Chapter Twenty

January 2017

 

“You need anything before I head out?” Stuart stuck his head in Marisol’s office. It was his day off, but he’d come in to catch up on some paperwork from a recent catering gig. Stuart had seen a definite uptick in interest since the first CEC event last spring. The CEC had hired him for another fundraiser last fall and the annual holiday party. He was also booked for an upcoming fundraiser in May and it was only late January now.

Marisol looked up from her laptop screen. “Nope, I think we’re good. I’m just going over the books.”

“How’re we doing?”

“Pretty fucking well.” She leaned back in her chair with a pleased smile. “We had a record number of sales in the last quarter of the year and profits are up.”

“Glad to hear it.”

She lowered her voice. “Don’t share this with the rest of the crew yet but I’m planning to announce raises for everyone.”

Stuart offered her a grin. “I’m sure that will go over very, very well.”

“Hey, you know I’m committed to making this a good place to work. For everyone. I want you guys to have some quality of life.”

“I do know that, and you’ve done a hell of a job with it,” Stuart said. “Don’t think I don’t realize how lucky I am to work here every day I come in.”

“Yeah, yeah. Cut that shit out. I’m not looking to get my ass kissed here.”

“Apologies, Chef.” The corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile.

Marisol gave Stuart a look that told him she’d picked up on the teasing note in his voice. “And I don’t need your sarcasm either.”

“You like my sarcasm. It’s why you hired me.”

“True. It certainly wasn’t for your handsome face.” She briefly dragged her hands across her own face and yawned, prompting a spike of concern in Stuart.

“And what about your quality of life? Are you looking out for that?”

“Hmm?” Marisol rubbed at her eyes again.

Stuart dropped into the seat across the desk from her. “You look exhausted. And you deserve a break. Have you considered taking a vacation?”

A ghost of a smile crossed Marisol’s face and she looked more like her usual self. “I’m fine, just a little tired. And I have actually considered a vacation. Beth and I have been discussing it. Probably just a long weekend upstate or something.” She shrugged.

“It would at least help you recharge your batteries.”

“Exactly.” Marisol drummed her fingers on the desk. “You good with filling in for me while I’m gone?”

“Sure. As long as it doesn’t overlap with any catering gigs I have lined up, I’d be happy to.”

“I checked to make sure you weren’t otherwise occupied so I’ll email you the dates I was considering in the next day or two,” Marisol said.

“Sounds good.”

Marisol looked at the clock and rose to her feet, shutting the lid of the laptop. “We’re about to open for dinner so I need to get my ass in the kitchen.”

“You like these days I have off, don’t you?” he teased.

“When I have a chance to get my hands dirty on the line? You bet I fucking do. Now get out of here. I know for a fact you have a handsome man to go home to.”

Stuart grinned. “I sure do.”

 

* * * *

 

Twenty minutes later, Stuart pulled his bike up to the curb and parked. A sense of contentment stole over him as he chained the bike and pulled the cover over it. He and Malcolm had recently moved, and while he occasionally missed living in Little Italy, it was mostly because he missed the food. Parking was actually easier around their new place here on the border of Kip’s Bay. He and Malcolm had searched high and low for an apartment around Little Italy and K-Town. They’d also weighed renting versus buying before finally settling on buying a studio on the edge of the NoMad district.

Stuart nodded at the doorman, who held the door and greeted him with a friendly, “Good evening, Mr. Morgan.”

“Hi, Dominick.” He tucked his helmet under his arm as he nodded his hello. A woman glanced his way as he strode through the lobby, eyeing him up and down with an appreciative glance. Stuart didn’t recognize her so he figured she must be waiting for a tenant to come down. Some of his neighbors had given him wary looks for a while—especially when he wore his riding leathers—so he’d gone out of his way to introduce himself and greet them warmly until their wariness faded.

A jog up several flights of stairs brought Stuart to the apartment he lived in with Malcolm and he hummed to himself as he fitted the key in the brand-new lock. The building was on the small side, it was well maintained, and their unit had been recently renovated. Their apartment made him smile every time he stepped inside of it and today was no exception. Although it was already dark out thanks to the early hour of sunset, the space felt light and airy.

At just over five hundred square feet, the studio was easily twice the size of Stuart’s old place and was laid out much better. A large closet and roomy bathroom were off to one side, but the majority of the space was an open rectangle with the kitchen at one end. The sight of it had made him gasp audibly one night when he and Malcolm had been online browsing real estate listings.

Malcolm had glanced over at him. ‘You love that kitchen, don’t you?’

‘I do.’ Stuart had groaned and leaned in to inspect it more closely. Although still compact, it had been well laid out with an excellent workflow. He had liked the cabinets that went all the way up to the ceiling and the stainless-steel gas cooktop and range, but they hadn’t been what drew him in most. Even the solid stone countertops and dishwasher—unheard-of luxuries for him—hadn’t outshone the vision Stuart had of himself cooking breakfast on weekend mornings while Malcolm worked on his laptop at the narrow breakfast bar nearby. Stuart had pictured the table he’d build with hidden leaves that would expand to seat their friends. And after he’d explained that to Malcolm, Malcolm had given Stuart a soft smile and kissed him lightly on the lips.

‘That sounds amazing.’ Malcolm had scrolled up to look at the price. ‘Oof. It’s definitely at the top end of the range we discussed.’

Stuart had stolen a peek and frowned. ‘It is. You’d have to be okay with me putting the bulk of the down payment down and I know that’s not ideal for you.’

Malcolm had nodded and bit his lip. ‘It’s not. We do have one other option.’

‘What’s that?’

He’d leaned back in his chair. ‘Well, when I mentioned we were shopping for a place, both Kyle and Carter offered me a loan. Separately. I’m not even sure they talked about it with each other at all. They just know how expensive Manhattan real estate is and that it’s a tight market.’

Stuart had raised an eyebrow in surprise. ‘You’re considering it?’

‘Do you think I shouldn’t?’

‘No, I didn’t say that at all,’ Stuart had replied, his words coming out slowly as he considered how to phrase what he wanted to say. ‘I’m just surprised…’

‘Given the way I reacted when they bought me groceries?’

‘Yeah.’ Stuart had rubbed Malcolm’s shoulder.

‘I guess I learned from that whole situation,’ Malcolm had said with a little sigh. ‘There’s no good reason for me to be so stubborn. It’s one thing to have pride, it’s quite another to let it keep me from being happy. From doing something that would make you happy. And this place would make you happy, wouldn’t it?’

Stuart had shrugged. ‘I like it a lot, yes. The kitchen is definitely a selling point and I can see us living there. None of that is worth causing you stress, though.’

‘I appreciate that. But I think it would be worth accepting the help,’ Malcolm had said slowly. ‘Now that my mom’s financially stable, my savings are building up again, but it’s going to be a while before I have enough to make much of a contribution to a down payment. I don’t want to wait a year or two to move in with you and I want it to be a place we can stay in for a long while. If borrowing some money from friends allows me to do that sooner rather than later…why not? I know I’ll be able to pay them back, and a loan will let us do it now rather than having to wait.’

‘If you’re comfortable with it, I say go for it,’ Stuart had said. ‘And let’s call the real estate agent immediately because this place will go fast.’

Thanks to a loan from Carter and Riley and a good chunk of Stuart’s savings, they’d managed to put in an offer that snagged them the studio and now they were settling in nicely. Moving had been easy enough because neither of them owned a lot and they were slowly furnishing it with items they’d found together at thrift stores and the belongings Stuart had tucked away in storage.

Stuart’s favorite spots—apart from the kitchen—were the two deep windowsills. They held small pots of greens and a variety of herbs. They didn’t compare to what he had planned for next summer, however. Their fire escape had enough space and direct sunlight that Stuart was going to try growing potted strawberry and blueberry plants along with patio tomatoes. He had plans to build planters that would hang from the railings and the grates above. Luka had cringed when Stuart mentioned it, but Stuart had shown him the small landing area out of the way of any foot traffic, Luka had agreed the garden wasn’t a fire safety hazard.

Stuart was both amused and appreciative of the way the speakeasy guys looked after one another. He was officially one of the crew.

Now, Stuart brushed his fingers across the tender basil leaves in one of the windowsill pots, releasing a cloud of spicy-herbal fragrance. Every time Malcolm caught Stuart trimming off dead leaves or carefully watering the soil in his herb garden, he gave Stuart a small, fond smile.

The whole apartment made Stuart happy. From the customized Murphy bed that tucked up into the wall to the kitchen island Stuart had built to give them more prep space, the place was theirs. Some days he had to pinch himself to believe that he’d finally found the home he’d been searching for since he left Utah.

It wasn’t the space Stuart had moved into that made the place a home, though—it was the man he’d moved in with.

And the dog, Stuart thought as he felt a wet nose nudge his hand. He looked down with a smile. “Well, hello there. You must have been snoozing hard not to wake up when I got home.” He scratched behind Chase Barksdale’s fawn-colored ears and was rewarded with a thump of Chase’s tail on the floor as the dog wiggled happily at the attention.

They’d gone to the shelter with no particular breed in mind and Stuart had fallen in love with Chase the moment he’d laid eyes on his intelligent expression and saw his friendly nature. When Malcolm had expressed concern that the dog might not have the right temperament for a small apartment, the person on staff had assured them that the Whippet-Lab mix was perfect for them. Slightly bigger and broader than a typical Whippet due to his Labrador blood, Chase had the calm, low-maintenance temperament of the Whippet breed.

They had both bonded with the dog and now Stuart couldn’t imagine a life without him. He and Malcolm often spent evenings on the couch with Chase between them, his head stretched out on Stuart’s thigh while his tail whapped against Malcolm’s legs.

Debbie—one of Stuart and Malcolm’s neighbors—worked from home and loved to go on afternoon runs. When she’d met Chase, he’d taken to her immediately, and she’d enthusiastically offered to take Chase with her on those runs. It gave him a chance to stretch his legs and burn off energy. Most days when Stuart or Malcolm got home from work, they found Chase snoozing in his bed on the floor.

The sound of a key in the lock made Stuart look up. He’d been lost in his thoughts far longer than he’d realized. He glanced at the clock on the wall to see it wasn’t quite as late as he’d imagined. Perhaps Malcolm had left work early today.

“Hey!” he called out as Chase trotted over to the entrance to greet Malcolm. Stuart heard laughter and Malcolm’s soft greeting, and a few minutes later, Malcolm and the dog appeared in the main living area.

“I have a surprise for you.” Malcolm sauntered toward Stuart with a smile, a bag dangling from his finger. Stuart recognized the black bag with the gold logo immediately and a jolt of excitement went through him.

“When did you stop there?” he asked, intrigued as he met Malcolm halfway.

“Carter sent us all home a little early, so I stopped on my way home from work.”

“What’s the occasion?” Stuart leaned in and brushed his lips across Malcolm’s.

Malcolm shrugged and gave him another quick kiss. “Do I need an occasion to buy my man sexy lingerie?”

“No, no, you don’t.” Stuart’s smile stretched so wide it almost hurt his face. Malcolm’s acceptance of his kink had meant the world to Stuart. But this, Malcolm’s eager participation in it, meant even more. It filled him up in ways he hadn’t even known he was lacking and soothed the hurts from every previous person who’d dismissed or belittled his kink. It made Stuart feel comfortable and proud of who he was, not ashamed. They’d come a long way in the past six months.

Stuart was still smiling as he took the bag from Malcolm’s hand and pulled out the black tissue paper.

They’d stumbled upon the boutique lingerie store one day while exploring the neighborhood. Stuart had lingered near the window and Malcolm had been the one to finally coax him inside.

They’d both been nervous. Stuart because, in the past, he’d mostly shopped online for anonymity’s sake and Malcolm because he was generally a very private person, especially when it came to anything to do with sex. But the salesclerk had been kind and understanding and hadn’t batted an eye when they’d finally, awkwardly, admitted they were shopping for Stuart. She’d merely measured his hips, gave him a once-over and asked which styles he preferred.

Now, Stuart slowly flipped over the pieces of tissue paper, savoring the moment as he stared down at a scrap of peacock-blue fabric. He set the paper aside and held the material up, inspecting the sheer mesh overlaid with matching lace. It would cup his ass and wrap around his hips and he could already picture how it would look stretched over his cock as Malcolm kissed him through the fabric…

“Wow.” It came out hoarser than he’d intended, and his body filled with heat at the idea.

“That’s what I thought when I saw it.” Malcolm wrapped his arms around Stuart’s hips. “I imagined them on you and…” Malcolm stole another kiss, then rested his forehead against Stuart’s.

Stuart rubbed his thumb across the lace, feeling how soft and finely woven it was. “It followed you home?”

“Something like that.” Malcolm sounded like he was smiling.

“You spoil me.” Stuart was smiling, too. And it wasn’t a complaint. He enjoyed when Malcolm surprised him like this.

“Would you wear them tonight?” Now Malcolm was the one whose voice sounded husky.

“To drinks at Under?” Stuart leaned back to look Malcolm in the eye. He’d never worn lingerie when they hung out with Malcolm’s friends.

“You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable with the idea. I just thought it might be something we’d both enjoy.” Malcolm gave him a small shrug. Stuart knew if he said no, Malcolm would respect it. He wouldn’t push and Stuart would never feel any pressure from him. The idea intrigued him though.

“I could give it a try. Any ideas about what I should wear over them?” He didn’t have a lot of options. Jeans, a few pairs of trousers…

“I was thinking leather pants.”

Stuart raised an eyebrow. “You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you?”

“Maybe?” Malcolm gave a sheepish shrug. Stuart set the underwear and bag on the nearby couch, then stepped forward, sliding his arms around Malcolm’s waist to pull their bodies tightly together. “Like…maybe the whole walk home. And I might have almost walked past our building because I was so distracted.”

Stuart chuckled. “I can’t imagine why.”

Malcolm let out a little grumbling noise of disagreement. “Liar. You’re hard right now just thinking about it.”

Stuart rubbed gently against Malcolm’s hip. “So I am.”

“Maybe I should do something about that before we leave for Under…”

“Mmm.” Stuart let out a rumbling noise of approval at the idea before he caught a glimpse of the clock. “I’m afraid it’ll have to wait until after. We need to get ready and grab a bite to eat before we head out or we’ll be cutting it close for time.”

“Damn it.”

“It’ll be worth it. I promise. Now, go get changed while I heat up leftovers from last night.” Stuart lightly smacked Malcolm’s ass. “I’ll get ready after we eat if you’ll clean.”

“Don’t I get to watch you get dressed?”

“No.” Stuart grinned. “One, if you do, we’ll never get out of here on time. And two, it’ll heighten the anticipation for both of us.”

“I hate it when you’re right.”

“No, you don’t.” Stuart gave Malcolm a deep, lingering kiss and smacked Malcolm’s ass again. “Now go.”

 

* * * *

 

As Stuart descended the stairs to Under, he wondered if he’d made a terrible mistake. He felt a little self-conscious as he trailed after Malcolm, highly aware of the soft rub of lace against his cockhead. Malcolm had assured him the texture of the lace couldn’t be seen underneath the supple leather, but he was starting to regret his choice to prolong the torment. Trying to keep his erection down was a challenge.

Malcolm greeted Jim at the door and Stuart nodded a distracted hello to him. The group of men who stood up to greet them diverted Stuart from his thoughts long enough for him to regain his composure. He got a warm greeting from Riley, Carter, Will and David, and a moment later, Jesse and Cam appeared.

“Hey, good to see you.” Jesse kissed Malcolm on the cheek. “I’ve missed you, Maleficent.”

“I’ve missed you too, Jes. We’ve been busy getting settled into the new place. Stuart’s been at the workshop, building us some amazing custom furniture. The dining table is almost done.”

“I can’t wait to check it all out. Thanks for inviting Cam and me over for dinner next weekend. I’m looking forward to sampling some of Stuart’s scrumptiousness.” He waggled his eyebrows in a way that should have been utterly ridiculous but somehow came off as charming.

Malcolm laughed as he hugged Cam. “Always innuendo with you, Jes, isn’t it?”

“Always.” Jesse gave Malcolm a dazzling grin, then leaned in to hug Stuart.

Cam asked about Chase Barksdale and he and Malcolm chatted about him as Stuart made a beeline for the bar.

“Goddamn, do I approve of your boyfriend wearing leather pants. You are a lucky, lucky bitch, Mal.” Jesse’s words floated above the murmur of voices and Stuart smiled to himself. He caught a glimpse of Kyle, laughing and shaking his head as he mixed another drink.

Stuart tried to imagine what Jesse and the rest of them would say if they knew what he had on underneath the leather pants. Actually, he was pretty sure he knew what the reaction would be. Some friendly teasing, a few wolf-whistles and a whole lot of acceptance. His kink wasn’t something he wanted to share with these guys. At least, there was zero chance they’d ever be judgmental if they did find out.

They’d been nothing but supportive of Malcolm as he’d figured out his sexuality and came to understand who he was. It would be the same for Stuart.

“Hey there.” Kyle came around the end of the bar to enfold Stuart in a warm hug. “I mixed up a batch of something called a Fennel Countdown. It’s rum, calvados, citrus-clove infused liqueur, fennel syrup and apricot puree. You interested in trying it?”

“Oh, wow. That sounds great. You’re definitely giving me recipe ideas.”

Kyle chuckled. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Stuart grinned. “Not at all. I’m thinking about roast pork with a fennel-citrus rub and an apricot-clove sauce.”

“Hell, Stuart. I will happily let you experiment on me any day if you’re making that.”

Stuart laughed heartily. Of all the guys, he and Kyle had meshed the most easily. They’d bonded over their love of booze and food and he felt their humor generally aligned well. He liked them all, but Kyle was the one he was most likely to socialize with one-on-one. Stuart and Kyle had gone hiking a handful of times throughout the fall and winter, and once the snow began to melt, Stuart hoped they’d get out again.

As Stuart sipped the delicious cocktail and planned recipes in his head, Luka arrived. Kyle greeted his boyfriend with a kiss and Stuart gave the handsome fireman a firm hug.

“So I hear congratulations are in order?” He looked between Kyle and Luka.

“They are.” Luka offered him a smile as he fingered the silver band on his left ring finger. “Kyle finally agreed to make an honest man of me. I think he’d be happier going to a courthouse and keeping it very quiet, but I have a huge family who would murder us both if we went that route. Not to mention Jesse.”

“You could always get married at the courthouse first,” Stuart suggested. “Tell no one else. Then there would be less pressure on the day of the big ceremony and reception.”

“Now that’s some sensible advice,” Kyle said in a thoughtful tone. “We’re thinking of doing the reception upstairs here, actually, which takes some of the pressure off.”

“At The Over Under? That’s a great idea.”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about catering, actually.”

“Oh, man, I’d love to.” Stuart grinned, delighted to be asked.

“I am glad to hear it. It’ll be a load off my mind, knowing it’s in your capable hands.”

Stuart glowed a little at the praise and the other guys crowded around as they chatted about the upcoming wedding. Riley and Carter chimed in with their advice on how to keep the planning from getting too out of hand while Stuart contemplated the idea that he and Malcolm might head down that road at some point in the future. After his marriage with Becky, Stuart never would have considered the idea. But now…

Malcolm caught his glance and smiled in a way that sent butterflies surging through Stuart’s chest. Goddamn, he loved Malcolm.

“Cam has some big news, too!” Jesse announced, breaking Stuart’s focus on Malcolm. He glanced over to see Cam’s face turn pink as he ducked his head.

“Yeah? What’s that?” Will asked, his tone curious.

“I kissed a girl.” Cam’s muttered words were almost quiet enough to be missed but Stuart caught them.

“Tell them the rest!” Jesse teased, wrapping his arm around Cam’s waist.

“I liked it,” Cam admitted with a huff.

Behind him, Kyle hummed the familiar Katy Perry tune under his breath and Stuart let out a deep belly laugh in response.

“Hey, this isn’t funny,” Cam protested but he was laughing too. All of them were. There was nothing malicious about it, however. Only good-hearted humor at the situation and Cam’s uncharacteristic shyness about it.

“It’s a little bit funny, babe,” Jes said, pressing a kiss to Cam’s temple. “And you totally gave me permission to tell them all, so I know you aren’t actually mad.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“So how did this happen, exactly?” Carter asked, still chuckling.

“The same way they usually do,” Jesse said. “We went out one night and met an interesting couple.”

“Okay, but it’s usually two guys, right?” Riley asked.

“Well, Cam’s watched me with a woman before. The man was bi and very into Cam. They had fun while I got to enjoy his girlfriend. It worked for us.”

“So what made this time different?” David asked.

“I don’t know. The vibe was just right, I guess. Something just…meshed. I’ve never felt that for a woman before but…” Cam shrugged. “I asked her if she was into me experimenting some and she was all for it, so I gave it a go. No one was more surprised than me when I enjoyed it but I’m not one to turn down an opportunity like that if it feels right.”

Jesse grinned. “It didn’t go any further with Cam and her that night—we needed to talk more about it first—but we got their number and we may see them again. So, that’s fun.” He shot Cam a sly grin and stole a kiss.

“Huh,” Malcolm said. He exchanged a glance with Stuart.

Polyamory would never work for them, but it clearly made Jesse and Cam happy, so who were they to judge? Malcolm and Stuart had their own kinks. Stuart thought briefly of the blue panties he had on and arousal tickled at the edge of his consciousness. He had a lot to look forward to when they went home tonight.

“Who knows, maybe there’s still hope for me hooking up with Riley and Carter eventually,” Jesse teased.

Will hooted. “In your dreams, Jes.”

“Mmmhmm.” Jesse looked off into the distance. “Filthy, filthy dreams.”

Riley leaned over and whispered something in Carter’s ear. Carter rolled his eyes at Riley, then leaned over and planted a kiss on Riley’s cheek.

The conversation segued into other topics as they settled into the seating area with their drinks. As everyone laughed and caught up on all the new things happening—Riley and Carter reveling in happily married life, Will and David running their foundation and living in Manhattan part-time now that David had left office and become an Independent—a sense of completion settled over Stuart.

When he’d left Utah on a bike, with tears in his eyes and nothing but a wild hope of building a new life in Manhattan, he’d never dreamed it would look like this. He’d never imagined it would include a partner he loved, a thriving career and a hell of a lot of people who accepted and welcomed him into their lives.

Seeing how unfailingly supportive these men were made Stuart realize how lucky he was, not only to have met Malcolm but to be a part of this strange and wonderful group. They could still be overwhelming at times, but Stuart had come to realize that he’d mostly been scared to trust them. Scared to get close to anyone who could reject him. He’d lost his family and everyone else in his life when he’d come out. Now, he’d finally begun to believe that these guys weren’t going anywhere.

Stuart reached out and snagged Malcolm’s elbow, pulling him closer. Malcolm looked over at him with love and laughter in his eyes.

“I love you so much,” Stuart said, his voice husky with emotion. “And I am so damn glad that other caterer canceled on you last year.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Malcolm closed the distance between them and brushed their lips together.

As he drew back, Stuart knew with bone-deep certainty that whatever happened in the future, he had everything he needed right here.

Life was good.