Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Franky sat in the back booth of the diner, a Coke sitting on the table in front of him. He had four meetings set up over the next three hours from the dating site Bob had put his profile on.
He was ignoring Drac and Bob, who had insisted on coming along and were sitting in the other back booth next to his.
They were both nursing coffees and were going to be wired by the time these dates were over.
Especially Drac who was already on his second cup and they’d only been there for five minutes.
Franky had warned them both that if they interfered, he was going to go medieval on their asses. It was an expression he’d picked up recently, and he liked it a lot.
His first date was with Jason who Drac had called an adorable twink and Bob had said was no doubt looking for a Daddy.
Franky had noted that Jason maybe needed a Daddy because he looked all of twelve.
Bob had assured him that he didn’t mean Daddy like that and Jason had to be at least eighteen to be on the site and no doubt simply had a young face.
Franky looked at the big goofy clock over the counter, noting that it was two minutes past two o’clock and Jason was supposed to be here at two.
He told himself two minutes was hardly late at all.
Five minutes later, he was telling himself seven minutes wasn’t too late either, right?
He couldn’t help but feel it was disrespectful, though.
Like Jason didn’t think his time was important.
Maybe Jason didn’t, maybe Jason thought that this was a pity date for the big ugly monster with the scars and the bolts in his neck and he didn’t need to be on time for that.
“Frank? Oh, there you are?” Jason headed down to his booth and Franky stood.
He held out his hand and Jason laughed and half jumped up to wrap his arms around Franky’s neck.
“I’m a hugger! And I’m so sorry I’m late.” Jason stepped back and looked up at him from beneath his lashes, which he batted. “Are you going to spank me because I am?”
Franky just stared for a long moment before slowly shaking his head. “I wasn’t planning to.”
Jason pouted. “Oh, that’s a shame! You have huge hands.”
Franky sat and made a gesture that meant please sit. The guy did. At least he looked a little less like he was twelve in person.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“I’d love a milkshake, please… Daddy.” Those eyelashes batted again.
In the booth next to him, Bob and Drac made noises. Franky ignored them.
“A milkshake it is, but I’m not your Daddy.”
“You could be.” Jason lounged in the booth, legs splayed, as if to say, all this could be yours.
Franky shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not.”
That had Jason sitting forward, at the same time the waiter arrived.
“What can I get you and do you need a menu?”
Jason shook his head and held a hand up in the waiter’s direction, turning his entire attention on Franky. “So you’re saying it’s never going to happen. Not even eventually, not even maybe?”
“That’s right.” He wasn’t going to pretend something he didn’t feel, and it wouldn’t be fair to give Jason hope that he’d change his mind.
“In that case, I’ll just go. I was willing to put up with your—” Jason waved his other hand in a circle to encompass Franky. “—everything if you were a good Daddy, but otherwise, no, just no.”
Then Jason got up and flounced off.
“Well, he got one thing right,” Drac noted. “He needs a spanking.”
The waiter snorted. “You got that right.” Then he turned to Franky. “Did you want something else, or just a refill on your Coke.”
“It’s not finished,” Franky noted glumly.
“Well, no, but it’s lost all its fizz and needs a refresher.” He grabbed the drink and headed off.
Franky sighed. Well, that had not been productive.
“One down, three to go,” Drac noted.
“So the first one didn’t work out. You’ve got three other guys coming to see you. I bet the next guy is going to be great.” Bob gave him a thumbs-up.
“It would be a good start if he was on time.” Franky looked over at the clock, realizing it hadn’t mattered that Jason had been nearly ten minutes late. It was only now two sixteen and meetup number two wasn’t happening until two forty-five.
The waiter came back with his drink. “You got another one coming?”
“I do. In a half hour.”
“Well, hopefully this one will go better, eh?” The guy had a nice smile.
“Thank you…”
“Vince.”
“Thank you, Vince.”
“You’re welcome…”
Franky chuckled. “Frankenstein, but my friends call me Franky.”
“Franky. I like it. It suits you. Well, if you need anything else, just give me a wave.” Then Vince turned to Bob and Drac. “What about you two, do you want anything else? Another coffee top-up?”
Drac immediately moved his cup toward the edge of the table. “Yes, that would be great.”
“You’re going to be up until next year,” Bob noted before turning to Vince. “I’d actually like a vanilla milkshake, please.”
“Coming right up. That refill too.”
“I wanted one the minute that jerk mentioned it,” Bob told him.
Franky chuckled and actually took a sip of his drink this time.
He liked the way the bubbles felt going down his throat; Vince had been right, it needed to be refreshed and now it was perfect.
He took another sip. He didn’t want to drink it too quickly and wind up having to go pee just when his next date was supposed to show.
Vince came back, refilling Drac’s coffee for him and giving Bob his milkshake. It was huge.
“Wow.” Bob looked at the thing, and then at the metal container that came with it. “Oh my god, there’s more in here.”
“That’s the stuff that won’t fit in the glass.”
“Holy shit.”
“I could bring a couple more glasses and you could share with your friends?” Vince suggested, obviously having figured out that Bob and Drac were with him.
“Ew, dairy. No.” Drac made all sorts of gagging faces.
Bob rolled his eyes and looked over in Franky’s direction.
“I don’t have a problem with dairy,” Franky said. “And it looks good.”
Bob took a sip and he had to really pull on it to get any. “It’s amazing. Yes, please, bring Franky a glass so he can help me finish this.”
“You got it.”
“It looks super thick. Like how they used to make milkshakes.” Franky had noted that while not everything was better ‘in the good old days’ there were some things that they just didn’t make the same anymore. Milkshakes were one of those things.
“It is. Good thing I have strong sucking muscles.” Butter wouldn’t melt in Bob’s mouth.
Drac on the other hand, choked on his coffee and then went into a fit of laughter. Bob grinned at Franky and he grinned back.
“Here you go.” Vince put the glass in front of Bob, along with an extra straw before hurrying back to the little podium by the door to greet a new pair of customers.
Bob poured what was left of the milkshake in the metal container into the empty glass and passed it and the straw over.
Franky gave it a try, loving the way he had to work to get the shake up through the straw. It was definitely worth the effort, too, the flavor delicious. They had to be using high quality ice cream as good as it was.
Time seemed to have slowed way down and he found himself going back to the shake again and again as he waited for the clock to say it was two forty-five.
A man rushed in at two forty and looked around before waving off Vince as the waiter headed to the podium. He made his way to Franky’s booth.
“Frank, I take it.” The man looked at his watch and sat without waiting for an invite or for Franky to stand or offer a handshake or anything.
“Yes, and you must be Wilson.”
“I am.” The guy pulled out his phone and opened it up. All Franky could see from upside down was a lot of text. “All right, I’m a tad early, but let’s get started.”
“Okay. It’s nice to meet you,” Franky said.
“Yeah, yeah.” Wilson waved his hand dismissively. “Where are you from?”
“I live here, how about you?”
“Yes, but where were you born?” Wilson asked, not answering Franky’s question.
“Germany.”
“Do you have a job?”
“Not at the moment.” He was between jobs.
Wilson frowned at that and looked up. “So you’ve got family money then?”
Franky frowned himself. Wilson was being rather rude. “I’m not sure what that has—”
“Look, I’m not wasting my time with some asshole who doesn’t have an income, has no ambitions, and just wants to ride my coattails. I need someone who can hold their own, and who can impress people. The whole look is a bit much, but I can overlook it if you answer my questions how I want you to.”
“Are you interviewing me for the role of boyfriend?” Franky asked.
Wilson smiled, looking pleased for the first time since he’s walked in. “Exactly! So, family money, yes or no?”
Franky shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think so.”
“What?”
“Thank you for the opportunity, but I’m not looking for a job right now.”
Wilson snorted. “You look like that and you think someone is going to go out with you just for shits and giggles.”
“I’m hoping for giggles, yes.”
Wilson snorted again, the sound was rather unpleasant. “I’m a great boyfriend. Good looking, loaded, and well worth the time to answer a few questions and see if you can hold your own in a conversation.”
“Make you look good, you mean.”
“Of course.” Wilson said it as if there would be no other reason for Franky to ‘date’ him.
“Thank you, but no.” He wanted a relationship, not a transaction.
Wilson huffed and stood. “Well, good luck with your giggles then.” The man sneered at him and turned on his heel, heading out as quickly as he’d come.
Franky looked over at Bob and Drac. Would they think he’d been too hasty?
Drac had one eyebrow up, and Bob looked, well, flabbergasted might have been the right word.
“Okay…” Bob took a long sip of his almost finished milkshake. “So that’s two down. I’m sure the next guy will be better.”
“I’m not seeing it getting much worse,” Drac drawled. “That guy should have put his ad in a jobs listing or something.”