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“She?”
“The only woman I want in my life. I’m sure some women are fine. My mother was an asshole. Also, the only influence I had. Since I’m gay, I don’t feel the need to surround myself with them. I hear your mom and Greer’s are nice.” I couldn’t believe I just said that.
Xaiden smiled. “If they heard you just now, they’d both hug you and mother you within an inch of your life. They’re amazing women.”
I wondered what it was like, having a mother who was good and not one who hooked on the corner so she could earn enough to shoot more drugs into her arm. An overdose killed her. I wasn’t even sorry to hear she was gone, other than having to deal with my father by myself. Although, he was gone about a year after her. He owed the wrong loan shark money and when the debt came way overdue, he paid for it with his life.
“Maybe one day I’ll meet them,” I replied and got in my car so I could back it out. This morning brought up too many memories. I didn’t like how they were stirring inside of me, making me remember shit I’d rather not. At least I got a nice view of Xaiden while I worked on my car.
2
CORBIN
The sun was out. The birds were chirping, even the mockingbird I wanted out of the tree behind my condo. I didn’t mind songbirds, but he took it to another level, a highly annoying one. It was still better than sirens and trauma. I loved my job, but I loved my time off even more.
I couldn’t stay in bed like I normally would on a weekend off. I’d lounge around and read or watch TV. Do things which helped me relax. My job as an ER doctor was fast-paced and high stress when I was there. I liked to be the opposite when I wasn’t.
My phone vibrated on my nightstand. I picked it up to see a text from JJ. He was an unlikely friend. I met him when my truck had broken down near his shop. I had no clue what I was looking at under the hood. JJ came along and saved my night. I told him I owed him, to which he replied it was dangerous to owe the son of a mafia boss. In truth, I’d seen a lot of bad shit in the ER. Meeting JJ, or Jordan Altair Jr., was a gift not a curse. He’d become a good friend since then. I didn’t have a lot of people I could count on, so it was nice having him in my corner.
I picked up my phone to read his text.
JJ: You better still be coming.
Me: I am. I haven’t gotten out of bed yet.
JJ: Did you work yesterday?
Me: Yes, luckily not overnight.
JJ: Good, you’re rested then. We’ll see you at one.
Me: Okay.
Last night, after I got home and showered, I received a text from JJ inviting me over for a cookout today at the house he shared with his two partners. Today’s high temperature was supposed to be sixty. They wanted to take advantage of the great weather and also break in the new grill they bought. JJ said it would be a small gathering, but I didn’t think the three of them knew what the word small meant.
They had an extended network of friends and those they considered family, plus actual family. There were the people they worked with, which were a lot, especially Dexen since he owned a club. Just the thought of the place where the men danced on stage in nearly nothing had my body heating all over. I shook the thought away. I only let those tempting ones in when I was settled for the night and could fist my dick and make myself come to thoughts of what it would be like to be with a man.
I had always found both men and women attractive. When I met my ex-wife, no one else existed but her. I didn’t forget about my attraction to men. It was pushed to the side while I focused on Pia. She stole my breath the moment I first laid eyes on her. Ten years of marriage later, she took a large chunk of my money, thanks to our settlement agreement, when we divorced.
We’d been residing in New Jersey where I had a good career at a hospital close to where we lived. She came home one day and said she was leaving me. That she’d told her lawyer to file the papers, which apparently had already been drawn up. I was blindsided. Our marriage wasn’t perfect, but whose was? I didn’t think we had insurmountable problems. In her eyes, we did.
The divorce was fast and brutal, taking more than I wanted to let go of. Her lawyer was a shark and mine wasn’t. That was over two years ago. Pia didn’t wait to move on with someone else. She got remarried three months after the divorce was final. I had no proof she was cheating on me when we were still together. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t. Hell, I had no idea about anything when it came to her, apparently.
She had called me boring, said all I did was work. Yes, I worked, but four days out of seven wasn’t a bad deal. I still spent plenty of time at home. She’d also said a lot of things to me like I wasn’t satisfying her in bed. I wasn’t adventurous in there and didn’t do enough to keep her happy. I was too nice to others and let people walk all over me. How I had changed from the man she married. The list went on and on.
It was obvious she didn’t want to fight for our marriage, so why should I? I was heartbroken to lose the woman I loved. The woman I shared everything with. In the end, I just wanted to be done so I gave in to her demands.
I moved out of our home and into a rental but once everything was said and done, and I saw her out with her new fiancé, I had to start fresh somewhere else. I’d applied for jobs and was lucky to get hired at East Dremest Hospital. They had an open position due to one of their doctors retiring. I gave my notice at my other job, and when the time came, left the town I once loved and moved over the border to Pennsylvania to start anew.
My life now looked a lot different than I imagined. Since I wanted to save money, I could afford to rent a one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo near the hospital to keep my commute short. I could have gotten a mortgage; however, I didn’t want to rush into buying a home. I was new to the city and wanted to get a feel for it. The area my condo was in was nice and clean. Minimal crime. Though now that I’d lived here for a bit, I knew that was due to JJ’s father keeping his half of the city clean. East Dremest was his turf. West Dremest belonged to Perry Altair Jr., JJ’s cousin, and the Dremests, though I’d hazard to guess the whole city belonged to the Dremest family since it was named after them.
The mockingbird sang the song of other birds in rapid succession, on repeat. It was enough to get me out of bed and away from him. It was after eleven. I’d gotten plenty of sleep.
The coffee had already brewed and was waiting for me when I went to the kitchen. I was stuck with a basic type of maker that did what it was supposed to on a timer, nothing more. I wasn’t someone who spent a lot on material things, except when I was with Pia. I bought her what she wanted, lavished her with gifts and a beautiful home. Now, I saved every penny I could. I spent what I needed to on my truck and myself. I wasn’t frivolous. I didn’t go out and party. It wasn’t like I’d done that before. For me, it was college, more college, residency, and work. I missed the partying aspect while I was busy studying. Now, I had the chance to make up for lost time but I couldn’t bring myself to spend money on things I didn’t need. I was night and day from the man I used to be. I guess divorce did that to a person.
I could go to this cookout though. I could bring a moderately priced bottle of wine and enjoy an afternoon of fresh air with people I liked. Some a little more than others.
My attraction to men had amplified since I’d laid eyes on Val. The first time I’d met him was when I was helping Dominic and Peyton with their injuries after Dominic was held against his will and drugged. They were both dating Perry Altair. Peyton had been shot in the process. JJ called in his favor to me to help them and I did. Off the clock. Off any record. I’d learned when it came to JJ, most things were done above board but there were some the cops and anyone in an official capacity had to be far away from.
