Hello. Just a quick warning, this one starts out really slowly. I felt it was necessary to build up to Anna and Brad's eventual reunion. Since he has appeared in two previous stories and I've not specified them as chapters, it is somewhat up to the reader to decide which one this follows. It can easily follow either 'Picture This' or, 'Don't Make Me Wait Too Long'. If this is the first story of mine you've decided to read, no worries; it'll still make sense. This is something that's been cooking for a while and I wanted to write it before hockey season ended for Brad's sake. Does it count that the play-offs are going, even if neither team here is still playing? As always, many warm thanks to my marvelous editor, the handsome and talented stevieraygovan. His suggestions add so much.
*
"Hey, Brad, the boss wants to see you before lunch."
The owner of the voice was gone before Brad could look up from the mess of code he was verifying, not that that would necessarily have helped him to identify the speaker. He'd been sent to one of his company's out-of-state offices on a three-month assignment and still hadn't learned all the names yet. Glancing at his watch, he realized that lunch was sneaking up on him which meant he needed to see Mr. Carlson right away.
"Great," he grumbled, rising from his chair. "Who screwed up what, and how serious is it?"
His group of five technicians had at least a dozen projects they were juggling, and three of them were crucial. Somehow, the walk to the boss's office seemed to take longer when there was trouble brewing.
"Mr. Carlson?" He knocked on the open door. "I was told you wanted to see me."
"Brad, yes, I do. Will you please come in and have a seat?"
His tone was too cheerful to indicate trouble, so Brad relaxed as he took the seat across the desk. A consultant's job was always interesting, and since he was internal to begin with, he already knew all the protocols. Carlson likely only wanted to touch base, but he couldn't afford to be complacent.
"How is the Henderson project coming along?"
"It's fine, sir." Surely that wasn't what he'd been called to the office for since it could have been covered in an e-mail. "I was just reviewing some of Tony's code for it, and after a little tweaking it'll be ready well within their timeframe."
"Excellent, that's just excellent. I knew you'd be able to get things in order and help us with the clean-up. Your team seems to think highly of you, young man."
"Thank you, sir. They're a good group and really know what they're doing. It's a pleasure to work with them."
Mr. Carlson leaned back in his chair, nodding. "I'm pleased to hear you say that, son. I'm sure you know there were a few concerns when we brought you up here, but you've more than proved my faith in you."
Sure he was blushing he started to stand, intending to thank the older man for the chat when Carlson raised his hand, signaling him to remain.
"I did have another reason for talking with you, Brad."
His confusion must have been apparent because Carlson's tone became avuncular in his reassurances. "I know we have you here on a long-term assignment, and it's hard to be away from family for so long."
He started at that, but the boss continued. "I know you're a single man, but you're still in a strange city where you barely know your coworkers. The home office gives us a certain amount of latitude in providing employee incentives." Opening a desk drawer, Carlson withdrew an envelope, passing it to him. "We maintain a club box at the arena and frequently supply employees and clients with tickets to events. Why don't you take these and go to the game on Thursday?"
Floored, Brad stammered, "I couldn't possibly accept these, sir. I --"
"Nonsense. These are mine to do with as I please, and I want you to have them."
There were six tickets in the envelope.
"Mr. Carlson, am I expected to take my whole team to the game?"
"Did you want to?"
"It would be a good way to thank them for their hard work."
"It would, and I applaud you for thinking of it. You've got something else in mind though, young man. I can see it on your face."
"
Damn,
" he thought. "
Anna's always saying how well she can read me. Am I really that easy?
" Shaking his head, bemused, he looked at Carlson. "You're right, sir. As it turns out, my girlfriend is flying in tonight, and I'd like to be able to take her to the game. I don't think she's ever seen a hockey game live."
The sound of laughter filled the office. "Well, son, I happen to know that two of your men out there aren't hockey fans. Still, if they do want to go and if the rest of your team are able to change their plans and would like to bring another person, let me know and I'll get you the extra tickets."
"That's extremely generous, sir. Thank you. I'm sure the guys will appreciate it, too." Brad stood, shook the boss's hand and left the office with a smile.
It didn't take long for him to determine the code he'd been studying before his chat with the boss was clean and ready for input so he decided to head to lunch. In his first week, one of the accountants had told him about a great Vietnamese place a few blocks away. Thinking that a bowl of pho was what he wanted, he made his way out of the office.
For the short walk, his mind was filled with thoughts of Anna. He'd told Carlson she was on her way, which was probably a mistake. Not that the older man would object; it was just that after more than a month apart, his thoughts tended to involve her soft and slender body being very naked.
By the time he reached the restaurant, he felt calm enough to sit down and eat. He was looking forward to his redheaded lover's arrival and wondered if she would really want to see much of the city. She had meetings with a couple gallery directors lined up, so that would keep her busy during the day on both Thursday and Friday, but he was unsure how much sight-seeing they would have time for over the weekend. If he was honest with himself, he knew damn well that he'd be perfectly happy never leaving the comfort of the suite he was in as long as she was there.
After lunch, he returned to the office feeling better about things with work. For the rest of the afternoon things went smoothly, allowing him to finally think about taking his team aside to let them know about the tickets Mr. Carlson had given him. Knowing he had six tickets and wanted to use one for Anna, he had no idea how things would fall out for the remaining four.
With one hour remaining in the workday, Brad sat down with the five members of his team. They spent twenty minutes catching up on their various projects when the announcement was made. "Well, guys, Carlson's really pleased with the way things are going. He wants to thank us by giving us tickets to the box for Thursday's game."
He was amused by the discussion that followed his news. Carlson had told him that two of the men, Stan and George, were not hockey fans and weren't interested in going. Tony also declined, stating he had recently taken a client to a game in the company box, but he'd be happy to meet up afterward since he already had tickets for the same night.
For some reason, Brad decided against mentioning his intention to bring Anna to the game. Instead, he handed a pair of tickets each to Joe and Mark, telling them that he was looking forward to seeing them at the game. They agreed to meet with Tony after the game at a bar which was a couple blocks from the arena. With only a few more pieces of business to take care of, it wasn't long before he was back at his desk, locking things down and heading home.
Since he was on a three-month assignment, the company had set him up in one of those "home away from home" deals. It was nice enough; he had a kitchenette and living area with a separate bedroom, but it wasn't home, and Anna had talked him into putting in a real garden that year, pointing out that it would be a great way for him to be sure she'd spend more time at his house. Planting a few tomatoes and some mint was fun, it just wasn't a lot. Sure, he'd never really felt like spending the time to do anything more than that, and he actually liked mowing the huge lawn. However, if it was going to keep her around, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
Thinking about her plans for their garden and how they were going to have to be put on hold brought her back to his mind. She should be landing soon, he thought with a smile. Just as he was imagining the feel of her silky hair in his hands, his phone rang.
"Hello."
"Do you have any idea how much I miss you, baby?" purred the voice at the other end of the line.
"If you miss me half as much as I miss you, tonight should be a lot of fun," he chuckled. The thought of holding her soft body next to his had become nearly overwhelming in the last few days.
"Yeah, there might be a problem with that plan."
He could hear the regret in her tone and knew it was bad news.
"What's happened, Anna?"
She sighed, explaining that the storms which had swept through the area the night before had canceled and delayed flights left and right. By immediately volunteering for a flight leaving the next day, allowing the airline to move panicked travelers, she had been granted a seat in business class and a $250 voucher toward a future trip.
"I want so much to be there tonight, Brad, but the way things are at the airport right now, I wouldn't get in until some ungodly hour of the morning, and I can't do that to you. Plus, there's all the stress of traveling like that, so you know I'd be grumpy and tired for two days afterward." Her disappointment was clear, even over the phone.
She was met with silence.
"Babe, are you still there? Are you going to be okay with this?" she asked gently.
"Anna, I'm sorry," he sighed regretfully. He couldn't help but think about how much she had changed his life; how much better he felt as a man, as a person, with her. "I know this isn't anyone's fault, I'm just... I really miss you. Hell, I really need you, and I was hoping to be able to spend the night.... God, I just need you here, hon."
"Believe me, I had a few ideas of my own."
"Do you know what time you'll get in tomorrow?" he wondered, trying to shake off some of his disappointment.
"Let me check." The clicks on her laptop keyboard were audible over the phone, and he smiled, thinking of what her graceful fingers were capable of doing to his body. "Brad? I should be landing at about 12:30."
"Do you -- "
"Need you to pick me up?" she finished the question for him. "As much as I love the idea, I can take a shuttle from the airport," she said quickly. "If you leave my name at the front desk, I can drop my stuff in your suite and then head out to see Tom at the Blake Gallery."
"You've got a meeting tomorrow? I thought that was Thursday."
