Book Read Free

Blue Jay

Page 8

by A Zukowski


  down and breathe normally. As if Chris is guarding

  Alex, he steps forward to challenge the man.

  “I’d leave now, if I were you,” Chris tells the

  intruder. He is quite a few inches taller than the

  guy, but his physique doesn’t give off the

  threatening bodyguard vibe.

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  The chap’s companion starts to drag him away

  again. He retreats but not without the last word.

  “Hope you’re proud of what you’ve done.” He

  turns to his partner. “Let’s go. He’s not worth it.”

  Chris glowers at them as they walk away, then

  puts his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “All right, mate?”

  Alex relaxes under Chris’s soothing touch, but his

  heart thumps fast.

  “Yeah. It doesn’t get easier even though I’ve heard

  it a thousand times.” He covers Chris’s hand with

  his; the connection feels good. He needs to know

  what it’s like to entwine their hands. As if Chris can

  hear Alex’s inner voice, he slides his fingers between

  Alex’s.

  “I don’t think this is going to work, mate. I’m

  sorry I’ve spoilt your fun. Shall we go home?” Alex

  reluctantly removes his hand. He’s too chicken to

  rely on the entwinement for his sanity.

  “Don’t let them get to you. Come on. Let’s stay for

  a bit.” Chris knocks back the rest of his whiskey.

  “How about…we try something?”

  Chris surveys the area around them, something

  mischievous lurking in his eyes. “Okay, Alex. Don’t

  make it obvious, but you see that young woman over

  there? Your three o’clock?”

  Alex moves the minuscule few centimetres to look

  at the target. “The one with dark hair?”

  “Yeah, her. She’s gorgeous.”

  Alex can see her black silky hair, neat fringe and

  bright eyes because she happens to be standing

  under a light, leaning against a small ledge and

  watching people. “Okay. What about her?”

  Chris smirks. “Her mates have left her behind to

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  go dancing. Let’s go over and talk to her. See which

  of us she fancies. Alexander, I’ve got a good feeling

  about this. It may be your lucky day, my friend.”

  Chris’s use of his full name amuses Alex, but he’s

  not comfortable with the suggestion.

  “She’s barely legal.”

  “Nah, old man. She’s definitely legal. Early

  twenties, I’d say.” Pinpointing an age must come

  naturally to Chris since he’s such a champ of

  hooking up. “And she’s unlikely to know who you

  are. Bonus.”

  “I warn you. I’ve never done this before.” Alex

  puts his glass down, succumbing to Chris’s

  persuasion again.

  “What? You’re asexual or something? Do you

  mean you’ve never fucked around? Was there a Mrs.

  Whale? Someone special?” Chris’s eyes twinkle with

  amusement.

  Alex rubs his nose bridge, avoiding talking about

  his past and about Sam.

  “Yeah, there was a Mrs. Whale, but it didn’t stop

  me fucking around. I never had to chat women up.

  They used to throw themselves at me after the

  fights.” Realising how misogynistic it sounds, Alex

  swallows. “I’m sorry.”

  “Hmm. I hope you’ve learned a lesson now that

  Mrs. Whale has left you,” Chris says.

  You have no fucking idea.

  “Anyhoo, the next stage of your love life starts

  right now. Here’s what we do. We’ll saunter over

  there, buy her a drink and have a chat. It’ll be fun to

  see who she goes for. Next round of drinks on the

  loser.” Chris grins.

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  Alex shakes his head. “Come on. A washed-up

  boxer and a young sex god. What do you expect?”

  Chris stares at Alex, his eyelashes flickering. “You

  think of me…as a sex god?”

  Alex coughs. “I mean…for a young lass like her.

  She must think you’re sexy.” Alex stops before he

  digs himself a bigger hole.

  Chris swallows. He shifts his feet and downs his

  whiskey. “Well, if you say so. There’s only one way

  to find out what she thinks. Come on, let’s go, sexy.”

  The young woman is Lily, twenty-three, and she

  is gorgeous. Smooth, porcelain skin, big doll eyes;

  she’s taken in straight away by Chris’s charm. Her

  eyes haven’t left Chris’s face, mesmerised by every

  word he utters.

  Amused, Alex knows when he’s not wanted. Sure,

  there’s a little sourness in him, though not from the

  fact that Chris is going to get laid with a beautiful

  woman. He wishes he was the one Chris was talking

  to and trying to woo. He makes the excuse of

  needing the bathroom, and after he has used the

  facilities, he buys a Coke and sits on the stool he

  vacated earlier. Across the throng of dancing bodies,

  the two younger people are deep in conversation.

  He’ll leave Chris to his conquest and go back to the

  flat alone. He’ll be fine with that since being alone is

  his new normal now.

  Alex takes a sip of his Diet Coke and watches the

  dance floor while continuing his observation of

  Chris—his pretty, sinewy neck and body, how his

  face radiates from a distance amidst the dusk of the

  club.

  80

  ~~~

  An attractive woman with smoky eyes and

  golden-blonde hair approaches Alex. She’s more

  mature than Lily, who is currently conversing with

  Chris across the room. This one, though, is

  definitely more the type Alex would’ve taken to bed

  five years ago. He doesn’t feel threatened despite his

  wariness of the public these days.

  Still. After the earlier encounters with the people

  who wanted photographs, Alex has little enthusiasm

  for chatting to another stranger. He’s not looking

  for a casual hookup either. His recent sexual

  fantasies mostly consist of a naked Chris in bed. He

  was only humouring Chris when he agreed to come

  out.

  The woman sits on the stool next to Alex and lifts

  her face to smile at him. “Is it okay if I sit here and

  we have a little chat?”

  Alex nods and smiles back. “Sure. Let me get you

  a drink.”

  “I’m good.” She raises her full glass of white wine,

  her slender fingers wrapped around the stem. “My

  name’s Susan.”

  “Hi, I’m Alex,” he replies. “But I think you know

  that.”

  Susan smiles. The woman has flawless skin and

  brilliant white teeth. She reminds Alex of the

  models and minor celebrities who used to chat him

  up all the time.

  “So, are you taken?” she teases.

  Alex glances over to Chris, who happens to look

  his way and winks at him. The cheeky bastard.

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  Susan follows Alex’s gaze.

  “Taken? No.”

  Susan focuses on Alex’s face once more.

  “Really? I saw wh
at happened earlier with the

  snap-happy people. Who’s your companion?” She

  inclines her head ever so slightly in Chris’s

  direction.

  “My…he’s my bodyguard.” Alex winks.

  “You’re lying to me!” She grins. “He seems a bit

  too delicate and handsome for the task.”

  A perfect paradox.

  Alex cannot tear his eyes away from Chris. He

  and Lily are talking, their heads close together, their

  faces animated.

  “Appearance is deceptive. Chris is, eh, ex-

  military. He’s the best I’ve had. You wouldn’t know

  to look at him, would you?”

  Wait till I tell Chris about this.

  Chris may not have been a real guard, but he’s

  been good for Alex. For keeping him in check,

  grounding him, rendering him safe. For the first

  time in a long while, the weight on Alex’s shoulders

  lightens.

  Susan laughs. “If you say so.” She takes a large

  gulp of her white wine. “They say you’re a nasty

  piece of work, but I’ve enjoyed your company very

  much.”

  “Likewise.”

  “I’d embarrass myself by asking to go home with

  you, right?” She scans in the direction of Chris and

  his latest conquest.

  Alex turns his attention back to the woman sitting

  next to him. He does need to get laid and he should

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  accept her interest, but he’s rusty and less than

  horny while on medications. Casual sex is unlikely

  to help him get his groove back. Chris may only

  think of him as a friend and he likes to take the piss,

  but Alex would much rather be in Chris’s company

  than have sex with a stranger.

  “You’re absolutely gorgeous. But I’m not the same

  Alex Whale that everyone used to know.” The new

  Alex suits him fine, too.

  She smiles, her pretty eyes shimmering in the

  dark club. “I’d say you’ve become a better person.

  It’s my luck to get to speak to you, if only for a few

  minutes.”

  He pecks her cheek. “It’s nice that someone

  speaks to me like a regular man.”

  She giggles. “My pleasure. Have a lovely evening

  with that ‘bodyguard’ of yours!” She draws the

  quotation marks with her fingers in the air and

  stands to leave.

  Alex smiles and watches her back as she walks

  away, and he wonders for the thousandth time

  recently what the fuck is wrong with him for not

  taking the woman home, having sex with her and

  living up to the expectation of an alpha-male.

  ~~~

  Chris converses with Lily but his attention

  remains on Alex. The lovely young woman is

  touching his arm and talking, her mouth opening

  and shutting. Her longing eyes gleam brightly under

  the spotlights emanating from the bar.

  “Sorry?” Chris realises he’s missed what she’s

  been saying for the past five minutes.

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  “Where do you live? Do you want to take a walk?

  It’s a bit too loud for conversation here.”

  Chris is quite well aware what the euphemism

  means. She’ll make a good distraction, even if she

  seems inexperienced and innocent. There were

  times when he wanted to leave someone like that

  heartbroken, but not tonight. He’s getting too soft

  and caring for sure.

  Chris was probably six when he found out he

  could either hurt others’ feelings or risk getting hurt

  himself.

  Chris’s dick has been twitching, but it’s for the

  unmissable Alex across the room. A little spark of

  envy settles in Chris’s chest when a very elegant

  lady sits on the stool he vacated, and she proceeds

  to chat Alex up. Chris thought Alex might be too

  tense to talk with yet another stranger but he seems

  to get on with her. With the noise and music, she’s

  been leaning close to speak to him, and he pays

  attention, nodding and smiling. When Alex smiles,

  his face lights up for a second, and he’s stunning in

  Chris’s eyes. But Alex shuts himself down after the

  briefest showing of happiness, as though the boxer

  has been trained to reveal no emotions. Different

  coping mechanisms to Chris’s, but Chris recognises

  the result.

  The woman is beautiful, but Chris is not going to

  be jealous of a couple of straight people chatting

  each other up.

  I have only myself to blame. Duh. Will you want

  me if I tell you how I feel sometimes? Oh, I’ve

  forgotten Lily again.

  “Ah, I’ll stay and have another drink. I’m not sure

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  what we’re doing later. You see, I’ve come out with

  my mate.” Chris points to Alex.

  “Yeah, he’s pretty impressive.” She eyes Chris,

  then smiles. “Not my type, though.”

  When the blonde has left Alex alone, Chris’s heart

  does a happy dance. He makes his excuses and

  beelines back to his flatmate.

  “Hey, handsome. Do you come here often?”

  Alex grins and shakes his head. “I’ve never been

  called that before.”

  “In the eye of the beholder and all that.” Chris

  lifts her head and beams at him. “Come on. What’s

  wrong with the woman?”

  “Ah, she’s just a fan.”

  Chris arches an eyebrow. “So? Does your dick feel

  different when you’re inside a fan?”

  Alex frowns. “Your face may be pretty but you’ve

  got a crude mouth.”

  “I was raised by my mother, not polite society.”

  Alex repeats the question back at Chris: “What’s

  wrong with Lily?”

  Chris grimaces. “I felt like the wolf enticing Red

  Riding Hood.”

  That makes Alex laugh.

  Chris’s clever comeback hangs in the air as

  ‘Girls/Girls/Boys’ blasts out of the monitors. “Oh,

  my gosh. I love this song!” Chris screams. “We’ve

  got to dance.”

  Alex glares at her. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

  “No, I’m not. Come on!” Chris pulls Alex’s arm.

  “I don’t dance.”

  “Yeah? You do now.” Chris tugs the big man

  along. “You performed in front of millions, Alex. Are

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  you scared of these people? In the dark?”

  Alex slips down from his stool. “One fucking

  song,” he says.

  They dance along to the tune. The singer is

  pleading to another to change their mind and find

  him. Surprising himself, the boy abandons the girl

  for another boy.

  Lost in the heady scent of body heat and sweat,

  they move with the rhythm. Being so close to Alex

  makes Chris all tingly and hot. Alex’s body under

  the tight dress shirt does wonderful things—

  unfamiliar and tender things—to Chris’s insides.

  Chris dances like a pro, gyrating to the song, lost

  in the intoxicating scent of Alex. The other revellers

  ogle her and by default they take in Alex. Chris

 
closes her eyes and grins. When she opens her eyes

  again, she is gazing at something close to magic. She

  throws her arms around Alex’s neck and makes him

  swing along with her.

  Alex is not a practised dancer, but heat radiates

  from his body as they rub against each other on the

  dance floor.

  Chris closes in and puts her warm cheek against

  Alex’s. Inches apart, Alex’s hot breath tingles Chris.

  “You’re doing great.”

  “One song,” Alex insists.

  ~~~

  Chris stumbles out of the taxi and stands next to

  Alex outside their front door.

  Alex wants to laugh, watching his flatmate

  struggle with his key. Chris has been drinking

  whiskey all night and at one point went to the toilet

  86

  to smoke dope. His hand trembles slightly as he

  tries to aim at the keyhole but fails, and he looks up

  and giggles, his aquamarine eyes sparkling under

  the streetlamp. Cute.

  Alex senses Chris’s flirtation and the arousal. His

  cheeks are flushed and pupils dilated. Alex sniffs

  and indulges in that faint floral scent from Chris’s

  shampoo, closing his eyes fleetingly.

  “Oh, holy hole,” Chris whispers, high and giddy.

  “Give me it,” Alex demands. “You’re drunk,

  Christoph.”

  “I’m not, and my name’s Chris. I don’t use…that

  other name.” He pouts. Surprising Alex, he reaches

  up the couple of inches and kisses him on the neck,

  his lips soft and wet.

  Alex loves the impetuous gesture, but he’s

  intrigued by the meaning of Chris’s name. “It’s on

  your letters.”

  “Well, I’m not my official self.”

  Alex is confused, but he puts it down to Chris

  being rather intoxicated.

  Since Chris refuses to hand over the key, Alex

  takes his out instead and opens the door in one

  smooth movement. Alex helps Chris in, and for

  once, he doesn’t protest. He sways, leaning close as

  they climb the three flights of stairs and negotiate

  the temperamental lighting arrangement like a

  pirouette, but the heat that passed between them in

  the club and outside the door cools, to Alex’s

  dismay.

  Once in the flat, Alex wrings his hands. “Thanks

  for the evening. I had a good time.”

  Lame, lame, lame. He kicks himself for not

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  knowing what else he could have said to Chris, to

  tell him he’s special.

  “You’re welcome.” Chris stretches again and gives

  him another peck. Alex inhales the floral perfume

 

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