Chapter 8
Borja
Farnsworth is clearly uncomfortable as he tugs at the collar of the t-shirt he’s wearing and glances around the bar nervously. I thought I’d break him in easy and bring him to a chill neighborhood place, but I’m going to have to help him let loose.
“I’ll get us some drinks. You can drink, right?”
He nods, briefly biting his bottom lip. “You’re not leaving me.”
“For a couple of minutes. I’ll be right back. You’re fine here.”
He blows out a breath but gives me a stilted nod as he settles in his chair. The bar isn’t super busy by any means, so it shouldn’t be too overwhelming.
I head to the bar, smiling at Tal when I get there. “Hey, man. How’s it been?”
Tal reaches his hand out to shake mine. “All good here. How about you?”
“Life is good. Get me two, um… You know what? Surprise me. I have an out of town guest and want to show him a good time.”
“I got you.”
Tal gets to work on the cocktails, and I can only imagine what they’ll contain.
He’s known around town for his creativity and never skimping on the alcohol.
I turn around to watch Farnsworth, but I’m surprised to see a guy standing over him, chatting him up.
I guess it shouldn’t shock me—Farnsworth is a good-looking guy—but it does make something twist in my chest. Protectiveness, maybe?
He doesn’t know what modern guys are like. I better get back over there.
“Here you go, Borja.” Tal pushes two pink and purple drinks towards me. “A special I came up with for spooky season.”
“Awesome. Can I run a tab?”
“You bet.” He waves me off as I take the two glasses over to our table.
“You have a pretty mouth, baby,” the stranger at the table says to Farnsworth, both of them unaware of my presence. “I bet it’d be even prettier wrapped around my—”
I clear my throat. “What’s going on here?”
The guy turns around to face me. “Oh hey, man, he didn’t tell me he was here with someone.”
“Well, he is.”
The man holds his hands up in surrender. “Got it.”
He walks off and I focus on Farnsworth, who looks stunned. His brow is creased but his mouth is hanging open while he apparently puzzles out what just happened.
“You okay?”
His eyes snap to me and his expression softens. “Yes. I, um… That was…” He shakes his head.
“Modern hookup culture.”
“He seemed to think we could just go into the bathroom and, and… In a public establishment. I have never heard of such indecency.”
Snickering, I take a seat and hand Farnsworth one of the drinks. “It’s more common than you’d think, although this place isn’t usually like that. That’s more of a nightclub thing in my experience.”
“Still, in a public place?”
“Heck yeah.”
“Have you ever…um…”
“Sure, when I was younger. Not so much anymore. I like to vet my hookups more now.”
“Vet your hookups,” he repeats.
I lean closer. “I like to make sure they aren’t jerks or dangerous first. I’m also more careful with my sexual health than I used to be.”
I can tell from his expression that everything I just said might as well have been in a different language. “So, you know that people can get infections through casual sex, right?”
“Oh, yes, that was true in my time as well.”
“Yeah, well, it still is. I get tested quarterly and I’m on PrEP, which helps a lot, but I’m less down to hook up in a dirty bathroom than I used to be. Sometimes guys pretend to be into guys so they can hurt you.”
Farnsworth nods. “That sounds dangerous.”
“It can be. Most of the time it’s not, it’s just a good time, but the older I get the more careful I am.”
“I can’t even imagine doing something like that outside of the privacy of my home.”
“Maybe you should give it a try while you’re Above.”
He flinches like I just threw something at him. “What? With who? How?”
“You just had an offer.”
He cringes. “Eww. Absolutely not. He wasn’t my type anyway.”
“No? What is your type, Farnsworth?”
He opens his mouth but snaps it shut again, looking down at his drink. “What is this concoction?”
“Don’t know. Told the bartender to surprise me. He makes great drinks though.”
Farnsworth slowly lifts his glass to his lips and takes a tiny sip. His face immediately lights up and he actually laughs softly, almost a giggle. “Oh my.” He takes another sip, smiling broader now. “This is delightful.”
I taste my drink too, nodding as the bright, fruity flavor explodes on my tongue. It tastes a bit like grape Kool-Aid but with a hell of a kick. “That’s nice.”
Farnsworth takes another, bigger drink this time. “Delicious.”
“Are you hungry? They have some mean hot wings here.”
Farnsworth shakes his head. “This is fine, but don’t let me stop you.”
“Nah, I’m alright for now.”
We drink quietly for a few minutes while Farnsworth looks around the bar, taking in all the people and happenings around us, and I focus on him.
Dressed in modern clothes, he’s definitely a looker.
He was before with his vintage vibe, but this slight change gives him an entirely different appeal.
It’s like there’s something beneath his surface dying to break free.
I could help him with that. I’d take him to the bathroom right now and blow his mind if he’d let me.
I’m pretty sure that crossing professional lines is a big fat no with him, but damn, I’d sure like to.
The ice clinks in his glass and he looks at it with a frown. “It’s gone.”
“I can get you another one.”
“Please. I can get mortal money if necessary.”
“I’m okay. Things are pretty cheap here.” I stand up. “You good for a minute alone?”
He nods happily. “I’m good.”
Before I walk away completely, I bend down close to his ear. “You look amazing when you’re relaxed.”
His eyes widen as his lips part and his breath catches slightly. I leave him to sit with that comment while I head back to the bar.
“Did you like the drinks?” Tal asks, wiping his hands on a towel.
“Yeah, two more please.”
“You got it.”
I lean against the bar watching Farnsworth and the table of guys next to him.
One of them, a youngish looking cub with blond hair, is definitely checking him out, but Farnsworth seems oblivious to the attention.
I should encourage him to do what feels good and experience things, but selfishly I want to keep him all to myself.
“Here you go, man.”
“Thanks.” Grabbing the drinks, I make my way back to the table. The bar is getting a little more crowded now, and Farnsworth seems to be enjoying all the people-watching. “Here we go,” I say, taking my seat again and pushing a drink towards Farnsworth.
He picks it up and takes a big gulp. “So good.”
“Does alcohol affect you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you get drunk?”
“Oh.” His brow furrows. “I don’t know.”
“Guess we’ll find out.” I glance at the table of men, nodding to the one who was staring at Farnsworth earlier. He acknowledges me and turns back to his friends.
My thoughts turn indecent pretty quickly as I watch Farnsworth enjoy his drink.
There’s something fun about corrupting him a little.
I can already imagine him with a tattoo covering his bicep, letting his scruff grow all the way in.
I can imagine slamming him up against a wall and reminding him what it feels like to have a man pressed against his body.
My cock swells and I shift in my chair. Guess it’s been a while for me too.
“Should we do something after this?” Farnsworth asks. “Unless you’re tired.”
“I’m not tired. I know another place that’s pretty cool. Different from this. More music and dimmer lighting.”
He nods eagerly. “I want to see it.”
“Finish your drink, then we’ll go.”
He slams it back in one long gulp, his cheeks turning pink and a big smile on his face as he sets the glass down. “This is fun.”
Fun? He hasn’t begun to scratch the surface. “I’ll go close out our tab.”
Farnsworth nods, smiling up at me. I head to the bar, get Tal’s attention, and pay the bill. By the time I get back to the table, the blond guy has scooted his chair over to talk to Farnsworth. Just as I get there, I hear him ask Farnsworth for his phone.
“I don’t have one,” Farnsworth says.
“Don’t have a phone? Dude.”
“I don’t need one. I have Borja.”
My chest puffs out a little with pride. The hot guy in the bar that everyone wants to talk to just said he has me. Ha.
“Everything good?”
The blond guy nods. “Yeah, man, it’s cool. I didn’t know you guys were…” He shrugs. “Just shooting my shot.”
“No worries, man.” I smile at Farnsworth. “Ready to go, babe?”
He stands, nodding and swaying slightly toward me, catching himself with his hands on my chest. “Ready.”
We walk outside and Farnsworth pauses to inhale the cool air. “Modern men find me appealing?”
“Yep.”
He chuckles. “Interesting.”
“Why?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I suppose I thought I was too out of touch.”
“There’s nothing out of touch about your face.”
His smile drops and he looks a little shy. “Do… do you find me appealing?”
I take a step closer. “I sure do.” His breath catches again, and I walk us back until he’s pressed against the building. “Do you find modern men appealing?”
Farnsworth nods, his big eyes searching mine. “It’s refreshing.”
“I bet.”
“But…” He subtly shakes his head. “I shouldn’t say.”
“You don’t have to keep anything from me. I won’t judge you.”
His lips part, but he doesn’t speak, and the temptation to lean in and taste him is strong. I don’t want to freak him out though. If we cross any lines together, he has to initiate it.
“We can go now.”
Farnsworth nods, exhaling slowly, and before I can back again, he fists my shirt, keeping me captive. “I needed this.”
“This?”
“This experience. Being out and seeing what it’s like now. A man can just walk up to another man and make his intentions known. That would’ve been unheard of in my time.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
“How do you feel?”
“My head is woozy and my feet are light.” He grins. “It’s lovely.”
I chuckle. “Good. The night is young. There’s more fun to be had.”
“Show me everything, Borja. I want to feel it all.”
Yeah, definitely don’t mind a tipsy Farnsworth. “I can do that.”