Page 26 of The Grumpy Vet
"I've been… Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Dario leans in, the golden flecks in his eyes catching the late afternoon sunlight that's streaming in through the blinds. "Because, let's face it, we crossed a line, and we want to make sure things are…cool."
My hand moves absently against my stubbled chin. "Everything is cool at my end. What about you guys?"
A pause.
They glance at each other then back at me. I wonder who will speak first. I have a feeling it'll be Dario.
"We are," Ryde says, and a small grin tugs at the corner of my mouth. I'm loving this newfound confidence of his. "Which is kind of weird given how unexpected everything was. We never could have anticipated what unfolded."
"Tell me about it," I agree with a low chuckle.
"But we actually feel good. Right?"
Dario nods his head. "We do. And it's great how it hasn't been weird at work at all."
"I'm glad for that, too." I square my shoulders. "I have no right to tell you what you can or can't say and to whom, but I'm a very private person, and Scuttlebutt is a small town…"
"You don't have to worry, Linus," Dario cuts in. "We're not going to tell anyone. We have each other to talk to."
"And we want you to know you have us to talk to," Ryde adds. "If you want to, that is."
That unfamiliar feeling twists inside me again at their thoughtfulness, at them making an effort to include me and consider what I'm going through as I navigate my way through the experience we shared. "Thank you. That's very nice of you. Both."
A beat of silence passes.
"We, uh, had a look at your appointments for this afternoon," Dario says, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
I frown. "I don't have any appointments this afternoon."
His lips stretch triumphantly. "Exactly… Don't suppose you want to join us for aworkout?"
I glance between them, unsure if I'm reading the sly smile on his face correctly. Is he suggesting a repeat performance…or, wait, is he actually asking me to join them for a training session?
I lean back in my chair and run a hand through my hair. It's been a good decade since I've been in a relationship—not that I'm saying this is what this is—and it's clear I'm way out of practice when it comes to these…to these…interpersonal things.
"Just to be clear," Dario says when I take too long to respond. "We can do a workout, and then you can show us your prized cock." He smirks, tipping his chin up. "And then you can finally show us your roosters we never got around to seeing."
I grin at him. Ryde's smiling, too.
This is wild.
I can't believe I'm even entertaining this.
These guys are not only my staff members, they're way younger than me. Not to mention Ryde is my best mate's son.
But the dick wants what the dick wants, and my dick is more than ready to have some fun and return the favour to these guys.
Yeah, that sounds fair. I'll square out the ledger, equal things out, and then that will be it. One final hurrah before sensible Linus returns from wherever the fuck he's wandered off to.
"All right," I say. "Let me finish up here, and I can meet you guys at my place at four."
"Awesome." Dario flashes a megawatt smile as they stand. "We'll see you then…Boss Man."
7
Dario
