“There is.” Borja looks out the window too. “So, Michael. I was thinking we could tell him we’re doing a documentary about the hotel and the brooch and wanted to see if he could talk to us about the rumors surrounding his family.”
“Very good. I think that’s a fine way to start out. We’ll know how receptive he is at that point.”
“Can I get you gentlemen anything else?” Our waiter appears at our table. He’s a young man, possibly in his twenties, though I’m not very good at detecting ages, with messy brown hair and crystal blue eyes. His attention is completely focused on me.
“No, I think that’s all,” I reply. “The check would be fine.”
“Sure thing.” He lingers, glancing at Borja before returning his gaze to me. “Are you a couple? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Borja turns to the waiter now. “What?”
“I was asking if you’re a couple, because if you’re not…” He slides a slip of paper toward me. “Or if you are and you’re open or ENM, I’m down.”
He walks away before either of us can answer. I take the slip of paper and see it has a phone number scrawled across it with the name Leo written at the top.
“What just happened?”
Borja chuckles. “He wants to hook up with you, Farns.”
I blink rapidly, trying to process that information. “What? How did you get that from that interaction?”
“He gave you his phone number, asked if we’re a couple or if we’re open to extra partners. It wasn’t exactly subtle.”
“What did ENM mean?”
“Ethical non-monogamy. Another term for polyamory.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“Uh, well, it basically means you can be in a relationship but still open to new relationships or sexual partners. It’s not cheating because all partners are aware and consenting.”
“People do that?”
“Yep. I wouldn’t say it’s mainstream, but it’s more common than most people think. I tried it once. I went on a few dates with someone who was poly, and it was cool, but when he introduced me to his primary partner and their girlfriend, it got a little uncomfortable. I just got a vibe that his partner didn’t like me and there would be tension if things continued. He assured me it was fine, and if there had been a stronger connection between us I might have continued it, but it just sort of fizzled out.”
I nod, taking that all in as I imagine it. “So, you could have a boyfriend and another boyfriend at the same time?”
“Yes. Or a husband and a boyfriend. Or, if you swing differently, a wife and a boyfriend.”
“And it’s legal?”
Borja chuckles. “It’s legal.”
“Fascinating.”
“Look.” Borja points out the window as a black car pulls up across the street in front of the gallery.
A man dressed in an unusual flowing black outfit steps out and walks to the door, then opens it with a set of keys.
“Want to bet that’s Michael Wolcott?” Borja says.
“It very well could be.”
Leo, our waiter, returns and sets the check down. I glance up at him and he winks before walking away again. I shake my head, truly confused about what a young man like him could see in me, but at the same time, it’s strangely pleasant. First a beautiful man like Borja, and now this. Wonders never cease.
“If you want to call him, I won’t stand in your way,” Borja says.
“What?”
