Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“Have you met Alex?” Turk asked. I took back anything positive I said about his ability to read the room.
“Uh, yeah. Several times.”
“And you couldn’t tell how gone they were for each other?” Turk squeezed my shoulder again. “Is it just me you can’t control yourselves around?”
“Fuck off.”
Turk chuckled.
“No, no, they’re always very… into each other.”
I held back a snort—understatement of the year. Enough of this shit. “So, how was class today, Corvin?” I asked. He’d enrolled in a summer theater program every year.
Much safer subject matter.
“Good. It’s always fun to do something different between trimesters.”
“What are you studying?” Turko asked.
That did the trick. Corvin loved nothing more than talking about ballet. He was a dance major and liked to take various non-ballet classes at the community center between trimesters, so he spent the next ten minutes yapping about his passion.
Turk listened and even shared his own experiences, having taken ballet to improve his flexibility for playing hockey.
As they chatted and our driver brought us closer to Top Shelf, I watched the city fly by. Each block that zoomed past brought me closer to Alex and ramped up my excitement. By the time we were two minutes out, I was nearly vibrating with anticipation and had tuned out Turk and Corvin’s chatter behind me. With the way I was buzzing, you’d think I hadn’t seen Alex in weeks, when in reality, we’d woken up wrapped around each other, fucked, then showered together.
The best kind of morning.
“Here we are, gentlemen,” our driver announced as he pulled alongside the curb a half block away from Top Shelf.
“Thank you,” I said as he put the car in park. A few seconds later, the driver exited and came around to open the door. “I have you scheduled for a pick-up at one. Does that still work for you?”
“That’s perfect,” Turk said as he and Corvin joined me on the sidewalk.
We bid the driver farewell, then strolled the short distance to the club, where I pulled the door open for my friends. “After you, assholes.”
“Charming,” Turk said with a snort as he followed Corvin into the building.
I loved the vibe Parker, Top Shelf’s owner, had created inside. The aesthetic was a dark, sultry, upscale oasis for gay people looking to blow off some steam in a swanky venue. Wednesday through Saturday nights, gorgeous men and women, but mostly men, gathered to drink expensive liquor, dance, and find someone to pleasure. Working here for a few months had been a fun time, though ninety percent of that was due to proximity to Alex.
“Wow,” Corvin said. He turned in a circle, taking in every inch of the swanky lobby from the black marble flooring to the sparkling chandelier.
“Ryder! Alex didn’t tell me you were coming tonight.” I turned to find Luke, the club’s VIP host, strolling our way. As usual, he wore an expensive suit that fit him like a glove. The other employees wore next to nothing, but Luke kept it classy in his role as the first face high-rolling guests saw when they walked in the door.
“Hey, Luke. Good to see you, man. Been too long.” I pulled my former co-worker in for a hug. “And Alex doesn’t know. I wanted to surprise him, which is why we put the reservation in Turk’s name.”
“Aren’t you sweet. He’ll lose his mind. And, of course, I remember Turko. You had a great season.”
“Thanks, man. Glad to have a little downtime.”
“I’m sure.” Luke shook hands with Turk, then turned to Corvin. “And who do we have here?” he asked, his voice dipping with interest. Unless that were wishful thinking on my part, the best outcome of the night would be if Corvin found someone to play with, naked.
Corvin extended his hand with the grace I’d come to expect from him. Every movement he made held an elegance that could only come from a lifetime of formal ballet training. “I’m Corvin. Ryder and I are really close.”
Turk raised his eyebrow at me in a silent that’s a weird way to say you’re friends.
I rolled my eyes.
“This gonna be a problem for Alex?” he muttered in my ear.
Sighing, I shrugged. “Possibly, though I promise I never returned the interest.”
“Wasn’t questioning your loyalty,” he whispered as he gripped my shoulder. “I know you’d never stray. Just didn’t realize this was an issue, and now I feel bad for inviting him.’
“Don’t worry about it,” I murmured.
“We’ll just have to find him someone to keep him occupied.” Turk winked.
“Follow me to your table. Your bottle service boy is Alex tonight,” he said with humor lacing his voice. “Please try not to fuck him on the table. The owner frowns upon that sort of thing.”
“I make no promises,” I said with a laugh. And I meant it. When it came to Alex, I’d never make a promise to remain decent no matter where we were.