“Hey, big boy, miss me?” He picked up the cat, who head butted him on his chin. Funny how he enjoyed having a pet to come home to. Despite the lousy start he’d had in life, Domino was a loving creature, always happy to see him come through the door.
Drew gave the cat one more cuddle, then placed him on the floor. Domino, proclaiming his displeasure, meowed loudly. Drew, who could deny the cat nothing, gave the cat a few more scratches, then stood and tossed his keys in the bowl on the table by the front door. As he passed through the living room to his bedroom, he dropped his jacket on the sofa. Finally comfortable after changing into a T-shirt and sweats, Drew logged on to the computer to check his e-mails. The first one that caught his eye was from Mallory Construction. Jason Mallory had e-mailed him to let him know the job would be finished Monday, and he would meet Drew at the site for a walk-through.
Drew was thrilled. Not only was the job finished ahead of schedule, but it exceeded what he’d originally planned. Mallory had gone the extra mile to make sure the clinic looked welcoming and would be a place where disenfranchised young adults would want to come for help.
Once Drew discussed the reason behind the clinic with Mallory, the man had confided that he himself was gay and had had a difficult time with some members of his family during his coming out. All that seemed to be behind him, though, as he introduced Drew to his partner, Ryder, whom he was marrying this summer.
Closing down his e-mail, Drew rested his head against the pillows of his sofa and closed his eyes. Had he really loved Jackie, or was it his desperate need to have someone to come home to, someone to touch, to hold? Losing his parents so unexpectedly had left a hole in his heart he’d never been able to fill. He’d drifted through relationships, allowing his friends to set him up with woman after woman, but he’d never found that attraction or spark to take any of them seriously. Their main interest had been he was a doctor. As he grew older and reverted back into his shell of loneliness, it became all too easy to let his friends and sister tell him what to do in his personal life.
After all, Jordan had Keith, Mike was a party animal with more women than sense, and Rachel…well, Rachel was a mother hen and insisted she knew what was best for him.
When he’d ventured out and met Jackie, he’d thought she was the one, not heeding his friends’ and family’s warning that she only wanted to be married to a plastic surgeon with a lucrative career path. She’d been loving and inventive enough in bed to hold his interest while they’d dated. Everything had been fine before they’d gotten married. He fell for her hard and fast, proposing marriage after only dating six months. But things changed soon after their honeymoon, swiftly going downhill. Once he’d told her of his plans to open a clinic for abused teens and young adults, she’d pulled away, uninterested in that or any other topic he brought up for discussion. Eventually she withdrew from their marriage altogether.
It hadn’t even taken him three months of living together to realize what a vain, self-centered person she truly was. Shit, he’d obviously been a very poor judge of character, because seeing her on her knees blowing his friend had come as a total surprise to him. Once again, he thanked God the marriage was as short-lived as it was.
Well, no matter, as he wasn’t ready for a new relationship or even to date right now. His sister was right. He had the clinic and those kids to think about. Hopefully they could find another lawyer to replace Davis. Jason Mallory had mentioned a friend who was a Legal Aid attorney. Maybe Drew would give that attorney a call, as the legal work would likely be too much for Peter to handle on his own.
His phone buzzed with a call. “Hey, Rach. What’s up? I was thinking of you.”
“Hey, D. Great minds, big brother. Wanna meet for coffee Saturday? I haven’t seen you in a while since I was out of town and couldn’t come to Nana’s last week. We need a hang-out day.”
Drew’s chest tightened. No matter how shitty he felt, talking to his sister always made him feel better. Not that he’d ever admit it to her. “Sure, honey. Where and when?”
“How about the new coffeehouse by Union Square? The one on Eighteenth Street by the park? We can walk around the farmer’s market afterward.”
An idea popped into his head. “Sounds perfect. I’ll get some fresh fruit and make Nana a cobbler for Sunday.” He hadn’t indulged in his love of cooking since his marriage, as Jackie barely ate anything. She’d always been on some diet or another.
“Ooh yumm.” Her moan was long and drawn out. “I love your cobbler. Maybe you’ll be a nice big brother and make an extra one for me? Pretty please?”
Pretending to grumble, he agreed. She knew he’d make it for her. “Well, all right, but you’ll have to help me carry the fruit home.”
“Not a problem. Gives me a chance to come over and see Domino. How fat has he gotten?”
“Hey. He isn’t fat; he’s healthy.”
After she stopped laughing, they agreed to meet at noon. “Save me a seat and get me a hazelnut latte if you get there first, D.”
“If? If I’m there first? When have you ever been on time for anything?” He chuckled, even when she blew a raspberry in his ear and hung up on him.
Swallowing the last of his beer, he closed his laptop and put it on the couch. When he got up, the cat followed him, waiting outside the bathroom until he finished and then trailing him back into the bedroom. No use in pushing Domino off the bed; he’d hop right back on.
“Well, come on. Up you go.” Domino regarded him with those big yellow eyes, swished his tail, and jumped, stalking over to the foot of the bed and curling up. Feeling happier than he had in a while, Drew slipped into the bed, allowing his body to unfold. Toes curling, hamstrings tightening, and arms over his head, he enjoyed a full-body stretch before relaxing It had been a long day of patients, then that bizarre dinner meeting. The back of his neck cracked. Well, he sure wasn’t twenty anymore. After he’d hit thirty, he’d taken up running to make sure he could stay in shape with his long hours and infrequent meals.
His phone buzzed on the night table. Oh Christ. Hopefully it wasn’t some emergency. He picked it up, his eyes squinting at the bright light in the dark of his room. Crap. Asher Davis.
What the hell was that message about, Klein? Call me back.
Screw him. He didn’t owe the guy anything. He threw the phone on the opposite side of the bed and buried his head under the pillow. Of course, now that the guy had texted him, Drew couldn’t get that scene of Ash getting sucked off out of his mind. He finally understood what Jordan meant when he said it was hot to watch. He’d never admit it to anyone, but for just a moment while he was watching it…damn if it didn’t turn him on. Just a bit.
Shit. There went his dick again. Fuck. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He liked women, for God’s sake. Even though there was no one else in the room, his gaze darted furtively from side to side. Drew touched himself through his thin sweatpants, groaning at the feel of his already swollen, hard cock jumping.
A vision of the dark-haired Ash, looking like a wicked angel, head thrown back and gasping for breath, stirred a dark fantasy Drew didn’t know existed in the deepest recesses of his mind. The slick, liquid sound of the waiter’s mouth on Ash’s cock, as well as Ash’s harsh groans, were the impetus Drew needed to push himself over the edge. To his disbelief and dismay, and before he could stop himself, he reached under his sweats, grabbed his cock, and pulled at the leaking head, stroking hard down the shaft. After only a few moments and several strong tugs, he pulsed and came, spurting into his hand, his rough, choked cry echoing against the walls of his bedroom.
Unable to catch his breath for a moment, he reeled from what had occurred in his bed. Did he really jerk off thinking of another man? Un-fucking-believable. What was going on with him?
His phone rang. Shit, nighttime calls were always bad news. What if something had happened to Nana? Without looking at the screen, he connected. “Hello? Who is this?”
“Klein? It’s Davis. Asher Davis. You owe me an explanation for why you summarily dismissed me from the project.”
