Page 2 of Collin, Episodes 10-12 (The Residency Boys #4)

“Let me guess, you were graphic and crude.” Collin raised an eyebrow.

Damian shrugged, his eyes not meeting Collin’s again. “Someone had to be the bad guy. I’d never touch him. He’s under age for one and not into guys for two, at least I don’t think so. Consent is attractive, you know.”

“Consent is very attractive.” Collin smiled at Damian and shot a questioning look toward the door.

Ash was standing there, fuming, gripping the frame.

“So, if I did convince him to come out with us, you think you could try not to be scary? You’re the big bad lawyer dude.

I mean, you intimidated me the first time we met. ”

Damian drew himself up, eyes wide. “I asked you to bring boba tea! No one who drinks boba tea is scary!”

“Says you.” Collin laughed, standing up and stretching. “You could be drinking a pink latte with your pinkie up and you’d still be scary to some people. You just walk around scary.”

“Is this ’cause I’m Black?”

“Yes, Damian. It’s absolutely only because you’re Black.

Jee whiz, dude! It’s because you walk around like you freakin’ know who you are and everybody else better get with the program or get out of your way.

” Collin thumped Damian lightly on the shoulder.

“You buy your suits from Intimidate Poor Guys ‘R’ Us , and you know it. You taught me about code switching.”

Damian blushed. “Hey! Careful, my suits look good. And a cheap suit never fits.”

“That’s because you’re built like Superman.” Collin rolled his eyes. “The rest of us poor shlubs are stuck trying to look like we tried.”

“It’s sad. I should rescue all of you, teach you to shop.”

Ash stepped into the office, arms crossed. “I don’t need you to teach me to shop. Ellisandre is teaching me to make my own clothes.”

Damian spun around on the desk.

Collin dropped his hand to Damian’s shoulder, keeping the man seated. “Hey, Ash.”

“Hey.” Damian blinked. “You’re…”

“Ash, Damian. Damian, Ash.”

“Your hair.” Damian glanced between Collin and Ash. “He has red hair.”

“Yeah, it looks good on him.” Collin grinned. “Ash went with me to that hair salon you told me about, remember? Thank you for that.”

Ash ran his hand through his bangs, pulling some of them back behind his ear. “I heard you say dinner.”

He looked good. Unconventional as hell with way too many black belt buckles on his dark-red jeans and large black sweater wrapped against his body with what was probably a woman’s waist cincher, but on him, it looked like something out of an anime.

His eyes were outlined in black, and he had leather bracers wrapped around both wrists.

There was a tablet wrapped in a case strapped to one thigh and half a dozen phones, battery packs, and other tech things down the side of his other thigh.

Like a medieval techno Deadpool without the mask or spandex.

“Dude.” Collin grinned. “If you’re that dressed up, we have to go out. Ellisandre would kill you for wasting that kind of outfit.”

“They already saw it.” Ash smiled, and this time, it was a shy, pleased smile. “We went to some museum. But I’m down for food.”

“Let me talk to Mr. Reevesworth, and then maybe we can pry the best place for Indian food out of Damian. He knows ALL the places.”

Ash shot Damian an assessing look.

Collin left them to it. If they were going to become friends, it was up to them now.

In the private office, Mr. Reevesworth pulled Collin onto his lap, kissed him, and gave his blessing for dinner as long as they took one of the security guys along.

“Do you mind if I give Damian the key? If you go where I think he’ll want to go for Indian food, that’s a little far away, and you’ll probably drink a lot of water with spicy food. ”

Collin pressed his lips together, considering. “Please, if you’re okay with it. What are you doing tonight?”

“I have drinks at seven with a few old friends, then home. We should both go to the gym tomorrow morning, so don’t make it too late.”

“Yes, sir. Do you mind letting me use the bathroom now before we go?”

“Of course.” Mr. Reevesworth stood up and pulled Collin into his embrace, kissing the side of his head. “Proud of you, pet.”

Damian suggested a place about a twenty-minute walk away. Considering that the essential oils attack had happened less than a week before, they opted for a car to the relief of their security guy.

The restaurant was family style, casual, with hand-drawn murals on the walls and tables that were worn and dented but still beautiful since they were made of solid wood.

Damian sat on one side, and Collin and Ash slid in on the other side of the booth.

Their security guy positioned himself near the entrance of the room where he could watch.

Ash studied him for a few minutes. “Doesn’t he want to eat?”

Damian shook his head. “He doesn’t want to be distracted. I’ll send him a lassi to drink, but he’ll only snack while on duty.”

Collin nudged Ash with his shoulder. “He’s okay, really. And Mr. Reevesworth pays him a lot of money, I promise.”

Ash’s face twisted up, half uncomfortable, half thoughtful, but he let it go, looking at the menu.

Collin, however, shut his and pushed it toward Damian. “Order for me.”

“Pushy.” Damian raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, come on.” Collin folded his arms on the table and leaned forward until he was half lying on the surface, looking up at Damian. He batted his eyes. “Tell me you don’t want to order.”

Damian took Collin’s menu slowly. “You’re trouble, you know that?”

Collin giggled. “Consider it practice. I don’t know this place. You do. Teach us your ways.”

Damian sent Ash a careful look. “I could order family style so everyone could share and try more things.”

Ash looked between Collin and Damian. “What’s family style?”

Collin sat up, switching roles. “It’s where you put a lot of things in the middle of the table and everyone dishes a bit onto their plate. At least, I think that’s how it works for Indian food.”

“Everyone gets their own plate and rice, and then the meat and curry dishes and anything else is in the middle, yes.”

“And there’s going to be meat? I want meat.” Ash started to fold up his menu.

“I always order meat.” Damian nodded solemnly.

“Okay, I’ll try.” Ash pushed his menu toward Damian as well. “But I want a lassi. Collin said they’re good.”

“I got you.”

When the waiter came to the table Damian barely needed the menu. He ordered tandoori chicken for an appetizer, two curries, dhal, naan, and vegetable sides with three mango lassis and rice for everyone.

Collin groaned as the waiter walked away. “I’m going to roll home.”

“You both need the food.” Damian eyed Ash and Collin up. “You were both sticks when I met you, and you’re only slightly bigger sticks now.”

Collin stuck out his tongue. “Ash is still growing.”

“So, what’s your excuse?”

Collin huffed. “I eat. You see me. I eat every day, three-plus meals a day. I’ve put on five pounds.”

“You need another fifteen.”

Collin rolled his eyes and went back to leaning on the table. Not sleeping in a proper bed the night before was starting to catch up with him. He yawned.

Damian patted his arm. “Go ahead and sleep if you need to. We’ll wake you up when the food comes.”

“But sleeping is rude.”

Damian glanced around. “I don’t think anyone is going to mind that much, and I’ll tip them well. Just rest.”

Collin smothered another yawn. “Sorry, Ash.”

Ash huffed through his nose. “You’re old. You should sleep.”

Collin turned his head to glare. “And you’re what, still a baby?”

Ash put his nose in the air. “Young enough to stay awake on Red Bull and spite.”

Collin snorted into his sleeve. Maybe he should have gone home. He really was tired. “Fine. Entertain yourself with Damian. I’m just going to close my eyes.”

He actually did pass out to the muted sounds of the half-full restaurant. Ash poked him awake as the main dishes arrived. He’d slept through the lassis and the tandoori chicken being brought over, but they’d saved him a chicken leg and one of the drinks.

“So, were you ever actually in prison?” Ash asked after helping himself to curry and dhal.

Damian shook his head, mouth full of naan. He swallowed before answering. “No. Lots of relatives but not me. Could have been. Came close to juvenile detention a few times.”

“But you never went?”

Damian smiled. “I came very, very close. It’s not something I would wish on anyone. And I’m lucky I got out.”

Ash put his elbow on the table. “You scared me, you know.”

“Someone needed to do it. There was no good reason for you to get wasted going in there, not when you didn’t need it.”

“How did you know I didn’t need it?”

Damian’s eyes softened. “Someday, if you still want to know, I might tell you. But it’s not really a story for, well, here.”

Ash glanced around and nodded. “Then why did you become a lawyer?”

“Someone told me if I liked arguing so much I should get paid for it.”

Collin almost choked on his tandoori chicken. “Who said that?”

Damian shook his head. “Again, a story for another time. Anyway, someone else said I’d never amount to anything, least of all a lawyer. So, I became a lawyer, made a lot of money, and I bought their house, their business, and their church.”

“You bought a church?” Ash’s face crumpled up in disbelief. “Is that even possible?”

“It’s real estate. I didn’t buy the organization. But I bought the building and everything inside.”

Collin frowned. “What did you want with a church?”

Damian grimaced, chagrinned. “It was childish. I didn’t want it, actually. And I paid taxes on the place for a year before I figured out what to do with it. Right now, I’m renting it out, just to cover costs and upkeep.”

“Who wanted to rent it?”

“A soup kitchen. And in the winter, the city pays me to keep it heated as a warming center.”

“That doesn’t sound like it would cover taxes.”