With summertime hours officially over, last call was at one-fifteen, and they stopped serving at one-thirty. They were close to empty by that time, so it didn’t take long for him and Sasha to clean up and shut down. He shouted goodnights to various people on his way across the narrow parking lot to his car. Two-door, cherry red, she was his baby.
He started her up, blasted the a/c, and stared at Joshua’s phone number. Palmed his cell phone. Stared some more. He couldn’t explain the hesitation. He was wide-awake and in the mood. Joshua had flirted like a man who knew how to fuck, so no worries in that department.
You’re scared he’s asleep and won’t answer.
“Shut up,” he said to the phone number. He was Van Fucking Holt.
He was fearless.
He tapped the number into his phone, saved it, and then called. The first two rings didn’t matter. The third unsettled him. By the fourth, he nearly ended the call.
“Hello?” Suspicious, but definitely Joshua’s voice.
“It’s Van.”
Joshua chuckled. “I figured as much, even though I don’t have your number in my memory. I usually answer unknown calls with something much racier.”
“Such as?”
“Hollywood Phone Sex Line, how may I direct your call?”
Van burst out laughing. “I may have to steal that.”
“Feel free. So. Your place or mine?”
“I have a roommate who’s probably sound asleep on the sofa bed.”
“Hmm. I have a roommate who’s probably sound asleep two doors down, waiting for his boyfriend to get off work and wake him up.”
Van tried to process that one. “Emmett said you’re friends with Lincoln. You live with him, too? I thought he lived with a chick.”
“The chick went back to college. I’m renting a room for a few months to get my head together.”
That sounded like complications Van didn’t need in his life. Still, Joshua intrigued him. And he’d stayed awake not knowing how late Van would be, or if he’d even call, which earned him major fuck points.
“So two couples having sex in the same apartment, possibly at the same time,” Van said. “Sounds like fun.”
Joshua made a soft noise. “That mean you wanna come over and play?”
The growl in Joshua’s voice perked his dick up. “Definitely. Should warn you, though, I top only.”
“Excellent. Then you can bring the condoms.”
“You realize that either requires me to find a pharmacy open at this hour, or to drive back to my place, which is in the opposite direction of yours.”
“How do you know where I live?”
“I gave Emmett a ride once or twice.”
Joshua grunted. “Fine, we’ll use my stuff.”
Van liked how huffy he was getting, probably used to being the one in charge of the dynamics. This was going to be fun. “Good. Be there in a few.”
He hung up, then backed out of the parking space. The barber pole outside of Off Beat was dark, and the front door opened, ejecting Beatrice and Emmett. Bea was always the last person out, except on the rare occasion she needed to be up early the next morning. Then she’d let Van or Sasha close.
He idled up to the sidewalk and rolled down the passenger window. “Hey, Em, you heading over to your man?”
Emmett blinked at him. “Um, yes?”
