Chapter Eight #2
“Top Shelf?” His flawless nose wrinkled.
“Yeah, man, you ever been?” Turk’s gaze flicked between Corvin and me. He frowned as though finally clueing into some tension.
“I haven’t. I thought about checking it out while Ryder worked there, but it never happened.”
“It’s banging, man. Come on with us. Have some drinks, blow off some steam.” He winked. “Maybe find someone to take home to defile… or to defile you, whatever your poison.”
I barely resisted rolling my eyes as Corvin turned pink. Fucking Turk didn’t know the meaning of the word boundaries.
“Uh, yeah, I’ll join, though I’m not really dressed for clubbing.”
Turk strode forward and threw an arm across Corvin’s shoulders. “Please, you’re gorgeous. No one will give a shit what you’re wearing. We’ll have a blast.” He guided Corvin to the back seat of the car, where the driver held the door, then climbed in after him, leaving me in the passenger seat.
Maybe Turko could read the room better than I thought. At least I wouldn’t have to sit directly next to Corvin, separated only by awkwardness and guilt.
“Hope you don’t get nauseated easily, Corvin,” Turk said as I slid into the passenger seat.
“Oh, no, I don’t. Why do you say that?” Corvin’s confusion came through in his voice over my left shoulder.
“Because my man, Ryder, and his boyfriend are about as sickeningly in love as two people can get. Spending too much time in their sappy presence can really make a commitment phobe like me hurl.”
For fuck’s sake.
“L-love?” Corvin’s hoarse whisper sounded as though he’d been punched in the gut.
“That’s right.” Turko gripped my shoulder over the seat, giving it a squeeze. “Apparently, they started throwing the ‘L’ word around recently, so be prepared for some peak vomit-inducing sweetness when they see each other tonight.”
“We’re not that bad,” I muttered, flipping Turk off over my shoulder, which only made the idiot laugh out loud.
“Wow,” Corvin said, voice wavering. “I didn’t realize it was that serious.”
“Have you met Alex?” Turk asked. I took back anything positive I said about his ability to read the room.
“Uh, yeah. Several times.”
“And you couldn’t tell how gone they were for each other?” Turk squeezed my shoulder again. “Is it just me you can’t control yourselves around?”
“Fuck off.”
Turk chuckled.
“No, no, they’re always very… into each other.”
I held back a snort—understatement of the year. Enough of this shit. “So, how was class today, Corvin?” I asked. He’d enrolled in a summer theater program every year.
Much safer subject matter.
“Good. It’s always fun to do something different between trimesters.”
“What are you studying?” Turko asked.
That did the trick. Corvin loved nothing more than talking about ballet. He was a dance major and liked to take various non-ballet classes at the community center between trimesters, so he spent the next ten minutes yapping about his passion.
Turk listened and even shared his own experiences, having taken ballet to improve his flexibility for playing hockey.
As they chatted and our driver brought us closer to Top Shelf, I watched the city fly by.
Each block that zoomed past brought me closer to Alex and ramped up my excitement.
By the time we were two minutes out, I was nearly vibrating with anticipation and had tuned out Turk and Corvin’s chatter behind me.
With the way I was buzzing, you’d think I hadn’t seen Alex in weeks, when in reality, we’d woken up wrapped around each other, fucked, then showered together.
The best kind of morning.
“Here we are, gentlemen,” our driver announced as he pulled alongside the curb a half block away from Top Shelf.
“Thank you,” I said as he put the car in park. A few seconds later, the driver exited and came around to open the door. “I have you scheduled for a pick-up at one. Does that still work for you?”
“That’s perfect,” Turk said as he and Corvin joined me on the sidewalk.
We bid the driver farewell, then strolled the short distance to the club, where I pulled the door open for my friends. “After you, assholes.”
“Charming,” Turk said with a snort as he followed Corvin into the building.
I loved the vibe Parker, Top Shelf’s owner, had created inside.
The aesthetic was a dark, sultry, upscale oasis for gay people looking to blow off some steam in a swanky venue.
Wednesday through Saturday nights, gorgeous men and women, but mostly men, gathered to drink expensive liquor, dance, and find someone to pleasure.
Working here for a few months had been a fun time, though ninety percent of that was due to proximity to Alex.
“Wow,” Corvin said. He turned in a circle, taking in every inch of the swanky lobby from the black marble flooring to the sparkling chandelier.
“Ryder! Alex didn’t tell me you were coming tonight.
” I turned to find Luke, the club’s VIP host, strolling our way.
As usual, he wore an expensive suit that fit him like a glove.
The other employees wore next to nothing, but Luke kept it classy in his role as the first face high-rolling guests saw when they walked in the door.
“Hey, Luke. Good to see you, man. Been too long.” I pulled my former co-worker in for a hug. “And Alex doesn’t know. I wanted to surprise him, which is why we put the reservation in Turk’s name.”
“Aren’t you sweet. He’ll lose his mind. And, of course, I remember Turko. You had a great season.”
“Thanks, man. Glad to have a little downtime.”
“I’m sure.” Luke shook hands with Turk, then turned to Corvin. “And who do we have here?” he asked, his voice dipping with interest. Unless that were wishful thinking on my part, the best outcome of the night would be if Corvin found someone to play with, naked.
Corvin extended his hand with the grace I’d come to expect from him. Every movement he made held an elegance that could only come from a lifetime of formal ballet training. “I’m Corvin. Ryder and I are really close.”
Turk raised his eyebrow at me in a silent that’s a weird way to say you’re friends.
I rolled my eyes.
“This gonna be a problem for Alex?” he muttered in my ear.
Sighing, I shrugged. “Possibly, though I promise I never returned the interest.”
“Wasn’t questioning your loyalty,” he whispered as he gripped my shoulder. “I know you’d never stray. Just didn’t realize this was an issue, and now I feel bad for inviting him.’
“Don’t worry about it,” I murmured.
“We’ll just have to find him someone to keep him occupied.” Turk winked.
“Follow me to your table. Your bottle service boy is Alex tonight,” he said with humor lacing his voice. “Please try not to fuck him on the table. The owner frowns upon that sort of thing.”
“I make no promises,” I said with a laugh. And I meant it. When it came to Alex, I’d never make a promise to remain decent no matter where we were.
“That’s my boy,” Turk said, slapping my back while Corvin frowned. It was going to be a long night if he cringed every time Alex and I were mentioned in the same sentence.
As we neared the table, Trevor noticed us from where he hovered next to the bar in his customary Top Shelf uniform of black booty shorts and a matching bowtie.
He’d dyed his hair blue a month or so ago, much to Parker’s chagrin.
I had a feeling that was on purpose. Trevor loved to get a rise out of Parker.
If he couldn’t get the particular response he desired, which was an animalistic ravaging, he’d take any attention from his silver fox of a boss—even a chewing out about his hair color.
Trevor’s eyes widened in surprise and delight.
His mouth opened, and I knew he was about to announce my arrival loudly, I lifted a finger, tapping it to my lips.
The idea of a secret sent Trevor over the top.
He bounced on the balls of his feet while clapping his hands and nodding his understanding.
Luke led us to the private VIP area offset from the rest of the club and elevated slightly to overlook the dance floor.
As usual, our table was stocked with mineral water in glass bottles, ready for us.
“Gentlemen, please make yourselves comfortable. I’ll let Alex know his table is ready for him.
” With a final wink, he turned and strode through the dark club toward the staff room.
Ah, how I loved that room. Alex and I had broken many of the rules in the employee handbook in that employee-only space.
Luke emerged from the staff room, followed by Alex, not thirty seconds later.
“Dayum,” Turk said with a low whistle as Alex strode our way. “I forgot how good your guy looks half naked. Fuck you for getting to him first.”
I snorted as I whacked the back of Turk’s head. “He’d have still picked me if he met you first, fuck you very much. And stop staring at my sexy-ass boyfriend, please.”
This time, Turk snorted. “Every dude in here is staring at your sexy-ass boyfriend. It’s how he makes his money, babycakes.”
Corvin also turned to watch Alex make his way toward us, only he didn’t jump in on the teasing.
Instead, he watched my boyfriend with a sad expression of loss.
The poor guy stood out like a sore thumb in his preppy clothing, better suited for brunch at the yacht club rather than a nightclub.
Still, he was attractive enough that I had no doubt men would flock to him once he hit the dance floor.
About halfway between the staff room and our table, Alex finally took a good look at who he’d be serving for the next few hours. His gaze landed on Turk first, and a grin broke out across his face. Then he noticed me.
And his whole face lit like a damn fireworks show.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Turk muttered, earning himself another playful smack. “Ow, can you stop with that shit? I’m gonna need the concussion protocol if you don’t quit.”
Alex quickened his pace, reaching us in seconds. I hopped out of my seat to greet him. “Hey,” he said, slightly breathless, with all his attention on me. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprise! I was moping about the penthouse, missing you, when Turk called, and I realized I didn’t have to miss you. I could come here and have you serve me for the next few hours.” I winked.
Alex threw back his head and laughed the kind of uninhibited laugh only I could drag from him.
And I fucking loved it. Before I could say anything else, he grabbed the front of my shirt and hauled me in for a deep kiss.
He licked at my lips, demanding entry, which I didn’t and would never deny him.
I moaned when his tongue slid along mine, teasing me like he did with my cockhead.
I ached to wrap my arms around him, grab the two thick globes of his ass, and grind all over him, but I settled on sliding a hand into the back of his hair. We made out for far longer than was workplace acceptable, letting everything around us fade away.
A sharp sting on my arm had me jerking out of Alex’s hold. “What the fuck?” I glance down to where Turko had yanked my arm hair with the force of a pissed-off waxer.
He shrugged, completely unrepentant, while I rubbed the sting away. “Just trying to keep your man from getting fired.”
Alex gave me a dopey smile. Another thing only I could elicit. He wiped his lower lip with his thumb, making my dick twitch. “Shit, he’s right. You make me lose my damn head.”
“Well…” I smoothed my hands down my shirt and didn’t bother to hide my triumphant grin. “What can I say?”
Turk made puking noises. It was then that Alex noticed Corvin. His eyes widened, and he shot me a mild glare. I tipped my head Turk’s way, hoping Alex understood he was the jackass who invited Corvin. Not me.
“Oh, hey, Corvin. How’s it going?”
“I’m well, Alex. Thanks.”
“Good to see you. First time here?”
So polite. So formal. So fake. Poor Alex probably wanted to flip Corvin off and tell him to get the hell out, but he was too professional to act that way.
Corvin swallowed. “Yes, it is,” he answered. “Nice place.”
Turk raised an eyebrow.
I flipped him off as discreetly as possible.
Yes, Turk, we all noticed how he didn’t say it was nice to see Alex too. This is your damn fault.
If Alex noticed the slight snub, he didn’t engage. Years of practice serving drinks to rich, drunk guys gave Alex excellent customer service skills, even if his natural personality was a smidge on the grumpy side.
Okay, super grumpy.
“What are we drinking tonight, boys?” Alex asked. God, he looked so good in that barely-there uniform. I wanted to lick every inch of exposed skin, but Parker would never let me back in the door.
“Tequila!” Turk shouted. “Reposado, my friend.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “For all of you?”
“Sure, why not?” I winked, and Alex chuckled.
“So it’s gonna be one of those kinds of nights, huh? Tequila good for you to start, too, Corvin?”
“Yes, that’s fine.” Well, if we’re going to loosen up the tightly wound member of our group, tequila would be it.
“Two shots each to start,” Turk demanded.
“Oookay. I will be right back with your blackout juice.” We all laughed, Corvin included, as Alex turned and strode toward the bar. I, of course, stared at his ass the entire way. When he disappeared from view, I turned back to my partners in crime for the evening.
“Get it out of your system?” Turk asked with a raised eyebrow.
I could only assume he meant mauling Alex.
I barked a laugh. “I’m just getting warmed up.”