Five Boroughs 01 - Sutphin Boulevard (9 page)

I nudged him again. “You’re taking my position as lame hermit in this friendship.”

He groaned theatrically. “Where is she even at?”

“I dunno. Some gay club in the Village.”

“I’ll never get why women dig going to gay clubs where no one is going to give them any play.”

“Maybe they want to party without a bunch of guys thinking they want play.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

I scoffed at him. “Just shut up and come with me.”

When Nunzio released another pitiful groan, I turned on the sofa and straddled him. My lips parted so I could plead with him again, but his hands came up to rest on my hips and the words died before I could fully form them. A wicked glint shone in his eyes.

“Okay, then.”

Nunzio slumped down farther, spreading his legs wide as a Cheshire smile curved his mouth up. “What?”

“Don’t be looking at me like that, sucio.”

He bucked up his hips, forcing me to bounce on his lap. I balanced myself so there was space between us, the position making my hamstrings burn. It would have been easy to slide forward and align our crotches at the critical point, but I wasn’t ready to let him know I still fantasized about that night in July.

It was bad enough that I was now captivated by the way his full lower lip was caught between his teeth, the way his hands were gripping tighter, and the feel of his hard, muscular thighs beneath me. Unbidden, a voice in my head wondered how it would feel to ride him. My dick stirred, and I nearly leapt off his lap.

I cleared my throat after finding my footing once again. “If you come out to the club, you could pick up some hot twink and not have to spend your time leering at me.”

“Can we have another threesome?” When I just stared, his smile wilted. “Relax, Mikey. Just joking.”

“Uh-huh.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. The implications of his sudden shift in behavior did not bode well, especially combined with my own gutter mind. If Nunzio started encouraging the idea of us getting horizontal, I wasn’t sure how I would respond. My dick loved the idea, but my brain wasn’t as certain. I kicked his bare foot.

“Come on. Get dressed.”

Nunzio turned away from me to curl into a ball. “Can’t I just stay here? I have no desire to be around McCleary people. Especially some bitches that didn’t even bat an eyelash when I got chucked from the team. You can go have fun for me while I stay here and jerk off to porn.” He curled further into himself and wrapped his arms around his head to prevent me from seeing his face. “Pick up a hot top and tell me the details so I can live vicariously through your ability to be versatile.”

“Anyone can be versatile.”

“Maybe for the right cock.”

I smacked a hand against the swath of flesh that was visible beneath his rucked up T-shirt. “Fine. If you change your mind, give me a call.”

Without his interference, I threw on some random items of his clothing and waited for him to comment on my appearance. When he didn’t glance in my direction, I grabbed my wallet and spare key and headed out the door.

I took a cab, but still, by the time I arrived, there was already a line, and some of the guys looked like they’d stepped right off the fashion pages of
Out
magazine. The doorman seemed to be selecting people, but to my surprise he pointed at me as soon as I approached. Judging by the number of white faces when I entered, I wondered if I was fulfilling some kind of minority quota.

I texted Danielle and squinted in the flashing lights, making my way through the sea of bodies to the bar. The place was so loud and cramped that I regretted going out, even if I was morbidly curious about what Danielle had to say.

“Michael!”

She was by the bar, waving at me over the crowd, her dark bangles sliding up her thin arm and glittering in the darkness. Reaching her position was an adventure comprised of dodged elbows and flailing arms, the thick smell of cologne, sweat, and the cloying scent of marijuana clinging to one of the people on the dance floor. I was thankful to reach the bar; I already needed a drink.

My relief was short-lived. Standing by Danielle’s side was her best friend Charles, who looked like a cross between a burlesque performer and a model, and David. Fantastic.

“I didn’t know this was a work thing.”

“It’s not,” Danielle said, straight-faced among the hordes of glittering gay men. “But Charles wanted me to go out, and I invited David while we were texting.”

“You were texting?” My tone made texting sound a lot like consorting with the administrative enemy, and I knew I was being an asshole. I tried to smile. “I didn’t know you guys got that close in the four hours you spent together in the past two days.”

“What, are you jealous that he’s, like, stealing your beard?” Charles leaned across the bar to make a scrunched-up stank face. “You need to learn how to share, Mikey.”

“Only Nunzio calls me Mikey.”

Charles smirked at that and raised one pink, thinly trimmed eyebrow. “Mm-hmm.”

“Yeah, thanks for that insightful retort.” I glanced at David, realizing I hadn’t greeted him. All I could muster was a faint head bop.

“I was asking her how to do something on the school website. That’s why we were texting,” he said. “Not for some other weird reason.”

“Okay.” I turned away like I had no interest in that information and sought out the bartender, but getting a drink didn’t seem likely to happen until Charles ducked under the bar. He popped up on the other side with a flourish of his tattooed arms.

“What can I get you, Mr. Rodriguez?”

“Three shots of tequila and a beer.”

“Don’t you mean four shots?”

“No. They’re all for me.”

I tried to ignore the guy behind me who kept bumping into my back, and looked at David again. The shirt he was wearing showed every hard line of muscle in his arms and torso. I realized he was glassy-eyed and flushed. They must have arrived much earlier than I had, unless he was just a lightweight.

“Why don’t you go dance instead of awkwardly standing here?” I’d expected him to say no, but he just looked around and didn’t respond. His movements were exaggerated from the effects of alcohol. “Worried your complicated boyfriend is here?”

“No,” he said. “It’s just really crowded.”

“So? You can make your way to the middle.”

“Why don’t you come with me?”

Danielle gave a furtive shake of her head. I had to agree with the sentiment. After our tête-à-tête in the classroom, I’d sworn to keep my interaction with David to a minimum.

“Here you go, teacher,” Charles said merrily, presenting me with my assortment of booze.

I knocked the shots back one after the other as David looked on.

“Come on.” David listed closer and grabbed my wrist. “Let’s dance. It can be bonding. Or a better icebreaker game.”

“Oh boy,” Danielle muttered.

I stared at him over the rim of my mug, took a deep gulp, and set it down on the bar. Good judgment caved under his coaxing smile, and I wondered if this was his way of showing he was normal outside of work.

“One dance,” I relented.

“Yes!” His voice was too loud, and the way he bounced on his heels like a child was indicative of how drunk he was. I allowed him to tug me toward the crowd while threading his damp and sticky fingers through mine.

We weaved through darkness with only flashing lights to illuminate our surroundings, but the cluster of bodies was not as annoying now that I was buzzed. When we were finally pinned together and moving to the thrum of European electronica, everything else drifted away. I wished I could clearly see David’s face, but all I got was a glimpse of big eyes and wide lips every ten seconds when the epileptic nightmare of a light show switched.

I hadn’t intended to touch him except for the press of my front to his with the barest teasing brushes of denim on denim, but he cast the first stone toward debauchery with his increasingly adventurous hands. One palm braced between my shoulder blades and the other found its way to my ass as he guided me closer. I let him get aggressive and handsy for two songs before it escalated to dry humping with a beat.

The feel of his erection bumping insistently against my crotch sent a wave of heat through my body, but when he groaned in my ear, I backed off. It was easy to forget real life and consequences when beguiled by alcohol, a good beat, and the long shadows of a club, but the reality of him being utterly smashed jerked me out of the trance. I remembered his admission about having a boyfriend and his previous horror over drunken antics, and the red flags went up. I would be the one looking like an asshole in the morning if I took him up on any offers now.

It took gold-medal-worthy self-control to pry myself away.

“I’m going to get another drink,” I shouted over the music.

“Wait a few minutes.”

David clung to me like a lifeline, but I shook my head and cast a quick look around. There were two guys in the vicinity with hawk eyes glued to David’s ass, and I nudged him in the direction of the more attractive one.

“I’ll be back.”

I made a quick escape just as the guy clamped his hands on David’s hips and pulled him back. It was a sufficient distraction; David took one look over his shoulder and ground back on the guy with a smile.

I returned to where Danielle was hanging out with Charles at the bar. It was clear that the only reason Danielle was in this establishment was because Charles was working the late shift.

“You two crazy kids have fun?” she asked around a tiny red straw.

“Yep,” I said. “But it’s time for a few more drinks.”

Charles gave me a double thumbs-up and the kind of sharp smile that implied murder if I skimmed his tip. He gave us personal bar service for the next hour.

David appeared once with his new friend in tow, but I made it clear I wouldn’t be going for another jaunt on the dance floor. He disappeared while I slurred to Danielle about the possibilities of getting retroactive pay when we finally got a new contract. Once David was gone for several minutes, she bumped my shoulder.

“Don’t let him get to you, Rodriguez.”

I blinked at her. “¿Qué?”

She gave me a stern look. “Watch your ass. There’s enough weird rumors going around without him telling people you hooked up while he was drunk.”

“Hey now… he was the one hitting on
me
.”

“Maybe, but if he decided to spin it another way, it won’t spread around like that.”

I shrugged. Somewhere between drinks, I’d forgotten my mission to find out what she’d had to tell me. “What weird rumors?”

“Stupid stuff, but enough to warrant a potential issue in the future. Everyone always says you and Nunzio have been hooking up, and someone has circulated the theory that he was removed from grade team because you guys had drama.”

“I already expected that.”

“Yeah, but there’s more. Now people are claiming Nunzio has it out for David, and that he’s jealous of you and David being on the same grade team because he sees the kid as competition in multiple ways. They’re saying there’s already tension between you and David because of the whole mess.”

I was mystified. “They created all of this crap in
two days
?”

“Word travels fast at McCleary. You should know that by now.”

“I know, but damn.” Craning my neck, I tried to spot David. “So why the hell did you drag me out here to tell me this in person while wonder boy is here?”

Danielle smiled sheepishly. “He showed up after I’d texted you, and to be honest, I didn’t think he would come. But not for nothing—I don’t think he is behind any of these rumors. I just think you should be careful. If Price has already commented on you and Nunzio’s professionalism, allegations of people sleeping with each other and causing drama will just make her want to get rid of you both.”

“Got it.”

I faced the bar, stress seeping in past the blurry boundaries of my buzz. Charles appeared again and cupped my cheek with a pout.

“Aw, Papi, what’s the matter?”

“Never call me that again.”

He flicked his fingers at me. “Fine, you cranky-ass motherfucker. I was going to give you a heads-up about blondie over there, but maybe I shouldn’t bother.”

I blinked slowly. Did everyone have secret info on David, or what?

“What sort of heads-up?”

“Hmph.” Charles twisted his wrist, stirring a cocktail in a metal cup. “Let’s just say that I know David’s boyfriend, and their relationship is ending with some scorched-earth policy shit. So don’t get your feelings hurt, sweet pea.”

I snorted. “There’s very little chance of that, but thanks for the tip.”

He smirked. “I should have known better. A hot blond has nothing on a tall, dark, and sexy Italian.”

“Shut up.”

“Fine.” Charles poured the cocktail into a glass for Danielle. “Do you want another drink or what?”

I nodded, and he acquiesced. By the time the alcohol kicked in fully, I was seeing things in slow motion, laughing way too much, and promising Charles enormous tips if he gave me a kiss on the cheek. Danielle put the brakes on my apparent mission to get more deeply into debt and guided me to the door. She hailed a cab and shoved me inside with a wave good-bye.

I mumbled Nunzio’s address and threw myself in sideways. My face was smashed into the leather, but I was too drunk to care about whatever had come into contact with the seat that day.

The memory of being in the backseat of another cab with Nunzio and David drifted into my mind—the tangle of fingers beneath my shirt, a hand in my pants, and a bruised mouth beneath my own. It was a good fantasy and had my dick raring to go by the time the ten-minute ride was over. I thrust an unknown amount of bills through the Plexiglas partition and stumbled out of the cab.

I jogged up the stairs, taking two at a time. My body was mistaking the need to get off with adrenaline, so I was only slightly out of breath when I got to the door.

By some miracle I unlocked it on the first attempt, shut it clumsily, and shed my jacket and shoes. The lights were off, but the muted television illuminated Nunzio’s lean form stretched across the couch.