Somehow, I finally manage to get the beer out of my lungs, and I say, “You know, that doesn’t come up in casual conversation as much as you think.”
He looks a littletooinnocent.
“You little shit,” I say.“And why the fuck would you be the top?”
And Sammy Yarmarkgrins.
“All right, hot shot,” I say.“What’s your move?”
His smile fades.“What move?”
“Your play.Your game.”He doesn’t say anything.“How do you flirt?You walk into this bar and you want to hook up.What do you do?”
The flush works its way higher up his neck.“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I talk to someone.I buy her a drink.”
“Pretty basic, but okay, we can work with that.Is that how you picked me up?”
He won’t make eye contact, and he’s practically talking to the floor when he says, “Maybe you picked me up.”
“Oh no.You’re the top, remember?”
Hedoeslook at me then, and it’s not a happy look.
“Lay it on me, Sammy.Give me a dose of that Yarmark charm.”
“But I never—” Sam is talking to the floor again, and a beat passes before he says, “You’re a guy.”
I almost laugh, but something tells me that might push him over the edge.“Yeah, well, that’s kind of an integral part of the plan.But fine.Pick whoever you want; I just want to see what I’m working with.”
And before he can answer, I grab my drink and move away from the bar.I luck into a two-top that a het couple is abandoning, and I drop into a seat that gives me a perfect line of sight on the bar.Sam is still where I left him, staring at his empty beer, looking more or less like a kicked puppy.He even glances over his shoulder at me.God, his eyes really are big.And there’s this part of me that thinks I should get up, call it off, and forget this whole thing.
But I need to pull this off—with the donors, if not with anybody else.And if he freezes up…
Sam steps away from the bar, and a couple of Sigma Sigma bros slide into the spot we’ve abandoned.He walks the length of the room, taking people in, considering his options.Nothing about him screams cop, mostly because he still has such a baby face, but the signs are there if you know what to look for.The way he carries himself.There are other guys who’ve got good shoulders and defined arms like Sam—not that you can see a whole lot under the sweatshirt he’s wearing—but they move like college kids, and Sam moves like—well, like a man who knows how to handle himself.
Except, right then, he’s also moving like a guy who has no fucking idea what to do.
He’s making his way back along the bar now, still trying to find his victim.I mean, target.Spots open along the bar, but people press into the gaps immediately, and Sam’s look is changing from confusion to frustration.Finally, a guy gets up from one of the stools and heads for the door, and Sam slithers into his spot—barely beating out a little ’roider who definitely doesn’t like that Sam got there first.It’s a good spot, between two dark-haired women—the one on the left has longer hair, the one on the right wears hers short.They’re about the right age for Sammy, and they both have that college-girl look that’s somehow put-together and a little overdone at the same time.
And then Sam just sits there.
I wish I had another drink, because this is turning into a show.
The woman on his left—the one with the long hair—is deep in a conversation with the man on the other side of her.The woman on his right—short hair—is texting.Sam is watching her, obviously waiting for her to put the phone down or glance up.Maybe even hopingshe’llinitiate the conversation.I’m starting to suspect Sammy might be one of the guys who wants a woman to club him over the head and drag him back to her cave—maybe that’s why he hasn’t had a date in the time I’ve known him.In this case, he’s going to be disappointed because that girl is firmly committed to her phone.
Finally, Sam must come to the same conclusion.He looks around for the bartender, but she’s busy lining up shots for a group of guys.I can see the beginning of panic in his face.Then it changes into something I’ve seen before—something between surrender and resolve.He had that exact same look on his face when he told me, less than an hour ago, he’d help me with what was now starting to feel like the stupidest plan in the world.Like he couldn’t fight it any longer, but now that he was committed, he wascommitted.
He turns toward the short-haired woman and opens his mouth.
And the man on the other side of the woman leans over and says something to her.
Sammy sinks back onto his stool.
Okay, now things are getting painful.I push myself up out of my seat.
