Page 30 of Stand By Me

Hopefully, so many years of friendship would be enough for Ben not to end up hating Mario, too.

Don't borrow trouble, he told himself on his way to the restaurant. Ben wasn't going to like it, but he'd have to get used to it. And maybe having Mario in between would actually make the brothers grow closer again.

He didn't exactly hold his breath forthathappening, though.

As he entered the restaurant, he quickly scanned the tables and found Clay already there, at a small table for two in a nook by the wall. Watching him as he stared down at his phone reminded Mario of how Clay had always been early to pick him and Ben up from class or wherever in the past. There had been maybe one time through all those years that Clay had been late, and that was because the road had been closed off for a motorcade.

"Hey," Mario said now, pausing by the table and smiling down at the man who had ruined him for any other guy ages ago and didn't even know it.

Perhaps one day Mario would tell him—far, far down the line.

While they were babysitting their grandkids, maybe.

Clay lifted his head and smiled brightly at him, putting his phone away and getting up.

"Hey. Please, have a seat." He waved towards the other chair. "You look great, by the way," he added as they both sat down, and Mario's face immediately heated up.

"Look who's talking," he tossed back, pointedly staring at Clay. The guy was swoon-worthy in a suit, but now, with a black shirt and no jacket on, nor a tie… Mario wanted to do things to him he was embarrassed to even say out loud in public.

"Penny for your thoughts," Clay said with a badly concealed smirk, and Mario narrowed his eyes.

"You're doing this on purpose."

Clay grinned, raising his eyebrows. "And what do you mean by 'this'?"

"Tormenting me."

"Not quite." He leaned closer. "Not yet, at least," he added, lower, and Mario's cock stirred.

Damn.

"I do enjoy watching you blush," Clay said. "That, I'll admit to."

As if it didn't make Mario's face heat up even more.

"Like I said," he muttered, taking a sip of his water. "Tormenting."

"You don't know how hot you look when you blush, do you?"

Mario grimaced. "I look like a giant tomato on a stick."

Clay snorted. "Lovely visual. But no." He reached out slowly and brushed his fingertips over the heated skin of Mario's cheek, sending a tingling flicker of pleasure down his body. "Not even close."

When he dropped his hand, Mario immediately missed the contact.

Get a grip, he told himself, but before he could say anything out loud, the waiter came over to take their order.

Once they decided on the food and were left alone again, Mario cleared his throat.

"So, how was your day?"

Clay's quiet chuckle clearly told Mario his change of topic wasn't as subtle as he hoped.

"Good," Clay said after a beat. "Kind of funny, actually. Apparently, KRK has the densest population of queer people per square foot of office space—among all the private security companies, for sure, but I'd say most of the other fields as well."

Mario's brows shot up. "Oh? And how did you learn that?"

He'd seen Diego Martinez. If the rest of the men in that company were that handsome, Mario was screwed if any of them had decided to make their move on Clay.

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