Stuff (The Bristol Collection) (28 page)

The two of them were both looking at him like he’d grown another head, but perhaps the hat he’d chosen just didn’t go with the rest of his outfit. His mind had been on other things, after all.

“Umm, yes. OMG. Are you sure?” Mas stared up with wide eyes. “It’s a bit, you know,
gay
. We could go somewhere else.”

“But I am gay. And besides, I want to meet your friends. You told me they’d be there.”

Lewis chuckled. “They’ll be there. And don’t worry, we’ll be there too. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll warn you now, though. You might want to fortify yourself with a drink or two before heading down there.”

Perry felt like he was the victim of some elaborate hoax, but while Mas was smiling at him like that, he’d do anything to make him happy.

Except perhaps dance. Or drink.

“You won’t regret this,” Mas murmured, openly groping him in front of Lewis. Perry shifted uncomfortably. “I’ll make sure of that.”

Lewis glanced at his watch. “Right, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it, then. See you later for happy hour.”

Lewis headed out of the door.

“Happy hour?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure every hour up till then is happy hour for you.” Mas gave a grin that made Perry’s knees weak.

The rest of the day passed in a whirl. Mas sent Perry packing after the lunchtime rush, telling him to conserve his social energy for the evening. It was an ominous announcement, and definitely not one Perry wanted to think about too much. He’d be okay just sitting in a corner, keeping quiet and observing what was going on around him, wouldn’t he?

Although trying to imagine Mas settling for that was ludicrous. Perry was in big trouble, and he couldn’t even have those drinks Lewis had suggested to calm his nerves. He needed to take up smoking or something.

But eventually the time came to close up the shop, and Perry was pleased to find it had been another moderately successful day. He’d be able to treat Mas to few drinks anyway. “Will I need to buy rounds later?” he asked, unsure of the etiquette.

“Depends how many turn up. If it’s just the four of us, great. If a bunch of other freeloaders join our table, don’t bother.”

“How will I be able to tell if they’re freeloaders?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there. You’ll be fine.”

“I’m not worrying.”

“Yeah, right.” Mas stepped in close, crowding Perry against the wall. He had the absurd urge to slip one of the twenties he was holding under Mas’s braces. “Now come on before I decide you need another stress-busting under-counter blowjob.”

“That wasn’t exactly my idea of relaxing. Thrilling, yes. Terrifying, absolutely. Relaxing? Not one bit.”

“Oh, I dunno. You looked pretty chilled afterwards. You practically floated up them stairs.”

“Those stairs,” Perry corrected automatically, making Mas roll his eyes.

“It’s a good thing you’re pretty,” Mas said before kissing him on the nose and tripping off through the shop. “Now get your skates on. I want to get down there nice and early so we get a good table, and it’s going to take me hours to get ready.”

“What are you going to be wearing?” Perry had a horrifying vision of Mas in some awfully trendy designer outfit, next to which Perry would look like someone’s granddad who’d wandered in off the street by mistake.

“What would you like to see me in?” Mas’s smile should have been illegal, it was so filthy.

Perry thought about what he’d seen of Mas’s skintight outfits, and then pictured them both in their usual work wear. But he didn’t like the idea of wearing day clothes in the evening. Then inspiration struck. “I don’t suppose you have a dinner jacket, do you?”

“A dinner jacket? Oh, hang on, you mean a tux?”

Perry sniffed. “I think you’ll find it’s called a dinner jacket on this side of the Atlantic.”

“And I think you need to learn to roll with the times, Perrykins. But no, I don’t have a dinner jacket. Why? You seriously thinking of wearing one? You do know you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Not if you’re in one too. I think I might have something in your size somewhere.”

“Then we’ll both stick out like sore thumbs together. Hey, I don’t mind though. I’m just warning you, we’ll be noticed. No hiding away.”

“I don’t want to hide away.” How could Perry explain it without sounding ridiculous? “It’s just I’d feel more confident in black tie. I know it’s hardly a formal occasion, but that’s what I’ve always worn to evening functions before. It’ll be something comforting in an unfamiliar situation.”

Mas pursed his lips, and for a sickening moment, Perry thought he might be mocked, but instead Mas burst out in a wide grin. “Okay, then. I’m game if you are. Reckon we could have some fun dressed up like penguins. You find me a suit, and I’ll get myself cleaned up. Bagsie first go in the shower,” Mas said, winking as he dashed around the corner and over to the stairs. Perry watched him disappear with mingled affection and apprehension. Just what was he letting himself in for?

Chapter Thirty-One

They’d barely arrived at the club before Mas was reminded of how three weeks was a lifetime in his social world.

“Oh my God! We all thought you’d gone and run off with that sugar daddy of yours!” Tyler screeched, right before lavishing a sloppy kiss right on Mas’s lips. “You’ve missed so much goss. You’d never guess who Jayden copped off with last week. Only that bloke with the enormous—”

“Girls, this is Perry,” Mas announced before Tyler had a chance to launch into one of his smutty anecdotes. “Play nice with him. He’s mine. And you remember Jasper and Lewis, don’t you?”

They’d met up with Jasper and Lewis at a pub around the corner before leading an increasingly uncomfortable-looking Perry up to the doors of OMG. They hadn’t even reached the front step when they were ambushed by Tyler, who was slouching artfully outside with a bunch of other smokers, most of whom Mas recognised. These were the kind of friends who were fun for a night out and could be your best mates when you’d had a few drinks, but he didn’t have any of their numbers programmed into his phone.

Tyler looked Perry up and down before turning to look Mas up and down too. “Are you going on to a fancy dress party or something? Can I come too? It would be a shame to cover up this, but I could always nip home and throw a quick toga together.”

“Yeah, if you can find any clean sheets,” one of the others—Mark—jeered.

“This isn’t fancy dress. It’s called style. I’m not surprised you don’t recognise it.” Luckily Perry had found an old tux upstairs that fit Mas well and didn’t reek too badly of mothballs. Felt odd, wearing a bow tie for the first time—a real one, of course, which Perry had had to tie for him—but the whole ensemble suited him. Made him feel like a member of the Rat Pack or something, and it put a certain swagger in his walk. Mas grabbed hold of Perry’s arm and muttered in his ear, “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

Perry’s arm landed around Mas’s shoulders. “I’m sure.” He spoke louder. “Pleasure to meet you, gents, but we’ll be on our way inside now.”

Tyler stepped right in their way, blocking the door. “Ooh, he’s a posh one. Kinky, is he? They usually are. Not as butch as your usual, though, Mas. Don’t look much like a top. You’re not doing him, are you? Wonders will never cease.”

“Shut up, Tyler.” Mas elbowed him out of the way and yanked on Perry to encourage him inside, where the music would be too loud to hear any catty comments. Lewis and Jasper followed them, muttering something to each other about heteronormative assumptions of sexual roles in gay relationships—or at least that’s what Mas thought he heard.

Mas paid the entry fee for both of them, and while they got a raised eyebrow from the man at the door, he didn’t make any rude comments about their clothing. Inside it was just too noisy to hear anything much, but Mas was pleased to see the general reaction to the two of them was wide smiles and admiring glances. “Yeah, we’re rocking this look,” he shouted into Perry’s ear.

Perry had a certain wild-eyed look about him, but he’d done a good job of covering up his nerves. The tight grip on Mas’s arm gave him away, but to anyone else, he’d look pretty confident. They found one of the last few remaining standing tables in the bar area—in the darkest corner, predictably, as the crowd here generally preferred to be seen—and Lewis offered to get the first round in.

“Just a fruit juice for me, please,” Perry said, leaning his elbows on the high table.

Lewis gave him a funny look. “You sure you don’t need something stronger? I know I do to cope with this place. It’s so juvenile.”

“I’d rather not drink any alcohol, thank you.”

When Lewis had left, with Jasper in tow to help carry the drinks back, Mas pressed himself up against Perry’s side. “You staying sober to keep an eye on me? You can trust me, you know. That text to Jasper really was just a cry for attention.”

“It’s not that. Really, I wouldn’t mind. It’s just that… I’m not good with alcohol. I get drunk far too quickly.”

“Lightweight.” Mas smiled and nudged Perry with his hip to let him know it wasn’t a criticism.

“Not that exactly. It’s more I’m allergic. I get really red in the face too. Anything more than about one unit, and I’m steaming drunk. Can’t remember what I’ve said or done. It’s just not worth it.”

“And there I was, thinking bonus, you’re a really cheap night out.”

Perry grinned down at him and kissed him on the forehead. “I’d rather be able to remember all this tomorrow.”

“You sure?” Mas eyed the usual Thursday-night crowd of hip young things. Students, mainly, with a few local boys like himself, and the odd older bloke on the prowl.

“It’s…fascinating. Not what I expected. There are even girls here too.”

“Don’t you go getting any ideas. You’re with me.” Because even if Perry wasn’t all that possessive about him, Mas was certainly not letting anyone else near his boyfriend. If they were boyfriends. Shit, were they boyfriends or not? How did you tell when a casual fuck-buddy had become more?

He was still puzzling over that one when Lewis came back with the drinks.

While the dinner jacket might have caught him some flak off Tyler, as soon as he’d stripped off the jacket, undone the bow tie and rolled up his sleeves, Mas discovered he’d turned into gay-boy catnip. For some reason, everyone wanted to dance with him, and he was groped way more than usual. If he’d known the effect black tie had in a clubby environment, he’d have gone and bought himself a tux years ago. He just had to hope Perry was safe from the gropers up in his corner. He’d hissed, “Make sure you look after him” into Jasper’s ear before heading off to dance, but he still felt kind of twitchy. Normally he’d dance for an hour or so before needing to quench his thirst, but Mas found himself heading back after a couple of tunes.

“That wasn’t long,” Perry said into his ear as Mas plastered his sweaty body up against his man.

“Miss me, did you?”

“Of course.”

“So, what were you all talking about while I was strutting my funky stuff?”

Jasper and Lewis wouldn’t meet his eye. “Oh, I see. Discussing me, were you? Don’t you go telling Perry anything embarrassing. Not that I’ve ever done anything embarrassing. Well, maybe once or twice, but who’s counting?”

Lewis rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, we weren’t talking about you. Not exactly, anyway.”

“No? Then what was so fascinating and juicy that you can’t even tell me, eh? Perry?”

Perry blushed scarlet. “I was just asking for some, erm, advice.”

“Oh yeah?” Mas dropped his voice so only Perry would be able to hear, which still involved raising his voice over the music. “What kind of advice?”

“Umm… It was some, erm, advice on copulation.”

“Copu—” Mas’s brain caught up with his ears. “You mean sex? Hey, babe, you know if you’ve got any questions about doing the dirty, you can always ask me.” Come to think of it, he was miffed Perry hadn’t. “Ask away. I’m an open book, and I’ve got loads of experience, so I should know the answer.”

“Have you ever…” Perry flushed even redder and looked down into his glass, making Mas wonder if he’d started on the alcohol after all. “Do you ever do what I do? Topping, you call it, don’t you?”

“Oh.” Now it was Mas’s turn to scrutinise his drink, which now only contained a rather sad-looking cocktail umbrella and a cherry. He gobbled up the cherry before answering. “Topping. Yeah, well, I have done a few times.”

“Would you want to do it with me?”

Shit on a brick. It had to be that, didn’t it? He dropped his voice even further and spoke directly into Perry’s ear. “You sure that’s what you want? It can be painful the first few times.”

“But you know what you’re doing, don’t you? And it can still be good. That’s what Lewis and Jasper said.”

Mas shot both the traitors an evil glare, but they both stared back at him like they didn’t know what they’d done wrong. Bastards. He turned back to Perry, who was looking adorably confused and hesitant. Shit. It wasn’t fair to leave him fretting like that. “Yeah. It’s good. When you’re relaxed and you’re with someone who knows what they’re doing, it’s like, mind-blowingly good.”