Page 11 of Necessary Space

I dropped his phone back into his lap. “Not for everyone.”

In fact, I’d had scenes with plenty of partners that didn’t end in sex. While kink was something inherently sexual for me, that didn’t mean it was the case for everyone. I also knew kink wasmorethan sexual for some people, but again, not the case for me. I wasn’t the kind of man who wanted to make every decision for both of us all the time. That sounded exhausting, and I was already running myself too ragged.

“Anyway. Are you trying to tell me that you ended the night there?” I asked.

“No, but I went back over the weekend, just to check it out. One of the bartenders was a little flirty.”

“I think they get paid to do that. You know, trick boring and lonely men into tipping better.”

Gray shook his head at me, like I was a child who’d just asked if unicorns were real. Amusement and pity all in one gesture.

“One of the bartenders was a little flirty,” he said. “Gave me a phone number to call, which belonged to his boyfriend, apparently.”

“This sounds like a trap.” I scrunched my nose at him.

“The boyfriend wanted to be cucked.”

“Jesus.” I drank down the wine left in my mug and split what was left in the bottle between us. Gray laughed knowingly as I topped off his mug.

“And you obliged.”

“Of course.”

“Was it good?” I asked, even though the smirk on his face was answer enough.

“They want to see me again,” he answered.

“Are you going to?”

“Definitely.” He slurped at his wine because I’d filled the mug too full to get a decent and polite first drink out of it. “Now you tell me more about Hendrix.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I dropped my head back against the couch and closed my eyes. There wasn’t so much to tell about Hendrix as there was to imagine about Hendrix. It felt like I’d wasted the past handful of months not really noticing him, because those were weeks I could have spent having really good wanks if I’d even stopped to realize I could or should be thinking about him.

Earlier that day in the shower, I’d definitely rubbed one out thinking about how angry he got every time I called him buddy. He was older than me, but I didn’t know by how much, and he was achingly well put together. It only made sense that I wanted to take him apart. And watching the way his throat flushed when he got agitated with me…it wasn’t anything more than fuel on my fire. I’d probably have another good session before bed thinking about him, now that my mind was able to recall more words in the sound of his voice.

“I don’t have anything to say about him. He can’t stand me.”

“Do you patronize him?” Gray asked with a chuckle.

“Of course I do.”

“Do you call him old sport or something?”

A sharp laugh tore out of me and I clutched my side to stop the cramp. “God, no. But he would hate that more than buddy.”

“Oh, my God, Miles. You call himbuddy?”

“As a joke. Obviously.”

“Does he know you’re joking?”

“He thinks I’m a joke,” I answered, lips pursed. “But I told him tonight it’s all foreplay.”

“Wait. You saw him tonight?”

“At a bar. He saw me with Shari before Carl got there.”

“I’m sure that went over well.”