8. Second Date - Larry

I'd planned to take Todd to the Gigglewaters. It had a fun, relaxed atmosphere and after all day talking, we could enjoy a movie for a break from the chatter. It felt perfect. I hoped he liked the movie. Gigglewaters didn't play new things. Their films were older, classics.

I took a quick stroll through my closet. Dressing down would be fine for this day. I hoped Todd knew that, but then figured I'd text him. First, I pulled on an olive-colored golf shirt and cargo shorts. I wanted to show off my nice legs. After tucking my socked feet in my deck shoes, I checked myself out in one of the full-length mirrors that flanked the door that led from my closet to the ensuite bathroom. Turning left, then right, I liked what I saw and hoped Todd would too.

My hair looked good, and the olive shirt made my skin look less pale. I couldn't wait to see how nice Todd looked. I wanted him beside me. In my life. In my bed. I raised an eyebrow at my reflection and laughed. Todd had said no sex, but maybe things would change if we got along. There was no doubt we had chemistry. It zinged between us, and I wanted to fan the flames and get it rolling.

I found my phone and snapped a selfie from the mirror. The lighting was great for that. My closet was a dream. I'd never regretted paying the designer to come in and trick it out. I didn't spend money willy-nilly, but when something was worth it, I went all out. Like I planned to do for Todd. I couldn't help thinking he would be more than worth it. I sent him the picture and finished getting ready.

##

I picked Todd up on time and we ate our sandwiches on the way. The few times I'd had food from the Bricks, it had been incredible, and this one was no exception. Chicken, bacon, apple, and fancy cheese. The perfect blend of flavors on a Hawaiian bun. Todd had some kind of veggie thing, and I savored the sounds he made as he ate it even more than my food.

He was adorable in a light blue short-sleeved button-up. He'd left it untucked over his khaki shorts. He turned and caught me watching him. He swallowed and wiped his mouth. "Eyes on the road, mister." He pointed at the windshield.

I chuckled. "Sorry. You're making it difficult with all that moaning and humming going on over there. Enjoying your sandwich?"

Before I even finished my question, he was scoffing. "You know this shit is the bomb. You practically inhaled yours. Ohmygawd."

I could imagine his eye roll. I could get used to seeing the gorgeous blue-green-brown of his eyes rolling around daily. "It was good, yeah."

We spent the rest of the drive talking about great places to eat and hang out, mostly in Ybor city. His apartment was right on the edge, so I imagined he spent most of his time there. "Where'd you go to school, then? University of Tampa?"

"Yeah. I loved UT. The campus is so cool. Even after what, six years? Yeah, love it."

"You recently graduated, right? With Levi?" I wanted to know everything about him.

"Yeah. Didn't you go to the ceremony? I thought he said you did, but I didn't see you there."

I changed lanes before answering. I didn't want to get into why I left early that day and didn't go to the follow-up party, even though I had been invited. I simply hadn't wanted to feed that green-eyed monster that tended to pop up around Hudson and Levi. You couldn't look at them without seeing how in love they were. "Yeah. I had other obligations and had to cut out quickly when it was over." I shrugged as if it was nothing.

"Hmm…yeah. It's kind of weird having friends in common, but our paths don't cross much."

I laughed hard. It would have been a spit-take if I had been drinking.

"What?" he asked.

"The last time our paths crossed? Yeah, you wouldn't have anything to do with me. Every time I tried to even say hello, you snubbed me." I glanced over quickly, enough to catch him biting that bottom lip. "After that, avoiding you seemed safer."

"It wasn't that long ago, but seriously, can you blame me?"

"No, I guess not."

We went silent in the car, but fortunately, our destination was ahead. I pulled into the parking lot and circled until I found a spot I could live with. I didn't park my Beemer just anywhere. I shut off the engine and turned to him.

He smiled shyly and quickly looked away.

"Todd?"

"Hey, let's forget about the infamous birthday party event and that stupid dinner party. We can start over. How's that sound?" He looked up with only his eyes and sucked his bottom lip in his mouth again.

I stuck my finger under his chin to tilt his face up, wanting nothing more than to lean in and kiss those abused lips. "Agreed. And nothing to hide from. I'm not judging you at all. Okay?"

"Okay." When he smiled this time, it was full-on. High-voltage. Maximum wattage. And it blew me away. My heart stopped beating. My lungs stopped moving. "Great. Now tell me why you parked so fucking far away?"

"Wha…"

When he laughed, the world started up again. I could breathe. But my heart was slamming around erratically in my chest. "Seriously…" he waved his hand at the parking lot.

"Seriously? Do you know what this car costs?"

He winked at me. "Come on. Let's walk off those sandwiches. I can't believe I ate the whole thing."

We got out of the car and started to the park, but I checked him out as we went. His ass was tight and spectacular in those shorts, and I found myself hoping to all the stars above that this would work as more than fake boyfriends. Then he turned to me. "Oh, shit. Todd."

"What?"

"You got stuff, uh, food or something, on your shirt." I looked down to make sure I hadn't done the same.

"Fuck! This is my favorite shirt." I thought he was going to cry or get upset, and my body acted before my brain.

I grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "I'll buy you another one before we go to the show."

When Todd pushed me away, my heart broke a little. "I can buy my own shirts, Mr. Money Bags."

"I know you can, but I feel like this was my fault. My date suggestion and all. So, I'll make it right."

"You don't have to."

"I know, but I will. Now stop arguing. And come on," I nearly grabbed his hand, but at the last second, I shoved him a little instead, then waved at the park entrance to the dock that stretched out over the water. We walked out over the faded gray planks, taking in the sight. "I love the water."

He wrinkled his nose. "I don't get out to the water much. Not much of a beach person, but this is nice." A pelican flew by, and he tilted his head to watch it while I watched him.

"The decks go along the marsh, and there's a marina." I waved in the general direction. "I haven't been out here in a while."

"Why do you like the water so much?"

"Just look at it, Todd." Gentle blue-green waves lapped against the pilings. "It feels like the world is subdued. Peaceful. Here. In this spot. Right now, in this moment." The sun was bright overhead, and the few others around us spoke in hushed tones. It was warm, but not too warm. Spring was the best time of year to be outside in Florida.

Todd glanced around and inhaled deeply. "I see what you mean. Maybe I need more of this in my life."

"I'm surprised you don't have a stronger connection, being a Floridian."

"Being, a what? Ah…no. I'm not a native. I'm from South Carolina. I came here to go to UT. I got a partial scholarship."

"Are you staying then?"

"Yes. Probably. I mean." He turned and started walking farther down the peer. "If I can get a job."

"How's that going?"

Todd stopped walking and turned his scowling face at me. "You know what? We're talking a lot about me. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you from here? Where did you go to school? What exactly do you do?"

I didn't want to talk about me, but I needed to give to get. "Yeah…" I started walking again at a casual pace. "From here, yes. I grew up with Hudson, kind of. At least we knew each other, but we didn't get to be friends until college. University of Florida."

"Go Gators!"

"Right." I chuckled. "I'm not into sports."

"What are you into?"

"Making money." The words slipped out before I thought about them, but they were true. "Hudson grew up in the rich part of town. I did not. Which is why we weren't exactly friends until college. But that's also why I chose my profession."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"I'm a broker." I tucked my hands in my shorts pockets to keep them from reaching out to touch him. I didn't want his alarm bells going off. He would have to make the first moves.

"What does that mean? I know you sell things, but what?"

"Land. Real Estate, commodities. I have several licenses. And it's not that I sell. Sometimes, I'm the buyer or seller, but most of the time, I connect buyers and sellers and get a piece of the transaction. Usually."

"Usually?"

"I'm not getting a commission on this deal I'm working on with Hudson. I've waived that and invested instead."

"The energy thing?"

I nodded. "It's going to be big."

We reached the end of the dock and leaned against the railing to look out over the water. "Wow. Is this the bay?"

"Yes. Tampa Bay. Right here." I waved my hand out as if presenting it to him. He had no idea how much I wanted to give him the entire bay. The entire world. Anything and everything.

"Wow."

"Come on. Let's go see some other things." I led him back down the pier and around the park and surrounding area. We saw the marina and fountain and walked to the butterfly garden. The entire time, we chatted about everything and nothing. My love of nature and Florida. His love of video games and good food. The latter we had in common. He mentioned his siblings, who split pretty much as fast as they could when they came of age. We had surprisingly similar backgrounds, and I couldn't wait to see what he made of himself. I told him about my older and younger brothers who did much the same as his but not why. We kept everything on the surface. Not probing deeper but slowly building the foundation for trust.

Eventually, it was getting close to the time to head to the venue, so we got in the car and drove the block or two over to the Galleria. It had a lot of kitschy stuff but nothing Todd could wear. So we made our way to Backwater Provisions instead, where we found a similar shirt, but it was white with a tiny yellow and white pattern of fishing flies on it. We were running out of time.

Todd laughed as he posed. "It's not my normal thing, but I kind of like it."

"I like it. You look like a tourist."

He flipped me off.

"Come on." I paid for the shirt, and he wore it out. It was about six o'clock, so we headed to Gigglewaters, only two minutes farther down the road.

Parking sucked, but it couldn't be helped. Everything in front of the building was already taken. But I didn't want to park on the street if I could help it, so I circled around and went into the lot on the other side of the building. Luckily, there were still a couple of spots. Otherwise, we would have had to park behind the fire station across the street and walk. Parking was always a pain. I hated leaving my car where it might get dinged up, but if I wanted to drive a nice car, I had to deal with it. At least the spaces weren't too small and cramped.

We walked the block and went in. "This is kind of cool." Todd's head swiveled back and forth, trying to take everything in all at once. Gigglewaters was a restaurant, bar, and small movie house with a 1920s theme. Walking in the front door, there was a large bar and tables like any other restaurant, but the ceiling was tiled with tin and several large crystal chandeliers hung from it. The walls were painted black, and the glass of the doors looked antique. The wall opposite the bar had a baroque patterned wallpaper in persimmon and gold. I knew from prior experience that the walls in the screening room were painted that same rich persimmon color.

"Let's get a drink." The shelves behind the bar, though typically filled with alcohol, genuinely looked like they could have been from the twenties, and the drinks were all named according to the theme. "Considering where we are, I think we should order an Old Fashioned. Do you like bourbon?"

"Sure. That sounds fitting. I'll grab that table." He hurried to one of the few open spots and sat while I squeezed in at the bar and ordered. The place wasn't totally full, but there were plenty of patrons.

I joined Todd at the table with our drinks. "These are called The 1919. The orange peels are flamed, but you probably didn't see the bar tender light that up." We both shrugged as I sat down. He sipped it and nodded. If he wanted too see the fire-show at the bar, I would have taken him, but he didn't seem to care much about it.

"Want to order food?" I wasn't exactly hungry but irrationally needed to feed him.

"Maybe something lite?"

"We're doing white truffle popcorn for the movie and maybe some bourbon pound cake?"

"Wow, that sounds good." After a few minutes of reviewing the decadent menu, he put it down. "I know what I said about lite but I have to have a J.L.T."

"Good choice." Their version of the classic bacon sandwich was served with an out-of-this-world bourbon bacon jam. We ordered one we could split with truffle fries.

"The theme seems to be bourbon everything and truffles."

"Sounds great to me."

"Me too." And there was that glorious laughter again, making me secretly vow to make him do that again and again.

We sipped the bourbon in front of us while waiting for the food. Then Todd set his drink down and narrowed his eyes. "I hate to have to do this, but I must admit I'm having fun so far. This hasn't been the torture I expected."

It was my turn to laugh. "Glad to know you had such high standards." He stuck his tongue out at me. "You're too cute for your own good."

Then he blushed and smiled, and a tiny dimple appeared on his cheek that I hadn't noticed before. My heart dropped. Was it too early to be falling for him?

Maybe. But it was happening all the same, and even though I knew he would break me, I was all in.

The food was great. After we ate, we ordered snacks for the movie. "What are we seeing anyway?"

"Labyrinth. That's why we had to come today. If we waited until next week, it would be Stand By Me."

"Labyrinth? With David Bowie?" I nodded. "That is my favorite movie."

"Good. I mean, either would be good with me, but Stand By Me seemed like too much of a downer."

"Agreed. I love eighties movies. I didn't realize that's what they played here. I was expecting a Marvel movie or something."

We got our popcorn and pound cake and another drink each, then moved through the French doors, painted black with etched glass, and into the screening room. The seats were paired with tables set between them, and there were only four rows of five sets, each with a few more seats in the back rows. All the seats had nice cushions, making them more comfortable. We picked a spot in the middle of the second row from the front and put our treats on the table.

"This is fantastic." Todd had already dug into the popcorn.

"One of my favorites." I dipped in for a handful too.

"I meant all of it. Yeah, the popcorn is great, but…" He waved his arm over his head. "All of this is cool. I've never even heard of this place."

"Ancient Chinese secret."

"Huh?"

"Old joke. Never mind."

He rolled those pretty eyes again but laughed at the same time. "Yeah. Grandpa. Keep your jokes to the twenty-first century, will you?"

I stuck my tongue out at him.

Then the movie started. Even though he confessed to having seen it a million times and owning it on DVD, his eyes were glued to the screen. But I only half-watched because watching him react to it was a lot more entertaining.

After Jareth turned into a barn owl and flew away, we got up and walked back out to the car. We were quiet for a little while as I drove us out of the little coastal town and back to the highway. I had enjoyed spending time with Todd and wanted more. I realized if that were to happen, I had to get to the bottom of this cruise thing. Going from fake dates to real dates had a lot to do with that. "So…the cruise?" I asked.

"Yeah. I think we can pull it off."

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh?"

"What's the deal with it? Why is this so important that you went to all this trouble to fake-date me?"

He huffed and turned to look out the window at first, but then he looked forward. "You know, they're all dating rich dudes. Well, maybe not Royce, but like he's rich."

I had a feeling I understood this all too much. "Makes you feel left out?"

"Yeah. I mean. I'm not dating anyone. The last few times were disasters. So…I don't know. When we all hang out with them and their boyfriends, it kind of feels like I'm not really one of them. I don't want to go to this big deal thing and spend the whole time feeling less than. Or hiding in my cabin and not having fun."

"I get that, you know? You may not realize it, but we have more in common here than you think. In a room full of rich investors, I normally feel like the outsider. It's like the prince and the pauper or Cinderella or something. I didn't come from money. I made it." I left the so can you hanging out there, but he didn't take the bait.

He tapped on the center console, making me want to grab his hand again, but I didn't. He had to trust me first. "I didn't know that before. You know? I thought you and Hudson were like Ward. And Royce. And hell, even Jax. They're all like trust fund babies and shit."

"No. No trust fund here."

"Well…" He started but never finished the sentence. I didn't fill the silence between us, either. I didn't think I needed to. Eventually, he said, "We'll have to figure out some other dates. The cruise isn't far off."

"True. I'm sure we can think of something."

"Yeah…"

Then we talked about things to do in Tampa without settling on anything until I finally arrived at his apartment building. He turned to me in the car. "Thank you. This has been fun. And…thanks for doing all of it. I know you don't have to, and you aren't really getting anything out of it."

"I've gotten a lot more than I expected already."

"Sheesh. You're nice." He bit that lip again.

"Nope. Not even a little." I had serious ulterior motives here. He had to know that. But I didn't know for sure if he did or didn't. Or if he'd ever trust me enough to give up the fake part of the boyfriend deal. He stuck his hand out, and instinctively, I shook it.

Then he was gone, leaving me sitting there staring at my hand and wishing for a whole hell of a lot more.

I went home.

As I got out of my car, I noticed he had left his stained shirt. I picked it up and brought it to my nose. It smelled of citrus and other fruits with a hit of warm and spicy behind it. It smelled like Todd. I needed to be in my room fast. I couldn't contain myself anymore, and I was as horny as I had ever been.

The slow crawl of the elevator up to my floor was frustrating, but as soon as I was in my condo, I ripped my shirt off and raced to my bedroom with Todd's shirt still clutched in my hand. I tossed it on the bed, then dropped my shorts and boxers, kicking out of my shoes.

I grabbed the lube and got on the mattress. I brought Todd's shirt to my face again. I wished like hell it was him and not this poor facsimile. But I lubed my cock and jerked off with his scent in my nose and his image floating behind my eyes.

What I would do with him if he were willing. I'd lube his ass instead of my hand, opening him up nice and slow, teasing him, stroking his prostate. Licking his nipples. Making him hum and moan like he had in my car after eating the sandwich that had dripped on this shirt.

Oh, fuck…I squeezed my cock hard and fucked into my hand. I wanted him. Wanted to mark his neck and come inside him, marking him internally as well.

Then I came hard. Too hard. I was a fucking goner, but I didn't regret a damned thing.