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Samuel rolled his eyes. “Whenever we eat there, my cat ignores me for a day. I think they put rat into the sauce.”
“You’re insane—”
“I’d prefer Tibetan,” Nelson said. “My treat. You two can pick up the next dinner.”
“Deal!” Samuel said. Kimberly looked like she wanted to protest, but she shut her mouth firmly.
As they walked, Nelson learned that she and Samuel worked together at an accounting firm. Samuel played jazz saxophone for fun and watched slasher flicks, and Kimberly loved landscape photography.
The longer he observed them together, the more confused he became about their relationship. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there seemed to be a distinct lack of… something. Not sexual tension. No, they were attracted to each other.
He watched as Kimberly playfully shoved Samuel into a shrub. He frowned. What is up with these two? It was like they were trying not to be attracted to each other. They reminded him of high schoolers who hadn’t figured out how to transition from friends to lovers.
“Best food this side of the city,” Samuel said. He darted forward to open the door, and they entered. Nelson immediately liked the restaurant. It was calm and peaceful, and the scent of yellow curry made his stomach rumble.
The hostess greeted Kimberly and Samuel with a fair amount of familiarity. She gave Nelson a curious glance, then led the three of them to a wooden booth. Photos of the Dalai Lama adorned the walls.
Samuel and Kimberly each sat on either side of the table, and Nelson stood there. The booth was big enough to comfortably accommodate six; there would be plenty of space for everyone no matter which side he chose.
“Sit wherever you like,” Samuel said. They looked at him expectantly.
He decided to sit next to Samuel. That was the best way to hide his attraction to Kimberly; if he sat next to her, her boyfriend would probably figure it out in about thirty seconds.
She would never suspect that Nelson found Samuel equally attractive.
Kimberly picked up her menu.
Samuel raised his eyebrows at Kimberly, but she was hiding behind the menu. He felt a little bad. On the way to the restaurant, he’d caught Nelson checking her out a few times.
He’d also caught Nelson checking him out.
The man was into men and women, no doubt about it.
He studied the yoga instructor’s torso and muscular arms. He wanted to touch him and see if he felt as good as he looked. Samuel had only been with four men in his life. Compared to some of his friends who bagged dozens every month, Samuel was practically a virgin. The only woman he’d slept with was his high school girlfriend. He’d adored Muriel, and he had made the mistake of trusting her with the truth. But when he told her that he was also attracted to men, she made it clear that she was repulsed.
The memories stirred to life. Him begging her to listen to what he had to say. Muriel accusing him of using her as a cover—which wasn’t even remotely true. He didn’t care if people knew about his uncommon sexual orientation, but he’d never meant to hurt her.
Then he and Muriel went off to college and he swore that he’d never do that to another woman.
Kimberly laughed at something Nelson had said. When he’d told Nelson that they were a couple, he wasn’t just having a little fun. He ached to be with her. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman: fun, smart, funny, pretty in a slightly nerdy way. She had that librarian thing going for her, and she knew how to work it.
But she deserved better, a man who would be satisfied with her. A man who wouldn’t ask her to point out the hot guys on the beach so they could check them out together. He could be monogamous with a woman or a man, but something would be missing.
A lot of his friends said he was gay and in denial, but he wasn’t. He thought about Kimberly too often when he jerked off, and it always ended the same way: with another man also in the bed. And always, right after he came, fantasy Kimberly spat at him in disgust.
Kimberly kicked him under the table, and he jumped. She and Nelson were both looking at him. Samuel smiled. “Sorry. I was trying to decide what I want. What did you say?”
“Nelson was asking what we did for our first date, and I thought you’d want to tell the story.”
Oh. That was easy. “Kimberly and I were both recruited during the same campus sweep a year ago. We were new hires together. The company forced all the newbies to do team-building exercises, and she used to slack.”
“I did not.”
“Maybe I’m exaggerating.” He leaned closer to Nelson and said in a stage whisper, “No, I’m not. She’s a slacker.” Samuel got a whiff of the man’s woodsy cologne and felt warmth spreading through his cock and balls. Now that was distracting. It took him a moment to find the thread of conversation again. “One Friday I told her that if she helped me pick out houseplants for my place, I wouldn’t sell her out.”
Nelson laughed. “You’re evil.”
“Look at her. All’s fair in love and war. Can you blame me? She’s amazing.”
