Nate removes his jacket from the seat next to him, and Will sits down, radiating tension. Nate doesn’t care—making Will comfortable is the last thing on his mind.
“Enjoying your evening?” He slides closer until his shoulder presses against Will’s, their arms resting on the counter.
“It’s been good so far.”
Nate lets the comment slide. “You look nice in this shirt.”
Will doesn’t answer, just continues to look agitated.
“I gave you a compliment. Are you being rude?”
“No. Thank you.”
“You know that Owen is Sheryl’s nephew, right?”
Will frowns. “I’m aware.”
“Good. Just something to think about before you try getting into his pants. You know his aunt isn’t a fan of yours after what you did to Joel.”
Will lets out an angry grumble. Back in the day, Nate would have gotten a punch for talking like that. But things aren’t how they used to be.
“I know who his aunt is,” Will says, “and I’m not looking to become his best friend.”
“Just a quick fuck, then? A pretty, gay boy walks into town, and you can’t keep your hands off of him?”
Will turns to look at Nate, his green eyes narrowed in confusion. “Owen’s gay?”
Well, damn my big mouth.
Nate shrugs as he mentally kicks himself. “Maybe. I dunno.”
Will turns to watch Owen, and Nate has had enough. He slips his fingers through the short sleeve of Will’s shirt. He jolts and starts to move away, but Nate hisses, “Stay where you are. You think I can’t touch you because we’re in public?”
Will breathes heavily but doesn’t try to move. Nateslides his fingers deeper. It’s warm in Rodie’s, and it’s also warm in Will’s pit. Nate swirls his fingers through the slightly damp hair, using his nails to scratch the skin.
“I should have you go down on your knees right here in front of all these people.”
Will shivers, his breath growing faster. “Not here.”
“Because what we do is private, right? Just you and me.”
Will gives a stiff nod.
“Good boy. You feel so good in there, baby. You know I love it when you sweat.” He pulls his fingers out and brings them to his nose. “Fuck, you smell good.”
“I need to head back.”
Nate was planning on taking Will home with him, but he can wait a bit longer. He’s made an important point tonight, one that Will ought to remember.
“You can go back to playing with your friends,” Nate says, then leans closer to whisper, “Come to my place tomorrow evening. It’s gonna be a Saturday, and unless I’m mistaken, you don’t work on Sundays. Guess I can be less… careful with how I handle things.”
The stressful look on Will’s face is priceless, yet Nate knows he’ll come over. He’s in too deep to back off now, all caught up in Nate’s web. Well, for now, at least. Nothing should be taken for granted. But even if Will does decide to back out on their arrangement, Nate will find a plan B.
There’s no putting this genie back in the bottle.
“Have a good night,” Nate says and gets up. “And cover my tab, would you, baby?”
He walks out, leaving Will to worry about tomorrow night. As he should.
