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  He should have caved and messaged over the weekend.

  Gabe cradled his head in his hands. He’d been at work for ten minutes and already wanted to leave. This was why he shouldn’t be allowed on hookup apps.

  He’d just have to throw himself at work. He’d forget about it then.

  That worked a bit.

  THE FAST-FOOD burger was okay. Better than the sad dinner he’d have cobbled together from whatever was in his fridge when he finally got home.

  Getting to work late meant leaving late. His brain was fried, he was tired, and it was nearly 6:30 p.m. Not that Gabe had anything else to do, but every minute spent at work past 5:00 p.m. was torture.

  The restaurant was busy enough that no one looked twice at him but not so busy that he couldn’t score the back corner booth. He didn’t want to talk to anyone or have to make funny faces at someone’s toddler. He wanted to eat his burger and then go home and do something completely un-stressful. Maybe go right to sleep.

  He flipped open Cruised anyway.

  It beeped immediately with a proximity notification for SilverFoxxx. Turning on those notifications hadn’t been stalkerish at all. Nope.

  Gabe put his phone to the side and took another bite of his burger but didn’t close the app. He watched the green dot pulse on his screen, keeping his eyes on it through half of his fries and a couple more bites of burger.

  He was back to debating if he should message first or not. He didn’t really have anything to say, and he felt dumb for not messaging during their normal morning traffic flirting time.

  Fuck it. He was going to do it anyway. Worst-case scenario was this guy thought he was a weirdo and stopped talking to him. But they weren’t talking now, so there was nothing to lose.

  He swiped over to his messages, opened the chat he had going with SilverFoxxx, and stared at it. He pecked out the beginning of a message, deleted, and tried again. He deleted it again just as quickly.

  Gabe typed out hello and hit Send before he could regret it.

  The regret kicked in exactly three seconds later. Gabe stared at what was left of his burger and fries with no appetite left at all. He thought about balling it all up in the tin foil wrapper and throwing it away.

  His phone pinged before he got the chance.

  Hello. Missed you this morning.

  Something about that warmed Gabe’s heart and chased his embarrassment away. It was only text, so it was impossible to interpret tone, but it didn’t feel like SilverFoxxx was being sarcastic or mean about it. It sounded as if the guy genuinely missed him.

  Or Gabe was projecting because he definitely missed flirting with SilverFoxxx that morning.

  Coming out and saying you missed flirting with someone seemed corny, even if SilverFoxxx had done the same, but Gabe didn’t want to let it go completely.

  yeah my drive was boring without u

  There. That was flirty and sweet and didn’t admit that Gabe had missed looking for SilverFoxxx’s black Lexus because he’d overslept.

  I’d hate for you to be bored in traffic. You should invest in a good audio book.

  That was definitely teasing, and Gabe liked it.

  i’d rather flirt with you

  Is that what this is? Flirting?

  Gabe’s heart beat faster, and he totally forgot about his fries. Flirting was one thing, but openly admitting you were flirting was more serious. It implied intent. Something beyond just fun without follow-up.

  i’m flirting are u flirting?

  No point in denying it. Gabe was definitely flirting, and he wanted to keep flirting. He was starting to think more seriously about what the follow-up might be too. He wasn’t supposed to do this anymore, but could one more meetup hurt? This guy was probably gorgeous, and he would be the one Gabe passed on.

  Yes.

  Gabe shivered. The period was so final looking. Like A Statement had been made. And now it was on him.

  your replying too fast to be driving already home?

  That was a cop-out, and Gabe knew it. The anticipation bubbling in his stomach made him giddy, but not giddy enough to be stupid. Not yet. He was slipping that way though. Any push from SilverFoxxx, and Gabe would be dropping to his knees to meet him.

  Still at work. Unfortunately.

  Gabe’s own long Monday had been awful. If SilverFoxxx had gotten to work at a normal hour and was still working… Well, his Lexus didn’t pay for itself.

  long hrs?

  Not always. Just have a lot to get done today.

  Gabe made himself put his phone on the table and eat a few fries. They were replying to each other too quickly. It was almost an actual conversation.

  If this were a real conversation, if they’d met in a bar or wherever the hell people met gorgeous strangers, this is where Gabe would ask what SilverFoxxx did for a living. They’d swap office horror stories and have a second drink, then exchange numbers or jump straight to going back to SilverFoxxx’s place. Even in a fantasy, Gabe wasn’t going to invite this guy back to his shitty apartment.

  It’d been more than a minute. He could respond now without looking too thirsty.

  hope your getting overtime

  SilverFoxxx’s response was immediate. Not exactly. But it’s good work. Worth the extra time.

  He was leaving Gabe every opening to ask what he did. To make the conversation more personal. At this point, Gabe wasn’t sure how to keep this going without asking for more details or sending the guy a picture of his dick.

  what good work do u do

  Gabe was able to finish his burger and fries without his phone pinging. Unease grew to panic and clawed its way into his throat. Had he misread SilverFoxxx’s signals? He should have known better. A nice impersonal dick pic would have been the way to go.

  Panic tightened in his chest. What if he had screwed this up and SilverFoxxx was never going to respond?

  He sucked his drink down to nothing but annoying slurping noises and ice before he gathered up his trash. He made it all the way to his car before his phone pinged again.

  And he fumbled it trying to get it out of his pocket.

  I run the business end of an R&D firm. The researchers do a lot of good work. I just keep the lights on while they do.

  That was really…sweet. And didn’t give too much away. There were a ton of research companies around. It could be any one of a dozen places.

  But SilverFoxxx sounded important.

  that’s good i bet you do more good than you think

  What do you do, if you feel comfortable saying?

  This was a real conversation. Gabe sat in the driver’s seat of his car and cracked the window.

  just push papers nothign exciting

  I bet you’re more exciting than you think.

  Gabe wished there had been an emoji there. A winky face or something. Anything to give him an idea of the tone.

  It was probably more harmless flirting, but reading it again makes Gabe’s chest tighten.

  is that what your looking for on here? someone exciting?

  That was pushing the conversation more toward dick pic territory and farther away from soppy confessions. Gabe was falling back on old habits, and he knew it. It was less frightening than a real emotional connection.

  Less frightening and less affecting.

  Not really. I’m not very exciting myself.

  Gabe could argue that. These conversations and the flutter of nerves in Gabe’s belly were building up a picture of SilverFoxxx in his mind. Older—obviously—and sophisticated. Confident. A great fuck. And very exciting, but in a calm sort of way. Like, he would whisk you off to a Caribbean island but you’d stay in bed at a luxury hotel the whole time.

  He was being stupid. This guy was probably a boring-as-hell troll. Netflix and chill was probably a wild night for him.

  That didn’t make Gabe want to talk to him any less.

  i bet you are. those three xxxs give it away

  Gabe was going to get himself in so much trouble
.

  I’m not tonight. Too much work to do.

  Or SilverFoxxx was going to shut down Gabe’s attempt at making trouble before it got started. Good. That was good. He’d go back to thinking with his brain instead of his cock.

  Leave my Xs alone. They do their job.

  I can be more exciting some other time. If you’re interested?

  So much for thinking with his brain.

  yes

  Tuesday

  GABE WAS UP early. His excitement made him twitchy and kept him from sleeping.

  He showered and dressed quickly. As he’d fallen asleep last night, he’d thought about what he would say to SilverFoxxx. He wanted to up the flirting. He wanted to meet him in person.

  One more meaningless hookup and he’d be done.

  Or not entirely meaningless. Gabe liked SilverFoxxx. Liked him a lot.

  That would probably wear off as soon as they met in person. The fantasy was never as good as the reality, but better to be disappointed than to be left wondering, right? Gabe would keep telling himself that until the anguish of realizing SilverFoxxx couldn’t string a sentence together in person set in.

  Though he was up early, he wanted to wait. He wanted to leave at his normal time so he’d have a better chance of catching SilverFoxxx online and stuck in traffic. Playing around on his phone wouldn’t work because he’d just message SilverFoxxx. He threw it in the pocket of his messenger bag. Out of sight, out of mind.

  Except SilverFoxxx was never out of mind for him.

  Gabe passed the time trying to figure out how to ask for a pic, and if he wanted a face or body shot.

  TRAFFIC WAS THICK enough to bring him to a stop every quarter mile or so. Thank god. He kept Cruised open and on his lap.

  He considered messaging SilverFoxxx while he was offline, but it seemed better to wait until his profile lit up with the little green dot. Waiting hours for a response would send Gabe’s nerves into a panic.

  After a couple of the longest miles of his life, that dot popped up.

  Gabe didn’t wait until he came to a stop. He thumbed open the in-app messenger and swiped out hey.

  He also managed to keep one eye on the road and not hit anyone, so he felt pretty good about himself.

  Texting and driving again?

  Gabe smiled widely at how promptly the response came back. He’d wait a minute or two to text back. He tapped his phone on his thigh as he inched along until he finally came to a stop.

  i’m stopped now okay if i kept txting or are you go ing to call the cops?

  Your grammar is the only crime here.

  Gabe laughed out loud at the smile he imagined in SilverFoxxx’s voice. In the deep, rumbling voice he’d been hearing in his head for the past few days. He was going to be so disappointed if this guy had a high-pitched, squeaky voice.

  you like it

  He lurched ahead again, glancing down to see if SilverFoxxx had responded and then up in time to slam on the brakes to avoid rear-ending the car in front of him.

  The jolt sent his phone bouncing off his thigh and flying to the floor.

  “Shit!” Gabe tried to stretch to pick it up, but it had slid under his seat. No way to get to it and keep his eyes on the road.

  And traffic was clearing up.

  “Shit,” Gabe swore again. He was a couple of miles from his exit. If traffic kept moving, he’d be at work in ten minutes. That wasn’t too long to wait for a flirty response, right?

  Those ten minutes felt like an eternity. As soon as Gabe shifted into park, he moved his seat back as far as it would go and scrambled for his phone.

  Yes, I do like it. God knows why.

  Busy day at work today. Can we catch up tomorrow?

  Gabe tapped out a yes and was about to hit Send when another message popped up.

  Hopefully, in person?

  Gabe’s mouth went dry, and his heart kicked up its pace. He didn’t hesitate to hit Send.

  yes

  GABE’S FOCUS AT the all-day training was…not great. Maggie had elbowed him twice already to get him back on task, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

  Perhaps he’d fake a migraine and go home for the rest of the day. He’d learn the new labor forecasting system on his own.

  That was a lie. He would never figure it out. But he wasn’t sure why he needed to figure it out. When was he going to use it?

  They’d probably gone over that at the beginning of the training session, but Gabe had been too busy imagining SilverFoxxx. His face, his body, his cock. Anything at all.

  How much silver did he really have going on? Was it just on his head, or was Gabe going to find silver in his body hair too? Did he have body hair?

  Gabe generally didn’t like surprises, but thinking about what SilverFoxxx might look, smell, and feel like was doing great things for him.

  Maggie elbowed him again. Great things for his cock but not so much for his professional development.

  He refocused and pushed SilverFoxxx to the back of his mind. All he had to do was get through this training, and then they’d meet up tomorrow.

  His determination to pay attention didn’t keep Gabe from fidgeting with his phone for the rest of the day.

  Wednesday

  GABE WAS UP early again. He couldn’t sleep. His skin prickled and his stomach churned with nerves. If he got up this early all the time, he’d never be late for work again.

  He stood under a very hot shower until his chest and belly burned. It didn’t help calm him as much as he had hoped.

  Gabe made himself get dressed before looking at his phone. He wanted to check it every few seconds. Just keep Cruised open and stare at it until something happened.

  He tucked his shirt in with one hand and opened the app with the other. A message from SilverFoxxx showed on the screen. It was about thirty minutes old. Looked like he wasn’t the only one up early.

  Or maybe SilverFoxxx was always up at this time. Gabe didn’t know anything about him.

  Meet at the Starbucks off exit 291?

  Gabe knew that Starbucks. He’d stopped there a few times on his way to work when he wasn’t running late. So, not often.

  morning coffee date?

  Should he wear a belt? He didn’t usually, but it might make him seem like less of a professional disaster. It would also make it harder to get his pants off.

  If that’s what you want. I was hoping for more than coffee.

  He’d been thinking about this for days, fantasizing about it. It was what he wanted. He was pretty sure.

  yeah i can have coffee whenever,,, your a special treat

  He could always ghost if he changed his mind on the way. That was a thing that happened a lot—the first hurdle of potential disappointment to overcome when looking for hookups. It had happened to him all the time when he’d been on these apps daily. He’d do it to someone else if he got cold feet. SilverFoxxx knew the deal.

  SilverFoxxx’s response came quickly.

  Good. This Starbucks has a large, private men’s room.

  Okay, so no belt.

  IT WAS EARLY and traffic was light. It would take him fifteen minutes or so to get to the coffee shop.

  Was he really doing this? He’d sworn off casual sex with strangers months ago. Except SilverFoxxx didn’t feel like a stranger. Not exactly. They’d been exchanging messages for days. He came across as witty and smart. Gabe hadn’t seen a clear picture of him, but a hookup would be worth it to hear what his voice sounded like making half-sarcastic, half-sweet comments.

  Gabe hoped he’d gotten the tone of those messages right.

  He drove past a black Lexus in the parking lot before finding an empty space. SilverFoxxx had beaten him there. That would keep Gabe from sitting in his car and getting more nervous. Or chickening out. He could still drive away.

  Gabe was up and out of his car before thinking anymore about ghosting. He’d done anonymous hookups and club sex dozens of times without a problem.

  But this time, he already
liked the guy.

  Gabe pushed down his nerves, tried to make himself look calm, and walked inside the Starbucks.

  Early-morning commuters picking up their coffee and hustling back out the door and patrons in suits with laptops and papers spread across their tables packed the coffee shop. No one looked at him. It was like the flashing “Hello! I’m about to fuck a stranger on my way to work!” sign on his forehead had gone dark. Still didn’t feel like it though.

  He scanned the room but didn’t see anyone he thought might be SilverFoxxx. Had he gone in the bathroom already? Did he want to get a cup of coffee and talk first? But then Gabe would have coffee breath when they kissed. If SilverFoxxx wanted to kiss him. What if someone was in the bathroom and they had to awkwardly wait until that person came out?

  What if he went into the bathroom and someone was in there, but it wasn’t SilverFoxxx, and Gabe didn’t realize it until he had his pants off?

  Christ, this was a terrible idea.

  Gabe was ready to turn tail and run when he noticed a man propped against the doorway leading to the bathrooms. He was smirking at Gabe.

  Oh, he was gorgeous. Tall, with his long, lean legs kicked out, and one broad shoulder holding his weight against the wall. He wore a gray suit that would have been called conservative except the pants were cut very tight. Much tighter than Gabe thought a suit was supposed to fit.

  He was slim enough to pull off the tight pants. With his arms crossed over his chest, his biceps were clearly outlined in his jacket sleeves.

  Gabe snapped his eyes to the man’s face, but his smirk had only grown. That didn’t bother Gabe because his face was hot as hell too. Nice jawline under a dark beard with a sprinkling of silver around his mouth and chin, thick dark hair with matching silver at the temples, a longish, straight nose, pink lips… SilverFoxxx whipped off a pair of aviators and tucked them in his jacket pocket, and Gabe fixated on the clearest, bluest eyes he’d ever seen. Holy hell, his eyes.

  The man dipped his head toward the men’s room, straightened up, and turned to enter it.