Mr. Anonymous - 10. Mr. Anonymous

Chapter 10

The hospital cafeteria was crowded; so much for the old myth about hospital food. It looked like all of the staff, as well as several visitors, had descended on the dining room at once.

It was easy to pick out the employees in their varying shades of medical scrubs or crisp, white lab coats, but Percy’s eyes locked on the group of men congregated in the back of the room.

“He’s here,” Percy gasped as he noticed soft auburn locks curling around the back of a dark blue ball cap. He could only see Too-Close from the back while he faced his other co-workers at the table. Their uniforms were similar, yet the different patches and emblems on their sleeves distinguished that they were employed by other ambulance companies.

Percy drew in a ragged breath. If he didn’t talk to him now then he never would. The thought of walking away without saying a word had his chest aching. They were laughing and in deep conversation as Percy nervously approached their table.

A deep gravelly voice caught Percy off guard. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? Man, it’s good to see you up and walking around after the other night.”

Percy’s head snapped in the direction of the familiar voice. It was Jim, the ambulance driver. The big guy had a soft, gentle smile. Percy remembered his face immediately, even though everything else was still fuzzy from right after the accident, but he still recognized the man sitting in front of him.

“Thanks.” Percy was suddenly embarrassed as his dark eyes darted from the man to the other rescue workers at the table.

Mr. Too-Close’s face was hidden under the ball cap until he looked up. Percy tried hard not to swear out loud. It wasn’t him! Percy couldn’t believe it.

The man sitting at the table looked like him from the back, but he wasn’t Mr. Too-Close. Crystal blue eyes stared out from under the wide brim of the guy’s cap, they were still breathtaking, but he wasn’t the tall, sexy man Percy had been dreaming about.

“I just wanted to thank you and…and…” Percy froze. What would he say? He couldn’t call the man’s co-worker, Mr. Too-Close, that was just out of the question. “…you and your partner for all of your help the other night.”

Jim waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t need to thank us. Parker and I were just doing our jobs. I’m glad to see your doing better.”

Resisting the goofy urge to smile, Percy silently repeated the name Parker over and over inside his head. Now, he had a name to go with that gorgeous face and sexy body.

The other men at the table gave Percy’s injuries a curious glance. As emergency medical workers, nothing fazed them. They had seen it all. Percy’s injuries were bad, but he was sure they had seen worse.

“I still wanted to show my appreciation for what you did for me.” Percy said while taking a step back, preparing to turn and leave.

“No problem. I’ll tell Parker when I see him,” he called to Percy before the man returned to the conversation with his coworkers.

* * * *

Percy was disappointed he didn’t get to see Mr. Too- Close. If his cock started twitching at just the thought of seeing him again, what would he do if they actually touched?

Slowly walking towards the row of waiting cabs, Percy made a mental list of the pros and cons between Max and Parker. He’d been lusting after the two men like a lovesick schoolboy. Percy not only daydreamed about both of them, but he couldn’t stop the erotic fantasies filling every thought. Sure, Parker was incredibly attractive, but what else was there? Percy didn’t know anything about the sexy stranger; for all he knew, the man could be married with children, or at the very least, he could be in a relationship.

Max, on the other hand, was completely crazy about Percy, he was positive of it. Percy smiled to himself since he was falling hard for Max, too. Did it really matter how tall Max was, if he had a crooked smile or more hair on his back than on his head? Percy chuckled at the thought. All that mattered to him was Max…nobody else…just Max!

The guy was smart, witty, confident, and compassionate. Everything Percy knew about Max, he already loved. Who was he fooling? It was Max. He was the one that Percy had wanted all along. Yeah, Percy had fantasized about Parker, but it was Max who really got his pulse racing.

Climbing into the back seat of the cab, Percy gave the driver his home address, and then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. A quick search and he had the telephone number for Altorno’s restaurant just as the cab pulled into the circular driveway in front of his apartment building.

There was no way Percy could use his influence to make dinner reservations. Dropping the Giannopoulos name guaranteed VIP treatment anywhere he went, but he wasn’t ready to take that step in public, not yet. Percy couldn’t get upstairs to his apartment quick enough.

Message: Altorno’s…7:30pm tonight!

Percy nervously typed on his computer. The message was direct and to the point. Percy didn’t know what else to say so he said as little as possible. His hands trembled, clicking on the send button.

“Oh my God,” Percy muttered staring at the words on the screen. He did it, he really did it. With his heart pounding in his aching chest, Percy stared at his computer. He couldn’t believe he actually sent the message to Max.

It only took a second for a response to pop up on the screen. Percy was suddenly lightheaded, holding his breath until Max’s answer opened up.

New Message: Binx, are you sure?

Max must have already been online for his response to post so fast. Was Percy sure? It was a huge step, meeting Max in a public place, but he was giving Percy an opportunity to change his mind. Percy thought about it for a minute before typing ‘yes’ and hitting send.

That was it. There was no turning back now. They were really going to meet tonight. Percy quickly gave Max the reservation information and then rushed to get ready.

* * * *

The restaurant was busier for a Monday than Percy had expected. There were still a few tables available in the dim-lit dining room, but not many. Percy waited while the hostess escorted an elderly couple to their table while he nervously tapped his foot to the soft music wafting out from somewhere inside Altorno’s.

He glanced around, looking for any men sitting alone. There was no way to know if Max was there already since Percy didn’t know what he looked like.

Percy was unaware the hostess had returned to her post until she cleared her throat. “Hmmm, may I help you?”

“Y-y-yes,” Percy stuttered, caught off guard by her question. “I have reservations under Mr. Anonymous.” He suddenly felt uncomfortable; just saying the words out loud for the first time, suddenly made it real. In a few seconds, he would be meeting Max.

The girl glanced down to her reservation book then nodded her head. He had become used to the awkward looks as people pretended not to notice his injuries. “Wonderful, I see your friend has already arrived,” she said as she turned towards the dining room, not waiting for Percy to follow her.

Percy’s heart pounded in his chest as they weaved through the crowd. He didn’t notice the buzz of conversations stirring around him since he could only hear his own blood rushing through his ears.

The hostess reached the back of the dining room and made a hard left. Percy had specifically requested a very secluded table, and restaurant had accommodated his request.

Following her around the corner, into the private dining room, Percy suddenly stopped in his tracks. With his feet frozen to the floor, Percy stood there, shocked, unable to move.

Glancing through the candlelit darkness was a familiar face…

“Binx?” Parker’s sexy voice washed over Percy. The soft light made the man’s deep emerald eyes glow. They sparkled as his full lips pulled into a gorgeous smile.

Percy had seen the man in casual jeans with a hoodie, in sweaty running shorts and even his EMT uniform, but sitting here, dressed in an elegant silk shirt and tie, Parker was sexier than ever.

“Max?” Percy’s heart raced.

The world around them disappeared as they stared at each other in disbelief. Percy had pondered for weeks what Max looked like and now he was here, sitting in front of him, and he was breathtaking.

“Are you going to sit down and join me or just stand there all night?” Parker’s voice was thick and husky, sending tingles down Percy’s spine.

“I can’t believe it’s really you. You’re MaxTheMagnificent?” Percy asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

Mr. Too-Close deviously grinned as he extended his hand for an exaggerated handshake. “Mr. Maxwell Parker, I’m so pleased to meet you Mr. Percy Giannopoulos.”

Percy suddenly felt like he needed to explain why he had used a fake name while talking to him online. “I use the screen name Binx since I’m named after the author, Walker Percy, but I’ve always connected more with his main character Binx Bolling from his novel, The Moviegoer, than the man himself.”

Max nodded his shaggy head as he listened to Percy explain. “I don’t care that you used a screen name instead of your real name. I’m just glad that you invited me here tonight.”

His eyes lingered on the stitches in Percy’s face, but in his line of work, he wasn’t fazed by such injuries; he only noticed the man behind the bruises.

“Me too.” It was a huge step for Percy. With his left arm still in a sling, he nervously drummed the fingers of his free hand on the tabletop. Max reached across and covered Percy’s hand with his own. The heat from Max’s skin was electric. It felt so good, Percy never even thought about pulling away from the warm touch.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” Max asked him, pointing to the bottle Percy hadn’t even noticed. Instead his dark eyes were locked on Max’s lovely face.

Percy swallowed. His throat seemed suddenly too dry as he tried to speak, but when the words refused to pass his parched lips, he just nodded his dark head.

Max playfully rolled his gorgeous green eyes, “Don’t tell me that I’m making you nervous. As much as we’ve talked and…” Max lowered his voice, “…done together…and don’t forget about the stuff I’m still going to do to you…”

Darting the tip of his tongue and licking his lips, Percy’s body trembled. “Check please!” Percy croaked as a waitress approached the table to take their dinner order.

Max couldn’t resist chuckling at the girl’s surprise. “Are you sure you’re ready to go?” she asked, looking disappointed at the loss of a good tip.

Reaching into his pocket, Percy pulled out a couple of bills to cover the cost of the wine plus a gracious compensation for her lost wages. “Yep, we’re ready to go.”

Both men practically jumped out of their chairs and rushed for the door. The evening air was cold with a brisk breeze stirring in the empty street. Reaching the sidewalk, Percy laced his fingers through Max’s. The evening crowd had disappeared along with the rush hour traffic.

There was nobody to spy and intrude on their special moment. Percy stepped in front of Max, stopping him in his tracks. Max glanced at him, to see if Percy was having second thoughts.

“I want to kiss you,” Percy whispered.

It was all the invitation Max needed to gently pull Percy into his arms. Running his fingers through Percy’s short black hair, Max leaned his body into him, trying not to jostle his arm.

Their lips touched, briefly at first. The sweetness of the wine still lingered. Percy hesitated, feeling the full lips nudge between his. Opening up to Max, he moaned as the man’s tongue skimmed past his teeth to caress his own tongue. His mind whirled. He was breathless. Not only was he kissing Max, he was doing it in the middle of the street.

Shaking from excitement and fear, Percy wouldn’t deny that he wanted so much more, but he couldn’t let it continue out here in the open.

Percy stepped back and faced Max. “Your place or mine?” He finished with a sexy wink of his dark eye.