Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
TONY
Staying at City Lights until four a.m. hadn’t been on my to-do list for tonight. I figured I’d have a few drinks with Michael and then head back to my apartment to lick my wounds. Instead, I was listening to Greg play the piano and sing with the people crowded around his instrument.
Not gonna lie, this was a side of him I hadn’t seen before.
That night at Reilly’s, when he first met Jeremy, he’d clearly been starstruck.
But he’d also seemed subdued and uncertain of himself and his talent.
Now, two years later, he was poised and confident.
He’d grown out his sandy-blond hair and his blue-gray eyes were alight with excitement.
It was worlds away from the man I’d met twelve years ago. Not that he seemed to remember. Or if he did, he had chosen not to acknowledge it. I would have to say something before we got hot and heavy. I’d hate for him to suddenly remember and be embarrassed.
The crowd in the bar had thinned out by the time four a.m. rolled around.
Greg’s last song was a lively tune from a Broadway show I hadn’t seen, but everyone still there seemed to know by heart.
With a final flourish on the keys, he ended the tune and took his bow to enthusiastic applause.
I heard a few of them tell him how happy they were to have him there.
The bartender went over and shook his hand, saying something that made Greg grin from ear to ear.
He collected the pile of cash from the tip jar on his piano, straightening each bill and turning them all in the same direction before pocketing his earnings.
His eyes were alight, and he was practically vibrating with excitement when he walked over to me. “Nice job,” I said. “You looked like you were having a lot of fun.”
“I really was,” he said with a broad smile. “I was nervous when I started tonight, but everyone was so kind. I’m glad I pushed through my anxiety to audition for this job.”
“You make it sound like you just started today. Well, yesterday,” I amended.
“I did,” he replied simply.
I stepped closer to him. “It seems to me you need to celebrate.”
He looked up at me, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I like that idea. I just had an energy drink, so I’ve got my second wind.” He moved until there was barely an inch between us. His voice was husky when he asked, “Did you have something in mind?”
I rested my hands lightly on his hips. “Yeah. I’m figuring we can work off some of that excess energy you have over at my place. What do you say?”
He molded his body to mine and slid his hands up my chest. “I say that’s an excellent idea. I just need to get my coat.”
While he was doing that, I opened the app for a rideshare and lucked out that some poor soul was trying to make a buck at four in the morning because getting a taxi would have been doubly hard.
Greg returned, wearing a thigh-length black wool coat that complemented his slim body. I lifted my phone. “All set. The car will be here in three minutes.”
His brows rose. “I’m surprised it’s that quick.”
“No kidding.” I looked into his eyes. “Are you still okay with going to my place?”
His answering smile had an almost tender quality. “Jeremy and the rest of that big group of friends he’s gathered around himself all trust you. I don’t think I could get a better reference.”
My heart warmed at his compliment. At the same time, heat pooled in my gut in anticipation of what the night would bring. Just one more obstacle to get over.
The ride to my apartment took less than ten minutes in the pre-dawn hours on the streets of New York City. I saw Greg’s eyes go wide when he saw my building. “You live here? I love this building.”
“Yeah, it’s a great place to live.” I put in my code to get into the lobby, where several modern art sculptures were displayed.
The security guard at the front desk nodded at me as we headed to the elevator and rode it to the twenty-sixth floor.
I used the key I’d taken from Luke to unlock the door to my apartment, where motion sensors turned on the living room lights.
There was a small entry foyer where I’d hung a bunch of pictures of friends and family.
Greg paused to look at them, and I knew the moment his gaze landed on the picture of an old buddy of mine and me in our police uniforms from fifteen years before.
There was a sharp intake of breath, and his body stiffened.
His voice was low and gruff when he spoke.
“You were a cop? In Belmar?” He turned toward me, his eyes scanning my face.
He looked back at the picture and then back at me. “It was you,” he whispered.
I let out a soft sigh. “Yeah, it was me.” I gestured toward my sofa, which faced the sliding glass doors that led out to my terrace. “Let’s sit.”
Greg sat in one corner of the sofa while I sat far enough away that I could turn to face him. His brow was furrowed, but he didn’t look angry, only confused. “Why didn’t you say anything when we first met?” he asked.
Twelve years ago, I’d pulled Greg over for driving erratically.
I’d figured he was drunk. It turned out his boyfriend at the time had beaten the shit out of him, and Greg had been trying to get away.
“I wasn’t sure if you didn’t remember or just didn’t want to acknowledge it.
Either way, I wasn’t about to go up to you and ask about one of the worst nights of your life. ”
Greg didn’t answer right away. He just stared out the window at the city lights. He finally turned to me, and to my surprise, he was smiling. “Yes, it was the worst night of my life. But it was also the best.”
I blinked and stared at him. “How so?”
He moved closer to me. “You pushed me to go to the hospital. You told me I deserved better. That I didn’t have to live that way. And I listened. After having so many other people in my life say the same thing, I finally listened. I got out, and I got help.”
I gave him an answering smile. “And here you are.”
He turned so our knees were touching. “Here I am with the hot cop who helped turn my life around.”
I shook my head. “You did that. I just nudged you in the right direction.” I cleared my throat. “Listen, if all this has put a damper on what we had originally planned, it’s okay. Talking about an abusive ex isn’t very sexy.”
He pulled on his bottom lip with his teeth.
“This may sound strange, but I don’t think of it that way.
For a long time, I thought about you. I wanted to reach out to thank you.
I called the Belmar police department, but they wouldn’t give me any information.
The guy on the phone was kind of a dick. ”
I grimaced. “If it’s who I think it was, I’m not surprised. A lot of the cops in that station were homophobic. It was because of the way they reacted to your case that I turned in my badge and opened Angel Security. I didn’t want to work with people like that.”
He pointed at me. “That right there is what makes you so sexy.” He put his hand on my shoulder and swung his leg over my lap so he was straddling me. “I’ve been lusting after you since I first saw you in Reilly’s. Everything about you is sexy. I’d like to continue what we started.”
I moved my hands down to his sweet ass and drew him closer. My voice was like gravel when I spoke. “Tell me what you want.”
Greg’s plush lips turned up in a wicked smile. “First, I want to kiss you. I’ve wanted to do that forever.” He rolled his hips, pressing his hard dick against mine. “Then I want you to fuck me with that thick cock until I can’t see straight.”
I gripped his ass tighter. “I am one hundred percent on board with this plan.”
“Finally,” he whispered.
He put his hands on either side of my head and pressed his lips to mine in a hungry kiss. I pulled his hips closer, both of us groaning when our hard shafts ground together. Our tongues tangled as the kiss deepened. I drank down his soft moans until I felt my balls tighten.
I drew back and said, “How about we move this to my bedroom for part two?”
Greg gazed at me through lust-glazed eyes. “You have the best ideas.”