Alec didn’t answer until Gaige looked at him across the table again. “Men are actually out there, you know, in public. Walking around. Some of them work.”
That was the type of answer Gaige didn’t expect. The half-amused, sarcastic response. He never would have bet Alec had it in him during their first meeting but it came out more since then. “Aren’t you funny tonight.”
“Upstairs is for dining. Downstairs is a private club. That one doesn’t specialize in food.”
“Fascinating.” Gaige understood basement clubs. He’d frequented some of those back in D.C. but none of them looked like this. They usually rocked from the beat of loud music and consisted of a lot of drinking and more than a few newly introduced pairs taking advantage of the darkness to really get to know each other.
Alec tipped his water glass in Gaige’s direction. “I’m happy you think so.”
“Guten abend.” The man from the bar appeared at the side of their table without warning.
Gaige pegged his age around thirty. He had a lean frame and a beard, g. Glasses and a bit of an artist vibe to him. He didn’t really fit in a room full of businessmen and couples. Gaige couldn’t help but wonder how he got past the door security.
Alec stared at the newcomer without saying a word, so Gaige took over the greeting. “Hello.”
“You don’t speak any German?” Alec asked Gaige while seeming confused by the idea.
“I speak English and Spanish. Neither help here.” The shadow hadn’t moved and the man still hovered, so Gaige glanced at him again. “Sorry to interrupt your big play. You were saying?”
The visitor never broke eye contact with Alec. He set a glass of wine in front of him as he switched to English. “This is for you.”
The glass sat on the edge of the table, teetering on a fold in the white tablecloth. The waiter came over and started to talk to their unwanted guest but Alec waved him away.
“There are more where that came from,” the man said to Alec, ignoring the rest of the room.
“I’m taken tonight.”
With that, the man spared Gaige a quick glance. “If he’s the problem you should know I don’t mind a third.”
Not the most enthusiastic offer he’d ever gotten but Gaige had heard worse. “You’ve got to give him credit for thinking quickly.”
A small smile played on Alec’s lips before a blank expression returned and he looked at their visitor again. “I’m not in a sharing mood.”
The man exhaled. It was dramatic enough for his shoulders to fall. “Maybe next time.”
Alec shrugged. “Maybe.”
The man skipped a return trip to the bar and walked out the door and into the noisy Munich night. Gaige had no idea what to make of the guy’s obvious play. It seemed off for a supposedly private club, but Alec wasn’t making a scene so Gaige didn’t either.
He fumbled with the right thing to say and finally gave up and said what was on his mind. “Apparently the upstairs and downstairs mix here.”
“Actually, no.” Alec frowned. “This really is a restaurant.”
Alec had shifted back into assessing mode. He scanned the restaurant and pushed his plate a few more inches away from him. The relaxed mood fell away and he was back to being half on guard.
“His offer.” Just thinking about Alec in bed with two men had a run of images fast-forwarding through Gaige’s mind. “Not your thing?”
“Did you want me to take him up on it?”
No. The answer blared through Gaige’s head. The idea of sharing Alec washed away some of the excitement of the evening. “Nah. Just wondered if your bedroom rules extended past one-on-one only.”
“It’s been a long time since I went in for a threesome.” Alec shifted in his seat as he seemed to focus just on the two of them again. “For someone in my position it can be…reckless.”
The comment was a reminder of how little he understood Alec’s life. “Are you worried about bad press?”
“More like worried about being kidnapped. Two against one is risky. I can defend against one.”
The words knocked into Gaige with the force of a punch. “I never thought of that.”
“Me either until a few years ago when a guy I slept with tried to blackmail me.” Alec played with his knife until the waiter came and asked if he could clear his plate, then took it all away. “He thought I’d be upset if people found out I was gay.”
Gaige couldn’t imagine that. Not from Alec. He practically oozed confidence. “I’m assuming he miscalculated.”
“Those years are long behind me, but I did finally have to admit that money made me a target.”
Gaige sure didn’t get that. He had money, enough to pay rent and for the necessities, but that was it. No extras, and even that was on shaky ground since Seth kept coming for him. Gaige squirreled away cash now…just in case. “I take it your brothers don’t care about you being gay.”
“Finn is bisexual, so no. Griff is…well, Griff. He doesn’t really care about anyone’s personal life.” Alec nodded in Gaige’s direction. “What about you?”
Alec smiled as he talked about his brother. It was an unexpected and unguarded moment. One Gaige planned to call up during those times when Alec’s demanding nature hit overdrive. He gave off an alone vibe but he hadn’t severed ties with his brothers.
“No siblings.” Gaige inhaled as he dove into a brief summary of his family. “My mom died in a car accident when I was six. My dad is a professor. Like, the tweed jacket–wearing type. You want to know about Russian literature? He’s your man.”
“Wow.”
“Very intellectual but when it comes to the topic of my sexuality he sort of flinches. It’s like he knows the truth because I came out to him, but the totality of his response was ‘fine.’ ”
Alec’s eyebrow rose. “Fine?”
“Yeah and then we never talked about it again. Any guy I brought around he insisted on calling a friend so…” Gaige went back to eating. Gnawing hunger no longer plagued him but holding the utensils gave him something to do with his hands. He tended to fidget when this topic arose. He didn’t want to telegraph that weakness to Alec.
“So, basically, it’s okay that you’re gay so long as he doesn’t have to see it, talk about it, think about you dating a man or meet a boyfriend.”
Some of the tension eased across Gaige’s shoulders. It hit him with such force that he glanced around to see if anyone else noticed. But they all kept eating and talking and enjoying their privacy.
Gaige was starting to get why Alec liked this club so much.
“So, you’ve met my dad?”
Alec nodded. “Let’s say I’m familiar with the type.”
The wording. The way his voice turned monotone. It set off Gaige’s curiosity and had him aching to poke around. Yesterday, he would have backed off. Chalk it up to the blow job or the passing of hours, but today he didn’t intend to back away so easily. Not in any respect.
He put his fork down and focused on Alec. “Okay, I’m going to ask a personal question. So if that’s going to make you storm out before I finish my food, let me know.”
Alec held up his hand before Gaige even finished his sentence. “You want my story. Well, my dad was not fine with having a bisexual son.”
Bisexual? “Wait, you mean Finn?”
“He thought Finn was acting out and would settle down.” Alec folded his napkin on his lap. A second later he dragged it back up and set it on the table. “He never knew I was gay.”
Talk about dropping a bombshell. Gaige tried to count all the comments and innuendos they needed to unpack. First, the most obvious. “Past tense?”
“You didn’t research my family and uncover all our dirty secrets?”
“I didn’t know I was visiting your business when Seth picked me up back in D.C.”
Alec scoffed. “Visiting? Interesting word choice.”
“I thought about studying up on you. You know, more than the usual that everyone seems t
o know about your wealth and general grumpiness. Didn’t want to freak you out.” But, damn, he’d been tempted.
“That was probably a good call.”
Gaige wasn’t so sure. “Because?”
He had the business computer at the office, the one from Seth that Alec put in a safe at the end of every day, and a phone in his bag that Alec didn’t know to confiscate. All of those provided a direct line to more information about Alec and his family. But Gaige sensed that poking around would piss Alec off.
That wasn’t the only issue. In truth, part of him wanted Alec to share pieces of his life. It was stupid and didn’t make sense. They’d been thrown together for a short time only. They’d put sex on the table because attraction burned between them. None of that amounted to being friends, confidants or anything more.
Alec clenched the napkin in his hand, wrinkled it into an accordion before opening his hand again. “This feels like a boyfriend conversation and I’m not really into that.”
“Since you’re going to be inside me before the night is over, I think you can share this detail.”
“When you put it that way…” Alec motioned for the waiter.
“Do not even think of moving. I’m still eating.”
“Fine.” Less than a minute later the check appeared on the table in a small leather binder. Alec’s nod had the waiter dropping it and taking off again. After a few more beats of silence, Alec started talking again. “My dad was an asshole. Like, a complete asshole. I never came out to him because he would have kicked me out of the family business. Later I was busy maneuvering a hostile takeover to get him removed from power, so I kept a low profile.”
Damn. “That’s some messed up family drama right there.”
“It’s far worse, but you get the idea.”
But he didn’t really. Gaige grew up in a bubble of denial where it was okay to support things in public but that didn’t mean they were okay at home. He spent half the time growing up choking on the hypocrisy. To survive it, he plunged his mind into games and computers. Into a fantasy life that kept him sane while reality messed with his head.
He knew other people had it worse. He just never imagined a man like Alec, someone so clear about pleasure and firm in his self-assurance, grew up another way. “Your dad never guessed?”
“It was beyond his comprehension that one of his sons could be gay. That never would have been allowed.”
“And now he’s gone.” Gaige tried to imagine the guilt and frustration that might linger behind after something like that.
“He died of pancreatic cancer. I can’t tell you much else because he banned me from the hospital and from the funeral.”
Way to kill the mood, Owens. “Jesus. I’m sorry.”
“We were estranged.” Alec broke eye contact and turned to the check. He signed his name with an almost unreadable scrawl.
Gaige watched every move. “Sounds like an understatement.”
“It is what it is.” Alec still hadn’t looked up.
Tension wrapped around them. Gaige missed the comfort that surged between them earlier. A brittle coolness fell over the table now. This was his fault for pushing. He got that. But he also needed Alec to know how transparent that attempted shift of topic really was. “That’s not believable, you know.”
Alec lifted his head and shot Gaige a frown. “What?”
“The act where you pretend you don’t care about not being close to your dad.”
Alec pointed the end of the pen at Gaige’s plate. “You done eating?”
And like that they were back to strangers. “Too much sharing for one evening?”
“I’m ready for something other than talking.”
Angry sex. Gaige could see it coming. He should say no…but he wasn’t going to. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 12
The club sat tucked into a side street near Stachus, the square in the center of the city, also known as Karlsplatz. The lack of a sign outside and the nondescript green door made it easy to miss. It also guaranteed anonymity. Alec appreciated both.
It was the one place Alec could go, outside of his house, and relax. He’d never taken anyone there, not even his brothers. Never used the restaurant for a date or even a business dinner. It was his solace. His escape. The place he stopped for a quick bite and then, if the mood hit him, for a longer time downstairs.
Tonight he blurred the lines. He let Gaige into his private world. Literally threw open the door this time and Gaige walked through.
Gaige didn’t disappoint. He was charming and interesting. He shared some background information, but he also demanded answers. Information about private issues. Alec had no intention of answering but he did. Maybe not fully but far more than usual.
There was something about Gaige that called to him. Pushed and shoved him and made him question his personal rules.
Alec fucking hated that.
They walked to the car in silence. The path he picked showed off a view of Karlstor, one of the remaining gothic gates that stood at what used to be the wall of the medieval city. The architecture had been reimagined and remodeled with a more modern look. It now served as a gateway from the square to the pedestrian zone. Even now, people milled around, talking, some signing, as they visited the numerous bars and restaurants in the popular area.
Alec skipped the history and architecture lesson and went on to his plans for the rest of the night. “You’ve been fed, so I should have your full concentration.”
“Happy to hear you were listening about my food needs.” Gaige reached out and touched the smooth wall at his side. Squinted as he glanced at a historical plaque written in German.
Watching him settled something inside Alec. The idea of a return to where they left off after that blow job had excitement sparking to life inside him again. “I heard every noise you made when I wrapped my hand around your dick.”
“I bet you did.” Gaige winked at Alec then nodded toward the pedestrian walkway in front of them. “Where are we?”
“The car is up there.” Alec gestured in the general area of where they’d parked. “Do you need anything before we go?”
Gaige stopped. “I don’t even understand the question. Like what?”
“There’s a shopping area beneath us.”
Gaige looked down at his feet. “Really?”
The reaction eased the disquieting sense Alec had of being played. Gaige didn’t pretend to know things he didn’t. He didn’t hide behind his impressive brain or flaunt all the things he could do with a computer that most people couldn’t. He seemed genuine and comfortable with who he was. Alec wished he had that freedom.
“The city was building public transportation for the 1972 Olympics and found a tunnel which is believed to have been used to escape behind enemy lines.” Being a bit of a history buff, Alec had studied the photos and read books about the city through the decades.
“I take it you love living here.”
No one ever noticed that before. Alec had lived his life as if he could be uprooted at any time. His father kicking him out numerous times over the years and locking him out of the office had taught him an unwelcome lesson, and he vowed never to be caught off guard again. Nothing was permanent and love, even the fatherly type, always came tied up with conditions.
Despite the money and the house, he didn’t form a connection to things, but he did appreciate the city. “Art, business, high standard of living. What’s not to like?”
Gaige’s eyebrows rose. “You’re into art?”
Maybe he should do something other than work now and then. Sounded like his reputation for being tied to a desk had gotten a little out of control. “I’m a complex man.”
“I’m starting to see that.”
They turned a corner and stepped onto a regular street. Cars whizzed by as they kept to the sidewalk. “We’re across the street, up on the right.”
Alec saw the light at the intersection turn red and stepped off the curb. He heard his name ri
ght after the rev of an engine.
“What the fuck?”
At the sound of Gaige’s voice, Alec stopped. He hadn’t ventured far into the lane. When he glanced up, headlights blinded him. The cool night enveloped him as a sense of unease washed through him.
He stepped back again and his ankle hit the curb. Horns honked and two guys across the street frantically waved their hands. Despite the red light, the car barreled through. Tires squealed as the sedan crossed the center line and headed straight for him.
“Alec, move!”
Gaige grabbed Alec as he shouted. Pulled then shoved, throwing him up and into the brick wall of the building next to them. They both slammed against the concrete with Gaige shouldering most of the hit. He held on as a scraping sound ripped right by Alec.
The smell of gasoline and rubber filled the air. The heat of the car radiated against him. Alec waited for the ram of steel into his legs but the hit never came. The sound of booming crashes and whir of alarms filled the air as the car barreled its way down the street and out of sight.
The taillights burned a trail in the air as reality snapped back on Alec. People yelled and car doors slammed.
“Geht’s dir gut?” An older man kept asking the question.
Alec appreciated the concern but he had no idea if he was okay. His mind couldn’t focus.
“Alec?”
Gaige’s voice was so close. Their mouths right next to each other. Alec realized then that his body was leaning against Gaige’s.
Alec tried to rewind what happened and pick the pieces apart. The car. The near hit. Gaige grabbing him. Even now, Gaige’s arms surrounded him, enclosed him. Protected him. He was pinned to the wall with Gaige shielding him.
No one did that sort of shit for him. Alec was the one who stepped in. The switch in roles had him reeling. Words spun in his head but he couldn’t get them out.
“Alec, answer me. Are you okay?”
The ambulance siren wailed in the distance. There would be police and questions. Alec didn’t want any of that but people milled around and running would only make things worse. Even he couldn’t miss the concern and shock on their faces.
Dirty Deeds Page 10