The Merger – 12

 

They made fairly quick work of getting everything packed into the truck, drove to what were now their combined offices, and unloaded.

Rosie watched with amusement when they tried to wrestle Josh's desk through the front door. "If you tip it on its side…" she pointed out. It was something they hadn't thought of, since Josh's old office had a set of double doors, which had made the job much easier there.

Once the desk was in place, Rosie told Mike he had some messages. "Nothing that can't wait, though," she said. He skimmed through them anyway and agreed.

An hour later, everything was unpacked and put in place. Rosie loved the idea that the office supplies were directly behind her desk, making them much more accessible. She also quizzed Josh about some of the gadgets he had. He explained, as he put them away, about bug finders, motion detectors, jammers, and various trackers—in detail. By the time he'd finished, she was glassy-eyed from too much information.

At that point, Mike contacted his webmaster to video-conference with him about the changes he and Josh wanted to make on the website, including, of course, its new name. When they finished, the man said he'd have something for them to look at the first thing Tuesday morning.

The last thing they needed to do was return the truck, pick up Josh's car, then return to the lawyer's office, as his secretary had called to tell them the contract was ready.

"It's official now," Mike said as they left the lawyer's office a while later, walking to the lot where they'd parked. "If I had the energy, I'd say we should head to Thirty-One Twelve to celebrate. But…"

"Yeah. I'm about to drop," Josh replied. "And I, for one, have two jobs scheduled for tomorrow. I'll probably do them better with a working brain."

"You and me both." Mike paused to unlock his car. "It's hard to believe that in just a week, we managed to pull all this together."

Josh nodded. "It's harder to believe a chance meeting led to it in the first place." He smiled. "Fate stepping in?"

"Could be." Mike chuckled. "If you'd been reading, umm, War and Peace instead of the book on burglary, our talking would have ended before it began."

Laughing, Josh agreed. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

"Bright and early, in my case. I put off doing dreaded background checks for one of my clients."

"Better you than me."

"I'll share," Mike replied seriously. Then he grinned, pressing his hands together prayerfully. "Please."

Josh shook his head. "I think I'm going to like working with you. In fact, I know I am, but that is not in my job description."

"Damn."

They both laughed before Josh walked to his car.

As Mike watched him drive out of the lot, he nodded. Yep. I think this is going to work out for both of us.

The Merger – 11

 

"How the hell did I manage to collect so much junk," Josh muttered as he began filling a third trash bag. Admittedly, one of the bags held shredded files relating to clients he'd had several years ago whose information was outdated—and would be even if they came back to him with new business. The rest of it was stuff he'd stashed on the bookshelves—mainly old safety and security magazines he'd subscribed to before deciding he could access them online where he'd have the capacity to search for exactly what he wanted to know. There were a few catalogues, too. He kept the most recent ones and dumped the rest.

Finally satisfied that what was left was what he wanted to take with him, he began putting together, then packing, the boxes he'd bought on the way over after breakfast.

*****

Mike, in the meantime, was emptying Josh's new office of everything except the shelves. He stopped long enough to remove the hard drives from the computers then dropped them off at an electronic store that would either dispose of or revamp them. On his way back, he passed a big-box store and decided to pick up the cabinet for the lavatory that he'd mentioned to Josh.

By the end of the afternoon, the office suite was ready for Josh to move in, other than the fact that the office supplies were sitting on the floor beside Rosie's desk, waiting for Josh's bookshelf.

With that finished, he called Josh. "How's the packing going?" he asked when Josh answered.

"Almost done. Then I'm going home and collapsing."

"You and me both. How are you planning on getting everything over here?"

"There's this thing called renting a truck. I'll arrange to do it in the morning before we meet at the lawyer's office."

"Sounds good to me. If you want, I'll help with the move."

Josh chuckled. "I want."

"Figured as much. I'll see you in the morning."

*****

Then it was done.

Mike was surprised how everything seemed to fall into place. He'd called his lawyer first thing Monday morning to read him the notes Josh had made about the details he and Mike had discussed. Therefore, when they got to the lawyer's office, the man already had a rough draft drawn up. The three of them went over it in detail then the lawyer told them they could return that afternoon to sign it and have it notarized.

As soon as they'd left the lawyer's office, they picked up the truck that Josh had rented, leaving Josh's car in the rental company's lot so he could drive the truck. From there, they went to his old office.

"Not as much as I expected," Mike commented, looking at the array of boxes in the middle of the floor.

"That's because I got rid of enough stuff to fill three large trash bags," Josh told him, grimacing.

Mike laughed. "That bad, huh?"

"That bad."

The Merger – 10

 

This time, Josh was the first to arrive. Since the place was busy, he gave the hostess his name and his phone number so she could text when a table was ready. Then he settled on the low stone wall outside the restaurant to wait. Mike arrived a few minutes later, wearing jeans and a T-shirt that emphasized his build.

"I feel like a ninety-pound weakling next to you," Josh groused, smiling.

"A very fast one, though, so don't knock it. There's a lot to be said for speed over brawn, especially with what you do."

"In general, yes," Josh agreed as his phone vibrated. He checked then said, "Our table is ready."

The host seated them at a table for two on the covered patio. A slight breeze helped keep it cool in the rising temperature, much to their relief.

"Eggs, pancakes, waffles?" Mike asked, perusing the menu.

"Definitely." Josh grinned.

Mike lifted an eyebrow. "All three?"

"Well, eggs and one of the others, with sausage on the side. I worked up an appetite."

"I'm going for the Texas French toast," Mike said. "Maybe a double order."

"Michael!"

"Joshua," Mike retorted with a grin.

Josh huffed, glad when the time came to see that Mike didn't make it a double order, although he, too, asked for sausage on the side. Josh decided on plain pancakes with two over-easy eggs on top. Both of them ordered juice and coffee, as well.

"What are your plans for this afternoon?" Mike asked when the waitress had left.

"Going through my office to get rid of all the things I don't need to keep when I move," Josh told him.

"Seriously? On a Sunday?"

"Yep. Our appointment with the lawyer is tomorrow at eleven thirty. As soon as we've signed the contract, since I cleared my calendar for the day, I want to clean out my new office and get things moved over."

"How many things?"

"The usual, I guess," Josh replied. "My desk and chairs, file cabinets. I have a couple of storage cabinets, too, for all my gear, and a bookshelf, though I might use one of the sets of shelves already in the office instead. The question is, where will we put the things that are in there already?"

"The banker's boxes hold old files. I can find space on one of the shelves in my office for them. Unless you can see a use for ten-year-old computers, I'll take them to a disposal place."

Josh nodded. "After you remove the hard drives."

"No kidding. The biggest problem will be the office supplies."

Josh closed his eyes, picturing the reception area. "I will bring my bookshelf. It should hold them all. We can move Rosie's desk out a little and set the shelf up behind it." When the waitress set down their coffees, he thanked her before continuing with his line of thought. "I haven't seen the lavatory. Is there any room in there for the cleaning supplies?"

Mike chuckled. "If you don't want to be able to turn around. I'm kidding," he said when Josh frowned. "If we pick up one of those shelf units that go over the john, we can store them there."

"That works. Is there anything else we're forgetting?"

"Not that I can think of, as long as we come up with a contract that works for both of us."

"I'm sure we will," Josh replied. "We both want this to happen."

Over breakfast, with Josh taking notes, they tweaked and finalized what they thought needed to be in the contract. By the time they'd finished eating, they were satisfied with the results. "Barring the lawyer wanting to add something he thinks we've missed," Josh pointed out.

"I didn't plan on this being a working breakfast," Mike said wryly, sipping his second cup of coffee.

"Me either, but we accomplished a lot, so it was worth it. The only other thing we need to consider is upgrading the security."

Mike grinned. "I bet you've already done that in your mind."

Josh grinned back. "Pretty much. I'll come up with a final plan and show you tomorrow. Since I can get stuff much cheaper from my supplier than from a shop, it won't break us. Hell, I've got some of it already—basic things I keep on hand."

"The gear you mentioned."

"Yep."

"Tell you what. Since you're going to be working on your old office this afternoon and probably more than just tossing stuff you don't need, I'll clean up your new one so it's ready for you to move into."

"You're sure you want to spend your Sunday afternoon doing that?"

"I'm sure," Mike replied. "The sooner we get everything set up, the better. After we meet with the lawyer, I'll get in contact with my webmaster to have him revamp the website. Then, we'll be in business."

The Merger – 9

Mike watched as Josh walked across the park to join him, admiring his lean build, which showed to his advantage in the tank top and running shorts he was wearing. "Beat you," Mike quipped when Josh joined him at the edge of the path.

"Maybe getting here, but just wait." Josh grinned, slapping Mike's shoulder. "Warm-ups first, though."

"Always," Mike agreed—and they did. As Josh went through his routine, Mike found his gaze going to Josh's tight ass more than once. Stop, he cautioned himself. We're here to run. This isn't a prelude to a seduction. Not that he'd go along with it if I tried, which I won't. He's not my type, to begin with. That didn't stop him from appraising Josh's body the way he might some man at a bar or club.

"Ready?" Josh asked, stepping onto the path.

"Whenever you are."

They started out at a slow lope. It didn't take long before they sped up, running side by side down the path. Then Josh, with a devilish grin, increased his speed. Mike matched him step for step—at first—but Josh slowly pulled ahead.

Oh no, you don't. Mike figured with his longer legs, it would take no time at all for him to catch up. In that, he was sadly disappointed. Josh widened the distance between them.

A picnic table marked the beginning of the end for Mike. He rested one hand on it, panting for breath, vowing he'd catch up with Josh if it killed him, then took off again. At that point, Josh was out of sight around a curve in the path. When Mike got to it, legs aching, he saw Josh leaning against a tree, a wide smile on his face. He didn't even look winded.

"Ready to call it a day?" Josh asked.

Mike almost said he wasn't, then reconsidered. "Yes. But next time—"

"Next time, I'll give you a head start." Josh winked.

"Not even," Mike grumbled. Then, with no small amount of admiration, he said, "You're damned good."

"Practice. Lots of it. Now if we competed in the gym on some of the machines they've got there, you'd beat me hands down. My idea of lifting weights is picking up a heavy dictionary."

"I told you yesterday, gyms aren't my thing." Mike chuckled when Josh blatantly looked at what Mike knew were his muscular arms and chest. "I'm a mesomorph." He eyed Josh, wondering if he knew what that was.

"I figured as much. Me? I'm ectomorphic, which is the ideal for a runner." Josh grinned. "Remember, I read everything I can get my hands on, so you didn't stump me. Your musculature makes you an obvious mesomorph. On the other hand, I'm lean…thus an obvious ectomorph."

"Should have figured you'd know the difference."

Josh laughed then said, "Are you ready to head back?"

"Yes, but we jog. I don't think I can flat-out run at this point."

Josh nodded. "Honestly, I'm with you on that. I was showing off and I'm feeling it now."

"It's nice to know you have it in you to do that," Mike said as they started back up the path. "Showing off, I mean."

"I'm not a cold fish," Josh protested.

"Oh, I know. You're just not exactly the outgoing, bragging type, either. Not the kind of person I'd expect would show off—and admit it."

"You'll learn," Josh replied. "I have a competitive streak—occasionally."

When they returned to the park where they'd started, Mike asked, "Did you eat breakfast?"

"No. Why?"

"Me neither, so why don't we stop and get some?"

"All hot, sweaty, and dressed like this?" Josh moved his hand up and down.

"Good point. Let's go home, shower and change, then meet somewhere. That is, if you want to."

"I'm good with it."

By the time they got to their cars, they'd decided on a place. "I'll see you in half an hour, give or take," Mike said.

The Merger – 8

 

For a few minutes, they compared notes on graphic novels they liked or didn't like. That ended when a good-looking man came up behind Mike, tapping him on the shoulder. When Mike turned to see who it was, the man said, "It's been a while since you've been in here, Mike. I missed…" He glanced at Josh then obviously revised what he was going to say. "Missed seeing your friendly face. Who's your friend?"

"My business partner, Josh. Josh, this is Ben."

"Business partner, huh?" Ben grabbed a chair from the next table, swung it around and straddled it. "So, how've you been, Mike?" he asked, blatantly ignoring Josh.

Mike gave Josh an apologetic look as he replied, "Never better. Everything's going great. And you?"

"Comme ci, comme ça. There's a new band opening at the club over on Fifth next Friday. Want to come with me to see it?"

"Won't Dan object?"

Ben snorted. "He's history. Has been for a couple of weeks."

"Sorry to hear that. Look, it sounds great, but Josh and I have something else planned."

"I thought…" If looks could kill, the one Ben gave Josh would have laid him out.

"That's always been your problem, Ben," Mike replied somewhat snidely. "When you do think, you jump to the wrong conclusions." Turning his full attention to Josh, Mike asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Definitely." Josh stood, saying to Ben, "It was nice to meet you." Then, since Mike was already on his feet, Josh put one arm around his waist. He pointed a finger at Ben. "Next time you decide to come on to my man…don't."

"Damn, you were good," Mike said moments later when they were out on the sidewalk. "I'm sorry. He had no reason to act the way he did. We were never more than casual friends."

Josh laughed, stepping away now that they were out of Ben's sight. "That's okay. At least that little scene answered one question for me. You are gay."

"You hadn't figured that out? You could have asked, you know. In point of fact, you sort of did."

Josh shrugged. "And you avoided it, so I figured your private life was none of my business unless you wanted it to be."

"Look, I don't care who knows. I wouldn't hang out at Thirty-One Twelve if I did. Sure, there are straights there, but there are in most bars. Okay, that didn't come out quite the way I meant it. What I mean to say is, nowadays we're pretty much accepted in most bars here in the city, so you can't presume someone is gay just because a bar tends to have a larger gay clientele than straight."

"That's true. Still, it's nice to know you are."

Mike grinned. "Are you interested in my body, Mr. Aston, and now that you know we swing the same way, you're going to make a play for me?"

"Good lord, no!"

"Ouch."

"That wasn't a put-down," Josh hastened to say. "We're barely getting to know each other, and we're entering into a business arrangement together. Neither one of those facts is conducive to hopping into bed just because we can. One of the reasons I don't go to bars very often is the fact that I'm not into casual hookups."

"Neither am I, actually," Mike replied, "appearances to the contrary."

"Honestly, I didn't think you were." Josh resisted a sudden temptation to hug him, to prove he meant it. Instead, he said, "What time do we want to go running tomorrow?"

"The earlier the better to avoid the heat. The last I heard, they're predicting high seventies by noon and it's only May. Talk about climate change."

Josh laughed, replying, "Then, around seven? We can meet at Mushroom Park and go from there."

"That's fine with me. Did you walk over here? I can give you a ride home if you want."

"Thanks, but no. It's only three blocks. So I'll see you at seven, and don't be late." Josh wagged a finger at him.

Mike laughed. "I won't be. See you then."

Josh watched as Mike headed down the street, turning into a parking lot on the corner.

As he headed in the opposite direction, Josh wondered what the chances were that they might end up in bed together sometime in the future. Probably nil. I wasn't kidding when I told him that was something we should avoid since we're going to be working together. If it didn't work out, the tensions afterward could really screw things up.