LonelyCollegeBoy

Contents Title Page Copyright Dedication Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Epilogue - Three Years Later Stay in Touch About the Author Coming Soon Guide Contents Start of Content LonelyCollegeBoy Boys of Simson U. Book 1 J. Allen Grady Copyright © 2023 by J. Allen Grady All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. The characters in this book are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. To those who have decided not to stand in the way of their own happiness. Many thanks to those who helped make this book possible, in particular Sue and Jenifer who provided feedback and editorial assistance! CHAPTER 1 THOMAS God, what a shitty morning, I thought as I pushed through the door of the Sunrise Cafe, a popular hangout just two blocks down from my office. It had been open for six months, but I’d never been, even for coffee. Usually, if I go out for lunch when I’m in the office, it’s for business, requiring a venue to impress a client. Otherwise, I bring a little food from home to hold me through the day. Boring, I know. It seemed like I had just beat the lunch rush, and I was able to grab an empty bistro table right away. As I browsed the menu, I also took in my surroundings, which were bright and clean. It seemed like a pleasant sort of place for a leisurely lunch or coffee date. But a leisurely lunch wasn’t in my cards, and the day's worries nudged their way back into my thoughts. I really should quit my job. Which I say every week, but Monday’s a little early to be obsessing over it… I knew it was time to either find a place that values my work more or to set out on my own path. But when are you gonna grow the balls? It’s gonna be a long fucking week! “Can I get you something to drink, sir?” a young man asked, drawing my mind back to the present. “Water, please,” I said. Maybe my crabbiness was more obvious than I suspected. “Long day already?” he asked, smiling politely. Not politely… He’s a ray of damn sunshine. Something about his cheeriness, his positivity, set me on edge, and I grimaced. “The worst.” Before he could follow up, giving me some useless aphorism, or worst of all a pep talk, I added, “I’m in a hurry, so go ahead and put in a roast beef on rye and fries for me.” He stared at me hesitantly, his smile wavering ever so slightly. “Of course,” he murmured before hurrying off. When he returned a minute later with my water, he looked tentative. “I’m sorry, sir. I, uhm ... I forgot to ask—” “Lettuce, tomato, onion, horseradish sauce, no mayo, no pickles,” I said, ordering efficiently. “Provolone. And I really am in a hurry so...” “Yes, sir,” he said softly and hurried off again. He’s gonna get it wrong… *** Billy This douche isn’t my first angry, impatient lunch-rush businessman. And he’s sure as hell not the first intimidatingly hot daddy in a suit to snap at me. So why are my hands shaking as if I’m giving my best friend Last Rites after an encounter with a demon-possessed tween makes said best friend jump out of a window and down a flight of— Yeah, I’ve always been a horror fan. Sue me. FOCUS! my rational brain barked. You should have written that order down! As if I could have even caught it, the way he was snapping at me, tossing it out on rapid fire. You would have thought I had keyed his Mercedes the way he looked at me—with those dark, piercing eyes, and that handsome, impassive face. The way he was speaking to me, I kept expecting a sneer to mar his good looks, but it never came. Instead, he just held my attention with this unsettling intensity—the kind a child gets from a disappointed parent. One word kept coming to mind. Daddy. And I wasn’t sure which had my hands shaking more: the anxiety his attitude produced, the strangely pleasant tension I felt at the way he’d looked at me, or the mild arousal caused just by the emotion this hot daddy conveyed with a glance. All of the above. Definitely all of the— Fuck, what did he want on that damn sandwich?! I’m going to have to just go back over there… That’s what I should do. What I was about to do instead would end badly—I can feel it! It’s better than going back to that table, though. That risked having this suit-armored grumpy daddy level me emotionally, and probably cause me to pop a boner while I stammered incoherently. I just needed to remember. Lettuce, tomato, onion? Yes, he wanted the normal stuff. Mayo and pickles? He mentioned them, but did he want them or not. I’ll hedge my bets: mayo and pickle on the side. Guess we’ll see. “Okay,” I muttered as his order entered the queue. “Butt covered.” I went to check on my other tables, turning on my best smile for my best tables. I could recognize good and bad tippers a mile away. You can probably guess who got the bulk of my attention. As I moved around the room, though, I couldn’t help but keep glancing over at the brooding, angry man. Grumpy daddy… No! Don’t give him a nickname. It’s like animals—if they aren’t your pets, don’t name them! Sometimes he’d be staring into the distance,