Page 25 of Vodka And Virtue

When he pulled up to my house, I climbed off and handed him the helmet. But of course, he insisted on walking me to my door.

“Thank you for giving me your time today. You have no idea how much I enjoyed it.”

I was almost tempted to ask for a kiss, but Rory surprised me by reaching for my hand. He pressed his warm lips to my open palm, which made my dick half hard. He was such a fucking gentleman, in spite of his rough exterior. I found the contrast sexy as hell.

“Me, too.” I felt myself beginning to blush and resisted the urge to look down, away from his intense gaze. “See you soon,” I said coyly, before ducking inside. With the door shut, I leaned against it and scrubbed my hands over my face, taking a deep breath. My heart was beginning to slow down. I only wish my libido would get the same message.

9

RORY

This waswhat I lived for. This feeling of freedom. It kept me alive and young. Roaring down the highway, the wind stinging my face. Feeling the vibration of the engine between my thighs. Cars whizzing past me, close enough to take my life in the blink of an eye; it was a pure rush of adrenaline that never faded.

To my left was Shannon on a bike similar to mine, only six years newer. Behind me was Graham on a classic softail, that he restored himself with Shannon‘s help. It was a Monday afternoon, our day off, and we were on our way to lunch downtown. The place I had in mind was one we frequented often when we got together. It was basically a dive bar in the last few years but was under new management and was trying to claw its way out of the gutter and grab on to a better reputation.

They had replaced the cracked linoleum floor with black ceramic tiles and painted the walls with a fresh coat of gray. The new owner also had the pool tables recovered with new felt and changed out the old, scarred and pitted bar top with a brand new formica one. The place wasn’t fancy by any stretch, but at least it was clean and resembled something of this era. They served a killer Diablo chicken sandwich, and just happened to have a special on beer on Monday afternoons.

“Damn, Pop! Don’t scratch the new felt.”

“That’s bullshit! I should have made that shot,” Graham complained.

“Rory, go grab another round of beers while I show my old man how to sink these balls.”

I snickered at their banter and headed to the bar.

“Rory? Hey, man, you’re back?”

I turned to see my ex, Alec, looking just as I remembered him; tall, thin, and good looking. His goatee had grown out to a full beard and his dark hair was longer.

“It would seem so.”

“That’s great. Are you here to stay?”

“That’s the plan. How have you been?”

“I’m doing really well. I’m installing home security equipment. What about you?”

I had no desire to tell him about the positive changes in my life. He really didn’t need to know a thing about me.

“Uh, working security down at Limericks Lounge.”

“That fancy place downtown? I’ve heard it’s really nice. I’ll have to stop by and check it out sometime soon.” He leaned his elbows on the counter right next to mine and trailed his finger down my arm, tracing the outline of a star tattoo. “Maybe you can buy me a drink.” The twinkle in his eye was completely off-putting.

“It was great running into you again, Alec. I’m glad you’re doing well. See you around.”

I gathered the handles of all three beer mugs and carried them back to our table. Shannon and Graham had finished their game and were already seated, digging into a platter of loaded nachos.

“What’d he want?” Shannon tilted his head towards the bar, indicating Alec.

“Same thing he always wanted, an easy ride. It’s too bad my pillion is already occupied. He’ll get nowhere with me.”

“Good for you. I never liked him, anyway.”

Graham set his beer down, looking confused. “Who the fuck is riding on your pillion?”

I exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Shannon, who snickered and shoved another chip in his mouth. I hadn’t mentioned to my best friend that I was pursuing his nephew for two reasons. One, it was still so new, and two, I was avoiding confrontation. Graham Carrick was beyond protective of his family. Despite the boys being his nephews, he had raised them like they were his sons. Carlisle, Carson, and Gordy, looked up to their uncle as if he were a father. He was their only male role model, and he took the job seriously.

The time had come to find out how he felt about it.

---