The Honeymoon Gambit (Catalina Dreams Book 2), page 15
“So romantic,” Jordan cooed. He nodded at Stackler. “And you. I admit. You can be charming and you had me going, but you really are just a massive douchebag. You made it all so personal between yourself and Eric and Todd. We don’t like that brand of drama. Do we, Alphonso?”
“Not at all,” Alphonso said.
“I was taken in by you, Paul. I blame the mimosas,” Jordan said. He crossed his arms and looked at Stackler as if he were a misbehaving child. “You brought us in, so I felt a little bad that Jackson put Eric on our account instead. But the truth is, I should have listened to Eric months ago when he started cornering me at the gym.” He pointed at Eric. “You got the jar lid loosened. He just took it off.”
“That’s what I said!” Eric blurted.
“Eric.” Jordan held out his hand and Eric shook it, followed by Alphonso. “Welcome back, sir. Apologies for the disruption.” He pointed at Stackler. “You are out!”
Stackler’s brow furrowed over the clump of bloody napkin. “But he punched me!” He said, and stomped toward Todd until Eric got between them, staring Stackler down. Todd pulled Eric back and Jordan raised his hands, stepping in front of Stackler.
“Of course, he punched you. You called his boyfriend frigid. What did you expect? This ends now.” He shoved Stackler in the direction of the bathrooms. “Let’s go get you cleaned up for God’s sakes. We’ve entertained these people enough.”
“Gentlemen,” Alphonso said, ushering Todd and Eric back to their table. “Todd, can I get you some ice for your hand? Perhaps a finger of very good vodka on the rocks?”
“Yes please,” Todd said, and Alphonso tossed him a wink before spinning away, leaving Todd and Eric alone at the table.
Eric took off his jacket, laying it carefully over the back of his chair. He took a deep breath before downing the rest of the champagne he’d left at his place setting. “What a night.”
Todd slumped slightly, shaking his head. “Did all that just happen? It’s already a blur. I punched Stackler!”
“You sure did.” Eric took his sore hand and kissed his knuckles. “It was incredibly sexy of you.”
“And you got the account back!” Todd leaned over and kissed Eric’s cheek. “We’re back! We’ll be heroes once Jackson hears about this. He’ll probably think the whole fake dating thing was a great idea, considering how it worked out.”
“Jackson, yeah,” Eric murmured. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I should be more excited about that stuff. But all it makes me think is, it would be so much more exciting if I didn’t have to answer to Jackson.”
“You want to start your own firm,” Todd said, looking sly about it. “You do, don’t you? What if we did, though? You and I with our own boutique firm? We play our cards right and I think Alphonso and Jordan would come with us and some other clients I could name who love me. I’m sure you have a handful who’d follow you out too.”
“I do,” Eric said, and he felt his heart flutter just thinking about it. “Do you really think we could pull that off?”
“Only one way to find out,” Todd said, and kissed him once again.
Epilogue
Six months later…
“You’re a madman.” Eric crossed his arms. He stood next to Todd, crowding the doorway of their newly minted office off Crescent Avenue in Avalon. “An advertising firm in Catalina Island. I can’t believe I agree to this.” Yet despite his words, he couldn’t help but smile.
“We have a million contacts between the two of us,” Todd explained for the hundredth time. He nudged Eric’s shoulder and strode into the large and airy room, painted a bright blue. It sat on the third floor of a small terracotta-colored building on Abalone Drive. The place was a lot smaller than Jackson & Larrabee. There was a dog groomer on the first floor of the place, next to a dress shop. “We network on the mainland. We invite them to the island for margaritas. And we do our thing.”
“I mean we already have several clients we poached, including the Gigis,” Eric said with a shrug. “And we know we can produce results.”
“And everyone works remotely now anyway,” Todd pointed out. “Not even convinced we need an office. I know some firms that only exist online.” Todd moved behind Eric, who leaned on his desk by the giant window that looked out on Avalon and the ocean beyond. He massaged Eric’s shoulders and heard his sigh of relief. “You’re tense.”
“A little,” Eric admitted. “But I feel better when you remind me what we have going for us.”
Todd nodded and continued his ministrations, feeling Eric melt like butter under his hands. In the last few months, he’d learned even more about Eric Yoo; that he loved Todd’s green curry chicken, lost his mind when Todd nibbled on his earlobe, and enjoyed impromptu massages.
He had prepared himself for some kind of tension after moving in with Eric to a swanky condo that overlooked the beach. But things were… strangely easy between them. They already knew each other’s ticks and flaws, and working together eight hours a day for two years, they’d learned to live with them.
The real victim of the whole situation was Todd’s former roommate, Putnam, who not only had to find someone new to split the rent, but had to listen to Todd’s constant Eric Yoo gushing on the phone. Todd was surprisingly moved when Putnam made him promise to keep in touch and teased a visit to the island sometime soon.
“Do you remember when I’d pop into your office to turn the music down back at J and L?” Eric said. He shut his eyes and leaned into Todd’s touch.
“Yeah,” Todd said, chuckling. “Then you’d ask me a question about some account or tell me I shouldn’t wear T-shirts to work.”
“I think it made me feel relaxed to do that,” Eric said.
“It relaxed you to hassle me?” Todd said. The thought amused him. He pressed up against Eric and kissed his neck. “Of course, it did.”
“Well, because you never took it to heart. You’d just make jokes.”
“Then you pretended not to laugh.”
“Yes,” Eric said. “But it still made me feel better if I was tense or stressed out and yoga wasn’t working.”
“Glad I could help,” Todd whispered, and leaned in to nibble on Eric’s ear.
“Oh…” Eric took Todd’s hand and brought it up to kiss his knuckles, long since healed from punching Stackler in the nose.
Originally, Eric and Todd had intended on staying a little longer at Jackson & Larrabee. It had been a blur of dating and fooling around in the office at any opportunity. But Todd could not help himself. He’d started looking into what it would take to start their own firm right away. Eric was hesitant at first. But it only took a little ear nibbling and one of Todd’s patented and impassioned pitches to convince him.
The shelves that had once lined their offices at Jackson & Larrabee now lined the walls of their new place. Todd’s art and scrappy sources of inspiration still adorned the walls, though the layout was neater and more streamlined, and some of his nicer prints were framed now. His beloved Jigglypuff squishy sat waiting for stress squeezes on his desk next to the Pikachu mug. In the corner, a yoga mat sat rolled up by the window.
Eric turned around and sat atop his desk. The decor in their office was modern and just a little playful.
The Rubik’s cube Todd had Eric him sat next to a framed photo of the two of them on the beach.
“What have we got today anyhow?” Eric said. He hooked his foot behind Todd’s leg, nudging him closer.
“I have to write some ads for Gigi,” Todd said. “And you need to have a conversation with Wind-up Shoes. They’ve been a little nervous since they left Jackson for us.”
“Will do,” Eric said. “Lunch at that new cafe down the street? Their Greek salads look good.”
“Yes,” Todd agreed. “But don’t forget to call your grandma back.”
Eric pulled a little double-take and gaped at Todd. “How do you—”
“She called your phone,” Todd said, shrugging. “So I picked up. Uh, sorry. I just saw her face pop up when it rang. We got to talking. Also, she wants to meet me. We’re having dinner Sunday.”
“You talked to my halmeoni?” Eric said softly.
“For an hour at least,” Todd said, chuckling. “I demanded a batch of honey cookies. Is that all right? Did I overstep or something? I love you?” Todd raised his eyebrows and tried to read Eric’s expression. He’d used to be so good about it. But that was the thing about dating Eric. They’d both changed each other just a little. Eric had a whole catalogue of new faces that Todd hadn’t learned to read yet. He felt a prickle of anxiety for a moment, worrying that Eric might be angry he’d talk to his grandmother privately without asking first.
Eric clapped his hands to Todd’s cheeks and kissed him fiercely. He rested his forehead against Todd’s. “No,” Eric said. “You didn’t overstep. I just really love you too.”
Eric kissed him again, and again, and again. Six months ago, Todd wouldn’t have imagined Eric getting so easily overcome with emotion and happy to lazily make out with him in the middle of a workday. He smiled into the kiss and finally pulled away before tousling Eric’s hair. “Enough fooling around, Eric. Time to work.”
“Geez. Okay, Todd.” Eric grinned and swatted Todd’s butt just as he turned around, earning a yelp of indignation. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Ellis. And put on some music, will you? It’s way too quiet in here.”
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About the Author
I.M. Flippy lives in Hollywood, California with her two judgmental cats, Guthrie and Colbert.
Flippy has been writing her whole life and a few of you may have read her fanfiction.
Flippy enjoys margaritas, good movies, reading just about anything, getting political, and obsessing a little too much about Stranger Things.
Turn the page to read the first two chapters of the second book in the Catalina Dreams series, Booked for Love!
Author’s Note on Booked For Love
The character of Rae identifies as a genderqueer non-binary man with he/she/they pronouns and that is a significant facet of their character. But to prevent confusion for the reader, within the narrative Rae will be referred to as “he,” while within dialogue when Rae is referred to, any one of the pronouns may be used. Happy reading!
1. Gus
The bookshop was already more crowded than usual, and it was only ten in the morning. Gus hovered in the doorway of his office behind the front desk and took a deep breath.
It was Rae Bell Day.
Gus could not remember the last time he was so excited for an author signing. And nervous. He was also terribly nervous to be the one handling Bell’s event. He had felt this kind of anxiety with a few authors before. David Sedaris. Saeed Jones. Those were big signings. But this was different. Gus had spent more time than was reasonable gazing at pictures of Rae Bell, appreciating his impossibly bright and enchanting brown eyes, the charming quirk of his mouth that gleamed when he sometimes wore lip gloss. That was not to mention the number of times he’d read some interview with Rae Bell and walked away even more impressed than he’d been before.
He’d sobbed while reading every one of Rae Bell’s books and counted them among his favorites.
The event had been booked months ago.
Now it was finally here.
Gus took a deep breath and grabbed a small box of the pronoun pins he’d ordered to mark the occasion. Encouraging the employees to wear pronoun pins was an idea he’d come up with more than a year ago. It had taken him that long to work up the nerve to propose it to his employees. What if someone resisted on principle? What if someone wanted a particular pronoun, but wasn’t out and felt they were being pressured? He’d finally held a staff meeting and everyone had been excited for the idea. Blessed relief. He’d chosen Rae Bell Day as the perfect day to hand them out.
“Where’s my pin!” Melissa bounced up to him, a riot of pastel rainbow hair and sparkling rhinestones dotting her cheeks. She wore the dark blue apron that every employee wore at Gus’s books and its formality clashed with Melissa’s pink tights and purple kitten sweatshirt. But she’d never complained about it.
Gus grinned and held out the box for Melissa to paw through. “I need you and Chantelle to set out baskets at all the registers. Each customer can take up to two pins in case they’re grabbing one for a friend. If anyone asks questions about them, I have leaflets we’ll be setting out.”
“Oh, that’s good,” Melissa said wryly. She grabbed a she/her pin and bit her lip as she pinned it to her apron next to a unicorn pin and a Pusheen badge. “I don’t want to have to fight with some dickbag who has a problem with pronoun pins.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid,” Gus said. “Townies tend to be cool for the most part, but tourists are a gamble. Anyway, the other boxes are on my desk?”
“On it, boss!”
The next hour passed quickly. The staff was excited about their new pins. They were little round badges emblazoned with the pronouns in a bright font. Some of the pins featured rainbows or cute animals and others were plainer in style.
Gus’s Books was a large bookstore that filled out the first two floors of a pink Victorian mansion right off Crescent Avenue in Avalon on Catalina Island. Gus made his home on the third floor that functioned like a loft apartment. The place had been renovated long ago to support the shop.
Gus had inherited the place from his father who had bought it from old man Taglen who had owned it for decades. Then Gus’s father had unexpectedly died, and Gus took up the mantle. It wasn’t what he had expected to do with his life. He had always planned on shooting for a career as a book editor. But life had changed the game on him and, as it turned out, running Gus’s Books was his calling after all. It was nice to feel content and not have regrets about the career that had dropped into his lap. It was hard enough still missing his father and feeling that sting of grief from time to time. He didn’t want to feel resentment towards him too.
Gus was about to take his first break when he found a pinless bookseller in the children’s section, dusting the middle-grade shelves.
“Justin?” Gus said. “Did you get a pin?”
He hated how hesitant he sounded. He kept waiting for someone to argue despite the staff-wide support the idea had met with. What if someone changed their mind? What if someone wasn’t even sure about their gender identity only for Gus to throw them into an existential crisis!
“Oh! Cool…” Justin took a he/his badge and stared at it.
“This feels weird.” Justin had not worked at the bookstore long. He was young and oddly stoic, short, and thin. He wore a plaid button-down and jeans. He pinned the badge to his apron, his brow furrowed. Gus took a deep breath, on the verge of lecturing Justin about why they were using the pins, when Justin waved a hand and said, “No like…I’m for it. I’m supportive and all that. It just feels weird. I’ve never thought about having to tell people I’m ‘he’ as opposed to anything else. But it’s a good weird? It’s a thoughtful weird? I’m digging it.” He blinked, nodding to himself. “Important weird.” Gus didn’t get a chance to respond before Justin wandered off with his feather duster, seemingly content in his weird feelings.
“Okay,” Gus muttered. “And with that, I go on break.”
Gus took his diminished box of pins to the main register up front and dumped them into the basket at the till, smiling at Melissa as she hummed along with the Billie Holiday song playing on the speakers and straightened up the impulse purchases.
“Going on break,” Gus said. “But if anyone has a question about the event tonight you can’t answer, I’ll be on the patio.”
Melissa tossed him a little salute and Gus made his way through the store toward the coffee cart, straightening books on displays as he went and picking up others left out of place. He dropped off go-backs at the back register and at the coffee cart he bought himself a discount matcha latte and a muffin.
The patio at Gus’s Books was a big wooden deck with tables and chairs around for socializing and reading already-purchased-materials at your leisure with your coffee. The house sat on a hilly street and there was a lovely view of the beach below and the ocean beyond. Gus sat on the long wooden bench and crossed his legs, reflexively taking out his phone just to check for any messages from Rae Bell’s publicist. Mercifully, there was nothing.
“Hey, Gus!”
Gus looked up and squinted across the patio at Charlie and his boyfriend Jason, who sat at a table with their coffee. He made a move to join them and chat as he tossed them a wave, but just as quickly Charlie and Jason turned away, clearly more interested in each other than Gus. Gus cleared his throat and made a move to dust imaginary crumbs from his pants as he sat back down just in case someone was looking. He frowned at his phone, bringing up Rae Bell’s Instagram account.
There was a picture of two feet ensconced in a pair of silver and very glittery platform heels propped up near an airplane window.
The caption read: Catalina Island, here I come! Hear there’s a big queer enclave there. Hide your sisters, brothers, and others!
The caption ended in several rainbows, hearts, and unicorn emojis. Gus smirked to himself.
Rae “Richie” Bell was a rock star of an author. Which was probably why he was also famous for having dated an actual rock star (reportedly, they had broken up, but they had also broken up plenty of times before). Rae Bell wrote novels. Big, shiny, socially, and culturally relevant literary novels. He was also charismatic and famous for loudly and determinedly insisting on his identity as a nonbinary man which he was constantly called on to explain to talk show hosts among others.
Rae was also known for being charismatic, brilliant, big, broad, colorful, and not always easy to be around.
