Jase smiled and pulled back the covers. “We’re just friends,” he said.
Luis didn’t remove his bathrobe. When he climbed into bed with Jase, Jase extended his arm and Luis snuggled up against his chest. Jase put his arms around him and pulled him closer.
Then Jase pulled up the blanket and top sheet to be sure Luis’s shoulders were covered.
“There’s nothing wrong with this, is there?” Luis asked, closing his eyes. “We’re just two good friends sleeping together. No harm done.”
Jase smiled and kissed the top of his head. “There’s nothing wrong,” he said. “We’re just good friends. Get some rest now.”
When Jase kissed the top of his head, Luis snuggled up closer and placed his palm in the middle of Jase’s chest. His body was strong and warm, and his sheets smelled like the ocean on a nice summer day. “I knew you were a wonderful man the minute I saw you this afternoon.
There’s something so safe about you. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man as strong and confident.”
This time he wasn’t just stoking an older man’s ego. This time he meant every word he was saying.
Jase wrapped his other arm around Luis and said, “Don’t talk. Just close your eyes and go to sleep. You’re safe now.”
* * * *
A half hour later, Luis opened his eyes and pressed his palm to his forehead. When he realized he’d been dreaming and repeating the words, “It’s not fair. I’m not going back,” over and over, he took a quick breath and gulped. He didn’t remember the details of the dream. But it couldn’t have been pleasant, because his chest was sweating and his heart was pounding.
Jase was still sitting up, wide awake, with his back propped against the pillows the same way it had been before Luis had fallen asleep in his arms. He placed his palm on top of Luis’s head and whispered, “Calm down. It’s just a bad dream.” Then he caressed Luis’s head and asked, “What’s not fair?”
Luis pulled away from Jase’s chest and sat up in bed. He rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t say that. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you did,” Jase said. “You kept repeating, ‘it’s not fair.’”
Luis reached for his dog and stood up. The bathrobe had come undone while he’d been sleeping and the right side was hanging off his shoulder. Though his private parts were still covered, the entire right side of his body was exposed.
“What’s wrong?” Jase asked. He stared at Luis’s body and pursed his lips.
“I don’t like people who ask too many questions,” Luis said. “If we’re going to be friends, you’ll have to get used to this.”
Before Jase could respond, Luis turned and moved to the open window. Without saying goodnight, he lifted his leg, stepped onto the fire escape, and ran back to his own apartment with the dog in his arms.
Chapter Four
The next afternoon, Jase went for a long walk through Riverside Park. He took his time and stopped to sit on a few benches along the way. This was the first time he’d gone for a walk through any park in years and he wasn’t sure how he felt about having so much free time. On the one hand, it was nice to be free from phone calls, e-mails, and all the demands that had become part of his normal existence. On the other, he wasn’t sure how much solitude he’d be able to take.
Leaving the life he’d known for so long, not to mention the billion-dollar empire he’d built with his own two hands, hadn’t been simple to do. At least he had his cheese-smoking invention to work on. Among many other things, Jase had already invented a home cheese making kit called The Cheese Virgin that had made millions of dollars . Now he wanted to invent a home cheese smoker to accompany it.
Though Jase knew this was only a temporary situation, he felt uneasy about being so secretive. But he also knew if he was going to find out who he was and try to explore some of the things he’d missed while he’d been pretending to live an authentic life, moving to New York and dropping out of sight for a while was necessary.
After his walk in the park, he strolled to a small grocery store near his apartment to pick up a few things for dinner. He wasn’t much of a cook or a shopper; these things had always been done for him. But he knew good cheese, good wine, and fresh bread. He could make a simple salad and top it with prepared croutons all by himself. And if he didn’t feel like cooking later on, that was fine, too. Now that he’d temporarily cut himself off from everything in his life and he didn’t have to follow any rules, he could just put everything in the refrigerator and order takeout if he wanted.
Sherman, his designer, was coming to his place for dinner that night and Jase had a feeling Sherman wasn’t coming for the food. Jase could have served rotten eggs on moldy bread and Sherman wouldn’t care. Though Sherman been a good friend and he’d helped Jase with his experimental move to New York, Jase was beginning to suspect Sherman had ulterior motives.
He’d met Sherman at a party in Palm Beach the previous winter and they’d become close friends.
So far, Sherman was the only person in Jase’s real life who knew he was gay.
The night before this, while they’d been watching television in Jase’s living room, Sherman reached out and placed his hand on Jase’s thigh. It was all very casual and innocent, but it made the short hairs on the back of Jase’s neck stand up. They’d been watching a horror film and Sherman had been up against Jase, biting his fist and cowering with his head on Jase’s chest.
It was after one in the morning and Jase could hardly keep his eyes open. He’d been holding back a yawn for a half hour so he wouldn’t look rude. So instead of saying anything to Sherman, Jase just stood up, yawned, and said he was going to bed. He told Sherman he could stay as long as he wanted and to lock the door when he left. Jase had been hoping that if he ignored Sherman’s casual pass, Sherman would get the hint and he wouldn’t try anything again.
Sherman, however, either didn’t want to get the hint, or he didn’t care. A few minutes later, as Jase was just about to fall off to sleep, Sherman slipped into his dark bedroom, removed his clothes, and climbed into Jase’s bed without asking if he was welcome. The next thing Jase knew, Sherman started rubbing his naked leg against Jase’s and started breathing in soft, gentle puffs.
Jase hadn’t expected him to be so bold; he’d never been in bed with another man. So he opened his eyes and remained still, thinking of a way he could turn Sherman down without hurting his feelings. He waited for a moment, then cleared his throat and said, “I’m really kind of tired tonight. I think it might be best if you just went home now.” His voice was pleasant and even; he pretended as if this were something perfectly normal between two friends.