Page 9 of A Shared Mind

“Okay. I don’t know if I believe you, but I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. Send me the notes so I can turn them into a comprehensive fact sheet for Steve.” I nodded as I squeezed her shoulder before going into my office and closing the door so I could make sense of whatever she’d written down.

Hours later, an email came through with the documents I’d asked her for. When I opened the attachments, the first paragraph wasn’t what I expected from Eve.

“Justin, dude! He’s tasty snack in a tight sexy package, and you need to get on that immediately. Here are the notes you wanted. FYI—Imagine the dude in boxer briefs with a hard-on like I’ll do later! Spectacular!”

My cock gained steam, which had me wanting to flip her off. God, Eve was right. Clay was amazing, but I couldn’t compete with Hunter Korr, I was sure.

Dude, don’t sell yourself short. You don’t know Hunter Korr. He died before you graduated college. Maybe he wasn’t that great in the sack? Let me take over. I’ll get you in that guy’s bed before EZ finds me.

Who the fuck was EZ? Now the voice was making up characters?

“Hi, Clay.” I greeted the beautiful man as I approached the outside bar at Backlot on the patio of Stockyards Café, a throwback restaurant from the twentieth century. Clay seemed comfortable by himself at the bar. I’d have been a nervous wreck.

“Hello, Justin.” He stood and extended his hand to shake, which I did happily. “Can I order you a drink?” His smile was incredibly captivating.

“Uh, sure. Vodka soda, please.”

Clay grinned and flagged down the bartender. “Can he get a vodka soda?”

The young lady nodded and walked away, returning to us with my drink. “Thank you,” I responded.

I glanced at Clay, who appeared to be worried. I didn’t want him to worry. “So, uh, did you get your business completed today?” Hell, it was the first thought that came into my head.

He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, I made a deal to sell some hay to a big outfit in Excelsior Springs. The spring rains were hell on the crops down there, and they were looking for hay in an internet group chat. Thankfully, I have more than enough to sell. I stopped by to take a look at their operation and arrange for pick up.”

“Ah. I’m sure they’re grateful to you for showing up in person. We had a hell of a lot of rain in the spring and summer. I think a lot of operations are hurting for hay going into the fall.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and plowed ahead. “On another topic, may I ask how you know Steve? I’m sorry for being nosy, but you mentioned him by first name earlier today. It sounds as if you know him personally.” God, I was skating on thin ice, but I hoped he’d answer me and not let me drown.

Clay sighed. "Yes, uh, I know Steve Korr personally. His son and I were best friends in college. We were in similar classes—Hunter in vet school and me in Agroscience and crop management. What else do you want to know?”

Ask him what the guy meant to him so you’ll know where you stand. I’m telling you, that guy wants you. Attraction is my gift. That dude thinks you’re hot.

Fuck me and fuck that voice. “Were you more than best friends?” I had no right to ask anything of the sort, but the words were still coming out of my mouth.

Clay exhaled. “Yeah, we were more than best friends. Hunter and I were engaged. We had a lot of plans for the life we wanted, but Steve and Melissa weren’t exactly thrilled about having a son-in-law instead of a daughter-in-law. They finally decided they were fine with us about a month before Hunter was killed in a traffic accident. I was never sure they really were, though.”

Oh, seriously, you’ve got him in your back pocket. He’s ripe for the kill. Don’t back off, kid. I’ll get you laid, and then you’re going to do something for me. I’ve got a little unfinished business I need you to handle in Dirty Lou.

In my head, I wasn’t sure how to respond to that voice. It wasn’t real, right? Why the fuck would I ever believe... Was there some weird scenario where I was being haunted?

Aw, Kid, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help you. You want to get laid, and I’m the guy to make it happen. I’m the best lover in the world. You need to believe that.

“I’m so sorry. Uh, it all happened before I started working at Korr Financial, but I know Steve and Melissa suffered after the loss of their son. I didn’t know it had affected you. You have... I’m so sorry, Clay.” I took a sip of my drink to stave off the nerves building in my gut.

He opened his mouth to speak as a host came through the bar. “Watkins, party of two.”

I held up my hand to get the host’s attention before turning to Clay. “Let me close this out, then get our table.”

My lame-ass follow up to his admission of their status had me embarrassed. God, the poor guy had been through hell. No way was he thinking about anything other than me helping him plan his financial future so he didn’t lose his ass. There was no hope for anything else.

Now, that’s not a go-get-him attitude, Kid. You hold his hand. You offer him a comforting shoulder, and then you swoop in and knock his drawers off. You suck his dick and let him fuck you. I have faith that the two of you will fall deeply in love. After that, I need you to go to St. Louis to help me with my problem.

The host showed us to a nice table near the sidewalk, and we ordered an appetizer, salads, and steaks. We’d carried our drinks over to the table, and when Clay’s glass was nearly empty, I motioned to order two more drinks.

“So, uh, is it harvest season for your crops?”

Clay smiled. “I had the third cutting of hay before I came to town. The corn harvest was back in August, and the sorghum needs to dry about another week. It’ll happen when I get back home.”