Page 13 of The Lawyer's Quandary
“Oh my God, they keep coming up with these weird schedules and everyone is going crazy. It’s almost impossible to staff anything, and yet they keep doing this.” He gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Still, I can complain about it all I want, but there is nothing I can do about it. Corporate will do what they want to, and we just have to make it work. So how are things with you?”
They caught up on everything from teams to players and politics on campus, which could be brutal. Thankfully, Ashley didn’t ask why he was seeing a lawyer, not that Mark had any intention of going there, so he appreciated Ashley’s discretion.
“Do you have to work tomorrow?” Mark asked as they pulled into Ashley’s driveway.
“I have to go in at seven tomorrow night. Yeah, I know it sucks, but it’s a special shift, so that’s what I have to do. Do you have plans for tomorrow, other than me taking you home?”
“Greg wanted to get together for lunch,” he said as he got out and grabbed his bag.
“Cool. That way I can meet him and see what’s what.” He seemed too damned excited at the prospect, and Mark wondered what kind of mischief he was planning. “Don’t get your pantiesin a twist. I’m going to be nice to the guy. I’m just curious about the kind of person that would get to you like this.”
He followed Ashley up the walk, and once he unlocked the door, Mark went inside the most meticulously kept house ever. Ashley was many things, but to say he was obsessively clean was an understatement. The floors shone, and everything was in its place. When it came to decorating, he was a minimalist, which worked for him. But it was surprising as hell, because in his dress, Ashley was usually flamboyant, with bright colors, probably so he stuck out like the peacock he was. Mark was more of a comfort kind of guy, both in his clothing choices and how he lived at home.
“You know where the guest room is,” Ashley said. “Go on down and put your stuff in the room. I’m going to make us some cocktails, and then we can get down to some serious drinking.”
“Ashely, I can’t do that. I can have one, maybe two, and that’s it.” The days of getting plastered were behind him. He couldn’t shake it off like he used to, and he’d wake with the worst headache and feel terrible all day.
“We’re getting old,” Ashley said dramatically. “Come on. Let’s at least have a drink so we can catch up. I have loads to tell you about my brother, who has decided to leave his wife because he’s in love with someone else.”
Let the gab fest begin.
I thoughtI’d make lunch if that’s okay, Greg messaged the following morning.
Of course. But my friend Ashley has pushed in. I hope it’sokay, Mark responded.
And got an almost immediate response.I take it your friend wants to meet me.
Yeah, and he can be a little out there, so who knows what he’s going to ask.That was what Mark was worried about. He really did like Greg, and he didn’t want Ashley to scare him away.
Don’t worry, I’m a lawyer. I can handle a grilling and give one right back if necessary.He added a smiley face, and Mark grinned to himself because maybe Ashley had met his match.See you in a little while.He sent another happy emoji.
Mark finished dressing and blearily made his way to the kitchen, where coffee was already made and waiting. But Ashley was nowhere to be seen. He looked around the house and in the back yard, but there was no sign of him. Mark poured himself a mug and sat in the living room, sipping the wake-up juice and cursing Ashley under his breath for letting him drink all those cocktails. They had tasted good and went down so easy, but damn, they were wicked.
Ashley schlumped in fifteen minutes later, hair all askew, looking like death warmed over in a rumpled T-shirt and boxers that hung on his hips. “What did you do to me?”
“I wasn’t the one mixing the drinks,” Mark said. “Get some coffee and wake yourself up. It’s ten thirty, and Greg is expecting us at noon. He said he’s making lunch, so any hangovers need to be behind us.”
“Oh, I’m fine.” Ashley sipped his coffee and sighed dramatically. “God, that’s good.” He turned back down the hall. “I’m getting a shower, and once I’m done, I’ll be human again, and you can use it.” He groaned. “Why do I feel like I was up all night and not in a good way?” Hethunked the bathroom door closed, and Mark stayed where he was, finishing his coffee, and then he got himself another mug before pulling out his phone, indulging in his secret pleasure: cat videos on TikTok. He barely heard Ashley as he came down the hall, but managed to put his phone away before Ashely could see what he was doing.
“Watching porn?” Ashley asked.
“No.” He rolled his eyes and blinked because Ashley was dressed in a peacock-pattern shirt and royal blue pants. It took Mark a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the pattern. As usual, he stood out… way out. “I guess you want to make an impression. I just hope that Greg’s eyes don’t bleed.”
“I know you think you’re funny,” Ashley snapped. “Now go get cleaned up so your potential boyfriend doesn’t take one whiff of you and go running for the hills.” He went into the kitchen, and Mark took his turn in the shower.
The one thing he loved over his own house was that Ashley had plenty of hot water. Mark needed to replace his water heater. But here, oh God… and the shower was one of those rooms with, like, eighteen showerheads all shooting water everywhere. It was heavenly. He wondered what it would be like to have Greg in here, all wet, water everywhere. The man looked pretty amazing wet, and damn, Mark could imagine the sound of his whimpers and groans echoing off the tile.
A pound on the door shook him out of his daydream. “We need to go soon or we’ll be late for lunch.”
Greg sighed and rinsed off before shutting down the water and grabbing a towel. He dried himself before dressing in fresh jeans and a polo shirt. Then he checked himself in the mirror, combed his hair, and brushed his teeth again to make sure the alcohol scent was gone.
“You really need to buy yourself some fashion sense,” Ashley said when he joined him in the living room. “This is just too awkward-straight-boy for words. All you’d need to do is douse yourself in body spray, and no one would know the difference.” He shook his head, hurrying out of the room and returning with a cream-patterned shirt on a hanger. “Put this on. It will look nicer and say ‘I made an effort for you.’”
“Ashley… he’s seen the way I dress. I took him swimming yesterday, so he’s seen me in a bathing suit.” Mark just rolled his eyes.
“Yeah. But this is lunch at his house. Not a pool pickup. Dress the part. That way he’ll know you really care.” He tossed the shirt at him. “Go change, and we can leave in a few minutes.” He put his hands on his hips. So Mark pulled off his shirt and put on the one Ashley had picked out.
“Jesus, you got yourself all hunkified.”
