Promises 2 (17 page)

Joe got right in Cayson’s face, making him rear back to keep their mouths from being too close. Joe stabbed a long, accusing finger at Cayson’s chest. His old friend’s fury was palpable, and it choked Cayson, gripped him, and tore at his conscience. There was no way he could give Joe another chance. He wasn’t a glutton for punishment. He realized then that he was slowly but surely losing a friend, and all Cayson could think about at the moment was where in public Quick was taking him.

Spittle flew out of Joe’s mouth and landed on Cayson’s chin as he hurled more insults and fired off threats. “I’m not coming back if I leave this time!”

“That’s a promise I’m going to make sure you keep.”

Quick’s voice cut through Joe’s fussing, and the tone he used sounded like he already had a short leash on his anger. The gate was still open, and Quick was through it and at Cayson’s side in seconds. Damn, the man looked fine as wine. Dressed casually, but still very handsome. Dark slacks and a dark gray ribbed turtleneck under his jet-black pea coat. Cayson was stunned stupid because it was the first time he recalled seeing Quick’s hair loose and flowing across his shoulders. He looked like Cayson’s Renegade Highlander fantasy come to life.

“I’m talking to Dr. Chauncey, not you.” Joe stood his ground in front of Quick, but he’d lowered his voice.

“Leave. Now. Or else I’m going to show you just how thuggish I can be,” Quick said. His teeth clenched as he spoke, as if he were trying not to raise his voice.

“I’m not scared of you, meathead. You thought you were so cute in the ER today, but I can play dirty, too,” Joe threatened uselessly. Cayson didn’t think Quick was the kind of guy who scared easily, and his non-reaction proved it.

“You sure you want to dance this dance with me, Ana?”

Joe tightened his eyes at the name, and Quick laughed right in his face. “You’re an anesthesiologist, right? Thought I’d call you Ana for short. And since you act like a bitch.” Quick over-annunciated the last word. “I thought it fitting.”

Cayson couldn’t stop the abrupt laugh that escaped his mouth, but tried to disguise it with a cough.

“Fine. Have your fun, now.” Joe looked around Quick’s large frame, throwing his next threat at Cayson. “This isn’t over.”

Maybe Joe shouldn’t have said that, because Quick went from zero to a hundred in a second. When Joe moved to leave, Quick grabbed him by the lapels of his suit jacket and pulled Joe so close to his mouth that to anyone watching on from a distance, it looked like they were getting ready to share a passionate kiss. Joe was up on his tiptoes, trying to pry himself out of the hold. Quick’s mouth was close to Joe’s ear, stating something that Cayson couldn’t make out. Only the squinting of Joe’s eyes told Cayson that whatever Quick was saying to him, Joe didn’t agree with or appreciate at all. He finally jerked himself out of Quick’s tight grip and hurried down the rest of the stairs and out the gate. He looked back for a second, and Quick nodded before Joe turned back and got in his Mercedes S Class and carefully followed every traffic law that applied when he pulled away from the curb and drove exactly the speed limit out of Cayson’s neighborhood.

“Dumbass,” Quick grumbled. “Can’t even make a threatening exit. Who puts on a blinker to pull away from a curb?”

Quick turned and looked Cayson up and down as if ensuring he was alright. Slowly lifting his right wrist, Quick pulled up Cayson’s sleeve to see if he had the watch on. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“You said this was for emergencies. I had everything handled.” Cayson smiled. He was too excited to be going out on a date to worry about what’d just transpired between his new beau and his old friend.

“What did you say to him just now?” Cayson asked, running his hand mesmerizingly through Quick’s soft mane. It looked so full and beautiful, like he could’ve starred in a hair conditioner commercial. It was such an erotic, refreshing change from Quick’s usual ponytail.

“It’s of no consequence. Now get inside, I want to get a good, long look at you.” Quick’s eyes turned hazy with his hunger and Cayson wanted to tell him to cancel all reservations and take him upstairs and not let him out of bed until he could barely walk.

As soon as they were back inside, Quick had Cayson’s back against the door and his hands all over his body before he could ask another question.

“Damn, you smell good… and you look… fuck, Cays. You look so fuckin’ beautiful.” Quick fingered Cayson’s pale pink bottom lip with the pad of his thumb while he kissed him.

Quick

When Quick pulled up to the curb and saw Joe up in Cayson’s face, he had to count to ten before he could get out of his truck. He was a shoot first; ask questions later kind of guy, especially when he felt threatened. Quick growled low in his throat as he watched his man lean away when Joe advanced. Damnit. This guy was like butt fucking without the lube. A straight pain in the ass. Couldn’t the bastard take a hint?

After he’d said his piece, Quick had been fine to let Joe leave. He was ready for his date to start, so he wasn’t going to provoke the already scared man. But when he hurled that last threat at Cayson, Quick’s leash broke and his anger came out full force, like lava bursting from an awakened volcano.

Before he knew it, he had Joe in his grips and it felt amazing. He wanted to lift him and throw him off the porch again, but decided on something even better. Something to make Joe think the rest of the night.

With his mouth close to Joe’s ear, Quick made sure his voice was low enough that Cayson couldn’t hear what he said. “You’re a real idiot, Ana. Cayson is mine now. You let him slip through your little bitch-scared hands, now I’ve got him.” Quick’s voice was rough and deadly. If the devil spoke aloud, he’d probably sound like Quick did at that moment. “Rest assured. I’m gonna fuck Cays so good, and so hard, he’s going to forget all about you, Ana. I promise you that.”

Joe thought he’d yanked himself out of Quick’s grip, but he’d let the man go when he was finished. He wanted Joe to go stew over what he’d just said. While he had no intentions of trying to sleep with Cayson on only their second date, Joe didn’t have to know that. But, hell, the way Cayson was sucking on Quick’s tongue right now, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure how the night was going to end. Both of them seemed starved for a little intimacy.

Cayson moaned boldly, writhing against Quick’s body like a wolf marking its mate. “You look really nice, Rome,” Cayson said breathlessly. “I’m trying not to attack you.”

Quick laughed. Now, that would be a sparring match he’d happily volunteer for, if it was in the bedroom.

“I told myself I’d be good, but you are making it very difficult.” Quick bent even lower and chanced his luck, hoping he didn’t get a hard shove in retaliation. He ran both hands down Cayson’s sides and around to the small of his back. Quick kneaded the taut muscles there first, before he worked his hands over the thick mounds of Cayson’s ass. The loud gasp made him chuckle softly in the crook of Cayson’s clean neck. “Feels good?” Quick murmured.

“Yes. God, yes,” Cayson hissed while Quick continued massaging his ass.

“I want you. I want all of you, Cays. Not just behind closed doors. I want everything I’ve been missing for so long.” Quick wasn’t scared to claim what he wanted. He was a grown ass man, and he knew who and what he was. A bisexual man who was too old to act like he didn’t know his own mind. He’d been married for seven long years before he decided his wife deserved a man who could give her what she deserved… and so did he.

“Damn, it’s been a long time.” Quick dragged his middle finger up Cayson’s seam, mimicking the video he’d watched earlier. But Cayson’s response was so much better than the man on camera. The reaction was genuine longing and yearning from deep down in his doctor. It pulled on Quick’s heart and his resolve. How dare that prick starve Cayson of this? For what? Quick could see the plea for more in his sweet surgeon’s blue eyes.
I’m right there with you Cays.

“Jesus Christ you taste so good. Before I get ahead of myself, let’s go to dinner. I need to talk. We need to talk.” Quick waited while Cayson turned everything off in his home and locked the front door. With his hand tightly clasped around Cayson’s, he made sure the coast was clear of Ana before he walked them to his truck and headed for downtown Atlanta on a Friday night.

~~~~~~~~

If it wouldn’t’ve looked silly, Cayson would’ve been bouncing with anticipation while he rode with Quick to The Foxhole. A night out on a real date. He didn’t count the times he’d been invited to men’s homes, or they asked to come to his place. He didn’t count the secluded groping sessions on the far outskirts of the town where he went to college. None of those were dates. A date was what Quick was giving him now. And it only took him god knows how many damn years. Quick parked at 14th and Piedmont, telling Cayson it was a good night to walk. The Foxhole was on the street parallel to Piedmont, so he was glad he’d chosen to wear his comfortable shoes.

Quick held his hand out for Cayson, and he gladly took it.

“Is this okay?” Quick asked, flicking his head at their joined hands when he began to walk towards the main road. 

“Absolutely.” Cayson hid his smile as he and Quick walked amongst all the other date goers. They got a few glances at their closeness, but Quick was oblivious. He looked as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Cayson supposed growing up the biggest and strongest, you didn’t worry about being assaulted because of your orientation. Quick maneuvered them around people, while he kept a protective arm over Cayson’s shoulders. “I hope you’re hungry. This place has the best food,” Quick said, kissing the top of his head. He slowed down when they got to a wooden door, painted to look like a foxhole. A petite lady in dark stockings and a pretty, short black dress addressed them politely when they approached her hostess stand.

Quick spoke confidently, “I have reservations under Webb.”

The woman looked down and flipped through a couple pages before replying, “Yes, sir. We have you all ready.” She gave them a huge smile through her bright red lips and pointed in the direction of a roped off booth. Quick followed right behind the hostesses, still clasping Cayson’s hand.

The atmosphere was perfect for a first date. The restaurant was dark, with only a few recessed lights dimmed low above their heads and two votive candles on the table. It was plenty enough light to set a romantic mood. Cayson was pleasantly surprised when they were shown the best seat in the house. It was towards the back, against the wall in the far left corner. A beautiful rock garden fireplace was built into the wall next to their table, and Cayson sighed, welcoming the warmth. He removed his heavy coat, keeping his blazer on and slid into the horseshoe-shaped booth, Quick easing in right next to him, picking up Cayson’s hand and kissing his palm before he released it to take the menus. The restaurant was small, but warm and cozy. Several four top tables were spread throughout the minimal space, but Cayson loved the coloring. All dark reds and earth tones. There was a small musical trio nestled in the corner of the tiny dance floor. A violinist, a keyboard player and a saxophonist serenaded the diners with soothing melodies like you might hear in a spa. When Quick said the place had live music, Cayson thought it was going to be something like a Hall and Oats cover band, or similar to that. 

“James will be your server this evening. You gentlemen enjoy.” The lady reached up and pulled a privacy curtain, closing them off from any curious eyes.

“Oh, nice.” Cayson grinned. “We need privacy?”

“I thought it’d make you more comfortable when I did this.” Quick held Cayson’s waist with one hand, the other palm cupped his cheek while he kissed him on the corner of his mouth, before moving down his jaw to his sensitive neck. “I love how good you smell. Mmm, how good you taste.”

He was so glad he chose the Kenneth Cole instead of the Stetson. Cayson closed his eyes, nuzzling closer to Quick’s large body. He felt so good, he could barely keep a lid on his emotions. The privacy curtain didn’t offend him. It only made him blush more, because he had a feeling people knew what was going on behind that partition. Quick didn’t hesitate to show everyone in the restaurant that they were there as a couple, not buddies.

“Thank you, Rome. This is really… really nice. I’m overwhelmed,” Cayson said softly against Quick’s lips.

“Why are you overwhelmed?”

Cayson didn’t get a chance to answer, because just then their waiter tapped on the side of the booth and waited for Quick’s okay before he pulled the curtain back just enough for him to speak to them.

“Good evening. I’m James. Welcome to The Foxhole. Can I get you started with something to drink?”

Quick had his arm draped over the back of the booth, making it so easy for Cayson to lean into his side. “What do you want to drink, babe?”

Babe.
“I’ll have a water and a scotch on the rocks.” He felt like being daring tonight. He always kept a fine bottle of scotch in his liquor cabinet, but rarely indulged. For Cayson, tonight was all about the adventure. He’d do all the things he normally didn’t. It was a long time overdue for him.