In His Service

sharing

"Derek," Austin nodded respectfully towards his business partner, his face a perfect mask, showing no sign that he was irritated by our interruption. "We were just about to tour the rest of the bunkhouse. Would you like a drink?" he asked, holding up his glass. 

"Sure, thanks, man." Derek nodded, crossing the room to stand next to me. "You completely overwhelmed yet?" He asked me jokingly. If only he knew how accurate he was. 

"Give her a little more credit, man! She's tougher than that." Austin defended, giving me a wink as he splashed ginger ale into another glass for Derek. 

I grinned and raised my glass towards Austin. Derek didn't miss the wink--or my response to it. Taking the glass from Austin, he started up the spiral staircase. 

"Well, come on, you two. Let's finish this little tour so I can get Virginia home." 

Following obediently, I started up the stairs, with Austin close behind. Whatever I was expecting at the top of the stairs, what I saw was not it. Stained wood beams soared overhead, creating a cathedral ceiling where a heavy iron chandelier hung over a king sized bed. An overstuffed leather chair sat near a window across the room, and through a door to the right I could see a clawfoot bathtub and modern copper vanity. 

These guys either had impeccable taste, or some amazing designers. 

"So this is Austin's home-away-from-home. Bedroom, bathroom, reading nook, and you've already seen the downstairs." Derek gestured around as he spoke, then tossed his drink back in one swig. 

I wandered around the room, admiring the rustic luxury look that was continued from downstairs. Small but cozy, the room smelled like sandalwood and felt like home. I sipped my drink, not ready to go home, but hyper-aware of Derek and Austin watching me as I took my time. I was a little irritated at Derek for barging in on me getting to know Austin, especially since he took it upon himself to show me Austin's bedroom--bedrooms are personal. 

I took another sip of my drink and relished the warmth of the whiskey as it coated my throat. Then I yawned. Okay, maybe I was ready to go home. It felt like weeks since Derek had appeared on my doorstep, demanding that I start work. 

"She's clearly exhausted," Derek said, talking to Austin as if I couldn't hear. 

I rolled my eyes at him and finished my drink. 

"It's true, actually. I am exhausted. My new boss is kind of a demanding control freak." I winked at Austin as he chuckled silently at my stab at Derek. 

Ignoring the jab, Derek took my empty glass and started down the stairs. "Then I suggest we get going. It's getting dark already." 

Austin gave me an apologetic look which I waved away, crossing the room to stand next to him. I held out my iphone and told him to put his number in, then waited patiently as he obeyed. 

When he handed my phone back to me, he met my eyes for a long moment before taking a step closer to me. My nose was so close to his chest I could see the outline of the wispy hairs on his chest through the thin blue t-shirt he wore. 

Looking up at him, I leaned against him and let him put his arms around me in a tender embrace. I thought for a millisecond that he was going to kiss me, but then Derek's voice floated up the stairs, another comment about time. 

I'm going to have to teach these men a thing or two about sharing if this arrangement is ever going to work, I thought. 

Instead of a kiss, Austin rested his chin on top of my head and let out a long sigh as we stood there with our arms around each other. After a moment he let go of me, gesturing for me to descend the stairs ahead of him. 

"I'll see you soon," he whispered. 

It was a promise that gave me goosebumps. 

After we said our goodbyes, I followed Derek out of the bunkhouse and the barn, back onto the dirt path we had taken earlier. His Jeep was waiting for us at a Y in the path, where one side led back to the ranch, and the other led off into the brush and disappeared. Derek opened the door for me as he had this morning, and closed it behind me once I was settled inside. 

I was sound asleep by the time we got to the end of the lane turned onto the main road to head home.