“And you and Luis…ah, Freddie…are partners?” Jase asked. His stomach was beginning to twist into knots. Dr. Barton seemed like such a decent man. Jase felt guilty about what he’d done with Luis the night before. Though he was divorced now, he’d never cheated on his own wife. He had morals and ethics. He’d always figured just because he was gay it didn’t give him license to fool around behind his wife’s back. “You lived together as a couple in Tennessee?”
Dr. Barton laughed. “We didn’t live in a rural area,” he said. “We lived together in a more populated area. Though we were always discreet, I’m sure everyone knew about us. New York isn’t the only place where gay men live as couples. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re everywhere these days. I even have gay neighbors back home, believe it or not, two very nice women.” Then he rubbed his jaw and laughed even louder.
“I’m sorry if that sounded bad,” Jase said, lowering his eyes to his lap. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just getting used to being gay myself.” He felt foolish now.
“Freddie made me laugh,” Dr. Barton said. “He never stopped talking. I met him in a bar and took him home that same night. I just don’t know why he ran off like he did. I gave him everything he wanted. A nice little car, a good home, and all the love he could want. I even offered to send him to the community college so he could start his education. Then one day I came home from work and found a note. He just said he was sorry and that he had to leave. It took me almost two years to find him. I finally got it out of his uncle. He sends him money from time to time.”
Jase stood up and turned his back on Dr. Barton. He didn’t want Dr. Barton to see the disappointment in his face. Though he and Luis had made a deal to be nothing more than just friends, he couldn’t help feeling as if he’d just lost something very important. And he was terrified he’d never get it back again.
“I need your help,” Dr. Barton said. “I’d like you to tell Freddie I’m here. If I just knock on his door, it would be too much of a shock and he might run off. I don’t think he ever thought I’d follow him to New York. He probably thinks I’ve just forgotten about him. But I couldn’t do that. There’s only one Freddie.”
“Ah well,” Jase said. He didn’t know how to reply. Dr. Barton was attractive, decent, and he seemed to be financially well off. If everything had been as good as Dr. Barton said it was between them, why would Luis run off and disappear in New York? It was as if Luis had done the same thing Jase had done, from changing his name to changing the way he looked. From what Jase had seen in the photo, Luis had been stockier and thicker all the way around.
“Freddie is different from other guys,” Dr. Barton said. “You know what I mean? He’s smarter and he has more style. He’s special.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Jase said.
“Will you help me?” Dr. Barton asked.
Jase took a deep breath and sighed. He had to do the right thing. So he forced a smile and said, “C’mon, let’s go back. I’ll help you out.”
* * * *
When they returned to Jase’s apartment building, Dr. Barton waited downstairs and Jase went up to Luis’s door and knocked. A moment later, Luis opened the door and said, “I’m on my way to lunch with one of my older friends. I’m already ten minutes late and I really need the money. I spent way too much on this sport jacket, and these jeans cost me more than a thousand dollars. This is about three weeks’ worth of dirty sweat socks.” He was wearing a black Versace jacket, a cream-colored shirt, and new tight jeans Jase hadn’t seen before.
Jase put his hands in his pockets and exhaled. “Maybe you should cancel lunch, Freddie.”
Luis stepped back and thought for a moment. “Where is he? Is it my uncle?” Then he walked around Jase out into the hall, and looked down the stairwell.
By that time, Dr. Barton was halfway up the steps. He was looking up at Luis with a gigantic grin on his face. “Hello, Freddie,” he said. “I’ve missed you, kid. I came all the way up here from Tennessee just to see what got into you.”
Jase turned to see how Luis would react. His heart began to race for no apparent reason.
Luis, however, remained calm. He lifted his head and smiled. “Ken,” he said. “How on Earth did you ever find me here? It’s so good to see you again.”
Dr. Barton walked to the top step and reached out for Luis. He took him in his arms, hugged him as hard as he could, then swooped him up off the ground. “I’ll tell you all about that later,” he said. “Right now I just want to sit and stare at you for a while. I’ve missed you so much.
I’ve missed your voice, your smile, and they way you love to eat so much. I never knew anyone else in my life that could polish off a whole turkey at Thanksgiving.”
Jase blinked. He rubbed his jaw and stared at Luis’s beautiful thin body. In the short amount of time Jase had known Luis, he’d never seen him eat more than a small salad.
Luis didn’t put up a fight and he didn’t force Dr. Barton to put him down. When Dr.
Barton carried him to his apartment, he kicked the door shut in Jase’s face with his foot and left Jase standing there alone.
Jase put his hands in his pockets and stared at the door for a moment. Then he turned and walked back to his own apartment alone, with a frown on his face and a huge lump in his throat that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard he swallowed.
Chapter Eight
An hour after Luis and Dr. Barton went into Luis’s apartment, Sherman showed up at Jase’s door again. This time he was wearing skintight Lycra workout shorts, a skimpy string tank top that bared his entire chest, and cross training shoes with thick soles. When Jase opened the door and saw him standing there in this outfit, he rubbed his jaw and looked up at the ceiling. He wasn’t sure where to look. Though he’d known Sherman for a while, he’d never seen his naked chest.
“Well, are you going to invite me in, or what?” Sherman asked. His hands were on his slim hips. The string tank top was cut low and his large, round pectoral muscles popped out and formed a neat line of cleavage in the middle of his chest. He had those large nipples only some men have. They formed soft points in the middle of each chest muscle like drops of melted chocolate begging to be licked. There didn’t seem to be a sprig of body hair anywhere.