Chapter 44
FORTY-FOUR
Blake
Blake sat on the couch with his face in his hands, mumbling fuck on a repeating loop.
Dustin had wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and was rubbing his back in circles. “Hey, come on. It’s going to be okay. Ethan’s on his way.”
A frantic knock roused Blake from his doom spiral.
“There he is now,” Dustin said.
Blake trudged across the room, his body a heavy weight. When he opened the door, he was so relieved to see Ethan that he couldn’t stop himself from pulling him into a hug.
Ethan hugged him back, and unlike the awkward embrace they’d shared that afternoon, this was a real one. They lingered in the doorway, clinging to each other and softly rocking side to side.
“It’s all falling apart,” Blake mumbled into the warm fleece of Ethan’s hoodie.
“We’ll take it one step at a time. Let’s head inside.”
Blake stepped aside to let Ethan in. After toeing off his sneakers, Ethan closed the door and guided Blake back to the couch.
As soon as Blake dropped onto the cushion with a groan, Dustin’s hands were on his shoulders, massaging his tense muscles and grounding him with his touch. “I’ll get out of your hair so you can work, but let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Thanks,” Ethan said, scooting closer to Blake.
Dustin gave Blake’s shoulders a final squeeze. “I’ll be in my room.”
Ethan nodded. “Okay.”
Dustin walked backwards toward his bedroom. “With the door closed. Probably some headphones in. So you’ll have to knock really loud if you want me to hear.”
“Thanks, Dustin,” Blake said wearily, letting out a listless chuckle at Dustin’s obvious innuendo. Slumping forward, his forearms resting on his knees, he traced the outline of a coffee stain on the rug with his toe.
“How could this happen?” Blake said. “They learned all the choreography. Their costumes are made. Everyone is counting on me to pull this off. What are we going to do?”
“Do you want to cancel the show and reschedule it?”
That would be the smart thing to do, but the thought of that made his stomach hurt more than it already did. They’d worked too hard to quit now.
Blake shook his head.
“Me neither. Let’s start by figuring out exactly what’s going on.” Ethan rested his hand on Blake’s forearm. “I’ve been racking my brain, trying to figure out when they got sick. It must have been either breakfast or lunch, when everyone was together. Wait – have you heard from Tenny yet?”
Blake sat up, his pulse drumming in his ears. “No.” Tenny must be really sick if he hadn’t been able to call yet.
Blake grabbed his phone off the coffee table and called Tenny, tapping his foot while he waited for his friend to pick up. The minute Tenny answered, Blake blurted, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Everyone’s sick.”
“You and Ethan are sick?” Tenny asked with alarm.
“No, not us. Gabriel, Miles, and Dom. Oh, and Enzo.”
“Put him on speaker,” Ethan whispered.
Blake held the phone between them and switched to speaker phone.
“Hi, Tenny. It’s Ethan. It might be food poisoning. When the guys left for lunch, they were heading to Charley’s Deli.”
“I’m pulling up Twitter as we speak.” Muttering to himself, Tenny said, “Good job, Steel. I swear, that kid would eat out of a dumpster if he could.” After a few tense seconds of silence, Tenny groaned. “Aw, fuck.”
“What?” Blake and Ethan asked at the same time.
“Someone tweeted that the deli closed shortly after the dinner rush because people were getting sick. The cooler temp was off. They suspect staph.”
“What does that mean?” Blake asked.
“It means our dancers will survive, but they’re out of commission for at least twenty-four hours.”
“Twenty-four hours?” Blake asked, his voice strained and reedy.
“I’ll make some calls, and see if I can find some dancers who can sub in. Let’s reconvene at the club first thing in the morning.”
Blake’s chest rose and fell with rapid, ragged breaths. “How can I train and make costumes for a new team of dancers a few hours before our grand opening?”
“Blake? Remember when we danced together, the night Ethan found out? What did I say to you?”
“I won’t let you fall.”
“That’s right. I’ve got you, big guy. We’ll figure this out. Let me make some calls. Go spend time with Ethan, and try to get some sleep,” Tenny said before hanging up.
Blake cradled his phone in his lap, staring at Tenny’s contact screen, his gaze unfocused. “I know Tenny wants to help, but it’s hopeless. There’s not enough time.”
“Hey, look at me.” Ethan cupped Blake’s jaw and gently turned his head. “Don’t give up yet. We’re all in, right?”
Blake nodded meekly. “All in.”
“Let’s call in some reinforcements. We need all the support we can get. I’ll reach out to Zane. You call Xander.”
There wasn’t much Xander could do in the situation besides offering moral support, but he was one of Blake’s best friends. Hearing his voice might calm him down. He dialed Xander’s number.
“Hey, Blake,” Xander said. In a quieter voice, as if he’d lowered the phone, he said, “Take five, dude.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed. “Are you with someone?”
“Duh. It’s Thursday night.”
Blake wasn’t sure why that was relevant, but for Xander, every night was a potential hookup night. “You answered the phone while you’re having sex?”
“No, just a blow job, so far. We can take a break. What’s up?”
“All my dancers have food poisoning. We’re meeting in the morning to come up with a plan to save the show.”
“Shit, for real?” To his guest, Xander said, “Sorry, Jordan. We’ll have to pick this up another time… my friend has an emergency. Well, screw you, too!” In the background, a door slammed. “I’m on it. I’ll round up the guys and we’ll meet you at the club, bright and early.”
“Thanks, Xander.”
“Don’t mention it. Sex gods stick together. I’m here for you, whatever it takes.”
They said their goodbyes and Blake ended the call.
For several seconds, neither he nor Ethan spoke.
“I guess…” Blake exhaled slowly, his breath shuddering. “I guess we’ve done what we can do for tonight.”
“Blake?” Ethan said.
Expecting another hit of bad news, Blake braced himself and glanced over.
Ethan was watching him, his eyes filled with longing. His lips parted slightly, then pressed together again. He slid closer, so close that Blake could smell the familiar scent of his deodorant.
Despite the stress of the evening, and the seeming hopelessness of their situation, Blake’s dick began to harden, pressing against the soft fabric of his sweatpants.
Reaching over, Ethan gently removed Blake’s phone from his hand and set it on the coffee table. He swung his leg over Blake’s thighs and straddled him, settling onto his lap.
Is this happening?
Afraid his touch might ruin the fragile moment, Blake tentatively placed his hands on Ethan’s thighs, his fingers trembling from his effort to keep his touch light.
They gazed into one another’s eyes, their chests rising and falling as the air between them grew charged.
Leaning forward slightly, Ethan cradled Blake’s face, thumbs warm on his cheeks, and murmured, “I need you.”
Then he kissed him.