Hot at Last (2 page)

Since their earlier chat, Avery had focused on his work and Bev’s big day. When he’d ignored Ken, the moody man had finally done the same and worked. Ken had these spells every so often. He needed validation, and the stage wasn’t enough anymore. So Ken took it out on new dancers and Avery.

Their past made Avery an easy target. As he cut the cake, he tried to forget everything Ken had said. The guy expected the world to be handed to him as if they lived in a movie. One day, it’d all be perfect. Ken worked hard, but neither of them had lucked into a charmed life.

Avery wanted Ken to be happy. They’d always be friends, oddly strained at times, but after the breakup there was no choice. If they wanted to work together, they had to put the past behind them. Like divorced parents, they’d never truly be free of each other because they shared a child. The Big D’s and Bev couldn’t be split up between them. Then again, Avery wouldn’t cut ties with Ken even if he could.

“Ken is going all out,” Bev said as she pointed to the stage.

Avery turned his head, and indeed, Ken was in rare form. Normally, he hung in the back with a big group performance. He kept an eye on the other men and whipped them into shape at the next rehearsal if they’d been sloppy on stage.

Still, Ken had cut down his solo dances to one a night. All of his actions lately signaled he saw the writing on the wall. Avery silently scolded himself for nagging Ken today. Pushing his buttons only made him rebel. But silence riled up Ken as well.

“Just when I thought he was figuring out he’s not a kid anymore.” Avery took a bite of his piece of cake.

“He’s a dreamer. He’ll slow down, but it’s a shame his prince never showed up.” Bev smiled innocently.

Avery shot her a look. “He’s an adult. We all are. And this is America. If he wants a prince, he should’ve moved to Europe years ago.”

“So literal. We are who we are. I’m a business woman. Always have been. You got into stripping for the money. You never loved it the way he does. He lives for the attention and validation.” Bev shrugged.

“I know. He’s more than looks, though.” Avery had spent a year being the adult in their relationship. Adoring Ken and dealing with his need for more. He’d stroked that ego day-after-day.

“We both know that. He doesn’t understand his value off-stage because no one applauds when he does other things. He’ll never see his real value. It’s a shame.” Bev watched the show.

“He still has plenty of admirers.” Avery wanted to pour himself a stiff drink when he watched a big bear in leather shove a tip in Ken’s glittering briefs. The bulky fan leaned way over and rubbed Ken’s thigh.

Avery had buried his jealousy long ago. Drunken customers were a daily trial, but the splash of beer from the fan’s bottle caught the bartender’s eye. “We need to clean up that stage.”

“Let them finish. I’m sure Ken saw it,” Bev said.

Ken leaned over to give the bear a kiss on the cheek and slipped on the liquid. He didn’t fall on the stage but off it, hitting the side as he went.

“Shit!” Avery muttered.

He and Bev watched, expecting Ken to pop back up and take a bow. The waiting was agony. When Ken didn’t turn up and instead a couple experienced dancers hopped of the stage then waved for a bouncer, Avery knew it wasn’t good. The DJ announced a quick break to clean things up and invited the patrons to enjoy lap dances and refill their drinks.

“Go check on him,” Bev said.

“Me?” Avery asked. “He’ll listen to you.”

Bev shook her head. “I’ll cover the bar. Go check on him.”

Avery headed backstage and found Ken pacing and cursing. “That idiot!”

“Relax, it’s not the first time someone spilled or fell on stage.” Avery noticed Ken cradling his right arm. Everything else seemed just fine on him, but his shoulder looked weird.

“Off. I fell
off
the stage,” Ken informed Avery. “I’m okay.”

“Except for that arm. I think it’s dislocated,” a bouncer said.

Avery saw the pain Ken was hiding. He’d had plenty of dancing injuries. Twisted ankles, knees and a thrown-out back. When they’d dated, Avery hadn’t minded nursing him. This time, Ken was in real pain.

“I’ll be fine. Probably badly bruised and sprained, that’s all.” Ken tried to downplay it. “Go on! Get back out there! Do your jobs. We’re not all injured.”

The bouncer and other dancers ran back out front. Ken’s hissy fits were second only to Bev’s. If Bev yelled, everyone worried. Avery knew that’s why she’d sent him. She’d be yelling at Ken, and things would spin in a bad direction.

As soon as they were alone, Ken’s calm face cracked. “Fuck this hurts!”

“Let’s go to the ER.” Avery grabbed Ken’s duffle and pulled out his jeans.

“No, I’m not going. It’ll be fine. Just twisted.” Ken shook his head.

Avery put his finger into Ken’s limp right hand. “Squeeze my finger.”

“It’s a pinched nerve or swollen joint. It’ll go down with some icing overnight,” Ken argued.

“We’re going. Want me to get Bev in here? File it as workman’s comp?” Avery threatened as he held Ken’s pants open.

“You’re such a jerk sometimes.” Ken stepped into the jeans.

Avery pulled them up and closed the fly. It’d been a long time since he’d been this close to Ken. The smell of his old lover, the perfect muscles and the good memories flooded Avery’s mind. No one else made him feel this way, but they didn’t need to reignite anything. It’d taken so long to find balance and friendship.

“Want to try a shirt?” Avery asked.

Ken tried to move his arm and winced. “No, I don’t know what the hell I did.”

“Come on.” Avery threw a hoody around Ken’s shoulders and led him out the back way to his car. Seeing Ken hurting was hard. That was why Avery was having those longings and weaknesses. He hated seeing his old lover in pain. What could be more normal? He was human, after all.

Chapter Two

Familiar snoring woke Ken from a deep sleep. His body felt heavy, and there was an ache deep in his right shoulder. Looking down, he saw he was in nothing but glitter briefs and a sling for his arm.

The berry smell of Avery’s favorite lotion took Ken back about twenty years. The guy always had dry elbows.

“What the hell?” Ken said to himself.

Avery yawned. “Morning.”

Ken turned his head. Sure enough, he was in Avery’s bed. “What happened?”

Smiling, Avery sat up. “Relax. They gave you a powerful muscle relaxer and pain pills at the ER. Your shoulder was dislocated so you have to wear that sling for a week or so. You can’t use that arm for a bit. I brought you back here, and you went straight to sleep. Want some breakfast?”

When Avery climbed out of the bed in nothing but boxers, Ken looked straight ahead. “Why did you bring me here? I have a home. I had my keys.”

“Do you remember anything?” Avery asked.

“Why? We didn’t…?” Ken’s body would tell him if he’d slept with Avery.

“No. But you could barely get in and out of a car. I was worried you’d wake up and try to use your arm. There was no way to know how long those drugs would mess you up. Apparently, you’re sensitive.” Avery flipped on the TV to the morning news.

“I see. I don’t remember any of it. Thanks. I feel clearer now.” Ken sat on the edge of the bed.

Avery smiled. “Good. The first couple days will be the worst. Trying to dress with just one hand… It seemed logical to bring you here. I’ll make some breakfast. You need to eat before you take another dose of pain meds.”

“I’m not in pain.” Ken lied as he stood up and headed to the bathroom.

“We’ll see,” Avery said.

Ken used the washroom awkwardly with his left hand. Any twinge of effort in his right shoulder triggered an ache that went deep. He tried to assess his limits. Driving, no problem. Dancing…not for a while. Feeding himself, sure, if a bit awkward. Dressing himself… Avery was right there. It wouldn’t happen today. He exited the bathroom and found his jeans slung over the footboard. When he tried to step in and pull them up one handed, he got tangled. “Damn! It had to be my right arm.”

“Hey.” Avery popped back into the bedroom. “You okay?”

“I’ll figure it out,” Ken insisted.

“The doctor said you might need some help getting dressed and bathing for a few days. It’ll heal. You’ll be fine.” Avery shrugged. “I don’t care if you’re in glitter briefs.”

“I know. I just want to be out of your hair fast. Food, drugs and you can take me home. Thanks for the help, but I don’t want to be a burden.” Ken stubbornly kept on with the jeans until he succeeded.

“Stop it. You’re staying here. Bev ran by your places, packed a bag and brought it over last night.” Avery pulled Ken by his good shoulder toward the kitchen.

“So you two are just deciding what should happen to me now?” Ken pouted.

Avery piled Ken’s plate with bacon and eggs. “Stop whining and eat.”

Using his left hand wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped. Avery was a good cook, and Ken’s appetite kicked in hard. “No boyfriend I’m putting out?”

“You know there isn’t.” Avery dished out his own plate then poured coffee and juice. Finally, he grabbed a prescription bottle and sat at the small table opposite Ken.

“One in the morning and one at night with food for the pain.” Avery dug into to his breakfast. “You slept like the dead.”

“You resisted me.” Ken smiled.

“It was really hard when you were drooling on my pillow. That muscle relaxer hit you like a truck. Feel okay?” Avery nodded to the shoulder in a sling.

“No pain as long as I don’t try to do anything with my right arm. It’s a weird reflex. If only I were left-handed.” Ken chewed on a strip of bacon.

“I know. Crappy luck. But hey, what are friends for?” Avery sipped his coffee. “Maybe, now, you’ll think about giving up the stage?”

Ken shoveled eggs into his mouth and pouted. Once he’d swallowed, he couldn’t keep quiet. “It could’ve happened to any of the men up there.”

“I know, but you’re not twenty-two. Your body doesn’t bounce back as fast. The doctor said that last night. You might not believe it because you don’t remember it, but younger bodies recover faster. You need to take your time. Rest and heal. Why strain your body?” Avery asked.

“Everyone should exercise.” Ken drank his juice.

“I’m not fighting with you. I just want you to take care of yourself. Maybe, this is a wakeup call?” Avery suggested.

“Maybe, it was just slipping on some beer? I take excellent care of myself. If I give up stripping, I’ll just be some old guy.” Ken tried not to look at his sling and focused on the food.

“You’re not old. You’re just not young anymore. You can do something else.” Avery rolled his eyes.

“You gave up on your dreams. I didn’t.” Ken kept eating. If he gave up, his father would be right. He’d win, and Ken couldn’t live with that.

“Sometimes, you have to give up on your dreams and find new ones. I gave up on mine a long time before I met you.” Avery went to the fridge and got more juice.

“Thanks,” Ken said as Avery refilled his juice. “What do you mean you gave up before you met me?”

Avery chuckled. “You thought you were my dream? Or stripping?”

Ken shrugged and winced. He picked up the bottle of pills and realized working one handed would be a challenge for a lot of things. “Sort of. What dream did you give up?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Avery opened the bottle and set out one pill for Ken. “Take your meds.”

“Tell me first.” Ken could throw a fit and get his way. Making a scene was what he excelled at.

“Fine. My grandfather owned a barbershop. My uncles worked there. When I was little, they told me one day I’d work there, too. I’d inherit it.” Avery nodded to the pill.

Ken took the pain pill. “That was it. A barbershop?”

“Not everyone needs applause and fuss.” Avery went back to eating.

“I know. So why aren’t you cutting hair?” Ken asked.

“When they found out I like men, they said I’d cost them all their customers.” Avery put his empty plate in the sink. “So I was on my own after high school. My mom loved me, but I had to do something with my life and change the plan I had.”

Ken frowned. “You never told me that.”

“Doesn’t matter now. Bartending isn’t that different. Talking to people. A service job. I never aspired to higher education or fame. You think every man who gets on that stage wants to be on Broadway.” Avery put the pill bottle away.

“Who doesn’t want to be rich and famous?” Ken never believed people who claimed not to.

“I’d like to be rich. Famous, no. I like my privacy,” Avery said.

Ken ate while he pondered Avery. They’d given each other space since the ugly breakup so many years ago. Now, they were alone in close proximity again. The attraction and desire was still there. “I might need help in the shower. The doctor is probably right.”

“Yep, that’s why Bev said I got to keep you. She doesn’t want to be that close with you, and I’ve already seen it all.” Avery smiled.

“You’re not worried I’ll use you for sex?” Ken asked.

Avery laughed as he put the dishes in the dishwasher. “I’m too old. You want a guy half my age.”

Ken smirked. Avery was wrong, but Ken couldn’t admit it. The drugs might be messing with is head. “Well, we might as well get the shower over with. Get ready for the day.”

* * * *

In the shower, Ken let himself look at Avery’s naked body. “At least, we’re saving some water,” he said.

Avery shot Ken a glare. “You need a hand, but don’t play games.”

“Thanks for the help. Can you get my back?” Ken had done what he could, but washing his left arm was impossible. Balance was tricky, and he didn’t want to slip and fall. Yet he didn’t want it to be over, either. Any touch by Avery was a major turn on.

Avery nudged Ken forward under the spray of hot water. It felt good on his bad arm. The cloth kept going down his back, and water slid between Ken’s ass cheeks. Forgetting he wasn’t supposed to enjoy it, Ken moaned.

“Don’t you be a brat,” Avery said.

“I think we’re both too old for that.” Ken leaned forward. “What? Can’t control yourself?”