Extra Dirty

by K. Evan Coles

* * * *

  “What kind of poison are you mixing up?”

  Jesse tossed a handful of Luxardo maraschino cherries in a Boston shaker and glanced up at his friend, Carter Hamilton.

  “Red Moon over Manhattan,” he replied as he muddled the fruit. “They’re phenomenal.”

  Jesse counted Carter as another of his favorite people, though their days as lovers were over. Carter had spent much of his life believing himself to be straight, as had the man who’d become his partner, Riley Porter-Wright. Both men had been in their early thirties before they accepted their sexuality didn’t fit the binary model, and when they’d come out, they’d turned their lives upside down.

  Jesse and Kyle had met Carter during that chaotic time. Together, they’d helped him tap into a part of himself that had lain mostly dormant for decades, and the three formed a tight friendship that continued after Carter had committed himself to Riley.

  “What are you and your man up to this weekend?” Jesse asked him. “And where is Riley, anyway?”

  Carter’s hazel eyes warmed at the mention of his partner’s name. “He got hung up at the office—should be here soon. We’ve got the kids and dog this weekend while my ex is out of town, then Ri’s going out of town, too. Oh, that reminds me. Sadie has a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday, and I need someone to pick Dylan up from school. Any chance you can do it?”

  “Sure,” Jesse replied without hesitation. He enjoyed acting as babysitter to Carter’s two children and rarely turned down Carter’s occasional requests. “I can move a couple of things around on my schedule to make it happen.” He added red wine to the shaker.

  “Thanks—you’re a lifesaver. I’ll send a note with Dylan on Wednesday to give his teacher the heads-up.” Carter smiled. “We’ll be in Southampton the following weekend, by the way, to summerize the house. You and Kyle should come out.”

  Jesse furrowed his brow at his friend. He’d stayed at Riley’s beach house on Long Island many times and knew they typically waited until mid-May to ready it for summer. “It’s April tenth, Car. What’s the rush?”

  “I’m not sure.” Carter raised his expressive brows. “I get the feeling Ri thinks Sadie and Dylan need more fresh air than they’re getting here in the city. He keeps talking about grass and trees, like we don’t have a garden out back at our place.”

  Jesse poured an ounce of bourbon into the shaker. “Riley grew up in this city, too. I’ll lay bets he didn’t have a yard as a kid.”

  “Of course he didn’t. His mother would have let their rooftop garden go wild if not for their gardener.” Carter laughed. “Ri did spend every summer out at the beach, though. He wants to pass the experience on to the kids.”

  Jesse huffed out a laugh. He didn’t always recognize Carter’s life these days, but he felt happy for him. He also made no secret of missing manhandling Carter’s six-foot-five frame into bed. They’d had an amazing time learning how to please each other once, and their emotional attachment ran deep. Carter belonged with Riley, however, and Jesse knew it.

  Carter wanted the big, romantic happily ever after with one partner and, while the notion made Jesse roll his eyes, he supported anyone’s choice to make that life. So long as no one forced him into the same little box. He didn’t believe in monogamy. He didn’t much believe in the gender binary, either, because why would he limit himself to men or women, when he could have—and wanted—both?

  Carter quirked a brow at him. “Something funny?”

  “Just you and Ri,” Jesse snarked. “You’re so sweet I may barf.”

  “Please aim your vomit away from the booze.” Kyle stepped up to join them. “Did I hear you say you’re going out to Long Island next weekend?”

  Carter nodded but didn’t answer until Jessie finished rattling the shaker. “Yes. Want to come out? Kate will have the kids, so it’ll be quiet and you guys can do something grossly domestic and uncool for a change.”

  Kyle grinned. “Jes is always uncool.”

  “Shut up, nerd. As it happens, we have free days next weekend,” Jesse told Carter.

  Kyle rolled his eyes. “I suppose we do. What can we bring? I mean, besides a selection from Jesse’s extensive collection of sexual lubricants?”

  * * * *

  An hour later, Jesse walked out from behind Under’s bar with a drink of his own. His body thrummed with satisfaction. It had been a trick coaxing Kyle into hosting these monthly parties because he’d hated the concept of losing an entire night’s revenue. He’d relented after Jesse promised to fund the parties out of his own pocket but neither had expected anything more than the opportunity to enjoy their high-end man cave with friends.

  They both looked forward to these Thursday nights, however, and Jesse in particular. Under meant a great deal to him and not because it generated steady revenue. He honestly loved the place. He re-invested his small salary back into the business and made every effort to ensure it thrived while Kyle ran the show from behind the bar. Because, within the speakeasy’s walls, he didn’t have to deal with his day job or his celebrity, or even the well-meaning expectations of his loving, supportive and redundantly heteronormative family.

  Jesse sat on one of the low leather sofas and surveyed the scene around him. Riley and Carter were to his left, chatting with two of Carter’s co-workers. Kyle stood at his station behind the bar, more out of habit than necessity, deep in conversation with their friends Will and David, who’d driven up from Long Island. Jesse’s brother, Eric, was also present and entertaining clients at the far end of the room. His small smile told Jesse he had things well in hand.

  A beautiful brunette in Carter’s group stood then and stepped up beside Riley. She motioned at the space between him and Jesse. “Scoot over, handsome, so I can talk to Blondie here.”

  Jesse smirked at the laughter that rose up from the group. He’d been given the nickname by Astrid Larsen last fall. Their affair had lasted only a month, but they’d stayed friends and still saw each other regularly, both in and out of bed. And why not? Jesse admired Astrid’s sharp mind and every inch of her five-foot-eight Finnish-Moroccan frame, and they always had fun together, whatever they got up to.

  “I need a favor,” she said and settled beside him. Astrid twined a long, dark curl of hair around her finger. “No, I need to gossip first. Isn’t that tall slab of Asian man by the bar in politics?”

  Jesse looked past Astrid to where David sat talking with Will and Kyle. “You’ve got a good eye. David also goes by Senator Mori,” he confirmed. “He’s Japanese-American, by the way, and represents District Eight on Long Island.”

  “I knew it. Unlikely I’d forget a face like his.” Astrid’s face took on a thoughtful expression. “I’ve got it now—Mori is a Republican and his partner is the son of former Senator Martin, right? There were some pieces on them in the Lifestyle section of the paper. Martin and his son were estranged.”

  “That’s right. Senator Martin introduced Will to David.”

  Will and David’s story was more complicated than that, of course. Once upon a time, Will Martin had been Riley’s boyfriend and held serious disdain for Carter, as well as Jesse and Kyle. After breaking things off with Riley, Will had become friends with their circle, and Jesse and the others had been there for him after his father had died last fall.

  Astrid nodded. “Do you know if Carter’s talked to Senator Mori about fundraising with us? LGBTQ-friendly Republicans aren’t easy to come by. He’s got potential to reach a whole new demographic of donors.”

  “Assuming David’s not a self-loathing prick, right?” Jesse teased. He already knew David believed wholeheartedly in the work of the Corporate Equality Campaign’s mission to protect the rights of LGBTQ employees in the workplace.

  “I doubt you’d let him in the door if that were the case.” Astrid’s expression turned sly. She slid a finger along his jaw with a teasing touch. “Pretty sure you’d turn away an actual POTUS if they even breathed a word against someone you love.”

 
; “True,” he conceded. “Talk to Carter, obviously, but I know he and David have discussed fundraising possibilities. Malcolm’s already reached out to David’s staff to set dates and times.”

  “Great—maybe I can get in on it, too. Malcolm’s got a lot going on right now, and I’m sure he can use a hand.”

  Astrid dropped a hand on Jesse’s thigh and squeezed slightly.

  Oh, man.

  He and Kyle had rules about keeping sexual relations out of the bar—unless the relations were with each other—but Astrid always pinged Jesse’s buttons in the right ways. At this rate, he’d need to leave earlier than planned.

  Jesse slapped a grin on his face and tried like hell to distract them both from his body’s response. “You said you needed a favor?”

  “Actually, I do.” Astrid raised her brows. “I need a date for a cocktail reception and dinner next Wednesday. My parents are throwing an engagement party for my sister and I want some delicious arm candy to show off.”

  “I’d love to be your candy boy, but I’ve already got plans for Wednesday.” Jesse turned in his seat to include the others. “Carter asked me to pick up Dylan after school and I promised I’d stay for dinner.”

  Carter pulled a face. “Sorry, Astrid. My ex is out of town next week, and so is Riley—he’ll be at a conference in Tel Aviv.”

  “Oh goodness, don’t apologize. Babysitting trumps engagement parties.” Astrid’s expression became impish. “I have to say the idea of one of New York’s most sought-after bachelors on a school pickup list is precious.”

  Jesse rolled his eyes while Carter and Riley laughed. “Girl, no one cares about my bachelorhood. And it’s not as if paparazzi hang outside the school, waiting for interesting people to show up.”

  “Like you’re so interesting.” Jesse stuck out his tongue and Astrid giggled. “I still need a date,” she added, “or my family is going to be all over my case.”

  “What about Malcolm?” Jesse turned to the boyishly handsome man on Carter’s right. “You got any plans for Wednesday evening, Maleficent?”

  Astrid pressed her lips together to stifle another laugh, but Carter and Riley didn’t bother hiding their amusement.

  Malcolm Elliot raised a brow. “Who, now?”

  “Maleficent,” Jesse repeated, his tone sober. “She’s one of my favorite evil queens, Malcolm, just like you.” He lost the battle to keep a straight face after Malcolm threw a cherry from his drink that grazed the top of Jesse’s head.

  “I’m happy to be your arm candy,” Malcolm told Astrid once they’d all stopped laughing. His smile lit his blue-gray eyes, and he appeared genuinely pleased when she clapped her hands.

  Jesse watched him with interest. In addition to being whip-smart, Malcolm was younger than the men around him, in some cases by almost a decade. He stood six-foot-three and had a build like a brick shithouse and, while close to Carter, was far more reserved than the rest of their circle, almost closed-off. Jesse knew from past conversations that Malcolm liked baseball, sci-fi and sushi, but he didn’t disclose much in the way of personal information.

  Jesse smiled to himself. He didn’t know which way Malcolm’s bell swung, though he definitely rang gay in his mind. Maybe he could get the boy to loosen up this summer. He’d always enjoyed a project.

  Chapter Two

  “Late night?” Taryn asked. Her tone sounded sympathetic but laced with a hint of amusement.

  “Uh-huh,” Cameron Lewis muttered without lifting his head from his desk.

  “Gig?”

  “Yep.”

  “I thought you swore never to DJ on school nights again.”

  “I made bad choices.” His voice was muffled.

  “Well, you’d better pull yourself together. You have less than an hour to go until it’s time to turn young people into future musicians!” She sounded disgustingly cheerful.

  “How are you so damn perky?” he moaned, his head throbbing. The aspirin he’d taken before he’d left his apartment didn’t seem to be kicking in.

  “I made good choices!”

  “Fuck off.”

  “You better be nice to me. One of those good choices was leaving early enough to go to Sufficient Grounds. I even brought you a tall, hot blonde.”

  Cam heard the quiet click of heels before the scent of coffee reached his nose. He lifted his head and stared blearily at his friend and fellow elementary school teacher at Midtown Academy, Taryn Guillory. “I take back everything terrible I ever said about you,” he said, then reached for the to-go coffee cup she held out to him. The drink order began as a joke—Taryn had teased Cam about his preference for tall, hot, blond men, but he’d grown to like the lighter roast coffee. It was acidic but higher in caffeine—something he really needed today.

  “Wait? When did you say anything terrible about me?” Taryn leaned her hip against his desk and mock scowled at him. Though she wasn’t a natural ginger like Cam, her pale skin and hazel-green eyes made the bottled color stand out. Her look channeled Joan from Mad Men—though she was somewhat less curvy than the original—and made heads turn. Cam had watched her playful smirk turn students’ parents, of both sexes, into flustered adolescents with crushes.

  She poked at his forearm. “Cam. Focus. When did you say anything terrible about me?”

  “Never, of course.” He took a sip of the coffee and sighed with relief when it hit his tongue. Hopefully, the rush of caffeine would follow soon. “You’re my favorite person in the whole wide world.”

  Taryn raised an eyebrow, her doubt obvious, but didn’t comment. “So, tell me about these bad choices that led to you looking like roadkill this morning.”

  Cam leaned back in his chair, cradling the still-warm cup. “Jerry asked me to spin as a favor, and I couldn’t turn him down.”

  “Jerry who? The owner of Club Ember?”

  “Yeah. The DJ he’d lined up for the night canceled, and it was a private event. All the others were either booked or didn’t want a Thursday gig either. He offered me a bit over what he normally pays me, and I owe him so…”

  “I know he hired you to do regular gigs at Ember, but do you owe him that much?” Taryn shifted and perched on the edge of his desk.

  Cam took another healthy swallow of coffee. “Yeah, I do. When I approached Jerry a few years ago, I was a no-name DJ with next to no club experience. I’d done house parties and a few small venues, but my résumé was shit. Ember was already a well-established nightclub in Chelsea. He took a chance on me. Besides, the gig isn’t the reason I feel like death warmed over. Or, at least, not all of it.”

  “Do tell.” Taryn’s eyes brightened. “Oooh, was there a guy? I bet there was a guy.”

  “There was a guy. He’s a bartender at Ember.” Cam made a face. “I told you I made bad choices.”

  “Let me guess. Tall, hot and blond?”

  Cam thought about the guy he’d gone home with the night before. Tall? Check. Hot? Check. Blond? Check and check. Damn it. He did have a type. “Nailed it.”

  Taryn snickered. “I think you nailed it, hon.”

  “That I did. Then he nailed me. Although, it’s a bit hazy. There were shots involved. Many, many vodka shots.”

  “That’s not like you. Especially on a school night. Did you at least have fun?”

  He grinned. “Oh, I had a great time. I feel like hell right now, but great party, great drinks, great guy…yeah, no regrets. Other than doing it all on a Thursday night when I have classes on Friday.”

  “What’s the guy’s name, anyway?”

  “Ben.” Cam racked his brain. “Granger, I think.”

  “So are you planning to see Ben again?”

  He shrugged. “We exchanged numbers. He said he’d text me. I told him I wasn’t looking for anything serious but wouldn’t be opposed to a semi-regular thing.”

  “Cool.”

  “At the very least, I’ll see him at the club. Which could be awkward if it goes south, but it’s not like we have to interact unless we wan
t to.”

  “Yeah, true.”

  “What about you?” Cam drained the remainder of his coffee and tossed the empty cup in the trash next to his desk. “Anything exciting happen last night?”

  “I scored the perfect dresser at Thrift Kingdom!” Taryn made a face. “Ugh. That sounds so much less exciting now that I say it aloud. Compared to you spinning at a private party and hooking up with a hot bartender, my life is lame.”

  Cam snorted. “My head is telling me I could use more lame. Besides, I know you’ve been looking for a dresser since you moved into the new place.”

  “It’s so cute, too!” Taryn squealed.

  Cam shot her a glare and she subsided.

  “Sorry,” she whispered. She pulled out her phone and, after a moment, held it up for him to see. “That’s the dresser.”

  He nodded his approval. “Nice. Very mid-century mod. I’m surprised you found it. Stuff like that gets snatched up so quickly.”

  “Oh, I got lucky. I was there right when they put it out and I grabbed it.”

  “Awesome.” Cam frowned. “Wait, how’d you get it home? You live on the fifth floor. What did you do, find big, burly men to carry it up for you?”

  “Well…”

  “Oh, no.” He groaned. “I see where this is going, and I do not like it.”

  “Please? They said they’d hold it until Saturday. I’ll pay for the Zipcar and buy you dinner after. Just think, you’ll be able to skip the gym.”

  “But I’ll be crippled by carrying a dresser up five fucking flights of stairs.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Now I see why you brought me coffee this morning.”

  “Guilty as charged. Look, I promise to round up my roommates to help you. And I’ll buy coffee for you all next week.”

  “Ugh. Make it two weeks and you have a deal.” He wouldn’t have let his friend down for the world, but he wasn’t above trying to wrangle a few perks out of her.

  Taryn’s phone buzzed in her hand. “Crap, that’s my fifteen-minute warning. I should have been prepping.” She hopped off his desk and brushed off her wool pencil skirt.