Coda 01 - Promises

all.”
“You and he never…?” I noticed he had evaded my question but let it pass.
    “Never. I don’t think either one of us has ever even considered it. There’s a pretty big age difference, obviously. And he was my teacher once, so that would be pretty fucking weird. And I don’t know for sure, but I suspect Mr. Stevens likes his men a little more feminine, if you know what I mean.”
    “And how do you like your men?” His cheeks were bright red, but his gaze was level on mine.
    And boy did that feel like the trick question of the month. Because of course, I liked my men just like him: tall and dark and muscular. The only thing I might have added was longer hair and tattoos—and I had to wonder if there were any under his shirt. But I couldn’t say it.
    What I said was, “Filthy rich.”
    He gave me the pseudo-smile. I had a feeling that he knew the real answer.

    H E BEGAN to stop by the shop at closing time again, and we had dinner together two or three times a week. Every time, I asked him if it was causing trouble for him at work. At first he would just shrug, but by the third week, the question was making him blush. That confused me.
    “I don’t understand. Does it cause problems for you or not?”
    “Well, it did,” he said hesitantly. “But I’ve made some changes over the past few weeks that have helped.” He wasn’t looking at me when he said it.
    “‘Changes’? Like what?”

    “I actually, umm….” He was fidgeting with the label on his beer bottle again. “I started seeing Cherie.”

    “What?”

    He glanced up at me and gave me the pseudo-smile. “You heard me.”
    “You’re dating Cherie?”
“No. Not dating.”
“But you just said—”
“What I said was I started seeing her. Not the same thing.” He
    said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I was still confused, and my face must have shown it, because he rolled his eyes at me and said, “Let’s just say we have an arrangement. Like you and your friend, Cole.”
    “Ahh. I see.” Now I was having a hard time keeping a straight face. “Occasionally mutually convenient?”
    He shrugged. “Well, convenient for me, at any rate.” “I thought you valued your independence?”
“I do. But I’m not exactly a fan of celibacy either.” “Who is?”
He winked at me. “Exactly.”
“Why her? I mean, not to be a jerk, but she’s got, well….”
    “A reputation?” He was back to picking at the label on the bottle.
    “Right.” I was relieved that it wasn’t news to him. He shrugged. “I wear a raincoat.”
    That actually made me blush. “Well, that’s good, but that’s not what I meant.”

    “She seemed like the best bet for a ‘no strings’ type of relationship. I have absolutely no interest in anything more serious.”
    “And she’s actually in agreement with that?” I certainly couldn’t claim to be an expert on women, but I had always suspected that “no strings attached” was a lot harder for them than for men.
    “Look”—and I could tell he was getting a little annoyed that he had to explain it to me—“I’m not a total asshole. I have been completely honest with her. She knows that we’re not dating. There will be no romantic moonlight strolls or anniversary dinners. I’m not meeting her parents, or buying her flowers, or moving in with her, or even meeting her friends. We fuck. That’s it.”
    “She’s actually okay with that?”
    “She says that she is.” He shrugged again. “I’m sure she thinks that I will change my mind over time. I won’t, and I’ve told her that I won’t. It’s not my fault if she chooses not to believe me.” I couldn’t help but think that Cherie might be right. I figured after a few weeks, he wouldn’t object so much to “dating.” I was pretty sure the way to a man’s heart was actually a little lower than the stomach. “She has requested only that I be ‘faithful,’ and not date or sleep with any other women while we’re seeing one another.”
    “And that’s acceptable to you?”
    “Absolutely. The whole point is to keep the complications to a bare minimum, and adding another woman to the mix would definitely qualify as a ‘complication’.”
    “Yes, I suppose it would.”

    “Plus, the arrangement has other benefits.” He had the pseudosmile again.

    “Such as?”
    He actually almost smiled over at me now. “First, the guys at work are no longer trying to set me up. And, more importantly, I am now free to