"Williamsville. A little town about thirty miles from here," Erik said shortly. Seth seemed insistent on chatting though, and when Seth looked at him expectantly, Erik dutifully added, "What about you?"
“Oh, well, I’m a travel writer. I was on assignment in Buffalo, doing an article on the top ten best Buffalo wings in the city."
Erik grimaced. "My sympathies."
Seth chuckled as he accepted the drink the bartender slid toward him. "By last night, I was starting to get heartburn, so I’m looking forward to eating something different, that's for sure." He took a sip of his drink. "Once I finished here, I was supposed to fly into Pittsburgh to visit my family for the holidays.” He let out a rueful little laugh. “At this rate, it’s starting to look like I won’t make it though."
“Delayed flight?"
"Several times." Seth glanced at his phone. "I expect they'll start canceling flights soon, honestly. Airports all along the Eastern Seaboard are going to be affected by this storm. Well, both of them, really. There’s one coming up from the Atlantic around D.C. and another one sweeping in across Chicago and Detroit. We’re smack dab in the middle. Last I checked, the FAA was rerouting every plane that’s already up in the air and grounding the rest."
Erik groaned. "I was afraid of that. I'm waiting for my partner to fly in and meet me, but so far, he hasn't been able to get out of Philadelphia. At this rate, I may be going to check out the Williamsville Inn alone."
"Oh no, I hope not." Seth lay a hand on Erik's arm, his expression sympathetic. "That would be a shame. Especially this time of year."
Erik felt a prickle of heat go through him at the contact, and he subtly tried to shift away. What an odd thing to say too. What did the time of year have to do with his business dealings being disrupted? "Yeah," he agreed, his tone bland.
"So how did you meet him?" Seth asked.
“Who? My partner?” Seth nodded. "Oh, he was working for my father when I started working at the company. He's a bit older than me."
"My last partner was at least ten years old than me," Seth said. "I don't find it matters much as long as both people are willing to work at it."
"Right." Erik frowned, his forehead wrinkling with confusion. He had never found the age of his colleagues to make any major difference to him either, but he didn't feel like he'd had to put that much work into it. Still, maybe it depended on what kind of working relationship you had.
Seth's burger and fries appeared a minute later, sparing Erik any further conversation with the all-too inquisitive man. The scent hit Erik's nostrils, and he felt his stomach rumble. Maybe he should have eaten something before drinking heavily. He glanced down at his nearly empty glass with a grimace.
"Would you like another?" the bartender asked him.
"No, I'm good for now."
When Seth let out a little moan, Erik glanced over to see him sink his teeth into a generously sized burger. As he set it down again, Erik’s gaze lingered on Seth’s long, narrow fingers as he licked them clean. When Seth winked at him, Erik cleared his throat and fixed his gaze on the sweet potato fries.
“Probably should have eaten more before drinking,” he said gruffly.
"Hey, if you’re hungry, you're welcome to help yourself," Seth said, nudging the plate toward him. "I have more fries than I'm ever going to eat."
"I'm good," he said gruffly. "Thanks though," he belatedly tacked on when the silence grew awkward. He turned his attention to his phone again.
"Sure. Well, if you change your mind ..." Seth attacked his burger with gusto but left the sweet potato fries more or less untouched until the end when it became clear Erik wasn't going to take him up on the offer.
Erik appreciated that the food kept Seth's mouth too occupied to talk, but the silence was once again filled with the chatter of the other bar patrons and the hellish Christmas music in the background. Less of an improvement than he would have expected, to be honest.
When Erik’s phone buzzed on the shiny wooden bar top with a text, he glanced down to see a message from Bertram. Finally. Hopefully, it was telling him that Bertram was boarding his flight now. His stomach sank as he read the words.
All flights out of Philly are canceled. I’ll keep trying, but it doesn't look like I'm going to make it to Buffalo any time today.
"Fuck!" Erik glared at the message from Bertram. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."
"Has your partner’s flight been canceled?" Seth asked, his tone concerned.
"Yes. Excuse me.” Erik threw some money on the bar to cover his drinks—plus a generous tip—and fetched his bag and jacket. He called Bertram as he left the pub, nearly clipping the singer who Seth had mentioned earlier, in the process.
With a muttered, “Excuse me,” he dialed Bertram’s number as he strode away from the noisy restaurant to try to find a quieter corner of the airport.
“Look, I’m sorry, Erik. I know this is shitty,” Bertram said as soon as he picked up, but Erik had no patience for his apologies.
“Yeah, it is. I’m in Buffalo, ready to work and you aren’t,” he snarled. “What the hell do you want me to do now? This trip was all you. I didn't want to be here in the first place."
“Look, you’re already in Buffalo. Just go to the hotel and do what we planned to do together." Bertram said, his tone mild. "If I can grab a flight in the next day or so, I’ll come, but if not, you evaluate it. You’re more than capable of gathering the information so we can decide if we should allow the renovations to go forward before we sell. Or, if you think it’s not worth investing in more renovations, we’ll sell as-is. It’s not that difficult.”
“Then why didn’t you do it yourself?” Erik asked testily. “I could have been on a goddamn Tahitian island right now, Bertram! Not stuck in fucking Buffalo.”
He laughed uneasily. "I know. You have a better eye for potential though. I can crunch the numbers, but you have the intuition to tell what needs to be done."
"Flattery isn't going to make me less pissed," Erik muttered as he glanced up at the signs and headed in the direction of baggage claim and ground transportation. He'd only packed a carry-on, so he didn't need to retrieve anything. Just find a ride to the inn. "Can you at least call the car rental place and cancel our reservation? I've had at least three"—or is it four?—"Scotch since I landed, and I'm in no shape to drive, even in the best of weather."
Bertram's uneasy laugh sent a shiver of apprehension through Erik. "About that ..."
"What about it?"
"Unfortunately, there's a problem with the reservations. Mary was out sick on the day they were supposed to get made and the temp apparently never did them."
"Jesus Christ," Erik muttered as he rubbed his forehead. This entire trip was a nightmare. One he apparently couldn't wake up from. "Well, if I'm taking a cab or rideshare, I don't suppose it matters."
"There's the spirit!"
"Bertram, if you give me any more of your holiday spirit crap, I'm going to find the nearest Christmas ornament and shove it up your ass."
Bertram let out a choked-sounding laugh. "I'm not into that kind of thing, Erik."
"I wasn't asking nicely," he snarled. "Look, I'll go to the Inn and make my assessment of the place, but the minute I'm done, I'm taking two fucking weeks off and going to Tahiti."
"If it'll keep you from threatening me again, I'll agree to that," Bertram said with a laugh.
"Happy fucking Holidays," Erik muttered before he hit end call.
Grab your copy of Snowstorms and Second Chances now!
About the Author
Hank Edwards (he/him) has been writing gay fiction for more than twenty years. He has published over thirty novels and dozens of novella and short stories. His writing crosses many sub-genres, including contemporary romance, rom-com, paranormal, suspense, mystery, and wacky comedy. He has written a number of series such as the suspenseful Up to Trouble, funny and spooky Critter Catchers, Old West historical horror of Venom Valley, and erotic and funny Fluffers, Inc. He has also
written a young adult urban fantasy gay romance series called The Town of Superstition under the pen name R. G. Thomas. He was born and still lives in a northwest suburb of the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan, where he shares a home with his partner of over 24 years and their two cats.
For more information:
www.hankedwardsbooks.com
hankedwardsbooks@gmail.com
Also by Hank Edwards
Gay Romantic Paranormal:
Cowboys & Vampires - Venom Valley Book One
Stakes & Spurs - Venom Valley Book Two
Blood & Stone - Venom Valley Book Three
Terror by Moonlight – Critter Catchers Book One
Chasing the Chupacabra – Critter Catchers Book Two
Swamped by Fear - Critter Catchers Book Three
The Devil of Pinesville - Critter Catchers Book Four
Screams of the Season - Critter Catchers Book Five
Horror at Hideaway Cove - Critter Catchers Book Six
Dread of Night - Critter Catchers Book Seven
Wicked Reflection
Gay Romantic Comedies:
Fluffers, Inc. (Fluffers, Inc. Book One)
A Carnal Cruise (Fluffers, Inc. Book Two)
Vancouver Nights (Fluffers, Inc. Book Three)
Plus Ones
Gay Romantic Suspense/Mystery:
Holed Up: Up to Trouble Book One
Shacked Up: Up to Trouble Book Two
Roughed Up: Up to Trouble Book Three
Choked Up: Up to Trouble Book Four
Destiny's Bastard
Hired Muscle
Buried Secrets
Repossession is 9/10ths of the Law
Murder Most Lovely: Lacetown Murder Mysteries Case One (co-written with Deanna Wadsworth)
Coming 3/17/20: Murder Most Deserving: Lacetown Murder Mysteries Case Two (co-written with Deanna Wadsworth)
Christmas Gay Romance:
Snowflakes and Song Lyrics
A Gift for Greg (A Story Orgy Single)
Mistletoe at Midnight (A Story Orgy Single)
Story Orgy Singles Gay Romance:
A Gift for Greg (A Story Orgy Single)
By the Book (A Story Orgy Single)
Cross Country Foreplay (A Story Orgy Single)
Mistletoe at Midnight (A Story Orgy Single)
The Cheapskate: Bad Boyfriends (A Story Orgy Single)
With This Ring (A Story Orgy Single)
Gay Erotic Short Story Collections:
A Very Dirty Dozen
Another Very Dirty Dozen
Salacious Singles Gay Erotic Short Stories:
Bear Market (A Salacious Single)
Convoy (A Salacious Single)
Double Down (A Salacious Single)
Finding North (A Salacious Single)
Hotel Dick (A Salacious Single)
Kindred Spirits (A Salacious Single)
Sacked (A Salacious Single)
Stroking Midnight (A Salacious Single)
Vanity Loves Company (A Salacious Single)
Wet Lands (A Salacious Single)
Hank’s stories also appear in the following anthologies:
50's Mixed Tape Anthology - Totally Bound
Bear Lust: Hot and Hairy Fiction – Bear Bones Books
Bears of Winter - Bear Bones Books
Bears: Gay Erotic Stories – Cleis Press
Cowboys: Gay Erotic Stories – Cleis Press
Dirty Diner: Gay Erotica on the Menu – Bold Strokes Books
Hard Working Men: Gay Erotic Stories – Cleis Press
Hot Cops: Gay Erotic Stories – Cleis Press
On the Run: Tales of Gay Pursuit and Passion - Wilde City Press
Riding the Rails: Locomotive Lust and Carnal Cabooses – Bold Strokes Books
Straight Guys: Gay Erotic Fantasies – Cleis Press
Tales from the Den: Wild and Weird Stories for Bears – Bear Bones Books
Tented: Gay Erotic Tales from Under the Big Top – Lethe Press
Hank writes Young Adult Fantasy Gay Romance under the name R. G. Thomas:
Available from Harmony Ink Press:
The Midnight Gardener – The Town of Superstition Series Book One
The Well of Tears – The Town of Superstition Series Book Two
The Battle of Iron Gulch — The Town of Superstition Series Book Three
A Tangle of Secrets - The Town of Superstition Series Book Four