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Blay had no idea what Saxton had just handed hiar, and yes, it was expensive, but the name hadn&039;t stuck in his head

"I think you&039;re going to like it," theup his own stogie "They&039;re smooth Dark, but smooth"

Blay flicked up a flahter and leaned forward for the inhale As he took the sain

He still couldn&039;t get used to the attention, so he let his eyes wander around the place: vaulted dark green ceiling, glossy black walls, oxblood- color leather chairs and booths Lot of human men with ashtrays at their elbows

In short: no distractions that could cone or--

"So tella perfect blue cloud that momentarily eclipsed his features, "did you put on the pinstripe before or after I called?"

"Before"

"I knew you had style"

"Did you?"

"Yes" Saxton stared across the short any table that separated them "Or I wouldn&039;t have asked you to dinner"

The meal they&039;d had at Sal&039;s had been lovely, actually They&039;d eaten in the kitchen at a private table and iAm had made them a special menu of antipasto and pasta, with cafe con leche and tiramisu for dessert The wine had been white for the first course, and red for the second

The topics of conversation had been neutral, but interesting--and ultimately not the point The thread of will-they-or-won&039;t-they was the real driver of every word and glance and shift of body

So this was a date, Blay thought A subtextual negotiation slipcovered in talk of books read and music enjoyed

No wonder Qhuinn just went for straight sex The guy wouldn&039;t have had the patience for this kind of subtlety Plus he didn&039;t like to read, and the music he pued or the deaf could stand

A waiter dressed in black ca to drink?"

Saxton rolled his cigar between his forefinger and thue 1945, please"

"Excellent choice"

Saxton&039;s eyes returned to Blay&039;s "I know"

Blay looked to thethey were seated in front of and wondered if he was ever going to stop blushing around the guy "It&039;s raining"

"Is it"

God, that voice Saxton&039;s words were as sar

Blay switched his legs around, crossing them at the knee

As he searched his brain for so to kill the silence, it looked as if no-shit-Sherlock cooing to get The thing was, the end of the date was starting to loom, and whereas he&039;d learned that he and Saxton both mourned the loss of Dominick Dunne and were fans of Miles Davis, he didn&039;t knohat he was going to do when it ca ways

Would it be a case of Call and we&039;ll do this again? Or the infinitely more complicated, messy, and pleasurable, Yes, as a s

To which his conscience coh I&039;ve never done this with a guy before, and in spite of the fact that anyone but Qhuinn is going to be a poor

"When was the last time you were out on a date, Blaylock?"

"I" Blay took a long draw on the cigar "It&039;s been a long ti with yourself? All work, no play?"

"So like that" Okay, unrequited love wasn&039;t exactly in either of those categories, although the no-play was certainly covered

Saxton slad you called me And a bit surprised"

"Why?">

"My cousin has a certain territorial response to you"

Blay turned his cigar around and stared at the glowing tip "I think you vastly overread his interest"

"And I think you&039;re politely telling me to mind my own business, aren&039;t you"

"There&039;s no business to uy put two port glasses down on the round table and backed away "Trustcharacter" Saxton reached out with an elegant hand and picked up his port "He&039;s one of my favorite cousins, actually His nonconfors that would crush a lesserin love with hio near that one "So do you colinting "Not for discussion, huh" He looked around with a frown "Actually, I haven&039;t been out much lately Too much work"

"You said you&039;re a solicitor in the Old Law Must be interesting"

"I specialize in trusts and estates so the fact that business is boo to mourn The Fade has become too full of the innocent as of last suuts with gold watches and silk suits laughed like the blowhard drunks they were--to the point that the loudest of them slammed back in his seat and knocked into Saxton

Which didn&039;t go over well, proving that Saxton was a gentle your pardon, but would youit down?"

The sloppy hu over his belt until it looked like he was going to pull a Meaning of Life and thin-mint it all over the place "Yeah Ihere anyway"

And he wasn&039;t talking about the fact that they were vah-priced liquor tasted like vinegar although the bitter sting in his one bad

A ed back so hard, Saxton nearly spilled his drink "Da for his napkin

The fidiot huain, and you had to wonder if that belt wasn&039;t going to snap free and take so you two pretty boys sucking on those hard things?"

Saxton s"

"Oh, sorrrrry" The ie "Didn&039;t o," Blay said as he leaned in and snuffed out his cigar

"I can get us another table"

"You running along, boys?" Mr Mouth drawled "You going to a party where there&039;s all kindsa cigars? Maybe we&039;ll follow you just to et there okay"

Blay kept his eyes locked on Saxton "It&039;s getting late anyway"

"Which means it&039;s only the middle of our day"

Blay stood up and reached into his pocket, but Saxton put his hand out and stopped hi his wallet "No, allow me"

Another round of commentary from the Super Bowl-and-stripper set soured the air even further and left Blay grinding hisfor Saxton to pay the waiter and then they were ht&039;s chilly air was a balm to the senses and Blay took a deep breath

"That place isn&039;t always like that," Saxton murmured "Otherwise, I would never have taken you there"

"It&039;s all right" As Blay started walking, he felt Saxton fall in beside hiot to the head of an alley, they paused to let a car hang a louie on Co about all this?"

Blay faced the other male and decided life was too short to pretend he didn&039;t know precisely what the "this" was "To be honest, I feel strange"

"And not about those charmers back there"