Promises 2 (6 page)

“I’m not saying that at all, I just think you might want to go a different route before you buy those tickets, bro. Get to know the guy a little better. Hey, he might not even be an Atlanta fan.”

True. Not everyone makes good choices.
“Okay. Then give me some suggestions. It’s obvious I’m going to have to apologize and atone for how I treated him in the beginning, or he’ll stay skeptical. I gave him the impression that I was a bigoted, heterosexual homophobe and now he won’t take my advances seriously. You’ve been dating the past few months. Without grossing me out or being too detailed, what’s something nice you’ve done to apologize for a screw up?”

“Don’t know. I never screw up.” Duke shrugged simply.

Quick stood up, throwing his hands in the air. “You’re really annoying me, Duke.”

“Alright, alright.” Duke was so good at ruffling his feathers. He’d been doing it for over twenty years. “Being completely honest. Vaughan was pretty pissed about our last bust. He said I wasn’t being careful with my health after I’d promised I would.”

They all took their promises very seriously. Quick kept quiet, intrigued to hear how Duke made up for a broken promise.

“That was the first night we didn’t go to bed at the same time.”

“Duke,” Quick warned on a snarl.

“Easy. I’m simply saying he was really mad. I thought he was gonna sleep on the couch, and I felt like shit.” Duke looked up at him, like he was sharing a big secret. “So the next day I took him some flowers to his office.”

“Flowers?” Quick reared back, surprised.
Only women want that type of thing
.

Duke’s cheek colored slightly but he kept his head up. “Yeah, man. Flowers. Nice ones from a florist, not from the damn 7-Eleven gas station. I brought him a dozen roses… yellow ones. Yellow means you care.”

“You know what flowers mean?”

“I wish I could add botanist to my repertoire, but no. The florist told me. All rose colors mean something.”

Quick grunted again, but he was paying attention.

“Maybe you should go there and ask her which ones mean ‘I screwed up my first shot but please give me another.’ If flowers are mostly for women, then there have got to be ones that mean that.” Duke laughed and Quick joined right in with him.

Touché.

Cayson

“Nania. How many times do I have to ask for the Jamirez file? Cayson let the intercom button go with a hard snap of his wrist, immediately regretting it. He shouldn’t be taking out his frustrations on his innocent nurse. She was surely moving as fast as Cayson could bark. And boy was he barking today. Had been all week.

“I apologize, Dr. Chauncey. Here you go. It was downstairs, since it’s over five years old, and they tried to stall me down in records.”

“I’m sorry too, Nania. I just…” Cayson removed his reading glasses and rubbed at the tiredness in his eyes. “…haven’t been sleeping well.”

Regardless of his lack of sleep, his surgery rotation was still very demanding. If he didn’t get himself under control, he was going to have to exclude himself from surgeries. It’d be the first time in ten years. The last time he’d had to be excused from seeing patients was when his mother died.

“Maybe you should take some of your vacation time, Doctor. I’ve been here six years and I’ve never seen you take a break, holiday, leave, or anything. It’s not healthy to be so consumed with—”

Cayson couldn’t hear any more of this, so as politely as he could, he cut into her concerns. “Nania. I think I’m good for the day. It’s after three. I’m sure your grandbabies would love to see you earlier than usual. Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off?”

“Why don’t you, Doctor?” On that final note, she closed the door and left him alone in his large, silent office.

He researched the file he’d requested for about thirty minutes, his photographic memory immensely helpful in his efforts to get reacquainted with the old case. The Jamirez file was one of the many he was looking at to help him with a potential clinical trial he wanted to assist on. Anything that would consume his every waking hour. His personal cell phone buzzed on his hip with a text notification. He already knew who it was, since he didn’t get many calls. 

How about you make me dinner tonight? Say 6ish. I’ll even be open to an apology if you get on your knees
.

Cayson scowled when he read the text.
Ugh, god.
He wanted to smack himself. How could he let himself be used like he’d been doing? Joe came to him to get his rocks off and that was it. Oh yeah, and dinner. There was no love or sentiments. Cayson was his good time guy. The thought made him want to vomit. What had he done? He decided there and then that he was no longer being a doormat. If love came, then it came, but he was done looking for something that frankly just wasn’t in the stars for him.

He heard a soft knock on his door.

“Nania, I told you to go home,” Cayson yelled before he could stop himself.

The door eased open and when Cayson saw the tip of a black boot, he knew immediately it wasn’t his secretary. Quick’s head peeked around next. “I’m not Nania. There was no one out there, so I decided to just knock. Can I come in?”

Cayson sat there behind his desk, staring dumbfounded for a couple seconds, debating whether he should follow his new rule of not being a doormat and kick Quick out of his office and onto his beautiful, sexy ass. Of all the thoughts that swirled around in his mind, “What the hell are you doing here?” was what actually came out.

“I felt bad about the other night so I thought—”

“Thought what?” Cayson had to at least know why he was there. This was a little far to take a joke.

Quick finally stepped inside his office and Cayson immediately saw the large bouquet of orange roses in Quick’s other hand.

“These are, um. For you. I wanted to apologize for coming on so strong the other night. I thought you were attracted to me, but I didn’t mean to jump to conclusions. I let my best friend and son talk my head up sometimes.” Quick looked slightly embarrassed while he handed over the big bush.

It was already in a very masculine but pretty brown and tan vase that fit Cayson’s office décor well. He took the heavy arrangement and set it on the low mahogany file cabinet in front of his window. He couldn’t help but stare at the flowers.

“The florist said that orange roses represent desire and enthusiasm, so after I told her my story, this is what she recommended.” Quick shrugged like it meant nothing, but Cayson could see the thought he’d put into the gift, not to mention, men didn’t bring other men flowers very often.

He wanted to show his appreciation to Quick, but he wasn’t going to drop to his knees to do it. Those days were gone. Cayson ran his hand over his sweater vest, wishing he’d worn the tie with it, but he hadn’t expected company. He sat back in his seat and gestured for Quick to sit across in one of the cushioned chairs. The man towered over everything.

“You h-have a real nice office. Lots of um, books.” Quick shook his head and squinted like he’d regretted what he’d just said. “Duh, of course you read a lot.”

“Yes.” Cayson laughed, the sound alien to him. “I do read a lot. Have to.” Cayson was shocked at Quick’s discomfort, his stuttering and stammering were really eye opening to him. It gave Quick the appearance of vulnerability.

“Of course you do.” Quick fidgeted in his seat and Cayson finally looked at him. He had on dark black jeans that squeezed in all the right places, the black t-shirt with the Duke’s Bail Bonds logo over the right pec, and damn, did all that muscle stretch out the lettering. Quick kept on his leather coat and Cayson licked his lips, wondering if Quick had a lot of weapons hidden on his body. He wouldn’t mind searching him from head to toe and checking…
Shit, shit, shit. Stop it.
He had to stop thinking so sexually when no one wanted
him
that way.

“Look, Doc. I’m not good at this, okay. I’m not as good looking as Duke and I’m not smooth like my son. I like you and I have no clue on what I’m supposed to say to get you to believe me or forgive me for being an ass before. I hope the flowers helped, though.” Quick was nervously tapping a couple fingers on his knee while he spoke. “I, um. I was married before to a woman. I was lying to myself all through my senior year in high school, and then next thing I know my beard girlfriend is pregnant, so I did the right thing. I never got a real opportunity to explore the other side of my sexuality. Everything was all about Vaughan when he was born.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Cayson asked. He hoped it wasn’t rude, but he needed to know.

“Because I’m sorry and I’m trying to get another chance.” Quick’s brow turned down determinedly. “I don’t know how to date a man – what to say, what not to say – so I was hoping you’d cut me some slack. Obviously, I wasn’t saying the right things before and surprisingly, there was nothing on YouTube to really help me.”

“No. No, you weren’t saying the right things,” Cayson agreed before wrinkling his nose. “I’m sorry… did you say YouTube?”

Quick waved his hand like he wanted Cayson to disregard that. “Forget YouTube. I really am sorry for doing that to you the other night. It wasn’t intentional.”

Cayson shot him an incredulous look.

“Okay.
All
of it wasn’t intentional. I really had just taken a shower. I had no clue you were coming over. Duke didn’t warn me at all. But then you were there… and… so I thought—”

“So, you thought you’d play with me a little bit.” Cayson nodded like he suddenly understood.

“What? No! No, I wasn’t playing around with you, Cayson!” Quick said hurriedly.

“I thought maybe you guys wanted to be friends. But I see exactly how it is.” Cayson got up, slamming his hands on his desk. “You need to leave now.”

Cayson wanted to hold his chest, because it hurt like someone had punched him hard. All he’d wanted was to make some friends, maybe have a date. As soon as Cayson got this asshole out of his office, he was going to send a fast “Fuck you” reply to Joe’s text and then he was going to see if anyone wanted a night shift covered. So he hadn’t slept more than a couple hours at night for a while. He could gulp an energy drink… or two.

~~~~~~~~

Quick gritted his teeth and released a low growl of exasperation. He ran his hand over his hair in frustration.
It can’t be possible. Are men harder to please then women? No way. Not possible.
“Cayson, please sit back down.”

Cayson walked the short distance from his desk to cross his office, pulling the door open and waiting for Quick to get up.

“Fuck. Now what did I do?” Quick complained tiredly.

“I’m done being fucked with.” Cayson dropped a heavy palm on his creased forehead like he was fending off a migraine. “Don’t you eventually get tired of screwing with people’s feelings?”

“Hey!” Quick barked, standing to his full six-foot-three, aggressively demanding the doc’s attention. “I’ve never screwed with anyone’s feelings a day in my life.”

Quick walked over to Cayson and softly closed the door. He wished he had even an ounce of his son’s swagger, but unfortunately, he didn’t. Vaughan must’ve gotten his moves from his mother, because Quick didn’t have a clue. He’d never got a chance to perfect pickup lines to get a date before he became the groom in a shotgun wedding. Then life happened. We all know the story.

Careful not to push, he very gently cupped Cayson’s chin in his palm and lifted until those pretty blue eyes were on him. To his surprise, the doctor didn’t fight him.
Damn. Has he always been so handsome?
He had to; otherwise, Quick wouldn’t lose his shit every time the doc was around. “You don’t call me Quick. I’m pretty sure you hate that name. You can call me Rome or Roman.”

Cayson stood stock still while Quick touched him. “Why are you doing this, Rome?”

That name sounded much better to him, but the hurt in Cayson’s eyes was more than he could handle. Quick had several inches over the doc, but he loved his height advantage. Couldn’t wait for Cayson to put his chin on his chest and stare up at him. “Will you give me one chance? I’m trying to ask you on a date, but for some reason I keep screwing it up.”

“A date.” Cayson blinked owlishly.

“Yeah, a date.” Quick tried not to sound like he was begging, but if it was good enough for the Temptations, then he could do it. He would do it. “Please, Cays. One more chance.”

“And you’re not fuckin’ with me?” Cayson swallowed hard and Quick’s hand slid down to that bobbing Adam’s apple. He wanted to apply a little pressure but refrained… for now. The sharp intake of breath could hardly be missed and Quick felt a small surge of victory. He definitely still had an effect on the lonely doctor.

Quick’s dick was so hard and confined behind his closed zipper he knew he’d have track marks on his shaft, even through his briefs. He had to be a gentleman. Dry-humping Cayson wouldn’t help anything, or redeem his reputation in the man’s eyes. What term did Vaughan always use… oh, yeah… a classic man. Quick eased back, giving the doctor a little breathing room. His large frame could be intimidating. That’s not what he wanted the doctor to feel. “Is that a yes?” he asked.