Taste Test: Blue Collar

Excerpt:
From Coming Off the Road By Mychael Black

“Wilson! Got a Roadway in bay four.”

“On it!”

Kelly Wilson typed the last two entries into the computer inventory, then grabbed his clipboard and a pen. Thank God it was almost quittin’ time. Then he could head home, hopefully out of the worst of the heat, and try to catch Isiah on his cell. God, Kelly hated it when Isiah was on the road, but it helped pay the bills and the homecomings were well worth the time apart. Having a truck driver for a partner sucked a good bit of the time, but Kelly had met the man here on these very docks, and he wasn’t the type to ask a man to find another line of work just ‘cause he was lonely.

He wiped away the sweat from his forehead and stuffed his rag back into his front right pocket. Standing to the side, he waited for the driver while another dock worker unloaded the truck with a forklift. Jesus fuck. It had to be, what, a hundred degrees? In the shade? Okay, yeah. Texas sucked.

“Hot enough for ya?”

Kelly nearly jumped out of his skin. A second later, he spun around and whacked the hulk of a man behind him with his clipboard. It was either that, or embarrass the ever-living hell outta both of them by plastering himself to that huge body and kissing every inch of dark skin he could reach.

“Well, that’s a hell of a hello,” Isiah laughed.

Kelly scowled and wanted to kiss that smirk. “Goddamn, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

Isiah winked and glanced up at the clock. “When can you leave?”

“Soon as I’m done with your truck. When do you have to head out again?” Kelly was almost afraid to ask, but he just had to know how long he’d have.

The grin Isiah gave him was all Kelly needed. “In two weeks. Gotta love rackin’ up vacation time.”