by KC Burn
For a moment it looked like Stefan was going to leave, but he inhaled deeply and sat up straight, as though preparing for an unsavory task. “How are things going at work? Are you getting along with Will?”
Waves of heat and cold swept through Dallas’s body at the unexpected question. “I don’t think he likes me much.” Dallas’s voice broke on the last word, and he turned away from Stefan’s intent gaze. The last thing he wanted was for Stefan to wade in like an avenging angel. He snorted quietly. Maybe he wanted a little avenging, but at this point, involving Stefan would only cause trouble.
Dallas took a couple of deep breaths before he felt calm enough to look at Stefan again.
Stefan sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell him we’re related? It might make it easier to understand why I hired you without consulting him.”
Panic chased away his melancholy. “No! I mean, I think it will be better if I win him over on my own.” Even more so after they’d had sex. He did not think Will would take the information well at all, not right now.
“I probably should have… I don’t know… presented you differently. Approached the subject of hiring differently. If I made this harder for you, then I’m sorry. Did you want me to talk to him again?”
Dallas smiled. “Nah. I think I can handle this without my big bro stepping in.” After all, he might still be a kid in his brother’s eyes, but he’d spent the past two years running a tech department for a Fortune 500 company. Too bad getting fired and losing his health insurance meant he’d lost everything he’d saved for himself.
Stefan smiled and patted him on the knee.
“Hello, darlings,” Paul said as he breezed into the kitchen. He stood across the table from Dallas and dropped a couple of individual packs of lube and a handful of condoms on the table. “Beck tells me he’s taking you to CG.”
Dallas laughed. Apparently he was leaving with condoms whether he liked it or not. “I’m not going to need five condoms!”
Paul fixed him with a stern look. “Even if you’re on PrEP, condoms, condoms, condoms. A good gay boy should never be without.” He shuddered. “Too many things out there to make your dick rot and fall off.”
“Okay, okay, I surrender.”
“Pasta good for dinner?” Paul winked. “Need to make sure there’s plenty of room for sausage later.”
Dallas groaned. Had he just been thinking about how much he liked that Stefan and Paul were family?
“Paul, I’ve got some bad news. I’m thinking of going vegetarian.”
Paul’s eyes widened in horror. “Never say so. Stefan, what have you been telling him?”
“It’s not me.” Stefan held up his hands, fingers spread. “But I think one of the models has caught his eye.”
“Oh, ho. So that’s the lay of the land.”
At Paul’s words, the heat in Dallas’s cheeks returned. He had a feeling Paul might try to meddle in Dallas’s virtually nonexistent love life.
“I have to get ready.” Dallas scooped up a few plastic packets, tucked them in his pocket, and practically ran for the haven of his room.
DALLAS GOT out of his car and self-consciously smoothed the tight paisley shirt. Butterflies took flight in his stomach as he watched the door. The muffled thrum of music, barely more than a rhythmic beat, floated to his ears, but not clearly enough for him to identify a song. A small cluster of men stood off to the side smoking, neon wristbands visible even at this distance. The line in front of the bouncer stretched much longer than he’d expected, showing how popular the bachelor auction event was.
He spent a few minutes inspecting the guys waiting to get in. It had been so long since he’d worn anything but suits to leave the house, he hadn’t quite trusted his instincts at the mall. But he’d done okay for himself. Enough of the men wore clothes similar to Dallas that some of his nerves dissipated. Not all of them, though. Beck had suggested meeting somewhere and carpooling, but Dallas had declined. Not only were the bachelors for the auction supposed to be there quite early, he wanted the option to leave if he didn’t enjoy himself, and not have to worry about whomever he’d carpooled with. Now that he was faced with the club doors, all on his own, he was having second and third thoughts about that decision. He took a few deep cleansing breaths and crossed the length of the parking lot to the bouncer.
“I’m Dallas. A guest of Beck’s?” Dallas didn’t know why he’d said it as a question. Beck had promised to put him on the VIP list, but it wasn’t like Dallas was unsure of Beck’s identity. His reliability, though, hadn’t as yet been confirmed.
However, the bouncer skimmed his list and nodded. “Go on in, Dallas.” Then he smirked. “I’m off in an hour. Save me a dance, hottie.”
Dallas let a half smile hitch the corners of his lips upward. Pissing off bouncers didn’t strike him as wise, but neither was a big, muscle-bound hunk his style. He’d found they tended to throw their weight around, literally and figuratively, much in the same manner his dad did, and at this point in time, he had no interest in having anything to do with someone who might remind him of his father.
The hand on his ass, though, was anything but fatherly, and Dallas’s smile widened as he walked into the club. There might be only one guy he was interested in right now, but he couldn’t deny the big guy’s appreciation did wonders to perk up his self-esteem.
Inside, Dallas moved out of the way and stopped to get his bearings. A stage on the far wall had been decorated with a white wicker arch and bunches of balloons. The dance floor in front of the stage contained several men—at least as many as the number waiting outside. At either side of the dance floor stood two bars outlined in rainbow mini lights. The bartenders, from Dallas’s vantage point, appeared to be completely naked, but he assumed they were at least wearing jocks.
Several lush booths lined the walls, interspersed with doorways. Dallas didn’t know if they led to restrooms, sex rooms, or simply other areas of the club. For the time being, there was plenty in this room to keep him occupied. The lighting was low, and no matter how much he squinted, there were a number of areas shrouded in shadow. He suspected that was entirely intentional.
At the bar, the bartender looked him up and down with a lewd little smile, but then, that was what bartenders did, didn’t they? After ordering a bottle of water, he fired off a quick text to Beck, letting him know he was there.
He moved out of the way of the bar, and despite a number of inviting looks, he didn’t make significant eye contact as he made his way closer to the stage, or as close as he could get without getting on the dance floor. He wasn’t quite ready for dancing with himself, though, despite the irony of that particular 80s song playing at the moment.
“There you are.” Beck wrapped him in a quick hug before pulling back to inspect Dallas. “Oh my God, honey, you are absolutely wasted on all those computers. C’mon.”
Beck grabbed his hand and led him toward a door marked “Private.” Dallas tugged on his hand, trying to slow their progress.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not in the auction. I shouldn’t be back there.”
Beck rolled his eyes. “Oh. Now I get the computer thing.” Dallas didn’t know what that meant, exactly, but he could guess. Aside from all the effort he’d put into making sure his career followed the lines he set, not his father, he didn’t do much rule breaking. Tweaking Will’s nose to get him to sit up and take notice wasn’t the same thing at all.
“You can be in the auction if you want. A hottie like you would get a ton of bids.”
Odd how something could sound both complimentary and slightly unsavory all at the same time.
“No, I don’t think so.” He’d had sex with a grand total of three men. Selling himself, seriously or not, was a little beyond his comfort zone.
“Whatever. You can at least hang with us until it’s showtime.” Beck led him into an unexpectedly large room with several mirrored stations, the kind Dallas had seen on TV. He’d seen a poster advertising
a regular drag show, but the particulars of guys getting ready to perform had never occurred to him.
Tonight, though, the models he recognized from Idyll Fling mingled amongst a few other men, all of them good-looking, but Dallas had almost expected to be the oldest one there. Probably he needed to not make so many assumptions when, despite his own orientation, he didn’t really know how things worked out in the real, nonwork world.
As soon as they saw him, the Idyll Fling guys surrounded him, and they chatted for a few minutes until another door opened.
An absolutely stunning man stood there, and considering Dallas’s current company, that was saying something. A bright red streak bisected almost-black hair, hanging artfully over a pale, beautiful face. The man’s black shirt matched his hair, and a red plaid kilt matched the streak. Gorgeous. Drool-worthy, even, if Dallas wasn’t stupidly hung up on another man. Dallas wasn’t sure how he felt about a bachelor auction, but this guy was going to bring in a fuckton of money.
“Good evening, gentlemen. Ready to make some money for charity tonight?” He waited for the cheers to die down before he continued. “I know we’re running a little late, but I’ll be handing out your numbers soon. We’re just getting a microphone issue sorted out.”
This was the guy in charge? When he disappeared again, Dallas turned to Beck.
“Who was that?”
Beck blinked at him for a second as though trying to understand Dallas’s question. “That’s Raven. He started up this Tartan Candy thing after he quit Idyll Fling. Didn’t I tell you this?”
Dallas shook his head. “What’s Tartan Candy?”
“Eh, Raven calls it eye candy in kilts. They get hired on to look pretty or whatever for corporate events and conferences and stuff. But no sex stuff, so he doesn’t usually need us to help out.”
It wasn’t obvious from his looks, but Raven had the poise of a man several years older than Beck, and likely a few years older than Dallas too, so he didn’t know if Beck’s and Raven’s time at Idyll Fling had overlapped. Asking if they’d had sex on camera seemed a bit intrusive, even though he’d already seen Beck mostly naked. Maybe after they’d gotten better acquainted.
Beck laughed. “He’s taken, honey, so don’t get your hopes up.”
Dallas’s cheeks heated. He’d definitely been ogling, but not because he was hoping to hit on the man. He had enough trouble dealing with Will. “Oh, I wasn’t going to try anything.”
“Don’t get me wrong. You guys would look totally hot together, but he’s got a super hot handyman boyfriend. Raven’s happier than a pig in shit.”
A pig in shit? For the first time, he wondered exactly where Beck had grown up. There had been the occasional twang of the South in his words, but regardless, Dallas had just assumed he was an Orlando native. There was also a tiny hint of… discontent, maybe, in his tone. Dallas didn’t know if it was over Raven in particular or simply that he was in a happy relationship that caused it.
Prying into others’ lives didn’t come naturally to him, since he spent so long deflecting interest in his own life, so he wasn’t sure if he should ask questions. Beck was garrulous enough that Dallas figured he’d find out about anything Beck wanted him to know, sooner or later.
He was saved from defending himself further from Beck’s belief that Dallas wanted Raven by the appearance of the man in question.
“The crowd is ready, maybe a little too ready.” Raven winked, making a few of the guys laugh. “Once you’ve got your number, line up in order, and we’ll get you out there on display.”
Just then Dallas realized the music was lower, and someone was clearly speaking over a microphone, although the words and voice were inaudible.
Raven moved through the group handing out numbered cards. When he got to Dallas, he frowned.
“You’re not one of my bachelors. But there’s always room for one more. Did you want to join in?”
How Raven could tell Dallas didn’t belong, he didn’t know, but he still shook his head furiously. “I’m just here to support Beck and the others.”
Raven nodded, looking thoughtful. “Are you sure? Not trying to pressure you or anything, but you’ve got a great look.”
The auction part sounded like fun, sounded like something an out gay man would do, but he didn’t know what was involved. His stomach swooped. Would whoever bought him expect sex? Even if he wasn’t trying to figure Will out, he couldn’t have sex with a stranger, especially not the day after he’d had sex with Will. He knew his limits too well.
Beck ran over, a sheet of paper in hand. “Raven, did you get him to join in? He really should be with our group. He’s the new tech guy. And since he has to work all day in the cave, he needs to have some fun.”
Raven smiled kindly. “Nervous? Don’t be. I’m not saying there won’t be sex involved, but the auction is for dinner only. Like a date.”
A date wasn’t such a bad thing. After all, he really didn’t know anyone in town, and it was for a good cause. Dallas shrugged and took the paper. Beck grinned and gave him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before returning to his place in line.
“You’re not dating Beck, are you?”
“No. He’s just been very kind. Friendly.” It hadn’t been hard to figure out Beck wasn’t interested in dating or a relationship, which would have warned Dallas off, if he’d been interested.
After digging around in his sporran, Raven produced a pen. “It’s not much to fill out, but do it quick.”
Dallas did as he was bid, but as soon as he finished, trepidation shook him, and a butterfly bomb exploded in his midsection. “You’re sure they won’t expect sex?”
Raven shook his head, but he was staring at Dallas’s form, where he’d answered simple questions, like name, job title, age, hobbies, and interests.
“Dallas Greene?” Raven looked up at him, recognition clear in his eyes, and the butterflies made a frantic bid for escape.
“Um, yes?” His voice was barely more than a squeak. How did Raven know him?
“You’re the new tech guy at Idyll Fling? Why didn’t anyone tell me Stefan’s brother was in town and working for him?”
Panic blanked Dallas’s mind for a moment. Whatever he’d been expecting Raven to say, it hadn’t been that. “No one knows.”
“What?”
“I mean… I asked Stefan not to say anything. I didn’t want anyone to be weird about me working for him. Or to treat me differently. Please don’t tell anyone.”
If Will knew, would he have been nicer? Meaner? More aloof? Dallas could guarantee there would have been no blow job to test Dallas’s gayness, that was for fucking sure. That outstanding blow job had been worth the secret all on its own.
“Okay, I can see that. I won’t mention it to anyone.”
Dallas grabbed Raven’s forearm. “Wait. How did you even know?” Was Will going to be able to figure it out too?
Raven patted his hand, giving him another kind smile. “I was one of the first Idyll Fling models, when your br… when Stefan started up the studio. We became friends, and he told me all about you when you reached out to him from college, wanting to reconnect.”
Dallas didn’t know what to say, but if Stefan had trusted this man with personal information, then Dallas was confident he could too.
“Are you still nervous about the sex thing?” Raven’s voice held no judgment or amusement. After all, it had to be ironic or something that Stefan’s brother had hang-ups about sex. And had, now, only had three sexual partners.
Didn’t stop Dallas from nodding. “I am. A little. I’ve been mostly in the closet until, well, three weeks ago, when I showed up on Stefan’s doorstep.”
Raven gave him a quick hug. “How about this? My boyfriend’s cousin is in the audience tonight. I’ll text him and make sure he bids on you. Your date with him can be a double date with me and Caleb, so it’ll be perfectly safe. How does that sound?”
The butterflies flapped one last time before they settled. He mi
ght not have met Raven before, but his connection to Stefan made him trustworthy. And a double date didn’t sound so bad. He’d rather be dating Will, but it also wouldn’t hurt to get to know more people in Orlando. If he was going to stay, he needed to expand his social circle.
“It sounds great. How can you be sure he’ll win?”
“Eh. We’ll put you at the end. Most of the big bidders will have blown their wad on the models, pun intended.” Raven winked. “Besides, we mentioned how many bachelors were going to be auctioned in our advertising. You’ll be an unexpected surprise.”
“Thanks, Raven.” Dallas hoped he sounded as grateful as he felt. Raven pulled a phone out of his sporran and started typing.
There was a moment where he rolled his eyes. “God, Jaime.”
“What? It’s okay if he doesn’t want to do it.” His belly shook, ready to rouse the butterfly army.
“He’s just being an idiot. Says he’ll miss out on a chance to bid for a porn star. Not like he couldn’t have asked for an introduction any damn time. He’s just pulling my chain.”
There were a lot of exclamation points on Raven’s text, but that was all Dallas could be sure of before he hit Send. They waited for what felt like several years before Raven’s phone buzzed again.
“Okay, we’re all set. And I’d better get out there, since I’m supposed to introduce everyone.” Raven shoved him to the end of the line. “When you get out there, just smile. I’ll do the rest.”
Going last, Dallas would see how the whole process worked, and hopefully he wouldn’t make a total fool of himself when he walked out on the stage. At least he was wearing sexy new clothes, so he could at least hold his own next to the Idyll Fling models.
TARTAN CANDY had only done one bachelor auction before, and that time someone else did all the planning and work. The event had a lot of buzz, but it was also the most work-intensive events they’d done yet. Raven had to introduce everyone and keep track of the bidders. Will had to make sure the bachelors and their bidders met up, and kept track of the donations. Today, though, he was grateful to be busy enough so he didn’t have to remember what a colossal idiot he’d been. He had done everything wrong, both as a manager and a man who’d been betrayed by the guy whose cock he’d sucked.