Page 51 of The Woodcarver's Model
“Robert, in my world that just makes you interesting. Now, this murder thing…?”
“It’s nothing. I think I got it all cleared it up with the RCMP, but this”—he waved the printout of the article—“he’ll never forgive me.” His voice cracked. Estelle opened her arms wide, looking at him in a motherly way. He moved in for a hug, and she slapped him full force across the face. The shock did its job.
“Now you listen up. When you were on the side of that mountain and your rope snapped, did you just let yourself fall?”
“You hit me!” he whimpered, out of shock more than pain.
“Did you fall?” she yelled.
“No!”
“What did you do?”
“I grabbed onto a rock.”
“That’s right. You fought back. You didn’t give in. You never give in. That’s what’s sold you nearly fifty thousand books. You’re a fighter, Robert, and that’s what people like. That’s why you’re a success. This,” she said, indicating the slouched figure in front of her, “this isn’t a success. You wanna behave like this, you switch to writing romance novels.”
“Well…”
“So, now that you’ve managed to beat a murder rap—”
“I didn’t beat it. I didn’t kill anyone.”
“Are you going to keep interrupting me?”
“No.”
“Good. As I was saying—now that you’ve managed to beat a murder rap, are you going to lay down and play dead, or are you going to fight to save this thing you have with this Mitch guy?”
“I’m not sure how—” Rob stopped talking as he saw Estelle winding up for another slap.
“Stop thinking,” she said, “and start doing. Obviously thinking is not your strong suit. Now, come here.” Estelle opened her arms wide once more. Rob came in for a hug and she slapped him again.
“What was that for?” he yelled, his cheek burning.
“That was for signing a contract without reading it.”
* * * *
“You need to get right out there and get laid.” Karen was serious. “Come on. Get outta those sloppy shorts and throw on something tight. I mean, really tight, cuz I’m taking you out to the Nail Bar. My treat.”
The Nail Bar? Things happened to people who went there. He should just stick to dinner tonight… But why? Wasn’t he a single guy now? Single, not bad looking and loaded? Hell—the Nail Bar was probably the one place he should go tonight.
The Nail Bar was one of Toronto’s cruisiest pickup joints, set up behind a nail salon on Church Street. It was rumoured that even a corpse could get lucky at the Nail. He wasn’t sure if he should take the invitation as a compliment or a comment on his run-down condition.
They arrived at eleven. The place was just starting to pick up. Karen made a big deal of buying the first round of drinks. Rob had to smile. She was still using his credit card.
Karen spotted a tall, muscular blond across the bar. “Ooh, look at that one. You should ask Thor to dance.”
“Why, when I’ve got you?”
They downed their drinks, then a second round like a couple of teenagers, then Rob grabbed Karen by the hand and headed onto the dance floor.
While he had no definable dance form, Rob moved with a sensuality that was a magnet to any gay man’s eyes. Two songs into the set, the tall blond moved onto the dance floor and began to orbit around him. Karen slowly drifted back as Thor began to descend for a landing on Planet Rob. He just kept bopping to the music, his mind freed for the moment from everything that had happened over the past few days.
By the third song, Thor had manoeuvred his way behind Rob, inches away from his back. He slid his hands under Rob’s arms, which were raised above his head, and wrapped them around his muscled chest, hands massaging his nipples. Without missing a beat, Rob rotated and they moved together chest to chest for a moment before lips locked and tongues entwined. Rob didn’t even notice that Karen had worked her way through the crowded dance floor and out onto the street.
The night ended up at Rob’s. Clothes were tossed by the front door. Words were not spoken. Mouths joined, tongues massaged orifices, probing deeply, making way for other body parts. Bestial groans and moans filled the air. Chests heaved, hips thrust, hair matted with sweat, and bodies were soaked with fluid.
