Tommy had to laugh, seeing as that was all he ever ate at Woofs.
“Would you like something a little stronger than Cherry Coke?” Mike asked. “Say, a peach margarita?”
“Thanks for the offer, but no. I’ll stick with a Coke.” That glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve had been the first alcohol ever to touch his lips, and it had been okay, but Tommy had yet to see what the attraction was regarding alcohol. He could still hear his granddaddy intoning something about not putting a thief in his mouth to steal his brains. And of course, Tommy was driving.
Their server appeared, and Mike ordered their drinks and two burgers with fries and fried pickles. When that was done, he leaned against the padded back of the seat and smiled. “You had a good afternoon?” His eyes twinkled.
That was all it took for Tommy’s face to go from cool to scorching. He knew damn well what Mike was thinking about. “You shoulda warned me ’bout that place,” he said in a low voice.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Mike said, eyebrows lifted. That smirk was still in evidence, however. Mike had taken him to Capulets and let him walk in first—to be confronted with a wall of sex toys. And that didn’t include all the stands in the middle of the floor, containing even more sex toys. Then there were all the different kinds of lube, for God’s sake. The other half of the store had been filled with DVDs, only Mike had steered him clear of those. Tommy had no argument with that. One glance at some of the covers had been enough—he hadn’t knownwhereto look.
And when Mike had suggested buying something for him, that had been enough for Tommy. Mike had ushered him out of there fairly quickly when Tommy hadn’t been able to hide how uncomfortable the experience had made him.
Tommy had to admit, it had been a great afternoon, in spite of his embarrassment. Mike had taken him around lots of thestores at the Ansley Mall. They’d looked at underwear in Boy Next Door, Mike holding up the skimpy briefs on their little hangers and looking inquiringly at him.
Moreblushes.
Then they’d visited Brushstrokes, a gay bookstore, andthathad been interesting. Mike had left him to wander through all the books. It had been fascinating. Tommy had no idea there was so much gay fiction out there. In the end Mike had had to drag him away. At least Tommy knew of its existence, and he could definitely see a return visit in the future.
Come to think of it, he now knew just how many gay businesses existed in and around Atlanta, and that had staggered him. Then there had been the sight of muscle-bound guys walking into the gym, holding hands. That was a first.
The server brought their drinks, and Tommy took a long slurp of his Coke. “Wereallthose businesses that we saw today gay businesses?”
Mike smiled. “Didn’t you notice the rainbow flags on almost every door? The gay dollar contributes a helluva lot to Atlanta.”
Tommy’s concentration was broken by the sight of two guys who’d sat in the booth behind them, Mike’s back to them. Not that seeing guys together was anything new after the afternoon he’d just spent. No, what made him stare was the way they sat with their arms around each other, kissing—and no one paid them the slightest attention. Like what they were doing was totally natural.
Then he smiled.You dumbass—itistotally natural.The thought warmed him.
“You listening to me?”
Tommy jerked his head up and stared at Mike, his face heating up. “’Scuse me?”
Mike chuckled. “Okay, where is your head at?” He shook his head. “In case you haven’t noticed, our dinner has arrived.” Hepointed at the plate that had miraculously appeared in front of Tommy.
Shit. Tommy hastily began to dig in to his burger, trying to ignore the couple who were digging into each other. Damn, it was nice, though. They looked so lost in each other, sharing slow kisses and stroking arms and shoulders. Eating was difficult; his eyes were continually drawn to them. Mike was talking about how much power the gay population of Atlanta wielded, and Tommy was trying to listen, ’cause it was fascinating, butdamn….
Mike put down his silverware and wiped his mouth. He was dying to turn around and see precisely what had snagged Tommy’s attention throughout dinner, but he had a feeling that would only serve to embarrass the young man. It sure was intriguing, though.
He’d had a great afternoon. Tommy had been relaxed, smiling and joking with him, and they’d had a lot of fun. It had been a while since Mike had chilled out with a guy. He’d been doing a lot of shoots recently, and it was great to just take abreathfor a change. So much so that he wanted to do this again. Judging from Tommy’s reaction, he didn’t think the young man would mind all that much.
He got out his wallet and withdrew enough to cover the check plus tip, then finished his beer. “Shall we get out of here?” The heaviness in his stomach had nothing to do with his meal. He really didn’t want this delightful day to end.
Tommy nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
Maybe he doesn’t want it to finish either.
Mike knew he had stuff to get ready for his trip the next day. It was an early flight to NYC, and based on past experience, the shoot wouldn’t be an overly long one. Still, he was sad their time together had to end.
They got to their feet, and as he edged out of the booth, Mike finally got a look at what had captured Tommy’s attention. He smiled at the sight of the couple who were drinking cocktails and talking quietly with each other.Always nice to see guys in love. He led the way out of the restaurant and around to the parking lot, where their trucks were parked next to each other.
“So what do you?—?”
The rest of his words died in his throat when Tommy grabbed him by the upper arms, pulled him close, and planted a kiss on his mouth. For a second or two, Mike was too stunned to react. Tommy’s lips were soft and warm, his breath sweet. The kiss was all fire and no expertise, but it got his heart pumping all the same. Tommy let go of his tight hold and stepped back, lips parted, eyes shining.
Wow. I must still have it.
Mike pushed aside that initial thought and stared at him. “Okay,” he began slowly. “Wanna tell me what broughtthaton?” For a moment his chest tightened.Fuck—has he seen me in one of my films? Does he know what I do?Mike was not ashamed of his career, far from it, but the thought that Tommy might know of it made his heart sink. And he didn’t have a clue why.
