Page 10 of Thrill

“Thank you, Scott,” Eddie replied. “Helpful as ever. Grab a seat, folks.”

Tyler sat at the nearest table. As the others took their own chairs, it became apparent, to Tyler’s horror, that they were an odd number. No prizes for guessing who the Billy-No-Mates would be.

He’d gone from hero to zero in less than a minute.

Anticipating everyone turning to stare at him, Tyler tried to force a smile on his face.

Then one of the most handsome men Tyler had ever set eyes on walked in. Medium height with a dark brown crew cut and tan skin, he stood in the doorway like some overalls-clad sex god. Tyler was mesmerised.

“Danny,” Eddie said. “Good to see you.”

“Sorry I’m late.”

He looked around the room until his gaze rested on Tyler. A lopsided smile crept onto his face. Tyler suddenly felt very warm.

“No worries,” Eddie said. “Why don’t you go and join Tyler?”

Boom, things were on the up again.

“Lucky Tyler,” Scott added.

Tyler wasn’t easy to embarrass. Yet he could feel his face burning. He nodded at Danny, who slumped down in a chair.

Mercifully, everyone else set about the task in hand.

“Tyler. New starter?” Danny said, giving Tyler a once-over.

“Yes,” Tyler replied. “The Head of Procurement.”

There came the lopsided smile once more. It seemed to mainline straight into Tyler’s gut. And lower.

“How about you?”

Danny tugged at his overalls. “Warehouse.”

Suddenly, the door flung open. A red-faced Barry stood there.

“What do you think you’re doing? No one told me about a lube testing.”

“I didn’t know I had to,” Eddie replied.

“Of course you do,” Barry spluttered. “Then I can put protectivecoating on the floor. If anyone drops one tiny bit on my new carpet tiles, I will personally supervise you getting it out.”

Not waiting for a reply, he slammed the door shut.

“Please be careful, guys,” Eddie said. “For my sake.”

A ripple of amusement swept through the room.

“Poor old Barry,” Danny said. “Always wanting perfection. He’ll give himself an ulcer one day.”

“He should sample some of the products. There’s a man who needs a prostate massager and no mistake,” Tyler replied.

Danny covered his face. “Don’t put pictures in my head.”

FOUR

DANNY