“Oh, sweetie, I’m more than happy to show you how sexy you are anytime,” he said.
Ridley traced his tongue over the shell of Cole’s ear, making his breath catch. “I want you to take this underwear off me,” he said, “before my dick punches a hole right through this mesh.”
He pushed his hips against Cole, making his hardness obvious. “Roll over,” Cole ordered, pushing Ridley to his back. Then he knelt over him and, before removing the underwear, licked over his cock through the mesh.
Ridley groaned. “Fuck. Cole—”
Cole tugged the underwear down and sucked Ridley’s cock into his mouth, and his complaint broke off on a silent sigh. Cole worked his dick until Ridley tapped his shoulder. “Turn around. Let me suck you too.”
He turned, trying to maintain his concentration, as Ridley sucked his cock in, moaning around him like a porn star. The man made such delicious sex sounds. From that first moment he’d sucked Cole’s cock, he’d been an enthusiastic, generous lover.
The best Cole had ever had.
21
Cole was trimming a new client’s hair — a young guy named Seth who seriously needed to use a higher-quality shampoo, judging by his flaky scalp — while Theo sat in a chair nearby regaling everyone in the shop about Cole’s amazing talent in creating headdresses. He’d come by to check on Cole’s progress, and had been ecstatic to try on the headdress to check the fit and balance of it.
“It was like this tall,” Theo said holding a hand high over his head in a vast exaggeration, “and so colorful!” Theo sighed. “It was gorgeous.”
“How come I didn’t know you did this?” his boss, Eileen, asked.
Cole shrugged, keeping his eyes on Seth’s hair. “It’s just a hobby.”
“It’s not a hobby; it’s art!” Theo cried.
“Cole’s always been weird about it,” Anita volunteered. “He sells it on Etsy, but he never tells people about it. The fact he’s showing Theo at all is kind of remarkable.”
“He’s teaching me how to make them, but I’ll never have his eye or his patience,” Theo admitted.
“Wow,” Anita said, sounding impressed, “when did this come about?”
Cole snipped dark strands of hair, trying to sound casual. “A couple of weeks ago. It’s no big deal. We’ve only met up a couple of times.”
Theo pouted. “Yeah, and I always get kicked out if the boyfriend shows up.”
“Boyfriend?” Anita asked, eyebrow rising. Her client, Vanessa, was raptly listening as well. The guy in Cole’s chair seemed less enamored; Cole had pegged him as straight. His girlfriend was Cole’s client, and she’d made the appointment for him.
“Guys, come on, I’m working,” Cole said, desperately trying to deflect. “And I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Ridley,” Theo clarified. “The first time he showed up, the two were eye fucking so hard I thought I’d come too before I got out of there! Now, I know to just get the fuck out when the buzzer sounds.”
Seth made a noise in his throat. Cole honestly couldn’t tell if it was disgust or amusement.
“Once again, I’m working. Seth doesn’t want to hear about this.”
“It’s cool,” Seth said, providing no useful backup. “I’m not a homophobe or anything.”
“Yeah, he’s cool,” Theo said, smiling at Seth. “And I need to live vicariously through you, because I have no hot guys showing up at my door.”
Cole sighed as he brushed Seth’s hair back, then grabbed the spray bottle and hair gel for a bit of styling. “Almost done, Seth. I have some products I’d like you to try.”
Anita narrowed her eyes on him. “What about the BFF of his?”
“What about what?” Theo asked.
As Anita filled him in, Cole checked the time. He needed to wrap this up if he wanted to meet Ridley at the hospital cafeteria for lunch, and he really wanted to see Rid in his work environment with his friends. Well, maybe minus Jace. Ridley had teasingly invited him after Cole asked rather transparently about when he might see Ridley in scrubs again. It wasn’t that the scrubs were exceptionally sexy on their own, but something about seeing Ridley in them looking so professional made Cole’s insides go twisty.
My man is a health care professional, he thought proudly before reminding himself that Ridley wasn’t really his man.
He is for now. He might be Jace’s later, but right now, he’s mine. Fuck feeling bad about it.
He arrived at the hospital cafeteria a few minutes later and spotted Ridley sitting with two other men. Both guys were on the slim side, though the blond one had some tone to his body while the brown-haired guy looked almost skeletal. Of the three, Ridley was the bulkiest, and not for the first time, Cole admired Ridley’s biceps and wondered how he stayed so fit without hitting the gym more regularly.
Ridley caught his eye, pushing back his chair to stand. “Hey, Cole!”
Cole came to a halt, unsure how to greet Ridley. He wanted to lean in and kiss his cheek or slip an arm around his waist, but he wasn’t sure how much Ridley wanted his friends to know about their sexual activity.
“Hi,” he said, waving awkwardly.
“Guys, this is Cole, my makeover guide,” Ridley said.
Okay, so he doesn’t want them to know anything.
“We’ve become really good friends,” Ridley said with so much warmth Cole couldn’t really feel slighted. Their sexual relationship was just sex, after all. They weren’t boyfriends.
The slim guy with blond hair — natural, unlike Cole’s when he was still platinum — spoke. “Nice to meet you. I’m Callum. And this is Noah. We work in the lab.”
Cole cocked his head, searching for why the name Callum sounded so familiar.
“Callum is Ian’s boyfriend. You know, Eileen’s—”
“Brother,” Cole said. “Right, I remember now. He’s mentioned you.”
“Really?”
“He came out to Eileen at the salon. I might have eavesdropped.” Cole winced. “I might have also tried to flirt with him. Sorry!”
Callum laughed it off, which was a relief. Cole noticed that Ridley seemed less amused. “Let’s go grab you some food,” he said. “I’ll show you the best options.”
They walked across the cafeteria to peruse the buffet of hot food options, then the cooler stocked with sandwiches and salads. Cole slid open the door, opting for a light lunch.
“Ian, huh?” Ridley said.
Cole attempted to hide the pleasure Ridley’s reaction gave him. “No need for jealousy.”
Ridley scoffed. “What? I’m not … no, that’s … I mean, it’s ridiculous!”
Cole waited out his spluttering, admiring the uniform on the man, converting him from boy next door to capable health professional.
Finally, Ridley stopped and rolled his eyes at himself. “Maybe a tiny bit, but I have no right to be. We’re not dating.”
Reality was a cold splash to the warm affection Cole had felt seconds ago. But judging by Ridley’s reaction, Cole wasn’t the only one struggling to separate fantasy from reality. Their sex life was blurring boundaries. He wasn’t sure that it meant what he wanted it to, but a spark of hope lit within him.
“You’re entitled to feel whatever you feel,” he said, “but it was before I met you.”
“Right, yeah,” Ridley said, nodding his head. “I just … Ian and I don’t look anything alike.”
“Don’t you? You’re both tall, dark, and handsome.”
“Really?” Ridley said flatly. “You see Ian the muscled-up hunk as being similar to me? Because I’ve seen myself in the mirror, Cole.”
Cole leaned in, whispering in his ear. “You are gorgeous. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Ridley drew back with a rueful smile. “Okay. Have it your way.”
“I will when you come over tonight,” Cole teased. “In the meantime, your friends are watching us.”
Ridley glanced over. “Yeah. Callum’s going to bust my balls now.”
&
nbsp; “Sorry,” Cole murmured. “Should I not have come?”
Ridley glanced back, smiling. “Come anytime you like, especially with me.” He winked, pulling out the kind of sexy innuendo Cole usually spouted.
“You flirt! I must be rubbing off on you,” he said as they made their way back to the table.
“In all the best ways.”
When they sat down, Noah asked the usual: “How many today?”
“Three fractures, one hairline, and two clean breaks,” Ridley answered. “Couple of sprains. A tumor. And one … really fucking heavy patient.”
“That’s kind of rude,” Cole said, sounding surprised. Then Ridley realized how his comment probably sounded. As if he was some asshole who made fun of overweight people.
He placed his hand on Cole’s thigh under the table and squeezed. “I didn’t mean it like that,” Ridley said. “This was a football player. High school jock who could probably break me in half. He insisted he couldn’t stand up for the X-ray, and I ended up manhandling him into position before threatening him with bodily harm and hours of more wait time if he didn’t stay put while I took the X-ray.”
“That explains it,” Cole said.
“Explains what?”
“How you got these arms,” Cole replied, squeezing a bicep. “Your job is a workout.”
Callum snorted a laugh. “Kind of true for Ian too. He hits the gym regularly, but he definitely gets a workout while on shift.”
Ridley felt himself blush. After his conversation with Cole by the cooler, these comments were even more awkward. “I’m not built like Ian. At all.”
“He’s right,” Noah said. “Ian is big and broad, and Ridley is kind of average. His hair is a similar color. His eyes are darker, though. His face—”
“Okay,” Ridley interrupted. “We get it, Noah. Save the thesis for your doctorate.”
“I’m not writing a thesis,” Noah said, totally missing the sarcasm.
Callum nudged Noah. “He just wants to change the subject,” he said.
“Oh.” Noah frowned. “You could have said so.”
“Okay, let’s change the subject,” Ridley said with a big smile. He turned toward Cole. “How are things at the salon?”
Cole obliged, filling him in on Theo’s visit to the salon, Anita’s problem client who always dictated the exact terms of her hairstyle, then hated it and requested that Anita redo it, and Eileen’s bright idea to rearrange the salon again, which would move Cole out of his favorite station.
Later, after Ridley had said goodbye to Cole and sent him on his way, Callum pulled him aside. “What was that?” he asked. “What about Ridley 2.0?”
Ridley had admitted to Callum after getting his hair styled that he was going shopping to complete his “upgrade” in an attempt to make some headway with Jace.
“What do you mean?” Ridley asked now. “I did the hair and the shopping. I’ve fully upgraded, man.”
Callum glanced back toward the door where Cole had exited. “You two, I mean. Something’s going on there.”
Abruptly, Ridley felt guilty. As if he’d betrayed Jace somehow, even though they weren’t together and might never be. He’d pined for Jace so long that he wasn’t sure what he was doing now that Jace didn’t eat up so much of his head and heart. But he’d hardly spared a thought for how he might interest Jace in the past two weeks.
“I don’t know,” Ridley said. “I did all this for Jace, but Cole is really awesome. And he likes me. I have no idea why, but how can I turn that down?”
Callum smirked. “It wouldn’t be easy.”
“Right!” Ridley exclaimed, relieved to have an outlet for his feelings. “He’s so hot. And you wouldn’t believe how sexy—”
“Oh my God,” Callum said, lowering his voice to a hissed whisper. “You’ve slept with him.”
Ridley winced. “That’s bad, right? I’m such an asshole. I’ve been waiting for Jace my whole life, and now …”
Callum grabbed his arm, dragging him around a corner. Noah had gone back to the lab, a stickler for punctuality, so at least there was no audience.
“Ridley, no. You’re so not an asshole. Maybe this is a good thing. You can forget about Jace and just be happy.”
Ridley shook his head. “You don’t get it. This is just sex.”
Callum scoffed. “It might start as sex, but it doesn’t always stay that way. Take it from someone who knows.”
Callum and Ian had surprised hospital coworkers and friends by getting together. Callum later told Ridley that they’d connected on a hookup app by happy accident, and their relationship had evolved from friendly experimentation (Ian was discovering his bi side) to a committed relationship.
“Cole doesn’t want anything more,” Ridley insisted. “He said so.”
Callum nodded. “Maybe. Or maybe Cole just knows that your heart is with Jace, and he’s giving you what he thinks you want.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means, Ridley, you have a decision to make. Cole or Jace. And then? You need to man up and pursue the guy you want. No regrets, right?” Callum said, holding out a fist.
Ridley bumped knuckles, though he was feeling less than confident. “No regrets,” he agreed.
Ridley 2.0 was all about taking a chance and leaping at his chance for love. Now, he just had to decide where his heart lay: with the best friend he’d loved most of his life or with the guy who’d made Ridley feel like a new man.
22
The buzzer sounded, and unlike a month ago, Cole popped up from his seat on the couch and eagerly opened the door. Ridley had been coming by damn nearly every night to hang out, which usually involved food, TV, and great sex. Unfortunately, he also went home every night. Saturday evenings were reserved for family stuff, and Sunday mornings for brunch with his friends, so Cole packed most of his headdress-making time and volunteer work with the LGBT Center into those times. Ridley hadn’t been back to the LGBT Center, but he had promised to speak at a Career Day event when Cole organized one, as well as joining Cole to chaperone the Pride Prom that would take place in a couple of weeks.
But when Cole opened the door, Travis stood on the other side instead of Ridley.
Cole staggered back. “What the— Travis! You shouldn’t be here.”
“Did you tell my wife?” Travis demanded. “Huh? You stupid fucking twink!”
Travis was unshaven and on his way to an unkempt beard, with red-rimmed eyes and a grim set to his mouth. Cole hardly recognized the guy with the slow smile that had first attracted him. Travis had been laid-back but assertive, with a confidence that Cole had admired. Now, he just found it cocky. No wonder he’d found Ridley so refreshing — insecurities and all — after being duped by a cocky liar.
Travis stepped over the threshold into the gap Cole had subconsciously created by shrinking back from the door. Waving a sheaf of papers, he asked again, “Well? Answer me or so help me—”
“No!” Cole snapped, trying to hide his fear. “Now get the fuck out of my house.”
“I don’t believe you,” Travis snarled and shoved the papers into Cole’s face. He dodged away, but not before seeing a photo of himself nearly naked.
“What is this?”
He gaped at the image, showing him on his back. He was in a bed, and the sheet came to his hips, barely. His eyes were closed because he was clearly sleeping.
“You fucking stealth photographed me? What the actual fuck?”
He grabbed the printout from Travis’s hand and tore it in half.
“You didn’t send this to Anna?”
Cole continued shredding the picture. “How would I? I didn’t even know you took it. Where the fuck did you upload it? Huh?”
Cole’s fear drowned under the force of his anger, and this time Travis was the one falling back. “Uh, I used my Instagram app,” he admitted. “I didn’t tag it!”
“Oh, so that makes it okay?”
Travis rallied, shaking his head. “No. Nope. I call b
ullshit. My wife fucking knows, Cole. She called me—” He bit down his lip. Then laughed humorlessly. “You don’t wanna know what she called me, but it’s your fucking fault.”
He displayed another photo, this one of himself in profile. It was a screenshot that showed it was posted on Cole’s Instagram account. And okay, Cole had posted that. But he posted tons of clients on that account, so it didn’t prove anything, and he hadn’t tagged Travis either.
“This is all you,” he said.
Cole held out his hand for the printout, but instead of giving it to him, Travis grabbed his arm and yanked him forward. Cole stumbled right into his chest.
“You ruined my life,” Travis hissed into his face, breath reeking of booze.
“Let me go,” Cole gritted through clenched teeth. Travis wasn’t hurting him — yet. But he had a desperate look in his eyes that didn’t bode well.
“You ruined me,” he whispered. “You and your pretty face and your tight ass …”
He made a choked sound and slammed their mouths together. Oh, hell no. The kiss was desperate and sloppy, and Cole was having none of it.
He twisted his face away, and using his free hand, he shoved at Travis, but his ex-boyfriend was a good deal stronger than him. The “kiss” morphed into a wrestling match as they each fought for leverage until a loud voice broke through the haze of fight or flight that Cole had sunk into.
“Hey! Back off.”
Ridley.
Cole had been expecting him earlier, so he shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was. Travis had obliterated everything else on his mind.
He and Travis both froze for an instant, and then Ridley was there, prying Travis’s hand from Cole’s arm.
“Let him go,” he said, his voice a comforting rush over Cole’s skin. “I’ve got the police called up on my phone menu. All I have to do is hit the button.”
Ridley waved the phone in his left hand to demonstrate, and Travis released Cole so fast he stumbled and would have fallen if Ridley hadn’t darted forward to steady him.
“Fuck this,” Travis said, backing into the hall. “I’m gone.”
Operation Makeover Page 17