Page 48 of My Dear Mr. Corporate

The more I hung around Jeremy, the more I grew to like him. I wished I had the sort of friend like him growing up, but I never thought it necessary to get too close to people. Bouncing around foster homes had a way of doing that to kids. I was always easygoing and formed friends fast, but they were never the kind to stick around.

Jeremy was a class act with a sweet and vibrant personality. He had me so relaxed and laughing by the time we arrived at a restaurant for lunch that I didn’t hesitate when he asked for my number.

“Strictly friends,” he added. “I’ve seen that hunk of yours and no way would I think of stepping on his toes. He’d probably snap me in half.”

I laughed, wiping the tears from my eyes as I gave him my number. “He’s not as bad as he seems.” I paused and thought about it some more before adding. “Okay, he can be as bad as he seems, but I love him the way he is.”

“I know sweetie.”

“It’s amazing really,” I told him. “Before Tate, my ex was just as possessive, but they show it in a different way. Tate has a more positive spin on it.”

“I wish Clay would get positive.” He rolled his eyes and fiddled with his salad. “We broke up.”

My smile fell. “Oh no. Are you okay?”

“Not really.” He dropped the façade then and I saw how miserable he truly was. “I love that big oaf, always have, but he clearly does not love me enough. We broke up on opening night.”

“Fuck. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks.” He gave me a sad little smile. “The saddest part is that he is still very much a part of my life. He’s the capital behind my shop. I bounced around for pretty much all my life, trying to find a job that suits me, but nothing quite clicked. I asked him to take a look at my business plan to present to the bank where I had requested a loan. I never made it to the bank. He footed the entire capital.”

“Sounds like something Tate would do for me,” I said, then smiled at him. “Hey, a guy doesn’t just do that for anyone. Tate would do it for me because he loves me. I would bet you that this fellow loves you just as much.”

“Sometimes I think so too, but is it enough to come out for me? I don’t even want him to come out for me. I want him to do it for himself.”

We fell into silence then and finished our lunch. I was grateful that Tate was out, and we didn’t have the problem of dealing with that aspect of a relationship. It couldn’t be easy being as femme as Jeremy was and maintain a relationship with a closet gay man.

“Well, dang, wouldn’t I like to be a sandwich between those two hotties!”

At Jeremy’s outburst, I craned my neck to see what had him drooling. I nearly choked on my avocado at the sight of Keith. He wasn’t alone but with Gio. They entered the restaurant side by side, unaware that I had seen them. As I watched them, they took a seat a few tables away from us. Almost immediately they delved into a discussion that looked deep. Seeing them together didn’t sit well with me at all. How did both men know each other? I didn’t believe that greatly in coincidences to think it was innocent.

“You look ill,” Jeremy commented. “Are you okay?”

“Something’s not right,” I answered in a strangled voice. “Those two don’t belong together. They are up to something and it can’t be any good.”

“You know the other guy?”

“Do I?” I exclaimed, assuming he meant Keith since we had already seen Gio at his shop’s opening. “He is my abusive ex I just told you about. He’s also in the closet. The other guy we know is Tate’s best friend who just confessed to being in love with him.”

“What?” he gasped and looked over the two men again. “Do you think they are working together to break up your relationship?”

“I’m positive of it,” I replied. “Keith has tried to interfere in our relationship before and Gio, well, I’ve my suspicions about him, and if they are right he’s dangerous.”

“He doesn’t look dangerous.”

“What exactly does danger look like?”

He nodded. “Good point. Lurking danger that’s not easily perceptible is the deadliest kind. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to confront them. What do you think?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jeremy cautioned me. “Oh shit they just saw us.”

“Then there’s no sense in hiding.”

I got up from our table and approached Keith and Gio who watched me. They abruptly stopped their conversation.

“Let me guess,” I remarked. “This is a break up Tate and Bryan meeting. How come I wasn’t invited?”

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