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“So, I hear you really screwed things up with David.” West walked right into Macalister’s office without even knocking. Not that he had to since he was one of the owners, but still, it would have been the polite thing to do.
Then again, it made a difference since the last thing Macalister wanted to do was talk about David. Even as he thought that, his mouth somehow opened and words he never intended on saying poured out. “It just slipped out. When I tried to take it back, David threw me out.”
The chuckle from West wasn’t something Macalister was ready to hear. If he could, he’d throw West out of his office. The last thing he needed was West making a mockery out of his complete and utter stupidity.
“Did you mean what you said?” West asked as he dropped into the chair in front of Macalister’s desk.
“Sort of.” Macalister gave himself a mental slap for doing it again. “I mean, no. At least, not the way it came out.” What was he saying? He’d thought about nothing else the entire night and how he might have done it differently, but, to be honest, he wasn’t sure how he should have handled it.
West leaned back in his chair and propped an ankle on one knee. “Either you didn’t like him when you met or you did. It really isn’t that difficult.”
It was for Macalister. “You know me, West.” Out of everyone Macalister knew, West was the closest person he had to a friend. “It takes me time to be comfortable with change. It only becomes worse when I meet someone as different and eccentric as David.” That was putting it mildly. According to his mother it had taken Macalister two years before he’d accepted his little brother.
“Fair enough.” West then put his foot down and leaned forward. “Although, it doesn’t matter. You insulted David, who happens to be one of the nicest guys in this town. The least you owe him is an apology.”
Then West stood up and walked to the door. Before he left he glanced over his shoulder at Macalister. “But if I were you, I would try to explain what happened and maybe beg for his forgiveness. Unless, you didn’t mean to ask him out.”
Macalister didn’t even have time to open his mouth to reply by the time West had left. It pained him to admit it, but West was right. David had been the first person since his sophomore year in college that Macalister had asked out. There had been no one else who had held his interest to even want to go out on a date.
Who knew when, or if, that would ever happen again.
***
Sweat covered his palms, forcing Macalister to wipe them on his pants before he reached for the door of Tropical Beach. It had only taken him an hour after West had left his office to decide to leave work early in hopes of talking with David.
Blowing out a breath, he grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. He nearly cried when he walked in to find the girl he’d seen before working there. He really wished he hadn’t gotten up his hopes, to find David not even there.
But just as he was about to ask if he was around, he heard David call out, “Tori, I’m going to need you.” There was an urgency to David’s voice but it was the near panic when he said, “Now,” that had Macalister following Tori to one of closed doors down the hallway to the tanning beds.
Tori flung the door open. There, in the room, was David squatting down, with some sort of wand in his hand that was hooked to the wall and a man standing above him, with his dick standing straight up. However, it was the stranger’s hand gripping David by his hair and trying to yank him toward his erection while David desperately tried to pull away that had Macalister seeing red.
He didn’t even think, he just reacted. Pushing past Tori, Macalister balled up his fist and slammed it first into the stomach of the man who felt it perfectly acceptable to rape someone. Not feeling the least bit better for having hit him, Macalister swung again right against the man’s jaw. He was prepared to hit him a third time but the guy dropped to the ground, out cold.
“Well, that was one way to do it,” Tori said, dryly.
David, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. “Yes, it was,” he said to Tori’s comment. “And what the jerk deserved.”
In his entire life, Macalister had never once hit anyone. He knew he should feel guilty, but with the way David was looking at him, Macalister felt too much like a hero to care that he’d resorted to violence. “Are you okay?” Macalister went to David’s side and helped him to his feet.
The rage that had been boiling inside of him a moment before turned to an overwhelming need to be sure David was unharmed. Once more, the repercussions of his actions didn’t come into play as he pulled David into his arms.
The feel of his lithe body against his helped to ease some of the emotions that were threatening to engulf Macalister. It wasn’t until David had wrapped his arms around Macalister and whispered that he was fine and everything would be okay that Macalister even realized he was shaking.
“Hey,” David said when Macalister tried to pull away in embarrassment. “There is no need to hide your feelings.”
For Macalister, there was. “None of this is who I am. I don’t forget myself and hit someone, ever. Nor do I feel the need to hug.” As he said the words, Macalister realized something. “I can’t even remember the last time I put my arms around anyone. Even my family.”
David pulled him back into his embrace. “That must be lonely.”
If it wasn’t for the strength of David holding him, Macalister would have gotten out of there as fast as possible. He had no idea how to deal with what was happening inside of him. Tears actually pricked his eyes, something he had never felt the need to succumb to. Not when his one and only boyfriend in college had broken up with him or when he was a child and skinned his knee.
Heck. He’d even broken his arm in the second grade and never cried. So, why did he feel the need to now? Somewhat afraid of what was happening to him, Macalister tried once more to pull away, but David was stronger than he looked and refused to let go.
“Stop,” David told him. “You need this and I’m not going to let you go until you let yourself take it all in.”
For a moment Macalister stood there with David pressed up to his chest, not sure what to do or feel. Then he tensed as unfamiliar sensations continued to flood into him. The longer he stood there, the more he found he actually liked having David next to him. He enjoyed the warmth of his body, the smell of the cocoa butter that emanated from him. Most of all, Macalister adored the litany of soft murmured words of assurance from David.
He was liking it so much that when a pained groan from the man on floor disrupted them, Macalister had to admit to considering knocking him out again, just so he could stay right where he was.
Unfortunately, David sighed and dropped his arms from around Macalister. “I guess we need to deal with Otto.”
When David went to Otto’s side, Macalister was right there with him. There was no way he was going to allow Otto to try something with David again.
Otto’s gaze blazed with fury, first at David, then Macalister. “I will have you arrested for hitting me.”
It wasn’t exactly something Macalister would relish having happen, but if that was the consequence for keeping David safe, so be it. Although, Macalister wasn’t about to go quietly. “That would be a good idea, call the cops. Then we can tell them how you tried to force Mr. Wilson to provide sexual services. I do believe attempted rape will get you several years in prison.”
In reality, it would be more like probation, but Otto didn’t need to know that. By the way his eyes widened in fear, Macalister assumed Otto didn’t want to go to jail any more than he did. “Of course, if you get arrested for attempted rape, it will be in the paper, which means everyone you know will be aware of what you did.”
Suddenly Otto jumped up, grabbing his clothes on the way. He shoved his legs into his pants, nearly falling on his face in his haste to get dressed. “No, no. That’s okay. We’ll just go our separate ways.” Then he was dashing out the door with shirt in hand, having just barely remembered to stick his feet in his shoes. The only thing he’d left behind besides his dignity, were his socks.
David laughed and once more threw his arms around Macalister for a hug. “My hero,” he exclaimed.
Macalister smiled but not because of the words, it was the comfort with which he was able to handle David hugging him this time around. Apparently, his ex-therapists might have had a point. Practice does help. Of course, it also could have been the person he was hugging.
