Read Six Degrees of Lust Online
Authors: Taylor V. Donovan
Tags: #MLR Press LLC, #Print ISBN#978-1-60820-414-4, #Ebook ISBN# 978-1-60820-415-1
“Doin’ what?” He found it hard to keep the aggravation out
of his voice. “I’m here, just like I said I’d be.”
“Lord, sugah…” Mac wanted to roll his eyes and scream, but
knew it wouldn’t make a difference if he told her for the five
hundredth time that month alone to stop calling him sugah. “You
know how important today is to the family, and still you choose
to ignore their request to be on time by showing up nearly an
hour late. I just don’t understand you sometimes. I really don’t.”
“I spoke with Mother on the phone yesterday and told her
when to expect me, so what’s to understand?”
Before she could say anything else, Mac moved closer to his
friend and laid a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t want to hear
any more of her stupidity and it really pissed him off that she
had completely ignored the fact that Remy was standing right
next to him.
Amy’s nostrils flared a bit, and it made Mac’s day to see
he’d been able to shake her up a little. Lately Amy didn’t react
to anything he did or said, too focused on her own life. His
childhood friend was turning into a carbon copy of his mother.
Christ.
Her nostrils flared some more and he gave her a slight smile.
Amy had assumed a long time ago Remy was his lover, and he
never cared enough to correct her. “You remember my good
friend Remy, right?”
He noticed the Cajun raise an eyebrow at the emphasis he
put on the word “friend” but remained quiet and just held his
hand out to Amy. That bitch, because there was no other word
he could call her at the moment, just stood there looking at it, like
she thought Remy had something contagious.
“Good to see you again, Amy.” His friend didn’t let her
reaction bother him. Finally she nodded a hello and briefly shook
his hand. “Changed quite a bit since the last time… and you don’t
even sound Texan anymore.”
“Why? Because I insist on speaking properly?” Had she not
been a woman Mac would have punched her smug, overly made
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213
up face right that moment. But Remy just laughed and ignored
her, and he’d about decided to do the same when she opened her
trap again. “Good Lord Mac, why are you dressed like that? It
isn’t appropriate and you look atrocious!” She literally turned her
nose up in the air.
“You mean like I was invited to a backyard barbecue?” He
mocked her. “It’s a freakin’ hundred degrees out here and I’m
dressed fine.”
“Well you look like a slob, sugah. And flip flops? Really?” She
looked him up and down. “What are you, ten? You could at least
have pressed your shirt, worn nicer shorts… This is an important
day for the family. I don’t mean to nag, I really don’t, but there are
so many of Father’s important friends here today. I would think
you’d try harder to look nice, you know.”
“If you don’t mean to nag, why are you doing it anyway?”
Mac snapped.
Remy must have noticed he was done with Amy’s bullshit
because he cleared his throat and slightly bumped Mac’s shoulder
with his fist. He was smiling, but his eyes told Mac to take it easy.
“Cher, I’m gonna go look for those beers. Want me to bring ya
one? Hell, maybe I’ll get lucky and find a big pot of mud bugs.”
He laughed, probably because he knew he’d never find such a
thing at the O’Bannon’s Manor.
“I’ll definitely take the beer.”
“Been a pleasure, Amy.” The smile was gone from his face.
“Mud bugs?” she repeated as soon as Remy walked away.
“Good Lord, Mac! That man…” She shrugged in disgust. “Does
he really think we’d have crawfish here? That’s unthinkable!
They’re nasty and messy and why on earth did you invite him?
He’s not family and should have stayed at that slimy bayou he
came from!”
“He’s my best friend, so he has as much right to be here as
you do. And you know very well that man is the executive chef
of a five star restaurant that’s been featured in more fine dining
magazines than I knew existed. Not to mention, the reservations
214 Taylor V. Donovan
list at Utopia is six months long, and Remy’s rubbed shoulders
with more famous and important people than you’ll ever meet
in your life, so where do you get off being so snobbish?” Lord,
the woman was impossible. “Where are Emma Rose and Austin
anyway?” he asked, trying to avoid the confrontation he knew he
was bound to have with her. Maybe bringing up her kids would
send her on her way.
She scowled for a second, and then gave a small sigh.
“They’re playing over there with the other children.” She
waved in the general direction of the tent, but Mac couldn’t see
any kids. “And having a grand time, I might add.”
“And who’s watching them?”
“There are adults over there.” She smiled. The gesture wasn’t
as cute as she obviously thought it was.
“You should be taking care of them instead of being here
chewin’ my ass off over things you can’t do shit to change. Now
don’t get me wrong, I happen to enjoy some good ass chewing
on occasion, but never from nagging females!”
“Why are you being so rude, Mac?”
“Could it be because I’m sick of this game where I pretend to
be straight and y’all pretend to be lovin’ and caring?”
“You know this won’t look good to Mother and Father,
bringing your…” She squeezed her eyes shut for a second.
“Whatever that man is to you to our house!”
“Why, Amy…” He pursed out his lips and put one hand on
his hip while the other hung limply in the air, channeling his
friend Christian Murphy at his most flaming and not giving a shit
about who might see him. “Are you sayin’ they won’t approve of
the gayness of it? Because, you know, it is sooooo gay to bring
my best friend over to help me get through the unbelievable
amount of crap I gotta deal with whenever I make the mistake
of stopping by, isn’t it?” He made sure his voice was as high
pitched as possible.
“Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!” She looked around frantically, her voice
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215
hushed. “There’s no need to act so gay!”
“I’m not acting gay, Amy. I am!” he growled, and then laughed
at her shocked expression. “Look at you reacting all surprised. As
if you didn’t know.”
“Of course I’ve known since we were teens, but there’s no
need to rub it in people’s faces!” She scrunched her face up like
she had just eaten something sour. “It’s disrespectful towards the
fine folks of Liberty Heights and—” She shut her mouth and
seemed to give careful consideration to her next words. “Why are
you doing this? You promised you wouldn’t let anyone know…
we made a deal…”
Mac put his hands in his pockets and rolled his shoulders a
bit. “You’re right. Our deal isn’t over yet and I was out of order…
But it is only a matter of months now, and I’m not changing my
mind, Amy. That’s something all of you need to come to terms
with.”
For a moment she looked like she wanted to argue, but at
the end she just took a deep breath to compose herself and gave
him that ridiculously fake sweet smile of hers. A shudder rippled
down Mac’s spine, and suddenly he felt like running as far away
from her as he could get. He didn’t have a clue who the hell Amy
was anymore.
“I hate it when we fight.” She brushed his stomach with her
fingernails, and Mac wanted to take a hundred steps back. “You
have to know I only want what’s best for the family… you know
that, right? It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Now let’s quit this silly little
quarrel and go find Mother and Father.”
“Ignoring it won’t make it go away, Amy,” he whispered.
“Jesus… What happened to you? I thought you were going to
be there for me. That you were going to back me up when I
decided to come out. I thought you loved me and wanted to see
me happy!”
“I do love you! That’s why I don’t want you to put yourself
through all that! Don’t you see how difficult life will be for you?”
she asked, tears welling in her bright blue eyes. “I’m saying this
216 Taylor V. Donovan
out of love, sugah! You look so normal! If you don’t say anything
nobody will ever know that you like… that you are…”
“That I am gay and like men?” he finished for her.
“What in the name of the Lord are you saying?” Mac felt
the swat on his shoulder before he even saw his mother who,
somehow, had managed to appear out of thin air. “And in
public?” Her eyes were as big as saucers. “I just can’t believe my
ears!” She covered her mouth for a second, then squared her
shoulders and turned around. “Inside, both of you. Now!”
Amy preceded them and Mac let his mother grab him by the
arm and drag him towards the house, feeling like a four-year-old
all over again. They’d barely made it through the kitchen door
when she started on him.
“Machlan Sean O’Bannon, you should be ashamed of
yourself, showing up an hour late to our celebration when you
knew how important this day is to the family!” Mac wasn’t
surprised to hear her say almost the exact same thing Amy had a
few minutes earlier.
“Nice to see you too, Mother.” He stepped closer to her and
brushed his lips against her cheek, but she pulled back and glared
at him.
“You’re late!” She led the way to his father’s studio. “And
don’t let me ever hear you say the terrible things you were saying
outside!” No doubt his mother intended for that to be the end of
it, but Mac refused to let her have things her way this time.
“We spoke yesterday about my time of arrival. I get out of
work at three in the morning, remember? I needed to catch some
sleep before gettin’ on the road!” His words came out harsher
than he had intended.
“Still, I’d have thought you’d make an effort.”
“It’s only noon, and it doesn’t look like I missed anything
important.”
“Leave the boy alone, Sheila,” his father said from his seat
near the window, the one he always chose whenever he wanted
six DegRees of Lust
217
to smoke a cigar. “Glad to see you made it, son.”
“Happy Birthday, Dad.” He gave his father a quick hug and
smiled down at him. The old man wasn’t that bad when he wasn’t
under his mother’s influence. Sadly, those times were rare. “Got
you a present that—”
“Why didn’t you take last night off from that place?” Sheila
interrupted. “And if that wasn’t possible for some reason, why
didn’t you drive straight here after work?”
“Guess you don’t care if I happen to fall asleep behind the
wheel and get into an accident, huh?” he asked, gritting his teeth.
“You needed to be timely. It is a very important day for the
family.”
“It’s Dad’s birthday and if it is so important, how come he’s
hiding here in his studio?” He could see how much his retort
irritated his mother by the way she clutched the pearl necklace
she never failed to wear.
“You’re being disrespectful to me, young man. Change your
attitude this instant!”
“Are we keeping you from something important? Is
everything okay at work?” His father may not agree with his
chosen profession, but he always made a point out of asking
how things were.
“Everything’s fine, Dad.”
“But of course it is!” Amy’s voice made Mac bite his lower
lip. God. He needed something way stronger than a beer to deal
with this. “It’s just a bar. What could possibly go wrong there?”
“It is comments like that one that make me dread being
around you lot,” Mac said, shooting Amy a look that pretty much
translated to shut up or else.
“Even if there was a problem, nothing is more important
than your family, Machlan,” his mother said. “Your place is here
with us! That little bar you work for can manage without you for
a few days.”
“I have a very competent staff, so you’re right. But I get to
218 Taylor V. Donovan
decide when I take time off and what for.”
“May I then suggest that you take time off, perhaps a five
year sabbatical, and use it to attend college? Get a much needed
education so that you can become someone of importance?
Maybe go to law school and follow your father’s political steps.”
His mother’s voice was sweet and hard at the same time. He
couldn’t remember it being anything but. “Or you could be a
doctor, a famous surgeon, but if that’s too much to ask, can you
at least go back to being a fireman? Just do something respectable,
for Heaven’s sake!”
“I happen to love my job, Mother. Why can’t you be happy
for me?”
“Why would I when you could be the Mayor of Liberty
Heights? People would vote for you. We’re respected and it’d be
the beginning of an era. Your son would follow in your footsteps
and—”
“Don’t you think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself?”