Page 62 of In the Nick of Time
“Yes, I would like to dance with you, Mr. Swanson.”
A different server returned with their drinks. While Nick sipped at his, Doug ran his credit card.
“What’s SPAM going to think of all these charges?”
“That I’m at a damn club late at night doing my job. Nobody ever asks Bond about his business expenses.”
“Oh, that’s where I think you’re wrong. Q is always getting after him for destroying things.”
“That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“It just is.”
“So, you’re not a night owl?” Nick wasn’t really either. Staying out late had never been fun for him. He was easily overstimulated and ended up wanting to go home before the shows got started.
“Nope. I’m a middle of the day eagle. And I like being at my house where I can control the environment.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Spoiler alert, it wasn’t. Nick liked that Doug was a homebody.
“Have you ever heard of an eagle out at night? No. Eagles are also birds of prey.”
“Technically, eagles are opportunistic scavengers, but whatever floats your boat.”
Waggling his eyebrows, Doug set his glass down and stuck out his elbow like a man from the very olden days. “Shall we take our disagreement to the dance floor?”
“Absolutely,” Nick agreed, abandoning his drink and accepting Doug’s arm.
Once again, Nick brought out Flailing Man while Doug swayed back and forth. Doug was the planet and Nick was the wobbly moon. Whatever, it worked for them. They were both sweaty by the time the song was over and, amazingly, Doug still had a smile on his face.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw the pocket door to the back room slide open. He’d kept an eye on it while they’d been dancing, and he’d noticed that the door didn’t shut right away. There was a slight hesitation and then it would slowly slide closed. If they were subtle—not one of Nick’s skills—and quick, they might be able to sneak back there.
The immediately recognizable first beats ofCan’t Get You Out of My Headbegan to play, and Nick began to slowly dance them toward the entrance to the back room.
“What are you doing?” Doug whispered.
“The door. It doesn’t close quickly and the staff isn’t paying attention. We’ll wait until someone is coming this way and then zip inside.”
“And then what?”
“That’s up to you, boss.”
Nick wrapped his arms around Doug’s shoulders, pressing his body against his partner’s. “The only other option is to seduce Sven.”
“Sven is out of the question.”
“Are you positive? I think he’s interested. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a one-man man, but he could be useful.”
“No Sven,” Doug growled.
“Hmm, I like it when you growl.”
“The door’s opening.”
Nick did his best to be subtle about watching who was emerging from the back room. This time it was Ginny. She was focused on getting her order in at the bar.
“Let’s go.”
