Men of London 05 - Cross to Bare (21 page)

Big Guy’s face twisted in a snarl and he stared daggers at Laverne, his face reddening. From across the room, Brook noticed Mango appear and stare fixedly at them from the side lines. As Mango started moving in their direction, Brook readied his fists to punch Big Guy’s lights out before Mango got here. Brook could take care of himself and didn’t need Mango’s intervention. He thought with a wry flash of understanding about what Lenny had said about not backing down, and fighting back the bullies himself.

He needn’t have worried. Laverne seemed to have everything under control.

She waved a sweeping hand down the front of her. “Darling, the man has all of
this
fabulousness at home. So he doesn’t need anything you might have to offer. However, I can recommend a bathroom where you might be able to meet someone. It’s called Deep Purple and it’s at entrance to the club, my sweet. You’ve probably been in there tonight anyway, and got yourself blown. So can I suggest you fucking head back there? Then you can leave what’s mine alone and get your sorry arse out of this club.” Her voice hardened and Delilah moved up to the front of the stage to join her. Together the two queens did a classic diva wave, hands twisting and pulling as they chorused together, “Bye, Felicia,” and the room exploded once again.

Big Guy looked back at Brook amidst the laughing patrons. His eyes darted towards the rapidly advancing Mango and he blanched at Mango’s fierce expression. The two bouncers advancing rapidly towards them didn’t look as if they would give any measure either.

Big Guy waved a hand as he tottered on his feet. “Hey, no need to get your panties in a wad, lady. I’m going. He’s probably not worth the effort anyway.”

The bouncers had reached them by now and took hold of the troublemaker’s arms as they escorted him away to the sound of clapping and cat calls. Brook looked at the stage. Laverne looked back at him, eyes uncertain, and then recovered her composure. “And that, my loves, is my famous ‘bully ball-breaking’ routine, although of course I do have another one involving balls that’s much more fun. But you have to be
very
special to see that one.”

Despite the tension he felt, Brook smiled fondly at Laverne as he sat down. Her eyes lit up and she went back to stalking around the stage with Delilah as they closed their show. The guys nodded at him from the other table and Leslie blew him a flirty kiss. Brook grinned when he saw Oliver place a finger across Leslie’s lips in restraint and Leslie sucked in it. It looked pretty hot from where he sat, and from the look on Oliver’s face, he thought so too.

Mango appeared at his side. “Laverne drive the bastard off, then?” he said quietly. He glanced fondly at the stage. Delilah waved at him and blew him a kiss, one that Mango returned.

Brook nodded. “Yes, I think he thought better of making a scene. I need another damn drink after all that. Thanks for the concern, Mango. I really don’t know why you worry about me, but thanks.”

Mango shrugged. “Ryan and Lenny are best pals. You’re Lenny’s guy. Ryan’s mine. Of course I’m going to look out for you.” He flashed a quick grin. “Right, I need to get back to the party. I have a willing twink waiting for me. See you around.”

He cast another glance at the stage, at the strutting form of Delilah Delish, and a fleeting expression of longing crossed his face. Then he was gone, back through the crowds.

Brook wondered faintly that if Ryan was his guy why the hell he needed anyone else. He’d love to know
that
story. He blew out a breath as he beckoned the waiter across to get another beer. Now he’d sit back, watch out the rest of the show and then later, he’d thank Lenny up close and personal, and completely embrace his boyfriend’s
fabulousness
. He was looking forward to it.

Chapter 15

Talk about a shitty day
.

Brook strode up the few stairs to Lenny’s front door and let himself in. He’d been in two minds as to whether to come over tonight. His mood was tantamount to a wave of negative matter sweeping out from a science experiment gone wrong.

Brook’s boss had recently found out that one of the other team members, John Cotswell, had been siphoning money from the company account into his personal offshore one. The team leaders had been summoned to an emergency meeting and told they were all under investigation to make sure the firm didn’t have any other ‘fucking thieving bastards’ in the mix, to quote an irate and highly inflammable Lawrence Lively.

It had been a gruelling day; being questioned and inspected like a microbe under a microscope had been taxing, and having his ethics and honesty questioned had really ticked Brook off. He and his team had been exonerated of any shady shenanigans, but the bitter taste of being thoroughly investigated like a man at his prostate exam still rankled.

“Fingers so deep up my arse we should be fucking married,” Brook muttered softly as he laid his briefcase on the floor in the entrance and made his way to Lenny’s well-stocked home bar for a stiff drink. He flung his jacket carelessly over the large armchair as he entered.

His mood was not helped when he walked into the lounge and found Ryan Bishop in Lenny’s arms.

“What the holy fuck?” he growled, and the two men jumped apart, startled.

Lenny was the first to recover. “Hell, Brook, you scared me to death,” he said exasperatedly. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Obviously.” Brook walked over to the gleaming counter of the four-foot bar along the wall. “Did I interrupt something?” He took down a whisky tumbler and poured a hefty measure of Lenny’s best bourbon into it. Ryan’s eyes watched him uncertainly then flicked back to Lenny.

“No, you didn’t interrupt anything, you plonker.” Lenny frowned. “Ryan was a bit upset. The man needed a hug.”

Brook took a deep swallow of his drink, leaned against the bar and regarded the two men. “Well, don’t let me stop you. Please, feel free to get back to what you were doing. Don’t mind me.” He took another gulp, knowing he was being a prat but unable to stop himself.

“Fuck, what the hell is wrong with you?” Lenny said angrily. “Ry is a guest in my home, so stop being such an arse.” His eyes flashed dangerously, lips thinning, and in any other situation, Brook would have enjoyed the sight of a pissed-off Lenny. He was sexy and downright off the charts hot.

“It looked like more than a hug to me,” Brook muttered.

Ryan moved forward, his pale face anxious. “Brook, sorry if we upset you,” he said, his voice soft. “I needed to get something off my chest. I’ll leave—”

“No you fucking won’t.” Lenny’s voice was dangerously soft. “You aren’t being chased out of
my
home by someone who’s had a bad day at the office from the looks of it, and wants to take it out on someone. That’s my job, not yours, Ry. We have a fashion trip to plan this weekend, so we still have things to talk about.”

Brook put his drink down on top of the bar with slightly more force than he intended. The contents of the glass sloshed and droplets splashed onto the polished surface. “What trip is this? I hadn’t heard about any trip.”

“That’s because I hadn’t told you yet,” his boyfriend said with an undertone of menace. “If you hadn’t come in like some sort of Viking warrior about to haul me over his shoulder and thump his chest, I’d have gotten around to telling you about it.”

Ryan looked from Brook to Lenny, face troubled. “I’ll go and leave you two to sort this out then,” he murmured. “I’ll wait in your office, Lenny, and get the itinerary up so we can check…stuff.” He darted one last glance towards Brook and then walked out of the room.

Brook and Lenny stared at each other.

“So, bad day at the office, dear?” Lenny asked caustically as he went to the bar and poured himself a gin and tonic. He carefully cut a lemon and added a slice to his drink as Brook watched him.

“It was shitty. Thanks for asking. So what’s this about going away this weekend? I thought we planned to go to that cinema at Leicester Square and watch that film you wanted to see.”

His lover sighed and took a sip of his drink. “That was the plan, yes. But Ryan broke it off with Mango today and needed some cheering up. So I suggested we take ourselves to Paris for the weekend to check out a fashion show he wanted to see, and perhaps do a bit of fabric buying.”

“And I’m not invited?” Brook said, fingers tensing.

Fuck, I need to stop being so damn needy. Lenny has a right to plan time away with his friends as much I do. What the hell is wrong with me? I’m looking for a fight.

Blue-green eyes regarded him steadily. “No.”

Brook took a deep breath, willing his bad mood away so that he didn’t cock up anymore. “I see.” He picked up his drink and took another gulp.

Lenny sighed and walked over to him. “What the hell happened today to get you in such a snit? This is so unlike you, being such a dickhead.”

“Oh well, thanks for that astute assessment of my character,” Brook spat, feeling quite put out.

Lenny raised an eyebrow. “If the shoe fits…”

Brook glared at him. “I was hauled through the fucking coals at work, had my integrity questioned and had to give an account of everything I’ve ever done so they could confirm for themselves I wasn’t a criminal mastermind,” he snarled. “Some twat ripped the company off so there was a damned witch hunt.”

“Sounds tough but I can understand their rationale,” Lenny observed, eyes narrowing. “Wouldn’t you do the same if it were your company?”

Brook scowled. “Yes, but that’s not the point.”

Lenny shrugged. “I kind of think it is. Don’t take it so damn personally. They probably had to treat you exactly the same way they did everyone else. They couldn’t be seen to have a favourite.”

His boyfriend’s logic was beyond argument, and something Brook had told himself on the way home, but he was still angry. “It still made for a crappy day. And then I come home and find my boyfriend in the arms of his old fuck buddy, someone he’s planning on going away with this weekend.”

Lenny’s shoulders stiffened and his face tightened. “Brook, I’m warning you. Don’t go down that route. Maybe you should piss off and not come back until you’re in a better mood. I’ve had enough today dealing with Ryan and his broken heart. I don’t need your shit too.”

Brook drained his drink. “Maybe I’ll do that. Leave you two alone to plan your ‘trip’ to Paris together. Nothing like a French city for a little romance.” He knew he was pushing things but the blackness in his soul demanded to be heard.

Fuck, I knew I shouldn’t have come here in a mood like this.

Lenny’s eyes flashed. “Fuck. You. Don’t slam the door on your way out.” He wheeled around, motioned to the door, and disappeared in the direction of his study, where, no doubt, Ryan waited.

Brook watched Lenny leave the room then unleashed a string of invective, directed mostly at himself, then snatched up his jacket. “Yeah, sure. I’ll leave the two of you alone.”

He made sure to slam the door as he left.

*****

A few drinks later, Brook had mellowed out enough—well, okay he was as drunk as a monkey on marula berries—to realise he’d cocked up royally. He stared into his whisky glass and winced as he replayed his boorish and completely irrational behaviour.

“He didn’t deserve that,” he muttered to his glass as he looked up at the wall clock on the back of the bar wall. “Lenny’s never given you any indication he’s still into Ryan that way, you stupid tosser.”

His huge sigh attracted the attention of the female bartender who gazed at him in sympathy. “Rough night?”

Brook waved his glass. “I pissed off my boyfriend, over nothing. I was a bit of a prick, said some things I shouldn’t have.”

The bartender shrugged as she wiped down the bar surface. “Then unsay them. Go and grovel, tell him you’re sorry. Normally works for me. Of course, then the make-up sex can be pretty hot too.”

She winked at him and went to serve a customer down the end of the counter. Brook pondered the advice and came to a conclusion. Make-up sex sounded like a welcome idea. So rather than wait for the morning, he’d go round,
right now,
and apologise to his lover.

“No time like the present,” he slurred to himself as he left money and a good tip on the bar. He weaved his way out into the cool night air. Lenny’s place was only a few blocks away and the air would do him good, sober him up a little before he got there.

When he reached Lenny’s place, which in his state was further than he’d thought, he thumped on the door. “Lenny,” he shouted. “Let me in.”

There was no response. Brook banged again and yelled louder. “Lenny, let me in. I’m sorry I was such an arsehole.”

The door swung open to reveal a royally irate Lenny, clad in short, black sleep pants. His hair was mussed up in an adorable state of bedhead.

Brook’s heart stuttered at the sight. “You are gorgeous,” he breathed. “So damn beautiful.”

Lenny shook his head in exasperation. “Brook, it’s nearly bloody midnight.” He glanced around carefully. “I hope you haven’t woken my neighbours up with your noise. What the hell are you playing at?”

“I needed to see you, to say I was sorry. I’ve been at the Whistle Blower having a drink and the bartender told me I should come straight over and apologise so we could have make-up sex.”

His boyfriend’s eyes widened comically. “What? She said—oh crap, come in before you fall down in my doorway.”

With a muttered “stupid drunken git,” Lenny dragged Brook inside and closed the door. He held Brook against the wall and glared at him.

“So, you’ve been drinking there since you left my place and the bartender said you should come over to your boyfriend’s house so you could have make-up sex. Did I get that bit right?”

Brook nodded. He was feeling a little sick. “Kind of. Not in so many words, but that’s what I took out of our conversation.”

Lenny nodded, but he didn’t look as pissed off as he had. His eyes held a glint of amusement. “Of course you did. It had the magic word in it. Sex.”

Brook reached out and cupped Lenny’s face. “I’m sorry I was a prick. I was out of line.”

“Yes, you were,” Lenny agreed, as he steered Brook towards his bedroom. “You made Ryan feel uncomfortable and me mad.”