Simply Perfection

by Trina Lane

  “Make a left onto Greenwich then a right on Duncan. My building is the Victorian-ish looking one on the left.”

  Matt did as instructed. The vacant lot across from Trevor’s building caused him worry, but Trevor’s building appeared sound. It had a well-maintained exterior with white trim. The front did have a certain Victorian feel with the two spindle balconies protruding from the second and third floors, but the side of the building was flat and plain, stretching to the back of the property.

  Trevor turned to Matt and unfastened his seatbelt. “Thank you for the ride.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Matt stretched across the console between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. He cupped the back of Trevor’s neck and pulled him in closer. Their lips touched for the briefest of seconds, but it was all Matt needed to know his first impressions earlier that night had been correct. He knew deep inside him Trevor was the one for him and Niall. Trevor braced himself on the padded barrier and pushed into Matt’s kiss. Their heads tilted and mouths opened. Matt nearly moaned at the taste of Trevor on his tongue. The tastes of coffee and sugar and Trevor all mingled together. Matt had a hard time pulling away, but knew they couldn’t take things any further tonight. When they separated, Matt almost caved as Trevor licked his lips with hunger burning in his eyes.

  “Your lips should be illegal,” Matt said huskily.

  Trevor’s eyes roamed down Matt’s body and paused at his crotch. The darkness was sure to hide the arousal pushing against Matt’s slacks, but Trevor’s blue eyes glowed as if he had X-ray vision.

  “I’d invite you up, but I have a feeling you’ll turn me down. So for now I’ll say goodnight, but tomorrow you’re all mine.”

  With that, Trevor climbed out and jogged over to the side of the building to a set of stairs which led up the side and disappeared around back. Matt continued down the street and punched Niall’s address into his GPS system.

  Chapter Five

  The watcher sat in the darkened car, parked in the shadows of the empty lot across from Trevor’s apartment. He burned with rage as the man in the expensive black car drove off. He’d been worried when Trevor hadn’t come home at his usual time. Ugly things could happen in the city at night. But apparently Trevor had not been lying in a gutter somewhere, only disobeying the rules they’d clearly set. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. He wanted to charge up to Trevor’s apartment and demand to know what was going on. How dare Trevor step out on him with some sleazy sugar daddy? What he and Trevor shared was special. It was pure. Trevor belonged to him!

  Maybe Trevor was just trying to get a rise out of him? Maybe Trevor was trying to incite jealousy, so the watcher would once again take control. He’d been far too lax of late, allowing Trevor some freedom from the structure they’d established at the beginning of their relationship. The shadow of Trevor’s trim body had been visible through the tinted windows, and it was clear he’d been kissing that man! Despite his boiling blood, the watcher would not allow Trevor’s petty games to make him lose control, even if the little man was begging for punishment. Control was paramount. Control was everything. Such behaviour would not be tolerated, and soon Trevor would be reminded of just whom he belonged to.

  * * * *

  Matt pulled into the visitor spot at Niall’s building. It was a risk to come here unannounced, but Matt needed to see Niall. Needed to tell him the news. Needed to feel Niall in his arms again, to share Trevor’s taste that still lingered on his lips. Matt opened the doors and entered the lobby. Adam, the doorman Matt remembered from the other night, glanced up from his desk with a look of surprise on his face.

  “Welcome back, Dr. Lincoln. Would you like me to buzz Mr. Roberge to announce your arrival?”

  Matt stopped in his tracks. “You remember me?”

  “Well sure. You were here only two nights ago, and Mr. Roberge gave notice to all of us doormen that you were to be admitted without question anytime.”

  “How will the other doormen recognise me?”

  Adam held up a high quality glossy photo of Matt’s face, obviously taken from the security cameras on the first night Matt came to see Niall.

  “Wow. That’s both comforting and slightly disturbing at the same time. I took a chance coming by unannounced this late. Do you know if Niall is home?”

  “I came on shift at ten p.m., and haven’t seen him. Would you like me to call him on the com unit?”

  Matt debated. He could go up to Niall’s door and start knocking or have Adam call Niall’s condo. Matt looked at his watch. It was quarter after eleven at night. Niall may be asleep or he may not want to be disturbed. Matt didn’t worry that Niall was seeing someone else. That type of behaviour didn’t fit Niall’s personality that Matt had seen so far. However, not many people appreciated late night unexpected guests. He’d take his chances.

  “No thank you, Adam. I’ll go on up and surprise him.”

  “Very good, Dr. Lincoln. Have a good evening.” Adam finished with a smile.

  “I will. And Adam?” The young man’s face changed to one of anticipation. “Please call me Matt. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of me, and the whole doctor title is a mouthful.”

  Matt heard a soft giggle behind him as he stepped into the elevator. Adam seemed like a sweet kid. Obviously a college student by the multitude of books spread out and the laptop glowing behind the concierge desk. Matt idly wondered what university Adam was attending. He sure hoped the kid had afternoon classes otherwise he was going to collapse from exhaustion.

  The elevator dinged and Matt stepped off. He turned towards the door to Niall’s condo. There was only one other on the floor, so Matt wasn’t too worried about disturbing anyone by knocking this late. He was about to raise his hand when he noticed a white box with what appeared to be a camera lens and a small round button installed beside the door. Matt pressed the button and waited. A few seconds later he heard Niall’s excited voice echo from the small box.

  “Matt!”

  Matt waved. “Can I come in? I know it’s late.”

  “Of course.” There was a soft click at the door. “I’m in the darkroom, but please come in and make yourself comfortable. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  Matt opened the door and once again was struck by the enormity of Niall’s place. Matt’s condo was a brownstone in Back Bay. He’d paid a pretty penny for the small place, but it was close to his office and had lovely ornate details, crown moulding and a black iron, spiral staircase—and the claw foot tub Matt didn’t dare tell anyone he loved to sink into at the end of a long day.

  Matt wondered just how many rooms Niall had down that hallway. Obviously there was more than one bedroom if Niall had set up a darkroom for his private use. Despite the size, Niall’s place was homey. Matt relaxed on the chaise part of the sectional and closed his eyes while waiting for Niall to appear.

  A pair of soft lips touched his, and Matt blinked his eyes open. Niall sat next to him with a smile on his face.

  “Hey gorgeous,” Niall whispered.

  “Hi.” He looked at his watch and realised thirty minutes had passed.

  “I didn’t want to wake you, but you’ll get stiff if you sleep sitting up like that.”

  “Sorry, I only meant to close my eyes while you were finishing up.”

  Niall’s thumb traced over Matt cheekbone. “I don’t mind. You looked like you needed the rest. Don’t get me wrong, I love that you’re here, but why the late night visit?”

  Matt’s brain finished waking up and he swung around to face Niall better with a huge grin. “I think I found him, Niall.”

  Niall didn’t say anything, but Matt didn’t see any anger on his face so he continued, speaking very quickly, “His name is Trevor, and he’s just like you described. Shaggy blond hair, huge blue eyes, lean body and his head tops out around my shoulders. I met him today when one of my friends and patients went into crisis down at police headquarters. That’s where Trevor works, in the crime lab a
s the forensic audio/video analyst. While we were waiting at the hospital for my patient’s partner to come out of surgery—he’s a detective and got shot on the job—I couldn’t help but be drawn to Trevor sitting by himself. It sounds odd, but it was the same feeling that swept over me when I first saw you. That’s why I thought I could trust it. I—”

  Niall placed his hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Matt, slow down. Let me make sure I understand everything. You think you found our other soul mate at police headquarters, after learning that your friend’s partner was shot, and have spent the last several hours pacing sterile hallways and getting to know this man, Trevor?”

  “Well, Trevor and I went to Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee after we learned Clay would be alright, and I made sure Logan was stable for the evening. That’s where we talked and got to know each other a little better.”

  “And where is Trevor now?”

  “I took him home. He lives in Dorchester.” Matt grimaced. “Still steams me up to think that he was going to find his way home by public transportation this late without a coat.”

  Niall made a face as if he didn’t like that any better than Matt.

  “And you came here, after dropping him off?”

  Matt nodded. “I wanted to talk to you. At first I thought you might be mad that I’d taken the initiative with Trevor without consulting you, but then when I kissed him goodnight…”

  “You kissed him?” Niall asked softly.

  Matt nodded and tried to read Niall’s dark eyes.

  “What did you feel? What did you taste?”

  Matt thought for a moment. He didn’t think Niall meant literally taste. Niall was probably trying to find out if all this babble was being spurred by Matt’s hormones or something deeper.

  “Peace. I felt and tasted peace.”

  “Then yours and Trevor’s meeting is how we were destined to be brought together. I found you, and you found him. Now all we need to do is have me meet him.” Niall said with a grin.

  “Um, I sort of set up a date with him tomorrow night. I…well, I was hoping you would be there.”

  “Of course I’ll be there.”

  “There’s only one problem.”

  Niall raised his eyebrow.

  “Trevor doesn’t know about you.”

  * * * *

  Trevor stood in the locker room at headquarters and checked himself out in the mirror. He’d brought a change of clothes to work for his date with Matt. A pair of dark grey wool flat-front pants, a V-neck navy blue cashmere sweater and black Cole Haan Air Jefferson slip-ons. The whole look had cost him the equivalent of half his weekly paycheque, but it was so worth it. Trevor added a dollop of sculpturing lotion to his hand then finger combed the textured layers of his hair so they fell in a perfectly messy look.

  “Got a hot date?”

  Trevor spun around to find Logan leaning against the row of lockers on the far side of the room.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Came to turn in my vacation time for when Clay comes home. I’ll be taking off a couple weeks.”

  “What about till then?”

  “I’ll be in and out. There’s not much I can do for Clay while he’s in the hospital, and I would drive the man insane if I sat beside his bed twenty-four hours a day.”

  “If he can complain, that must mean he’s doing better.”

  Logan nodded. “It’ll be several weeks before he’s full strength, but he’s slowly mending. So what’s with the fancy duds?”

  “As you correctly deduced, I’ve got a date.” Trevor held out his arms and turned around. He looked over his shoulder at Logan. “How fuckable is my ass in these pants?”

  “I’d give you a solid eight. You’re a little small for my tastes, but you do have a nice, tight little round derriere.”

  Trevor faced his friend and smiled. “I’ll have you know that not everything on me is small.”

  “You’re a little flirt. I never knew that about you. In the lab you always seem so shy and quiet.”

  Trevor shrugged. “Well it’s not like I’m going to run up and down the halls telling all the boys to come and get it. Besides you said we were friends, that I could trust you.”

  Logan walked up to Trevor and took him in his arms. “You can trust me.” He let go and stepped back. He straddled the bench between the rows of lockers. “After things calmed down last night, I remembered that you had ridden with Matt and I to the hospital. How did you get home? Please don’t tell me you took the ‘T’ again.”

  Trevor slid his wallet into his back pocket and strapped on his watch. “Well I had planned on it, but then Matt offered to take me for a coffee. He drove me home.”

  Logan smiled. “He did, huh? How was the coffee?”

  “It was good.” He turned in circles till he found his coat still hanging in his locker.

  “And how was the kiss?”

  “It was—” Trevor quickly looked over at Logan’s smug face. “How in the hell…”

  Logan rolled his eyes. “Please. The building nearly caught fire when the two of you shook hands. So you’re going out with Matt tonight?”

  Trevor leant back against the locker to the left of Logan. “Is that weird for you?”

  “No. Matt’s my friend as much as he’s my psychiatrist. I want to see him happy, and I’ve gotten the feeling lately that whoever he was seeing didn’t do that. Plus I trust Matt not to break confidentiality about our sessions.”

  “He’s seeing a guy?”

  “He was. If he asked you out then he must have broken it off. Matt’s not the kind to have a piece on the side. Where are you going?”

  “I’m supposed to meet him at The Stork Club.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d better go.”

  “I’ll give you a ride.”

  “No worries. I’m sure you want to get back to Clay, and—”

  Logan growled, “Trevor.”

  He ducked his head and heat infused his cheeks. “Thank you Logan. I’d appreciate that.”

  “Good then. Let’s get you to your date.”

  Trevor entered the restaurant and looked around for Matt. His eyes landed on a stunningly beautiful man with black hair that flowed around his shoulders and dark fathomless eyes that seemed to be staring right into Trevor’s soul. Trevor took a step back, right into a large man behind him. The man cursed and gave Trevor a little push forwards. He spun around and quickly held up his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

  “Just watch where you’re going next time,” the man snarled as he led his date up to the bar.

  Gee, what a nice guy.

  “Asshole,” Trevor said under his breath.

  “Trevor?”

  He did a one-eighty and found Matt right in front of him. His gaze landed on Matt’s lips and Trevor’s blood got a little warmer at the memory of their kiss last night. “Hi.”

  “Everything okay?”

  He waved off the rude guy. “Oh sure. Just some local riff raff.”

  Matt looked over at the bar and his eyes narrowed.

  Trevor placed his hand on Matt biceps. “Let it go, Matt. It was nothing. I promise.”

  “All right.” Matt leant down and whispered in Trevor’s ear, “You look very sexy.” He placed his hand on the small of Trevor’s back. “We have a table over here.”

  Mat led Trevor into the club. There was a long red tufted bench with cocktail tables efficiently spaced in a row. A single red chair sat on the opposite of the table and pendant lights in a grid across the ceiling emitted an orange glow. Trevor turned his head towards the stage as the nightly jazz band began to play. He loved jazz music. It reminded him of the clubs he saw in all the old movies, where men and women would get dressed up in their best to go out listen to music. Maybe have a dance or two as a saxophone wailed a mournful tune. Trevor let himself get lost in the music for a moment. Matt led him by the hand towards their table, and Trevor trusted Matt to steer him in the right direction.

  Before h
e knew it they’d stopped, and when Trevor opened his eyes, he was standing directly in front of the dark haired warrior he’d laid eyes on when he came into the club. He looked over at Matt in confusion. “Matt?”

  “Trevor, this is Niall Roberge.” Matt put his arm around Trevor’s waist. “Niall, this is Trevor Mitchell.”

  Trevor held his hand out to Niall. A striking name to go with a striking man. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

  Niall’s hand enclosed Trevor’s and a shiver ran down the length of his body.

  “It’s an honour to meet you as well. Please have a seat.”

  Trevor looked at the seating arrangement and was unsure where to sit. Niall had taken a seat on the bench and there was only one chair. If he sat there then Matt would have to sit next to Niall. Trevor didn’t know if he liked that idea. The man was too good looking for comfort, and gave off the air of confidence and maturity more suited to Matt than Trevor considered himself to be. Then again it would be rude to sit next to another man when on a date with Matt.

  Trevor looked back and forth between the two men, and there was definitely some kind of vibe there. Logan had said the Matt wasn’t the cheating type, but evidence pointed to… Oh, wait a minute. Maybe Matt wasn’t into cheating so much as he was into sharing.

  Trevor sat in the single chair. “So, Matt…wanna tell me what’s going on? I have a feeling that my assumptions about this evening were a tad off.”

  “Not completely. I did invite you out tonight because I felt a special connection between us last night. It may be too late to stop your quick brain to from spinning all sorts of scenarios, but I’m asking you to keep an open mind until all the cards have been laid out on the table.” Matt turned to Niall. “I think it may be best for you to tell Trevor a little bit about yourself before we continue.”

  Niall’s eyes met Trevor’s across the table. “I met Matt a week ago at the Fenway Health fair. However, it was not the first time I had seen him.”