First

by K. C. Wells

  “Tell you what. I’m working tonight and Sunday, but Monday is my day off. Why don’t you spend the afternoon with me? I’ll show you ’round the Ansley Mall, for one thing. We can visit some of the stores, like Brushstrokes, Boy Next Door, a few other places. Then we can have an early dinner at Cowtippers. Ever been there?”

  Tommy shook his head.

  “Thought that might be the case. Well, Tommy, I’m gonna show you the gay side of Atlanta.” Mike was going to take Tommy under his wing and have some fun in the process. He couldn’t wait to see Tommy’s face when he took him into Capulets. He’d bet next month’s paycheck that the kid had never seen the inside of an adult store before.

  “That sounds great,” Tommy said. He let out a sigh of satisfaction. “An’ breakfast was great too.”

  “Wanna swap phone numbers?” Mike got out his phone and opened Contacts. “That way I can text you about where to meet on Monday.”

  “Sure.” Tommy reeled off his number, and Mike programmed it in. Then he sent a text.

  “There. Now you got mine too.”

  Tommy shifted on his bench seat, reached into his back pocket, and took out his wallet.

  “Uh-uh,” Mike said firmly. “This is on me.”

  “You sure?” Tommy paused in midaction.

  “Yep.” Mike pulled his wallet from his jacket pocket and counted out the correct money, plus tip, which he stuffed under his coffee cup. “And now I’m gonna go home and get some sleep. You should too.”

  He smiled and rose to his feet, Tommy joining him. They walked out after thanking Lola when they passed her. Outside there was still the odd noise carried on the air, as revelers went on partying. The road was busy as usual; the bars and clubs all along the street saw to that.

  Tommy stopped by Mike’s truck, hand outstretched. “Thank you, Mike,” he said.

  Mike was relieved to see he looked more relaxed than when they’d arrived. He ignored the hand and pulled Tommy into a brief but firm hug.

  When he released him, he stepped back and nodded. “I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”

  “Yeah.” Tommy gave him a warm smile before walking over to his truck. The street was humming with traffic as Mike climbed into his own truck and switched on the engine. He watched Tommy pull out of the parking lot, raising his hand to wave at Mike as he passed. Then he was gone.

  Poor kid. Mike shook his head as he thought back on the way Tommy’s family had treated him. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became—Tommy needed someone to look out for him, like a big brother. Then it hit him that this was a little weird, considering how he’d undressed the young man in his head on more than one occasion. And the idea of spending an afternoon with the tall, muscled student was very pleasant indeed. It was only when he did the math in his head that he realized he had to be around the same age as Tommy’s daddy.

  Damn. That was so not a good thought.

  TOMMY LOOKED around the interior of Cowtippers with interest. Most of the tables in the center of the floor were occupied, but the host led them to a booth and told them someone would be over to take their order shortly.

  Tommy sat down and perused the menu. “What’s good?”

  “Everything. They do great burgers here.” Mike grinned. “And I know how much you love a good burger.”

  Tommy had to laugh, seeing as that was all he ever ate at Woofs.

  “Would you like something a little stronger than Cherry Coke?” Mike asked. “Say, a peach margarita?”

  “Thanks for the offer, but no. I’ll stick with a Coke.” That glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve had been the first alcohol ever to touch his lips, and it had been okay, but Tommy had yet to see what the attraction was regarding alcohol. He could still hear his granddaddy intoning something about not putting a thief in his mouth to steal his brains. And of course, Tommy was driving.

  Their server appeared, and Mike ordered their drinks and two burgers with fries and fried pickles. When that was done, he leaned against the padded back of the seat and smiled. “You had a good afternoon?” His eyes twinkled.

  That was all it took for Tommy’s face to go from cool to scorching. He knew damn well what Mike was thinking about. “You shoulda warned me ’bout that place,” he said in a low voice.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Mike said, eyebrows lifted. That smirk was still in evidence, however. Mike had taken him to Capulets and let him walk in first—to be confronted with a wall of sex toys. And that didn’t include all the stands in the middle of the floor, containing even more sex toys. Then there were all the different kinds of lube, for God’s sake. The other half of the store had been filled with DVDs, only Mike had steered him clear of those. Tommy had no argument with that. One glance at some of the covers had been enough—he hadn’t known where to look.

  And when Mike had suggested buying something for him, that had been enough for Tommy. Mike had ushered him out of there fairly quickly when Tommy hadn’t been able to hide how uncomfortable the experience had made him.

  Tommy had to admit, it had been a great afternoon, in spite of his embarrassment. Mike had taken him around lots of the stores at the Ansley Mall. They’d looked at underwear in Boy Next Door, Mike holding up the skimpy briefs on their little hangers and looking inquiringly at him.

  More blushes.

  Then they’d visited Brushstrokes, a gay bookstore, and that had been interesting. Mike had left him to wander through all the books. It had been fascinating. Tommy had no idea there was so much gay fiction out there. In the end Mike had had to drag him away. At least Tommy knew of its existence, and he could definitely see a return visit in the future.

  Come to think of it, he now knew just how many gay businesses existed in and around Atlanta, and that had staggered him. Then there had been the sight of muscle-bound guys walking into the gym, holding hands. That was a first.

  The server brought their drinks, and Tommy took a long slurp of his Coke. “Were all those businesses that we saw today gay businesses?”

  Mike smiled. “Didn’t you notice the rainbow flags on almost every door? The gay dollar contributes a helluva lot to Atlanta.”

  Tommy’s concentration was broken by the sight of two guys who’d sat in the booth behind them, Mike’s back to them. Not that seeing guys together was anything new after the afternoon he’d just spent. No, what made him stare was the way they sat with their arms around each other, kissing—and no one paid them the slightest attention. Like what they were doing was totally natural.

  Then he smiled. You dumbass—it is totally natural. The thought warmed him.

  “You listening to me?”

  Tommy jerked his head up and stared at Mike, his face heating up. “’Scuse me?”

  Mike chuckled. “Okay, where is your head at?” He shook his head. “In case you haven’t noticed, our dinner has arrived.” He pointed at the plate that had miraculously appeared in front of Tommy.

  Shit. Tommy hastily began to dig in to his burger, trying to ignore the couple who were digging into each other. Damn, it was nice, though. They looked so lost in each other, sharing slow kisses and stroking arms and shoulders. Eating was difficult; his eyes were continually drawn to them. Mike was talking about how much power the gay population of Atlanta wielded, and Tommy was trying to listen, ’cause it was fascinating, but damn….

  MIKE PUT down his silverware and wiped his mouth. He was dying to turn around and see precisely what had snagged Tommy’s attention throughout dinner, but he had a feeling that would only serve to embarrass the young man. It sure was intriguing, though.

  He’d had a great afternoon. Tommy had been relaxed, smiling and joking with him, and they’d had a lot of fun. It had been a while since Mike had chilled out with a guy. He’d been doing a lot of shoots recently, and it was great to just take a breath for a change. So much so that he wanted to do this again. Judging from Tommy’s reaction, he didn’t think the young man would mind all that much.

  He got out his wal
let and withdrew enough to cover the check plus tip, then finished his beer. “Shall we get out of here?” The heaviness in his stomach had nothing to do with his meal. He really didn’t want this delightful day to end.

  Tommy nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

  Maybe he doesn’t want it to finish either.

  Mike knew he had stuff to get ready for his trip the next day. It was an early flight to NYC, and based on past experience, the shoot wouldn’t be an overly long one. Still, he was sad their time together had to end.

  They got to their feet, and as he edged out of the booth, Mike finally got a look at what had captured Tommy’s attention. He smiled at the sight of the couple who were drinking cocktails and talking quietly with each other. Always nice to see guys in love. He led the way out of the restaurant and around to the parking lot, where their trucks were parked next to each other.

  “So what do you—?”

  The rest of his words died in his throat when Tommy grabbed him by the upper arms, pulled him close, and planted a kiss on his mouth. For a second or two, Mike was too stunned to react. Tommy’s lips were soft and warm, his breath sweet. The kiss was all fire and no expertise, but it got his heart pumping all the same. Tommy let go of his tight hold and stepped back, lips parted, eyes shining.

  Wow. I must still have it.

  Mike pushed aside that initial thought and stared at him. “Okay,” he began slowly. “Wanna tell me what brought that on?” For a moment his chest tightened. Fuck—has he seen me in one of my films? Does he know what I do? Mike was not ashamed of his career, far from it, but the thought that Tommy might know of it made his heart sink. And he didn’t have a clue why.

  Tommy swallowed hard. “That was my second kiss.”

  For a moment Mike was floored. Second kiss? Then Kevin was…. He stared at Tommy, his heartbeat racing as realization sank in. Oh my God. He’s a virgin. The thought had him hot and cold, all at the same time.

  Tommy gaped at him, and it suddenly occurred to Mike that he hadn’t said a word in reaction. Like he knew what to say. When was the last time he’d been kissed by a twentysomething gorgeous six-foot muscled virgin?

  “Okay….”

  Tommy paled. “I… I’ll see you, okay?”

  He spun around and almost ran to his truck. Mike launched after him, but Tommy put the truck into gear and pulled out of the parking lot in an awful hurry. Mike stared after him, his head in a whirl.

  Well, crap.

  Chapter Ten

  TOMMY SAT at the kitchen table, eating toast and drinking coffee. Ben was still asleep, making the most of the last Friday of the winter break before school started again on Monday. His parents were up and active, his daddy getting ready for work. Bethany was sitting next to Tommy, eating a bowl of cereal, a textbook propped open in front of her.

  “Not at the table,” Caroline admonished, arching her eyebrows when she spotted Bethany. She poured out another cup of coffee and handed it to her husband before sitting down next to him with her own.

  Bethany sighed and closed the book, not without a sideways glance at her dad, who was reading his newspaper. Tommy nudged her knee with his. “You’re on a break, remember? Plenty of time to hit the books next week when you’re back at school.”

  She gave him a half smile. “You looking forward to getting back to school?”

  It was Tommy’s turn to sigh. “When I work out what I’m doin’, sure.”

  Caroline paused, her coffee cup midway to her mouth. “What do you mean?”

  Benson peered at Tommy over the edge of his newspaper.

  “I just have some thinkin’ to do, is all,” Tommy said with a shrug. “’Cause I’m not sure I want to go on studyin’ agriculture.”

  Caroline’s smile was sympathetic. “Well, I can certainly understand that. Have you given any thought as to what you’d like to study? What is it that you love to do? That might be a good place to start.”

  “Can I butt in here?” Benson folded up his paper. “I would also add, what is gonna make you some money for a secure future? Because you have to be practical these days.”

  “You sure about giving up on the farming idea?” Bethany asked him.

  Tommy considered the question. “To be fair, I liked workin’ on the farm, but….” He smiled at them. “I liked workin’ with my animals more. Lookin’ after the pigs, takin’ care of my horse, Titan, stuff like that.”

  Bethany beamed at him. “Then why not work with animals? Ben says you’re a smart one. You could become a veterinarian!”

  Benson was nodding. “If your grades are good enough, then maybe you should consider it. And from what you’ve told us already, you’re on a Hope scholarship, so it’s not like you’re tied to a particular major. Sure, you might need some further funding, but there are other scholarships you can apply for.”

  “I think this sounds wonderful.” Caroline rubbed her hands together. “You need to look into it, Tommy.”

  “But sooner rather than later,” Benson added, picking up his paper once more.

  Tommy nodded absently. Like he didn’t have enough on his mind already.

  Such as a certain bartender.

  “YOU GOING out tonight?” Ben asked. “Or do you wanna stay in and have a Friday night movie? I could rustle up some popcorn, and we could veg out on the couch.”

  Tommy was in no mood to go out. Even though Mike had shown him lots of bars and clubs he might like to visit, Tommy wasn’t sure about going to any of them. And as for going to Woofs? He could still picture that stunned expression on Mike’s face.

  Guess I messed that one up, huh?

  “Think I’ll stay in tonight.”

  Ben sat down next to him on the couch. “I did think you might be going to… wherever it is you go to.” His eyes gleamed. “Still not gonna tell me?”

  “Nope.” Tommy picked up a cushion and threw it at Ben, who dodged it. “Besides, I don’t think it matters anymore, ’cause I messed up.” One whole week of thinking about how Mike’s mouth had felt against his and Tommy’d had enough.

  “Oh God, what have you done?” Ben stared at him.

  “I kissed a guy, all right?” Tommy replied defensively.

  Ben beamed at him. “But that’s great! Isn’t it?”

  “Woulda been great if he’d liked it, I s’pose, but—” Tommy sighed heavily. “—I don’t think that was the case.”

  Ben frowned. “Okay, change of plan.” He got up and disappeared through the door that led to the main part of the house. Tommy grabbed the cushion he’d flung and hugged it close. He’d had such a good time on Monday, right up to the point where he’d thrown his good sense to the wind and kissed Mike. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time….

  Ben crouched down next to him and held out a bottle. “Surprise!”

  Tommy peered at it. “Peach schnapps? Where’d you get that?” Ben sat on the floor next to the couch and put the bottle on the little coffee table in front of it, along with a couple of shot glasses. “An’ have you forgotten I don’t drink?”

  “It was left over from the ’rents’ party,” Ben explained, “and there’s so much liquor upstairs, they’ll never miss it.”

  “They will if I tell them.”

  Tommy gave a start at the sound of Bethany’s voice. She stood at the foot of the couch, grinning and holding a third shot glass.

  “I saw you take something from Dad’s liquor cabinet, and I figured you were up to something.”

  Ben scowled. “Get lost.”

  Bethany’s face fell, and Tommy’s heart went out to her. He got on well with Bethany.

  “Aw, don’t be like that, Ben. She can stay, can’t she?” Bethany was doing an awful good impression of a puppy dog, gazing pleadingly at her brother.

  Ben rolled his eyes. “Oh, for God’s sake.” He speared her with an intense glance. “As long as you promise not to tell Mom or Dad.”

  She grinned. “If you’re willing to share, my lips are sealed.” She plonked hers
elf down on the couch next to Tommy and held out her glass. “Fill ’er up.”

  Ben muttered under his breath but unscrewed the cap and poured her a glassful before filling his and Tommy’s.

  He handed Tommy the shot glass. “Here you go. And yeah, I know you don’t drink, but there’s a first time for everything.” He winked. “And this is that time.”

  Tommy huffed in resignation and took the proffered glass, sniffing at its contents.

  Ben laughed. “Oh, drink it. You’re not a churchgoing choir boy anymore.”

  That made him chuckle. “Trust me. I was never in the choir. My singin’ sounds like a cat bein’ strangled.” He watched Ben and Bethany toss theirs back in one gulp. Oh, what the hell. Tommy drank the shot in one go and then coughed when it hit the back of his throat. When he’d recovered, he licked his lips. “Hey, that’s not bad.” It made his belly warm.

  “Kinda sweet, huh?” Ben refilled his glass and then the remaining two. “It tastes great over ice too.” He leaned back against the couch, glass in hand. “So, you gonna tell me about this guy of yours?”

  “You’ve got a guy?” Bethany bounced on her seat cushion. “Way to go, Tommy!”

  “He’s not my guy,” Tommy insisted.

  Ben waggled his eyebrows. “But you’d like him to be, right?” He peered at Tommy’s glass and gave him a stern glance. “You’re not drinking enough.”

  “Pushy, pushy.” Tommy drank the second shot, only this time he didn’t knock it back so fast. “That really is nice, y’know.” Right then he was feeling warm and muzzy, and it felt good, like he was somehow disconnected from himself.

  “Tell me about this guy,” Bethany demanded, her eyes shining. “What’s he like?”

  “Well,” Tommy began slowly, “he’s older ’n me.”

  “How much older?” Ben twisted around to stare at him.

  “I’m not rightly sure.” Without thinking, Tommy stroked his chin. “He has a beard, an’ there’s some gray in it, if that helps.”

  “Oh my God, he’s old!” Ben exclaimed, gaping at him. Bethany smacked him on the back of the head. “Ow!”