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“He did. You passed by and he checked you out real good, honey. He liked what he saw, mmm-hmm,” he informed me with a straight face, “and I love it when you talk dirty English to me.” It was all I could do to keep from laughing at him outright. Eduardo Ramos was good for my soul. I’d only known him since I’d started working at Harris & Goode four months ago, but we had clicked right away. He knew all about my past, and was nothing but supportive and compassionate about my situation. He loved the fact I was British and called mecondesamost of the time—Spanish forcountess. The thing with Eduardo was you had to overlook the outrageous and inappropriate comments he made on just about any off-limits topic for a place of business—andalways at the most inappropriate times—because it was simply part of the package. A gorgeous Puerto Rican gay man with a mouth, and absolutely, perfectly lovely.
I shook my head at him slowly. “Do Jon and Carlisle know that you fantasize about the foot traffic when you should be working?”
He sniffed and frowned. “They do the same thing when they come through the front. But it’s right there, Brooke, right in front of me.”
“What is right in front of you?” I looked back toward the glass and noticed the hunk had moved on.
“Man heaven,” Eduardo sighed dreamily. “Big...hard...cocks...just walking—walking past us all day long.Ay, Dios mío!” He fanned his face with both hands flapping.
I lost it and had to either laugh out loud or explode. “Probably not so hard as you imagine if they are walking. I think it would be quite painful to walk around with a stiff cock all day.”
“You have a point there, condesa, and please say ‘stiff cock’ for me again in your pretty accent.”
“No, I will not say it again, and you can stop being cheeky with me.”
Eduardo knew I wasn’t annoyed. It was a game we played for fun. Jon and Carlisle, the owners, didn’t give a toss, either. It was part and parcel of working with three gay men who were interior designers. It came with the territory, and the setup worked for me just fine.
“Martin, I’ve already explained why I cannot do it. I do not live in Boston. I have no place to stay overnight nor do I have clothes to wear tomorrow. If you want me to work for you, then you will have to give me at least twenty-four hours’ notice next time.”
Seriously, the man was dense. What did he not understand about the situation? More likely he just didn’t care.
“Why can’t you stay the night with your friend?” Martin suggested.
“Zoe is away, and even if she was here, there’s still the matter of clothes.” I wanted to smack him.
Eduardo, who had the habit of listening in on all conversations in the office if he was at all able, spoke up. “Youcan stay with me if you need a place to go tonight.” Too bad he said it rather loudly.
“I heard that,” Martin informed me. “So it’s settled, then?”
I stayed quiet and glared at Eduardo. He would get payback in a minute.
“Brooke?”
“Yes, Martin?”
“So I’ll see you at six. I’ll text the address when we hang up.”
“Wait. I don’t have my black-and-whites with me.”
“What are you wearing right now?”
If Martin were in my line of sight, he would be writhing in pain from my death stare. “I have on a chartreuse-and-emerald-green blouse with a black skirt and over-the-knee boots. Totally inappropriate for serving. I can’t do it as I’ve said.”
“So you go buy a white blouse on your lunch hour and wear the boots. It’s some sort of corporate celebration and most of the guests will be men. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the boots over your beautiful long legs.”
Ewwww. What a grotty little arsehole. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just make a sexually suggestive comment about my performance on a job and move along to payment, shall we, Martin?” Serving in heeled boots wasn’t going to be easy, plus putting me out the cost of a new shirt as well. If Martin didn’t like it, then he could fuck on off.
Eduardo giggled and gave me two thumbs up.
“Double time, Brooke, just be there.”
As much as I wanted to decline, the extra money would be helpful right now. “Fine, I’ll do it, but Martin, if you want me in future—give me some notice so I can make arrangements for the night.” If there would even be a next time. Maybe a job search was a good idea.
After I ended the call, I pointed a finger at Eduardo and gave him only a slightly less violent version of my death stare.“You are in trouble in case you didn’t realize. You are to go tell the bosses we are leaving to shop for a blouse for me and will return with their lunch. And you get to pay for mine today.” I then smiled sweetly before getting up from the desk to put on my coat.
“Yes, my condesa,” Eduardo sang before bolting up to the second floor to get Jon and Carlisle’s lunch orders.
While he was busy upstairs, I needed to let Nan know I wouldn’t be over to see her tonight. She would get a kick out of me having a sleepover at Eduardo’s place, though. I tried to see her every evening for a short visit and didn’t want her wondering where I was when I didn’t show. My call went through to the front desk, which wasn’t a surprise. Nan rarely stayed in her room, especially when there were activities going on.