“Did you know them?” Mal finally released the iron grasp he had on Colt.
“I don’t know.” Colt shook his head. “The man who grabbed my arm, I think his voice was familiar, but I’m not sure from where.” He looked over at Mal. “When I heard his voice, it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I knew that voice, but I didn’t. Does that make sense?”
“Maybe he changed it, used an accent or altered the pitch, or it was long enough ago, or you didn’t hear it enough….”
“I don’t know. I’m telling the truth.”
Mal sighed and patted Colt’s knee. “I know you are. I didn’t doubt you at all.” He was silent for a few minutes, then said, “We’ll go back to the hotel, get changed, and not ditch the security, but we will leave Audrey, Gwen, and Phillipe to take care of themselves, and I’ll still show you a little bit of Nashville. How’s that sound?”
“We’re leaving the others?” Colt was more excited about that than he probably should’ve been.
“They’re grown-ups and can take care of themselves. Right, Frank?” Mal leaned forward and asked their security guard.
Frank looked over his shoulder, smiled, and answered, “Absolutely, sir.”
“See, Frank agrees.” Mal gave Colt’s knee another squeeze before he folded his hands together in his lap and sat smiling smugly. Colt burst out laughing. “Feel better?” Mal asked.
Colt nodded and relaxed back against the seat. “Much.”
“Frank, I hope you like live music,” Mal said.
“Love it!” Frank sounded genuinely excited.
Mal’s phone rang, and he glanced at the screen. “Audrey,” he told Colt, then answered, “We’re fine, Audrey.”
Colt could hear her voice but couldn’t make out the words, just that her tone was concerned.
“Just some overzealous fan. Frank convinced him to move on, but you were in the other car and saw that. Whatever you have planned for the rest of the day, go ahead and do. Colt and I are going out tonight. … Yes, the two of us and Frank. Take the night off. Gwen and Phillipe too. We’ll be gone tomorrow, and I doubt whoever that was is going to show up again.” Mal nodded and sat listening for a minute. “It’ll be fine. Don’t be overly dramatic.… We will.… Enjoy dinner.”
“Did she say we could go out and play?” Colt asked.
Mal snorted. “Begrudgingly.”
The hotel wasn’t the Hermitage but one closer to Vanderbilt University, and this one touted a green philosophy, a little fact all of them liked. They weren’t staying in suites but individual rooms this time. Colt’s room was bright and cheery, with modern décor and big splashes of color. He liked it. Looking around raised his spirits and lessened his tension at the same time. Colt could tell this hotel wasn’t nearly as expensive as the Hermitage, and Colt was coming to like that about Mal. He had money and would spend it but didn’t waste it on something simply because he had an outrageously high credit limit.
Colt took a shower and scrubbed the makeup Phillipe had applied for the commercial off his face. Next he washed the mousse out of his hair, and he finally felt clean. He left the shower and donned underwear and a robe before sending a text to Gwendolyn and Phillipe.
The text to Gwendolyn was a simple What do I wear tonight? Having dinner with Mal.
With him now. Be over there in a bit was her reply.
His text to Phillipe was a little less businesslike. We’re going on a date! Dinner and music. Having recently discovered emojis, he added a string of them.
Ugh. Emojis was Phillipe’s reply.
That’s why I use them, Colt messaged.
Bastard. Just the two of you? Awesome.
And Frank, Colt answered. There was an incident when we were leaving the building with the recording studio.
I heard. R U Ok?
Yes. Was spooked for a bit but fine now. Colt could imagine the wicked grin on Phillipe’s face. Not using real words is because I used emojis? He added another huge string of bouncing, smiling little characters.
Got that right was Phillipe’s response. Have fun. I want details.
I’m nervous, Colt confessed.
Be yourself. You’re a pretty great guy.
That touched Colt in a way he didn’t expect. Thank you. Means a lot. There was a knock on the door. Colt sent a final text before answering. Wardrobe here. Thanks, man.
He turned off the screen and tossed the phone onto the bed. A few long strides and he was opening the door to Gwendolyn.
“Somebody has a da-ate,” Gwendolyn chanted as she came inside.
Colt pushed the door shut and gave her a sheepish smile.
Gwendolyn rolled her eyes, headed to the closet, and huffed a dramatic sigh. “Men.” She opened the double doors and stood, hands on hips, contemplating. Finally she pulled out a few items. “It’s warm out, so let’s go with this. Wear one of those black bead necklaces too.” Making a shooing motion, she added, “Go change so I can see.”
Colt took the clothes and trudged to the bathroom, returning a few minutes later. She handed over a belt.
“Perfect,” Gwendolyn said. “One last thing.” She went back to the closet and pulled out brown leather loafers.
When there was a knock at the door, Gwendolyn opened it and waved Mal inside.
“Ready?” Mal asked. He looked Colt up and down and smiled. “You look amazing.” Turning to Gwendolyn, he added, “As always.”
Gwendolyn beamed. “I’ll leave you gentlemen to your evening. I’m seeing a show with Audrey and Phillipe. Be careful, okay.”
“We will, Gwen. Frank is going with us, and you forget I went to college near here. It’s sort of my old stomping ground.” He smiled at her and gave Colt a quick wink.
Gwendolyn waggled her fingers at them and slipped out the door, closing it quietly behind her.
“You look pretty awesome yourself,” Colt said and didn’t try to hide the return visual inspection he gave Mal. In dark brown pants and a blue, slightly shiny button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to just under his elbow, Mal was ideally dressed for a casual night on a town like Nashville. Colt liked the look; it showed off Mal’s sinewy forearms and broad shoulders, which made Colt’s heart beat a little faster. He felt safe and comfortable with Mal, something he couldn’t say was familiar to him until he came to Tennessee.
The elevator was full, so they had to squeeze in and squish together. Colt drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was at Mal’s side and just in front of him, so their thighs pressed together. Mal reached around, put his hand on Colt’s waist for a few seconds, and rubbed lightly before pulling it away and putting both hands in his pants pockets.
There were several stops, more people got in, and Colt was pushed even more tightly against Mal. The heat from Mal’s body warmed him even as Mal caught his breath every now and then in response to Colt’s closeness. The next time the door opened with a ding, Mal reached over Colt’s shoulder and pointed to the lobby.
“I think this is our stop.” Mal’s voice was low, husky, and sexy. He spoke into Colt’s ear, and his breath gliding across Colt’s cheek made him shiver a little. Colt nodded once and stepped out of the elevator.
The sudden loss of body heat as they crossed the lobby gave Colt a momentary chill. Compared to the crowded elevator, the spacious lobby seemed like a huge cavern, and crossing it gave Colt time to calm his body and collect his thoughts. Only dinner and listening to some music. That’s it, Colt recited silently. Nothing wrong with hoping for another kiss and being held in Mal’s strong arms.
Frank was waiting in the circular drive with the SUV. Mal opened the side door and waved Colt in ahead of him. Once the door was closed, they settled in the seats. The air-conditioning was blowing softly through the vents, keeping the interior at a pleasantly cool temperature. Colt’s heart rate was finally returning to normal.
“Pretty close in that elevator,” Mal said softly. He leaned forward and gave Frank a piece of paper. “There’s the address.”
“Yeah,” Colt croaked.
Mal chuckled. “It was not unpleasant, though.”
“No. No, it certainly was not,” Colt agreed. He shifted in his seat so he was facing Mal. “I’m really looking forward to dinner. What sort of music?”
“Where we’re going, there is all sorts of music. Live music—jazz, reggae, blues, and this is Nashville, so country. Groups of people play on the streets and in the bars. Some have been discovered that way. It’s really very exciting.” Mal did some air guitar, then grinned when Colt laughed.
Their drive wasn’t long, and the restaurant they went to was more of a big saloon. Frank took up a position at the bar while Mal and Colt sat at a nearby table.
Colt picked up the menu. It was a double-sided, laminated, thick piece of cardboard. Mal pulled it down. “Trust me?”
“You are the chef.” Colt set the menu on the table and folded both hands on top of it.
Mal signaled the waitress. She came over with two tall glasses of water with lemon wedges and took their order. When she was finished, Mal asked for two plates and the food to be brought out in serving dishes.
“Anything from the bar?” the waitress asked.
“Right now, we’ll take some fruit tea,” Mal said. It only took a few minutes before she returned with two mason jars filled with iced tea.
Colt took a sip of his, expecting the sweet tea he’d come to enjoy. “Oh wow. This is different.”
“Like it? There are fruit juices mixed in with the tea to sweeten it,” Mal explained.
“You know, this would make a fantastic moonshine,” Colt said. “You don’t have anything like this.”
“Have you memorized all the flavors?”
Colt nodded. “I did. I learned them when I first started working for you, sweeping the floors. I figured to get a promotion, I’d have to be familiar with the products.”
Mal cocked his head. “That’s impressive. I’m not sure I would’ve thought to do something like that.”
Colt shrugged. “I do what I have to do to survive. Something like that was another way to survive at a job. No different, really.” He took another sip of tea.
“That’s a good idea about the moonshine. It can be your first project,” Mal said.
“Really?”
“Sure. Why not? You’ll have to begin somewhere.” Mal looked up when the waitress returned with a large round tray of food. “Thank you.” He took two of the dishes from her, and Colt took others while she set yet two more onto the table.
Colt followed Mal’s lead and placed something from each bowl and platter onto his plate. There were steaming-hot rolls, thinly sliced roast beef in gravy, fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, turnip greens, fried green tomatoes, and roasted vegetables.
“This”—Mal waved at the feast before them—“is Southern food at its best. When I was in school, I came here at least once a week. Fortunately between my twentysomething metabolism and working out, I didn’t end up weighing six hundred pounds or have heart disease.”
“Can I ask you something?” Colt inquired between bites of food.
Mal nodded and took a sip of tea. “You can ask me anything you’d like, always.”
“All those books that were left in my suite told me a lot about your mother. She seemed like a wonderful lady.”
“She was,” Mal said.
“There are books on human sexuality.”
Mal nodded. “Yes, there were.”
“Was she okay with you being gay?”
Mal’s eyebrows shot up, and he gasped. Leaning forward, he grabbed Colt’s wrist and sputtered, “I’m gay?”
“What…?”
Mal’s face split into a wide smile. He and Colt burst into laughter at the same time.
“You’re insane,” Colt said when he’d caught his breath.
“To answer your question, no, she was not. My father thought he had to ‘make me a man.’ So I hunted and did mixed martial arts, got drunk on moonshine and whiskey. He even sent me to see certain ladies, if you get my drift.”
“I do.”
“I think if he’d lived long enough, he would have moved on from high-priced prostitutes to conversion therapy to ‘cure’ me.” Mal made quote signs in the air. “I spent years locking and barricading my bedroom door so I could sleep.” He shook his head a bit. “I wish I’d never told them. I was a sophomore in high school.”
“Same as me.”
“Going away to school is probably what saved me. My being gay and living in Tennessee is another reason I stayed out of the public part of the distillery.”
“Maybe it was better that I got kicked out,” Colt said. “What was it like in college?”
“Much different. People were more open. I had a couple of relationships, but they didn’t last long.”
“Because you’re rich?” Colt asked.
“Oddly that’s more of a roadblock sometimes than being gay in the South.” Mal shrugged. “But after he died, my mother, while she never approved, did learn to accept it and never tried to change me. Before she got sick, she would sometimes ask if I dated or anything.”
“I wish I could’ve met her,” Colt said.
Mal reached out and patted Colt’s hand. “Me too. I think you would’ve liked each other.” When they were finished with dinner, Mal asked, “How about a walk and that music I promised?”
“I’d like that.” Colt went with Mal to the bar to let Frank know they were leaving.
“I’ll follow in the SUV, sir,” Frank assured them. Mal paid both dinner tabs, and they were on their way.
It was dark when they stepped outside, and the streets were lit up. Strands of light of all colors and types swung overhead, some on the fronts of businesses and others strung between buildings or across streets. Individuals as well as bands played music on the street or in the outside sitting areas for the bars. Colt peeked inside a few doors and saw others playing on stages in eateries and pubs.
“This is like a giant street party,” Colt said in Mal’s ear.
“And now you know why I came here as much as possible.” Mal pointed into one bar. “Let’s go in here. Oh, they don’t allow anyone to take pictures, and make sure your phone is on silent. You’re better off to leave it in your pocket altogether.”
Colt followed Mal’s lead, took his phone out, silenced it, and repocketed it. As they made their way through the crowd, Colt said, “You bought dinner, so I’ll get us some drinks.”
After they were settled at a table, Colt made his way to the bar and ordered two Kensington’s moonshines. Colt held up both hands, each with a drink. “They carry the good stuff.” Setting the drinks in front of him, he asked, “Apple pie or blueberry cobbler?”
“The apple.” Mal took his drink. “Thank you.”
Colt sat and pulled his chair close to Mal’s to sip his drink and enjoy the music. A few hours, several bars, and more moonshine flavors than either of them should have had later, Colt poured himself into the SUV, and Mal climbed in after him.
“Frank, thank you for putting up with our little adventure,” Mal drawled. He flopped into the seat beside Colt, leaned back, and closed his eyes. “I’m going to feel like crap tomorrow.” He poked Colt’s shoulder. “So are you. Worth it, though.”
Colt twisted around so he was using Mal for a back brace, and Mal shifted to put one arm around Colt’s shoulders. “That’s a great pep talk.” The gentle motion of the SUV and the warmth of Mal’s body made Colt drowsy. His eyelids were suddenly too heavy to hold open. As he drifted off to sleep, he could have sworn Mal pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head.
Chapter Nine
MAL stifled a moan and pushed himself straighter in his seat when the SUV stopped at the hotel. “Frank, again, thank you.” He gently moved Colt to the side, took an envelope from his back pocket, and slid it over Frank’s shoulder. “This is for you.”
“That’s not necessary.” Frank turned in the driver’s seat to face Mal.
/> “Yes, it is. You’ve been very kind and patient this evening.”
“Thank you, sir.” Frank nodded.
Mal jostled Colt awake. “Nice nap?”
Colt stretched and looked around. “It was.” He ran both hands through his hair a few times, then shook his head and offered Mal a lopsided grin. “What should we do now?”
Mal climbed down from the SUV and waited for Colt. “We have to be back at the studio in—” He glanced at his watch. “—six hours. I’m going to bed.”
“Okay,” Colt agreed brightly. As they rode the elevator to their floor, Colt said, “I think I liked the spiced cranberry the best. But damn, I understand why you drink the nonalcoholic stuff most of the time. We probably shouldn’t have sampled so many flavors.”
“Hmm, got that right,” Mal whispered.
When they left the elevator, Colt stumbled, and Mal grabbed him around the waist to steady him. Colt put one hand on Mal’s chest and smiled, sending warmth spreading through him from where Colt’s hand rested. Mal’s room was closer to the elevator, and Colt leaned against the door, searching his pockets. “I think I lost my keycard.”
Mal swiped his own card through the door lock. When it opened, Colt fell backward into the room. He would have landed flat on his ass had Mal not darted forward, grabbing him again.
“You sorta like taking hold of me so I don’t fall,” Colt murmured and leaned in close enough their lips almost touched.
“You’re sorta uncoordinated.” Mal skimmed his lips over Colt’s cheek.
Winding one arm around Mal, Colt inched closer. “I’m drunk. That doesn’t count.” He licked so lightly over Mal’s ear it made Mal shudder.
Mal kicked the door shut, then turned Colt so he was trapped against it by Mal’s presence. Colt hauled Mal closer and dipped his head so he could kiss Mal’s neck and trail his lips over Mal’s jaw.
In response Mal ran one hand through Colt’s hair to a little above his neck, then cupped the back of Colt’s head and kissed him, slowly and gently at first. But it didn’t take long before they both sent their hands roaming over each other. Sweet kisses very quickly turned to ravenous ones. Mal held Colt securely against him and moved, pressing his knee into Colt’s groin.
Whiskey and Moonshine Page 12
