Tony stared at him. “You sure about this, Scott? ’Cause this could seriously affect your career with ManFactory, and maybe other companies too, once it gets out. And you know it will.”
“Well, that’s a chance I’ll have to take.” Mike couldn’t deny it was a big step, but his mind was made up. There was no way he could go through this again. It was undoubtedly the easiest solution, but he knew Tony was right—therewouldbe repercussions.
Guess I’ll just have to deal with them if—when—they arise. Maybe the writing was on the wall for Scott Masters, after twenty years in the business.
And maybe Scott Masters was just about ready for it.
Chapter Seventeen
Something was up with Mike.
He’d seemed pleased to see Tommy when he arrived at just past ten o’clock, even gave him a little peck on the cheek, which had set Tommy off blushing like crazy, not that anyone seemed to notice. However, Tommy had been studying Mike since then, and yeah, all was definitely not well. He couldn’t put his finger on it at first. Mike seemed tired, his eyes lacking their usual sparkle. Then he realized it was more than that.
The man was clearly feeling down.
When it got to midnight and nothing had changed, Tommy decided a little investigating was in order. He waited until Mike had disappeared around the other side of the bar and then caught Patrick’s attention.
Patrick beamed at him. “Hey, sugar, whassup?” He puffed out his chest and flexed his arms, showing off those big guns of his. “You tired of ol’ Mikey yet? Wanna try arealman for size?” Tommy stared at him, speechless, until Patrick cackled. “It’s okay, hon, I know you’re Mike’s, all right? Now what’s up?”
It took Tommy a second or two to get over the rush of warmth that Patrick’s words released in him—I’m Mike’s?—but then he recovered. “Is Mike okay? He doesn’t seem like himself.”
A little crease appeared between Patrick’s eyebrows. “You don’t miss much, do ya?” He regarded Tommy steadily for a moment, until Tommy was squirming under such scrutiny. Then he gave a satisfied nod, and Tommy had the distinct impression that he’d been given some sort of approval. “He’s been like this for a couple days now. Whatever’s buggin’ him, he ain’t talkin’ about it. See if you can get him to open up, okay? He might talk to you.”
“Sure, I can try.” Privately Tommy thought Mike’s coworkers had more of a chance than he did, but he was willing to try.
“Good boy.” Patrick smiled at him and then glanced at his empty glass. “You want another Cherry Coke, or are you finally ready for something stronger?” His eyes twinkled.
Tommy chuckled. “I think I’ll stick with the Cherry Coke, if that’s all right. I still gotta drive later.”
His face heated up when Patrick leaned across the bar and kissed him on the cheek. “Sugar, you are just so adorable.” He walked away, chuckling to himself, only to return a minute later with a refill. Tommy thanked him and took a drink of the cold liquid, gazing around the bar. It was a relatively quiet night. As always some game or other was playing on the TV screen, and most of the guys in the bar were watching. Others were sitting around, chatting, laughing, and drinking. He caught sight of Mike out of the corner of his eye and watched him surreptitiously. Mike wasn’t doing much talking, that was for sure. He flashed the odd smile at a customer, but there was none of the playful banter that Tommy loved to hear. It was starting to worry him.
By the time Mike was ready to leave, Tommy was in a real mess. He knew Mike had said he was okay meeting like this, but Tommy wasn’t about to hold him to it if he wasn’t in the mood. It wasn’t like Tommy was desperate to repeat last Saturday’s experience. He’d loved the sex, sure, but what concerned himmost right then was that something was wrong, and he wanted to help, even if that meant letting Mike go home alone, if that was what he wanted.
Mike came from behind the bar, leather jacket in his hand. “You ready to go?”
Tommy nodded, unwilling to say anything in earshot of the other staff. Once they were outside, Mike got out his keys.
“You gonna follow me to my place?” He spoke quietly.
Tommy laid a hand on his arm. “It’s okay if you wanna go home without me, all right? I mean, I get it that you might wanna be alone.” Just looking at Mike made his heart ache. Whatever was weighing the man down sure was heavy.
Mike stood very still, eyes fixed on Tommy’s. For a moment he said nothing, but Tommy got the impression that there was a lot going on behind those blue eyes. Then his careful expression melted into the first genuine smile Tommy had seen all night.
“You know what? Right now, being with you is all I want.”
That smile and those words lifted Tommy’s spirit. “I’ll follow you, then.”
Mike leaned closer and kissed him, nothing like the peck he’d received earlier. This was slower, more thorough, like Mike was relearning how Tommy tasted. He broke the kiss and stepped back. “Let’s go.”
Tommy got into his truck and followed Mike’s car to the house. The neighborhood was peaceful, only a few lights showing in the windows of the houses nearby. He parked in Mike’s driveway and climbed the steps to Mike’s front door, where Mike awaited him. Once inside the hallway, Mike took Tommy’s jacket and hung it up, along with his own.
“I’m gonna pour myself a drink,” Mike said, heading into the kitchen. “You want something?”
Tommy followed him. “You got somethin’ soft?”
Mike poured out a couple of fingers of bourbon and then reached into the fridge to pull out some cans. “I got pink lemonade, Coke, and cider.”
Tommy accepted the can of pink lemonade. He emptied its contents into a glass and watched Mike take a long drink from his tumbler. Tommy couldn’t keep silent anymore. “You wanna tell me what’s botherin’ you?”
