Beta Test (#gaymers) Read Online Free Page B

eleven o’clock on a Saturday night. This can’t be good.
    “Mr. Christopher, sir. What can I do for you?” Oh no. Am I about to be fired? Had word of his fight with Ravi reached the big boss? Had Ravi convinced Mr. Christopher to fire Tristan on suspicion of being a homophobe? Or had he screwed up in some other huge way? His pulse pounded in his ears.
    “Well, son, I’m afraid I have a huge favor to ask.” The Space Villager founder’s voice was distinctly strained. Usually, the man sounded a lot like Tristan’s mother’s politician friends—measured tones and always positive and upbeat, but tonight he sounded more like he was standing on a Lego and trying to talk through it.
    “Yes, sir. Anything.”
    “Tristan. I’ve told you, call me Robert. And I’m at the hospital, you see. My wife is very ill with food poisoning, and I’m not doing so well myself. And neither are Katya or Mark. Rex just called me with word that both of them are at the ER as well. It seems most of the office are terribly sick.”
    “Oh, that’s awful.”
    “We’re trying to pinpoint exactly what food item last night could be causing the issue, but the suspicion right now is E. coli based on how sick people are.”
    “I didn’t eat any food at the party.” For the first time all day, Tristan was glad he hadn’t stayed.
    “And that’s why I’m calling. Rex says that you left early. Katya and Mark aren’t going to be able to drive the exhibit up to Seattle, and we need someone from Space Villager to do it. I don’t trust hiring a third-party company.” Robert was a brilliant guy, but his paranoia about thieves and his need for top-secret reveals was well documented in the industry. Sane bosses of a company this size would probably have hired a shipping company for the exhibit, but Robert had an eccentric control-freak side.
    “You want me to drive the presentation? And set it up?” The original plan had been for Katya and Mark to set up the booth, with Robert and some other senior staffers flying up Thursday for the actual convention. Tristan was way too junior to be involved in those plans, and it was an honor simply to get to work on the project.
    “Exactly. The hope is that I’ll be well enough to still fly next week, but someone has to set out tomorrow morning, and we need someone unlikely to get sick on the road.”
    “So me.” Not because he was so brilliant at his job, but because he was healthy. Okay. Tristan could work with that though. “Small problem though. I’m not sure I can drive a truck. The biggest thing I’ve driven is a Suburban—”
    “That’s helpful, and I’m sure you’d do fine, but Ravi can drive a truck. Does it all the time for his charity work, apparently, and I’m sending him along too since he also left before the food was served.”
    “You’re sending Ravi? Ravi Tandel?” Tristan asked as if there could be any mistake.
    “Yes. The two of you know the project and presentation better than anyone else who’s still healthy.”
    “Oh.” Whatever brief elation Tristan had felt at being selected for this trip was gone, replaced by a crushing dread that made the back of his neck sweat.
    “Rex also shared that he thought the two of you had some sort of disagreement, which is why I’m calling you personally. Is there a problem? Something I should know about?”
    Oh , nothing major. Just he thought I’m a homophobe and I outed myself to the whole team and he’s possibly the most annoying guy on the planet and will probably get us lost before we even leave LA and he can’t be trusted to charge his phone much less operate a GPS and...
    Tristan took a deep breath. “No. No reason. Just a minor thing.”
    “I can count on you then?”
    “Always.” That was what was really at issue here, and that was why Tristan wouldn’t be turning down the trip. He’d wanted to be indispensable to Space Villager and this was his big chance. If it meant dealing with Ravi Freaking Tandel and all