Page 65 of Poles Apart
“Right, yes. Well, after the last night you did for us was such a success, we want you to do another one for us, but this time, we can have the pole installed for you in plenty of time, so…” Toby let his sentence trail off, waiting for Dom’s reply. Dom didn’t know what to think. Did he want to go and dance at Heaven again? Toby must have sensed his hesitation and carried on.
“We’d be offering the same money, and there’ll be security this time. I know I’ve sprung this on you, but we’d like to fit something in the diary over the next couple of weeks. If you’re up for it, of course.”
Dom was tempted by the money. Two grand was good money for a couple of hours dancing, if that, and if Toby was stupid enough to offer, who was he to refuse?
Not wishing to seem too eager, though, he decided to stall for time.
“I’m going to need to think about it, but I’ll call you back over the next couple of days to let you know. I have to go, though; I really am busy.”
After saying goodbye and hanging up, he turned to Jacob to see a puzzled expression on his face.
“What was that all about? What did he want?”
“He wants me to dance at Heaven again. Offering the same money as before.”
“Are you going to do it? You know what happened last time.” Dom did, but he’d be a fool not to with the money they were offering, and he told Jacob the same.
“Ok, if you need to do it, I’m coming with you again. You’re not going alone, not with those two. I don’t trust them.”
“I don’t either, but I’ll have my own hero and protector with me.” Dom reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
Both Jacob and Abby laughed as they stepped out of the restaurant when Dom’s phone rang again. He looked to see it was Seb.
“Dom, it’s me.” Seb sounded frantic.
“Seb, are you OK?” Dom was worried now. The panic in his friend’s voice was real.
“No. Can you come around? Sorry, are you busy?” Seb sounded terrified.
“I’m not far from you. I can be there soon if you need me to.” Dom looked over at Jacob, and he nodded, letting him know it was OK to go.
“I can be with you in about five minutes. Hang on, OK? I’ll be right there.”
He hung up and looked at Jacob apologetically. “I’m sorry. I need to go to him, is that alright?”
“Of course. I’ll call you tomorrow, and you can let me know what’s happened.”
Dom didn’t know what he’d done to deserve Jacob. He felt grateful for his understanding of the situation with Seb and Dom’s need to get to him.
“Go take care of him, baby. You know you won’t settle until you know he’s OK. We need to get back home anyway. It’s school for this young lady again tomorrow, and it’s already getting late.”
Dom threw his arms around Jacob’s waist and hugged him. He realised he’d fallen for him again. Hook, line and sinker. They kissed goodnight, conscious of the audience around them and promised to talk again tomorrow. Dom walked away from them reluctantly but knew he needed to get to Seb fast. His friend needed him.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jacob
The rest of the week passed slowly. He carried on with jobs around the house and caught up with the never-ending laundry pile.
He’d heard nothing further from the school, but he didn’t expect to. Jodie had told him to go back in on Monday, so that was his plan. He just hoped that after the board’s deliberations, they’d come to the right decision. He’d spoken to Colin to see if there’d been any announcements, but all was quiet. Colin said he thought it was too quiet, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.
Saturday was on his mind, though. Abby was going to stay with Rachel, and Seb was going over to Joe’s in the afternoon, so this left the day clear for them both to do what they wanted.
They’d agreed to have a fun day, go out in the evening for some food, and then, Jacob was hoping they’d be able to go back to his place again. He desperately wanted to take their relationship to the next level, much the way he’d done when they were eighteen, but this time, the ending would be perfect. He’d make sure of that.
He’d had his list out again, trying to find something for them to do, and with the weekend promising to be hot and sunny, he wanted the date to be outside. He decided on a picnic, and he arranged to pick up Dom from his place.
At three o’clock, he pulled up outside Dom’s apartment, texting him to say he was waiting, and when he had a reply asking him to come up, he was surprised. Fuck. He wasn’t sure he was quite prepared for meeting his brother. It was almost as bad as meeting the parents.
