I took it and had to stop myself from flinching the second our fingers touched. Fuck. What the hell was that? My hand was tingling where we’d touched. Had he felt that too?
“Oooh, static!” he squealed, “I’m so sorry. That’s always happening to me – I think it’s my shoes!”
I looked down at his shoes, feeling a little stupid that I’d assumed it was something cosmic when it had been nothing more than a mild electric shock. Get a grip, Nathan…
My jaw dropped slightly. He was wearing pale pink, sparkly Converse. Oh, my God. He was really rocking the look, too. How did he do that? He reminded me strongly of a pink and silver frosted cupcake (and they were my absolute favourites) but I had absolutely no idea why. I was damned sure I didn’t want to eat him…
I couldn’t stop myself from totally checking him out from there upwards. His jeans were skin-tight, but in a really good way, he was wearing a skinny rib, dark grey v neck sweater with a round neck, pale pink tee shirt beneath – well, it was quite a chilly day… He had the smoothest skin I’d ever seen on a guy – like he really didn’t need to shave and I couldn’t be sure, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was wearing foundation – albeit, an expensive ‘nearly there’ brand… And then I looked at his hair. It really was perfectly styled – far more so than Bailey’s ever was – and he was definitely a natural blonde but he had some subtle highlights going on. His face was perfect. I was sure he was wearing mascara as well as foundation – and something on his lips was making them look ever-so-slightly shiny – giving me the strongest urge to lean in and kiss him. What the actual fuck was happening to me? How was it that I’d never identified as anything other than straight before in my life and yet here I was practically tripping over my own tongue?
Focus, Nathan. I forced myself to listen to what he was saying but my mind just wouldn’t stop asking the same question over and over – is he as sad and single as I am? Surely he couldn’t be if he ran this business? It would have been born out of wanting others to have what he and his undoubtedly smitten and glamorous partner had – wouldn’t it…?
Chapter 2 – Perfection…
Dylan
“Oh, fuck.” I checked my watch and cursed again. I was running late and that really wasn’t going to make the best impression on my two new potential business associates.
I’d been working for the last two years with my business partner, Zoe Lopez as a wedding planner for our wedding business, My Perfect Wedding and I absolutely adored my work. I was somewhat of an entrepreneur however and leaving the wedding business in her capable hands for a couple of weeks (along with Phoebe, our other partner in the firm since she’d come back after her maternity leave) I’d been working on promoting my new app to accompany the business. It was called Perfect Partner.
To be fair, this was more my baby than theirs, since it was pitched quite firmly at guys looking for love with other guys. It had come to me after a particularly calamitous time in my life – called my relationship with a guy called Lennox.
Lennox… My heart skipped a beat as I thought about him. He was what you might call my Achilles heel. I tried my best to stay right away from him these days because he was just trouble with a capital T.
I met him in a nightclub and I fell for him in a big way. He’d asked me to dance and one thing led to another and before I knew it, we were seeing each other two or three times a week – usually at my place. I was too smitten with him to realise that the reason we never went to his place was because there was someone there he didn’t want me to meet.
Anyway… I’m waffling. The crux of my story is that I was at work one morning when he walked in.
I looked up at him, all excited that he’d found my place of work, when his face turned to one of horrified realisation and it was only then it occurred to me why else he might have been there.
He was with his fiancé. A beautiful woman named Amy…
I’d like to tell you that I screamed at him for being a bounder, a cad… That I told the beautiful Amy that her fiancé was a cheating scumbag and had been dating me, making me believe he was mine for six months, plus – but I didn’t. I just smiled and excused myself and made Zoe deal with them instead.
Oh, he was full of apologies the next time we met. Said he’d gotten caught up in the excitement. Said he loved me and that he’d leave her. Liar. Liar!
I gave myself a little shake and tried to get my head back in the game for my pitch to Denny and Blaine. It wasn’t actually Lennox who had made me think of Perfect Partners, it was the date I’d gone on trying to forget him.
His name was Jonathan. He was okay I guess but he just wanted to offload about his dreadful luck with the boys – and I sat there listening and realising that I had terrible luck too – and it was all because of apps like Grindr. Don’t get me wrong – they had their place but I wanted more than a one-night-stand with a hot stud. I wanted love. I wanted to find the one…
There were millions of apps for straight people – hell, everything seemed so much easier for straight people – so I’d decided that I wanted to launch a new way of dating for gay guys who weren’t just looking for a quick hook up. Some guys – guys like me – didn’t really do the whole scene of sleeping with everything that moved. Some of us were actually looking for the one. Some of us wanted the cottage with roses around the door and a picket fence, wanted someone to come home to at night, to watch the TV with in our pyjamas, watching Emmerdale and First Dates and then going to bed together to make sweet love…. Yes, I really was a hopeless romantic but right now, I was focusing on my career. I didn’t have time for romance.
Finally, my train pulled into the station. I’d already called an uber as I was approaching the station and to my delight it was right there waiting for me.
“Oh, sure.” The driver said when I gave him the address, “I know the place. Denny and Blaine are nice guys.”
We got chatting and minutes later he pulled into the rough gravelled car park. I got out and looked around. Wow. I hadn’t expected it to look this good. It hadn’t been open more than a year but they’d really made headway with it.
I got out of the uber and hurried over to the office. I burst through the doors, ready with my apologies for being so tardy.
Denny and Blaine were both pleased to see me and we were shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries when I spotted a guy sat down behind them. Oooh, hello. Who was that handsome beast?
I’d always been attracted to masculine, dark-haired guys and he was no exception to that. He had what I’d call a moody face – angular and a little bit on the scowly side. And oh, so masculine. Interesting…
Well, I wasn’t backwards at coming forward. In fact, I could be described as a bit ‘in your face’. I darted around Blaine and went to introduce myself.
The guy looked up at me as if he recognised me but I had absolutely no recollection of ever meeting him before.
He wasn’t however, any friendlier for seeming to recognise me.
He grunted a response, going slightly red in the face. “Nathan.” He said, “Nathan Matthews. I’m the builder.”
A builder? Oh, wow. Suddenly I had all these sexy images whizzing through my mind of him up a ladder with no shirt on, sweating and tanned, muscles flexing and wearing those fabulous workwear trousers with all the pockets... Giving myself a little mental shake to get myself back on track, I turned back to Denny and Blaine, “So,” I said, forcing myself to stop objectifying Nathan, “What’s the plan today?”
Denny grinned, “Well,” he said, “We thought it would be a great idea to offer your clients a safe place to have their first date – or short break if they’ve been dating a short time – to get to know one another in a totally safe environment.”
I nodded, “That sounds like a great idea.” I agreed, “But what does that have to do with Nathan here?”
I glanced across at him again – I couldn’t help it. He was very nice to look at. So manly and strong. Mm-mm. Totally the type of m
an I liked. Sadly, not all that many of the type I liked, liked my type – feminine and camp. I was girly – right down to my pink sparkly Converse. There really no way of getting away from the fact that I liked pretty clothes and even prettier shoes…
Denny grinned, “Like he said, Nathan’s our builder.” He said, “He’s building us a group of six cottages – we’re expanding and we want two distinct villages. The caravans are going, the cottages will be brick built and the log cabins will obviously stay since they’re beautifully constructed and have their own charm.”
I was instantly intrigued, “Do you have plans? Artistic impressions?”
He nodded, “Sure.” He looked at Nathan who still didn’t smile but brought out a portfolio.
He spread some photos and drawing out on the table. “This was what I came up with,” he said, not sounding quite so grouchy now that he was talking about his interest.
“This looks incredible.” I murmured. I looked up at Denny and Blaine, “This is going to be so cool.”
They nodded, grinning back at me, “Yeah.” They said in unison.
I turned to Nathan, “I really like this.” I said, “What other projects have you done.”
Denny and Blaine were both called away at this point. Full of apologies they shot off, leaving Nathan and I to make small talk.
“There’s coffee – drink coffee.” Blaine said hurriedly before he ran out of the door.
I blinked, “Would you like some coffee?” I asked.
Nathan shrugged and nodded, “Sure.” He said.
I took it upon myself to get us both a drink and put his in front of him. I sat down opposite feeling that sitting next to him might well freak him out. Nathan was far too masculine to be gay – and he looked at me with suspicion; like I was about to try to change his sexuality.
Chance would be a fine thing…
“I don’t know what Denny and Blaine have told you about me.” I said.
“Not much,” he said, “but my best mate’s heard of you.” He added, surprising me at his candidness, “He told me that you’re the best wedding planner that’s ever been and you’ve got this magical app that makes it easy for gay men to find their perfect partner. Like Grindr only without the sleaze element.”
I blinked. “Oh.” I said, “Yes…” His best mate? What was his best mate interested in a gay app for?
“So, how did you get involved here, then?”
He sighed, “Again, my best mate’s boyfriend knows Denny and Blaine and they were looking for a reliable builder for their expansion plans – so here I am.”
I nodded. His best friend was gay? That was an interesting development. How straight was he, then? Probably very. Stop getting your hopes up, Dylan. “Where are you from?” I asked. Yes, I was taking absolutely no notice whatsoever of my inner voice of reason and I was trying to find out how far from me he lived for potential future dates…
He frowned, clearly wondering why the hell I was asking where he lived. Rein it in Dylan. “I’m from Henleyford.”
I nodded, “Oh, right.” Henleyford was only an hour away from here and was reasonably close to where I lived too. I couldn’t help my heart from skipping a little beat of excitement. I tried my best to quash it, I really did. It was ridiculous getting excited about something occurring between us. He was quite clearly a straight man and confident in his skin as a very straight, very masculine, very handsome man who would have the pick of the ladies. “I’m from Crofton – just north of Stoney Croft.” Not that you’re interested in any way, shape or form.
He nodded, “I know the place.” He said with a small smile that made my insides go a bit funny, “I built a block of apartments there.”
My jaw dropped. Seriously. Could he get any more potently male? “Oh, God. I think I live in them.” I said faintly. Holy hell. He’d built my home with his bare hands… He was the one. I knew it. I could feel it in my boner. Bones. My inner voice yelled at me. You feel it in your bones, you dirty bastard.
He grinned, transforming his really quite scary face into a thing of utter beauty. I felt my jaw drop slightly more as I looked at him. It was a wonder I wasn’t drooling. Hell, maybe I was… I checked my chin with the back of my hand but thankfully found nothing there.
“What?” he asked.
I shook my head, “Nothing.” I said, “It’s just…” Should I tell him? Fuck it. Why not? Objectively, he was very handsome – and who didn’t like to be told they were attractive?
“Just what?” He asked, “Have I got something on my face?” he reached up for his face with his strong, masculine hand.
I shook my head again, “No.” I assured him, “You’re just very good-looking when you smile.”
He blinked, “Oh.” He said, going a little pink.
Way to go, Dylan. Now you’ve completely freaked out the straight guy… “I’m sorry.” I muttered, “I’m really not trying to hit on you…” Actually, that’s the biggest, fattest lie I’ve ever told in my twenty-four years of existence…
He chuckled. A deep, rich sound that sent tingles down my spine, “It’s okay.” He said, “I didn’t think you were.”
Phew. It would be mortifying to think that I’d made a bad impression. We’d probably be seeing a fair bit of each other with both of us working with Denny and Blaine. The last thing I needed was for him to think I fancied him.
And it was stupid to fancy him anyway since he was a very straight, very masculine man...
Chapter 3 – Getting acquainted…
Nathan
“I don’t know what Denny and Blaine have told you about me.” He said in that breathy way he spoke which, I’m not gonna lie, was kind of nice to listen to. It was similar to the way Bailey spoke. Maybe that was why I liked it. It reminded me of something familiar.
I cleared my throat and tried to ignore how pretty his eyes were as they met with mine, “Nothing much.” I replied honestly, “but I uh, did know about you – from my best friend, Bailey. Well, not you exactly – he told me about the app and I looked it up.”
He blinked, “Oh?” He was probably wondering why on earth a straight guy was looking up his app that got guys together with other guys – and I had wondered that myself as I’d scrolled through face after smiling face.
We got chatting and discovered that I’d built the apartments that he lived in – which wasn’t all that far from where I lived. I wondered if he’d like a lift home later on. Save him from the dreaded trains…
We’d gotten a coffee each and I was beginning to feel a little more comfortable around him.
“So, you say your best friend told you about my new app?”
I nodded, “Yeah,” I admitted, “He uh, he mentioned it in passing after I broke up with my uh, wife.” Oh, my God. Shut up. Shut up right now! It sounds like you’re after a bloke because your wife left you!
“Your wife?” he looked at me with a frown.
I nodded, “Yes, my wife.” I repeated, “I got married six months ago.”
He smiled, mesmerising me with that incredibly pretty mouth that smiled so much more easily than my own, “Why don’t we get a coffee and you can fill me in.”
Holy shit. That conjured up some images I had no idea I even had in my head… Clearly the idea of putting my penis inside another man’s anus wasn’t as abhorrent to me as it was happening the other way around… “Okay.” I said weakly, “Let’s do that.”
“So, you’re separated?” he asked, “No chance of a reconciliation?”
I shook my head, “Nah.” I said, trying to sound as if my world hadn’t completely ended. “She uh, she met someone else.” Someone much more butch who had already proved himself in the ability of producing plenty of offspring… Not that I couldn’t – or at least I could in theory. I’d had no illnesses in my childhood that could potentially affect my ability for fatherhood. Oh, God. Shut up Nathan. My conscience barked at me. I blinked and looked at Dylan. Had he said something while I’d been pondering my ability to sire offspri
ng?
He was frowning at me, which made him look a little bit like an angry kitten. Unbelievably cute, “I’m sorry.” He said, “When did you get married?”
I shrugged, “It was in December.” I said, rolling my eyes. “She wanted to wear a winter wedding outfit.” I’d gone along with all of her stupid ideas because she’d been my girlfriend forever and I’d really thought I loved her. I did love her. I was sure of it. But maybe I’d just been comfortable like she said. Who knew?
His eyes lit up, “Oooh,” he said, “I do love organising a good winter wedding – particularly a Christmas themed one,” I nodded my agreement. Ours had been Christmas themed, “but I’ve got to admit – they have more of a drop off than summer ones.”
“Drop off?” I asked, bewildered, “What’s that?”
He went pink and bit his lip, “We, uh – that is, Zoe, Phoebe and I – we uh, we have a bit of scoring thing going on…”
I narrowed my eyes. Oh, yeah? This sounded interesting. Horribly wrong, but interesting. “Do tell.” I said sarcastically.
His cheeks pinked, he stammered his way through his reply, “It’s just a bit of fun.” He said, “We uh, we give people a score out of ten as to how long they’re likely to stay together depending on a few points. I’m winning at the moment – but to be fair, I’ve done more of the rushed jobs – and they’ve all been spring and summer for the last few weeks.”
I frowned, “I see.” I murmured. Louder, I asked, “And uh, what sort of point scoring system is it?” To be honest, I just wanted to see his cheeks go pink again.
The Retreat Page 2
