by Clancy Nacht
Corey, Lance, and Susan traded glances. Would it be?
✽ ✽ ✽
Lance left Elliot’s room around four a.m. when Elliot had finally gone to sleep on the couch. Corey had left an hour earlier, and Susan was asleep in the bed. Though Lance could probably have slept there, he was more than ready to leave.
He picked up his computer bag and slipped out, closing the door carefully. Scanning the hallway, Lance found the door Guy had ducked out of and knocked softly.
Guy opened the door instantly, as if he’d been expecting the visit. “Morning, Kitten. You come to tuck me in?”
Heat rose in Lance’s cheeks as he recalled his ill-fated attempt to pick Guy up. “I wanted to know if you’d found out anything.”
“Ah, business call.” Guy stepped aside to let Lance in. This room was much smaller than the Elliot’s suite and was lit only by a lamp. The television screen displayed four squares with different views of the hallway outside.
“Got one of those in the senator’s suite?”
Guy smirked and flopped onto the bed. “Yes.”
Lance set his bag by the door and leaned against the wall, mirroring Guy’s pose from a few days earlier. “You saw?”
“Everything.”
Lance stared at the ugly carpeting, the question burning inside of him before he asked it. “Did you learn anything about Michael Rios?”
Guy sat forward on the edge of the bed. “I think I know who did it. A man named Voelker. Local. Pretty sure it was a hit.”
Sinking to the floor, Lance wrapped his arms around his knees. “Elliot?”
“No. Kitten, no. I don’t think he knows that name.” Guy slid from the bed to the floor and put his arms around Lance. “Your senator is loony over you, but I don’t think it was him.”
Lance let out a shuddering breath as he relaxed against the wall and into Guy’s arms. “I talked to his roommate. Apparently, he had some top-secret IT job he couldn’t talk about.”
“With the government?” Guy scooted back to lean against the bed.
“No. He was arrested for solicitation, apparently? And that ruined his chances for regular employment.”
It was dark, so Lance couldn’t see Guy’s expression, but it looked like his jaw tightened. “He was a hacker?”
“Could’ve been.” Lance exhaled again. It felt good to remove Elliot from suspicion. “His roommate didn’t know much; he kept it from her.”
“Hm.”
“You think she’s in danger?”
Guy sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. She could’ve been lying to you that she didn’t know anything. Or she knows more than she thinks. No idea who he was working for or what he was doing.”
Lance pressed his lips together. In truth, he’d just fucked Rios once. That was the sum total of his relationship with a complete stranger. He had more than enough going on in his life. Shouldn’t he let this drop? Michael’s death had nothing to do with Lance.
“It’s probably not worth investigating further.”
Guy leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to Lance’s. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
Lance blinked at the contact, not sure what prompted it. Maybe he looked as nervous and afraid as he felt. Or maybe Guy thought he could persuade Lance that way.
Regardless, it felt good. It wasn’t in Lance’s nature to reject being kissed by an attractive man.
Lance spread his legs, allowing Guy closer. He smelled of cologne and coffee. Stubble scraped Lance’s cheek as Guy nuzzled him. Then Lance sighed. “That girl could be in trouble.”
Guy gathered Lance into his arms and held him tight. “You don’t know her. She could’ve ordered Michael killed for all you know. Seriously, let this go. The people Voelker works for... It’ll keep me up nights worrying about you.”
“You’re already up nights.”
Guy chuckled. “Fair enough. Just… In this case, you’re asking too many questions in too many dark corners where you don’t belong.”
Lance pulled back to look Guy in the eyes. “So you think it was just a coincidence that he was killed after we fucked?”
“I don’t believe in coincidence.”
“So it was about me?” Lance was short of breath again.
Guy cupped his cheek. “I don’t know. All I do know is that whatever was happening, whatever connection there was between that group and you, it was severed. You should take this opportunity to stay out of it.”
“I can’t do that.” Lance backed up against the wall and used it to stand up. There were a lot of things he simply couldn’t do, including whatever they were doing now. He had to stop it before he got in too deep.
Guy remained on the floor. “That’s what I figured.”
“I’m sorry.”
He gazed up at Lance, a strange, soft smile playing on his face. “Don’t be sorry for being a good person. It’s rare in this world.”
Lance laughed until he realized that Guy wasn’t teasing. A good person? Ha. When he was basically an executive rentboy? One with a seamy underworld connection after a random online fuck.
Maybe hitmen had different standards of good.
“I should go. If Elliot wakes up and sees me leaving this room, you two may end up dueling at dawn.”
Guy rolled his eyes. “It wouldn’t even be a fight.”
“No, probably not.” Lance looked in the direction of Elliot’s room. He was filled with the sudden compulsion to confess that Elliot had told Lance that he loved him, but that until now, it hadn’t occurred to Lance to say it back.
Of course, in the context that Lance wasn’t sure if Elliot was a murderer or not, that made sense. Now that he knew Elliot wasn’t, Lance was relieved, but not filled with joy or love.
No, Lance had made out with a hitman. One whose real name Lance didn’t even know.
And in the context of a duel, Lance had a minor fantasy that Guy would win and take him off to Venice or some other beautiful, mysterious city Lance had read about but never visited.
“I should go.”
“You sure?” Guy lifted himself onto the bed, his face impassive, but the invitation clear.
Lance’s pulse raced as he imagined what it would be like to be under Guy, to wake up smelling of his cologne, sticky with sweat. He swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
Closing his eyes, Lance turned to the door, only opening them again when he was looking at the exit rather than Guy. He picked up his bag and left the room. After a quick glance to make sure Elliot’s door didn’t open, Lance took the stairs so as not to risk the elevator doors waking Elliot.
After going down a couple of flights, he realized he didn’t know what room he was in, so he had to go to the lobby to get his key.
The place was empty but for the man at the desk. “Late work on the campaign, huh?”
Lance tilted his head. “Yeah, going over strategies.”
“Right, sir. Well, have a good morning.”
The knowing look on the clerk’s face combined with Lance’s exhaustion made Lance want to deck the guy, but instead he headed to the elevator doors.
Once in his room, Lance took a long, hot shower that helped melt away some of the physical strains of being stuck on the bus, but did little to ease his mind regarding the safety of Michael’s roommate Kate.
After tossing and turning until six, Lance texted Zed, one of his private investigators, Kate Johnson’s address with the note, “Monitor, 12 hour reports. 72 hours.”
It was probably nothing, but after the text, Lance was able to sleep a couple of hours.
Chapter Six
Lance woke later than he’d meant to. At this point, he felt superfluous to the process beyond being a cockwarmer anyway, so if he missed the final shuttle the staffers were taking to Swardson headquarters, he’d live with it. Probably only Jeff would notice his absence.
Well, and Elliot, but he didn’t spend much time at HQ anyway.
Zed’s return text stated he would send updates at noon and midnight unless something imp
ortant came up.
Lance brewed coffee while he showered, then sipped it as he slipped into his clothes. With any luck there’d be something left over from the hotel’s continental breakfast. Probably just overly sweet Danish and honeydew, but that was all right.
The limited hours of sleep left him slightly cranky, but this day couldn’t be worse than the last. Elliot wasn’t a psycho killer. Now Lance could enjoy the affection.
In his sharp grey suit, Lance felt strong and optimistic. He could go view the numbers, give advice, attend functions as required. It would be easy.
He opened his door and grinned at security as he headed to the elevator. The lounge where the breakfast lived was a couple of floors down. To get in he had to use his key card and a security desk. Inside were vast treasures of muffins, fruit, oatmeal, and coffee, displayed with finesse. Past the display were round tables filled with tourists and a few staffers. In the corners of the room were televisions displaying local and national news.
So much better than a lonely Danish and honeydew. It was a good day.
Jeff gave Lance a nod while Lance refreshed his coffee cup and grabbed the last poppy seed muffin.
The staffers sitting with Jeff looked at Lance with wide eyes. Lance stared back, baffled.
Wiping his face with a napkin, Jeff rose and grabbed Lance by the elbow.
How sick was Lance getting of being dragged around by his arm? “What, am I late? I’m sorry. I had a late night.”
As they exited the dining room, Lance heard his name on the television and, “…what appears to be Susan Swardson getting intimate with a staffer in the elevator.”
Shit. Lance had been rather affectionate with Susan in the elevator. He’d only meant to comfort her, not start a national scandal.
Jeff guided him back to the elevator. “Senator wants to see you.”
Lance nodded, but he wasn’t really listening. He thought about how long it had taken Lance to get down the stairs, about the clerk who’d smirked at him when he got his key.
Damnit. How could he have been so stupid? Elevator cams were everywhere these days. This scandal wouldn’t even require much imagination, aside from the fact that Lance was gay.
The situation was innocent, but it had to look bad. Exactly how bad… Wow. Full screen glory when he walked into Elliot’s room.
“Lance, I am so sorry.” Susan came at him with her arms out, but she stopped short. “I swear to god, Elliot, if you yell at me… If you believe this bullshit, I’m out. Totally out. Forever.”
Elliot turned from the screen. He looked terrible, but he just shook his head. “I know you weren’t doing anything. You were just giving her the comfort I couldn’t. It just…”
“The optics are bad, I know.” Lance exhaled slowly. “You know, I’ve got some things going on in Austin I could look after if you need me to disappear for a bit.”
Jeff looked around the room, then at Lance. “Why were you up here?”
Lance narrowed his eyes at Corey. “You wanna explain it?”
Corey sighed and rose from his spot next to Elliot, making room for Lance. “Jeff, we’re going to need you to be seen a lot with Lance. Just for a while. We need to remind the world that Lance is gay.”
“What?” Jeff looked like he might run.
Lance walked around the couch and sank down next to Elliot. The senator appeared sad more than anything else.
Elliot took Lance’s hand while they tried to watch the news, but it was hard to hear over Jeff and Corey arguing. Lots of talk about duty and honor. Lance didn’t care. He just felt humiliated watching his hug with Susan over and over. The reporters pored over how Lance tucked her hair behind her ear.
Lance sighed and shook his head. “I don’t—”
“I know, Lance. I know.” Elliot nestled his shoulder against the back of the couch as he faced Lance. “I guess this is what I signed up for.” He exhaled. “It isn’t fair that you’re sucked in too.”
Lance wasn’t totally recognizable in the images, so he was less worried personally than he might have been, but it was mortifying to sit there with his lover watching the play-by-play. “We need to do something big today. Persuade the news to talk about something else.”
“You don’t want to deny it?”
“No.” Lance shook his head. “We treat it as something that doesn’t need a reply because it doesn’t. Susan and I are just two good friends. She was worried about you, and I comforted her. I’ll spend the day flirting with Jeff, you sacrifice twelve virgins every hour, and the news will move on to that.”
Elliot smiled slowly and squeezed Lance’s hand. “Hm. You think there are twelve virgins in Nevada? Not sure I could even make it through the first hour.”
“Could be a problem. What do people do here in South Dakota?” Lance stared at the screen. “Besides tipping cows.”
“We’re in South Carolina, and I don’t know… eat beef? Can’t be that different than Texas, right?”
“Hm. You were going to go all gun nut; how about a shooting range?”
Elliot nodded. “A hunting lease would photograph better. I could kill some vermin, bring Susan along. She loves to hunt.”
Susan made a face that indicated it wasn’t her favorite thing, but she looked game.
“If it seems like the press isn’t paying enough attention, shoot Corey in the face.” Lance kept his face serious for as long as he could stand it, looking between Susan and Elliot until he broke with an insouciant smirk.
Elliot snickered, which started Lance chuckling.
Susan shook her head and crossed her arms. “Glad someone’s having a good time.”
Elliot pressed his lips together, then shot Lance a side glance. “Can I shoot Susan instead?”
“Hey!” Susan put her hand over her heart and walked around the couch to them. She raised her brows pointedly at their joined hands and then up at Jeff. She gave them a tight smile.
Releasing Elliot’s hand before Jeff could see their clutching, Lance chuckled. “Susan’s right. That’s a little too on the nose. Corey, definitely. Otherwise they might really think she was seeing me.”
Corey held up his hand up to stop Jeff’s complaining. “Wait, what? Why are you shooting me?”
Lance grinned. “Break the news cycle.”
“Hm. All right. Just not in the face.” Corey gestured to Jeff. “See? This is the sort of sacrifice a staffer is expected to make for their candidate.”
Jeff held up both hands. “You are all fucking nuts. You know that, right?”
Lance turned completely around on the couch and held out his arms to Jeff. “Come on, we’ll get that drink you were talking about. You could do worse than being seen flirting with the possible future Press Secretary, right?”
Jeff frowned. “But my momma will see me in the news!”
“True. We can find someone else. I can’t be the only homosexual man in the building.” Guy had to be nearby; he was probably watching the whole thing go down. Lance peered into the corners of the room, then fixed on the lamps. That’s probably where the cameras were. He tilted his head and raised a brow at one, but figured that had to be a lost cause. Guy hadn’t even revealed his real name; he probably wasn’t going to be up for public scrutiny by having drinks with Lance. “Look, you two go hunting, I’ll go make out with a bellhop or a cab driver or something. I’ll figure it out.”
Elliot tensed, but it was Jeff who broke the silence.
“No. It’s fine. Just drinks, right? I don’t have to… you know… do anything.”
“Just get a little cozy.” Corey closed in on Jeff and put a strong hand on his shoulder. “All that video shows is that Lance is affectionate with his friends. You can play it that way.”
Lance rolled his eyes. “I promise no under-the-shirt action.”
Jeff glared but then sighed with resignation. “All right. Let’s do it.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Gideon Kurtz watched the four people arguing and laughing in Elliot Sw
ardson’s suite. Corey Winters, Jeff Mayer, Elliot Swardson, Susan Swardson, and Lance Gatsby, a.k.a. Kitten, stood or sat around a hotel couch sorting out what to do about a leaked video of Lance and Susan in what appeared to be a compromising position.
He was annotating the video for Corey in case he needed it for future reference when he caught Lance staring into the camera meaningfully after making a comment about other homosexuals in the building. Gideon smirked that Lance knew not just that he was being observed but had figured out at least one of the cameras in the room.
Clever boy.
The argument with Jeff was absurd. Whatever Jeff believed about himself, the way his pupils dilated whenever he looked at Lance gave him away.
Oh, precious Kitten. That was no domestic cat. While Gideon enjoyed the diminutive nickname he’d given Lance, there was something about the man that both fascinated and repulsed Gideon.
On the surface, Lance was a beautiful man, and not just an ordinary sort of beautiful, but a dangerous beauty, the sort one normally only saw on movies or television. His skin was perfect and poreless, his hair a shiny flaxen, but those eyes… They were cold and consuming, like a late spring freeze mercilessly wrecking newly blossomed flowers.
While Lance expressed real affection for people, something about it didn’t go all the way down. Gideon had watched Lance and Elliot fucking, heard the many times Elliot had expressed his love and undying adoration. Lance never returned it, not really.
But then Elliot, whether he realized it or not, was obsessed with Lance, not in love with him. He seemed to enjoy the power he had over the beautiful blond, the situation, but Elliot couldn’t love Lance; he didn’t know him.
Lance wasn’t available to be known.
Lance had revealed more to Jeff than anyone else, and that kid was too dense to know what deep water he was in. Lance had come in unaware, but he was proving himself an Olympic swimmer—another reason Gideon couldn’t help but watch him, fascinated.
Gideon fingered the stitches still healing on his abdomen. That had been the first indication Lance wasn’t what he seemed. He moved too fast, knew his surroundings too well to be a civilian.
Corey had banked on Lance’s charisma to push Elliot, and it had worked. Gideon didn’t mention that Lance had sliced him open. That injury was part of the reason Gideon had taken on this tedious job. Any monkey could’ve monitored the campaign’s doings, but watching Lance was exactly what Gideon would’ve done on his own between other jobs.
