He climbs back up and places the bottles on the counter in the kitchen, keeping his distance from Veronica as she moves the meat around the hot pan. With the chatter of conversation in the background, he makes the drinks and arranges them on a silver tray, then returns to the dining room to place the glasses next to each guest.
“How’s the wood-chopping business going?” Hal Darnell asks. He owns a chain of convenience stores acrossMissouri, though he used to own farms for cattle back in the day. He still walks around with a black cowboy hat even indoors. His gray horseshoe mustache looks ridiculous, and if there is anyone here who terrifies Will to his core, it’s this man.
“Going well, sir.”
“Chopping wood is so manly,” Doctor Levi says and strokes Will’s arm. The man’s skin always feels cold, fitting with his pale, ghostly complexion.
“But Will doesn’t just chop wood,” Roberta says from across the table. “He’s an important businessman. Aren’t you, darling?”
“It’s just a small business.” She knows that, as well as the others, but they enjoy playing their little games. Complimenting him while making him feel small.
“Private businesses are the heart of our economy,” Doctor Levi says, in love with the sound of his own chipper voice.
“You said the same thing about oil companies last week,” Hal grunts.
“Did I? Hmm.”
“Spring is finally here. It must be a relief working outside when it’s warmer.” Roberta’s eyes travel up and down Will’s body. “I can’t imagine working outside in the cold. How can you even take off your shirt when you’re all sweaty and dirty like a pig?”
Will catches her less-than-subtle meaning and unbuttons his shirt before removing it. He feels the weightof their gazes, then comes Hal’s palm against his back. The others join, touching and groping. Will stares at the wall so he won’t see the looks on their faces, but he recognizes each hand. The mayor watches silently while smoking his pipe. He won’t be joining, since these events are meant to keep his business partners satisfied. Will has no idea what kind of business they have between them, nor does he care.
They unzip his jeans and pull them down along with his boxers. Their touches grow more aggressive as they comment on his body and his face. He might as well be one of the pieces of furniture.
Doctor Levi stands behind Will and pulls his head back so he can pour wine into his mouth. Some get spilled over his chest, and Roberta is quick to lick it off.
“I’ll go first,” Hal says. “Got an early breakfast with the wife.”
Even after all this time, Will doesn’t know if he prefers Hal to go first and get it over with, or to go last so Will can leave right after. He follows the man out of the dining room and up to the bedroom upstairs. He has lost count of the number of times he climbed up these stairs in recent years. He wants to believe that he’s numb to all of this by now, but the truth is more complicated. His stomach still churns and his heart still beats too fast, like this is the first time.
Once inside the bedroom, Will sinks to his knees and unzips Hal’s fly without needing to be told. He remindshimself that nothing is more important than keeping Julie taken care of during her final days, however long they will last.
“Take it deep,” Hal says as he grabs Will’s hair. “We have time.”
Will clears his mind and gets to work.
Chapter 2
Owen
He has been clean off drugs for six months, or at least he was until twenty minutes ago. Now, he’s as high as a kite, sitting in a small park on a bench outside The Tivoli, one of the few gay bars in Kansas City. He’s trying to come to terms with the fact that tomorrow morning he’ll be leaving for freaking Van Buren.
His aunt agreed to take him in as a favor to her sister, while he himself had little choice in the matter. He owes his parents a lot for helping him out after the arrest that almost landed him in prison for soliciting drugs. Luckily, it ended up being reduced to rehab and two years of probation. He wasn’t guilty of what they had accused him of, but hewasgoing downhill, destined to end up dead if he didn’t get his shit together.
He doubts a small town like Van Buren could offer reasons to risk his probation, which was the main reason his mom insisted he stay there. He might be twenty-five years old, but he has no money to his nameand a criminal record—not to mention a failed attempt at a career when he had to drop out of art school.
He should start viewing Van Buren as an opportunity for a fresh start, but he can’t help but wish it wasn’t in the middle of nowhere. Why couldn’t he have relatives somewhere exciting like New York? Even Kansas City feels too small by now, so a town like Van Buren would likely feel like a street.
He’ll have a better chance of getting hit by a meteor than finding a decent gay club.
Maybe it’s for the best. I don’t need any more clubbing at this point in my life.
Clubs were where his downfall began, with beautiful men and forbidden substances he should have known better than to fall for.
“Yo, Big O! Haven’t seen you in ages.”
Owen tenses, no longer feeling high and happy. He sits straighter on the bench, the music from The Tivoli playing far away in the background. He wanted privacy when he unwound, but he’s already regretting that decision.
“What, no hello?” Lee steps into the light, all muscles and tight clothes. His hair is dark and pointy, like little spikes that grow from his skull.
