Page 30 of The Boy from Half Moon

“Don’t answer that, Luke,” Tate said, holding his hand up and finally getting his free hand on Tyler. “We are leaving.”

Tyler wouldn’t budge. “Well?” Tyler asked, practically being dragged to the front door, but still managing to maintain eyes on me.

“I’m not sure what that word means,” I admitted.

Tate’s eyes filled like he was about to cry. He was upset with Tyler or me. I wasn’t sure who. “That is quite all right, Luke,” he whispered. His voice cracked as he glared at Tyler. “We’re leaving now.”

“It means, are you a homosexual?” Tyler blurted out, still trying to fight Tate off.

“Jesus, Tyler!” Tate yelled. “What the fuck?” Tate let go of his friend and backed off, shaking his head in disgust.

“What?” Tyler squealed, glaring at Tate and then turning back to me. “Luke here is fucking hot, and I want to know.”

“Being a homosexual is a sin,” I answered. “I’m not allowed to be a homosexual.”

“Well, there you have it!” Tyler exclaimed. “He isn’t a homosexual because being a homosexual is a sin. We are both out of luck, Tate.”

Tate shook his head back and forth, seemingly offended, as he backed toward the door. “I’m so sorry, Luke” he whispered, turning and walking out the entrance.

I hadn’t wanted Tate to leave because I wanted to get to know more about him. And today would’ve been perfect because I was alone. But Tate was not alone, and now he’d left me alone with a complete stranger who was peppering me with inappropriate questions.

“So, you’re sure you’re not a homosexual?” Tyler asked. I nodded that I wasn’t, needing him out of my face so I could talk with Tate. “Come on,” he soothed. “I can do things to you that will blow your mind. Pardon the pun, big guy. And I won’t tell anyone if you want to be on the down-low, stud. I promise.”

I gazed at him and remained silent as he stepped toward me. When he was less than two feet from me, I voiced a suggestion. “I wouldn’t come any closer, sir.”

“It’ll be loads of fun, Luke. All you have to do is lay there,” he whispered, reaching a hand toward me. “I’ll do everything. And I’m very good at pleasing a man.” I met his outstretched hand with one of mine. “Ooohhhh, so manly and strong, stud,” he whispered. I applied more effort. His eyes widened, and he looked at his hand, then back to me, unwilling to comply with the message. I squeezed harder once again until his face grimaced. “Fucking Moonie,” he spat.

“Are you done?” I asked. He refused to answer. I increased my grip, knowing I was barely into the strength I could muster. “I asked you, sir. Are you done?” Nothing. I bent his wrist further back, maintaining a firm grip until he dropped to his knees.

“Yes,” he gasped.

“Leave now. Don’t come here again.”

I glanced toward the door, offering him the directions for a safe exit. Tate was outside the door, looking in.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Tate

My fingers drummed on the top of my desk, keeping time with the clock on the wall. A clock with three hands, one ticking the seconds away, all three going around in an endless circle, marking the hours of the day. Currently, they were moving aggravatingly slow. The clock read six minutes after nine. I’d been in my office exactly five minutes before Alec walked in, shutting my office door behind him.

He presented his rebuttal to an email I’d sent him the previous evening, in less than a minute, while I continued drumming my fingers, now a tad more angrily. “He goes or I go,” I stated. “Your choice.”

Alec huffed under his breath and stood, making his way to the large window. “The two of you weren’t at work when this happened, Tate. I can’t fire Tyler for something he did outside of the work environment while with you.”

“He was beyond reprehensible,” I argued. “And in a public sphere, for fuck’s sake.”

“Tyler claims you suggested the visit and that he was afraid to decline your invitation.”

I jumped out of my chair and walked to the center of my office, slapping my thigh. “That is bullshit!” I protested. “He mentioned going there to cruise the men that work there, Alec. I wanted to look at furniture.”

Alec spun around. “What is it with that furniture store, Tate? Why are you so hellbent on shopping in that specific store?”

Alec was my boss. In fact, he owned the place I worked, but I, so badly, wanted to tell him to fuck off. Maybe I should tell him how Tyler had offloaded his entire sordid dating history.

“If you remembered correctly, it was you who suggested I go there,” I defended. “That visit was a disaster as well.”

“Why?” he asked. “Because of the country bumpkin kid that works there? You were offended that I referred to him as a Moonie; is that why you deemed the visit a disaster?”

“It wouldn’t have mattered who worked there. Tyler was rude,” I stated. “No wait. That lets him off too easily. Tyler was obscene.”

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