Page 8 of Tease Me

John propped his feet up on the table. "As a personal trainer. You're too smart to not pursue architecture." At the shake of Beau's head, he added, "Come on, man. I've seen some of the sketches you've done on bar napkins when we've been out. The passion is still there, Beau."

"Even if it was, there's no point now."

"There's always a point to following your dreams."

For some reason, Vee popped into his head. Yes, she'd been his greatest dream and also his greatest challenge.

John put the beer bottle to his lips and tipped. "I hate working Saturdays," he said, changing the subject.

"No doubt."

John laughed derisively. "It’s just this one client. They’re so fucking picky and fussy and... and...indecisive!"

Beau laughed, but the humor wore off quickly. The life he'd never have.

"Have you got plans for tonight?" John asked.

"I was going to sit around and drink myself into a stupor," he replied, emptying the rest of his beer in one slow swallow.

"Amen to that," John replied, joining him. "But we should go out. I think you’re due to let off some steam."

He let the idea sit there for a moment, then said, "Fuck it. Let's go out."

"Yes," John said with a grin, placing his empty bottle on the table. "Let's do this."

Beau felt his lips turn up into a smile, mirroring John's. "I'm going to take a shower."

Hoisting himself up from the chair, he wandered into his room, peeling the sweaty shirt from his body and lobbing it into the hamper. Starting the shower, he kicked off his jeans and got under the spray. He kept the wash and rinse routine to a minimum, turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist. After getting dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee, he strolled back into the living room to find John swinging his car keys around his index finger.

"You always did take a long time to get ready."

Beau frowned. "I was fifteen minutes."

"Pussy," John shot back with a grin. "Let's go. I'm driving."

"Wait—"

"No." John shook his head. "We haven't been out together in how fucking long? You need to drown yourself in liquor, and I need to get laid—and therefore need to remain sober—so I'm driving tonight."

When they were finally both buckled in, John said, "I hope you don't mind a long drive."

"Why?" Beau asked slowly. "Where are we going?"

"I'm on the guest list for a club in West Hollywood—Temptation."

Beau whistled. "How'd you manage that?"

John grinned like the cat that got the cream. "My firm designed the place."

"You didn't tell me that."

He shrugged. "It wasn't important. Your mom was your priority."

6

The bar was getting slammed.It was Saturday night. There were at least three birthday groups, two stag nights and one bachelorette party. Evangeline pulled four beers from the fridge and removed the tops.

"Twenty-four," she told the guy who'd ordered them. He handed over a fifty and told her to keep the change. She put what was left in the jar beside the till and served the next customer. It was a woman in a low-cut dress. She looked down her nose at Evangeline, and she guessed that was the only downside to owning the most popular club in California—the clientele were all so rich, dropping a grand on drinks in one night wasn't even a big deal.

---