Swept Up In Blue
By Pender Mackie
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Pender Mackie
All rights reserved
Cover Art by Lou Harper
This story was written as a free short for Coffee and Porn in the Morning to celebrate the blog’s first birthday.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com. Thank you for your support.
Tait crossed his fingers and pressed the start button. The photocopier sucked his originals in one by one, hesitating each time, debating whether or not to keep his work before reluctantly spitting the pages back out.
He’d only been working at Tanner Supplies for six weeks, but he’d learned a couple of important things: the photocopier was temperamental and, if he wanted to get his work done, Bert was to be avoided at all costs.
The copier made a grinding noise. “Come on, give it up,” he coaxed under his breath.
Lights rolled across the underside of the lid and his original shot out, a little worse for wear, but at least he didn’t have to take the machine apart looking for bits of confetti.
“Oh. Now, that’s annoying. I go to print off another page and you steal the photocopier.”
Tait winced internally and turned. “Almost done, Bert.”
Bert, British, bone thin and at least sixty, directed a fish-eyed stare at Tait. “How much longer?”
“Last couple of pages.” Tait glanced at the machine. Please don’t jam.
Bert advanced on him. “Did you have one of my bickies?”
Tait stared at him blankly. “I’m sorry?”
“Kimberley made cookies for me. They’re at my desk.”
“Oh. No, I er…” Tait gestured at the copier. “I’ve been working.”
The machine came to a halt with a squeal of protest. Tait grabbed his originals and the copies. He moved toward Bert and the copier room door behind him.
Bert moved too, blocking his path. “You know I’m retiring, don’t you?”
“Uh huh. Congratulations.”
Tait stepped to his left, intending an end run.
Bert intercepted him.
“This was the first job I had when I came over. Back in England I worked at a building society. You don’t have them here, but they’re similar to a bank. There are some interesting differences though…”
Tait plastered a polite expression of interest onto his face. He gazed at Bert’s forehead. For some reason he could never look the man in the eye for more than a few seconds. Maybe it was because Bert had a lazy eye and Tait was never sure which eye to make contact with.
Bert’s voice droned on. He had amazing eyebrows. A luxuriant, snowy white with long guard hairs sticking straight out, almost like a cat’s whiskers. Tait let Bert’s voice wash over him, making what he hoped were appropriate noises every now and then. Was there anything to watch on TV tonight? Bert’s eyebrows moved up and down as he talked. Maybe something on Animal Planet?
Kimberley stuck her head in the copier room. “Tait. Your phone’s ringing.”
“Excuse me.” Tait eased past Bert. “Thank you,” he mouthed at Kimberley.
Safely back in his cubicle he breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way Kimberley could have heard his phone ringing from where she sat just outside the photocopier room. He was too far away and his ringer was turned down, as per office protocol. Tait rolled his chair into the aisle and craned his neck. He could see half of Kimberley’s anime poster and more importantly, the back of her curly blonde hair. Good. She’d made it back to her desk so he didn’t have to stage a rescue.
He glanced at his phone. The message light wasn’t flashing, but he checked his voicemail just to be sure. No messages. Tait sighed. It was Friday and he had a hot date with his TV. Again.
Most of his friends were in relationships. Tait spent a lot of Friday nights watching shows he had no interest in. He needed to get back into the dating scene. Meet someone new. But not at work. He didn’t know how tolerant his new employer was and anyway, coworkers were off limits. He’d learned his lesson.
Tait chewed on his pen. The bar scene was for hook-ups and he wasn’t looking for that. There were classes and drop-in sports at the local rec center, but most of the classes seemed geared for seniors and he wasn’t good at team sports. His hobbies were all solitary activities like listening to music, swimming and running. Maybe he could join a running group. At least he’d be staying in shape while he was looking for love.
Tait checked his watch. Half an hour until he could go eat his peanut butter sandwich and flip through old copies of Reader’s Digest in the lunchroom. Bring it on.
In the afternoon Kimberley came by with a plate of cookies. She sat on the corner of his two-drawer filing cabinet. “I figured you had your quota of Bert today so you wouldn’t be stopping by his desk for a cookie. These are from my private reserves.”
Tait tried not to laugh with his mouth full of triple chocolate chip cookie.
“Thanks.”
Kimberley watched him, looking speculative. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“You’re not into women, are you?”
Tait almost choked. He took a swig of cold coffee.
Kimberley’s lips twitched. “I guess that wasn’t very tactful.”
“It’s okay.” Tait felt himself blushing. “I’m not gonna wear a rainbow bracelet to work, but I’m not in the closet.” He took another bite of his cookie. “How’d you know?”
Kimberley shrugged. “You always look me in the face when we’re talking. Most men’s eyes drift down.”
“Oh. Er…sorry?”
Kimberley laughed. “Don’t apologize. Anyway, your orientation’s no big deal here. Betty’s been in a same-sex relationship forever and Tim’s gay too.”
“Yeah?” Tait had known about Tim. It was hard not to know. But he hadn’t known about Betty. “Anyone else?”
Kimberley gave him a look he couldn’t interpret. “There’s Jude.”
“Jude?”
“From Sales.”
“I haven’t met him.” Tait brushed cookie crumbs off his hands. Kimberley took that as her cue to leave and got to her feet. “You’re coming for drinks tonight, right? To celebrate Bert’s retirement?”
“Who’s celebrating?” Tait asked, grinning.
Kimberley grinned back. “Everyone. He doesn’t officially retire ‘til the end of the month, but he’s got three weeks vacation so today’s his last workday. He must have told you.”
“Well…I kind of zone out when he’s talking sometimes.”
“Lucky you. I always seem to say something that starts him off on another topic.” She smoothed down her skirt. “So come with me tonight. You can meet the guys from Sales. Jude will be there,” she added. “Maybe you two will hit it off.”
****
Tait stood blinking as his eyes adjusted to the bar’s dim light. He’d almost said no, but what else did he have to do? And he was curious about Jude. Kimberley had acted weird when he’d asked her for more details. Tait wondered why. She was obviously okay with the whole gay thing in theory, but maybe having one guy ask her if another guy was hot had been too much.
“Kim, over here.”
“There they are.” Kimberley set off to a dark corner of the bar.
Tait followed. The next few minutes were taken up with pulling an extra table over, taking off their coats and ordering drinks. Tait was pleased to discover they had a decent dark beer on tap.
The bar was supposed to look like a British pub, but as far as he could see the attempt was limited to poor lighting and mismatched tables and chairs. Tait doubted most British pubs had a big screen TV showing cage fighting, but since he’d never been to England he couldn’t say for sure.
Tait looked down the table. There were around twenty people, with Bert holding court at the far end. Bert, or more likely Bert’s retirement, was popular. Tait either knew, or had seen most of the people around the office. He didn’t recognize the three guys sitting halfway down. They were probably the guys from Sales. Tait studied them wondering which, if any of them, was Jude.
He suspected it was the twenty-something man in the middle with the thick black hair and the smooth skin. It was stereotyping, but he looked a little bit more pulled together than the other two. His tie and shirt matched and that shade of blue worked for him. Really worked for him.
The same couldn’t be said for the man with the yellowed shirt and a nubby brown tie that almost looked as if it had been hand knit. Tait’s tenth grade math teacher had worn a tie like that every day. The third man was talking loudly about the hot blonde behind the bar so he definitely wasn’t Jude.
The dark haired man turned his head and their eyes met. It wasn’t easy to tell in this light, but Tait thought his eyes were blue or maybe gray. He saw the flicker of awareness as they recognized each other’s orientation and his heart did a funny, fluttery thing.
Then the waiter brought his beer. When he looked over again the man had turned away and Bert was talking to him.
Tait leaned into Kimberley. “Who are the guys in the middle?” The dark-haired one was gay, but that didn’t mean he was Jude. Not everyone was out. Maybe Jude was Knitted Tie Guy.
“Mickey, Jude and Bob.”
“Which is which?”
Kimberley leaned closer. “Mickey’s sitting closest to us, Jude’s the cute one in the blue shirt. Bob’s on the far end.”
Jude looked up as if he’d heard his name though Kimberley had been speaking quietly and the bar was noisy. He smiled at Kimberley then his gaze switched to Tait. His smile widened a fraction and Tait felt something happening low in his belly. His stomach did a flip and his dick woke up. He smiled back, hoping he looked friendly and not like he felt: like his body was telling him all systems were go.
Jude held his gaze then took a drink of his beer. There was nothing obvious or even flirtatious in his action, but Tait wanted to get up, haul Jude out of his chair and lay one on him. What the hell? He blinked, trying to erase the image of himself holding Jude by his tie and mashing their lips together.
Jude said something to Bob, or maybe Mickey. Tait had already forgotten who was who. He couldn’t hear what Jude said. Too many people were talking at the same time, but he wondered what Jude sounded like. Especially what he sounded like when he was having sex. Tait picked his glass up with a hand that wasn’t quite steady.
More coworkers arrived. Tait, grateful for the distraction, focused on talking to the people around him. It didn’t work. Even when he had his head turned in the opposite direction Tait was aware of Jude sitting across from him just two tables down. He strained to hear Jude’s voice. He looked over every time Jude moved and he caught a flash of blue shirt. And each time he looked at Jude’s face, Jude met and held his gaze.
****
The people with spouses and kids were the first to leave. Tait’s table shifted over and now Jude was only a few feet away listening respectfully as Bert talked to him. Tait stole glimpses of Jude, cataloging the short dark lashes, the high cheekbones, and end-of-the-day stubble.
Tait wasn’t particularly fond of beard bristle. His last boyfriend had looked like Popeye’s enemy Bluto unless he shaved twice a day. During their time together Tait often looked like he’d gone a few rounds with a belt sander and lost.
Jude’s stubble was barely there, noticeable only because his skin was pale and his hair so dark. The contrast of soft lips and the prickle of short whiskers would feel amazing, especially against the more sensitive parts of his body. Damn. Tait squirmed in his seat.
Jude had taken off his tie and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. Tait imagined licking the hollow of his throat, unbuttoning more of his shirt to run his fingers through silky black chest hair and over tight nipples. He sat in a state of almost painful arousal, afraid to move or say too much. He didn’t want to broadcast his attraction, though given the amount of eye contact zinging back and forth he bet both Jude and their coworkers already knew.
When Jude got up to use the washroom Tait discreetly checked him out. He admired the broad shoulders, the narrow waist and hips though he couldn’t see much. Dark dress pants in a dark room didn’t give him a lot to work with, but Tait’s imagination supplied plenty. Smooth, pale skin, round and unblemished. Perfectly curved to fit the palm of his hand. Just enough meat to get a good grip. Tait’s fingers twitched. He had a brief but intense fantasy of joining Jude in the washroom, engaging in some of the fabled gay bathroom sex he’d heard so much about.
He stayed at the table, picking at a plate of nachos someone had ordered for the group. If he wasn’t going to date someone he worked with he sure as hell wasn’t going to mess around with them. Besides, he preferred a little romance with his sex. Now a date with Jude—dinner followed by kissing and whatever that might lead to—that was more his style. Except he’d sworn off office affairs.
Bluto had worked with him at his old office and everyone had known they were dating. When the relationship ended, Bluto the Butthead had no problem airing their dirty laundry. Thanks to Butthead’s indiscretions and the endless office gossip Tait thought he had a pretty good idea of what the people on the tabloid covers went through.
He’d toughed it out and over time things had returned to normal, but he’d been happy to hear about the Accounts Payable job at Tanner Supplies. That the job paid better and was within walking distance of his apartment was an added bonus.
Jude came back to the table and Tait sighed. Jude pushed all of his buttons. If they’d met anywhere else Tait would be waiting for his chance to talk to Jude. Wondering if they’d click and making plans to ask him out. But his very public break up had been an experience he never wanted to repeat. He’d finish this drink then wish Bert a happy retirement and head home.
A few more people left. Tait shuffled chairs along with Kimberley and a couple of others. One of the sales guys had already gone, but Jude was still there. Sitting right across from him.
Jude smiled and extended his hand. “You’re Tait, right? I’m Jude.”
Tait nodded.
It was just a handshake. Jude’s grip was firm and he released Tait’s hand at the appropriate time. It was nothing special really, yet the hair on Tait’s arms and legs stood up and his heart stopped then started beating again: a lively allegro.
Jude’s eyes were an almost luminous blue. Blue like his shirt. Blue like the lake a teenage Tait had swam in every summer. He could almost see his reflection swimming around in all that blue right now. Tait leaned forward.
Jude cleared his throat. “So how do you like Tanner Supplies?”
Tait came back to earth with a jerk. He swallowed and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. “It’s good,” he managed to say. His heart hammered away like he’d just run a four-minute mile.
Tait drank the last of his beer. What the hell had just happened? He wanted to keep the conversation going, but he couldn’t think of a thing to say. Hey, I think you just fried all of my synapses wasn’t appropriate.
Jude wet his lips. “You should come see me in Sales. Maybe next week? I could give you the run down on our products.” He tugged at his collar. “Maybe just before lunch?”
“Okay.” It wouldn’t hurt to know more about the company he worked for. And if they happened to go to lunch together so what? It didn’t have to be a big deal.
Jude’s brows drew together. He caught his bottom lip between his teeth and glanced over at Kimberley who was talking to another coworker.
Knitted Tie Guy ordered a round of shooters. The waiter asked if he wanted another beer. Tait declined and settled his tab. The way his body was reacting to Jude more alcohol would definitely be a mistake.
Jude slouched in his seat and Kimberley jerked. “Ouch!”
Jude stared silently at Kimberley.
“What?” She looked at Tait’s empty glass. “Oh. You’re not planning on leaving are you? It’s not even seven yet.”
Tait twisted to grab his navy pea coat from the back of his chair. “Actually, yeah.”
“Have another beer. I can give you a ride home,” she offered.
“I’d better not. It’s getting kind of—”
“Here’s to Bert!”
Tait found a shooter glass pressed into his hand. He didn’t want it, but to refuse to drink a toast to Bert would be rude.
The shot was surprisingly good. “What was that?”
“Butterscotch Schnapps and Bailey’s Irish Cream.” Kimberley giggled. “It’s called a Slippery Nipple.”
Knitted Tie Guy waved his arm around, trying to get the waiter’s attention. “Wanna try a Blow Job, Kim?”
Tait’s face warmed. Do not go there. He felt Jude’s eyes on him but he refused to look up. He licked his sticky lips and stood. “I really should be going.”
He shook Bert’s hand and wished him well. Bert was in the middle of a story and annoyed at being interrupted so Tait got away in record time.
Out on the front sidewalk he paused to take in a few refreshing lungfuls of cold air and clear his head. He set off, thankful the bar was close to work and his apartment.
“Tait! Wait up.” Jude hurried toward him.
Tait stopped. His heart, which had returned to its regular rhythm, picked up speed. Why was Jude coming after him? Was he walking the same way? Please, God, don’t let me do or say something stupid.
“Thanks.” Jude caught up to him. His breath came in quick puffs, visible in the chilly air. “Can I give you a ride home?”
What was this? Some kind of pickup attempt? And why did that seem like a good thing? He’d made his decision.
Jude, hands in his pockets, hunched his shoulders inside his jacket. “Look, it’s cold and you’re walking, right? I can drive you.”
“How’d you know I’m walking?”
Jude’s eyes met his then skittered away. “Kimberley offered you a ride home. Besides, the bar’s parking lot is in back.”
Tait hesitated. Jude could be some kind of creep, but Kimberley hadn’t given him that impression and his instincts weren’t clamoring.
Jude’s cheeks filled with color and he ducked his head. “Please? I’d like to talk to you.” He peeked up at Tait from under the dark fan of his lashes.
Whoa. The bashful look wouldn’t have worked for a lot of guys, but Jude was a few inches shorter than Tait and on him the lowered lashes thing was sexy as hell. In his current state of arousal Tait wasn’t sure it was smart to be alone with Jude in a car, but his dick thought it was a great idea. Anyway, it was cold out and he’d left his gloves at the office.
“Okay.”
“Great.” Jude straightened and smiled. “My car’s in back.”
They walked around the side of the building. Jude’s car was a nondescript, dark colored import. Maybe blue or black. Jude unlocked the doors. He shifted a gym bag and a couple of CD cases off the passenger seat so Tait could sit down. “Sorry. I wasn’t planning on company.”
For some reason that reassured him. Tait got in. He watched as Jude fiddled with the heat and defrost controls. In the close confines of the car Jude’s aftershave, a clean, woodsy scent, was faint but noticeable. Tait shifted.
Jude shot him a concerned look. “Sorry. It takes a while to heat up. Are you comfortable?”
“Uh huh.” As comfortable as he could be, sitting next to a man who smelled like sex on wheels and made him want to rethink his stance on one-nighters.
“Where to?”
Tait gave him directions. Jude kept shooting sideways glances over at Tait as he drove. He cleared his throat a couple of times.
“So, Tait. I was wondering—”
“This is it. Pull in right here.” For the first time since he’d started at Tanner Supplies Tait wished he lived farther away.
The parking space was almost right in front of Tait’s building. Jude pulled up and turned off the engine. He sat looking out the windshield, his hands on the steering wheel. Tait waited. Jude didn’t say anything more, despite apparently wanting to talk. Tait thought about inviting him up, but that would only end one way and he wasn’t going to get down and dirty with a coworker. No matter how much he wanted to.
Tait undid his seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Wait. Please.” Jude put a hand on Tait’s thigh. Tait froze with equal parts shock and pleasure. Jude’s fingers burned through the material of his pants and branded his skin. His dick sprang to attention.
Jude started to lean over and jerked back as his seatbelt locked. “Shit.”
The snick of the seatbelt releasing made Tait’s heart pound.
Jude smiled. “Thanks.”
Tait looked down, surprised to see that he was the one who had undone the seatbelt. When he looked back up Jude’s mouth was close enough to kiss.
Jude’s lips were as soft as he’d expected. Tait pressed their mouths together, marveling at the contrast of warm silk and the rasp of stubble. It was every bit as good as he’d imagined. Better even.
Jude sucked gently on his bottom lip before releasing it with a soft moan. Tait wanted more. He surged forward clicking their teeth together, licking his way into Jude’s mouth and tasting butterscotch. Jude kissed him back. He kissed like it was an Olympic event and he was trying for a medal. Tait thought he deserved gold.
Jude’s fingers burrowed under his coat and kneaded his hip. The hand on his thigh slid higher, palming his dick. So good. Tait’s hips jerked in sharp, staccato movements. He wrapped his arms around Jude and grabbed a handful of butt cheek: tried to haul him closer.
Jude made a needy sound, his breath hot in Tait’s ear. He squeezed Tait’s dick through his pants. “Yeah, oh, yeah.” Tait licked Jude’s neck. Nipped at his skin. He got his fingers down the back of Jude’s pants. Into his underwear. Silky skin, so smooth, so hot.
“Wait.” Jude pulled away. One shirttail hung out and his thick, black hair stuck up in the front. He sat on his own side of the car, taking deep breaths through kiss-swollen lips. “Give me just a second.”
Tait straightened his clothes. What the hell was he doing? He’d almost got off with a guy he just met, in a car in front of his building. Where anyone could have walked by and seen them. He was hard. Aching. And if Jude gave him half a chance he’d be all over him again: coworker or not.
Tait rubbed his face. He couldn’t believe he’d been so aggressive. His physical response to Jude freaked him out. Hell, it looked like it freaked Jude out too.
Jude ran a shaking hand through his hair, mussing it up even more. “I need to tell you something.”
Tait’s heart sank. “You’re in a relationship.” His voice sounded thick. Thank God one of them had come to his senses.
“No. Nothing like that.” Jude rubbed the back of his neck. “Damn it. I’m doing this all wrong.”
Tait thought he’d been doing a great job. And that was a problem right there. They shouldn’t have been doing anything.
“She didn’t want to play matchmaker, but I asked Kimberley to convince you to come out tonight.”
Tait blinked. “What?”
“She said she thought you might be gay and I wanted to meet you.”
“That’s why you offered to drive me home? Were you hoping to get laid?” He folded his arms across his chest. And he’d been worried he was moving too fast: being too aggressive.
“No. Well, not exactly. Though I hoped—” Jude backpedalled at his expression “—but it’s not like that. I’ve been attracted to you since the first time I saw you.”
Tait made a show of checking his watch. “Which was about three hours ago.”
Jude ducked his head. “I see you walking to work just about every day. Sometimes, if I time it right, I hit a red light and you cross the street right in front of me. You always wear headphones and you never look at the cars waiting for you to cross.” He picked at the seam of his pants. “I’ve been wondering what you’re listening to. What kind of music you like.”
He took a quick look at Tait. “I knew you worked in the same building, but I didn’t know who you were and anyway, I assumed you’d be straight. Then I saw you going out for coffee with Kimberley and I hit her up for your info. Just in case.”
Jude stole a look at him from under his lashes as Tait sat with his mouth hanging open. “I was going to ask you out for dinner. There’s this restaurant just around the corner from my place. They have great pizza. Please tell me you like pizza.”
“Yeah, but…” Tait was torn. Jude had been interested in him for weeks? Wondering about him, hoping? The romantic in Tait started turning cartwheels, but he hadn’t forgotten Bluto and he didn’t want to be fodder for the office rumor mill.
“Look, I’m very attracted to you.” Jude bit back a smile and Tait flushed. He’d just demonstrated that pretty enthusiastically. “But I think it’s a mistake to get involved with coworkers. The last time I tried that the fallout was…unpleasant.”
Jude straightened and turned to face him eagerly. “That’s fine. It’s smart even. But I have a new job so we won’t be coworkers much longer. I just gave my notice today. That’s why I panicked when you left the bar. I only have a couple of weeks then I’ll be gone. I wanted to ask you out before it’s too late.” He bit his lip. “I might never see you again and I like you.”
Tait wavered. “You can’t like me. You don’t know me.”
“Let me get to know you.” Jude put on his seatbelt and reached for the car keys. “Properly. Over dinner, with conversation and food.” Jude smiled and Tait’s skin tingled. “In the bar, when we shook hands, I know you felt something. I did too.” His eyes shone and Tait remembered being swept up by those blue eyes. Caught and swept up by something much bigger than himself.
“Swept up in blue,” Tait muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Tait reached for his seatbelt. “Okay, you win.” And didn’t it feel good to give in?
“Great.” Jude’s smile lit up the car. He started the engine. “You know, when I woke up this morning I knew this was going to be a great night.”
It was. “Does your pizza place deliver?”
“Yeah.” Jude looked doubtful. “But they’re really slow.”
Tait grinned. “Good.”
The End.
About the Author
Pender Mackie lives in Canada though she spent her childhood years in England.
An imaginative child, Pender wasn’t a willing student and didn’t learn to read until her father—deciding some incentive was needed—promised her a pony as soon as she could read a newspaper.
Properly motivated, Pender picked up a book and discovered the joys of fiction. Though her infatuation with ponies didn’t last, she still loves a good story.
Pender has been writing M/M romance stories for about three years, but has only just started submitting some of them for publication. She is busy putting the final touches on several others.
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