Page 15 of Silver Fox in Cedarwood

“No? I never asked you to.” Dorian was like a sibling, not a lover.

“Aziz isn’t coming back. He went to Seattle with a man named Cliff.”

“Cliff?”Holy shit.“Which one is that?” He couldn’t keep Aziz’s boyfriends straight. No wonder Dorian seemed down. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. He was just another man in the paddock,” Dorian said. “I should be okay with it. Jesus. He cheated on me all the time, but it sucks because I like him. I thought we were tight.”

“He acted like a jerk,” Isaac murmured. “You deserve better.” He stood, then paced the length of his living room.

“You sound like a broken record.” Dorian groaned. “He played me and I let him.”

“You’re human. We’ve all done what you did. Remember when I dated Ron? It lasted six months longer than it should’ve and he wrecked my car. I thought he needed me. He wanted my money.”

“I remember.”

“We’ll find the right guys,” Isaac said. “I know it.” He’d found the right dog in Stan. Could Len be the perfect guy for him?

“But I’m not sleeping with you. No matter how drunk and desperate we get.”

“I should be hurt.” He wasn’t, but he should’ve been. “What’s wrong with me?”

“You can be self-centered,” Dorian said. “You demand a lot. You hate failure. I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy. I’m artistic and that drives you nuts. We’re friends, but we can’t be lovers.”

“You’re right.” He still hadn’t asked Dorian to sleep with him, but he understood. He wasn’t about to take advantage of his friend after this break-up.

“We’ll both be miserable tonight.”

“Nah.” If nothing else, he had his dog and cat at home when the night ended. Someone cared about him and that was enough.

“I’m sure of it. I’m hurt and you’re bored. It’s a bad combination,” Dorian said. “Still, I want to go out. You’re paying the cover charge.”

“I’ll be over in an hour.” Isaac wanted to say more, but Dorian hung up before he could. He tossed the phone onto the couch. He should dress for a night out, but he hated club clothes.Fuck.If he couldn’t hide in a button-down and dress slacks or scrubs, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He headed into his bedroom and selected a blue V-neck shirt with grommets on the collar and a pair of his softest jeans. Where were his ankle boots? He dug through his wardrobe for the footwear, then caught sight of himself in the mirror.

Shit. He needed to do something with his hair. He’d let it grow out too much and the curls had begun to show. He stood and appraised his reflection. Did he look old?Tired?

His phone rang. He checked the number before answering.Jake.His heart hammered. He hadn’t heard from his ex-boyfriend in forever. “Hello?”

“Hi, baby. Are you going out tonight?” Jake asked. “Or are you going to be home?”

“I thought I might go out.” He and Jake had split on decent terms and he didn’t mind seeing him again. He wasn’t interested in rekindling the relationship, but a conversation wouldn’t be bad. “Why? Did you want to meet up? I’m heading out with Dorian in a little while.” He’d rather touch base with Len, but he still wasn’t sure Len would be interested. Stan climbed onto the bed and stared at him.

“No.” Jake laughed. “I haven’t seen you at the clubs. I worried you’d dropped off the face of the earth. Are you still in Springdale?”

“No, I moved.” He ran his fingers through his hair. No matter what he did with it, he’d still look frazzled.Damn it.

“I’ll be at Club 51 in Cedarwood. Sweet. Find me.”

“I’ll let Dorian know.” He petted Stan, appreciating the dog’s calming presence.

“Dorian? You’re still palling around with him?”

“Yeah, why?”What was wrong with Dorian?

“He’s not into you.”

Ah, now he remembered the jealousy. Jake hated Dorian and his relationship with him. “I know.” He continued to pet Stan.

“He’s too flashy.”

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