Page 7

seven

SIMON

N erves are riding me hard as I make the final touches on the cafe.

I’m pretty sure I’ve adjusted this fake plant twenty times, and I’m still not satisfied with it.

Letting myself make one more adjustment, I abandon it to check in with my new staff.

It looks like the two baristas are ready to go, the manager is here doing final checks, and the bakery case is fully stocked.

I managed to get a deal with a local baker as a way to draw people in.

This cafe is my first satellite location, and I want to make sure it has this city’s presence in it.

The bakery is a local favorite, so it was a no-brainer for me.

“Everything looks good, boss,” my Beta manager, Tyler, tells me.

I take a deep breath, “I don’t know if we’ll get slammed or not today, but I did note down two customers who get a free drink if they stop in. Did you see that?”

He chuckles at me, “I did. Like I said, everything looks good. We’re ready to go.”

“Let’s do this.”

My feet carry me to the door of the shop, and I’m not surprised to see Victor standing there, a large grin on his face. I pull the chain on our neon “open” sign and unlock the door. Pulling it open, I can’t help but laugh at Vic’s excited smile.

“Fancy seeing you here,” I tell him.

“Hey, it’s basically required for me to be your first customer. I couldn’t resist!”

Waving him in, I direct him to where the ordering counter is.

A few people follow behind him while I hold the door, and I make a point to greet all of them.

When the last customer comes in, I let the door fall closed and go behind the counter to make sure things are running smoothly.

My manager is taking orders while the baristas fill the first orders.

As business flows, a few customers breeze right out of the door, but a few stay and sit for a little bit.

I make a point to greet those who stay and let them know they’re welcome to provide their thoughts in the designated feedback box.

The day is a steady stream of customers, and I’ve had to empty the feedback box so people can fill it right back up.

I try not to look at them before filing them away to be reviewed later.

My goal is to look at them weekly instead of daily, so that I can see if there are recurring patterns of suggestions to act on.

When I finally turn the “open” sign off and lock the door, I’m completely exhausted and completely elated. Upon hearing the click of the lock, I turn and raise my arms over my head.

“Wooo!! We did it!” I shout into the space.

The two baristas on duty and my floor manager join in the cheering, and I move closer to them to share high-fives. My manager is grinning, and even the young baristas are smiling widely.

“Well done on a great first day, you guys! I’m so proud to have you here with me,” I tell them honestly.

“Thanks for being someone great to work for.” My manager pats me on the back and moves on to closing duties.

I finish my own end-of-day tasks, including emptying our feedback box and downloading our transaction records.

I opted to use a system that records the information automatically on a cloud server so I can easily download my copies and get daily reports.

It’s the same one I have at the main location, so while I was worried it might be too much for this smaller site, I’m glad I got it.

Wrapping up my closing tasks, I’m grateful to be headed home.

The dynamic I have with Vic has been a little charged lately.

We’ve been friends since college, and while he suspects there’s a Pack Pull there, neither of us has commented on that.

I only know he feels it because I overheard him on the phone with his parents once.

However, I’m too chickenshit to address it, and I think he doesn’t want to push me into anything.

Maybe I should ask, but the last time I thought there was a pull, I was wrong and now I have a scar through my eyebrow to remind me.

Deep down, I know Vic isn’t like that, but old fears are hard to erase.

I feel a pull to him, but it’s entirely possible that’s just because of his body.

We enjoy each other on occasion, but I know he wants a Pack someday, so I’m not holding my breath for commitment beyond friendship.

For now, I’m enjoying our time together, and I’ll take the rest as it comes.

Hopefully, whatever comes includes me, but I’m also not going to stand in his way.

I know he loves his friend Josie, and there’s no guarantee that she’ll like me.

When I finally walk through the door, delicious smells of food assault me. I take a deep breath, enjoying the smell of whatever Vic’s been cooking.

“Honey, I’m home!” I call out, my bass voice carrying toward the kitchen.

Kicking off my shoes, I follow my nose to the kitchen, where Vic is moving food from the pans he used onto plates. His eyes glance up at me, and he grins before finishing his task.

“Hey! Welcome home! Figured I would cook a nice dinner to celebrate today.”

Smiling back at him, I move to get out the silverware as he places the plates on the table. “Beer?”

He nods. “Sounds great, thanks.”

I grab one for each of us and place the silverware and beers on the table. We crack open our drinks and raise them in the air.

“To a successful launch,” I declare.

“To new beginnings,” Vic adds.

We drink before eating, and the food is delicious. I groan in appreciation.

“This is so good, man.”

He blushes, “Thanks, it’s just chicken.”

“Mine’s always dry when I try to cook it, take the compliment.” I smile at him.

We finish the meal with some light chatting about the cafe, Vic’s work, and life in general before washing dishes together.

Vic’s hip bumps mine as we finish up, and I can’t help but bump him back.

He’s an inch or two taller than me, so I take the towel I was using to dry and loop it around his neck, gently pulling him toward me.

Vic’s eyes light up, and he drags them down to my feet and back up my body.

He raises one eyebrow, and when I pull him even closer, his lips land gently on mine.

It’s been a bit since we were intimate, and I’m eager to reconnect.

Celebrating the opening is an excuse for me.

The real reason is just because I crave the connection we have.

The kiss is gentle, neither of us taking charge.

His hands rest on my hips, holding my body against his.

My tongue darts out against his lips, savoring the taste of him mixed with the lingering flavors of the spices he cooked with.

Vic growls teasingly and nips my lower lip before pulling back to look at me.

Our eyes lock for a moment before I drop the towel and pull him closer with just my hands.

We pull each other so our bodies are flush against the other, and I can feel the bulge getting bigger in his pants.

My hips press against him, seeking that delicious friction.

Vic responds in kind, and I can feel my dick straining against my zipper.

My hands move from his neck and drag down his body to the button and zipper of his jeans.

Now that I have access to him, my hand reaches into his jeans to touch him over his boxers.

Vic’s breathing hitches as I do, and he cants his hips into my touch, seeking more.

Neither of us wants to give at the moment, so we’re torn between pressing against each other and giving enough space to touch as well.

Usually, one of us would give and lean against the counter, but it seems today neither of us is willing to bend, and it fires up my blood even more.

My hand leaves Vic’s shaft, and I use both hands to pull his jeans and boxers down entirely.

I follow them down until I’m on my knees and spit on his tip before taking him in my mouth.

Vic’s head falls backward with a loud groan of pleasure.

“Fuck, that mouth, Simon,” he rumbles.

Humming around him, I take him deeper, bobbing my head leisurely, enjoying the weight and feel of him in my mouth and throat.

Each pass I take him a little deeper until I start to gag, but I don’t let it stop me.

I’ve only lost to my gag reflex one time, and that was early on while still learning my limits.

I pull my mouth to the end of him and place my hands on my thighs, giving him permission to take over.

Vic growls and grabs my head before pushing himself into my throat and back out again.

As he pumps in and out, I make it a point to slacken my mouth a bit so everything is nice and messy.

Vic always loses it when it gets sloppy.

He said it’s something about the primal feel of it that spurs him on.

When he sees drool running down the sides of my mouth, he literally growls and speeds up.

“Do you understand what you do to me, Simon? Do you feel how hard I am? I’m going to come down your throat, and you won’t be able to swallow all of it. It’ll run down your chin and get this new kitchen dirty like it should be. Fuck I’m gonna…”

He tapers off, and his hips stutter as he keeps his promise to come down my throat.

It’s as much as he warned me it would be, overflowing in my mouth, running down my chin, but I still manage to swallow some.

He pulls out watching in fascination as strings of spit and cum trail from his cock, breaking and leaving the floor a mess.

Vic crashes to his knees with me and slams his mouth against mine.

“I love the flavor of me on your tongue,” he murmurs.

I almost come in my pants hearing that, and the way his hand moves to my dick tells me he understands.

His hand moves gently, but firmly, increasing my pleasure and driving me wild.

I press against his hand with my hips, hoping to get more from him.

Vic chuckles darkly and moves his hands to my pants, unfastening them so he can reach in to touch me.

A harsh breath leaves me at his touch, and my eyes are locked in where his hand disappears into my clothes.

I need his bare hands on me, it’s a drive I don’t understand, but I’m not about to question.

I’ve never felt the zip of energy that comes with a Match, so I know that’s not it, but something draws me to him like he’s the one thing I need.

So I start to shimmy out of my pants when he stops me.

Vic kicks his pants off all the way before using his own hands to slowly pull mine off.

His mouth licks and nips at my skin, taking a moment to swallow my cock down his throat before moving off and giving the tip a kiss.

Once my jeans are off, he leans back against the cabinets, legs splayed out, and beckons me over.

I settle on his lap, my ass on the cool tile, but our balls, dicks, and thighs touching.

Vic’s hand slowly drags up and down my dick, and we both watch as he begins to harden again.

His other hand moves to bring our cocks together and he moves up and down them at the same pace.

“Spit,” he commands.

So I spit on our tips and feel my dick twitch when he commands it again.

After several more spits, I stop and grab onto the counter behind him.

Using it for leverage, I move my hips, rubbing our shafts together as he strokes, doubling the sensation for both of us.

Vic takes the liberty of adding his own spit to the mix, and my head tips back in a moan of pleasure.

I can feel my knot inflating, adding extra sensation as it drags against Vic’s smooth skin.

“Shit, you feel so good Vic. I love when you let me rub my knot on you,” I confess.

Vic growls again, “I can’t get enough of you Simon, fuck! I’m so fucking close, harder, please!”

I lean my body into it now, pressing myself closer to increase the friction and pick up my pace. I’m right on the edge, my legs starting to shake, and a tingle building in the back of my spine.

“God, Vic, I’m gonna?—”

I can’t even get the words out before my balls draw up and I spray cum all over our bellies before Vic does the same.

Once we’re spent, I place my forehead against his, resting against him while he places his sticky hands on my face, holding me close.

I turn and lick a few of his fingers, causing him to twitch against me.

“We’re going to be here all night if you do that,” he admonishes without sounding angry at all.

I grin at him and raise an eyebrow. “Maybe that’s what I want.”