Dana sucked his teeth. He looked at his watch. It was after ten, he was supposed to be at work by nine. “Then he could’ve called.”
“You could’ve called, too.” Sway got up and poured them some more to drink. “I’m sure he’s at work wondering where his partner is.”
“Or not.” Dana pulled out his cell. He had a text from Duke telling him he had until noon, then he better get his ass back to work. “Anyway, enough about my craziness. So, what happened with you last night? You look like something the cat dragged in.”
Sway didn’t say anything, instead choosing to fiddle with the tattered holes in his night shirt. His friend couldn’t even make eye contact with him. As realization finally set in, Dana put his glass down and really stared at his best friend. Dana had been so wrapped up in his own shit he’d forgotten what ‘I just got some’ looked like, and currently his best friend was wearing that look with pride. “No damn way, Sway. Did you really… not at that club. You hooked up with someone at that club, didn’t you?”
Sway covered his face and groaned embarrassedly.
“Come on, bro. Spill it.” Now this was something Dana wanted to talk about. “What superhero ended your ten year drought?”
Sway laughed then looked at Dana with the dreamiest expression he’d ever seen. “Someone I could only make up in my dreams. The tallest, biggest, most refreshing drink of water I’ve ever encountered. He was amazing, Dana.” Sway dropped his chin to his chest. “And I was an idiot. I ran… ran before I even got his damn name. By the time I came to my freakin’ senses, cops were raiding the place and he was nowhere to be found. What’s even more spectacular about him, D… is he blew my mind… and he never uttered a single word.”
Ford
“It’s almost one o’clock, Ford. Where the hell is your partner?! We’re losing time,” Quick barked angrily while Ford stood at the counter with his back to him, making his fourth cup of extremely strong coffee of the day. Maybe the caffeine would be too much, overstimulate him and make him pass out. Anything was better than the constant argument in his head.
“I don’t know, Quick. You’ve asked me that five goddamn times and the answer is still the same. I. Don’t. Know,” Ford snapped, moving past his stunned boss and back to his desk.
He hadn’t told anyone about what happened last night. Obviously. Too humiliated to confess to being an old fool. Not just a fool, but an old fool. How could Dana do that to him? He’d let Dana put his mouth on him, sleep with him, he thought those things meant something. But that was just Ford showing his age again.
“Well, if he’s not here in an hour, we go.” Quick scowled and dropped down at his own desk, his long braid flying over his shoulder.
Ford kept his back to his boss as he checked his cell phone again. No messages, no emails, nothing. Dana had dropped him faster than a heathen dropping bible school. Quick got up again, stomping across the room to look out the front windows. Jesus. He didn’t know what was irritating him most, his boss acting like Dana calling off for a few hours was the end of the world, or his partner dismissing him like a piece of shit.
“I’m gonna go to the courthouse and get a couple copies of the Harrison warrant and disposition. Duke’s been wanting that in the file so we can officially close it. Then,” Quick pointed at him, “If Dana isn’t here and ready to go by the time I get back, both of you will be on my shit list. Believe that.”
Ford didn’t react to Quick’s threats, just watched him walk out of the office. Ford tossed the file he’d been pretending to review on his desk and reared back tiredly, his mind going right back to last night. Dana’s smile. His touch, his taste, the way he smelled when he’d showered with his soap. How was he to go back to being nothing but work partners now? Maybe he should find a new job. Fuck! This was why he’d avoided getting involved… especially with someone he had to work with. He knew better.
Ford looked at his brother’s empty desk. He’d heard that Brian came in early and rode with Duke to do a bond for a drunk driver arrested late last night. Ford closed his eyes and sighed. He was about to get up and pace for a while when the front door to their office was pushed open and Dana barreled through the door, looking angry. Ford was confused. He was the one that should be mad here. Not Dana.
“Can I have a word with you?” Dana seethed.