by Sue Brown
Gideon stared at him, and Dan had visions of being handed a pink slip, even though Gideon had told him to be honest. “You’ve thought about this long and hard, huh? Is this from the course?”
“I’ve worked for you for a long time.” Between the bar and his business courses, he’d had ideas over the years.
“But you never said any of this to me before. Why not?” Gideon’s tone was more curious than annoyed.
“Would you tell your boss that you think he’s doing it wrong?” Dan pointed out. “I just have different ideas, that’s all.”
“It’s okay. I’m a big boy. I can take a little criticism. Let me get this straight,” Gideon counted off his fingers, “One, you think I need to rein in Ariel. Two, I need to change the décor to reflect New York and change the furniture so the customers can’t hurt each other with it. Three, I need to provide a food menu. Four, I’m being a lousy boss by hiding away.”
“I didn’t say you’re a lousy boss. You’re a good man to work for, and I wouldn’t have stayed as long as I have if I thought you were bad at your job. I just think you could make changes.”
A long silence followed, and Dan started to worry. Just because Gideon had said to be honest, didn’t mean he accepted the criticism.
Gideon smiled. “How would you like to become my manager?”
Dan stared at him. “What did you just say?”
“How would you like to become the manager of Cowboys and Angels?”
“That’s what I thought you said.” Dan took a deep breath and exhaled. “Yes.”
Gideon’s smile widened. “Just yes?”
“Well, subject to terms and conditions. You’re gonna give me a pay raise? When do you want me to start?”
“Yeah, yeah. You get a pay raise and benefits. Once we’ve discussed benefits, the job is yours.”
Dan took a deep breath and tried to hide his excitement. The experience of running Cowboys and Angels would look great on his business plans for the future, and the pay raise would help with his rent. “Okay tell me the terms.”
“I can’t tell Ariel what to do. She’s got me wrapped around her little finger.” Gideon’s smile turned wry, and Dan nodded. “But my manager? He’d be a different matter. He could tell Ariel to behave.”
Dan held back an eye-roll. Trust Gideon to make Ariel top of the list. “You want me to be the bad guy?”
“Yeah. Do you think you can do that?”
“If you don’t interfere, yeah.”
Gideon snorted. “Don’t hold back, Dan.”
“I’m not gonna take the job if you want a yes man,” Dan said bluntly. “There are plenty of other guys who can do that.”
Gideon leaned forward and caught his gaze. “I offered you the job precisely because you’re not a yes man. You get carte blanche to run Cowboys and Angels how you want. I need to step back from the bar. Other interests need my time.”
Dan’s eyes opened wide. “Are you serious?”
Gideon held up his hand, and Dan noticed the small hairs curling around his watch. “Carte blanche within reason. My bar is for drinking, not a restaurant. But if you can find a small menu we can agree on, then we’ll talk. I’m open for change. You get a pay raise, and you’ll need to find someone else to take your place.”
Dan shook his head. “This is the last thing I expected you to want to talk about.”
“I have a couple of conditions,” Gideon said.
“What are they?” Dan asked suspiciously.
“I want you to take some evenings off. Time away from studying and working.”
“But you just said—”
Gideon held up his hand.
“This is a condition. I know what I just said, but your comments about dating struck home. You’re not even thirty yet, and I can’t remember the last time I saw you date someone you were excited about.”
Dan felt a bit defensive. Why was everyone on his case about his love life? “I don’t date at the bar. It’s not a place to pick up guys.”
“I know it isn’t, but God knows I know what it’s like to be alone. I also know what it’s like to be in a loving relationship, and I think you should have the chance.”
“I’m not on the shelf yet. I just haven’t found anyone I like.” Except you.
Oblivious to Dan’s inner conversation, Gideon continued. “Find a date for Marty’s wedding.”
“I don’t want to date,” Dan said tightly. “I’m fine going stag.”
“Humor me.”
“How am I supposed to find a date?”
Gideon let out a booming laugh. “Well, son, if you need me to tell you that, you’ve been doing it wrong all these years.”
Dan refrained from pointing out that he was not Gideon’s son. He’d had many fantasies about Gideon over the years, but the daddy-and-son relationship wasn’t one of them. “Why do I feel like there’s a conspiracy here?”
“Because you read too many of them conspiracy sites?”
“How do you know…. Oh, of course, Ariel told you?” At Gideon’s nod, Dan sighed. “I do read conspiracy-theory websites. But I don’t actually believe them.” He kept the tinfoil strictly for cooking.
“Thank heaven for that. I don’t want to discover my manager is a closet flat-earther.”
“I’m not a closet anything,” Dan pointed out. “And definitely not a flat-earther. You know way more about me than I know about you.”
“That’s the way it’s meant to be,” Gideon said. “A good boss should always know about his staff.”
Dan had a momentary panic thinking Gideon might know about his unrequited crush. But he was fairly sure he’d managed to keep that one from Ariel. She would never have kept that juicy piece of gossip quiet.
At that point their food arrived, and Gideon dove in with obvious enthusiasm. Dan’s stomach rumbled as he picked up his knife and fork, and he moaned as the taste of bacon flitted over his tongue. Gideon looked up with a grin, and Dan flushed.
“Good?”
“Very good,” Dan mumbled through a mouthful of bacon, egg, and hash browns.
Eating was more important than talking, and both men agreed on pancakes to follow. Dan relaxed in Gideon’s company, at least until coffee, when Gideon mentioned the wedding again.
“I don’t need a date.”
With a wicked grin on his face, Gideon sat back against the vinyl seat. “A bet, then.”
“What kind of bet?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. How about $500?”
Dan frowned. “You want to bet $500 on what?”
“If you find a date, I’ll keep Ariel out of the bar for the next three months and pay you a $500 bonus.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Dan didn’t have $500, and Gideon knew that.
“You’re turning down a quiet bar?”
“And if I don’t find a date, I have to pay you $500 and keep Ariel quiet?”
Gideon shook his head, but mischief was written all over him. “Not quite.”
“What, then?” Dan asked warily.
“If we, and by we I mean Ariel, find you a date, you donate to a charity of my choice and Ariel is all yours to deal with.”
“You’ve got to be joking. There’s no way I’m going to let Ariel pick me a date.” That idea was just horrific. Dan turned it over in his mind as the waitress topped off their coffees. The whole thing was a joke to Gideon, but Dan could use $500. Was he a man or a mouse? He could find a date for himself.
Gideon picked up his cup. “Five hundred dollars and no fights.”
“You’re on.” Dan was going to win that bet. He raised the cup to Gideon in mock salute. One date. He could manage that.
Chapter 6
IT WAS supposed to be his day off. Gideon had promised him that after an eleven-day stretch he could have the whole day off and not return until the following evening. Dan fully intended to stay in bed, cuddle his cat, and not move for twenty-four hours. He was asleep, buried in pillows and comforters, his dreams
full of a guy with dark curls who looked suspiciously like Gideon pushing him facedown into his bed and thrusting into him until Dan’s toes curled and he forgot his own name.
The sound of his phone was an unwelcome intrusion. Dan fumbled around for the phone and dislodged his purring cat. He knocked the phone onto the floor, and after more cursing and fumbling through his discarded clothing, he eventually managed to pick it up, only to have missed the call.
Dan cursed again He would have to open his eyes to see who called. He wasn’t any happier when he cracked open one eye and realized it was Cowboys and Angels’ number. He was tempted to ignore the call, but then he heard the beep of a message. He rolled over onto his back and called the bar. Gideon answered immediately.
“Dan?”
He could deny all knowledge of knowing anyone called Dan, but the petty satisfaction wasn’t worth the aggravation. “Yeah. Is there a problem?” Please don’t ask me to cover a shift.
“I know you’re tired, but I really need you in the bar this evening.”
Dan groaned. “Gideon, I’m dead on my feet. Isn’t there anyone else?”
“Bradley and Luis are sick, and Juan is away. I’ve got Eddie and Liam here till four, but then I’m on my own. If you come in, we can work together.”
“Bradley and Luis are both sick?”
Dan’s suspicious tone must have communicated itself to Gideon. “I know. It did seem unlikely, but they both said they’d been puking.”
“What about Ariel or her friend, what’s her name, Rachel? She wanted more shifts.”
“They’ve got lectures tonight. I know I promised you the time off, and I’ll make it up to you.”
It was the sense of desperation in Gideon’s voice that made Dan say, “Okay, okay. I’ll be there at five.”
“Thanks, dar—Dan. See you later.”
Dan rolled out of bed and was unsurprised when SmokeyJo conveyed her displeasure by hocking up a hairball.
He’d had almost ten hours sleep. That was enough, surely. Dan rolled out of bed and padded into the bathroom. A hot shower might wake him up, so he stood under the pounding stream of water and closed his eyes. His apartment was blessed with a powerful shower, and he leaned against the tiles and relished the feel of the water running over his tired body.
“If you’re not careful, you’re going to fall asleep standing up,” he muttered.
He squeezed shower gel into his hand and ran it over his body. Dan had little hair on his head, but he was furry on his chest and belly, the brown hair a shade darker than his head. Idly he wondered whether Gideon liked body hair, but then he cut that thought off. Gideon was straight and, since women didn’t usually sport chest hair, off-limits. After five years Dan was very good at cutting off any unwanted thoughts, if not dreams. He rinsed himself and got out of the shower to towel dry.
SmokeyJo poked her head around the bathroom door and mewed at him. He scrubbed his head dry and then answered her meow. “Yes, I’ll feed you before I go. But you don’t deserve it. Just saying.”
She sniffed and walked away, tail held high and with a contemptuous swagger. Dan sighed. He should have gotten a dog.
COWBOYS AND Angels was virtually empty when he walked in. Gideon was behind the bar, and he looked relieved when he saw Dan, although his opening greeting was a harsh “About time.”
Dan glared at him because it was exactly five o’clock. He’d spent what little free time he’d had finishing his assignment, then apologized to SmokeyJo before leaving her again. In the back he removed his coat, hat, and gloves, aware he was still out of sorts and not ready to make nice.
Gideon appeared in the doorway. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be an asshole.”
Dan grunted. “We need more staff, boss.”
“Agreed. I want you to look at it as part of your new duties.”
“I didn’t know I’d accepted the job.” Dan frowned. Or had he? Yes, he had agreed to take the post. God, he was so tired.
Gideon raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to turn me down? I’m giving you everything you wanted in the place.”
“Except sleep,” Dan bitched. “I’m really lacking in sleep.”
“I know that, and I’ll make up it up to you. I can’t believe Bradley and Luis were both sick.”
Dan had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly what was wrong with the two barmen. There was a new bar opening across town, and separately, both men had asked Dan if he would cover their shifts. If he hadn’t worked so many days, he would have said yes. But he wasn’t about to snitch to Gideon. He would make his feelings clear to them on his own time. Dan grinned viciously. They would be covering his shifts for some time to come. They just didn’t know it yet.
“Do I want to know what you’re thinking about?” Gideon asked.
Dan shook his head. “I don’t think you do.”
“If you’re my manager, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I’m not your manager yet. When I am, I will always be on your side. Unless you’re being an asshole, in which case I’ll tell you, and that will be me being on your side too.”
Gideon shook his head. “I’m beginning to regret this decision.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m not,” Gideon said softly as he walked back into the bar.
Dan was worried he’d fall asleep—he was that tired—but the bar got so busy he didn’t have time to stop and think, let alone sleep. Partway through the evening, he realized how much he enjoyed working with Gideon. He hadn’t worked a shift with his boss since his early days, and they just fit. Unlike some of the other barmen, he didn’t have to prod Gideon to work. Gideon knew what needed to be done, and he just got on with it. They deferred to each other when necessary, and when a customer got rowdy, Gideon had Dan’s back.
Still, he wasn’t unhappy that Gideon made a decision to close the bar a couple of hours early, and because there weren’t any fights to clear up, the bar was closed and cleaned by 2:00 a.m. Dan sat down wearily and rubbed his eyes.
“I’ll give you a ride home,” Gideon said.
“It’s okay. I can get a car.” But Dan couldn’t bring himself to move. He could barely raise his head.
“I’m driving you home.”
Dan was too tired to argue. He yawned and got to his feet. “Could you just transport me home now?”
“You can stay here if you want. I have a spare room.”
“The offer is very tempting, but I have to get home to feed SmokeyJo. If she doesn’t get food every couple of hours, she’ll die. At least that’s what she tells me.”
Gideon looked amused. “You do know she’s just playing you, don’t you?”
Dan yawned again. “Of course I do. But I let her think she’s in control.”
“Come on, then. I’ll have you in bed in ten minutes,” Gideon said as he walked toward the back to get his coat.
Dan was glad Gideon couldn’t see his face at that moment, because all his feelings would be on display. Goddammit. Crushes on unattainable guys were the pits. He put his coat on and smiled when Gideon returned. “I’m ready.”
“HEY, YOU’RE home.”
Dan mumbled and snuggled down, annoyed at being disturbed.
“What am I going to do to wake you up?” The voice sounded amused, but Dan could really do with it shutting up. He needed sleep. “Am I going to have to carry you upstairs?”
“I’m awake. Awake.” Dan sat up abruptly, arms flailing, and then realized he was still in Gideon’s car. “Did I fall asleep?”
Gideon rolled his eyes. “You were snoring before I put the belt on you.”
“I’m sorry.” Dan knuckled his eyes in a futile attempt to wake up.
“No worries. Let’s get you to bed before you fall asleep again.” Gideon got out of the car and came around to open Dan’s door.
Dan scowled as he got out of the car. “I can open my own door.”
Gideon pushed the door shut. “I know you can. I also k
now you’re asleep on your feet. If I leave you here, you’re probably going to fall asleep in the doorway and die of hypothermia.”
“I’m not that helpless,” Dan protested.
“That would be more believable if your eyes weren’t already shut. I wouldn’t be a good employer if I didn’t make sure my staff were safely tucked up in bed.”
“You never worried about me before.” Dan slapped a mental hand over his mouth. Obviously being tired had lowered some of his defenses.
Gideon put an arm round him and guided Dan to the door before he answered. “That was remiss of me. I won’t make that mistake again.”
“It’s okay,” Dan mumbled. “You’re a good boss. The best.”
“I really ought to be recording this for future reference so I can remind you when you tell me all the things I do wrong.”
“No blackmail.”
“No blackmail,” Gideon agreed. “What floor are you on?”
“Third floor. No, don’t use the elevator. We could be stuck in there forever.” Dan pointed to the stairs.
Gideon half carried him up the stairs. “Thank God it’s only the third floor,” he puffed as he manhandled Dan into the hallway. “Which is your door?”
By that time Dan was resting his head on Gideon’s chest and was more than ready to go back to sleep, but he waved to his front door.
Gideon propped him against the wall. “Give me your keys.”
Dan fumbled for the keys and handed them to Gideon, who tried a couple before he found the right one. SmokeyJo greeted them as they entered the apartment. Her meows changed to something more questioning when she spotted Gideon, but they turned to purrs as Gideon bent down to pet her. Dan stood in the middle of his room, not sure what he was meant to do next.
“You go to bed,” Gideon said.
“Gotta feed the cat.” Dan wandered in the direction of the kitchen cabinets.
Hands landed on his shoulders and steered him toward the bedroom. “I’ll feed the damned cat. Get into bed before you fall down.”
Dan landed on the bed without even taking off his boots and jacket. It wasn’t like he hadn’t done it a hundred times before. He was asleep before he properly settled, and he stirred only slightly when he felt gentle hands undress him and guide him under the covers. But it wasn’t enough to fully wake him as he slipped into a dreamless sleep.