Chapter Twenty
Rayne
Rayne did his morning meditation, went on a short jog, and was showered and dressed before his roommates got up. That’s what a raging hard-on at 6:00 a.m. could do to a man that was prohibited from jerking off.
“You excited for your first day, Rayne?” Trent asked while he packed his lunch.
“Hell yeah I am.” Rayne added more strawberries to his oatmeal. He figured it’d be smart to eat a hearty breakfast since he was part-time and didn’t have a full lunch hour.
“You sure look like you fit in at a law office,” Wood chimed in behind his large bowl of whatever bland, high-fiber cereal he was scarfing down.
“Really?” Rayne adjusted the collar on his Coach blazer. “You don’t think I’m overdressed?”
“Not at that fancy office. You should see how Edison dresses.”
“He’s the executive office manager, Trent. Of course he has to look the part.” Rayne put his bowl in the sink at the same time as Wood. The three of them bumped into each other in the small kitchen, but Rayne found himself smiling and enjoying getting ready for work along with the fellas.
Trent cursed at the sink as he pounded his fist against one of the taps that wouldn’t turn off. “Our water bill is gonna be high as gas if we don’t get this fixed. It was dripping when I came home from work yesterday.”
“Then call your dad and tell him to come fix it. He’s the landlord,” Wood said.
Yes! Call him! Rayne kept his mouth closed and his excitement in check. Even though he was going to see Mike on Sunday, he wouldn’t mind seeing him before then.
“I’ll text him on my lunch break.”
“Rayne, you want a ride?” Wood asked while he gathered his portfolio and keys off the coffee table. “Town Center is right off the interstate. It’s not out of my way.”
“No. I’ll take the bus. I love Virginia Beach in the spring. The ride will be nice.”
“Okay, if you insist.” Wood headed toward the door with Trent trailing close behind him. They exchanged a hushed conversation at the front door and more kisses before Wood left.
Trent went into the bathroom, and Rayne hollered at him that he was leaving.
“Okay. Don’t forget about this weekend, Rayne.”
“I remember. Anniversary night,” he called out, then left to go to his first day of work.
Rayne got off the bus a block away from Town Center and merged in with the rest of the busy foot traffic. He had more pep in his step than usual as he walked with his head high, feeling good about having a purpose today. It’d been months since Rayne had woken with a full itinerary. After he got off work at one, he had to go to the massage therapy school and sign the last of his paperwork and hopefully get an assignment where he could complete his final hours, and then he had a yoga class at six.
Rayne pondered getting a latte from the cart at the corner of Main Street and enjoying it on the bench in front of the fountain since he was forty-five minutes early and the landscape was so immaculate. He’d already decided he’d be taking his fifteen-minute breaks outside. He was closing in on the address Edison had on his card, gaping up at the gleaming, six-story glass building. He rubbed the dampness from his palms with his handkerchief, then tucked it back in his inside pocket. Rayne took a couple of deep breaths as he began to walk across the large parking lot, trying to tamp down his nerves. First-day jitters were normal, which was why Rayne didn’t notice the Stockley Lawn Service trucks until he was at the sidewalk.
He spun around, looking for one man in particular, when he heard his name being called. A car door slammed, and Edison popped his head up. “Good morning, Rayne. You beat the boss in… That’s good.”
Rayne waited for Edison to catch up to him and greeted him with a firm handshake and a smile. “I guess I’m a little excited. Nice suit.”
“Thanks,” Edison said. “I like that jacket you’re wearing. Is that Canali?”
“Um, no. Coach.” Rayne was half listening to Edison about his clothes as he walked up the sidewalk, his gaze scanning the beautiful lawn that was being tended to by at least eight men, none of which were Mike.
“Since we have a few minutes, I’ll walk you to HR myself so you can fill out your paperwork and get an ID badge,” Edison told him. “You’ll have a small video to watch on company policy and stuff, and then you can jump right in. I have Rosemary training you on the switchboard. She’s the best.”
They were almost to the entrance steps when Mike and another tall, broad-shouldered man carrying a gas weed eater came around the side of the building.
“Oh, there’s Mike.” Edison put his hand up to get his attention. Mike said a few parting words to the guy he was with and began to walk toward them.
Shit. What is he doing here? Well, obviously working. Rayne supposed this was another one of Mike’s properties, but how… If Rayne wasn’t so caught off guard, he would’ve tried to understand the correlation between Mike and all things good happening to him lately.
Rayne resisted the urge to straighten his hair or clothes as Mike’s dark eyes locked onto his with a power he couldn’t escape. Stay calm, stay calm. He already knows you’re all bark and no bite. Rayne’s heart sped up and threatened to break free of his chest as he watched Mike’s long legs in those grungy khakis eat up the distance separating them. His large biceps and hard chest were stretching the material of his dark green Stockley Lawn Service shirt. He was almost to them when he stopped at a groundsman who was planting some light pink and red flowers around the base of a tree and snagged one from the pile.