by Tara Lain
They stepped out of the great room onto the outside deck and got into a line for drinks. A firm hand gripped Merle’s shoulder. “Hey, baby.” Jerry. Merle turned and got a hug and double kiss from his agent. “You don’t have to stand in this line. I’ll have Rita get you drinks.” Rita was Jerry’s right arm, and he usually reserved her efforts for his top clients. Merle seemed to have ascended in the world. Jerry moved them away from the line. “What’ll you have?” He kept eyeing Tom.
“Beer.” Merle glanced at Tom. “Same?”
Tom nodded.
Jerry walked over to redheaded Rita, who was already close to the front of the line, and whispered in her ear. She glanced over, waggled her fingers at Merle, and widened her eyes at Tom.
Merle squeezed Tom’s hand. “He’s my agent. He’s a lot to take, but he has the contacts.”
“That means he knows people who want to put you in their movies?”
“Exactly.”
Tom stared at Jerry with interest.
Jerry hurried back to Merle’s side. He stuck out his hand. “Sorry. I had to get the drink orders to Rita before she got to the bar. I’m Jerry.”
“I’m Tom.” Tom swallowed Jerry’s hand in his big paw.
Jerry smiled. “That’s kind of funny. Like Tom and Jerry. You ever see them?”
Tom shook his head.
“Too young, I guess. So how do you and Merle know each other?”
Merle opened his mouth but Tom said, “I’m his boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Jerry turned to Merle. “Wow. I must have missed a couple of chapters. There are all these rumors flying around about René—”
“They’re just friends.” Tom spoke with absolute certainty, and Merle suppressed his grin.
“I see.”
Rita walked up and handed them the beer bottles. She peered up at Tom. “Hi. I’m Rita. I haven’t met you but, oh my, I want to.”
“Hi, Rita. I’m Tom. Sorry, I’m gay. I’m Merle’s boyfriend.”
She barked her big laugh and slapped Merle on the back—hard. “Jesus, baby, you’re one lucky asshole. How come we never knew about Tom?”
Merle grinned. “Tom and I met in Laguna. He works with one of my best friends.”
“How long have you been together?” Jerry kept glancing at Tom, who surveyed the crowd like the whole conversation wasn’t loaded with nitroglycerin.
“Tom and I met the same week I started talking to Montrose about the film. Tom and René know each other.”
Rita said, “So this is kind of new?”
Tom smiled sweetly. “Yes, I just moved in.”
“What?” Jerry about swallowed his martini glass.
“Yes, me and the boys.”
“Boys?”
Merle chuckled. “Dogs. Tom has two dogs and I have one. We merged our dogs.”
Jerry wiped a hand over his hair. “When the fuck did you get a dog?”
The chuckle grew. “After I met Tom. You can’t really love Tom and not love dogs.”
“So this is serious?” Jerry really looked confused. “I mean—dogs.”
Tom gazed down at Merle, his blue eyes shining. “We tried to pretend it wasn’t, but we kept being unhappy.”
Rita patted Tom’s arm.
A tall, thin man walked up beside Merle. Jerry’s eyebrows rose, Rita smiled huge, and Merle got a little breath hitch when he recognized Joel Lowenstein, one of the most prominent producers of both TV and film. “Merle, congratulations on all your success.”
Jerry stuck out his hand. “Uh, Joel, great to see you.” Lowenstein looked at it like he wanted to be certain Jerry didn’t have Ebola and then shook politely.
Merle nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Lowenstein. This is my partner, Tom Henry.”
Lowenstein surveyed Tom. “Good to meet you. So rumors—”
“Are just rumors, sir.” Merle met his eyes.
“I was interested to hear about the film with René Montrose.”
Jerry leaped in. “Yes, Montrose sought us out—”
Tom smiled. “René thinks Merle is the best at talent and sexiness. He said he tracked down Gray Anson just so he could meet Merle.”
The whole statement defined guileless, so even though Jerry looked like he could kill, it was hard to blame Tom.
Lowenstein smiled. “Good to know. I heard you and Gray appeared in that Hamlet adventure together.”
“Yes, that’s how we met.”
“Interesting. I can imagine the two of you in an action film.”
Don’t get your hopes up. “Interesting idea. Do you think audiences are ready for two gay action heroes?”
“I think that could be part of the charm.” He looked up. “Are you an actor, Tom?”
“No, sir. Not even a little bit.”
Lowenstein stared at that open, childlike expression. “How refreshing.” He put a hand on Merle’s arm. “We’ll talk.” He looked over at Jerry and handed him a card. “Set it up.”
As Lowenstein walked away, Rita said, “Holy crap.”
Jerry grabbed Merle by the arm and pulled him over to discuss how they wanted to approach Lowenstein as Rita ran off to get in line for the bar again.
Jerry was saying, “Maybe you want to ask Anson how he feels—”
Merle glanced up and—no Tom. He put a hand on Jerry’s wrist to stop his flow of dialogue. “Wait. I’ve got to find Tom.”
“He’s a big boy. I’m sure he’s fine.”
Merle speared him with a glance. “I don’t leave people I love in a tank of sharks.” He pushed past two people standing near him with Jerry behind. Merle might not be able to see well past the assembled multitude, but fortunately Tom stuck out. A fast glance showed the top of his curly head just past a line of people waiting for the buffet. Merle pushed through the group and stopped—shit on a cracker! Tom was cornered by Paul Remoulade, the nastiest of gossip reporters, who stood holding a martini glass in one hand and a recorder in the other.
Damn. Merle glanced back at Jerry. “Not good.” Trying not to look panicked, Merle walked toward Tom in time to hear him say, “Why should I tell you anything about Merle? He’s my boyfriend, and you’re not his friend at all.”
Remoulade’s sneering voice rose over the general level of conversation, and people quieted to listen. “Come on, he must have really screwed the pooch with Montrose if he has to get his rocks off with a village idiot like you.”
Merle’s hands tightened into fists and he stepped forward, but Tom gave that beatific smile. By now the people lined up were so low-key that even his deep, soft voice carried to every ear. “I’m smart enough to know that you’re pretending to be something you’re not.”
“Oh. And what would that be?”
“A person.”
Remoulade’s mouth opened as Merle took two steps forward and ran hard into his back, throwing the martini glass in the air so that its contents flew and landed smack on Remoulade’s head. As vodka dripped from the asshole’s eyebrows, Merle said, “Oh damn, Paul, I’m so fucking sorry. I see you’ve met my boyfriend. I hope you two had a good conversation. Hey, anybody got a napkin you can spare?”
Some people slapped hands over their mouths to suppress laughter while others didn’t even try to suppress. A couple handed napkins to Merle, who wiped at Remoulade’s dripping comb-over. He swiped a hand at Merle. “Just get away from me and take that Neanderthal with you.”
Merle stepped closer. “The first time I saw Tom, I thought he was Sasquatch. That’s when he took out four guys to protect me.” He stared right in Remoulade’s face. “I’d keep that in mind.”
He turned, took Tom’s arm, and started toward the front door. Jerry ran after him. “Hey, you’re not leaving.”
“Yeah. I pretty much hate these parties. I’d rather be with Tom.”
The voice came from behind him. “Good for you, Merle.” Joel Lowenstein came toward him from the door. He had a trench coat on. “I hate these things too. I wish we could all do business over an intimat
e dinner. Let’s plan one, shall we?” He smiled at Tom. “So glad to find you happily settled. I’ll look forward to seeing you again, Tom. You’re a breath of fresh air.”
Merle leaned against Tom’s big body as they watched the most important producer in Hollywood take his leave. The entire steeplechase lay behind them—every hurdle conquered.
Three months later
“MRS. ARCHISON, may I present Gray Anson?” Mrs. Hernandez smiled so big it looked like her face would crack.
Tom smiled as the rich Laguna Beach lady shook hands with the biggest action star in the world and about dropped her teeth. Tom said, “Gray has two brand-new dogs from the shelter. Their names are Rowdy and Smoky. And Gray and his husband are helping keep the shelter running.”
Gray smiled. “Yes, we’re hoping other members of the community will want to help out too.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “Yes, I’m sure I can purchase a diamond sponsorship.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
Mrs. H. led the lady over to fill out the forms, and Gray winked at Tom.
Lily hurried across the room with a tray of nibbles and set it on the big table.
Tom hugged her. “The whole shelter looks great, Lily. The best ever.”
“Thanks, Bro. Mrs. A. helped a bunch too.” She laughed. “It really got her moving. That plus taking Rex for walks has improved her health.”
“It’s funny. Mrs. A. always said no big dogs, but she got a German shepherd.”
“I know. She says two women alone need a big dog for protection. I figure if we have an intruder, Rex might lick them to death.” She looked toward Merle, who was hanging out with René and Laila and Aaron. They’d all come to the party and they gave money to the shelter too. Lily said, “Merle really came through for Mrs. H. He produced the star power that got all these other people here.”
Tom smiled. “Yeah. Merle likes dogs.”
An hour later, some of the people were gone and Mrs. H. looked happier than Tom had ever seen her. Tom said, “It really went well.”
“Yes. Not only did we raise enough money to keep the shelter open for the next decade, we also found great homes for a lot of dogs.”
“Really?”
“Yes, thanks to our dear Merle.”
“What?”
“He’s been quietly escorting people back to the cages and introducing them to the dogs. Apparently, he’s very persuasive.” She laughed.
Tom stared around. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know, but I’d guess he’s got another victim back there.”
Tom walked over to the door that led to the back and opened it quietly. Merle’s voice came from somewhere near the small dog cages. “I’ll bet you could get your mom to be a co-owner and built-in babysitter for when you’re on location.”
A woman’s voice spoke in baby talk. “Who could resist this furry face? My mama would love you sooo much and would spoil you wotten.” Laila.
“She’s part papillon, so she actually barks quite a bit. Is that a problem?”
“No. I’d just have a five-pound watchdog, right?”
“Yep.”
“I sure do love Mist, but I don’t have space for such a big dog. I think this one would be perfect.”
“Good. Let’s get you to Mrs. Hernandez to do the paperwork.”
Tom smiled. Good work.
Laila said, “I’m so happy things have worked out so well for you, Merle.”
“Me too.”
“How do your parents feel about you and Tom? Your mom’s a nice lady, but she seemed like the president of the René Montrose fan club.”
“Yeah. She reacted about like you’d expect. Maybe worse.” He made a sighing sound. “I had a brief, shining moment of parental approval.” He snorted. “But returning to the status quo with my parents is no big loss. And look at all I gained.”
“Yeah, you got a good one. Wish there was another one like Tom to go with my new dog.”
Tom smiled and stepped away from the door. How do you get rid of a status quo?
Chapter Thirty-three
One year later
FLASHES BLINDED Merle as he reached out of the limousine and took Tom’s hand. Tom smiled and helped him get to his feet without falling. He shouldn’t care about this whole deal but in truth, his nerves had nerves. One of Shaz’s stylists stepped forward, did a quick check of Merle’s tux, then gave Tom’s a glance and led them down the red carpet to where the first interviewers were set up.
As they got closer, the TV host’s voice reached out. “I see Merle Justice coming, and I’m so excited to talk with him and his handsome boyfriend. Merle, over here.”
He and Tom walked onto the platform the network had set up. Andy Caliber, the popular entertainment reporter, said, “Merle, congratulations. It’s been quite a year.”
“Yes, it has, Andy.”
“I understand you’ve completed shooting your action-adventure in which you costar with Gray Anson. That must have been fun.”
“Yes, since Gray and I are close friends, it was like being on a guy trip—if you don’t count some car crashes and a few dozen explosions.”
“And you topped off your great year with an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Drama. Tom, what do you think Merle’s chances are?”
“I think he’ll win, for sure.” He smiled so sweetly and with such conviction, Merle almost believed it was a done deal.
“After an amazing year like this, Merle, what are you going to do for an encore?” Andy laughed.
Merle shook his head and glanced at Tom. “I’ll think of something.”
“We’ll be watching.”
Merle walked Tom down the steps. “Thank you for staying with me. I don’t know if I could face all these interviews on my own.”
One at a time, they stopped and answered questions for all the major reporters and news outlets until they got to the entrance to the theater. As they started in, Gray and Ru walked out beside them. Tom beamed and Merle shook his hand with a grin. “Hi, you guys. What’s up?”
Ru giggled. Not a sound Merle heard a lot. “Tom has a little surprise for you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Turn around.”
Merle turned and gasped. His mother and father stood behind them on the red carpet. “What? How did you get here?”
His mother smiled. “Let’s just say Tom and I have been in communication. I called Tom and told him we wanted to surprise you by coming to California for the awards. Tom talked with Ru and Gray, and they were kind enough to get us tickets to the ceremony.”
Okay, what did she mean about communication? He glanced at Tom, who should have had a canary in his mouth. “But why? You hate this kind of thing.”
His mother looked down at her hands, then up into his eyes. “There is no ‘this kind of thing’ when your son is nominated for an Academy Award for a brilliant performance in a landmark film.”
His father said, “That’s a one-of-a-kind experience.”
Son of a bitch. “Well, thank you. I’m really surprised.”
Tom smiled. “He’s really happy too.”
Merle looked up at the man he loved. “Yes, Tom’s right as usual. I’m very happy to have you here.”
Tom stage-whispered, “Guess what, Merle. They like the dogs.”
“How do you know?”
His dad laughed. “While you were being primped for your big event this afternoon, Tom was sneaking us into your guest room. We met Mist, Fluffy, and Tigger quite personally.”
Merle just laughed. “With fur all over your clothes, I imagine.” He gazed up at Tom. “How did you do this?”
“I didn’t do it, Merle.” He touched Merle’s face with a fingertip. “You did.”
An usher said, “Ladies and gentlemen, please enter the theater and take your seats.”
His mother stepped forward and kissed Merle’s cheek. “Break a leg, dear. We saw the film, and no matter what happens, you win.”
“Thank you. I’m honored you feel that way.” His head was spinning.
She glanced over at Tom. “You’re also a lucky man. Tom’s a very special person.”
“I know.”
“He reached out to me quite some time ago. I gradually came to see that wisdom trumps sophistication. At least in Tom’s case.” She smiled. “We’ll see you afterwards.”
He nodded, but his brain wouldn’t grasp what just happened. He took Tom’s arm and they hurried into the theater. A young woman practically leaped in front of them. “I’ll show you to your seats, Mr. Justice.”
She led them down the aisle—and down and down until she got to the first row. Laila, nominated for Best Actress, sat there with René beside her. She leaped to her feet. “Hi, darlings!” She kissed Merle on the cheek, then reached up and pulled Tom’s head down to her for double kisses. “Hi, you big hunk of love.”
He grinned. “Hi, Laila.”
“How are Mist and the boys?” Laila had visited their house a couple of times while she and Merle were promoting Truth Bites the previous fall.
“They’re really good.”
“Looks like you are too. I don’t know if I ever told you, but I always knew you were meant for Merle.”
Tom looked serious. “You should have told me. I was worried.”
“Oh God, I love you.” She laughed.
Merle looked at René, who had stood beside Laila. “Hi, Mr. Best Director of the Year.” René had won the award from the Director’s Guild. “Well deserved.”
“Thank you, dear.” He kissed Merle’s cheek, then looked up at Tom. “How’s my favorite film consultant?”
“Good, René. Call me anytime.”
René had taken to calling Tom for what he called the “everyman” view of life.
Music started playing, and they all sat.
Two hours later, as they approached the end of the ceremony, Merle’s hands hurt from clapping. Truth Bites had cleaned up with the award for Best Supporting Actor going to Aaron, plus Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, and then the big one, Best Director. They all hugged and kissed as René ran up to get his award. He thanked all the required people and then his cast, ending with, “I’m so glad I was smart enough to see the unfathomable talent in a sexy young vampire.”
