Page 57 of Grumpy Bear

I grabbed both of his middle fingers and pushed them back until he surrendered.

Austin whimpered and begged me to release him, swearing he’d behave. “Shit. You’re fucking vicious.”

“I grew up with older brothers.”

He leaned against the bar on one elbow and sighed dreamily. “I only got about two hours myself.”

“Ryan?”

“Who?”

“The one you were showering with.”

“Ohhh. Yeah. No. That was a prologue. Just a light snack. I was working the sauna until about four this morning. A little bit of steam room time too. You know, alternating that dry and wet heat.”

“I didn’t know there were nightshifts. They expect you to work this early?”

He waved me away. “I was working it. I wasn’t on the clock.”

“Oh.”

He waggled his eyebrows at me and stuck out his tongue. “I’m so glad we get to work together today.” He switched to frat boy cheer mode. “We are going to blow this pool party up.”

“I have no idea how I’m supposed to do that.”

“You’ve waited tables before, right? Here’s the deal.”

He showed me the beer cooler—charge it to their cabin or take cash. Guests bring their own liquor—pass around shots if they ask you to. Porn on the TV above the bar—if it stops, switch out the DVD. Snacks—microwave however long it says on the box.

“These fuckers’ll be wasted. As long as it’s salty and the cheese is melted, they’ll think it’s manna from heaven. And, last but not least”—he put a stretchy plastic band with a key around my wrist—“the key to the ice cooler behind the bathhouse. Two bucks a bag. Make sure we have plenty at the bar here too. Prepare yourself physically and emotionally to get a zillion bags of ice.”

The rest of the job apparently entailed prancing around in these shorts with a cocktail tray, taking drink orders and flirting as much as possible.

“So, you’re in love? Having a little camp romance with the boss? Tell me everything.”

I laughed. “I don’t know that I’d call it that. We’re getting to know each other. He’s cool.”

“That man is a gorgeous untamable beast, and I fucking hate you. Everyone here hates you, by the way. But I’m happy for you.”

It was slow and quiet around the pool for the first hour, so I had a little time to replay the night with Coleman. Silently. I wasn’t about to kiss and tell. I hadn’t ever slept with a man like that—tangled up, always touching, always aware of him. It was pretty amazing. I was already thinking about tonight, and tomorrow night… and pushing away the thought of Monday. That made me nauseous.

Coleman and I had had a quick cup of coffee together in the cabin that morning, grinning bashfully at each other, then he’d announced he had to get to it and told me he was pretty sure Jim had me working the pool party with Austin. Jim confirmed and broke it to me about the shorts.

Guys started trickling in with coolers around eleven. A few were way too cheerful and chatty, but most of them were visibly hungover. Lounge chairs and umbrella tables were claimed with beach towels. Out came the spray sunblock and everybody started greasing up.

The Yeti tumblers of mimosas and Bloody Marys started to kick in, and a steady hum of conversation grew over the Top 40 satellite radio station.

When the DJ arrived at eleven forty-five, Austin called me over to join them for the first of many shots of Fireball.

The men didn't all start off naked. There were swim trunks and board shorts, and more tiny, cute, colorful underwear than I ever imagined existed, and every iteration of jockstrap known to man. I guessed there was some fun in a big reveal. Alcohol certainly played a part with a lot of cheering every time someone broke through that final inhibition.

Somehow, by twelve thirty there were at least two hundred naked men at the pool, and I was slammed, running drinks, grabbing ice, and handing out trays of Jell-O shots that various people shoved at me and told me to spread around.

In the shade, there were games of beer pong happening, and out in the sun, unbridled contact volleyball made rugby seem tame by comparison.

I’d never been so overtly flirted with, catcalled, and propositioned in my life. The shots Austin kept feeding me loosened my sass and allowed me to deflect it all with a sense of humor.

“It’s like the nicest sexual harassment one can experience,” Austin sagely observed.