Page 32 of Party of Three

Giving them both a stern look, Jeff sank back into his chair. Their entrees arrived, allowing all of them to catch their breath.

“Truth,” Jeff said after chewing his first bite of salmon.

“What’s your biggest fear?” Mateo asked him.

“Failure. Not being prepared. I was the kid who always had nightmares about being in a play and no one had given me the script. Or I’d have to give a speech and I couldn’t remember where it was written down. That kind of thing.”

“Well, you’re the most trained and competent guy I know, so it’s paid off, I guess,” Mateo said.

“But sometimes you can’t prepare for the best things in life,” Buckley said. “Besides, failure’s relative.”

Smiling, Jeff met his gaze. “Is that so, firecracker?”

“Sure. I mean, maybe you don’t get one job you really want and then three weeks later you get another better job you didn’t know to hope for. Or you find out the man you love can’t bottom for you and you’re all torn up about it, and then a year and a half later you find out hisamazingboyfriend can take every inch you’ve got. It’s all about the big picture.”

Jeff exploded with laughter. “Is he always this cheerful?”

“Yep. It’s part of what I love about him.” Grinning, Mateo gripped the back of Buckley’s neck gently. “That and his sweet pussy.”

“Babe!”

Mateo and Jeff cackled as blood rushed to his cheeks.

“What?” Mateo asked, beaming. “It’s hot that you like it called that. I love it.”

Jeff said, “I’m just amazed there’s something Buckley’s afraid to say out loud.”

“I’m not afraid? It’s just…

“A very good pussy?” Jeff asked. This time, Mateo exploded with laughter.

Buckley slapped his napkin against his lap. “This is a hotel room conversation, not a lunchtime conversation.” The truth was, he was so turned on at two commanding tops teasing him about how much they loved his ass, he thought he might slide off the table into a melting puddle of gay boy.

“Alright, Mister Truth Or Dare At The Table, we’ll keep things nice and clean,” Jeff said.

“Not clean. Honest.”

A silence settled, but Mateo’s smile hadn’t left his face, and he was still gently stroking the back of Buckley’s neck. “Well, I think we’re being honest when we say if it gets you hot, then it gets us hot. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of even if some douchebags in the past gave you some grief over it. Right, Braxton?”

“I second that,” Jeff said, his voice a deep, thigh-tickling rumble.

If the table hadn’t had a glass top, he might have sunk to the floor and started working on both of them underneath it.

“Alright, one last round, and we all have to take truth,” Buckley said. “Deal?”

Chewing, both men nodded in turn. Jeff dabbed at his lips with his napkin and swallowed. “Buckley, what’s the one thing you love most about Mateo?”

“He’s kind. He never stops looking for ways to show me that he cares. In the beginning, I thought he might be an act, you know. The flowers and the gifts and the remembering our different anniversaries. I’d never had a man treat me like I was worth that amount of effort. That consistency. I’ve never had someone make me feel that valuable or special.”

“Buckley,” Mateo whispered, eyes glistening.

“Alright, Mateo,” Buckley said, lacing his fingers through his under the table. “What do you love most about Jeff?”

Looking caught, as if he needed to remind himself of how far the three of them had come in such a short time, Mateo swallowed. “You mean aside from the fact that he saved my life?”

“Or in addition to,” Buckley said.

Eyes on his old crew chief, Mateo said, “He’s the kind of man I want to be. He’s a leader without being a tyrant. The world was small until I met him. I always felt safe with him even before he saved my life.”

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