Liability (Suncoast Society #33)(51)

Rolling onto his back, Mason stared up at the ceiling. “Okay. Give me about twenty minutes to get vertical and caffeinated and out the door, and I’ll join the conference bridge on my way in to work.”

So much for more sleep.

He started the coffee and jumped into the shower while it was brewing. By the time it was finished, he was dressed and ready to go. No shave this morning, they’d have to put up with the rugged look from him as he managed to not dump his travel mug of coffee all over himself getting into the car and pulling out.

A brief second of panic hit him before he glanced over and realized he’d clipped his ID badge for work to the passenger side visor the night before. He unclipped it at the first stoplight and attached it to his belt loop, where he usually wore the retractable holder. He preferred it to a lanyard, because he’d had a nasty habit of almost accidentally strangling himself with those before for some reason.

As he sipped his coffee and drove to work, his work phone in speaker mode on the conference bridge call, the furthest thing from his mind was Freddie’s bullshit.

It was nearly four o’clock that afternoon by the time they had that new problem solved, and Mason hadn’t even begun to dig into handling the reports and writing the overview of what had happened during the downtime.

And it was supposed to be his movie night with Kim and Cole.

Aw, dammit.

The last thing he wanted to do was cancel on them. The second last thing he wanted to do was cancel on them via text message. He couldn’t make it another late night and be able to drive home, and at this point, his Saturday night plans with Kim and Cole were looking dicey as well, if they kept having problems like this at work. Tonight he planned on leaving work by six, taking his laptop home, working on the planned conference bridge call while trying to hammer out reports on his laptop, and then collapsing at some point.

He stepped into a private conference room where he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing him and closed the door behind him before he called Cole.

“Hey, you,” Cole said. “Knew you’d pop your head up eventually. Everything okay?”

He slumped into a chair. “No, buddy, it’s not.” He gave the man a quick overview of the electronic excrement that had hit the ventilation device—not even getting into the Freddie part of the equation—and ended with, “I’m really sorry, but I’m too tired to go out tonight, and I have too much to do. If I don’t do this, it’ll mess up tomorrow night for us.”

“It’s okay, seriously. Work has to come first.” Mason loved that Cole’s voice sounded completely sincere, not a hint of whiny tone or passive-aggression. “I’ll tell Kim for you. You sound like you were run through a woodchipper.”

“I feel like it. Come to think of it, I can’t even remember when I ate last. I think it was last night. You don’t have to do the dirty work for me, though. I’ll call her and break the news to her. I owe her that much.”

Especially since, the more he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually talked to her on the phone that week, or if he had even talked to her since Sunday.

Shit. Bad Dom, no cookie.

“I’m not far from your place,” Cole said. “Can I at least pick you up something for dinner on my way home and bring it over to you and drop it off? I’m worried about you. You’re going to make yourself sick if you don’t eat.”

Mason started to say no before he paused. He hadn’t seen either of them since Sunday, and it was already Friday.

And he might have to cancel Saturday on them at this rate.

Dammit.

He’d admit it. He was selfish. He didn’t want to cancel on them tonight, even though he had to get some work done or else he would have to cancel Saturday night.

The easiest solution hit him. “Would you two mind coming over to my place tonight and just spending the night there? I might not be able to do more than sit on the couch and stare at my work laptop, but maybe Kim could cook us dinner.”

Cole chuckled. “That sounds like a great plan. She would jump at that.” His tone changed. “And so will I. She’s been trying to do stuff for me all week. I’ve tried to take up the slack for her, but it’s not working out well for either of us without you in the mix. I know you’re not going to be in Dom mode tonight, but I think even just sitting there next to you with her head on your feet would make her feel better. Getting to cook and serve you dinner would probably make her over-the-moon happy.” He hesitated. “And I miss you, too.”

More unintended guilt. No, with the prep time for this whole shitstain of a downtime, Mason had been barely able to think that week, much less do more with Kim than their ritual texts, or trade texts with Cole.

“Okay, then that’s our plan,” he told Cole. “You guys come over at eight tonight. Let her cook us whatever she wants, plan to stay the night, both of you, and we’ll go out for breakfast in the morning at some point.”

“Thanks.” Another pause. “And if you want a neck rub before you collapse later, I’d be happy to do that.”

Mason’s eyes closed as he imagined the feel of the man’s firm hands on his flesh.

Cole’s mouth around his cock.

Yeah, this was not a permutation he’d ever imagined. He hadn’t had time lately to think, but with the situation brought into bright, clear focus…he did love both of them.