Page 109 of Still Bruised
“Yeah,” Foster said as he looked around them to make sure no one had overheard Cary. “He’s the one I fucked.” Foster paused a moment. “He confronted me at my front door later that night, after I’d apologized.”
Cary’s eyes widened again before he closed his eyes for a second and shook his head. “Ready for a fight?”
“No. He told me how much pain I’d caused him… and demanded compensation.”
Cary searched his face, brows furrowed. “He shook you down for cash?”
“Nooo,”Foster said. He leaned closer, resting his elbows on the table. “He said I owed him… pleasure.” His face warmed, but he decided to tell Cary most of the story. Keeping it a secret all those weeks had started to feel heavy for some reason. “He grabbed me by the balls and said my cock was his. Whenever he wanted it, however he wanted it, for as long as he wanted it.”
Cary snorted, fighting laughter. He failed, and it spilled out around them.
“I’m glad you find this funny,” Foster muttered.
“I’m sorry.” Cary leaned closer. “He’s using you for sex? Is thatreallya bad thing?”
“Used.I ended it a few days ago.”
“Ah.” Cary searched his face again, his smile fading. “Something go down that caused that?”
“Yeah. His friend Anton caught us together and made a stink. Then Jude lied to get his way out of it.”
Cary frowned. “And?”
Foster cracked his neck, sensing he was about to show Cary how big an idiot he was.
“Am I missing something?” Cary pressed.
“I started… wanting more.”
Cary watched him, silent a few seconds. “But you’re not looking for something serious right now, are you? So soon after Ash?”
“No, I wasn’t, and he wasn’t either. He told me from the jump that there were no strings. We weren’t friends, and he didn’twant to know anything about me. Just sex. Nothing more. I agreed and… we fucked. A lot. For a couple of months now.”
“I’ve only been gone three weeks which means… you’ve been holding out on me,” Cary said.
“I didn’t expect it to last long, so I figured there was no reason to make it a big deal.”
“But now itisa big deal?”
Foster nodded. “I liked being with him. Not just the sex but… having him close.” No, Foster hadn’t been looking for serious, but as they’d spent their nights together, things had changed. He’d hoped their relationship might evolve into more. “So, yeah, that’s the problem. I fucked up and started feeling shit I had no right to feel.”
“And he doesn’t feel anything for you?”
“He says he doesn’t,” Foster replied, his chest aching again. “But I know he does. I could see it in his eyes.” Foster released a long, tortured breath.
There had been evolution. Each night they’d shared, he’d felt more intimacy. They’d kissed and touched more. After sex, they’d cuddled, even though it had originally been verboten. Jude had relaxed around him, getting more and more comfortable. Foster had even caught a hint of a smile one of the last times he’d opened the door to let him in.
Jude had been happy to see him.
“Foster—the serial monogamist,” Cary murmured, shaking his head.
“You make that sound like something terrible.”
“No… some people like having a connection with someone else. If that’s who you are, that’s who you are,” Cary said. “I just didn’t expect you to have a connection with the first man you fucked after your divorce.”
“Me either.”
“How did you leave things with Jude?”
