“Wow!” Now Tim wanted to reconsider the offer of “round two,” but Bruno was following a young redhead who had just walked by. Tim headed toward the Thunderbird, but he heard noises coming from an alcove below him. Three muscular men, one on his knees, the blond in the middle was getting the lion’s share of attention. Tim could only see the back of his neck and his denim shirt draped over one bare shoulder. Their movements were smooth enough to have been choreographed.
Tim imagined they’d met at the gym that morning and then came up here after their workouts in order to more fully appreciate each other’s bodies. It beat getting kicked out of the sauna by someone who wasn’t getting any and didn’t want anyone else to either.
They moved to the left and Tim saw that the blond had a pony tail just like Nick’s. One of the others pulled it loose with his fingers and the blond shook his head to let it fall. No one else had hair like that besides Nick! Tim jumped, lost his footing and started to slide. He tried to grab hold of a branch, but it snapped off and the racket was enough that the men stopped what they were doing. Tim rolled over and over as he fell, like Alice down the rabbit’s hole, and landed at the feet of the three big men. “Hi…”
“What have we here?” The blond asked. He looked nothing like Nick, which made Tim smile until he laughed. All three of them were fully hard and standing over him, unperturbed by the interruption, except for maybe the laughing part. Tim wanted to say something more, but they weren’t here for conversation. Tim wished he could take a picture of this. He wished Bruno hadn’t come along first. He wished he hadn’t fallen, hadn’t laughed, and hadn’t made such a fool of himself.
Now the moment was gone. “Sorry, I…” Tim stood up, brushed himself off and found his way back to his car. They were out of his league, anyway, and they couldn’t have thought he was laughing at them. They were right out of a porn movie. Tim drove down the hill and found a parking spot in front of Walgreens. Within seven minutes he was looking at paint samples in the back of Cliff’s. Tim’s mind was back on what he wanted to do with his day, vacuum the apartment, clean the windows, or paint the kitchen. After seeing those three men in the park, he wanted to hit the gym more than ever. Then he noticed a really cute guy in white painters’ pants that were spattered with more colors than the rainbow flag outside on the corner of Market and Castro Streets.
The painter noticed Tim, too… gave him a big smile and was just about to say something to him when Tim woke up.
Chapter 5
Tim half expected to find a wet puddle of white overflowing his navel when he awoke, but he hadn’t had a wet dream in years. Even when they were wildly sexual, the most vivid dreams he’d had since childhood, Tim’s psychic dreams—part of that so-called “gift” he’d inherited from his grandmother—even when they were crisp and clear and bright, they were obviously never intended for his pleasure. That was one more reason Tim resented them. If he had to be cursed with dreams he didn’t want, couldn’t he at least have a wet dream now and then? And now he had a headache too.
Tim nearly forgot about Rosa Rivera coming to Arts this evening. He usually worked the brunch shift on Sundays, but today he’d have to go start work at about the time he was usually leaving. Without Nick to wake up to, this didn’t feel like a Sunday at all, but as long as he had the day free, he might as well get something done.
Tim chugged down his pills with a cup of coffee and a big bite out of a bagel that he finished on his way down the stairs. He walked over to Cliff’s to look at paint samples for the kitchen. Even if he did nothing more than look, it was a step in the right direction
The same guy in the painters’ pants from Tim’s dream was at the hardware store. Tim didn’t notice him at first. His back was turned, but Tim recognized the spattering of colors on the fabric of the pants leg. Then the guy turned around and… sure enough, it was the same guy. Tim couldn’t help but stare, which the guy took for cruising and grinned. Tim jumped, startled that the man was real, and gave him a big foolish “aw, shucks” grin in return.
Tim loved cruising, even when he never expected anything to come of it. At its essence, it was just two guys acknowledging each other, an energy exchange in which each of them was lifted a little higher, both of them had their day brightened. Still, if his dreams were this real nowadays, Tim’s psychic gift must be getting stronger. And he imagined that having wide-awake sex with this guy might be fun too.
It wasn’t that Tim wasn’t satisfied with Nick. He knew how lucky he was to have found him, how lucky the two of them were to have found each other, but every once in a while he missed being single. Maybe he missed the thrill of the hunt. Tim would never jeopardize his relationship with Nick and he’d never hurt anyone’s feelings intentionally. It was just that he’d woken up horny this morning and with Nick not around the old patterns returned to mind. After all, he’d been single a lot more years than he had been in a relationship.
Tim spent the next hour scraping the crumbling old linoleum off the kitchen floor, but it wasn’t very gratifying. It was taking forever. Tim finally gave up, showered, found a clean shirt and pressed a crease into his slacks to wear to work. He knew Artie would want him to look his best to wait on Rosa Rivera.
Tim gasped when he entered the restaurant. It hadn’t been so filled with flowers since Jason’s memorial gathering a couple of years ago. He felt a split-second pang of déjà-vu and the heart-dropping sense of loss over Jason’s murder, even after all this time. Then he thought of being held tight in Nick’s arms and he snapped out of it. “Wow, Artie, you’ve really outdone yourself! It looks like the first floor of Macy’s at Easter time!”
“It better look good. These flowers cost me a fortune and I couldn’t get hold of Nick, so I had to pay retail for everything.”
“He had his cell phone turned off. You should have called over there on my land-line and yelled at him over the answering machine.”
“Well, it’s too late now. Ooooh, I’m a nervous wreck! Rosa Rivera will be here in an hour or so!” Artie kept saying the same things over and over. “I wonder what she’s like in person. I wonder what she’ll order. Out of all the restaurants in town, I can’t imagine why she even heard about this one. What does she want?”
Ruth tried to calm Artie’s fears as best she could. “Maybe she’s an old fan of yours from when you were at Finocchios. She’s probably coming here to get your autograph.”
“I knew every time there was a celebrity in my audience at Finocchios and they came there to see Artie Glamóur! They weren’t coming to see this tired old thing!” he wailed.
“Maybe she wasn’t a celebrity back then.”
“Oooh… I hope she never saw my old act. She’ll expect someone else entirely, someone years younger and lots thinner! How bad do I look? Be honest with me. I must have gained five pounds since breakfast.”
“You look fine, Artie!” Ruth insisted. Artie had on a black long-sleeved shirt, black slacks and black patent leather shoes. He was wearing more jewelry than would ever be considered masculine, but the only color he sported was a red tea-rose boutonnière in his lapel.
“I just wonder what she wants. I wonder what she’ll order. I wonder what she drinks.” Artie was so nervous he was driving everyone else crazy. “James, are those flowers drooping already? Make sure they have water in them!”
“I’m not even supposed to be here,” James said. “Don’t yell at me. Where’s Patrick, anyway?”
“He worked brunch. He had to leave early to catch a flight to Palm Springs,” Artie said as Jake walked in the door and Artie turned on him, “What are you doing here? I gave you the night off.”
“I forgot my book. I’ll bet it fell out of my backpack in the kitchen.” Jake walked slowly toward the kitchen doors as he took a good look around. “Besides, I wanted to see how the plans were shaping up for the grand arrival of her majesty. You’ve put out even more flower arrangements since brunch, haven’t you, Artie?”
But Artie ignored him. “Tim!
That knife has a fingerprint and I can see water spots on that wine glass. Change it right away, please. Ruth, there’s dust on that Jack Daniels bottle.”
Arturo was usually the more stable one in their relationship, but even he was getting nervous about cooking dinner for this woman. Artie’s anxiety was rubbing off on him too. He stood in the doorway to the kitchen and listened to Artie bark orders at their employees until he couldn’t take any more. “I’ve never even heard of this Italian broad!”
“You should all watch her TV show,” Artie said to no one in particular as the doors to the kitchen swung shut behind Arturo. “The other night she took a wooden table that looked like it came from a garage sale and when she was done with it, you could have sworn it was on loan from the DeYoung museum. Then she designed a whole party buffet around it. She’s brilliant! Oh, I’ve learned some amazing things from her, like how to get beet juice out of white chiffon.”
“I’ve never even seen you wear white,” Ruth said over her shoulder as she continued to dust the liquor bottles with a bar towel.
“And I thought you hated beets!” Tim said.
“I bought some pickled beets for Arturo. He likes them. Then I dropped the jar in the kitchen sink at home and it splattered all over the place. The juice came out of the fabric, thanks to Rosa Rivera’s little tip, but there’s still a stain on the ceramic tile. I should ask her about that.”
“What was her secret tip for the fabric?” Tim asked.
“I’m not telling,” Artie pouted. “None of you deserve to know. All you do is make fun of her… and me! If you start watching her show sometimes, maybe you’ll catch that episode in reruns.”
“Nobody is making fun of you, Artie…” Scott said. “Maybe her, but not you. Would you like a cocktail? It might help settle your nerves.”
“Just a tall glass of club soda with a squeeze of lime, Scott. That haircut looks good on you. You should keep it like that.”
“Thanks, Artie…” Scott always wore his red hair short and he thought it had been a waste of money to get an unnecessary haircut just to humor Artie, but he didn’t argue.
Artie stared out at the passersby on Castro Street for a few minutes. He took a sip from his glass and then turned back toward the bar. “Ruth, dear…” he whispered, “put a splash of vodka on top of this, would you? Not too much… well… more than that!”
“What’s Patrick doing in Palm Springs?” Ruth asked.
Jake watched Ruth top off the glass with vodka and answered her question before Artie had the chance. “Haven’t you heard? Patrick is going back to the Betty Ford clinic.”
“No… I hadn’t. I’m so sorry!”
“It’s only for a reunion,” Artie said. “Jake… shame on you! That’s how rumors get started, you know… and if you’re going to be here when Rosa Rivera arrives, take some of that jewelry out of your face!”
“I’ll be out of your hair in a minute, Artie. Patrick told me there was a very famous closet case in his group at Betty Ford and he thinks he can get some more dirt on him this time. Maybe he can even out him!”
“Who is it?” Tim asked. “Is it someone we know? An actor? I know… I’ll bet it’s another one of those family values politicians. Maybe Patrick can seduce him if he’s not too ugly.”
“Patrick couldn’t tell me his name,” Jake said.
“They’re sworn to strict rules about confidentiality,” Artie turned back to Ruth and smiled, “just a touch more vodka on top, dear.”
“But he did say…” Jake paused for suspense, “… that it’s someone we used to see on television all the time.”
“Is he a soap opera star?” Tim asked.
“No… better yet…” Jake was enjoying this. It might turn into a fun evening to stick around and watch and besides, Artie couldn’t really yell at him if he was off-duty. “He’s a very well-known… very closeted… very homophobic… Republican!”
“I knew it!” Tim shouted. “Aren’t they all?”
James agreed. “The ones that are always foaming at the mouth against gays are usually the deepest in the closet.”
“I’ll say!” Tim agreed.
“Until they come out,’ Jake said, “and then, instead of foaming they’re drooling over all they’ve missed!”
“Ciao, everyone!” All eyes turned toward the door as a vision of buxom flesh in sparkling layered fabrics swept into the room. It was Rosa Rivera, live and in person and there was nothing subtle about her appearance or her entrance. “Che carino! What a sweet little place. Questo va benissimo!” she said loudly and then added, under her breath, “This will be perfect for the plan I have in mind…”
Chapter 6
Rosa Rivera’s outfit showed off her breasts to their maximum effect. They obviously had major support from some marvel of engineering that she wore under her clothing. When Ruth saw the beauty mark on Rosa’s cheek she wanted to dampen a handkerchief to wipe her face as she’d done to Tim and Dianne when they were little. She had to control herself to keep from spitting on a cocktail napkin.
“Rosa Rivera!” Artie rushed forward and kissed her hand. “I’m Artie. Welcome to Arts. Thank you so much for coming. It’s such an honor to meet you!”
“Grazie mille, Artie… I am charmed to meet you and what a lovely diamond! Molto bello…”
“This old ring?” Artie blushed.
Jake said to Tim, just barely out of earshot. “Look at those heels! I don’t know how she does it. They must be six inch stilettos! And her make-up reminds me of Tammy Faye Bakker… may she rest in peace.”
James crossed himself at the mention of Tammy Faye, then chipped in. “Man… I’ll betcha that woman could show cleavage in a turtleneck!”
“Do you think they’re real?” Tim asked.
“Don’t be silly!” Jake scoffed. “They don’t move a whisper. I’ve seen drag queens with tits that looked more real than those! I’m gonna get closer so I can hear what they’re saying...”
“May we offer you a cocktail?” Artie asked. “Miss Rivera, this is Ruth Taylor. She’ll get you whatever you’d like to drink and I’ll have just a tiny splash of vodka in this one, Ruth, please…”
“Campari and soda, if you don’t mind. Not too strong, not too much ice and with a twist of lemon, please. What a sweet little uniform… Ruth, is it? Did Artie pick that out for you?”
Ruth had her back turned to reach for the Campari bottle and it was lucky that Rosa couldn’t see the look on her face. Uniform, indeed!
“That’s not a uniform,” Artie laughed. He could only imagine what Ruth must be thinking. “Now, Rosa… may I call you ‘Rosa?’… Didn’t you have a reservation for two? Who’s joining you?”
“My assistant is parking the car. Ah… here he comes now! Bruno! I’d like you to meet Artie. He’s one of the owners of this charming little place. Bada a ciò che fai e non mettermi in imbarazzo!”
“How do you do, Artie…”
Tim couldn’t believe his eyes! It was the same Bruno he’d met in his dream in Buena Vista Park this morning, but now the dark hairy chest was covered in a gray suit, an ivory shirt and a green silk tie. Bruno turned toward Tim, but his gaze was fixed on Phil who was just sitting down at the piano.
Artie seated the two of them at a window table that wasn’t even in Tim’s section, but signaled for him to come over. Other customers were staring now. Tim wondered whether they were fans of Rosa’s television show or if they were checking out her sexy escort. Bruno did look stunningly handsome in his suit and Tim could only wonder if he was as hairy in real life as he was in the dream.
“I’d like you both to meet your waiter, our wonderful Tim Snow.” Tim managed a polite smile and nod of the head, but they didn’t notice him. Between Artie’s fawning over Rosa and her attempts at flattery in return, Tim might as well have been invisible. Rosa may have glanced in his direction, but it was hard to tell under the thick mascara on her false eyelashes. When Bruno wasn’t busy checking out Phil, his eyes were locked on
his menu.
Tim’s instinct was to be insulted that Bruno ignored him after they’d had sex with each other that very morning, but it was only a dream, after all. When he reminded himself that Bruno had never seen him before, Tim was relieved, but still a little hurt. He supposed some people came to restaurants for other reasons than to check out the waiter, but this was Castro Street. Bruno could have at least taken a break from staring at Phil to flirt with Tim a little.
The restaurant was busy! Tim didn’t normally work Sunday nights, so he wasn’t sure what was normal. He guessed that some of the crowd was made up of Rosa’s fans and others were just curious. Artie must have told everyone he knew that she was coming.
After dinner she asked to see the kitchen, so Artie took her back to meet Arturo while Bruno disappeared onto the sidewalk to smoke a cigarette.
“You don’t like her, do you?” Tim asked his Aunt Ruth across the bar.
“I would never say anything nasty about a successful and independent woman with a television career and her own business.” Ruth unloaded a tray of dirty glasses onto the sink behind the bar. “It would sound like I was jealous and I certainly am not…”
“What did she do to piss you off?”
“She made a point of complimenting me on my ‘uniform!’ Does this look like a uniform to you? Tell me. I bought this dress at Neiman Marcus. It was on sale, but still; it’s Neiman Marcus. I usually wear slacks and a blouse to work in, but Artie insisted that I wear a dress tonight and she thought it was a uniform and that Artie had picked out for me. Hmmph. Why don’t you like her, Tim?”
“I never said I didn’t like her. Did I? She just seems conniving to me. I don’t know what she wants, but she’s not just here for drinks and a free dinner. Artie sure is crazy about her though, so I don’t want to say anything negative… not yet, anyway.”
Artie and Rosa returned from the kitchen and sat down at a pair of open stools at the front end of the bar where Scott was working. Arturo came out a few seconds later and asked Ruth for a stiff shot of bourbon. She poured him a double, which he swallowed in a single gulp before he went back through the swinging doors to the kitchen without another word.
Wedding Season Page 4