by LL Dahlin
“Well, I just can’t imagine anyone leaving you. Especially a guy like Mark. I would think a guy like that wouldn’t ever let you get away.” Bailey drank down the whole beer after that last statement. Scott wondered if he’d done that because a lie that big had to be chased down with alcohol or was he saying something that was uncomfortable.
“Well, thanks for that, but it’s easier for people to leave me than you seem to think.”
“Ouch. Was that a direct hit at me? I know we need to talk about it and now seems as good a time as any.” Bailey sat up and clapped his hands together like he was getting ready to put in some work.
“That wasn’t what I was getting at and I don’t want to break out that story until later…or, as a matter of fact, ever. It’s old news, water under the bridge, let bygones be bygones.”
“Okay, I guess you don’t want to talk about it.” Bailey chuckled uncomfortably as he rolled the can between his hands.
“Nope. So, what are your plans now that you’re home?”
“I have a bit of money saved up, but I think I’ll get a little kick around job until I figure out what I really want to do, buy a car to get around and find some physical therapy to work my shoulder out. I’m not on the fast track to do much of anything right now.”
“Well, I’m actually off from the department for the next two days, so if I can help you with anything let me know.” He wasn’t used to the conversation between them being so stilted but there were also things he really didn’t want to talk about right now. He’d gone from knowing the man was coming, to seeing him in the gay bar where he worked, to thinking he was going to be staying with his brother and out of his hair, to his being a semi-permanent member of his household. He needed a release, a nap and a drink, but not necessarily in that order.
“I don’t want to cause you trouble. I’m sure you’re going through a lot just having me here.”
“Look, I didn’t expect to have you as a housemate. That much is true, but I think it’s going to work out. I remember what I promised as one of the perks to staying here at the house with me and I go back to The Male Box tomorrow. Maybe you could come with and see what trouble you can get into.” Was it possible for words to taste sour? The words he said to Bailey seriously turned his stomach, but that was the reason he chose to come with him and not stay at home, where everyone knew he didn’t want to be.
Bailey huffed a bit and followed it with a smile. Scott would have done anything to get one of those when he was younger…as a matter of fact he did. Entertaining Bailey had been one of his favorite pastimes. It was the reason he knew so much about Honey too. When Bailey had acquired a girlfriend junior year that hadn’t stopped Scott’s heart from desiring the boy he wanted. Often he wondered why Honey never put up a big fuss when he was there and he wondered if she knew he liked her boyfriend as much or more than she did.
“That sounds like a plan, but I thought you said you were off.”
“I’m off from my regular job, but I work at The Male Box fairly regularly.” Scott watched Bailey process this and found himself feeling like he was back in high school when he watched this man for hours. He wasn’t going to turn back into the love struck fool that he was, but it was going to take him repeating that to himself often to make it not happen.
“Do you mind if I take your car to the store? I need a few things so I can get settled.” Bailey hopped up and moved away from the table.
Scott was startled that Bailey wanted to get started so quickly, but he shouldn’t have been. That was how the man worked. He’d settle on a plan of action and then take steps to get it done as quickly as possible. It was something he’d admired in him when they were younger. “Sure, the keys are in the bowl by the front door.”
“You’re not going to warn me not to hurt your baby?” Bailey’s wide grin made him chuckle.
“If you are referring to me telling my brother that phrase every time he wanted to use my car, please remember that is the man who has wrecked three cars in his life, and one of them was mine. I trust that you are a good driver and I know you’re a military man so you should be able to get me a sweet deal on a new one if you fuck this one up.” Scott thought things through, always, so he didn’t know why he was thinking about getting cozy with his past crush. They are called teen aged crushes for a reason; they’re for teenagers and he was way past that. He just needed his cock to get with the program and remember that. There was no need to keep puffing up and getting ready just because Bailey was around. Maybe it was just a habit, but he was going to need regular releases or he was just going to walk around looking like he was a sex fiend.
“Noted.” Bailey nodded and walked toward the door.
Scott was up the stairs and in his room with his hard cock in his hand before he could hear the car take off. Being in the constant presence of Harold Bailey was going to take a little while to get used to.
Chapter 5
The Male Box wasn’t the most elegant club that Bailey had ever been in. With its sports paraphernalia on the walls and the almost stadium like feel of the place. Aluminum chairs and tables filled the room. The smell of delicious food that didn’t really match the décor made his mouth water. Beef, seafood and rich sauces filled the air and made him ready to eat.
He’d walked in by himself as Scott went in another way. It was like he hadn’t wanted to be seen with him, but maybe it was a work thing. It was not as nerve wracking as the first time he walked in and he even recognized a few of the guys who had been there from the last time. Bailey didn’t mind being assessed by the men in the room, but it didn’t do much for him. He hoped it wasn’t just Scott that got him going because he wasn’t sure what he’d do if that happened as the man didn’t really seem interested.
Bailey took a seat and was able to order from the bartender fairly quickly. The crowd was growing and the eye fucking had begun…at the bar at least. Unfortunately, he had abso-fucking-lutely no interest in any of these men. It was times like this that he wondered if he had a real interest. He’d never been that into women and the reason he’d chosen Honey back in the day was because she was sweet and funny. Most people thought she was a nerd and she probably was, but there was absolutely no pressure and he truly enjoyed being with her.
“Back again?”
Bailey turned around to find Mark standing behind the chair next to him. He stood there so long Bailey wondered if he wanted him to offer a seat, but that would be weird since it was his establishment. “Yeah. I thought I’d hang out here while Scott works.”
Mark nodded, but kept glancing toward the door where they both knew Scott stood. Bailey chanced a glance in that direction and saw Scott looking back at the two of them. The look of warning was clearly for Mark but when Bailey looked at Mark he could tell he was juicing Scott’s discomfort for all it was worth.
“Is there a reason Scott is looking at us like he doesn’t want you talking to me?”
Mark turned his whole body toward Bailey. “I wouldn’t know. Why don’t you ask him?”
Bailey didn’t like being in the middle of something where he was naked and blind. This thing between Mark and Scott definitely made him feel that way. Just thinking of them in the same sentence made Bailey’s skin itch with irritation. Glancing again over to Scott, who was so into watching was going on at the bar, he wasn’t doing a good job monitoring the door, he should have just come over. He looked back at Mark. “I think you do know.”
With a deep, breathy sigh Marc sat down next to him and signaled for the bartender to come over. “Give me my usual and give my friend here another of what he’s drinking. Keep them coming…this guy’s drinks are on the house tonight.”
Now Bailey really wondered what was up with this guy who seemed to be staring into the mirror. How vain was this guy? The man looked for so long Bailey gave up and looked into the mirror as well. What in the world was so fascinating? The man seemed to be comparing himself against Bailey. He could see the man’s eyes darting back and forth in
the mirror.
“What’s your deal, Bailey?” The man said as he concentrated on Bailey’s reflection.
He wished he knew, but he didn’t. The man in the mirror didn’t look like he was trying to be an asshole it appeared as though he was trying to look out for a friend. He couldn’t fault Mark for that. Bailey gave the man the only truth he had. “I’m just trying to figure things out.”
The bartender bought over their drinks and set them down in front of them.
“You think moving in with a man who has had a lifelong crush on you is going to help you decide if you like cock or not?”
Bailey turned to look at him. He wasn’t sure if he was stunned by the language or hurt that the crush he was talking about wasn’t lifelong. It had ended because he’d killed it quite effectively. “The crush thing is ancient history. He’s not interested in me like that anymore. It’s been years since I’ve even seen or spoken to Scott.”
“And you know he’s not interested? How?” Mark took another sip of his drink while Bailey thought of how to put this.
“Things are just different now.”
“So I don’t have to worry about you hurting him again?”
That sentence stopped Bailey from bringing the drink to his lips. It was like he was frozen. He put the drink back down. “I’ve never hurt Scott.”
“You sure about that?”
Bailey thought about the look on Scott’s face when he tried to apologize yesterday about the ill-fated night that had changed his life. “I never meant to hurt him, but there may be something I did in the past that may have stung a little.” The smug look on Mark’s face made him want to smack the back of his head.
Mark nodded and called the bartender back. When the man got there he moved his hand in a big circle around both of their drinks. The man quickly returned with two fresh drinks.
“Well you seem pretty concerned about me hurting a man you broke up with.” Bailey watched Mark’s face turn a shade or two pinker than it had been before.
“Did he tell you why?” He looked back at the door and Bailey followed suit. Scott was deliberately not looking at them. He may have been away from the man for a while, but he still knew his idiosyncrasies. Scott was uncomfortable and nervous.
“I didn’t ask.”
“Maybe you should…ask him, that is.” Mark drank down his next drink and Bailey felt compelled to do the same. The bartender seemed quicker to refill or refresh the drinks.
“Since you are here right now and you are the horse with the tale, I’d like to hear it from you.”
Mark drank down the next drink and then took a deep breath. “Scott is my friend. All while you were away, I looked out for him and he did the same for me. I’m pushing the boundaries of our friendship sitting here shooting the breeze with you, but I wanted to find out a little more about you and I did.”
“Well, isn’t that grand.” Bailey said, wondering if he should have downed that last drink as it was making him a bit snarky.
Bailey felt a hand on his back and he turned around at the same time Mark did. A very pretty man with blond hair and lots of eyeliner had come over to talk to the two of them.
“Look at you two sitting here like my birthday and Christmas bundled in a two for one package. Do I get to unwrap either of you?”
“Thanks, but no.” Bailey felt stupid saying it because he knew it was a rhetorical question, but this man did absolutely nothing for him.
Mark chuckled a little and introduced the man. “Bailey, this is one of my best regular customers. If there were rooms to rent Cary Elliot would definitely live here. Isn’t that right?”
“I think you should just put that plan in motion. I’d live here for sure, but who’s this? I didn’t know you had a brother.” The man moved himself closer to Mark as they both seemed to assess Bailey.
“I don’t.” Mark turned to face the man who now was practically perched on his lap. “This is a friend of Scott’s. His last name is Bailey, but I don’t recall his first name.”
Both of the men looked at Bailey like he was going to supply the information they passively asked for, but he wasn’t going to give it to them. He didn’t like his first name with a passion and he didn’t give it out unless he had to. “People just call me Bailey.”
The two men talked among themselves for a few minutes and Bailey took the time to study Mark while he engaged in flirtatious banter with Cary.
“You see the resemblance?” Mark asked when the smaller man left.
“Between us?” Bailey didn’t know why he was asking that when it was clear that was what he meant, but he wasn’t a big drinker and it seemed like these drinks were getting stronger… or maybe they were being refilled more quickly. “We’re both big, with dark complexions…blue eyes, dark hair, but you look more like a rough biker.”
“And you look more like a rough military guy.” Mark laughed a little and Bailey chuckled a bit too.
“Okay, maybe we do look a bit alike.” Bailey picked up his drink to find it empty but the bartender was right there and replaced it with another. “I think I’ve had enough.”
“I’ve been out here pissing Scott off enough. I like you, Bailey.” Mark slapped Bailey on the back before he stood up from his stool. “I’m not sure what you’ve got going on job wise, but you can help with security or help out behind the bar for me if you’d like until you find something better. I appreciate each and every sacrifice you’ve made being in the military and I’d love to have you here.”
“That sounds great. Thank you.” Bailey had no idea why he was shocked at the offer of employment, but it could be because it didn’t feel like the man particularly liked him. Maybe the man was partial because, like he said, he appreciated military personnel. It was also possible that Bailey couldn’t understand why the man liked him because it seemed they were both interested in the same person.
“So you’ll be hanging around for a while this time?”
Bailey figured the man knew a bit of his story, but he didn’t feel like going into a full blown rehash so he hoped this wasn’t what the man expected of him. “I’m fresh out of the service and I’ve missed the hell out of this place and the people here, so I think I’ll be here for a good while.”
Mark nodded as he looked down into his glass as he rattled the ice cubes around. When he looked up at Bailey again, he had a small smile on his face, but Bailey didn’t know the man well enough to tell if it was real or not.
Bailey took in the way the man tilted his head back and drank the remaining sip of his drink, before setting it down with a deliberate thunk. Mark leaned over the bar, pulled a card from the under the counter and handed it to him. “Call me tomorrow.”
Bailey put the card away and called the bartender over for a water. He was in the middle of guzzling down that clear delicious liquid when he locked eyes with Scott, who he could see in the mirror in front of him but was standing behind him.
“You ready to go?” Scott said, and Bailey started to notice a trend.
There were times he’d see an attractive man and he’d speak to him casually, and there were other times he’d go to bars or other places to meet men. It was all to see if he could replicate the way his body felt right now. Chest tight, cock hardening and filled with anticipation of what’s next. It hadn’t ever come. It was only when Scott looked at him, stood near him or touched him, he had the swell of desire and the urge for more.
“You’re done already?”
“I got Paul to come in.” Scott shifted from one foot to the other and Bailey wondered what was going on.
“Sure, I’m ready.” He stood up and followed Scott to the car. Bailey hated to be any form of inebriated. It made his steps unsteady and his tongue loose. There’d never been a time he parted with the drinks he’d imbibed previously, but he knew when he woke up the next morning he’d have wished he had. It was the continuous supply of free drinks that had made him forget how much he hated feeling like this.
Scott started t
he car and pulled out of the parking lot. Bailey stared at the driver and noticed things about the man next to him that he didn’t think he’d ever noticed about any guy. Like how he gripped the steering wheel with his large hands, and the way he shifted the gears like he was a race car driver. Maybe he was horny, but the expert way Scott handled both made him substitute his cock for both scenarios. Drunk, with a hard dick, with a man who wasn’t interested, was too much for his brain to take in so he just sat in the dark and watched the street lights make a game of peek a boo of Scott’s features. The silence in the car was bothersome, so Bailey opened his mouth and even he was shocked by what came out.”
“Kiss me, Scott.”
Chapter 6
Scott was going to kill Mark. He didn’t know what the fuck the two of them had been over at the bar talking about, but it drove him so batty he’d begged Paul, one of the other security team members, to come in for him tonight. Unfortunately, that meant he was going to have to work the next three nights in a row, but it was worth it. He wasn’t going to take Bailey back there ever again. There were other clubs around he could go to. Scott was going to ignore that jealous pang that squeezed his heart and his stomach. The thoughts of what they’d talked about and the images of ways to torture Mark for making him crazy didn’t diminish the longing he’d always felt for Bailey. They’d made it to his front door and he knew the plans he had for his immediate future. He was going to get a drink, lock himself in his room and stroke his cock until the images of him and Bailey led to its usual climax. He shut off the car.
“Kiss me, Scott,” Bailey said in a low, deep voice from the passenger side of the car. “I think about how it was years ago and I feel like it couldn’t have been as good as I remember it being.”
Scott wanted to get out of the car, drag him out and show him how hungry he was. Acting like he wasn’t interested was difficult but necessary to keep himself in a good head space. There is no way he wanted to tangle with someone who was unsure of what team he wanted to play for. He knew Honey and Bailey had been talking and she was excited for his return. Scott was no longer the teenager willing to wait for scraps, but it was hard to deny the soft request next to him.