Beneath the Palisade Read Online Free PDF

job out.” Andy could suck the fun right out of one of his moments of unbridled lust faster than anyone.
    “Shut up! He’s some kind of professional, I think. Doctor or lawyer, maybe. You know the type, they screw you if it’s convenient for them but can’t be seen in public with you because we’re from the wrong side of the tracks. We’re beneath them, but not in a good way. And besides, I’m pretty sure he’s straight. I didn’t pick up on any of the typical vibes.” He exhaled and forced himself to slow down, realizing he was borderline out of control.
    “You mean his doorbell didn’t have a ‘Hello Dolly’ ring tone?” Andy asked dryly.
    “You’re jealous or something,” Ian barked back.
    “Whatever. Any idea what product you’ll use?” Andy attempted to right the ship.
    Reluctant to get down to business, Ian went over the notes he’d thrown together at Denny’s earlier that morning while wolfing down a Grand Slam. “I’m going over later to have another look around and—” He couldn’t suppress a giggle. “—take some more pictures. I should know more after today.”
    “Bring a camera this time, Spanky.” Andy slapped him on the back.
    Spanky—Ian wished he could wipe away history and be done with that awful memory once and for all. Neither Andy nor Spencer would let it die. Spanky was a nickname that surfaced from time to time, usually in connection with a stupid move he’d made. The name dated back to the first year he and Andy had been living in the city. It was his twenty-third birthday, and to celebrate, Andy and a few buddies took him out for a night of bar hopping. How could I have been so stupid? Toward the end of the evening, he found himself in the arms of a hot leather daddy. Kisses led to serious fondling, which in turn led to him being tied to a bed at daddy’s house, scared out of his wits while daddy spanked his bare ass with a riding crop. He’d been branded with “Spanky” from that day forward.
    “What are you going to do first? I’m thinking you’d be better off getting the digging done for the patio and the arbor up before you start planting. What product I don’t already have, I can special order to arrive by the end of next week. When are you starting?” Andy looked over at the nude fireman posed seductively on the charity calendar he’d received as a birthday gift.
    “I told him I’d be over in the morning to kick things off. Once I have a good idea of what will work, I’ll do a plan for Harper. I love that name. Isn’t it cool? Harper?”
    “Beats the hell out of Walt.” It was obvious by the way he lingered at the wall that Andy hadn’t taken time out of his busy schedule to enjoy this month’s hottie.
    “I called Arlan Stemple. He’s agreed to take care of the excavation part. I found a design on the web for an arbor I think Harper will like, and if approved, I’ll have Prairie Planks throw it together. I talked to Earl earlier in the week, and he said they were still slow.”
    He was proud of himself. This was one of the bigger jobs he’d landed, and it all seemed to be lining up nicely. Since the commercial had run, he’d gotten two other calls. One from some drunk lady who had more than landscaping on her mind, and the other a retired couple who wanted help planting a perennial garden. He jotted down a note to call the couple. The world didn’t revolve around Harper Callahan, he reminded himself. He needed to give all of his clients the red carpet treatment. Word of mouth from a successful job was, as Andy had put it, wagging a mud-stained finger in his face, “the cheapest and the most effective advertising there is.”
     
     
    H ARPER stepped from the shower into his bedroom. The suit he had planned to wear along with a shirt and tie was hanging on a hook in back of the closet door. He’d gotten into a habit of picking out his clothes the night before to shorten up his morning ritual. If you were coming off a night of very little