“Then I’m going to bend you over the bed with your hands behind your back so you can’t touch yourself at all.”
“Why would you do that, Roman? It sounds so mean,” Ezra said, already suspecting just why he might do that.
“I could never be mean to you, baby. I want to make you come hands-free.”
Ezra shivered and not from the cold. “I bet you could.”
“Maybe I’ll take a video of it, record all your needy little whimpers and moans.”
“You and your videos.” Ezra shook his head. “You made me think you were worried about me stealing your things, but I think you just wanted to keep an eye on me forotherreasons.”
Roman spun him around so he could see his shameless grin. “You caught me,” he said, then pulled him in for a long, lingering kiss. He tasted sweet like the soda he’d been drinking with the tang of cognac as well. Then Roman started reaching for Ezra’s pants to unbutton them and Ezra clasped his hands. “You can’t undress me here.”
Roman glanced around as if just noticing they weren’t alone. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll be good.”
Roman might be more intoxicated than he’d thought. Ezra didn’t want him to feel sick later or get so drunk that he didn’t know what was going on. “I’m going to get you some club soda. Wait right here.”
Ezra donned his headphones and went back inside. The upstairs was clogged with people spilling onto the balcony and lining the stairs. They’d set up the food and drinks in the kitchen on the first-floor where there was a hired bartender mixing up cocktails for their guests. While downstairs, Ezra noticed that the platters of food on the buffet table were terribly messy and disorganized. He replenished the empty trays with their reserves, then took a moment to arrange the food so that it looked tidy and appealing. As he was working, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Ezra glanced over to find a man who was shirtless and wearing only beads, gesturing at him. Ezra removed his headphones.
“Hey,” the man shouted even though they were right next to each other. “What’s your name?”
“My name is Ezra Powell.” He extended one hand and the man shook it, holding on for too long and pulling him toward him—much too close. Ezra swiftly reclaimed his appendage and took a step back.
“How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-four years old,” Ezra replied while wondering why the man had asked.
“You gay?” he said.
What a personal question to pose in an introduction. “Yes, I am gay.”
“Coolness. You here alone?”
“No.” Ezra glanced around. Wasn’t it obvious? There were people everywhere.
“I mean are you with someone? You got a daddy?”
What a strange man. Ezra knew from Jay that “daddy” didn’t necessarily mean biological father but could also mean an older lover. Ezra suspected this man meant the latter definition. “I’m in a relationship with Roman Reynolds who lives here and is hosting this event.” Ezra, not wanting to speak any more to the stranger who was clearly drunk and far too forward, replaced his headphones and went back to arranging the food. A moment later, the man reached over and pushed his headphones off of his ears.
“Hey,” the man shouted. “I think you’re hot.”
“Okay.” What relevance did Ezra’s appearance have on this conversation?
“You wanna fuck?”
How positively rude! For a moment Ezra was shocked into silence. Did this sort of approach work on other men? “I have no desire to have sexual relations with you,” Ezra said and stepped away again. The man tilted his head and squinted at him as though just remembering something.
“Hey, man, are you, like, retarded or something?”
Ezra took a deep, calming breath and pursed his lips, preparing to launch into his speech about how that word was both outdated and alsoveryoffensive when all of a sudden, Roman appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the man by a handful of his beads, and shoved him up against the wall.
“What the fuck did you just say to him?” Roman said in a voice Ezra hadneverheard before.
“I asked him if he was—”
“Shut the fuck up. Who did you come here with?”
The man glanced around and shrugged. Roman pushed him so that his shoulders hit the exposed brick, and the man started talking again. “Look, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was your boyfriend. Good on you though. He’s a hot piece of ass, even if he is a little slow.”
