As they’d neared the vast city, he’d thought they might beheaded to one of the trendy restaurants along Melrose or Hollywood Boulevard,or maybe one of the gay bars along Santa Monica Boulevard he and Naser used tofrequent in college. Places where casual meant a designer pair of jeans thatcost as much as a tax refund check and every generation of gay reality TV starwas represented among the clientele.
And he hadn’t been looking forward to it.
West Hollywood bars could be fun, but not on a first date.
Not with a guy who looked like Logan, especially given thejealousy-teasing topics of their traffic jam interview. The compact gay citywas a shark’s tank full of pumped up, blow-dried, comprehensively moisturizedactors and models, both aspiring and professional, basically most of the gaymen in America who’d been told they could make a lot of money off their looks.Its night spots were great if you were on the prowl—not so great if you weretrying to settle in to a rhythm with someone special.
But now they were on a side street off Ventura Boulevard,itself a river of strip malls and Starbucks stores, and when Connor saw thetwin neon signs up ahead, a rainbow themed Budweiser sign and the outline of acowboy hat below a giant sign that read SLICK’S, realization hit, and he criedout with unbridled joy.
Logan laughed and threw one arm around his shoulders, pullinghim close and kissing him on the forehead. “Surprised you didn’t figure it outbefore now.”
But Connor was too busy trying not to cry.
Five years later, Logan had finally made good on the promisehe’d made in the sea caves.
They were going line dancing.
Inside the old warehouse, the walls were ajumble of cowboy paraphernalia and neon that looked more suited to Dallas orFt. Worth. To Connor’s eye, most of the patrons looked like regular LA guys whoneeded a break from the West Hollywood meat markets, and for them the cowboyhats and boots weren’t just a costume, but a respite from business casual livesspent in office towers or on studio lots.
Connor felt instantly relaxed. Until he saw there were asmany eyes on Logan as there would have been over the hill in Boystown.
Jealous. Connor was jealous, plain and simple. And it wasn’tLogan’s fault. Hell, he’d tried to steer them off the topic of other men ingeneral, and it was Connor who wouldn’t let it go.
“Eat your potato skins,” Logan said.
“You realizepotato skinsmeans this is going to bean all oral evening, right?” Connor held one halfway to his mouth, so Logancould change his mind about their appetizer choice.
“Yeah, I figured that backside of yours could use a breakafter the workout we’ve given it this week.”
“One night off, maybe. I mean, let’s not go crazy,” Connorsaid.
“Doesn’t rule out spanking, though.”
“Are we doing it again?” Connor asked.
“Doing what again?”
“Using humor to distract from the…intimacy,” Connor said.
“Maybe. I think your mom’s word waslust.”
“Sex talk,” Connor said. “Right.”
“Okay. How’s this for talk?” Logan said. “I want to know howyour mother found out you were gay.”
“Or we could play dodgeball with traffic instead,” Connor suggested.
“Oh, now you’re telling me.”
“Or we could do the spanking now. Do they have a back room?”
“It’s not that kind of place. Story, Connor.”
“Please don’t make me,” Connor whined.
“I told you mine the night we met, and it was pretty embarrassing.”
“Mine’s, like, six thousand times worse.”