By the Numbers Read Online Free Page B

come to visit.
    "Do you work?" Jesus, dumb question. Deuce had mentioned an office, hadn’t he?
    "Depends who you ask." Nathaniel gave him a slow smile and lifted his beer bottle. "I say yes. My boss says 'mostly yes'. My co-workers, depending on the day, would say, 'oh, hell, yes!' or 'he's a lazy lout. And he stole my lunch from the fridge'. That last one is a dirty lie, though. I never steal lunches -- the deli is a more reliable option. Now, if you want to know what I do for a living, that's a whole other complicated question."
    "I guess that's what I should have asked in the first place," Trey laughed. "My sister says I'm never specific enough and then I get pissy when I don't get details." He actually thought Tammy was the one who got pissy without details, but Trey never argued with her. His little sister was still a brat, even though she was in her thirties. "So, do you work for a living, and if you do, what's your job?"
    "I do." Nathaniel was still smiling at him, not looking away. He was a little intense for a moment, but then he leaned back in his chair and the smile turned into a grin that hooked up higher on one side of his mouth. "I'm in computers. My title is Lead Developer, but it's a lie. I do a bunch of things, from project management to website building to network systems. Sometimes I get to play with graphics, but that's more of a hobby -- which means I like it, I'm not bad at it, but I don't have the right certification yet to add it to my job."
    Trey looked at him for a long moment. "I gotta tell you, man. I'm just a dumb fireman." He grinned. "So, I understood about three words you just said. I can check my email and find porn online, but that's pretty much it."
    "That's pretty much all that most people need the internet for." Nathaniel didn't seem bothered by Trey's lack of technical know-how. "Just think of me as one of the guys making the porn sites user-friendly."
    "Cool. You do good work." Trey lifted his beer bottle in mock salute and took a drink. Somehow, he thought he should be more embarrassed by his admission of searching for porn online, but Nathaniel had just looked amused instead. After all, the guy didn't need to know it was gay porn.
    "I certainly try. The world will stop if people can't get their porn." Nathanial laughed and drank from his bottle. "Actually, I do a lot of boring stuff interspersed with just enough bouts of the good stuff to keep me interested and happy at my job." He shrugged. "It pays the bills and I can leave it at work at the end of the day. What else can I ask for, really?"
    "Hey, job satisfaction is a rare thing. If you like it, good for you." Trey glanced around for a bar menu. "They got food in this place?"
    "They do, indeed. It's pub food, but if you like deep fried, burgers or pizza, you're at the right place." Nathaniel looked around, too, then leaned way over and grabbed a menu off a nearby table. "My dad and uncle and used to bring me here." He passed the menu over without even looking at it.
    Trey glanced through the small, plastic-covered book and skimmed over the usual fare of potato skins and nachos. His gaze lit on the meager selection of salads and sandwiches, and Trey figured a turkey club without the bacon wouldn't ruin his workout too much. "Are you eating?" he asked Nathaniel as he tossed the menu onto the table.
    "Oh, yeah. Beef nachos, totally loaded. I've been working up to this meal for two weeks." He patted his stomach, which was smooth and flat and apparently firm, too. "I might get to skip riding my bike to and from work if I gave up the nachos. They own me, though." He smiled ruefully. "They're worth it."
    "Fattening food is always worth it while you're eating it." Trey grinned, glad he wasn't eating alone. "So, you ride your bike? Do you work out, too?" He couldn't help glancing again at Nathaniel's stomach. "You look like you do." Whoops, that slipped out accidentally. Damn it.
    Nathaniel leaned back, his hand smoothing over his shirt.