by Riley Hart
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know.” When we get to his door, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see Steven’s name on the screen. Thank God. I close my eyes because I really thought he wouldn’t call. “It’s him,” I say, then answer the call. “Hi, Steven, it’s good to hear from you.”
My pulse jackhammers. Just because he’s calling doesn’t mean he still wants to meet. He could change his mind. What the fuck would I do if he changed his mind?
“Travis, sorry about the delay. Things have been crazy. How does next Friday night look for you and Gary?”
Fuck, yes! “He’s right here. Let me ask him.” Turning to look at Gary, I say, “Steven wants to meet next Friday night. Does that work for you?” Then I add, “babe,” because I’m obviously an overachiever.
Shock flashes in Gary’s expressive eyes. “Yeah…yeah, of course.”
Steven gives me the time and says he’ll text the address. The second we get off the phone, I’m picking Gary up and squeezing him in my arms and spinning us around. “Oh my God! I can’t believe I’m going to admit this, but I was scared as hell he would tell me he changed his mind! I’m one step closer, Gary!” And then I’m sandwiching him between my body and the door. His legs are around me, and my hands are on his ass. “I just…” I’m so happy…hopeful…but those things feel too close for me to speak out loud. I don’t know what to say so I let my lips slam down on his. My tongue sweeps his mouth, and he shudders against me. His hands go into my hair and now he’s Sex-God Gary again. I knead his cheeks and think about dipping my finger into his crack. Rubbing that tight little hole of his and opening it up for my cock.
But at the same time, I feel like I’m going to burst out of my skin with anticipation for our dinner with Steven.
The door next to his opens and someone clears their throat. I look at the blond man and let my first thought burst free. “Sorry. I can’t keep my hands off him. He just made my fucking night.”
Gary nearly chokes on his tongue. I press another kiss to his mouth, set him on his feet and then head down the hallway, hope zipping through my insides. “Thank you, Gary!” I yell as I walk away, knowing he’s probably bright red behind me. “I don’t know what I would do without you!” Doors start opening, everyone wondering what the hell is going on.
“Holy shit,” someone says, “he’s got it bad.”
No. I’ve got a chance. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. A chance to make my dreams come true.
11
Gary
“This is fucking ridiculous,” Derek exclaims as I watch the green bar inch across the screen, letting me know how close we are to the end of this virus scan.
“Derek, I’m pretty confident it’s from watching all that free online porn.”
I sit in front of his laptop at the desk in his bedroom, facing the wall-length window that overlooks the pool deck on the seventh floor.
“I need to fucking use that tonight,” Derek says.
“Why? To watch more porn?”
Derek glares at me. He just got home from work, so he’s all dressed up, wearing a short-sleeved button-down with a black bow tie. His hair’s gelled into an arc over his head.
He groans and stomps away from the desk, walking alongside his bed. “I think I might be able to schedule in a ten o’clock and a two thirty.”
Tomorrow’s Saturday, so he’s obviously talking about tricks, not clients.
“This is why I came over here? So you could line up your weekend fucks?”
He approaches the dresser on the other side of his bed, opens the top drawer, and retrieves a set of powder-blue binoculars before returning to the window.
“The blinds aren’t even shut,” I say. Not judging him for the binoculars since I have my own pair. Just for how obvious he’s being.
“Whatever. They can all do the same thing. I’m not ashamed.”
He looks down at some of the hunks in speedos who lie across lounge chairs around the pool. Hard not to look down when there are so many abs and bulging packages to enjoy. This view is basically an amenity.
“Not all of us have a fake boyfriend we can hit up anytime for a booty call.”
I told Derek right after the fundraiser to keep his big mouth shut about our lie because I’m not interested in becoming the next featured story in David Magazine or Project Q or some other Gay Atlanta news source as the freak who made up a convoluted lie so I could convince my d-bag ex I’m not the pathetic miserable loser I am.
“Speaking of which,” I say, “we have that big dinner tonight.”
Strange to think we’ve already been doing this for nearly two weeks.
“Oh, yeah,” he says, not pulling the binoculars from his face as he continues perusing the hotties below. “Speaking of which…you’re being careful about this, right?”
“Yeah. We used condoms.”
He lowers the binoculars.
“That’s not what I meant. You’re not exactly the kind of guy who hooks up, and then calls it quits. You were in a relationship for five years.”
“Trust me, the last thing I want is to get involved with a guy like Travis.”
He eyes me suspiciously. “But you are involved with him.”
“What are you talking about? This is all just an act.”
And a convincing one, considering we’ve seen each other every day this week—hitting up the gym and grabbing meals together. We’re doing all those things couples do in public, including holding hands as we make our way down the street, which is awkward as hell to do with a guy I’m not actually in a relationship with.
“Intellectually, I get it’s pretend,” Derek says. “But you’re still having sex with him.”
“Once. We had sex once.”
“Okay. Whatever. Had sex once. Going on dates with him. God knows, every gay in town knows you guys are always at the fucking gym together. I’m surprised you don’t look like the Hulk already. Although, I’ll admit you have a nice little bump in your biceps right now.”
I glance at the sleeve of my polo, noticing it fits slightly better than before.
“Guess someone’s upping those weights now that he has to impress people.”
“Whatever. I don’t know. It’s strange. We had dinner the other week and—”
“Check,” he says as he makes an imaginary check mark in the air before him.
“What?”
“I’m going to check off my imaginary list every time you say something super boyfriendy about this guy who you’re not going to develop feelings for.”
“No. We were at Mike’s and—”
“Check.”
“He said something about needing to have a story for how we met.”
“Check.”
“Stop! He said some things that I couldn’t really tell if they were compliments or not. Like they sounded like the kinds of things you’d only say to someone if you were interested, but I could tell he wasn’t, and it was just…very weird. I was actually kind of surprised at one point because I realized he was saying all these things, and the thought of something happening between us kind of freaked me out. Not that anything would happen because he wouldn’t want me like that, but I don’t know. I’m used to things heading that direction, so it’s what popped in my mind when he was saying that shit. If anything, I like to think we could be friends after this…who maybe have sex occasionally.”
“Check, check, check!”
“How is any of that check?”
“A guy you had impossibly hot sex with who you also could be friends with? Isn’t that what a boyfriend is?”
“No. A boyfriend is a lot more than that, and you know it.”
“Whatever.”
“And as fun as it can be, he’s kinda full of himself.”
“But you like it.”
I feel my cheeks redden. “Yeah.”
His blond brows rise as though he’s wise to some secret I’m keeping.
“No,” I say. “It’s ni
ce to have fucked and still be able to hang without having all those awful things that come with being in a relationship. Having someone check up on you constantly. Texting to see where you are. Wondering why you didn’t bring them back anything from Starbucks. Shouting because you forgot to pay the electric bill.”
“How does anyone forget to pay the electric bill anymore? Don’t you auto draft that shit?”
“I forgot to renew it one time,” I say, my irritation with Peter from our past argument resurfacing.
His eyes are wide, as though he’s surprised by how much that bothered me.
“Hmm. Maybe I can see your point now,” he says. “But you had to have thought about it.”
“Derek, if a guy so much as glances at me on the street, I guarantee you five minutes later, I’ve dreamt about our future life together with kids and a Notebook-style happily-ever-after. So, yeah, I’ve thought about it, but it’s not what I want right now, so this thing we’re doing kind of works out perfectly.”
“Okay,” Derek says with a shrug. “I’m eager to see how long you guys can keep this up. I actually see it as a great experiment. Let’s put two, incredibly attractive…well, one moderately attractive and one insanely attractive guy together…who don’t want to kill each other…who have mind-blowing sex…and let’s see what happens, shall we?”
“I’m not fighting with you about this.”
He smirks. “Only thing you’re fighting is lurve.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t. Now, is my fucking laptop good to go or what?”
I finish removing the viruses, and as usual, there were a shit-ton, so it takes another hour, meaning I need to dash and scramble to get ready for dinner tonight.
I sweat as I’m getting dressed because I’m a little nervous about perpetuating this act with Steven and his partner. It’s one thing to parade around town as a couple. Even if we were just friends, people would make their own assumptions, so that hasn’t been hard. Actually having to lie to people face-to-face is a whole other thing.
I button up my shirt in the mirror behind the sink in the bathroom before fixing my hair.
We’re meeting at Two Urban Licks. It’s a nicer restaurant, so I have to dress up a bit, and I think it’ll be good for Travis to be dressed up for the occasion. I bet when Steven sees him looking more professional for a change, it’ll instill some confidence in him about investing in Travis.
While I’m texting him about coming over, my phone starts ringing. It’s Dad. I answer quickly.
“Hey, just checking in to see how you are,” he says.
“I’m good. Look, I have this thing tonight I’m getting ready for. Do you mind if I call you guys back later?”
“What are you going to?”
“Just out with some friends.”
Another lie. One of millions I’ve told my parents. To keep them from knowing about this life I live. About who I really am. To hide everything I know they’d be ashamed of. God, to think what they’d say if they knew the truth about tonight.
“Your mother and I would love it if you could make some time to swing by and have dinner with us this weekend. Your mom wants to hear about how things are going at work and with your friends.”
I love my parents, but dinners with them are exhausting since most of my energy is spent on crafting lies to keep them from ever suspecting the truth about who I am. “I don’t know about this weekend, but we’ll catch up soon.”
A knock at the door. “Oh, that’s my friend, Dad. I’ll call you back later, okay?”
I tell him good-bye before answering the door. Travis stands in the hall, looking adorable in black slacks, a pink button-up, and a black tie. He has his hair combed slightly to the side, making him look really sharp.
“Don’t you clean up well?” I say.
“Not looking too bad yourself.” He winks before rushing in and pushing me back against the dividing wall in front of the kitchen. I assume he’s excited about this meeting, but it feels so good that I don’t care.
I snatch his tie and pull him closer to me as the door closes behind him. I take control, switching places with him, pushing him back against the wall.
Fuck, I’m getting hard as a rock, but we have to be at dinner.
“We…should…go,” I say.
He breaks our kiss. “We have a sec.”
“No. You keep doing this and I’m not going to stop.”
He looks me right in the eyes, wincing slightly. I wonder what he’s thinking.
“There’s always time for a little celebratory fuck later.” He grabs my hand and starts for the door. “Come on, babes.”
My gaze drifts down to his ass. His slacks sculpt around it so well they leave little to the imagination. It’s a butt that’s hard not to look at when he’s doing squats at the gym. I notice a gray spot over the fabric—dust that must’ve come off the wall when I forced him back against it.
“Shit.”
I tug on his hand and pull him back into the condo.
“What is it?”
I lead him around the dividing wall and guide him into the kitchen. I retrieve a wash cloth from a drawer and dampen it in the sink.
“Just something I did when I was trying to ravage you,” I say, exchanging a knowing look with him. “Turn around.”
He obeys and I wipe the spot off and inspect for any other messes I might have made.
“Perfect.”
“Thank you, honey,” he says—clearly a joke—as he whirls around and kisses me on the cheek. “I’ve never had someone take care of me like that before.”
I tense up, reflecting on my conversation with Derek. I know he meant it as a joke, but a part of me naturally recoils from even the possibility that it could have meant more.
Stop being ridiculous. He doesn’t give a shit about you other than to get this money.
But I know that isn’t true. He’s a good guy, and he cares about me as a person. In the short amount of time we’ve been doing this, I know that much.
“You good?” he asks.
“Totally. You’re gonna do great. And if you’re real good, you might get a little hot ass later.”
“And if I’m not real good?”
“Then you’ll get some pity hot ass later.”
He beams, though I think he’s more excited about this opportunity than anything I’ve said.
We head out the door, my nervousness about fucking this all up for him intensifying as we head to his car.
12
Travis
I’m a nervous wreck. Of course, I’ll never admit it to Gary, but the way his eyes keep darting in my direction, I’m pretty sure he can tell something is up. I’m wishing I had gone to his place earlier to fuck before we left. There’s nothing like an orgasm to relieve tension…or to sidetrack me from tonight. He looks adorable as hell. The way he keeps moving around in his seat tells me he’s as nervous about this as I am.
“We’ll be okay, right? We can pull this off?” I ask, surprised by the need inside me for an answer, and the tremble in my voice that probably makes my fear obvious.
“Yeah, of course. We’ve had almost two weeks to practice being boyfriends.”
“By working out at the gym together, fucking once, and eating together a few times? Is that all boyfriends do? Hell, my neighbor Cody is my boyfriend too, then.” I hope for a chuckle but don’t get it. He turns his head in my direction, and I can see Uptight Gary making an appearance.
“Are you fucking Cody right now?”
“What? No. But it would be okay if I was.” Because this thing between us is a charade.
“Travis, that wasn’t me being weird and possessive. I just don’t need everyone at Metropolis thinking I’ve lost two boyfriends to other assholes in the building.”
I see his point there. “You don’t need to worry about that.” Fuck, this fake boyfriend shit is going to change a lot in my life. “While we keep this up, I’m good with just you, Hot Ass.” I wink at him, a
nd the left side of his mouth teases me with the hint of a smile. “Speaking of, has Peter tried to talk to you since the pool party?”
“No.” Gary slinks down in the seat. “He called a couple of times right after the fundraiser. I assumed he just wanted to press for details about us, so I ignored him. I’m surprised he hasn’t tried again, even if it’s just to apologize.”
Oh, Jesus Christ. “Do you want that motherfucker back?” I ask, making a right turn.
“What?” This makes Gary jerk upward into a straight position. “No!”
“Good. He’s a stuck-up dickhead. You can do better.”
“By better, you mean like you?”
“Yes, exactly like me. We make a hot fake couple.”
We both laugh, and it helps relieve some of the tension.
It doesn’t take us long to arrive at Two Urban Licks. When we do, I drop the car off at the valet and meet Gary on the sidewalk. His eyes are a little wider than they were in the car, and I have a feeling the reality of this is starting to hit both of us.
What is going to happen at this dinner? How long will it tie us together? And how fucking ridiculous will we look if what we’re doing gets out?
“We got this,” I tell him. “We’re in it together.” And then I lace my fingers with his and hold his hand. As I open the door, I realize this is the first time I’ve held a man’s hand like this.
***
Gary takes a drink of his Chardonnay and sets his glass down. “Oh my God. Les Mis is incredible! I can’t believe you don’t like it! I don’t know if I can continue this friendship with you.” Gary playfully turns his back on Steven’s partner Raymond. They became best fucking friends in about two seconds flat—which is a good thing. I know that, but hell, they’re going to like Gary more than they like me. That’s a little scary since Gary is temporary.
“Uh oh,” Steven says.
Raymond laughs. “I didn’t say I don’t like it. I just think it’s overrated.”
“I feel like I don’t even know you right now.” Both Raymond and Steven chuckle at Gary this time. He’s a fucking hit. Reaching over, I wrap my arm around him and squeeze his shoulder.