companies spent their time trying to balance the company budget and justify executive bonuses, but other companies had their backs against the wall, whereas TechPrim didn’t. Fairly simple logic told him he must be doing something right.
He looked out the car window at gridlocked San Francisco traffic. He checked his schedule on his phone. There was a free space, but Tamyra had a habit of scheduling for traffic. He looked at the cars going the other direction onto the Bay Bridge. It was flowing smoothly in the direction of Berkeley. A bit of stress melted away. Gabe dialed a number he’d quickly committed to memory.
“Hello. James Maron.” James sounded reasonably perky.
“Hey, it’s me. Sorry I haven’t called. I got kinda bogged down in work.”
“That’s okay. It happens.” He sounded a little too understanding, leaving Gabe to wonder at the truth of it.
“I was wondering when you’re planning to take lunch today?” Tamyra looked over at him, her lips a little pinched.
“I was going to take a break in about ten minutes.”
“Could you hold off on that for about half an hour and let me take you somewhere?”
“Sure. I mean, are you in the area?”
A little more stress vanished. “I will be.”
“See you soon, then.”
James hung up.
“Jared. Spin us around.”
“You know you have six more meetings today?” Tamyra reminded him.
“Yes, and I’m leaving for Prague tomorrow night, and I want to see James before I go.”
Tamyra was still scowling, but he spotted the twitch at the corner of her lips and decided he wasn’t in that much trouble. She had certainly been approving of James so far.
T HERE WAS a bit of musical chairs as Tamyra climbed into the front seat and James was pulled into the back. Gabe gave him a kiss before anything else and watched him blush. “James, this is my driver, Jared.”
Jared waved from the front.
“Hi.” James waved back, looking awkward. “You have a driver?” he asked quietly.
“Only during work hours, so I can dial into conference calls on the freeway.” He gave James another kiss. “Lunch?”
“Sure, where?”
“I know a place.”
G ABE HAD called ahead to a place off University Ave. that was used to doing the half-hour power lunch. It would be the first time he’d ever gone without it being some sort of business meeting.
They were quickly shown to a table, the maître d’ scanning James’s worn jeans and generic shoes, but Gabe was in a business where CEOs went about in bare feet, so no comment was made.
“Do you have time for this?” James asked, looking over the menu.
“These guys are pros. They could do up a Thanksgiving turkey in ten minutes if they needed to.”
“That would be impressive to see, but I think I’ll just go with the pasta.”
A waiter was over in minutes to take their order, then bustled off to another table. “So, sorry I haven’t called. I’m flying to Prague tomorrow night, and it’s been a mad scramble to get everything sorted out.”
“It’s okay. Work happens.”
Gabe looked closely at James. In the past when Gabe had told a boyfriend he didn’t call because of work, the “it’s okay” was a blatant and obvious lie. Looking at James, he could see no lie.
“Anything interesting going on in the wild world of academia?”
James gave an epic eye roll. “Dave, Mr. Can’t Take a Phone Message?”
“Yeah?”
“Knocked up his girlfriend. Came sniffling to me for advice because he wasn’t sure if he was ready to be a parent.”
Gabe barked out a laugh. “I’ve got to ask, what did you do?”
“To use the parlance of our age, I threw a complete spaz at him. I whacked him on the side of the head, and told him to grow the fuck up and get his act together. As a result he spent all morning asking me the most inane questions about pregnancy. Seriously, all stuff he could have gotten off the net in about two seconds.”
“I’m sure he’s looking to you as some sort of
He looked out the car window at gridlocked San Francisco traffic. He checked his schedule on his phone. There was a free space, but Tamyra had a habit of scheduling for traffic. He looked at the cars going the other direction onto the Bay Bridge. It was flowing smoothly in the direction of Berkeley. A bit of stress melted away. Gabe dialed a number he’d quickly committed to memory.
“Hello. James Maron.” James sounded reasonably perky.
“Hey, it’s me. Sorry I haven’t called. I got kinda bogged down in work.”
“That’s okay. It happens.” He sounded a little too understanding, leaving Gabe to wonder at the truth of it.
“I was wondering when you’re planning to take lunch today?” Tamyra looked over at him, her lips a little pinched.
“I was going to take a break in about ten minutes.”
“Could you hold off on that for about half an hour and let me take you somewhere?”
“Sure. I mean, are you in the area?”
A little more stress vanished. “I will be.”
“See you soon, then.”
James hung up.
“Jared. Spin us around.”
“You know you have six more meetings today?” Tamyra reminded him.
“Yes, and I’m leaving for Prague tomorrow night, and I want to see James before I go.”
Tamyra was still scowling, but he spotted the twitch at the corner of her lips and decided he wasn’t in that much trouble. She had certainly been approving of James so far.
T HERE WAS a bit of musical chairs as Tamyra climbed into the front seat and James was pulled into the back. Gabe gave him a kiss before anything else and watched him blush. “James, this is my driver, Jared.”
Jared waved from the front.
“Hi.” James waved back, looking awkward. “You have a driver?” he asked quietly.
“Only during work hours, so I can dial into conference calls on the freeway.” He gave James another kiss. “Lunch?”
“Sure, where?”
“I know a place.”
G ABE HAD called ahead to a place off University Ave. that was used to doing the half-hour power lunch. It would be the first time he’d ever gone without it being some sort of business meeting.
They were quickly shown to a table, the maître d’ scanning James’s worn jeans and generic shoes, but Gabe was in a business where CEOs went about in bare feet, so no comment was made.
“Do you have time for this?” James asked, looking over the menu.
“These guys are pros. They could do up a Thanksgiving turkey in ten minutes if they needed to.”
“That would be impressive to see, but I think I’ll just go with the pasta.”
A waiter was over in minutes to take their order, then bustled off to another table. “So, sorry I haven’t called. I’m flying to Prague tomorrow night, and it’s been a mad scramble to get everything sorted out.”
“It’s okay. Work happens.”
Gabe looked closely at James. In the past when Gabe had told a boyfriend he didn’t call because of work, the “it’s okay” was a blatant and obvious lie. Looking at James, he could see no lie.
“Anything interesting going on in the wild world of academia?”
James gave an epic eye roll. “Dave, Mr. Can’t Take a Phone Message?”
“Yeah?”
“Knocked up his girlfriend. Came sniffling to me for advice because he wasn’t sure if he was ready to be a parent.”
Gabe barked out a laugh. “I’ve got to ask, what did you do?”
“To use the parlance of our age, I threw a complete spaz at him. I whacked him on the side of the head, and told him to grow the fuck up and get his act together. As a result he spent all morning asking me the most inane questions about pregnancy. Seriously, all stuff he could have gotten off the net in about two seconds.”
“I’m sure he’s looking to you as some sort of
Similar Books
