by Nico Jaye
Tony snorted and grunted his thanks, leaving his cash on the bar. The bartender’s smile slipped a notch as he took the payment, but that wasn’t Tony’s problem. Jesus, the guy looked like he wasn’t even old enough to drink alcohol, never mind serve it.
Leaning back against the bar, Tony sighed. How long do I have to stay before the guys will let me bail?
He hadn’t wanted to come out to Hard Candy. No, Tony had intended to finish off this week with a nice, long walk with his golden retriever girl Sadie, and then he’d sit down with a veritable bucketful of Chinese takeout. Maybe he’d throw in the season three DVD of his favorite show and let his recliner swallow him whole. Between the stress of staying on schedule for today’s milestone deadline and the meeting with the bank earlier that week, he was beat.
Somehow, though, he’d ended up here.
“Hey, Tony!”
Tony looked over to see Jeff, Dave, and Alan approaching. They were three guys from his crew: young, hardworking, and—admittedly—easy on the eyes. They’d probably get a shitload of grief as pretty boys if they weren’t so good at what they did. Tony was just grateful that everyone he employed was professional about their work, and what went on in each of their personal lives—including the boss’s—was kept personal when they were all on the clock. Anyway, Tony didn’t hide that he was gay, and if any of his crew had a problem with that, then fuck them and fuck their jobs sideways too. He didn’t need to employ assholes like that.
On the clock, though, wasn’t the same as a night at Hard Candy, and somehow the Three Musketeers had managed to drag him here after a long day of OT on the job. He was lucky he’d been able to get the dog walker to make a couple of extra visits that evening. The fact that the club was only a few blocks from his place might’ve also been a factor in why he’d agreed to come out tonight. Plus, when they’d jokingly called him an old fogey, that’d rubbed Tony the wrong way. He was only thirty-four, for God’s sake, and yeah, maybe he did need a night out to remind him of that.
“So, having a good time, boss man?” Alan leaned in, speaking loudly enough for Tony to hear him. Jeff grinned and waggled his eyebrows, while Dave’s wandering eye had caught on a twink with perfectly gelled hair halfway down the bar from them.
Tony grimaced. “Next time, I pick the venue.”
“Did you hear that? Next time.” Dave grinned.
“Ha! Yeah, next time,” Jeff said with a nod of his head.
That earned them all a roll of the eyes from Tony. “Yeah yeah. We’ll see if and when that happens.”
“Hey now, boss man, that sounded like a promise to me.” Alan gave him a pointed look.
“Fine, fine, but my choice of venue still stands.”
To a chorus of “yup” and “works for us,” Tony nodded at the three guys.
“Well…” Jeff drew the word out. “We’d stay and chat, but there’s more dancing to do.”
“Yeah, boss, you sure you can’t be persuaded?” Dave tilted his head toward the dance floor that was currently writhing with sweat-shiny skin and firm, toned bodies.
“Nah, I might head out in a bit.” Tony lifted his drink, tacitly implying he had his own timeline of when his night would end.
“Okay, but try to have fun, will ya?” Dave managed to get the words out, even though he didn’t have time to wait for an answer. With the change of the song to something with a heavy bass line, the other guys were already tugging him away toward the dance floor.
Shaking his head, Tony watched them disappear into the crowd, and he settled back into his spot by the bar. Sipping his drink slowly, he weighed his options, but more and more, getting back to his apartment and spending a little time with Sadie sounded like the makings of an enjoyable evening.
~~~
Once Tony got to the bottom of his glass, he figured it was time to head home. A quick scan of the room told him it’d only grown more frantic and crowded since he’d last seen the Three Musketeers enter the fray. With a deep breath and the promise of some peace and quiet in his near future, Tony began to shoulder his way toward the heavy velvet curtains that hid the stairwell to the outside world.
“Fucking pretty boy. Why you wearing that shit if you ain’t interested in sucking this dick?”
The words were callous, but the tone even more so. Tony came to a stop, his eyes seeking out the speaker of such vulgarity.
By the stairwell was a young man—gorgeous, Tony’s mind couldn’t help but supply—whose wrist was held by a beefy bleached blond musclehead. The cute guy winced against the tight hold, and Tony narrowed his eyes at the point of contact, his gaze taking in the iron grip of the overly muscular thug.
“I’m wearing this shit because I like wearing this shit. What part of that don’t you understand?” The gorgeous one practically spit the words at the big guy and not so subtly tried to twist out of his strong grasp.
Curious, Tony flicked his gaze down to see what he was wearing, and he hummed appreciatively at tight dark denim and a mint green T-shirt with a deep V-neck. The shirt was thin enough to hint at rosy nipples underneath.
“The part I don’t understand is how you were okay with me buying you a drink, but you aren’t okay getting down on your knees for this.” Too Dense To Live in the mesh red muscle shirt grabbed his crotch and gave the cute guy a lewd grin.
“Maybe I changed my mind.”
“Maybe I thought you were a sure thing in that getup.”
“Just—would you—just let me go.” The cute guy renewed his tugging in earnest, brow furrowing in obvious frustration, and Tony had heard enough.
“There a problem over here?” Tony stepped into their space and reached for the thick wrist. He pried beneath the brute’s thumb in a practiced maneuver, and, whether it was from the asshole’s surprise or Tony’s skill, he felt the strong grip give way.
The gorgeous guy drew his hand closer to his body, his other coming up to rub at his wrist. He looked up, and Tony was trapped in his honey-colored gaze. “Thanks,” he said, the words soft but unmistakable to Tony’s ears.
Tony felt his lips quirk in a smile of acknowledgement, only to have his attention diverted by a grumble.
“This ain’t none of your business.”
Breaking eye contact, Tony turned to look at the asshole, whom he’d begun to think of as capital-A Asshole. “I don’t like guys forcing themselves on people. That means it’s my business.”
“Forcing?” Asshole let loose an obnoxious laugh. “Look at what he’s wearin’. He’s practically beggin’ for it. Took the drink I offered quick enough too.”
“A drink doesn’t mean a fuck,” Gorgeous Guy said, his voice not quite steady, and he didn’t need to turn that pleading look on Tony for him to believe him.
“Does around here.” Asshole was still trying to make a case. That asshole.
Tony turned to him and crossed his arms over his chest. He noticed Asshole eyeing the tattoo that was just visible beneath the hem of his black T-shirt—or maybe Asshole was comparing his own biceps to Tony’s. While Tony would lay any money that Asshole had acquired his via gym equipment in some fancy fitness studio, Tony’s thick strength had been developed over years of manual labor, and his muscles had received plenty of practical use over time. He wasn’t opposed to adding slugging this self-important jerk in the chin to their list of accomplishments.
“You should go.” Tony planted his feet, making it clear he wasn’t moving.
“Wha— But I—”
“I said, you should go. And learn that no means no.”
That ruffled Asshole’s feathers. “I didn’t hear no—”
Gorgeous Guy’s head jerked up, and he was quick in his response. “No!”
While Asshole fumed and sputtered, Tony held up his hand. “There, he said no. Now, for the last time, you should go.”
There was a drawn-out moment when Tony wasn’t sure if he’d have to throw his hands up to block a punch. He shuffled closer to Gorgeous Guy, making sure he would be abl
e to intercept any blows. Finally, Asshole curled his lip up and gave them a nasty look. “Little bitch,” he sneered as he turned on his heel.
Tony stiffened and felt the body next to his flinch as the brute walked away.
“Asshole.”
A surprised chuckle burst from Tony’s lips when he heard Gorgeous Guy say it at the same time, and Tony looked down to see a shy grin on his companion’s lips.
“Well, he is.” Gorgeous Guy cleared his throat and offered his hand. “Thanks. I’m Lee.”
Tony looked at Lee’s hand, then into his golden eyes that seemed to glow even in the dim lighting of the underground club. He grasped Lee’s palm and was pleasantly surprised by the firm shake he received.
“Tony. And you’re welcome,” Tony said with a smile and a nod. He released Lee’s hand and moved to continue his way along the wall toward the stairwell when Lee touched his arm.
“Uh, Tony!”
Tony turned back, raising his brow.
Lee gave him a small smile that curved his mouth perfectly. “Would you—ah, can I buy you a drink? As a thank-you, if you will.”
“Oh, I was going to head out….” Tony was amazed to see actual disappointment flash across Lee’s fine features and found himself changing course. “But I guess I could stay for one more.”
He was rewarded with a smile—this one wider and revealing a soft dimple to the left of Lee’s mouth.
“Great,” Lee breathed out. When Lee grabbed his hand, Tony curled his fingers around Lee’s automatically. “C’mon,” Lee said, nodding his head toward the bar.
After placing their orders with the bartender, who raised his brow at Tony with a “back again, eh?” look, Lee turned toward Tony.
“Really, though, thank you for the rescue,” Lee said, looking up at Tony through long, dark lashes. “Nothing was getting through to that guy.”
“I’m sure you would have handled it somehow,” Tony said, inclining his head to acknowledge the gratitude, “but I’m glad to have helped.”
Lee snorted and turned to grab the drinks from the bar. “Yeah, I guess I could’ve bit his dick off if it really came down to that.”
Tony choked on a laugh. “Good thing it didn’t come down to that, then,” he managed to say eventually.
“A very good thing.” With a smirk on his lips, Lee offered the tumbler with amber liquid to Tony.
After accepting it, Tony lifted the glass and met Lee’s gaze. “To vanquishing assholes.”
A quick grin made Lee’s eyes sparkle as he raised his gin and tonic in salute. “I’ll drink to that.”
The whiskey warmed Tony’s mouth and throat as he took a healthy swallow of his drink.
After taking a sip of his own, Lee cleared his throat. “So, uh… I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. And oh my God, can I sound like any more of a cliché?” Lee winced, causing Tony to chuckle and shake his head.
“It’s fine,” Tony said with a quirk of his lips. “It’s my first time here, actually. I came out with some coworkers.”
“Mm,” Lee murmured noncommittally. He looked at Tony and a smile toyed at the corner of his mouth. “Nobody special?”
Tony’s brows raised at that. Lee’s look—of interest?—wasn’t entirely unexpected, given the drink Tony had in his hand courtesy of the man in front of him. However, half of Tony had believed it really was out of gratitude. He must have at least a decade on Lee, whose gorgeous eyes, shy smile, and fit body wouldn’t have been out of place on a fuckin’ Calvin Klein billboard. Tony knew his own dark hair and swarthy complexion, not to mention his thicker, muscular build, were out of place here in this candy land of handsome young men.
“Or maybe there is someone special…?” Lee bit his lip, and uncertainty flickered across his features for a moment.
“Nobody special,” Tony admitted. He’d been on his way out, after all, and this line of questioning could be Lee’s way of seeing if Tony returned the interest. For there even to be interest on Lee’s part for Tony to return was rather astonishing. But he could return it—an interest in Lee, that is—especially with Lee’s golden looks and soft smile. It’d been months since Tony’d been on a date that’d even led anywhere, and he was out to have a good time, right? At least, that was what he’d told himself when he’d been convinced to come to a club like this one. He could act his age, and thirty-four wasn’t fucking ancient.
“No?”
Tony met Lee’s warm gaze and quirked a smile. “Not yet?”
Lee grinned, then ducked his head to take a sip of his drink. When he looked back up, his eyes were still shining. “Good.”
Despite the loud thumping of the music and the energized crowd surrounding them, Tony found it easy to talk to Lee if he leaned into Lee’s space, which Lee didn’t seem to mind at all.
A brush of Lee’s shoulder against his pecs… the press of a thigh against his as they shuffled out of the way of another clubgoer… the hint of Lee’s woodsy cologne that carried through the air; he was somehow able to focus on Lee when everything around them was otherwise sensory overload.
Between these touches, these impressions, he learned that Lee was in his first year of working at a magazine as an administrative assistant, and already he wasn’t sure if he liked it enough to stay. He had an English degree. He wanted to write, not answer phones and get yelled at by mercurial editors.
Tony mentioned he was in construction but omitted that he owned the company. He knew being the owner of a successful company at his age was something to be proud of, but it just…didn’t feel right to flaunt it. And it didn’t seem to matter, while simultaneously mattering a whole lot. Even on such brief acquaintance, Lee’s opinion was important, and Tony didn’t want him to feel like Tony was a braggart.
By the time Tony polished off his drink, he had enjoyed his visit to Hard Candy infinitely more than he would’ve predicted at the beginning of the night.
“Well… I’d better get back to Sadie before she wonders where I’ve disappeared to.” Tony set his drink down on the bar, next to Lee’s glass that boasted mostly ice at that point. At Lee’s startled look, Tony clarified with a smile. “My dog.”
“Oh, I love dogs. What kind?”
“She’s a golden and sheds everywhere. I’m surprised I don’t have half her coat on me right now.” Tony cast a rueful look down at his dark clothes, which had somehow remained fur free.
Lee’s gaze followed his, and the slow perusal traveled like a heated wave down Tony’s body. “Maybe one right here…” Lee reached for Tony’s chest and grabbed an invisible hair before returning his hand to brush Tony’s pecs softly.
Tony’s breath caught in his throat at the touch—feathery light, yet enough to cause his skin to tingle. He swallowed hard. “Thanks,” he said, his words nevertheless coming out scratchy.
“Happy to lend a helping hand.” The smirk Lee sent his way stole the words of their innocence.
Tony glanced at Lee’s hand, the long and tapered fingers resting lightly on his chest. The image came unbidden of Lee curling them around Tony’s cock, guiding the head toward Lee’s smiling mouth.
Tony’s lips parted at the thought. He shook his head to clear the image, but it persisted.
The thing is Tony didn’t do one-night stands anymore. He just didn’t. They didn’t feel right or sit well with him. Over the years they’d lost their appeal, and he’d simply grown out of them, and no matter how much he’d come here thinking he could let loose for a night, he hadn’t been sure if he would even feel like going through with it in the end.
But being here, being the subject of Lee’s greedy gaze, made him want. And who’s to say he couldn’t have a little fun?
When Lee had shown interest, Tony had felt an answering spark, and they’d reached the point where that spark would either fizzle away or ignite.
And Tony? He was ready to strike the fucking match.
Tony moved closer, his hand coming up to rest on Lee’s shoulder. “I’m not f
ar from here. Would you like to come to my place, maybe meet Sadie, have a nightcap…?” Tony let his voice trail off and tilted the corner of his lip up, the implications of what he wasn’t saying clear in the way he slid his hand along Lee’s shoulder to stroke a finger across the exposed skin at the deep V of his collar.
Lee leaned into the touch, his eyes gleaming as a satisfied smile curled his lips. “There’s nothing I’d enjoy more.”
Those lips.
Jesus.
Tony didn’t know he was going to do it until he was already in motion.
He moved his hand up, reaching the nape of Lee’s neck and pulling him slowly closer, inexorably closing the distance between them. Lee’s lids dropped to half-mast, and he wet his lips, drawing a soft groan from Tony.
Tony paused a hair’s breadth away, feeling the warmth of Lee’s breath ghost against his own lips. Anticipation made his skin tingle, and he wasn’t the only one affected, taking note of how Lee’s breath quickened in those brief moments.
But he was hungry to taste, and Lee was greedy for him, and before Tony knew it their mouths were locked together in a heated kiss.
Lee’s lips pressed against his, soft and supple. They shared a caress of the mouth, which became an intimate exploration when Lee gasped, and Tony swept in. Their tongues touched, and he tasted the sharp crispness of Lee’s drink and a sweet note that seemed to be specific to Lee himself.
He held Lee closer and felt Lee fist the material of his T-shirt right above where his hand had rested on Tony’s chest. Tilting his head to change the angle, Tony explored Lee’s mouth from this advantage, sweeping his tongue along Lee’s lower lip before pressing their mouths together once more.
At the feel of Lee’s lithe body pressed tight against his, Lee’s hips grinding ever so gently against his thigh, Tony could already feel himself getting hard. Tony finished the kiss with some closed-mouth nuzzles and let his hand fall to his side as he stepped away, feeling an inordinate sense of pride at the dazed look on Lee’s face.
Tony cleared his throat. “We should probably head out.”
Lee blinked and shook himself minutely, uncurling his fingers from the grip he had on Tony’s shirt. When he looked up and met Tony’s gaze, a dazzling smile spread across Lee’s face. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s do that,” Lee said. He glanced at their drinks, and a bubble of laughter rose from him.