“Garrett…” Hal glanced toward the rec room. “How, exactly, did he convince you?”
“Does it matter?”
“Did you and him…?” Hal squinted at him suspiciously.
“No,” Dylan chuckled. “We just…kissed. As a test.”
“Test?”
“To see if I was really into guys or if what happened between us was just a fluke.”
“Oh.” Hal frowned, uncertainty on his face. “You thought it was a fluke?”
Dylan shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I mean, I was shitfaced. I thought maybe it was the alcohol that made me do it. Garrett said we should kiss, while I was sober, and see if I felt anything.”
Licking his lips slowly, Hal mumbled in a guarded tone, “Did you?”
A pleasant shiver rushed through Dylan. “Yeah.” He laughed nervously. “I did. I think it was probably the best kiss of my life.”
“Really.” A defensive note crept into Hal’s voice. “So, you’re going to go ahead and do this thing?”
“Yeah, I…I think so. Some, anyway. I don’t think I’m ready to fuck a guy, but maybe some of the other stuff would be fun.”
Hal nodded slowly. “Let me guess, you chose Garrett?”
“Yes.” Dylan couldn’t figure Hal out. He was acting almost angry at Dylan. But this wasHal’sidea for Dylan to fuck a porn star. What was his issue? “Is something wrong?”
Hal stepped back, his body rigid. “No. Why?”
“I don’t know. You seem kind of pissed all of the sudden. You’re the one who wanted me to come here and do this.”
“I’m not pissed,” he muttered.
“I think you are,” Dylan said. “I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re pissed about something. What’s the deal? Is it because I chose Garrett? You don’t like him? What?”
“It isn’t anything,” Hal insisted, the edge on his tone holding. “I told you, I’m not pissed. Go do your thing with Garrett. I don’t care.”
Dylan started to argue when Lucas sauntered out of the rec room. A grin split his face. “There you are,” he told Hal. “I was wondering where you disappeared to.” He winked at Dylan. “Some one on one time with Garrett get you motivated?”
“Yeah.” Dylan shot Hal a dry look, irritated by his attitude. “It did.”
“Fuck yeah, baby.” Lucas clamped his hand on Hal’s shoulder. “How about I show you the free-for-all room?”
“What’s that?”
Lucas chuckled. “It’s set up with a motion sensor camera. Once you step in front of it, it broadcasts youractivitieslive to the viewers.” He wagged his silky black eyebrows. “Wanna make a dirty movie with me?”
Hal glanced at Dylan, a tension in his face. Like a switch being flipped, a grin cut across his face and he draped his arm around Lucas. “Fuck yeah, I do. Let’s get it on.”
Lucas laughed and tossed another wink at Dylan. “See ya on the other side, baby.” He and Hal headed off up the staircase without a backward glance.
“Whatever,” Dylan muttered, both confused and annoyed by his best friend’s behavior. He started for the rec room when Gideon approached from across the large entrance hall.
“Dylan.” Gideon smiled. “How are you doing?”
“Fine.”
“You sure?”
