come out, even though the damage has been done.

His words finally make sense in my head, so I just shut up. Don’t be gay… That advice would’ve saved me a shit ton of trouble. If only I hadn’t thought of it myself.

Fucking idiot.

“You’re fucked,” he mutters with a rough shake of his head.

“If I am, so are you,” I add, and now I’m back in junior high.

“Goddammit,” he grumbles, his knuckles turning white as he grips the edge of my desk.

The guy next to me nearly falls on his ass as he leans even closer to hear us.

“Can we discuss this some other time?”

“Fine,” he agrees. “I only came by to apologize for last night and to invite you to the pre-cruise party at my house Wednesday night.”

“Wednesday?”

“Yeah, we leave for the cruise on Thursday. We all crash at my house the night before and charter a limo to the port early Thursday morning.” He tilts his head when I cock an eyebrow at his limo comment. “You’re still going right?”

“I’ll be there.”

“I’ll text you the address. May want to check with Jon and Joey and see if they want to caravan to the house.” With that jab he walks away, knowing that Jon would feel the tension between Joey and me if we were crowded into the cab of my truck together.

Resisting the urge to throw something at the back of his head, I look over at the guy next to me.

“So is this Joey guy hot?”

“Excuse me?” Someone may still end up getting punched in the nose after all.

“I mean, if you’re not allowed to date him, I figure I can give him a go.”

“Shut the fuck up, Danny.”

Turning back to my work even though I know trying to concentrate is going to be impossible, I open the last tab I was working on before Dave showed up and opened a can of worms. I was concerned about being on the same ship as Joey. Even though they’re massive according to the research I’ve done online, they still don’t seem big enough to keep me away from him.

Dave’s house?

How in the hell can I resist him in such a small place?

Then I consider Jon finding out about what we’ve been up to before the cruise.

“I may not have to worry for long,” I mutter to myself. “I may end up at the bottom of the ocean before week’s end anyway.”

“No dick is worth death,” Danny says as if I were speaking to him.

Ignoring his addition to my spoken thoughts, I pop my headphones into my ears and ignore the world so I can finish up this last project before leaving on Wednesday.