Coffee, Brownies and the Ruthless CEO (MxM)| FILLING THE VOID series, BOOK 1

4. Chapter - The Coffee

"Yeah, you're right," Nelson said and threw it away as well.

"It was the nearest coffee shop I found. They will never see me again, trust me." His voice was bitter, full of contempt and disappointment. Laughing out loud, I shook my head at his naivety.

"Nels, why the hell would you even do that? You are fucking picky about coffee, so how could you just buy it in a shop you don't know?" I laughed again and continued on our way towards the car.

"Do you think they will have some decent coffee in the office, or do you want to stop for some on our way?" I asked when we got into the car.

I wasn't keen on stopping on our way. I wanted to be in the office as soon as possible. The sooner I started working, the sooner it would be done, after all. But I was willing to do it if there was no other choice. Starting the day without a good coffee was just as bad as working till midnight without a break and an opportunity to eat.

"Nah, I'll call them to get us some. They should be able to buy it before we get there. It's in the center after all. I'll be damned if they don't have any decent coffee shop in this city." Nels smirked, took out a cigarette and put it between his lips.

"I thought you quit?" Frowning, I wondered what would make him pick this bad habit again. It took him years before he managed to completely stop. I coudn't believe he would give up all those years of trying away just like that. 

"I did. I'm not going to light it. It's just a habit, it makes me relax." Grinning, he grabbed his mobile phone, chewing on the cigarette as if it was chewing gum.

I scowled, wondering where the real truth was. We were together so often that I woud have definitely noticed if he had such a habit. Wanting to press him for some real answers, he interrupted my train of thoughts.

"What do you want? The usual Latte Macchiato or something special?" he asked, dialing the number, probably to the reception. He finally got used to my sweet tongue. Just a few years back, he would laugh his ass off whenever I ordered my coffee with cream and a double serving of caramel topping. It might be weird for a man my age and social standing to drink stuff like that, but whoever decided it was inappropriate? I was beyond tired of people staring at me as if I was crazy. Not everyone enjoyed the bitter taste of coffee. I preferred mine sweet and full of milk, and I didn't plan on changing my taste just because others found it strange.

"You know, I feel like something special would be a better choice today. Just don't forget to tell them it has to be with milk and brown sugar; other ingredients don't matter," saying that, I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Getting to the office at this hour was going to be nerve-racking.

Our Boston office was situated in the Financial District on Congress Street, so luckily, we were there in a few minutes despite the morning rush hour. I parked the car in the nearest parking lot, and we had to walk the rest of the way. The weather was great, and getting a bit of fresh air before working could never be a bad idea. Moreover, the office was close enough, so we didn't get sweaty and managed to stretch our bodies enough before sitting in a chair for the whole day.

"We're here sooner than I expected. I hope they managed to bring in the coffee by now, I won't be able to start working without one," Nelson grumbled when we were getting into the building. It was one of those high buildings with so many windows it looked like it was made of glass only. One could be easily intimidated by its look. It was exactly the type of building rich and powerful gathered together, and if I didn't grow up in such an environment and wasn't part of their elite group, I wouldn't even dare to step inside.

"Depends on where they went for it. But we met quite a lot of coffee shops on the way here, so if they are capable enough, it should already be there waiting for us," I said just as the elevator dinged, and we could continue in to get to our floor.

*****

"We are here! Where's the coffee?" Nelson yelled as we got off the elevator, all eyes of those present turning our way. I could see they were trying to figure us out, judging us based on our appearance and our way of walking. I could feel the nervousness and hostility from some of the people hitting me like a brick, but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for their incompetence, so they had no right to be angry. Useless ignorant fools. I would bet half of my fortune they thought they were the second hottest thing in the world just because they worked for our company.

"Mr. Peterson, Mr. McNemara!" said a young black-haired woman standing at the reception. She wore a dark green pencil skirt and beige jacket over a green top decorated with stones on its neckline. She was hot, or at least I thought so based on all the 'hot' celebrities I saw in magazines and on TV. Being a gay man, I couldn't really tell based on my personal perception.

"Good morning, we were expecting you! Your coffee is ready in your office; it's the door over there," she showed us to the room that was directly opposite the reception.

"I took the liberty of buying some brownies in our local coffee shop as well. It's the best one around here. I'm sure that after you taste their coffee and sweets, you will never want to eat and drink anything else." She smiled brightly at us and left the room, leaving us to do our things.

I looked at Nelson with a raised eyebrow, really curious as to what is so special about this specific shop. Not that I was going to refuse some free treats. As I said, I had a sweet tongue, so brownies and coffee? The best breakfast ever.

"Let's try this miracle," Nelson cheered and went right after the chocolate bomb waiting for us on the table. I could see the moment he realized the receptionist didn't lie at all as his eyes widened, and he stuffed the rest of it plus one more into his mouth.

"Vic, oh god! This is delicious! It's so soft and creamy! There's even caramel and peanuts in it!" he moaned, closing his eyes, satisfied.

"You have to taste it. I swear the chic was right; we will never be able to eat any other brownies ever." He took one of the cups, looked inside and put it away, taking the other one and drinking it.

"You are just exaggerating, Nels. It doesn't look like there's something extraordinary about it," I grumbled and went straight to him to look at the treats. The brownies looked good but nothing special if you asked me. However, the coffee sure looked like a fine one. There was a cream on top of it with probably a chocolate topping, and that was something I adored. I took a sip of it, moaning at the taste of the sweetness mixed with the bitter coffee. It was similar to Caramel Frappuccino, but it was hot and there was some under taste that made the coffee so much better.

"This is amazing, what is this?" I asked, going back to the door and calling the receptionist over.

"Yes, Mr. McNemara?"

"Firstly, what's your name? I would like to call you something different than 'you'. And secondly, where did you buy the coffee? It's delicious." The woman laughed, fidgeting a bit. It looked like she was nervous for some reason. It was probably because we were from the main office, and she knew they were screwed. I couldn't think of any other reason.

"I'm Delilah, nice to meet you. And the coffee is from the Café nearby. It opened a few years back. They have a lot of original recipes, so it became popular really fast. It's called Ollie's Café."