Coda 02 -A to Z

giving him? I’ll even make it fun for you.”
    “Not givin’ him anything. Not givin’ you anything either.” “You don’t have to keep denying it. I don’t mind that he’s got a little action on the side.”

    “You’re delusional.”
    He laughs, like it’s all a game. Guess maybe it is—to him. Then he reaches up and tries to brush my hair out of my face. I move before I even decide to, knock his hand away, and turn to face him. “Don’t you fuckin’ touch me!”
    His eyes get darker, scarier, and he says in a low voice, “Be careful, pretty boy.” It’s obviously a warnin’.

    I refuse to be intimidated by him. I keep my eyes on his, keep my voice quiet and even. “Or what?”
    “Maybe I’ll tell Zach that his little pet offered me a blow job in exchange for some extra cash. I don’t mind sharing him, but somehow, I doubt he feels the same way about sharing me.”
    I’m tempted to call his bluff. Zach would never believe him anyway. But right then Zach walks in. And I hate how he looks so happy to see Tom.
    ’Course Tom’s good at what he does. He immediately steps back, away from me, and he’s got a smile plastered on his face before he turns ’round to face Zach.
    “Hey, baby,” he says, “I was waiting for you.” He walks over to Zach and starts to reach for him.
    I can’t fuckin’ watch this.
“Zach, I’ll be back in twenty,” I say.
    I don’t even look over. Just put my head down and head for the door. I know Zach won’t object, though, and sure enough, I hear him say, “No problem,” just as I’m walkin’ out the door.
    Don’t even know where I’m goin’. Just had to get out of there. Can’t decide if I should try to tell Zach ’bout Tom or not. First, I think I should. I’m his friend. That’s my job, right?
    But the more I think about it, the more I realize it’s a stupid fuckin’ idea. Zach’s a big boy. It’s his business. What am I gonna say, anyway? “Your big jock boyfriend creeps me out?” Maybe “Tom hit on me.” No. If I tell him, it will just put him in the bad position of havin’ to choose between me and Tom. I don’t want to do that to him. Despite what Tom thinks, Zach isn’t stupid. Clueless and naïve, maybe, but that’s not the same thing. At some point he’s gonna figure out Tom’s a dickhead. No need to ruin our friendship in the meantime.

Zach…
    I was pleasantly surprised to see Tom when I came into the store. “Hey, baby. I was waiting for you.” There was an extra button undone on his shirt today, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of that little triangle of skin and the curly hairs there. He walked over to me and started to reach for me.
    “Zach, I’ll be back in twenty,” Angelo suddenly said.
    I assumed he was just trying to give Tom and me some privacy, although there was something weird in his voice. He wasn’t looking at me, though, and he was out the door before I could say more than, “No problem.”
    “You should fire that punk before he robs you blind,” Tom said as soon as Angelo was gone.
    I bristled at that. I wasn’t sure when I had stopped thinking of Angelo as a punk, but it definitely annoyed me to hear Tom talk about him that way. “Angelo would never steal from me,” I said with conviction. “I trust him unequivocally.”
    That answer obviously didn’t please him, but he shrugged and then gave me that incredible, sexy smile. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around. We’ve been so busy.” He put his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. “I’ve missed you, though.” That low seductive voice—just hearing it made me hard. He kissed my neck, and I relaxed against him. “Do you forgive me?”
    “Of course.”
“Good.” He kissed me, his mouth soft but insistent, took my hand, and led me to the office. He opened the door and pushed me through, closed it behind us, and then he was all over me. He pushed me up against the wall and kissed me hard. His hands were squeezing my ass again.
    “I don’t have much time,” he said breathlessly in my ear, “but I really wanted to see you. I’ve missed you so much.” He kissed me again and ground his crotch against mine, and then he pulled back to brush his thumb over my mouth. I put my tongue out and licked it. His eyes went a little wide, and he breathed, “God, I love your mouth.”
    I smiled at him. “How much time do you have?”
“A few minutes.”
    “It’ll be enough.” I turned us around so that he was against the