“You’ve been here a few months now, Omar. How are you finding it?”
“Yeah, it’s good.”
Omar was a man of many words!
“Can you answer a question for me honestly, Omar?”
“Er . . . yeah?”
Derek chuckled. “I promise you, it’s nothing bad. You’re a brilliant worker. Considering you’ve never worked behind a bar before, you can serve drinks quicker than anyone here. Me included.”
“Oh . . . er . . . thank you.”
“I just noticed you don’t feel comfortable with some of our more ...flirtycustomers. There are hundreds of bars in London that don’t have horny queens trying to tempt the staff into the labyrinth.”
Omar’s eyes widened, and he looked down at the floor.
“Omar, what’s wrong? You can tell me anything, and it stays between us.”
“I have to work in a gay bar,” he mumbled.
Derek could understand that. A sense of community and belonging was important. But why a sex club?
“You know there are lots of bars in Soho that are a bit more PG in terms of their clientele.”
“Do you not want me here?” he asked, still not making eye contact.
“Omar, look at me.”
His head snapped up, like he was unable to control it. Jesus, was the kid submissive as well? There was no way this place was right for him if that were the case, but the thought of him being somewhere Derek couldn’t keep an eye on him made him feel sick. Some arsehole would take advantage of Omar, like the cunt Kieran had bothering him.
“Omar... I just want to understand why you chose a sex club over a regular gay bar. I have no issues with your work. You’re excellent. I just want you to feel comfortable here, and sometimes you look freaked out by some of our more...friendlycustomers.”
Omar giggled, which was adorable. “I tried a few places in Soho, but they wanted experience. Sorry, that sounded rude.”
“No, it’s not rude at all. It’s honest. Are you comfortable sharing why you want to work in a gay bar?”
“I’m looking for my brother.”
That wasn’t what Derek was expecting him to say. He gestured for Omar to continue.
“My brother is gay, but my parents asked him to leave ten years ago, and I haven’t seen him since. I know he moved to London, so I hoped that if I worked in a gay bar, he might come in. I don’t have any way to contact him.”
“Do your parents know you’re gay as well? Sorry, Omar, that’s me making assumptions, but I have seen you eyeing up some of the guys in suits.”
He blushed but couldn’t hide his smile. “Yeah, I’m gay as well, and yeah, they know, and... we don’t speak anymore.”
Derek’s heart went out to him. How could parents do that to their own children? And do it twice? How hard had it been for Omar to come out knowing that what happened to his brother was going to happen to him? Derek promised himself, he was going to help Omar find his brother.
Knights Corner was busy at lunchtime during the week, especially on a Tuesday, as that was a popular day for people to be in the office. Derek had booked ahead, but still hadn’t been sure if Kieran would cancel at the last minute. He seemed skittish.
“What would you like to drink?
“A pint of Pepsi Max,” he replied, looking overly interested in the menu and not making eye contact.
That made sense. He was working after their lunch, so he’d need to be alert given his job. Derek was going to order a soft drink as well, but he was feeling anxious about this lunch, which was unusual. He didn’t get anxious about things, but he could feel the tension radiating off Kieran. It would probably only take one wrong word for him to blow. He added a beer to the order and sent it through to the bar.
“How have you been?” he asked.
