Page 4 of Lustful Nights

“The game started twenty minutes ago. Of course, I started without you,” I joke.

“Work ran late; had a last-minute walk-in,” Nick replies, sitting down on the couch across from my chair. My living room isn’t the biggest, but I’m able to fit a full-size sofa and a recliner in the room. There’s a dark oak coffee table in front of the couch and we’re sitting across from my big screen TV, plus a small chair I keep hidden in the corner under a mess of blankets.

“Any weird requests today?” I ask, glancing between the TV and Nick. Nick owns his own tattoo shop and usually has the wildest stories to tell me. The horrendous things that some people want permanently on their skin are wild. Every tattoo I’ve gotten has some type of meaning, or I’ve put tons of thoughts into it.

“I tattooed a kangaroo on an ass today. It wasn’t the most bizarre thing, but it was definitely the most bizarre thing I saw today.” He lifts his legs up onto the coffee table, getting comfortable.

“There’s no fucking way I could do that.” I shudder at the thought of having to touch random people’s asses.

“Eh, it gets easier. Plus, those are the big-money ones.” He takes a gulp of his beer before looking back at me. “How was David’s party last night? Sorry I couldn’t make it.”

Sputtering the beer in my mouth, I cough hard before swallowing it down. “Uh, it was all right.” Do I bring up the fact that I saw Lennox there? Fuck, not only was he there, he was one of the dancers. And with how overprotective Nick is, I don’t think he knows his baby brother is a stripper there. “For my first time at a gay club, I enjoyed it. It was very…nice,” I ramble on, trying to force myself to stop.

“Enjoy it, did ya?” He snickers and my heart beats faster.

“You know what I meant. It wasn’t the worst, but I didn’t stay long. Enough for David to see my face and then I dipped out.”

“Never been to a gay club before. I remember Lennox used to go to them all the time. Kept trying to get me to tag along,but I always said no. What use would I have at a gay club?” He looks away toward the TV and I use this as my chance to bring up Lennox since he opened the door.

“How is Lennox, by the way? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Uh, he’s doing good, probably. He’s been busy with nursing school, so I know it takes up a lot of his time. Oh, and he broke up with his boyfriend.”

“Again?” I ask. “Fuck, he has the worst luck with guys.”

“Don’t I know it.” He scrubs his hands down his face, exhaling loudly. “I always feel like an ass, but everyone he introduces me to is never good enough for him. And they always prove it when, a few months later, Lennox shows up on my doorstep, teary-eyed and snot-nosed from crying. I love my brother, I do, but fuck, he has the absolute worst taste in men.”

He really does. I’ve known him since he was seven and from his first boyfriend on, it was just disaster after disaster.

“Where’s he working since he’s doing nursing school?” Yes, I’m completely fishing, but I want to know if Nick knows where Lennox really works.

“He’s still working at the coffee shop.” Nick turns and looks at me quizzically, taking a sip of his beer. “Why?”

“Huh. That’s cool. And was just wondering.” I chug some more of my beer, turning away. I’ve never really asked about Lennox, so this is weird for me.

“Is everything okay?” Nick asks.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be? Shit, I’m hungry. I’m going to get some pizza. What do you want?”

Nick tells me what he wants, and I use the app on my phone to order. I avoid eye contact with him the entire time, not only because I probably seemed weird asking him questions about Lennox. But more so because I haven’t been able to get Lennox out of my mind since last night. Himorhis leather skirt. Which is completely crazy because I’m straight.

Nick stays for a few more hours, where we watch the game, and then play a round ofMario Partybefore calling it a night. After locking up the front door, I quickly change into a pair of sweatpants, then head to my desk, pulling out my notebook and charcoal pencils. I take out my phone and put on a playlist, knowing I could get lost in drawing for a while. While the music plays, I sift through my tools, debating on which one I want to use. I don’t even know what I’m going to draw. My plan is to start with a swipe and see where it takes me. Closing my eyes, I take a breath, grab a pencil, and start sketching. Once I have a basic outline done, I begin with the more detailed parts of the drawing before slowly making my way on to shading. When I shade my drawings, it’s always my favorite part. Taking a few lines and making into something unique and incredible is a feeling I’ve had since the first time I picked up a pencil.

I’ve been drawing as a hobby for as long as I can remember. One Christmas, I woke up to an art set under the tree. Since the moment I first started drawing, I’ve loved it. Creating things from scratch. Putting my vision from my mind out on paper. When I was younger, I had dreams of doing something with my drawings, but I never saw myself as good enough. Or the occasional scoffs I would get from my parents when I said I wanted to be an artist, only to be told that artists didn’t make a ton of money. Coming from a family where one was a lawyer, and the other a dentist, all they cared about was making sure I grew up to make money.

I don’t make millions working in tech, but I make enough to get by. Enough that I could afford to buy a house all on my own. But money doesn’t make me happy—drawing does.

Engrossed in the music, my fingers run back and forth across the paper using different shades of charcoal. I take a break only to grab a bottle of water before I’m back in front of the paper, my pencil flying across it, moving a million miles a minute. I don’tpick up my hand to double-check my drawing, I just keep going. After making a few final touches, I pull the paper away from my eyes to look at what I drew.

Staring back at me are a set of gorgeous eyes. Eyes that I recognize as Lennox’s. Lennox has been on my mind almost every other minute of the day. And now it appears my subconscious has latched onto him as well. What is it about him that’s so different from anyone else? I always thought I was a straight man, or maybe that’s because I’ve never entertained the idea of being with another man. But for some reason, Lennox intrigues me. Shaking my head, I laugh. It’s probably just because I’ve seen him differently. Seeing him up on the stage is different than seeing the same kid I knew growing up.

I stare at the drawing a few seconds longer, before closing the book and putting it away for the night.

3

LENNOX

While I don’t normally wearmuch makeup, I occasionally enjoy experimenting with it. I definitely don’t do as good of a job as Declan, but he’s taught me some things since I started working at Peaches. I finish the eyeliner on my right eye, leaning back from the mirror to see how I did.

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