“How flexible is he?” Davii asked in a lascivious tone.
“I never found out. He’s straight.”
Davii tried not to laugh, but he obviously couldn’t help himself. “Poor Derek. Those metrosexuals make the dating world so tricky.”
“I told you I come off like an idiot in this story,” Derek lamented.
“I think it’s charming,” Davii said. “Don’t ask me why.”
After a pause, Derek asked, “Why?”
“I told you not to ask me that,” Davii admonished, giving Derek’s head a playful shove. When Derek rolled his eyes, Davii said, “It’s kind of sweet that you put yourself out there like that. At the mercy of the object of your affection. It’s so tragic in a Pretty in Pink kind of way. Or am I thinking of Sixteen Candles? Anyway, it sounds like a real Molly Ringwald moment.”
Derek and Davii locked eyes in the mirror and said simultaneously, “Jake Ryan.”
“See? I knew I could make you forget about what’s-his-name,” Davii said. “I just wish I’d known you were carrying a torch for him so I could’ve set you straight. So to speak.”
“You knew Christian was straight?” Derek exclaimed. “Why didn’t Vienna tell me?”
“We don’t tell each other everything! She probably doesn’t even know he’s my client,” Davii explained. “Now you know that she’s not the only one who’s got the goods on the people in this mall. Next time you have a rampant crush on someone, come to me.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Derek said.
“Or just come to me,” Davii said. “My last appointment’s at six.”
Derek wondered what he meant. Was it the prelude to asking for a date? He took a deep breath and said, “Are you asking me out?”
Davii said, “Yeah. I know I’m not straight—”
“Stop!” Derek pleaded, completely embarrassed. “I’m serious.”
“So am I,” Davii said. “I think there’s a dog show at the Hulman Center. That might be fun.”
“Neither of us has a car,” Derek reminded him. “I mean, I could have a Congreve car—”
“No, you’re right,” Davii said, cutting him off. Maybe he, like Derek, thought it was in bad taste to use the Congreve to help Derek cheat on its owner. “Something closer to home. Do you bowl?”
“I’m actually pretty good,” Derek said. “In high school—”
“I’m lousy, so that’s out. What about skating?”
“I’m not very good,” Derek said.
“The roller rink it is,” Davii said with a malicious grin. “See, I’m good at that.”
When Davii leaned against him to reach for his electric clippers, Derek was sure Davii knew that his goods were parked firmly against Derek’s biceps, as if giving a preview of coming attractions. Derek could already tell it was going to be much better than any movie he would have picked out.
“Tonight at eight at the Launch Pad,” Derek said agreeably, then added, “I can’t wait to check out your payload.”
One of Davii’s eyebrows shot up, and he said, “Don’t forget to bring your rocket.”
“Liftoff!” Derek said.
“I gotta get out of this mall,” Davii said. “The double entendres are killing me.”
Derek left Davii’s tip with the woman at the counter when he paid. He couldn’t figure out the etiquette of tipping someone with whom he’d be on a date in a few hours. Then he went to Diesel, where he was checking out his butt in a pair of jeans when his cell phone rang. He looked at the display, rolled his eyes, and answered, “Already?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vienna said. “But you work fast, honey.”
“You work faster. Did he call you?”
“Actually, I called him, and he told me. I thought I’d warn you. The boy can skate.”
“So I’ve heard. We all have our talents.”
“I didn’t tell him, so I’m telling you; I’ll be out very late tonight,” Vienna said. “Just in case.”
“It’s only a first date.”
“Right. I’d better call first before I come home. Have fun.” She hung up.
Derek’s euphoria at having an actual date carried him through the rest of the day. He avoided his computer. The last thing he needed was another e-mail from Hunter that would make him feel like crap.
But his timing was off, and he found himself dressed way too early in his new jeans and a black crewneck sweater that made him look more buff than he was. He fidgeted. Times like these made him wish he smoked. He checked his reflection for the hundredth time, then he couldn’t avoid the darkly beckoning gaze of his monitor any longer. He powered on the computer.
Derek,
Sorry I’ve been out of touch. I went on a three-day dive trip. Oh, God, Derek, it was amazing. I can’t do it justice with words. I kept looking to my right, as if you were there next to me, wanting you to see what I was seeing. You have to take diving lessons. You have to see this for yourself one day. But if your boss has soured you on swimming with the great whites and you must stay on the beaches, there’s plenty to enjoy there. Sydney has the hottest men in the world. G’day—Hunter
Don’t think about it, Derek warned himself. He’s not doing anything you aren’t doing. Let it go. Don’t let it spoil your night.
It was Hunter’s contradictions that left Derek reeling. He couldn’t just leave it at the hint of I-wish-you-were-here. He had to add the part about the great men. Hunter gave and he took away all in one paragraph.
“Fuck him,” Derek said. “I’m tired of this cycle.”
His spirits lifted when he saw Davii outside the Launch Pad. He was wearing the same jeans as Derek, and they eyed each other and laughed. At least Davii’s sweater was navy instead of black, but they still looked like a somewhat mismatched pair of twins. Davii was definitely hotter.
“You look so handsome,” Davii said with a smile.
“Of course you’d say that. I look like I dressed out of your closet.”
“Babe, trust me. Clothes don’t always make the man. You’d look good in—” Davii glanced around until his eyes fell on a middle-aged man wearing a plaid shirt in neon colors and a pair of brown Sansabelt slacks, and he finished, “—that.”
“Thank you. I think,” Derek said, and Davii gently shoved him toward the entrance of the roller rink. He tried to pay, but Davii wouldn’t let him.
“You can pay next time. Let’s get our skates.”
As promised, Davii was a skating fiend. He was all over the place with gravity-defying smoothness an ice-skater would have envied. Derek didn’t care. He was content to roll along the perimeter with the parents, gazing with fondness at Davii just as they stared at their daring children. He flinched as he maneuvered around Sansabelt Man. At least he wasn’t a threat to other skaters.
While he watched Davii, Derek had the uncomfortable realization that his date reminded him of Hunter. They both had a natural athletic grace that was a pleasure to look at. The most enjoyable part of the circuit parties Derek had gone to with Hunter had been the dancing. Derek and Hunter both loved to dance, and Derek often thought it was the one thing that let Hunter forget everything but his joy in the moment. They’d be on the floor among hundreds of beautiful, gleaming men, and Derek couldn’t tear his gaze from Hunter, who flirted and teased Derek with his body and his eyes. When other men would touch either of them, Hunter would just smile, until finally he’d reach for Derek and slowly pull him closer. Their first kiss would seem to last until they were back in their bed, gorging themselves on each other’s scents and tastes in moments of sweaty passion.
Derek shook off the image, reminding himself of how distant Hunter was off the dance floor. Although, he couldn’t say it was a physical distance. Hunter had never given a damn what anybody thought, probably because he’d grown up feeling entitled to the world’s approval. If he wanted to drape an arm over Derek’s shoulders, kiss him hello, or pull out a chair for him, he just did it, no matter wh
ere they were.
As Derek watched Davii wind his way through couples, he knew he’d been spoiled. Middle America was not a place where two men could dance together, or even skate together, without fear. So his eyes widened when Davii skated toward him with an outstretched hand.
“Come on,” Davii said.
“I can’t,” Derek said, darting a look around.
“You can,” Davii said. “Just take my hand. I won’t let you fall.” Derek absolved himself of consequences and let Davii lead him to the center of the rink, blurring his eyes so he wouldn’t be tempted to watch if dozens of straight people grabbed their children and fled the scene. “When you have the right partner,” Davii said, “it all becomes so easy.”
“Okay,” Derek said, leaning into Davii’s body when he felt Davii’s arm slip around his waist.
When the song ended, Davii gave him a hug and said, “Told you. You’re a natural.”
“I think…I’m ready…to go,” Derek said, looking at Davii’s mouth.
“It’s not good to just stop,” Davii said, his breathing a little heavy. “We should cool down.”
“We’ll take the outside path to the Galaxy Building,” Derek said.
Davii gave him a perplexed look and said, “Are you okay?” When Derek mutely nodded, Davii shrugged and said, “All right. Let’s get our shoes.” They didn’t speak again until they stepped outside the mall, when Davii took a deep breath and said, “Do you ever get tired of being inside that bubble? Sometimes I feel like I’m suffocating.”
Derek thought of the times he’d traveled with Hunter and how he always felt a little displaced until he was back in the Congreve. Before he could answer, he heard a voice behind them call, “Cocksuckers.”
“Shit,” he said and tried to walk faster, but Davii stopped short and turned around.
“Excuse me?” Davii asked.
Derek turned back and saw two teenaged boys getting closer. They looked stupid and mean, and he softly said, “Davii, they have no necks. They look like offensive linemen. Keep walking.”
“They’re offensive, all right,” Davii said, standing his ground. “I’m sorry. Were you speaking to us? I didn’t quite catch what you said.”
“Fucking fags,” one of the boys said.
“You looked real pretty in the skating rink,” the other one said. “We thought you might like to dance with us. Which one of you wants to be my girl?”
“Fuck you, asshole,” Davii said, and Derek tensed as the boy lunged for Davii. Davii moved so fast that until the boy was bent double, gasping, Derek didn’t realize what had happened. Davii was looking at the other boy and was poised to strike again. “Come on. Maybe you’re tougher than your buddy.”
“I can’t breathe,” the first boy gasped. “Get him, Billy.”
“Fuck that,” Billy said, backing away from Davii. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Good idea,” Davii said. “I don’t want to see either of you again unless you’re getting those unibrows waxed.” Davii watched alertly until Billy had helped his friend walk back inside the mall, then he relaxed and gave Derek a little smile.
“What the hell just happened?” Derek asked.
“Tae kwon do. Third-degree black belt,” Davii said.
“Jesus, Davii. You’re my hero.”
“It was just a kick,” Davii said with a shrug. “It’s a simple move. Makes ’em feel like they’ve had the shit knocked out of them, but if done right, there’s no permanent damage. Maybe a bruise. I could teach it to you in five minutes.”
“I’d rather just swoon from fear,” Derek said with a wary look. “You’re scaring me.”
“I wouldn’t hurt you,” Davii vowed.
“I think I love you,” Derek said.
“Aw, don’t be so easy. I haven’t even shown you my original artwork and subdued lighting yet.” He started giggling and said, “Sorry. Adrenaline. I’m kind of giddy.”
“Come on, Bruce Lee. Let’s get out of here before the bad guys come back with their friends.”
Davii frowned and said, “Bruce Lee was jeet kun do.”
“Well, I’m jeet kun don’t,” Derek said. “Let’s go.”
As they walked, Davii said, “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about martial arts. I’d never be aggressive toward anyone except in self-defense. It’s about mastery of the self, not fighting. Fear is a natural reaction when threatened.”
“Uh-huh, my natural reaction almost made me ruin my Diesel jeans,” Derek said.
Davii laughed and said, “The fear is what you have to fight against. Not some redneck assholes who challenge you.”
When they were safely inside Davii’s apartment, Derek shook his head and said, “I could be in an emergency room right now.”
“I think there’s an emergency in my bedroom,” Davii said in a helpful tone. Derek followed him there, watching while Davii lit some candles and turned on his stereo. When Davii lit a stick of incense, Derek sniffed the air with a pleased expression. “Nag champa,” Davii said. “Preferred by eight out of ten action heroes.” He patted the bed. “Get comfortable.”
“I’m kind of dazzled by you right now,” Derek said. “You might take unfair advantage of me.”
“Only in self-defense, remember,” Davii said, grinning at him. When Derek dropped on the bed next to him, Davii rolled onto his back and stretched out his hands, saying, “I’m wide open for attack. This is the perfect opportunity.” Derek moved in close to him and lifted up his sweater a little bit. “Oh, somebody help me,” Davii said. Derek laughed and leaned in to kiss Davii’s stomach. Suddenly Davii yelped and drew his knees upward, knocking Derek in the head. “I’m sorry!” Davii said, sitting up to put his arms around Derek, who was holding his head and cursing. “I’m a little ticklish.”
“You are? I didn’t notice,” Derek said sarcastically.
“Here, let me try to make it better,” Davii said. He kissed Derek’s temple carefully and gently. “How’s that?”
“A little better,” Derek said.
“What about this?” Davii asked, then kissed Derek’s forehead.
“Much better,” Derek murmured.
While Davii kissed Derek’s other temple, Derek put his hands under Davii’s sweater. Davii pulled back and raised his arms so Derek could remove the sweater. As he pulled the sweater over Davii’s head, it got caught on Davii’s earring. Davii said, “Hold on. Don’t pull it—it’s caught!”
After two minutes of untangling, Derek asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Davii said, rubbing his ear.
Derek tossed both sweaters aside and looked longingly at Davii, who crept toward him on the bed. He rested his hands on Derek’s thighs and moved in to kiss him. Unfortunately, Derek shifted his weight and they knocked their teeth hard as they kissed.
“Ow!” Derek exclaimed, putting his hand over his mouth. “Can we stop for a minute?”
They both rolled over on their backs and stared at the ceiling. Davii started laughing and said, “You don’t need tae kwon do. Just try to kiss your attacker, and you’ll be fine.” When Derek didn’t respond, he propped himself on his elbow. “Grasshopper, I sense a lack of confidence in your troubled soul. Admittedly, some of my insight has come from Vienna.”
Derek frowned, uneasy with the thought of Vienna analyzing him behind his back, and said, “What was her theory?”
“Hunter Congreve,” Davii said. “Vienna has worked all over this mall, and she’s waited on him several times. I get the impression he’s aloof, domineering, and full of himself.”
“You’ve been misinformed,” Derek said, wishing he didn’t sound so prissy.
“Vienna’s a pretty astute judge of character,” Davii disagreed. “He sounds like the kind of person who’d tear you down.”
Before he could stop himself, Derek said, “Not at all. Hunter and Vienna come from different worlds; she doesn’t understand him. People take advantage of Hunter unless he keeps his distance. It’
s not his problem; it’s theirs. As soon as they hear the Congreve name, people treat him differently. Mostly like he owes them something. It’s hard for him to trust people when they’re so eager to use him in some way.”
“Excuse me, but I find it difficult to feel sorry for someone of the privileged class who whines about how tough he has it,” Davii said.
“Hunter would never whine, and he’s not the one who’s saying this. He wouldn’t, because he’s probably never figured it out himself. It’s the way I see him. He’s my boyfriend; I think I know him better than Vienna does.” Derek paused, then went on. “Why is this date suddenly going south? And not in a good way?”
Davii shook his head and said, “I think you just answered your own question. He’s your boyfriend. So what are you doing with me?”
“I just—I don’t know,” Derek admitted. He desperately wanted to change the subject and looked at a pile of papers and magazines on the floor next to Davii’s bed. “What’s all that?”
Davii looked down and said, “Articles on salons in New York and L.A.”
“Trying to get ideas?” Derek asked.
“Getting applications,” Davii said. “I would love to move away from here.”
“I didn’t know that,” Derek said.
“I’m sure you would if Vienna knew,” Davii said. “I haven’t talked about it to her. I mean, if nothing comes of it, why upset her?” He was quiet for a few seconds, then he said, “Vienna is really the only thing that keeps me here. I know she puts on a good act, but she’s been through a lot. I told you about her divorce.”
“Yes. She was pissed that I knew.”
“I know. But underneath her tough exterior, Vienna can be a little fragile. She has some demons of her own to master. I don’t think I could leave her hanging, even if it means I’m stuck here for a while.”
“If you really feel like you’re stuck here, I think Vienna would hate thinking she’s holding you back,” Derek said.
“I agree. That’s why I don’t talk about it. Besides, it’s not forever. When the time is right, we’ll both know it.”
Someone Like You Page 13