Reindeer Games 2 - Toys for Good Girls (9 page)

Everyone except his best friend, of course. He hadn’t been sure how to handle Lon through this, so he’d avoided telling him. Now that the time had come, he was both relieved and a little miffed it had taken Lon five days to track him down. Life with a reindeer must be good.
With
any luck, I’ll find that out for myself.
He put his head down and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. No way he could go faster. He was completely worn-out. How did people
do
this all the time? He couldn’t fathom the physical activity it took to be a reindeer.

Lon stepped to the side of the treadmill, looking Bok up and down and clearly finding something to be dismayed about. Bok stamped down irritation. He knew he didn’t look good in his sweats yet, knew he was covered in sweat and smelled something awful, but he had to go through this to lose weight. He had to do this if he’d ever be worthy.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I figured”—he could barely breathe—“it was about time”—
huff, huff
—“I finally took an interest in my health.”

Lon scowled. Elves didn’t have the same worries about obesity as humans. Bok wasn’t going to die of coronary disease or any related ailment. There were elves who were much fatter and less active than he was who’d lived twice as long. “This is about Tanty, isn’t it?” Bok kept his eyes on the timer in front of him. Ten minutes. “No.”

“Bok.”

“What?”

“I heard you were with her. All night.”

Bok sniffed. He wished there was something else to distract him from the discomfort, but he’d tried reading or watching movies and found the watching made him feel queasy. “That was so last week. Where have you been?”

Lon winced, his gaze dropping as he ran his fingers up over the back of Bok’s desk chair.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around. I didn’t hear about what happened until the other day, and I thought you’d come. And when you didn’t, I had to ask around, and I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk. I…I’m sorry.”

Bok let Lon’s stream of explanation die down before he asked, “What did you hear?”

“That you spent the night with Tanty.”

“What else?”

Lon still wouldn’t look directly at him. “There’s more?” Bok gave up and punched the buttons that would slow the treadmill to a stop. He waited until his feet could stop moving. “What did you hear?”

“Tanty said you took off when the other reindeer showed up.”

“You talked to
Tanty
?” Bok had thought Lon heard from others, from people who were shocked Tanty had spent the
whole
night with a fatty.

Lon nodded, biting his lip. “She came to ask about you. She wanted to know if something was wrong.”

Bok wasn’t sure if he was happy or concerned by that.

Now Lon was looking at him, enormous blue eyes full of concern. “
Is
something wrong?” Bok mopped his head with his towel. “No.”

“Why haven’t you talked to her?”

He sniffed. “She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“What? But she does.”

“No.” Bok stepped off the treadmill, irritated that he had to hang on to the handlebar to keep his balance. Perhaps he was overdoing it a little. But he wanted this part of the exercise thing
over
already.

“Huh?”

Balance secure, Bok headed for the table. “
Look
at me. If you were her, would you want me?” He snatched up a can of protein drink and popped it open.

Lon moved to his side. “But she had sex with you.”

“Right. She had sex with me and her toys.”

“What? Oh.”

Bok drank as Lon thought about that.

“But…weren’t you with her twice?”

Having downed most of the drink, Bok slowed to sips. “Yes. Well, more than that the one night.” He shook his head and looked Lon in the eye, unable to quash the wave of warmth that filled him. “The
best
night of my entire life.” Lon tried a tentative smile. “That’s good, though, isn’t it?”

“No. That’s bad.”

Lon’s smile fell. “Why bad?”

Bok turned and spread his arms to display his chubby, sweaty self for his friend. “Look at me.”

Lon did, then shrugged.

Bok sighed. “You don’t get it because you’re cute. Everyone thinks you’re adorable.

Everyone wanted to fuck you before you even hooked up with Wod.”

“That’s not true!”

“That
is
true—you were just too naive to see it. Even though I
tried
to tell you.” Bok crushed his empty drink can and threw it into a growing pile of empties in the corner. “But me?

No. No one wants me more than once.”

“But you just said you were with her more than once.”

“She was just being
nice
. She’s different than the others. She really gets into the toys, Lon.

I mean,
really
. I’ve never seen a woman so into it.” His gaze and mind drifted a little in fond memories. “She’s incredible.”

“You really like her.”

He snapped his attention back to Lon. “Yeah. I do.”

“But that’s great. She asked about you. She must like you too—” He broke off and mirrored Bok’s headshake. “What?”

“She wants more toys. That’s what I am to her.”

Lon frowned. “I don’t think Tanty’s like that.”

“It’s no slight to her. Not at all. She’s a reindeer, for snow’s sake. She knew she was doing me a favor just by looking at me.”

“I’m not sure you’re right about that.”

Bok put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Trust me. I know these things better than you do.”

Lon’s frown told Bok he thought otherwise, but Lon had never been a particularly fast or coherent thinker.

“Look. She might keep sleeping with me, just so long as I keep supplying her with toys, but sooner or later she’s going to want to move on to better things. Better guys. Big, buff, reindeer-type guys.”

Lon opened his mouth to rebut, but Bok laid two fingers on his lips to silence him.

“I figure if I lose some weight, buff up, my chances with her get better. She’ll let me be with her longer.” He sagged against Lon’s side, heedless of the damp of his workout clothes.

“I’ll never be a reindeer, but at least I can be better to look at.” Lon held him regardless of whether he stank. “Bok, I really think you’re wrong about this.”

“Yeah, well, I love you, but I know what I’m doing.” His arm secure around Lon’s shoulders, Bok walked him to the door. “Now, you’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to get back to work so Gus won’t come after me.”

Lon dug his heels in when they reached the door. “Bok, wait. You don’t look all that good.

You sure all this is healthy?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve done my research. I know what I’m doing.”

“Maybe you should talk to Wod.”

“I don’t need to talk to your boyfriend.”

“But he knows Tanty. Maybe he can—”

“Lon.” Bok grabbed the smaller male’s shoulders and made Lon face him. “I want you to
promise
me that you won’t tell anyone about what I’m doing. Not Gus, not my mother, not Tanty, and certainly not Wod.”

Lon’s eyes got big at the mention of the love of his life.

“I’m serious. If Wod got it in his head to do something, he’d embarrass me or expose me, and I just don’t think I could stand that. Seriously.” He shook Lon a little and made sure they had the eye contact of friends who’d known each other a long time and shared too many memories to count. “Promise me.”

“I don’t know…”

“How many of your secrets have I kept?”

Lon winced, and Bok knew he had him. “You promise you’re being careful?”

“I promise.”

“And you’ll
tell
me if you’re in trouble?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then. I promise. But I still think you’re wrong about Tanty.” Bok pulled Lon into a hug, comforted by his friend’s presence even if he wouldn’t admit it aloud. “Even if I am”—
I’m not
—“she deserves someone who looks better than me.”

“But that’s what I mean. I don’t think Tanty’s all that worried about looks. Not like you think.”

Bok released Lon from the hug and opened the front door. “We’ll have to disagree on that one.”

Lon glanced back at the living room. “Call me. Let’s have lunch.”

“Maybe. Sure.”

“I’ll bring you dinner tomorrow, and we’ll eat here.”

“Can’t. I’m on a diet.”

“But…”

“I’ll call you in a few days. Just let me get into this.” Lon took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

Bok closed the door after Lon with a sigh of relief. There. That was the only person likely to intrude on him. He’d staved off housekeeping, and his parents were busy enough with their own affairs so they barely spoke. As long as he filled his daily quota for work, he was home free for his diet and exercise program.

He’d be slimmed down for Tanty in no time.

Chapter Nine

Seeing Lon waiting in the barn alone set off Tanty’s last nerve. She’d been good; she’d been patient; she’d determined that she didn’t give a flying fuck if Bok wanted to talk to her or not. But she deserved to know
why
, damn it!

She broke a little ahead of the strolling reindeer and headed straight for Lon. The little man was about her size, but he seemed smaller as she marched up to him. When he glanced over her head, she knew Wod wasn’t far behind her. That was fine. She had no intention of hurting Lon, but she’d find out what he knew.

“Where is your friend?”

Huge blue eyes blinked at her. “Uh…”

“It’s been over two weeks. If he doesn’t want to see me, fine, but where the fuck
is
he?”

“Um…” Lon’s gaze darted up over Tanty’s left shoulder again as he backed up a step.

“Uh, he’s…”

Wod circled Tanty to wind an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “He’s holed up at his house.”

Tanty watched Lon shoot Wod a sharp look. She narrowed her gaze. “Still? Why?” Wod and Lon stared at each other, the first coldly calm and the other fairly pleading.

Tanty balled her fists and just stopped herself from stomping her foot. “Tell me.” Wod opened his mouth, but Lon slapped his chest. That made the taller male shake his head. Brown eyes focused on Tanty. “You should go see for yourself.” Lon’s fingers dug into Wod’s bare chest. “Wod!”

With narrowed eyes, Tanty kept looking from one man to the other. “What’s going on?”

“To be honest, I don’t know it all. Lon’s sworn to secrecy.” He grimaced, and it wasn’t because Lon slapped his chest again. And again. “But it can’t be good.” “Wod! You can’t tell her that.”

Wod held tight to his squirming partner but kept eye contact with Tanty. She saw that he was throwing her a bone even if she didn’t know what it was. “He didn’t let me in when I went before.”

Wod nodded. “Force it.”

Tanty’s eyes went as wide as Lon’s, but she didn’t sink into a tirade of frustrated—if mild—cursing like Lon. She stared at Wod long enough to realize he was serious. Then she nodded. “Okay. I’ll do that.”

“No!” Lon tried to break away and follow her when she headed for her stall, but Wod stopped him. “Tanty, wait.”

She probably should wait. Lon was frantic for a reason. But Wod had never led her astray.

She trusted him. If he implied there was something at Bok’s house she needed to see, then there was something at Bok’s house she needed to see.

It was an overcast afternoon with a good chance of snow that night. Tanty strolled up the path to Bok’s door like she didn’t have a care in the world. Her hair was loose and long, her dress was short and tight, and both were exactly the same color. The tights that banded her legs up to her thighs were purple and orange stripes. She’d dressed in her favorite colors, trying to keep herself in a good, open mood.

She knocked.

A strange, repetitive, mechanical noise from within slowed and stopped.

She knocked again.

More movement inside, soft shuffling she decided was footsteps. She stepped to the side and pressed against the wall so she couldn’t be seen through the peephole. When she was pretty sure Bok was behind the door, she reached over to knock yet again.

“Who is it?”

She knocked once more.

There was some irritated grumbling. Then an inhospitable, “I’m not playing. Go away.” Tanty crossed her arms and thought about it as the sounds inside indicated Bok was leaving the door. She could try the game again, or she could reveal herself. Decisions, decisions.

After a few moments’ thought, she stepped back in front of the door and knocked again.

This time, he’d see her through the peephole.

He saw her. She could hear him breathing. Something scratched the other side of the door softly.

She stared at the little hole and raised an eyebrow. “Bok, let me in.” Silence.

She crossed her arms and let her annoyance show. “I know you’re there. I can hear you.”

“What are you doing here?”

Calmly, she lifted a hand to inspect her fingernails. “You owe me an explanation.”

“I what?”

“You owe me an explanation.”

“For what?”

She waved a hand at the door. “For this. I thought we were friends.” She glared at the peephole. “We
fucked
, for mistletoe and holly. Doesn’t that get me something?”

“I…I…”

She sighed and dropped her arms, her patience with his stuttering not up to its usual.

“Open the damn door, Bok.”

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“No.”

Balling her fists, she let every bit of her anger show. “Bok. If you don’t let me in that door, I
assure
you that I’m going right out, and I will get Gus. I think he’ll let me in.”

“Gus?”

“Yeah. He might want to know why one of his employees is holed up in his house.”

“He knows I’m here.”

She nodded. “Yeah. But does he know you’re mysteriously not letting anyone in? Does he know you’ve sworn your best friend to secrecy about what you’re doing in there? Oh, I think Gus will find what I have to say
very
interesting.” Without another word, she turned on her heel and started back toward the street. It might not get him to open the door, but Tanty had every intention of carrying out her threat. Because now a part of her was worried. What
was
he doing in there?