Love on the Rocks (Bar Tenders) (5 page)

“I will,” Justin said. “We could… er, take it in turns?” Justin cleared his throat, even as Yena looked at him in confusion. “I’ll start. Are you a full-time barman?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“No, I’m part-time. I also do cabaret, with my dancing partner.”

“Dancing partner?”

“Yeah, that brunet I was with in your bar?”

“The girl, or the guy?”

“Oh.” Justin smiled. “The guy. We’ve been friends for ages. We met in Uni.”

“Right.” Yena seemed to study him a moment, then asked, “What did you do at Uni?”

“Art.” Chuckling, Justin shook his head. “I should’ve done something else, really. But my mum’s an art teacher. She just told me to get a degree, she didn’t care what subject. I think she wants me to be a teacher later on, like her.”

“Do you want to be?”

“Hah!” Justin laughed. “I’m not good with kids. I think they should be kept on leashes.”

Yena grinned. “You could teach
older
students.”

“Oh, I dunno.” Justin shrugged, then took a big gulp of wine. “Maybe. I’ll think about it all later. It felt like I was in education
forever
. Now I’m having fun.”

The waitress swept in with their food. Justin noted that his salad was enormous, and even had bruschetta pieces in it. The extra bruschetta he’d ordered was also a generous portion. After being offered black pepper and parmesan cheese, Justin sipped his wine while he waited for the waitress to depart. Yena thanked her before she left and gave her a smile.

He had a gorgeous smile, Justin thought. “Your parents must be a pretty hot couple,” he blurted out.

Yena looked at him in surprise. “Excuse me?”

Uh…. That didn’t sound right.
Justin tried to explain, “I mean, they must look pretty good. You obviously inherited good genes, all dark hair, and skin, and….” The look on Yena’s face halted Justin’s words. “Er… I’m trying to say you’re hot.” He swallowed. “That probably wasn’t the best way to go about it.”

Now his face was flaming up, and he felt light-headed. Although that could’ve been the wine.

Yena laughed briefly, though it sounded nervous to Justin’s ears. “You don’t have to try and charm me, you know. I’d rather you didn’t, anyway.”

“Huh?” Justin was confused. “I’m not, I….”
Huh. He thinks I’m bullshitting him
. “Look, Yena, I’m not trying to lay it on here, this is just how I am. I can’t help it. If I want to say something, I’ll say it. And I know I’m probably like, visually… er….” Justin winced as he fought for the right word. Damn all that wine. “Er, visually oriented, or whatever… but I was brought up to appreciate beautiful things. I think you’re super-hot. That’s all I wanted you to know.”

Justin looked up, searching Yena’s face, but Yena looked away. He shifted in his seat like he wanted to get away. Or at least, that’s what Justin worried.

“Why does that make you uncomfortable?”

Yena laughed, just the briefest exhalation of breath, though the smile remained on his face. “It doesn’t. Well….” He leaned his elbow on the table and fiddled with his hair, a nervous gesture. “Okay, maybe it does.”

“Why?”

Yena dropped his hand, picking up his fork instead and twirling it into his spaghetti. “You work in a bar, Justin. You know what it’s like. Drunk people come on to me all the time. They don’t mean it, and I learned to tune it out.”

Fair enough,
Justin thought. Still, that stung more than he’d expected it to. “Hey,” he said lowly, intending to be taken seriously. “I’m not drunk
now
.”

After knocking back at least half his glass, Yena glanced at Justin and smiled. “You’re well on your way.”

Justin grinned. “Maybe. But that’s your fault, gorgeous. You make me nervous.”

Yena looked surprised at that, and Justin quickly added, “I only drank to steel myself.”

For now
.

Silence prevailed for several moments, as Justin panicked over what to say next. One moment he thought he was doing okay, the next, he worried he was messing things up. He poked at his salad with the fork.

Then Yena asked, “I make
you
nervous?”

“Umm, yeah.” Justin smiled, though his heart was pounding again. It’d been doing that a lot tonight.

Looking away, Yena said, “I find that hard to believe.”

“Hey, I’m confident,” Justin admitted, “but I’m not fearless. C’mon, I’m the same as you. We’re just two people, right?”

Yena chuckled at him. “
Now
you’re drunk.”

“Hey.”

“Come on.”

“Okay, I’m drunk. Please drink more so I don’t feel alone.”

“Oh, I’m getting there, don’t worry.”

“Can I help get you there any faster?” Justin couldn’t resist waggling his eyebrows. Luckily it had the desired effect and made Yena laugh.

“You’re nuts.”

“What about them?”

It took Yena a moment to catch the joke, and he laughed harder. “I so walked into that one.”

“Yeah, you did. Now, what do you want to know about my nuts?”

“Nothing! Oh, my God.”

“Then why are you smiling.”

“Stop it.” Yena reached across the table to bat Justin’s arm. Justin nudged him back.

“You have a great smile, Yena.”

The compliment wiped the grin off Yena’s face, and he looked away shyly. A bloom of color on his cheeks and the smallest curve of his lips betrayed what he felt. “And you’re a real charmer, Justin.”

Justin didn’t bother with a comeback; he was too busy studying Yena’s reaction.
Am I actually in with a chance? Oh, please
. “Mmm.” Justin grinned back. “Is it working?”

Yena looked away again, trying to hide his smile. “You should be so lucky.”

Chapter Four

A
FTER
A
rocky start, Justin was relieved the date had actually gone well. Wine loosened their conversation, and neither of them seemed as nervous as before. Justin was feeling a hell of a lot more confident, especially when he caught Yena looking at him more than once.

It was barely ten. The sky was an inky blue outside, and the River Thames was lit up by restaurants on its banks and leisure boats on its water. Justin went for broke. He suggested a walk along the south bank. He was only a little surprised when Yena said yes.

Although he hadn’t discovered a whole lot more about his date, Justin was enjoying their banter—mostly about work and bartending. Now that he’d relaxed, Yena was easygoing and laughed at most of Justin’s jokes. In response to the bad ones, he nudged him in the ribs. Justin didn’t mind, he was used to that. He just wanted to make Yena laugh, and he liked the reactions he produced.

He also liked the way they walked close together, arms and hands occasionally brushing.

Justin was about to suggest going for a coffee, or even another drink, when a dark shape loomed in front of him. He excused himself and made to step around the person.

Laughter bubbled out of Yena. “That’s a tree, Justin!”

“Oh.” Justin blinked in the gloom, drunker than he’d realized. “Well, excuse me anyway,” he said to the tree.

Yena was cracking up. He moved over to the stone balcony and held on to it for balance. Justin joined him. They were in the shadow of another bridge, although in this light Justin didn’t have a clue which one it was. Down below, a boat glided past.

“I really enjoyed tonight,” Justin admitted. He felt Yena should know that, if he hadn’t already guessed. Justin was dying to touch him.

Surprisingly, Yena’s hand found Justin’s in the dark. Electric sparks jolted over Justin’s skin.

“Me too.”

“I’m glad you said yes,” Justin babbled. He was so nervous, his head was spinning. Yena stepped up to him, snaking an arm around Justin’s neck. He pulled him down, touching their lips together.

Justin was stunned for a moment before his body responded for him, his arms wrapping around Yena’s body, drawing him close. Justin closed his eyes and opened his mouth, twisting his face to deepen the kiss. Yena hummed into his mouth. Justin delved in with his tongue, loving the taste of his sweet mouth, those soft lips.

All too soon, Yena pulled away, but he whispered in Justin’s ear, “Take me home with you.”

Hell, yeah
. Justin nearly groaned with want. Was this really happening, or was he dreaming now?

Dream or not, they were nowhere near Justin’s home. “But, uh… I live up in Chalk Farm.”

Yena was silent, still hanging on to Justin’s shoulders. His fingers gripped at Justin’s clothes.

“I’m in Clapham,” Yena said quietly. “Come home with me.”

Justin didn’t need to be asked twice. He wished he’d had the money to afford a taxi, but even in his drunken state he knew there was no way that’d be happening. Instead, Yena led him back to the high street, and found a bus that would take them through to Clapham.

The bus was quiet enough for them to sit downstairs in the very back, in the secluded section Justin always favored. Thankfully, there were no drunks or crazies on the bus ride, just a few silent passengers. Justin was able to sit next to Yena and rest his head on Yena’s shoulder, breathing in that enticing, gorgeous smell.

Justin wasn’t sure if it was Yena’s hair or his skin, or a mixture of both, but he couldn’t wait to get naked and smell this man all over. Justin’s eyes closed with pleasure. “You smell good,” he muttered, close to falling asleep.

Yena said something in return, but Justin didn’t catch it. The next thing he was aware of was being shaken awake. “Justin? Justin, you weren’t actually asleep, were you?”

Justin jerked upright, blinking bleary eyes. “What? No,” he slurred, suddenly feeling a lot more drunk than earlier. “’M fine.”

“C’mon, then.”

He wobbled to his feet and followed Yena off the bus, which had stopped on a dark and rough-looking street.
Welcome to Clapham,
Justin thought, praying they wouldn’t meet with any trouble. The bus drove away, and Yena led Justin down an ill-lit road, turning left into a run-down block of flats. Justin gazed up at its towering height, hoping there was a lift inside.

At an iron gate, Yena produced some sort of key and held it against a panel on the gate, which magically opened for them. Justin was impressed—and a little jealous. He didn’t have a fancy gate at his place.

In the building, with halls glowing dimly from overhead lights, Justin found himself guided into a lift.
Thank God
. Yena pressed a button and the doors shut. The lift’s interior was, curiously, brown, and as it moved upward quickly, Justin’s head started to spin. He tried to focus on Yena, standing opposite him.

“You all right?” a soft voice asked.

Justin forced a smile. “Sure thing.” He would be fine, dammit. As soon as they stopped moving.

A long way up, the lift doors opened, and Yena took Justin’s hand to lead him out. Justin rather liked this treatment; it almost felt like Yena was taking care of him. The feel of the other man’s hand in his was nice, smooth and warm.

Justin suspected it was only because he was drunk; he had a tendency to feel overemotional on wine.
Bad idea, Justin. Bad idea
.

Yena let them into his flat, switching on a light to illuminate a hallway strewn with junk, boxes, shoes, and coats galore. What drew Justin’s eye were the colorful, adult-sized Hula-Hoops laid against the walls. “Wow,” he said, reaching out to feel one glazed in glitter. Its texture was smooth as glass.

“They belong to my housemate,” Yena explained. “She’s a performer.”

“Really?” Justin was about to ask her name, thinking maybe he’d know her, but then bit his lip. Better if he kept quiet.

“Do you want a drink?” Yena offered, taking off his jacket.

Justin wasted no further time before pouncing on him, pushing Yena up against the wall for a hot and heavy kiss. Justin tasted the wine from earlier, underlying Yena’s own spicy flavor. He couldn’t get enough. “I want you,” Justin murmured against his lips. “Where’s your bedroom?”

Hands found Justin’s belt, undoing the buckle and yanking on his trousers to pull him along the hall. “This way.” Yena dragged Justin to his bedroom, bumping into his own door as he nudged it open and felt around for a light.

A side lamp flickered on, its glow a mixture of red and orange. As soon as Justin could see enough, he pushed the door shut and grabbed Yena again, kissing him furiously. Weeks of longing and fantasizing had been building inside him for this very moment. Lust fired along his veins, heating his body and traveling south to fill his cock. Justin rubbed himself against Yena’s body, grinding their cocks together. Yena groaned, the sound low and guttural. His hands skimmed under Justin’s top, scratching lightly at his skin. “Justin,” he breathed, “fuck me.”

Justin groaned in response, and began pulling at clothes, his first. Things like zippers, buttons, and laces confused him and got in the way. Yena had to help him undress, and guide him to the bed before Justin wobbled over, unbalanced. They lay down together, and Justin put his hands on Yena’s hips, squeezing the flesh under tight material before he sought to undress him. Yena peeled off his own shirt, revealing more of his body. His skin was golden all over, the color of syrup, or caramel. Sweet and tempting.

Justin’s head dipped low, mouth latching on to a dusky pink nipple and sucking hard. Yena arched his back and gasped. Justin sucked harder, flicking his tongue over the nub.

“Justin,” he said, breathless. “Wait, wait.”

When Justin released him, Yena sat up, hurrying to shed the rest of his clothes. Justin watched him push tight black briefs away, allowing his hard cock to spring free. Curly black hair framed his cock and firm pair of balls. Naked, Yena was gorgeous. Justin wanted to lick every inch of him.

“Justin.” Yena tugged at Justin’s underwear. Justin hadn’t realized he wasn’t completely naked; he shuffled back, all the better to wriggle free of his navy blue shorts. Justin’s cock rolled out, though Justin noted with distant surprise he didn’t
look
as hard as he felt. Taking himself in hand, he tugged on his cock slowly, pulling back his foreskin. The sensations felt… good, but in a dull, muted kind of way.