Shawn Lane - Car Wash 1 - Car Wash Read Free Page A

Kevin’s stomach growling a little earlier. Aware of the stares of others, Michael removed his arm, but he kept his hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “Listen, they’re probably almost done with my car and I know you probably need to get back to work, but I wanted to ask you if maybe you’d come to dinner with me tonight.”
“Dinner? You think you can just waltz in here with your hot wheels and snap your fingers and I’ll be free?” Kevin shrugged his hand off his shoulder.
Michael sighed. “All right, how about tomorrow night then? Give me your address and I’ll pick you up.” Behind them the car washers whistled. He glanced over and one of them waved his towel at him.
Kevin pulled his bottom lip with his teeth, uncertainty in his eyes. Michael could clearly see he was torn.
“Please?”
Kevin nodded, exhaled. “Okay, but, um, pick me up here. I get off at five.”
Giddy relief flowed through him, far out of proportion to the way it should. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow night then.”
He walked to his car and handed the washers their tip. Michael noticed the older heavy-set man who’d yelled at Kevin earlier standing just inside the doorway of the cashier booth. He stared in Kevin’s direction. Kevin was back to taking orders for washes. Something about the way the man stared made Michael uneasy. There was something predatory about it. He damn well didn’t like it.
As soon as Michael got going on the road toward his Laurel Canyon home, he called his brother.
“Hi Michael,” Danny answered after only two rings. “Where are you?”
“Hey, kiddo. I’m on my way home, actually.”
“Isn’t this a little early for you?”
“Yeah,” Michael acknowledged. “But I’m wiped out.” And horny as hell .
“Good, you work too hard. Glad to see you’re giving yourself a break. What’s up?”
“You’ll never guess who I saw today.”
Danny paused. “Hmm, Clark Gable?”
“Ha ha, he’s dead.”
His brother laughed. “I know, that’s why it would be someone special to call me about. Michael, you work with stars all the time. Isn’t the celebrity spotting getting old?”
Michael grinned. “I never said it was a celebrity. You’ll never guess, so I may as well tell you. Kevin.”
“Kevin? Kevin who?” Then there was a small gasp. “Kevin Flaherty ?”
“In the flesh.” And fine flesh it was, too .
“Oh, my God. Where’d you see him?”
    Michael didn’t want to tell Danny that Kevin was working at a car wash. For some reason he knew Kevin would be extremely embarrassed for Danny to know. “Oh, just at the store. Anyway, I’m going out with him tomorrow night.”
Now there was a long pause. “You’re what?”
    “I’m having dinner with him. You know, that’s what people who aren’t engaged do. They go out on dates.”
“Yeah, but, Kevin? I mean, hasn’t that boat sailed? You didn’t want him before.”
“He was fifteen , Danny.”
“I know, but you still weren’t interested.”
“Because he was fifteen. Jail bait. End of story.”
Danny chuckled. “Okay, so how does he look?”
He’s the hottest fucking guy I’ve ever seen . “Pretty nice. A little on the thin side though.”
“Yeah, he always was thin. Is he still as crazy and flamboyant as he was then?”
“Kind of. He has a stud in his nose and red dye in his hair, which is all spiky. He looks a bit like a Japanese anime character from a video game, really.”
His brother cleared his throat. “Doesn’t sound like your usual type.”
“Maybe not, but I think my type has just changed.”
“Wow, you sound almost smitten, Michael.”
“Hmm…anyway, just wanted to let you know. How are things with you and Peggy?”
* * *
    Kevin scooted out of the car wash lot and down the street toward the bus stop as quickly as he could. He did not want to be stopped by Mr. Lewis. Whether or not he’d been joking, Kevin wanted no part of it and he didn’t find it the least bit amusing.
    What a strange day. He couldn’t believe Michael