Love Unmasked
At the Candy Apple
Chapter One
“Where’s the usual guy?” Tom Wells signed
for the alcohol delivery on the PDA, and then stepped back into the shelter of
the overhanging roof at the back entrance of the Candy Apple. Rain fell in
sheets from a sky so gray it turned early morning into twilight.
The man before him slipped the
electronic device under his yellow rain jacket and answered as he turned to
leave. “Taken ill—it’s serious by all accounts—might not be back for a long
time, if ever. Did you know him well?”
Concern put a frown between Tom’s
eyes. “Not really, but Joe’s been delivering here for years. All the time I’ve
managed the bar, in fact. I hope he gets better. Will you be doing his rounds
in future?”
“Nah, just today, there’ll be a new
guy next week. He’s taking over from Joe.” He pulled the peak of his baseball
cap down a little as a gust of wind threatened to take it from his head. “I’ll
get going. Have a good one.” He spun around and sprinted to the truck parked in
the narrow entrance of the delivery yard.
As the guy hauled ass into the
drivers’ seat, the wet yellow jacket glimmered when a car sped by with its
headlights on full beam in the dirty weather. The truck roared into life,
trundled onto the sidewalk, and then joined the stream of traffic as the lights
changed at the intersection allowing the buildup of commuters to forge on toward
their workplaces.
Tom closed the door, and went to update
the inventory, before he drove home to get some rest before his evening shift
started.
He’d been at the Candy Apple for five
years. He hadn’t meant to stay so long. Tom had taken bar work to pay his
student loans and rent until he found employment in his chosen field after
graduation. The recession threw him off track. Openings were few and he missed
out on winning an appointment. Little by little it ceased to matter to Tom as
he enjoyed more responsibility and eventually became the bar manager. His
parents were disappointed, but that was nothing new. Tom had learned how to
shield himself from his dad’s barbs early in life. Tom thought it weird that
when it became obvious to his parents he’d settled into the hospitality trade,
they paid off his loans. Then they retired to Costa Rica.
Tom was content with his life. He
loved his job. He had a good car. He lived in a renovated apartment, one of
three in a huge converted house. The only thing he didn’t have, and
occasionally wished for, was love. Tom could easily get casual sex. He didn’t
often have a night off, but when he did, if he needed sex, he’d find it at a
different nightclub. Tom didn’t mix work with pleasure even though he’d
received advances in the Candy Apple.
With the inventory updated and new
bottles of bourbon and vodka inserted into the dispensers behind the bar, Tom
called the main office on the internal phone.
“Charlie, I’m about to leave. Do you
need anything?” He could hear the smile in her tone of voice as she answered.
“I’m good sweetie, off you go. See
you later.”
“Yeah, see you later.” He grabbed his
jacket from the stockroom bench, and pulled it on as he left by the back door,
knowing the club owner, Charlie, would see him on the video surveillance
camera. The door locked behind him and only those with a key and a code could
get in.
Tom climbed into his truck, an old
Ford five hundred he’d restored with the help of a college buddy. He’d spent
many mornings in his friend’s parent’s huge garage as they worked on the car.
Then another friend, Jeremy, had spray painted it crystal black. Jeremy had a
business doing custom spray painting. Tom drove home against the traffic
thankful he wasn’t heading to some high-rise office for a day’s work.
His apartment building had a carport
at the back where each tenant was allocated two spaces. The couple in the top
floor apartment rented their spaces out. They told Tom he should rent out his
second allocation in the carport and earn a small fortune in the parking spot
starved city, but Tom used it to house his bikes, bits, and pieces. He slipped
the truck smoothly into the carport wondering if he should have called into the
market for supplies.
He let himself into his apartment,
tossing his keys onto the hall table as he passed, and then deposited his
jacket on a chair. He headed for the fridge and hung off the door checking out
the contents, but then he decided to shower before he ate.
As he showered, he sang. Tom loved to
sing. His friends had urged him to take it up professionally, but Tom didn’t
believe in himself enough to do that. He wrapped a huge towel around his
muscled body and padded to his bed. Maybe he’d lie down for a few minutes
before he made a sandwich. Tom threw off his towel and pulled the quilt up over
his waist. He closed his eyes thinking about Friday, his designated monthly full
day off work. He’d arranged to meet friends at the sailing club for the first
outing this spring, but if the filthy weather kept up, they’d forgo it. Tom
organized the duty roster. The days were rotated so that no staff member missed
having a Friday or a weekend day. He liked to be fair to everyone. His thoughts
drifted and he fell asleep.
Copyright Elodie Parkes 2016 Encompass Ink
Who's under the black velvet mask?
New release erotic #MMromance with a fun twist, from
Encompass Ink
'Love Unmasked'
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Also available on kindle unlimited
Oohhhh looks sooooo good!!
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