“The trouble is settling on colors that suit both Cooperandme,” he bellowed earnestly over the music. “He’s a classic Winter. Me, I’m a vivid Spring. It’ssodifficult to find…”
I tuned out, although I made sure I nodded and frowned as though I was concentrating on the conversation. I was invited to the wedding, of course; we all were, and I was happy for Jon. But his gleaming-eyed happiness, combined with the contentment of everyone else in my friendship group, plus Brandon’s new and abrupt absence from the apartment…
“I need another drink,” I hollered at Jon when he took a breath, and I escaped to the bar, where I planned to order a soda. I was hoping to play that night, so I was staying sober like a good boy, but so far everyone I’d glanced at already seemed tohavesomeone.
When I got to the bar, it was already swarming with people, and I bumped into Ezra Whitfield, a sub friend of mine, while I was trying to find a place to stand.
“Hey!” he shouted. “Big crowd, huh?”
We made shouty small talk while we waited. Ezra was there with his Dom, Sebastian Fox, but they were in some private part of the club tonight. “Zee Dubois is here,” he said, lowering his volume a few notches, though he still had to yell right in my ear. “With her husband, Nik. Checking it out.”
Huh. Interesting. Zee Dubois ran a medical clinic that specialized in care for kinky types. She was also rumored to hold themost amazingkink parties—but the private, invite-only type. A few of my friends had been to those parties, though I never had. Her husband, Nik Jaeger, was a mega-rich Hollywood exec and, despite the two of them being kinky, they moved inverydifferent circles than I did.
Ezra got served fast, as usual—being gorgeous has its benefits—and I popped into the hole he left behind him. Jamie, the bartender, was getting slammed, so when it was my turn to order, I leaned in and said, “You need some help?”
He grimaced. “Don’t tempt me. Everyone else called in sick.”
“I mean it,” I told him. “I’m licensed, and you’re swamped. Just say the word.”
He gave me a skeptical look and then his eyes traveled over the growing crowd behind me. “Serious?”
“As climate change.” That pulled a snort out of him, but he was still hesitant. “Just for ten minutes till it quiets down.”
“Well…fuck, I’d appreciate it, man. Just, you know, hide if you see my manager heading over.”
I ducked and weaved through the people to get to the side of the bar, and within seconds I was taking orders. My work at the Bellamy Grand Hotel had given me all manner of licenses and hospitality training, and although I hadn’t personally pulled a beer since training, it was just like riding a bike: weird and wobbly at first, but it smoothed out after a few false starts.
“Thanks for that,” Jamie shouted once the sea of people had thinned down a little. I was about to duck back over the other side of the bar and leave him to it when I saw the crowd parting to let Dr. Zee Dubois through to the front.
That’s what Zee was like. People tended to just get out of her way, even though she was about a foot shorter than most of the people lining up.
“Oliver, isn’t it?” she said, when I rushed over to serve her. Her smile felt like a reward. “Oliver West?”
“Yes, ma’am, that’s me.”
“I’ll have a soda water, no ice.”
“I can send it up to the private room,” I began, but she shook her head and slid up onto the bar stool.
“Actually, I wanted to have a chat with you, when you have time.”
A chat? Withmoi?For that, I wouldmaketime, and Jamie seemed to have things under control, so I got Zee her drink and then I came back around and sat next to her on a bar stool, waiting with bated breath.
“Every year I like to hold a Halloween party,” she began. “A masquerade ball. And every year, Niklaus and I have a select group of people who come to stay with us during the weeks before the ball to help prepare the house and the grounds…”
The more she talked, the more desperately I wanted to be part of that select little group. What she was proposing was a short-term arrangement whereby I’d join their household—that’s what she consistently called it, herhousehold—as a 24/7 service sub. Apparently they were a little short-staffed this season.
I really wanted to say yes. But I couldn’t.
“It sounds amazing, Zee—” she’d told me to call her Zee, even though it felt weird to me “—but I can’t take six weeks off work just like that. I wish I could, but…” I really,reallywanted to go. But there was no way my boss at the Bellamy, Magda, wouldeverlet me take that much time off.
The Bellamy Grand was the best hotel in LA, and I was actually carving out a career there for myself. I was already a junior concierge, and just before Halloween there was some huge, important,totally secretmeeting booked that I was helping out with. The demands coming in regularly were well beyond those of even our most picky guests.
Zee looked almost as regretful as I felt. “That’s a real shame, Oliver,” she said. “But even so, I do hope you’ll accept an invitation to the ball?”
“I…kind of have something on Halloween night already,” I said, chewing on my lip. Every offer she was making, I was turning down. I must have sounded like an entitled little shit. “If I could get out of it, I totally would but—”
“No, no,” she said. “I wouldn’t dream of asking you to break a prior engagement.”
