Page 6 of Whirlwind

There. Two cuffs, most of his hand, and the treasure trail leading down his slim abdomen. It was reasonably sexy, and he liked the symmetry between their profiles. If anyone was going to be chaining Taylor up, it was him.

Then, he filled out the profile. 5’9”. 150 lbs. Single. Hispanic. Blah, blah, blah. Interested in friends, relationships, dates, “right now”—a hilarious euphemism. Well, whatever Taylor wanted, he wanted. He just clicked on everything.

Tribes? They looked stupid. Plus, he didn’t think Taylor had had any.

Now he had to write the blurb. He was writing it with only one reader in mind, so it didn’t take long to compose.

What am I looking for? Someone sweet. Someone to tie up and do naughty things to. Someone to laugh with. Someone who can speak his mind. Someone to snuggle with. Someone who will dress up pretty for me. Someone to take care of. Someone to drive off into the sunset with. Maybe it’s you.

Alright, so it might be overly sentimental, but it was exactly what he wanted. More importantly, he was pretty sure that it was what Taylor wanted. He wanted it to sound a little racy, but mostly safe. He put the last little sentence in to nudge Taylor toward taking a risk.

Hopefully, with this veil of anonymity between them, Taylor would notice that their kinks lined up as well as their platonic interests. He’d be excited about the mystery guy and they’d meet up. Then, when he realized it was Julio, they’d just click. It would be perfect.

He checked the profile over one more time and then turned off the sound on his phone. There was no way he was going to give the game away with an inopportune beep. Now he needed to go get his man.

***

When he got to Whirlwind, Julio stood just inside the door and peeked in. He was relieved to see that Taylor was the only one at their usual table. Ben and Parker, who were partners at the same law firm, always came late, but Eric worked from home and could show up any time.

Taylor was pouring himself a glass of beer from the pitcher he must have ordered for the table. His hair was adorably unkempt, and even though he’d clearly showered and changed, there was a smudge of dirt or grease on the back of his neck. Julio wanted to reach over and brush it off. And then keep touching.

Taylor leaned back against the booth and sighed. Julio smiled. Taylor so rarely let himself relax. It was as if he was always uncomfortable with his bulky frame, wearing it like an unfamiliar suit that had appeared in his closet one day.

Now that Julio had read his Grindr profile, it made a bit more sense. Was he fighting more feminine mannerisms? Was there a graceful dancer waiting to break free? Julio couldn’t wait to find out.

He ducked out the door headed around to the back of the bar. There was a deck out there that would be open when the weather got warmer, but for now it was a bit too chilly for anyone to want outdoor seating.

It was shaped like an L, and he took up residence around the corner, just out of view from the gate. Behind him, a handful of tables were pushed into the corner, alongside a few stacks of chairs with chains passed through them and a padlock. The rest of the space was open.

Julio took out his phone.

BabyDriver: Hey, cutie. Are you at Whirlwind? I’d love to meet you.

Newbie427: I’m not cute, I promise. Where are you?

BabyDriver: In the patio around the back. It’s closed but you can just open the gate. And I promise, you’re exactly my type.

Newbie427: I’m not anyone’s type. And is this actually how this works? I’ve never actually done this before.

BabyDriver: Lucky me. Come out to the patio? Please?

Julio waited impatiently as the seconds stretched out. What was Taylor thinking? He realized that he should have stayed in the doorway while he sent the messages. Or maybe just skipped it and talked to Taylor like a normal human being.

Was Taylor reading his profile? Did he like what he saw there? Or had he already swiped left?

Newbie427: Alright. But I can only talk for a few minutes. My friends will be here soon.

Now Julio was even more nervous. This had been a totally stupid idea. He didn’t know whether Taylor thought they were going to talk or “talk” but either one just seemed crazy now.

He’d been thinking this whole plan would be sexy and fun, letting Taylor see him in a new light. But now he felt kind of creepy, like he was using his best friend for a hook-up.

It suddenly occurred to him that Baby Driver was basically a song about hooking up and leaving. Fuck.

He started to text a reply, for once at a loss for words, only to hear the crunch of footsteps on gravel. Too late.

Taylor came into view, looking around timidly, but with hope. He fumbled with the latch and then opened the gate and slipped through cautiously.

When he spotted Julio, his eyes widened and then narrowed. “Really, J?” Oh fuck. He was pissed. “This is low, even for you. For the record, I do not think this is funny.”